[Izulde]

@Havant & @ (2nd)
GK Max Crocombe
DL Eddie Nisevic
DC Tom Sharpe
DC Stevland Angus
DR Izak Reid
DM Sergio Sanchez
DM Aaron Wickham
ML Callum McNish
MR Nick Freeman
ST Gary Mulligan
ST Ashley Yeoman

Not holding out much hope of our being able to do anything here, though we're still 9th in the table, especially since we're on short rest.

4' - Yeoman to Mulligan who has a crack, but nobody's there to hit the rebound.

8' - Had a try at tackling a guy as he was shooting, but there was just no stopping that one. 0-1

15' - Angus, who missed that tackle, pushes it to Freeman on a long header, who then sends it on up to Yeoman and I think it's the equalizer, but the goalie gets there before our striker.

20' - We keep on applying the pressure but they keep holding. Then, Wickham runs down a cleared out corner, wings it out to Freeman. Our loanee then jackhammers it up to the middle where Mulligan's waiting to head it in, and he does so. 1-1

33' - A completely fluke corner kick that turns into a goal all by itself. Ugh. 1-2

We've really been controlling the match, so we shouldn't be losing. Solkhon comes on for Angus, who is having his worst day in a long time (5.5).

50' - Should have had that, Yeoman.

67' - Yeoman runs all the way down the right flank and then makes a pinpoint cross to Mulligan, who nets his second header goal of the match, 10th overall score of the season. 2-2 Reid is also having an awful day, so Solkhon shifts to DR, Sanchez drops down to DC, and Udumaga comes in as the DMC.

86' - Brown in for McNish. But before that can happen, Freeman snags a Mulligan blocked shot, crosses it to the far post of the six yard box, and McNish is there to knock it in the wide open goalpost for the late lead!!! 3-2



88' - Contain curtain so we can walk out of here with 3 very unexpected points.

92' - Pretty fish to give a late yellow to Wickham, there.

"Brackley certainly showed they are no pushovers here!" Indeed. In fact, this might be the most impressive win of my tenure. What a great feeling.

7+
Gary Mulligan - 8.8 (MoM)
Nick Freeman - 8.4
Ashley Yeoman - 7.9
Callum McNish - 7.5
Max Crocombe - 7.2

Funny enough, it's Izak Reid who praises my halftime talk, even though he really wants out.

We're now in 8th place, tied with a bunch of teams with 21 points in 13 matches. Goal differential is what has us down here, as our -1 is the worst of anyone until Tonbridge at 13th. Top 21 point team is Chelmsford, in a promotion playoff spot at 5th, and Oxford City is 4th with 22 points. 26 points and 2nd and 3rd are Eastleigh and Havant & W. 30 points for Welling, the league leader.

I don't think we have the horses for winning the league, but I'm starting to think getting to the promotion playoffs is a possibility.

Our six game unbeaten streak is a new Brackley record (from 2012 on)

vs Bedworth - FA Cup 3rd Qualifying Round
GK Max Crocombe
DL Eddie Nisevic
DC Tom Sharpe
DC Stevland Angus
DR Brett Solkhon
DM Jermaine Udumaga
DM Tyrone Thompson
ML Aaron Brown
MR Izak Reid
ST Gary Mulligan
ST Ashley Yeoman

We would have gone with as many reserves as possible anyway (except Assfarmer), but the fact of some guys needing some rest translates well into it anyway. Still should wipe the floor with these guys.

9' - Udumaga gets a knock, but puts to rest any notions of pulling him off by latching on to a cleared shot just outside the box and kicking it in for the early lead. 1-0

16' - Udumaga to Yeoman to Mulligan as a clean 1-2-3 and goal down the middle of the pitch. I love playing inferior competition. 2-0

23' - At this point, it's getting laughable. Yeoman with a plum pas to Mulligan and the totally easy goal to make this damn near a rout. 3-0

26' - Thompson booms it to Mulligan, who heads it to Yeoman. A touch of dribbling later, and we've got ourselves yet another goal not even 30 minutes into the game. 4-0

29' - I think I can legitimately LOL at this point. Brown with a beautiful corner right to Sharpe, who nonchalantly short kicks it in for the lead so large I've never seen us do it before. 5-0

42' - Reid lazily passes it and they intercept for a goal off the upright that gives them a tiny, tiny chance. 5-1

55' - We're getting sloppy. Angus misplays a kick from Crocombe, only a brilliant save by our goalie keeps it from starting to get a little interesting. Brown makes a dynamite clearance on the ensuing corner to rob Bedworth of a lockdown goal.

Talk about an asskicking. Everyone has a 7 or better with the exception of Izak Reid's 6.7, highlighted by 9.4 for Gary Mulligan (MoM), 9.3 for Ashley Yeoman, 8.4 for Tom Sharpe, 8.3 for Aaron Brown, and 8.1 for Jermaine Udumaga.

Udumaga is out 5 to 6 weeks, which brings him back after his loan finishes. It's suggested I terminate the contract, but I don't want to do that.

Gary Mulligan gets named to the Team of the Week, our most decorated player by far.

The good news is, Ryan Austin has resumed training. The bad news is, Nick Freeman and Jermaine Udumaga have their loans ending soon.

vs Eastleigh (2nd)
GK Max Crocombe
DL Eddie Nisevic
DC Tom Sharpe
DC Sergio Sanchez
DR Izak Reid
DM Aaron Wickham
DM Tyrone Thompson
ML Callum McNish
MR Nick Freeman
ST Gary Mulligan
ST Ashley Yeoman

Big, big game. We've 7 games unbeaten, Eastleigh 13. We win this one, and it becomes a huge climb up the ladder, I think. Then again, we just beat the then #2 team on the road, so who knows?

20' - Should have been a goal for them there off the corner. Header went up and over.

27' - Bloop goal if I ever saw one. Looked just like a bloop single in baseball. 0-1

43' - Mulligan has been wildly misfiring all day. Then there's this sequence where Thompson sends it up to McNish, who heads it to Mulligan, who finally literally uses his head and dives forward to bang it in. 1-1

45' - Yellow for Freeman.

Despite the tie, we haven't been playing all that well. Austin comes on for the garbage playing Sanchez (5.9).

66' - Sigh. Caught out of position. 1-2 Reid up to MR, Solkhon on at DR.

81' - We're awarded a penalty, and McNish kicks it... barely making it!!! 2-2

91' - Thompson has to go off hurt, so Solkhon up to DMC, Austin to DR, and Angus in at DC.

7.9 for Mulligan and matching 7.3s for McNish and Crocombe. We'll take the tie, considering we were underdogs.

Tyrone Thompson is out 6 to 8 days. He'll miss the FA Cup game, and is iffy for our next league game against Maidenhead.

We can't find anybody decent on loan availability, and when we do, they reject us or are about to be transferred to another team. Very frustrating to say the least.