[Izulde]

We somehow manage to sell 75 season tickets despite our trainwreck of a friendlies performance.

Louis-Rae Beadle, an AML who I don't think has played yet, gets hurt and is out 1-3 months.

Match 1 - Bromley
We'll probably get our tails kicked, but I do like that before the match, AFC Hornchurch's manager, Jimmy McFarlane, says we've got a good shot at staying up.

Starting Lineup
GK Jack Turner
DL Jordaan Brown
DC Sam Page
DC Matt Drage
DR Lewis Ferrell
DMC Scott Taylor (Ass. Man.)
ML Wayne Young (Youth transfer)
MR David Wheeler
AMC Troy Ferguson
ST Tony Garrod
ST Perry Law (Youth transfer - No contract)

30' - No highlights thus far. Wayne Young gets a knock, though, so it's Reece Hall on for him. Young's looked nervous in any case.

Oh wait, I have it set to Key Highlights. No wonder.

38' - Scott Taylor's old ass gets blown past, but our defense recovers in time to prevent the goal, and Taylor hustles back to clear it out. That's it until halftime.

I tell Perry Law to calm down at half time because he's looking very nervous, and then he ends up looking confused. 16 year old boys don't know shit.

48' - Yeah, Jordaan Brown is playing like crap today, but we don't have anyone to slot in for him. Will Bor does take Scott Taylor's place, though.

50' - Nice little pass from Law to Garrod with Wheeler running to the subsequent feed to try and get the goal, but sadly, it's right at the keeper.

55' - A buildup by us is all soap, but they get a long, beautiful pass nearly all the way down the field to set up a perfect shot.... .... and it narrowly misses. Whew.

64' - One of their guys gets yellow-carded, but our free kick turns out for naught. They again try a counter, but the defense holds.

86' - They've had a couple corners miss, and Mario the Ass comes on for Law to finish out our subs. Ferguson is looking wiped out there, though, and we need more depth.

89' - A piss-poor job of clearing by us and Buchanan for their side stays with the ball and slots in it. FML. 0-1

And that's how it ends.

Jordaan Brown put up a 5.4 stinker today and Reece Hall's 5.9 was awful as well. Ironically our two DCs earned a 7.0.

I'm getting a little annoyed with how FM 2013 keeps fast-forwarding the calendar even when there's new messages I want to look at, though I'm sure there's a setting to fix that. Such as the staff telling me to train attack set pieces when I can't because by the time the game stops again, it's Match Day.

Heh, Bromley's in takeover talks. That boosted their value maybe to beat us.

Match 2 - Dorchester
Starting Lineup
GK Jack Turner
DL Nathan Beckett
DC Odaine Kemar-Smith
DC Alfie Arthur
DR Qaseem Sotonwa
DMC Scott Taylor (Ass. Man.)
ML Reece Hall
MR David Wheeler
AMC Will Bor
ST Louis-Rae Beadle (Yes, we have 2 of them)
ST Mario Quiassaca

Not good for continuity, I know, and Wheeler's only at 87%, but what can you do?

17' - You can tell these guys aren't used to playing together. Nothing going on offense, and poor shooting form by Dorchester is keeping us alive. That'll change I'm sure.

25' - Ugh. Two beautiful setups for Quiassaca by Taylor and Bor, and Mario can't get his foot forward to hit in either one. That may have been our best shot.

Stop me if you've heard this before. 0-0 at the half, though we did get a couple whatever long-range cracks towards the end. Will Bor is playing like ass out there, as is Odaine Kemar-Smith, but we don't have any reserves to replace either one.

65' - A couple of half-ass close shots early in the second half, but Rae-Beadle *just* misses one here, and it's kicked aside to give us a corner. Taylor and Bor are ordered to switch spots, and [b]Wayne Young[b] is brought on to replace Hall. Ugh, Kemar-Smith *just* misses the goal on the header by a fraction of an inch.

70' - Turner punches the ball out although he's playing dangerously there. Young grabs it, runs down the entire left side of the field and crosses to Wheeler, who knocks it in for our first league lead!!!! 1-0

78' - Cyril Ocansey comes on for Quiassaca.

92' - Yellow for Kemar-Smith.

And we get the 3 points!

Nathan Beckett played great at DC today - 7.2 and 7.1s for Alfie Arthur and Qaseem Sotonwa at DC and DR respectively. But of course the man of the hour is the exhausted David Wheeler with our first league goal of the year and a 7.9, though one of Dorchester's defenders got Man of the Match.

Bromley got bought by David Sheepshanks.

Basingstoke
Starting Lineup
GK Jack Turner
DL Jordaan Brown
DC Sam Page
DC Matt Drage
DR Lewis Ferrell
DMC Scott Taylor (Ass. Man.)
ML Wayne Young (Youth transfer)
MR Adam Cashin-Murray
AMC Troy Ferguson
ST Tony Garrod
ST Perry Law (Youth transfer - No contract)

This is a game we definitely need to win if we want to make sure we stay clear of the drop zone.

[b]10'[b] - A heart-stopping free kick by them misses.

14' - Garrod is having trouble getting anything going today.

32' - Shit. Long shot by Lake and it's now.. 0-1

37' - Bullshit penalty given to them and of course they convert 0-2

I chew them out at half.

68' - Law heads it forward into the penalty area and Garrod races in to send it home. 1-2 and Bor on for Ferguson.

85' - We get screwed out of an equalizing penalty kick. Quiassica in for Law.

91' - Quiassca sets it up for Cashin-Murray, but it's no dice. Tony Garrod gets hurt right before game's end.

Some loan information coming up next time.