We cut further into our wage budget by signing
Will Wilkins to a two year, $5.5k per year contract for his first professional deal. We still have $23.5k in room, though.
@Colwyn Bay (13th)
GK Dereck Turner
DL Paul Weldon
DC Jimmy Tickle
DC Simon Walton
DR Danny Parslow
DM Alex Worsfold
ML Antonie Boland
MC Eddy Gnahore
MR Ryan Richefond
ST Zach Little
ST Gergo Lippai
44 - Very quiet first half. So much so that this is only the second highlight in total, but it's a pretty one, as
Gnahore challenges and wins the ball, then challenges again to pass it to
Little for the short, firm locker room lead *just* before the break.
1-0
45 - Holy shit!
Lippai kicks it to
Richefond on the wing, and the booming kick is to
Worsfold's head who "bravely rises above the opponent" to knock it in! Wow, talk about devastating for the Bay!
2-0
Tickle moves to DR,
Weldon to DC, and
Fell comes on at DL. The stellar playing but tired
Gnahore is replaced by new contract man
Wilkins.
73 - The second half has been all about yellow cards, including one of their guys getting a double yellow right here. At this point, the game is ours. They're not coming back down 2 with only 10 guys on the pitch.
Worsfold is PotM with 8.2 so screw the trouble fitting in remarks.
Weldon nabs a 7.5 and we just played a solid all-around game.
That win gives us a 3 point cushion + goal differential in first, which is a great combo to have.
vs Hereford (FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round)
GK Dereck Turner
DL Matt Fell
DC Paul Weldon
DC Jimmy Tickle
DR Danny Parslow
DM Alex Worsfold
ML Antonie Boland
MC Will Wilkins
MR Tom Knott
ST Zach Little
ST Kane Richards
Still sticking with my IM theory for cup games. Hereford's a BS Premier side, which sucks for us to get one this early, but we're still going to make a go of it.
5 -
Richards with the corner... and
Weldon with the sliding tackle goal!!
1-0
40 - At long last, an own goal that goes our way!!! Though I seriously thought it was
Wilkins with the score. We'll take it either way.
2-0
Want to know the weird part? Despite the two goal lead, we haven't been playing that brilliantly overall. We've just been damned lucky.
46 - Hmm.
Parslow gets the ball stripped away from him and they score.
2-1
65 -
Gnahore on for tired
Wilkins, and I'm going to risk
Da Costa at DC with
Weldon moving to DL.
71 - ....
Turner really should have stopped that one.
2-2
74 - And they blow the go-ahead goal opportunity there.
79 - The post denies them.
84 -
Weldon to
Worsfold to
Richards sitting in the middle of the six yard box. Takes Kane a bit to control it, but then
he puts it in the lower right hand corner for the lead in our only offensive highlight of the half!!!!! 3-2
They switch to a 3-4-3 to frantically fight for the tie, but it's no go and we pull off the massive upset!!!
7.8 for
Worsfold, 7.5 for
Weldon and 8.0 for
Richards. Only the first one is part of the IM strength crew. One of their players won PotM but I don't care. It's us who won.
I'm tempted to tell them off and say it's a Jekyll and Hyde performance because it was, but why ruin that? They ignore me anyway when I say it's a good win. First time that's ever happened.
$22k in the bank for *that* win. I like these cup victories.
Gavin Mutch wants more than the youth contract he's got. WTF are you again, kid? Oh. Somebody who's got some potential apparently, but he's never going to break into our current rotation as it stands. I tell him to prove to me that he deserves that money. He played 21 games last year before I came in and stunk.
@FC Halifax (2nd)
GK Dereck Turner
DL Paul Weldon
DC Curtis Da Costa
DC Simon Walton
DR Danny Parslow
DM Alex Worsfold
ML Tom Knott
MC Eddy Gnahore
MR Trevor Sedgemore
ST Zach Little
ST Kane Richards
As you can see from Halifax's place, this game has huge implications for the early league lead. We're heavily favored due to our hot streak, which makes me nervous since it's an away game.
18 - Our favorite corner move strikes again with
Walton punting it to
Da Costa's head for the quick, sneaky strike.
1-0
42 - He damn sure looked offsides on that free kick goal to me.
1-1
We're playing like garbage, particularly our strikers, and
Weldon gets butthurt when I tell the team off, but I have no one to replace him, so I switch
Knott to MR and put
Boland in at ML.
54 - Going to gamble here.
Lippai in for
Richards and
Wilkins replacing
Worsfold while I pray there's no injuries. Oh, and they should have taken the lead here.
Da Costa played his ass off and got PotM with an 8.4 and
Walton grabbed a 7.7, but our strikers were terrible and I give them a head-knocking talk.
vs Boston United (13th)
GK Dereck Turner
DL Matt Fell
DC Curtis Da Costa
DC Simon Walton
DR Jimmy Tickle
DM Alex Worsfold
ML Antonie Boland
MC Eddy Gnahore
MR Ryan Richefond
ST Zach Little
ST Kane Richards
Remember our old friend
Lukas Lidakevcius (sp)? The Lithuanian goalkeeper who didn't pan out with
Brackley on a loan? Well, he's been the keeper for
Boston United ever since he flamed out at Brackley.
The first half is sheer trash. Our offense is nonexistent.
Lippai replaces a tired
Richards at the break.
52 -
Gnahore-
Little-
Lippai is the chain reaction that breaks the drought and keeps our games scored streak alive for another day.
1-0
58 - The whole team's been fired up since the halftime and
Fell charges down the wing, then crosses it to where none other than
Richefond is there to put it in for his first ever goal for us!!!
2-0
63 -
Wilkins subs for
Gnahore
92 - Just for good measure, we get ourselves a
Boland weirdly on the right side kicking out to
Walton, whose cross is just what
Worsfold needs to head in the finisher.
3-0
By the way, you may also remember Boston United as the team that raided our scrubs on frees in the offseason, two of whom started today.
I get the expected comment about how the half-time talk really sparked something in the team. How big a difference? I'll let you see for yourself.
Yep.
@Scunthorpe (FA Cup 1st Round)
GK Dereck Turner
DL Paul Weldon
DC Danny Parslow
DC Simon Walton
DR Jimmy Tickle
DM Alex Worsfold
ML Antonie Boland
MC Eddy Gnahore
MR Tom Knott
ST Zach Little
ST Kane Richards
We have zero chance almost of beating a League 2 side on their own turf, so I'm just going to put out the most well-rested lineup possible since we have a league match again in a few days. The fact that it turns out to be a solid lineup is bonus points, I suppose.
15 - Wow! Wow wow oh wow *that* was a clear own goal to our advantage!
1-0
18 - That immediately changed the complexion of the game, with Scunthorpe going more offensive, and us going defensive for the first time ever.
33 -
Little and
Richards exchange passes and I'm half out of my chair because I think
Little has it... but he shanks it.
41 - Damn! Damn damn damn!!!
Little denied by the upright!!!!
44 - Fuck. Terrible clearance by
Knott 1-1
We should be winning, not tied.
52 - Fuck you, dipsucking ref. That was not a fucking penalty!
1-2
54 - Floodgates are open now.
Lippai replaces
Little 1-3
75 - ANOTHER FUCKING PENALTY?!?! FUUUUUUUUCK YOU YOU FUCKING FUCKSTICK GNOBBLING ASSCLOWN FUCKING PAID OFF BY THE GOD DAMNED FUCKING SCUNTHORPE BOARD!
1-4
Granted, we totally fell apart in the second half: See
Parslow - 3.1 and I have to rip them for it, but still...
That also ends our unbeaten streak overall, but not in terms of league play.
Good Trains
Jimmy Tickle
Curtis Da Costa
Antonie Boland
I win Manager of the Month going away.
Board's very pleased
and we make a huge for us profit of $90.46k, the biggest sum I've made with any team in a month in this universe.
vs Southport (10th)
GK Dereck Turner
DL Paul Weldon
DC Curtis Da Costa
DC Simon Walton
DR Danny Parslow
DM Alex Worsfold
ML Tom Knott
MC Eddy Gnahore
MR Ryan Richefond
ST Zach Little
ST Kane Richards
For some reason
Danny Parslow's in a morale slump and the fans think he should be pulled after that last game, but I'm going to give a shot to play his way out of it.
12 - Bout time they called offsides on a free kick.
33 - Fucking great. A double yellow for
Wilkins and he's off.
45 - Yeah. The game wants us to lose.
0-1
Knott is pulled for
Fell,
Walton slides up to MC, and
Tickle comes on at DC.
51 - Motivated and committed
Weldon steals the ball in the 6 yard box and goes up the line to
Richards, who hoofs it in.
1-1
60 - And of course
Richards is knocked out with injury, requiring
Lippai in.
67 - Beautiful pass from
Lippai to
Little, and this time we get some damned frame help!
2-1
77 - Time for us to turtle up into defensive.
81 - Fuck this bullshit. Overload, motherfucker.
2-2
89 - Fuck you
Turner and your shitty passes. You're lucky they fucking blow it.
Not happy. Not fucking happy with that punkass cockknobbery at all. We fucking drop out of first with that pissant performance. I also warn
Wilkins about his dumbassery, which he accepts as he damn well fucking should.
@ Garforth (FA Trophy 3rd Qualifying Round)
GK Dereck Turner
DL Matthew Fell
DC Curtis Da Costa
DC Jimmy Tickle
DR Ryan Richefond
DM Alex Worsfold
ML Antonie Boland
MC Dion Argent
MR Tom Knott
ST Gergo Lippai
ST Curtis Beasley
Worst first half I've ever seen us play and it's only because they're such a fucking horseshit team that we're still scoreless at the break.
55 - Fuck it. In go
Gnahore and
Little for
Argent and
Beasley. Somebody show me they want to win this fucking thing.
81 -
Lippai's shot is blocked but he grabs the rebound and puts it in space for
Little and we finally fucking have somebody who can put the god damned ball in the fucking net.
1-0
When a 7.3 is good enough to win PotM (
Fell), you know it was a putrid game and I tell the players as much. Unbelievable.
$6.79k for the win.
@Hyde (18th)
GK Dereck Turner
DL Paul Weldon
DC Curtis Da Costa
DC Simon Walton
DR Danny Parslow
DM Alex Worsfold
ML Antonie Boland
MC Eddy Gnahore
MR Tom Knott
ST Zach Little
ST Kane Richards
30 -
Little parks on the upper left corner of the six-yard box until
Boland gets free and kicks a pretty around the net blaster for the lead!
1-0
50 -
Lippai on for
Richards, who appears to be in a real slump.
59 - Biggest bullshit offsides call ever.
65 -
Da Costa gets knocked. Fight it off, son.
76 -
Lippai is hurt and there's fucking terrible miscommunication between
Turner and his defense leading to a fucking WIDE AS SHITFUCK OPEN FUCKING HORSERAPEY GOAL!
1-1 Wilkins in for
Gnahore and OVERLOAD!
80 - FUCK YOU, ZEBRAFUCKING ZEBRA FUCKFACE FUCKING REF! LIPPAI WAS NOT FUCKING OFFSIDES EITHER TIME! I AM SO GOD DAMNED MOTEHRFUCKCING SICK OF TIRED OF THIS FUCKING BITCHY ASS FUCKING HOME COOKING COCKSHIT BULLSHIT!!!!!
83 - AND NOW LIPPAI HAS TO FUCKING GOOFY FOOT LONGRANGE A FUCKING SHANKER BECAUSE OF YOU, YOU FUCKING STRIPEY ASS WANKER!
Here is a fucking giant ass saw thing:
Sit your fucking homer ass on the sharp end and gyrate, you fucking two-bit line of code low-level fucking clueless "official". You fucking piss me off so fucking much you fucking made me scare quote AND I FUCKING HATE SCARE QUOTES! I EVEN TELL MY UNDERGRADS NEVER TO FUCKING USE THEM!
Kettering tries to lure
Dion Argent away. He tells them to fuck off until they show him the god damned money.
Curtis Beasley gets a vacation to deal with the flu. He's as sick as this team's been playing.
vs Wealdstone (FA Trophy 1st Round)
GK Dereck Turner
DL Paul Weldon
DC Curtis Da Costa
DC Jimmy Tickle
DR Danny Parslow
DM Alex Worsfold
ML Antonie Boland
MC Will Wilkins
MR Tom Knott
ST Zach Little
ST Kane Richards
We need a breakthrough win, so I'm going almost full strength here.
2 - I literally can not read the yellow on white text. And my fucking moron players evidently can't see our opponents
0-1
5 - Yeah, let's have
Worsfold go off with injury right after the fucking game starts too, why don't fucking we? Get in,
Gnahore
45 - Don't forget to knock
Richards too, assholes! Oh wait, you didn't.
48 -
Boland finds
Little, who dodges the would-be tackler and strikes it home. I shout, "Yeah! Fuck you!" and double-flip off the nearest ref.
1-1
73 -
Wilkins is playing like ass, so let's put
Walton in at MC.
82 - Let's see if
Lippai can give us some fucking onsides magic for once. In for
Richards
I can't fucking read the text at the end. All I know is, it's another worthless showing.
Alex Worsfold has a hip injury, which means the following options
A: Specialist. Out 3 months + $1k
B. Injections. In for next game, but out 8-10 months + $1k
C. Let the physio handle it. Free, but out 6-7 months.
What the fuck option do you think I'm going to choose? Fuckin' A!
vs Wealdstone (FA Trophy 1st Round Replay)
GK Dereck Turner
DL Paul Weldon
DC Curtis Da Costa
DC Jimmy Tickle
DR Ryan Richefond
DM Alex Worsfold
ML Antonie Boland
MC Will Wilkins
MR Trevor Sedgemore
ST Zach Little
ST Kane Richards
Shaking things up a bit for the replay.
5 - Does it even matter anymore?
0-1
43 - Fuck it.
0-2
45 - Another fucking injury for
Richards
A couple of subs at half. Who gives a fuck?
60 - I crack a half-smile at this
Vincent-Young sends it into own goal! which I don't see how it was possible, because it was clearly a score from
Da Costa 1-2
Morale is starting to tank, so I'm far nicer than I feel like being at full-time. Whatever. Fuck it.