January 2015
After the congested fixture lists we worked through in November and December--seven matches each month--having only four fixtures in January was a bit of a relief.
The good news: We didn't lose all month long, extending our streak of matches without a loss in Wessex Premier Division play to 14.
The not-so-good news: We didn't win a match all month long. Yes, that means we drew four consecutive games.
3 January 2015: Winchester 1-1 Andover
Alan Morton's goal capped a well-played series of passes and gave us an early advantage over a solid Winchester side. Unfortunately, we couldn't keep that advantage, as poor
Jamie Overson allowed a shot to trickle from his hands and over the goal line. The weather was wretched, cold and snowy.
24 January 2015: Folland 2-2 Andover
Yes, you read that correctly. We didn't play for three weeks after the Winchester match. We had a free weekend on the 10th, and our match on the 17th had to be postponed because the pitch at Portway Stadium was waterlogged. We thought we had three points in the bag this time.
Alan Morton and
Joe Clarke scored quickly. The Planemakers' nifty front man, Adam Jeffs, pulled one back on the half hour, and that scoreline remained in place until stoppage time. Lewis Jarvis pulled Folland level with a very late goal.
27 January 2015: Andover 0-0 Verwood
Verwood came to Portway Stadium in disarray, sitting 20th in the table and having recently sacked their manager. They didn't play like a floundering club against us, however. The Stags played on the front foot all game long, and we were actually fortunate to escape with a point. I let the lads have it after the match--one of the few "hair dryer treatments" I've applied this season.
31 January 2015: Andover 1-1 AFC Portchester
Stop me if you've heard this one before. We took an early lead, through an
Adam Hamilton goal, only to allow our opponents to level during stoppage time on an own goal--this time via
Paul Watson. We took two positives from the match, however. It was good to see Hamilton get a goal; he hadn't scored in six weeks. And, we welcomed captain
Martin Parkin back to action.
The
Jack Taylor saga has come to an end. He skipped training again, and I fined him a week's wages. After he agreed that the fine was fair, he promptly took another unauthorized holiday. This time I fined him two weeks' pay and transfer listed him. Biggleswade United came calling, and I let Jack go on a free. He's probably worth a couple hundred pounds, but honestly, being rid of his shenanigans is worth more than that.
Now Jack is plying his trade with a team that's 18th in the South Midlands Premier Division table. I hope he likes the view from there.
P.S. The league table below cut off the bottom team. Poor Moneyfields is the other team in the relegation zone, with 16 points from 24 matches. They've won twice and drawn 10 times.