[Izulde]

Uzbekistan beats the Philippines on aggregate, winning their second game 2-1, although Alexandr Geynrih didn't have the greatest game, so my guess that means they're on to the third round.

Farnborough and Wealdstone want De'Jaune Taylor-Crossdale on loan, with Farnborough offering 6 months loan. DTC is 5th on our strikers list, so I'm okay with that.

Staines and Solihull Moors want Jordan Smith on loan, with my former club wanting 6 months loan. Yeah that one I'm not so sure about, as while Smith is 6th in our list, that includes DMs, so I'm going to decline.

Good Trains
Taylor Parmenter
Luke Dixon

Bad Trains
Stevland Angus
Izak Reid

No parent club for us, unfortunately.

vs Yeovil (Friendly)
GK Max Crocombe
DL Leon Clowes
DC Tom Sharpe
DC Samuel Bangura
DR Izak Reid
DM Taylor Parmenter
DM Keiran Martin
ML Callum McNish
MR Courtney Harris
ST Lewis Taaffe
ST Nabil Guedioura

Neither side can get anything on target in the first half, so we're all square at the break.

63 - Fluke goal. 0-1

74 - I'm beginning to regret approving his loan because Taylor-Crossdale just make a splendid pass to Hammond for an equalizing goal 1-1

I have to say, I'm pretty impressed with our tying a League 1 team in preseason.

We made a $101k profit last month, due largely to season ticket sales.

Last season (BSP): $18 ticket price $285 season tickets $190k value Semi-professional Insecure Finances Local Reputation 3013 seat stadium to 4000 by season's end
This season: (L2): $24 ticket price $418 season tickets $675k value Professional Okay Finances Local Reputation

3537 seats are available right now until our expansion is done on November 15th. 1175 terrace seat conversion project is planned, but we'll see if that makes our stadium bigger.

Anyway, you can see how jumping to League 2 and turning professional has skyrocketed us from a financial standpoint.

My reputation turned Regional after we got to Blue Square Premier and it's still there.



A lot of work to do in terms of our facilities, though. Let's see if we can get the training facilities improved. I'm turned down because they say there's not enough money yet. Which is true - we're almost $800k in debt, even though we only lost $3.5k last season. By the end of the year, we should have our debt down to $415k.

With Brett Solkhon now gone, we've decisions to make regarding our captaincy. My thinking is Sergio Sanchez and Gianluca Gracco, given that Sanchez has been the vice-captain the last two years and Gracco is our top player. Stevland Angus actually has the highest influence, but will almost never see the pitch, and Alexandr Geynrih has the same influence as Sanchez and is 30, but can't speak the language.

Ian Gay thinks Gracco should be captain and Sanchez vice-captain, but IMO the Spaniard deserves it over the Italian even though Gracco is 25 to Sanchez's 22.

My gut was right, as a lot of players commented how happy they were Sanchez was named captain, and Gracco is very happy at being named vice-captain. I anticipate Sanchez being our captain for a very long time.

Staines again come calling for Jordan Smith, this time for 5 months, and this time I okay it. My old employers also want Jazzi Barnum-Bobb and are willing to pay his entire salary, but that's not going to happen. Unlike Smith, who's stunk with the time he's been given, JBB has really done pretty well.

Transfer in - DM/DC Agustin Battipedi (24)
Another reason why I was willing to let Smith go on loan. The Argentinian can be a backup to both DM and DC (Also plays MC). 2 year, $20.8k is a little steep for someone who's strictly a backup, but it's a DM tax.

Alexandr Geynrih is being left off the Uzbek national team for the game against Laos, but he's okay with it.

vs Burton
GK Max Crocombe
DL Samuel Bangura
DC Tom Sharpe
DC Sergio Sanchez
DR Andy Yiadom
DM Taylor Parmenter
DM Kieran Martin
ML Callum McNish
MR Courtney Harris
ST Alexandr Geynrih
ST Lewis Taaffe

You know we've hit the big time when we can now have 7 subs as opposed to 5. Also there's Homegrown designations now.

4 - Yellow for Geynrih

11 - Sure looked offsides to me. 0-1

15 - Sheesh. Crocombe looks really lost at this level 0-2

19 - Harris heads it to Taaffe, who kicks it in and we've got our first League 2 goal. 1-2

25 - Why oh why did I give Crocombe that extension? 1-3

43 - Missing easy goals like that doesn't help matters.

My entire backline is sporting sub 6s, which is inexcusable. McNish and Sharpe appears not to GAF, so on come Hoban and Clowes in their place.

83 - Parmenter stringshots a beauty to Harris who runs in open space into the middle of the box, then flicks it to the left where Geynrih is racing to hammer it home, which he does! 2-3

91 - Yellow for Parmenter

I'm proud of the way we battled back in the second half, even if we fell short. By the way, attendance was 1,545 which literally doubled our average attendance from last season I think

We sell 586 season tickets compared to 225 last season, so that's a huge leap too.

@Milwall (Capitol One Cup
GK David Raya
DL Jazzi Barnum-Bobb
DC Leon Clowes
DC Sergio Sanchez
DR Izak Reid
DM Agustin Battipedi
DM Kieran Martin
ML Claudiu Hoban
MR Leigh Wade
ST Nabil Guedioura
ST Jack Jeffery

Tanking the away Cup game at a League 1 side, you say? Yep.

17 - Own goal by Wade. Oops. 0-1

21 - Yep. 0-2

24 - Jeffery not only gets a yellow, he has to go off. LOL. I make McNish a MC and leave Guedioura as our lone striker up front.

Time to stop paying attention.

We go down 0-4 at the break but hold them scoreless the entire second half.

@Mansfield (16th)
GK Max Crocombe
DL Samuel Bangura
DC Tom Sharpe
DC Sergio Sanchez
DR Andy Yiadom
DM Taylor Parmenter
DM Kieran Martin
ML Callum McNish
MR Courtney Harris
ST Alexandr Geynrih
ST Gianluca Gracco

If we want to get out of the drop this season, we need to win matches like these.

35 - Shit job by Crocombe to get to a ball. 0-1

There's only two teams relegated from League 2 every year, but damned if we don't look like one of them this season. Taaffe in for Gracco

60 - Tired of watching Yiadom's poor play. He hasn't done shit since he came here. On goes Reid.

63 - Sigh. 0-2

Going to be a very long season. We're 23rd after the first two games.