Front Office Football Central - View Single Post

Greyfriars Bobby · 11-27-2018, 07:49 PM

23 April 2018

It's been an eventful month, to say the least.

Two days before the loan window closed, we reached a deal with Newport County to bring in left back Jamie Collin. As much as I like Matty York, the inconsistencies I'd seen in his play this season have made me wonder if the Conference Premier might be a bit too fast for him. Since I couldn't renew Ben Roberts' loan for another three months, I expected Jamie to slot in to the first eleven.

Even at 30, Jamie has a bit more pace than either Roberts or York. He's a little less aggressive a tackler, but he is more comfortable getting forward.

By the next weekend, two teams were officially relegated, while two more--Gateshead and Stockport--clinched spots in the play-off. We had a chance to move into the play-off places ourselves, but lost to Aldershot Town on a heartbreaking goal in the dying minutes of the match. Still, if you'd asked me in October if we'd be fighting for a play-off place in April, I'd have said you were crazy. Here's how the top of the table looked on 7 April:

The next week, we grabbed a point against a scrappy Eastleigh side. We drew a corner, and Dominic Hutchinson floated the ball into the area. Eastleigh's Mason Gallen, who is 5'6" and weighs 147 pounds, made contact with big Tomasz Wisniewski, who's easily 25 pounds heavier. Big T went down; more than a few Eastleigh supporters thought Tomasz went down a bit too easily, but the only man whose opinion mattered pointed to the penalty spot. As he's done all year, Aiden Harris made it count.

The point probably saved our chances at the play-off, but victories by Wrexham and Chester made those chances look a bit more remote.

On Saturday, the 21st, Chester hosted league-leading Gateshead and pulled off a clutch 2-0 victory. But Wrexham lost at Hednesford Town, making our Sunday result that much more important.

A big crowd turned out at Alfredian Park. Our opponents were bottom-dwelling AFC Fylde, and they took the lead through Sean Love in the 10th minute. No sooner had the visiting fans sat back down before Paul Douglas ran onto a beautiful through ball from Ryan Bellamy and drew us level. Twelve minutes later, Douglas nodded the ball into the path of Tom Wilkinson, who showed the Coasters' defense a clean set of heels and scored. Just like that, our captain had set things right. We romped to a 5-2 victory.

So, this is how the table looks going into the final round of matches. We will travel to the capital to face AFC Wimbledon, who are currently in 20th place. Chester will be at AFC Fylde, and we need the Coasters to help us out. Wrexham might have the toughest fixture; they face 10th place Grimsby Town, although they do have the advantage of playing at home.

11-27-2018, 07:49 PM	#48
Greyfriars Bobby College Prospect Join Date: Sep 2013	23 April 2018 It's been an eventful month, to say the least. Two days before the loan window closed, we reached a deal with Newport County to bring in left back Jamie Collin. As much as I like Matty York, the inconsistencies I'd seen in his play this season have made me wonder if the Conference Premier might be a bit too fast for him. Since I couldn't renew Ben Roberts' loan for another three months, I expected Jamie to slot in to the first eleven. Even at 30, Jamie has a bit more pace than either Roberts or York. He's a little less aggressive a tackler, but he is more comfortable getting forward. By the next weekend, two teams were officially relegated, while two more--Gateshead and Stockport--clinched spots in the play-off. We had a chance to move into the play-off places ourselves, but lost to Aldershot Town on a heartbreaking goal in the dying minutes of the match. Still, if you'd asked me in October if we'd be fighting for a play-off place in April, I'd have said you were crazy. Here's how the top of the table looked on 7 April: The next week, we grabbed a point against a scrappy Eastleigh side. We drew a corner, and Dominic Hutchinson floated the ball into the area. Eastleigh's Mason Gallen, who is 5'6" and weighs 147 pounds, made contact with big Tomasz Wisniewski, who's easily 25 pounds heavier. Big T went down; more than a few Eastleigh supporters thought Tomasz went down a bit too easily, but the only man whose opinion mattered pointed to the penalty spot. As he's done all year, Aiden Harris made it count. The point probably saved our chances at the play-off, but victories by Wrexham and Chester made those chances look a bit more remote. On Saturday, the 21st, Chester hosted league-leading Gateshead and pulled off a clutch 2-0 victory. But Wrexham lost at Hednesford Town, making our Sunday result that much more important. A big crowd turned out at Alfredian Park. Our opponents were bottom-dwelling AFC Fylde, and they took the lead through Sean Love in the 10th minute. No sooner had the visiting fans sat back down before Paul Douglas ran onto a beautiful through ball from Ryan Bellamy and drew us level. Twelve minutes later, Douglas nodded the ball into the path of Tom Wilkinson, who showed the Coasters' defense a clean set of heels and scored. Just like that, our captain had set things right. We romped to a 5-2 victory. So, this is how the table looks going into the final round of matches. We will travel to the capital to face AFC Wimbledon, who are currently in 20th place. Chester will be at AFC Fylde, and we need the Coasters to help us out. Wrexham might have the toughest fixture; they face 10th place Grimsby Town, although they do have the advantage of playing at home. Last edited by Greyfriars Bobby : 11-27-2018 at 08:14 PM.