FM 12 - Rise of the Spartans

[JonInMiddleGA]

Oct 7, 2013
RD Michael Pearson is looking for first team football, not likely to happen here I'm afraid. I tell him I'll try to find him a new club ... except that doesn't seem likely to work since he's been out of contract & is here on a rolling monthly basis anyway, if anyone wanted him then he's been free to leave for weeks now.

ST Billy Lobjoit also wants more first team action, I tell him I'll give him a chance. Hell, I've been playing him in rotation as it is & frankly he's not currently up to snuff compared to the other options, I can't just tank games in order to keep his ass happy. If some of our other wish-they-were-elsewhere players get to leave then some time will open up but until then we'll just have to juggle as best we can.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Oct 9, 2013
Our Reserves hosted Rotherham Reserves in a group match, losing 2-0.

Rotherham had a goal disallowed (offside), a shot that hit the crossbar, and missed an open net all in a scoreless first half. A questionable penalty call against a trialist defender Adam Bailey-Dennis (who, btw, thinks he's too good to play for a coach like me) gave them a PK for a 1-0 lead just before the break. They got an easy goal with an unmarked winger early in the 2nd half to extend the lead to two. An utterly abysmal performance, keeper Kieran Gonzalez should sue for non-support. We were outshot 17-3.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Oct 12, 2013 (morning)
International reports are in from yesterday, ST John Cofie played 23 mins in Ghana U20's 6-1 loss to Argentina, posting a 6.9 rating. DC Nigel Seidu was solid for DR Congo U20's 2-0 win over Congo U20's.
----

Our U18s hosted Eastleigh U18s in a 1 vs 2 matchup in Group 10 play. Chris Fergusion deflected Michael Madine's shot and put us in front 1-0 at 15'. Eastleigh's Mabena gets a red card at 18'. A perfectly place long freekick by Daly gives Branker a sliding goal in the box at 28'. Niall Smith buried a half volley at 32'. They got one back at 43' with a set piece header to cut the lead to 3-1. Troublesome injury in extra time before the half as Niall Smith has to come off. Robson banks a header in off the post at 50' on a nice feed from Goodall. A breakaway goal at 69' draws Eastleigh back within two (and prevents me from bringing on the youth keeper as a sub). We seemed to ease up a bit in the second half, although that wasn't my intention. Still, a nice win that keeps us atop the U18 group standings. Jamal Branker (8.1) is MOM. Niall Smith, who has been sparkling since joining the club, will miss 2-3 weeks for treatment of an elbow injury suffered when he took a heavy fall.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Oct 12, 2013 (afternoon)
Blyth (4-3-4, 10th BSBN) at Barrow (7-2-2, 3rd BSBN)

Our first ever meeting with The Bluebirds, and we're heavy 13:2 underdogs on the road against the league leader in goals scored (26 in 11 matches, ST Adam Boyes has 8 of those to lead all players). We also have another match to play on Tuesday before the 3rd Qual. Round of the FA Cup a week from today. We'll start out 5-3-2 Defensive & hope to weather the storm that seems sure to come, maybe catch a break somewhere. Oh, we're also without leading scorer Cofie as he's still traveling back from his U20 international match.

GK: McDonald
D: Holden, Williamson, Antwi, Jones, Groves
MF: Whitaker, Hands, Ricketts
F:Mutero, Lobjoit
Available Subs: (Purvis, Bembo-Leta, Rickard, Slaughter, Dovey)

8' -- They miss a header off a corner, their 3rd shot in the opening minutes
9' -- Boyes misses an empty net with a long shot wide left
12' -- Free kick from the left channel turns into a goal from the right side of the box as Ricketts mistimed his jump (0-1)
25' -- Boyes spins & fires, that's why he's the leading scorer in the league (0-2). The whole "have Antwi man-mark him" thing isn't going too well.
38' -- They have a goal called back for being offside or else this would have gotten even worse.
44' -- Boyes just missed another one

Halftime: Ouch. Outshot 11-0, with only 33% of poss and only 54% passing. We're just getting our asses handed to us by a club that looks like they're at least two levels better than us. I tell 'em to sort it out and they looked surprisingly motivated

50' -- We finally get a shot, Mutero misses pretty badly with a header after a nice cross from Groves
60' -- Switch to Standard (from the Counter we opened the 2nd half with)
63' -- Sub Slaughter (for Hands, knocked & tiring), Sub Bembo-Leta (for Lobjoit 5.9)
74' - Sub Rickard for Groves (knocked, tiring)
78' - They get inside & score point blank, Barnes-Homer the goal with an assist to Boyes (0-3)
82' -- Andy Williamson gets us on the board with a nice reaction to a short corner from Slaughter (1-3)
84' -- Switch to Attacking (why not?)


Fulltime: Barrow 3 - Blyth 1
Egads that was rough. Outshot 21-5, just 40% of poss. Simply got outclassed.

McDonald 6.4
Holden 6.3, Williamson 7.8+1g, Antwi 6.1, Jones 5.7, Groves 6.3
Whitaker 6.7, Hands 6.6, Ricketts 5.5
Mutero 5.9, Lobjoit 5.8
Subs: Slaughter (63') 6.8+1a, Bembo-Leta(63') 6.9, Rickard (74') 6.5

Oct 12, 2013 (postmatch)
We slip to 11th place with the loss, a point back of 10th, a point ahead of 12th. Have to put it behind us & get ready for the next match.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Oct 15, 2013 (evening)
Blyth (4-3-5, 11th BSBN) vs Altrincham (3-5-4, 13th BSBN)

Slight underdogs (7:4 vs 5:4) at home in spite of having beaten them in both previous meetings and having a slightly better record so far this year. We'll open 4-4-2 Diamond Standard, try not to play to the underdog role too much.

GK: Dovey
D: Giddings, Williamson, Seery, Purvis
MF: Sawyer, Whitaker, Bembo-Leta, Paratore
F: Clarke-Harris, Cofie
Available Subs: (Slaughter, Davies, Lobjoit, Clarke, McDonald)

1' -- Disaster, as a blocked shot ricochets off Purvis and into the net (0-1)
24' -- Giddings lays a perfect corner low into the box for Bembo-Leta who scores his first ever goal for us with a diving header (1-1)

Halftime -- Another match where we're being outshot (7-3) and horrific 42% passing leading to just 31% poss is the main reason why.

48' - Whitaker with a free kick from the right channel ... Paratore with a diving header ... GOAL ! (2-1)
63' - Sub Davies (for Cofie 5.9), switch to 4-4-1-1 Standard
69' - Seery just misses with a set piece header
79' - Sub Slaughter (for Whitaker, tiring)
84' - Terribly harsh call, foul on Sawyer leads to a penalty kick which they buried (2-2)
88' - Sub Lobjoit (for Bembo-Leta, tired)
89' - 3 mins of added time

Fulltime: Blyth 2 - Altrincham 2
What can you say? The staff is upset about not winning, I'm amazed at the bad luck of a draw when we give up an own goal & get jobbed by the ref at home on a late PK. Our ball control (54% passing, 40% poss) was atrocious but we get a point at least.

Dovey 6.7
Giddings 7.1+1a, Williamson 6.8, Seery 6.5, Purvis 6.0
Sawyer 6.9, Whitaker 7.2+1a, Bembo-Leta (MOM) 7.4+1g, Paratore 7.1+1g
Clarke-Harris 6.7, Cofie 5.9
Subs: Davis(63') 6.4, Slaughter(79') N/A, Lobjoit(89') N/A

Oct 15, 2013 (postmatch)
We slip another spot into a tie for 12th but there are three clubs just one point in front of us and two more that are 3 ahead.

[Izulde]

Curiosity compelled and I went back and looked:

Feb 5, 2013
We've signed 20 y/o ST John Cofie to a contract for $230/wk. He's a member of the Ghana U20 squad and might be our best forward, or at least the most threatening, other than Mole

And then at the end of last year Cofie had 1 s/3a with 0,0 line and you said he and another supposedly talented youngster had done more harm than good.

Overall he seems to be working okay this year.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Oct 19, 2013 (morning)
Our U18s played a group match at Woking, losing 4-1.

Trialist Ayrton Wassall makes a wonderful impression, getting a red card less than 3 minutes into his debut. An obvious dive by Woking but the card stands. They finally take advantage of their advantage and score at 27'. They get another from Archibald at 40', second curling shot from outside the area that's beaten GK Fry. Johnson-Cole gets one back at 75' thanks to a perfectly placed long pass by Armstrong. Poorly played ball in the box leads to an easy goal at 86' that wasn't Fry's fault. Sub DC Weaver gets abused in the air and they extend the lead even more at 91'. There were actually some positives to be found, with Branker, Armstrong and Johnson-Cole all putting in good performances against the odds.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Izulde

And then at the end of last year Cofie had 1 s/3a with 0,0 line and you said he and another supposedly talented youngster had done more harm than good.

Overall he seems to be working okay this year.

Like most of my players he's probably a bit of a whiny butt about playing time, he's behaving himself at the moment since his production has warranted plenty of playing time.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Oct 19, 2013 (afternoon)
Blyth at Taunton, FA Cup 3rd Qualifying Round

We're 1:4 favorites today, in spite of being on the road at the minnow. They shouldn't be able to give us too much trouble, although if our players are overconfident then I'm sure we'll capable of stinking up the joint royally. 4-4-2 Diamond Attacking to open, let's try to put this away early even if we're using a mixed lineup of regulars & reserves. If we run into trouble there's help on the bench, hopefully we won't need it.

GK: Dovey
D: Holden, Paul, Seidu, Groves
MF: Higgins, Bembo-Leta, Paratore, Morrison
F: Mutero, Clarke-Harris
Available Subs: (Slaughter, Whitaker, Cofie, Williams, Sawyer, Davies, Gonzalez)

26' - A low ball through to Evans who has a step on Seidu ... that's a goal (0-1)
42' - Unmarked cross to the box, a sliding goal (0-2)

Halftime: This would be un fricking belivable if it weren't so predictable. Playing scared against a team that probably couldn't beat our U18s. I make it clear that their pride is at stake. They seem motivated at this point, just not sure that they've got the stomach for the necessary comeback.

57' - Sub Cofie (for Clarke-Harris 5.8), Sub Davies (for Bembo-Leta 6.3 tiring)
63' - Cross from the right side sails through two defenders, easy goal (0-3)
64' - Switch to Overload
72' - Mutero long ball to Cofie ... scores one on one (1-3)
77' - Sub Sawyer (for Morrison)
81' - We'll be a man short for the rest of the match as Seidu has to leave with an injury
89' - 3 mins of added time
92:45 - Davies puts home a too little too late goal off a nice long pass by Holden

Fulltime: Taunton 3 - Blyth 2
I have no words, but I find a few anyway. I'll be lucky if burned in effigy is all I get. I get in several faces, including Dovey and Groves, both of whom stunk up the joint, as did Clarke-Harris. Quite a few of these sorry bastards are lucky there are laws against what I'd like to do to them.

Oct 19, 2013 (postmatch)
I make it clear in the press conference that I don't believe the referees were to blame for the outcome, that I'm extremely disappointed and that there will be changes made after this debacle.

Seidu will miss three weeks with a twisted knee.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Oct 20, 2013
I call GK Jack Dovey in & tell him plainly that he's got to step it up if he wants to be in the first team. He assures me that he can improve.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Oct 22, 2013
DMC Sam Sawyer is suffering from a virus & we've sent him home to recover. Expected to miss two weeks.
-----

We finally get a player to come in on loan, welcome 21 y/o DC Andrai Jones from Hartlepool. He's not a star but he at least gives us another option. Now if I could only move some of my unhappy problem children & make them someone else's problem.

[Poli]

Update, please, k, thx.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Oct 26, 2013 (morning)
Our U18s played a group match vs Dartford, losing 2-1.

Failure to clear a rebound gives Dartford a first half goal, stupidity by Holland gives them a PK goal at 56:00. Robson gets a nice header at 69' to draw us to within a goal. No real threats after that, and Dean Goodall gets a lovely red card in the waning seconds of extra time.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Oct 26, 2013 (afternoon)
Blyth (4-4-5, 12th BSBN) at Staylbridge (5-2-6, 9th BSBN)

A Pick 'Em matchup on the road against a squad we haven't beaten in my tenure (1-1 draw last year, 4-1 loss in 2011) 5-3-2 Standard Defensive to open since we really haven't played all that well lately.

GK: McDonald
D: Giddings, Williamson, A.Jones, C.Jones, Purvis
MF: Whitaker, Clarke, Davies
F: Lobjoit, Cofie
Available Subs: (Groves, Bembo-Leta, Rickard, Slaughter, Dovey)

5' - While we try to close down their star forward Hazel, Hughes broke free in the box for an easy header (0-1)
24' - Lobjoit gets a step ahead of the defense but gets a low shot blocked by the keeper who came out to challenge
32' - So much for closing down Hazel. Nifty 1-2-3 passing and he bangs one home (0-2). We switch from defensive to balanced.
41' - Signs of life as Lobjoit plays a long ball to Cofie, who runs to the touch line & spots Lobjoit in the box for an easy goal (1-2)
44' - Hazel misses an open net one on one

Halftime: Well, we're hanging in there. The staff wants me to rip the team a new one, I simply tell them that if they play better we can still win.

57' - Sub Slaughter (for Clarke 5.8) ... move Whitaker to CM
63' - Lobjoit lobs one into the box for Cofie ... the header is just high
67' - Brogan pounces on a loose box in the box & pounds it home (1-3)
70' - Sub Bembo-Leta (for Davies, tiring)
71' - Slaughter feeds on open Cofie but he shanks one from close range
73' - Cofie comes up limping & needs treatment
74' - Sub Rickard (for Cofie) ... switch to Attacking
81' - Brogan takes McDonald to school on a free kick (1-4)
83' - Rickard fires a speculative shot over the net
87' - Rickard misses a header right at the net
88' - Rickard fires a left-footer shot into the back of the net on a breakaway (2-4)




Fulltime: Staylbridge 4 - Blyth 2
Poor work from the back line dooms a middling but at least decent performance overall elsewhere. At least Lobjoit ended his 449 minute goal drought and Rickard scored his first career league goal.

Oct 26, 2013 (postmatch)
Nothing notable in the press conference

Oct 27, 2013 (morning)
Veteran defender Adam Quinn, who was with us on trial, has agreed to terms with Maidenhead of BSB South

[JonInMiddleGA]

Oct 27, 2013 (morning)
Our Reserves played a friendly at German club Marske, losing 4-0.

Promising forward Kaine Sheppard was injured in the first half, as was AMC Niall Smith and D Reece Loudon.

Couldn't have played worse if we had played drunk. Against a team that was a 50:1 underdog.

Niall Smith, who had just returned after recovering from an injured elbow, will now miss up to 2 weeks with a thigh bruise. Sheppard's twisted knee will have him out for 3 weeks. Loudon's groin strain will knock him out for a month.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Oct 28, 2013 (morning)

We have a friendly - mostly for fitness purposes - scheduled against Billingham Synthonia from the Northern League D1. After yesterday's reserve match I really wish this wasn't even on the calendar.

I'm linked to the sudden opening with the Philadelphia Union after Preki's firing but former Tampa Bay Mutiny head man Dominic Kinnear is the frontrunner.

Oct 27, 2013 (morning)
We played a friendly vs Billingham Syn, losing 4-0.

It took less than 3 minutes for them to score off a rebound from a corner. 2-nil at 30 minutes as Dovey allows a soft goal. Trialist Adebayo John drew us to 2-1 in the 68th minute but we could do no more.

Maybe we just suck. Oh, RD Callum Wilson will miss three weeks with a twisted knee.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Oct 30, 2013 (morning)
Our Reserves played the Guiseley Reserves, losing 3-1

Down 3-0 at the half thanks to a hat trick from Elan Gordon, we played better in the second half but that was only enough to keep things from getting out of hand entirely. Adriano Moke scored in injury time on a nice pass from Bennett to provide our only real highlight.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Nov 2, 2013 (morning)

The board is still satisfied with my coaching of the team. We're losing money, nearly 48k last month.

Disappointing but not unexpected, our appeal for a work permit for Junior, the talented 25 y/o DMC from Brazil, was denied.

We did finalize a deal through next season with versatile MF Adriano Moke. He scored 10 goals last season for York in BSB Premier, might be able to give us some punch from the midfield.

November 2nd, 2013 (afternoon)
Our U18 squad played at Bishop's Stortford, losing 2-1

Lost Creswell to injury in the first minute. Armstrong put us in front with a nice goal midway through the half, McKeever took a questionable red card at 36'. We hung on until 70' when they got the equalizer. And, sadly, we give up a goal in the 92' on a rushed & botched clear by late sub Scully.

Creswell will miss two weeks with a strained neck.
Dean Goodall will miss two matches for his red card against U18 Dartford

Our match against AFC Telford for this week has been moved to November 20 due to a scheduling conflict with their FA Cup match.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Nov 4, 2013 (morning)

The FA Trophy Third Qualifying Round draw was held this morning, we host St. Albans City on Saturday November 30th.

Nov 6, 2013 (morning)
Sigh. The work permit application for Nigerian M/ST Adebayo John was turned down. We'll appeal although we know how well that seems to work.

Nov 6, 2013 (afternoon)
Our Reserve squad played at Bradford Reserves, losing 4-3

Whitaker put us in front at 25' with a penalty kick after Clarke-Harris was dragged down from behind in the box. They tied it at 43'. Whitaker scores another PK after Ferguson was knocked down in the box while working for a rebound. Trialist defender Josh Dickens made an impression, scoring on a corner kick feed from Whitaker. A goal off the post at 62' cut the lead. An own goal bounces off our GK McDonald, off the post & in to tie it at 66'. Predictably at 71' they get a goal thanks to a missed offside for the lead and the win.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Nov 9, 2013 (morning)
Our U18s played a group match vs Farnborough, winning 2-1

Madine scored just 1:43 in off a nice free kick set up from Wallace. Robson snagged a loose ball & drilledit home at 32'. Handball called in the box against Madine let's them score at 69'. A second yellow at 74' sends Farnborough a man down. We turtle up and hold on.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Nov 9, 2013 (afternoon)
Blyth (4-4-6, 13th BSBN) at Alfreton (12-2-1, 1st BSBN)

A 9:1 underdog on the road at the top team in the league. 4-4-2 Diamond Standard to open since we've fared so poorly of late in other formations. Yeah, this should go well.

GK: Dovey
D: Holden, Seidu, Williamson, Purvis
MF: Sawyer, Slaughter, Moke, Whitaker
F: Davies, Cofie
Available Subs: (A.Jones, Bembo-Leta, Lobjoit, Paratore, McDonald)

4' - Obafemi breaks free and hits a long shot to start what might be a long day (0-1)
29' - Moke makes a nice low cross out in front to Cofie ... SCORE ! (1-1) First goal given up by their GK Larkins in 645 minutes.
42' - Griffin's 10th goal of the season puts them back in front (1-2)

Haltime - Several players (Cofie, Seidu notably) seem like they're on the ragged edge of being out of control. I try to reassure the team that they just need to keep playing, this will work out.

58' - Nifty passing sets up an easy goal for Boyles but he's offside and we dodge a bullet.

60' - Sub Andrai Jones (for Seidu, tired)
63' - Freekick leads to an easy goal for a wide open Franks (1-3)
75' - Sub Lobjoit (for Sawyer, tired), Sub Paratore (for Moke, tired)
Switch to Attacking (why not?)
79' - Andrai Jones gets his first league goal for Blyth, set up by a nice low corner entry pass from Whitaker (2-3)
83' - Paratore feeds Cofie on the right wing, his mid-range shot sails wide left
Switch to Overload
85' - Long throw-in by Slaughter, to Jones in the box ... he's trampled by Brister and it's a penalty ... Whitaker takes ... and makes ! (3-3)
Switch to Counter

Fulltime: Blyth 3 - Alfreton 3
I'm happy with what I saw out there and the teams is delighted by my reaction. Jones with a 7.9, Whitaker with a 7.1

Nov 9, 2013 (postmatch)
Purvis has a badly stubbed toe after a collision with Griffin. We'll let the physical therapist deal with it over the next two weeks rather than go with injections to get him through the next match.

[JonInMiddleGA]

November 10, 2013 (morning)

As expected, the appeal for a work permit for Adebayo John was denied, so no Nigerian offensive threat for us

Meanwhile, Trevor Mutero wants first team football and tells a national newspaper that he's growing increasingly disillusioned.

Nov 12, 2013
Chelsea's Landon Donovan has won the USA Player of the Year Award. Jozy Altidore of AZ was the runner up, Los Angeles' Todd Dunivant rounded out the top three.

Andrai Jones was selected in the BSBN Team of the Week first eleven

We've been made 4:6 favorites for tomorrow's match against Worcester

[Young Drachma]

Surely admire your tenacity in this one, Jon. Two years in the BSBN and still plugging away.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Nov 13, 2013 (afternoon)
Blyth (4-5-6, 15th BSBN) vs Worcester (3-5-8, 20th BSBN)

We're mild 4:6 favorites against a team that we're 2-0 against in my career. Stick with 4-4-2 Diamond Standard to open

GK: Dovey
D: Holden, A.Jones, Williamson, Groves
MF: Sawyer, Giddings, Moke, Whitaker
F: Cofie, Bembo-Leta
Available Subs: (Seery, Davies, Lobjoit, Paratore, McDonald)

19' - Giddings takes a knock, goes off for treatment
20' - Sawyer takes a knock, goes off for treatment
27' - Bembo-Leta fires a mid-range shot that strikes the keeper in the chest
41' - Cofie has an open net from the point but shoots wide right
44' - Cofie works the ball back out to Whitaker 30 yards outside ... he fires and scores (1-0)

Halftime - Not the most exciting match ever but a lead is plenty good enough for me honestly.

60' - They miss high off a corner, should have tied it up. Worcester controlling play since halftime.
61' - Sub Lobjoit (for Giddings, tired) ... Bembo-Leta to MR, Whitaker to ML, Moke to AMC
71' - Groves fouls in the box, gives up a PK ... Dovey makes the save !
80' - Sub Davies (for Bembo-Leta, tired 5.9)
81' - Lobjoit has a chance but shoots wide under pressure
86' - Switch to Defensive
87' - Sub Paratore (for Moke, tired)
90' - GK Lake joins their attack ... 3 minutes added time
92' - Jared Wilson gets his second yellow for Worcester, we'll play the final minutes a man up

Fulltime: Blyth 1 - Worcester 0
Whitaker is MOM with a 7.4 and the only goal. A.Jones (7.2) and Groves (7.1) also played well, I single the trio out for praise. We were outshot 17-5 but only 3 of theirs were on target.

Nov 13, 2013 (postmatch)
Nothing unusual from the press conference and nothing notable otherwise after the match either.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Young Drachma

Surely admire your tenacity in this one, Jon. Two years in the BSBN and still plugging away.

LOL, yeah.

The game actually resides on my son's old laptop so it's not like it's something I have at my fingertips (that laptop actually plays the role of XBox networking device). The Steam Summer Sale led to me using it to play Don't Starve, which led to it being handy which led to me reviving this. For how long, well, that's TBD I guess.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Nov 16, 2013 (morning)
Our U18s played a group match at Basingstoke, winning 3-1

Madine banged one off the frame from a corner to give us the lead at 22'. Easy goal for Ferguson at 35' off a great pass from Donald. Own goal allowed by Dalton at 56'. Late sub Ehab Pemberton notches a ricochet redirected goal at 88' to close it out. Ferguson was MOM with an 8.2

Nov 16, 2013 (afternoon)
We've confirmed a Reserves friendly at Chester-le-Street, for fitness purposes, on Monday.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Nov 18, 2013 (evening)
Our Reserves played a friendly at Chester-le-Street, winning 2-1

Thompson finally puts us on the board at 39', from an assist by Johnson-Cole. Thompson cross onto the net is saved but Bennett knocks in the rebound at 52'. They answer right back off the kickoff to cut our lead to 2-1. We're saved by the woodwork at 62'.

Niall Thompson is MOM with a 7.4. William Johnson-Cole will miss three weeks due to a thigh strain.


Nov 19, 2013 (morning)
Danny Whitaker was selected in the BSBN Team of the Week.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Nov 13, 2013 (afternoon)
Blyth (5-5-6, 13th BSBN) vs AFC Telford (9-5-2, 4th BSBN)

We're an 11:5 underdog on the road in the first meeting of two clubs in my tenure. Stick with 4-4-2 Diamond Standard to open

GK: McDonald
D: Holden, A.Jones, Williamson, Groves
MF: Clarke, Mutero, Whitaker, Paratore
F: Rickard, Cofie
Available Subs: (Seidu, Davies, Clarke-Harris,Slaughter, Dovey)

7' - A rocket from the point by Jones just simply beats McDonald (0-1)
9' - Paratore answers almost immediately after some nifty passing(1-1)
19' - Their turn, Brown pots his 50th league goal for Telford (1-2)
34' - Andrai Jones header off a corner kick by Whitaker ties it (2-2)
38' - Rickard takes a knock, has to come off. Sub Davies ... Mutero to ST

Halftime - Wide open & end to end. I encourage the club & particularly try to lift the so-so strikers.

61' - Jones just missed wide left after yet another turnover in our own end.
Having trouble maintaining possession anywhere on the pitch
62' - Sub Slaughter (for Holden, 5.7)
78' - Cofie has a one-on-one try, slips it wide left
81' - Williamson puts a header on net after a long corner by Whitaker but it's saved
84' - Davies with a great cross to give Paratore a shot from the penalty spot but it's wide right
84' - Sub Clarke-Harris (for Mutero, exhausted)
86' - Cofie with a short run to the left wing, has plenty of options, goes to Paratore, who has even more options ... finds Clarke-Harris who SCORES !
(3-2) Switch to Contain
90' - A turnover at midfield, a quick counterattack and Dobson ties it (3-3)

Fulltime: Blyth 3 - AFC Telford 3
Sigh. Nice to get a point on the road, disappointing in how we snatched one from the jaws of three. Telford's Brown is MOM but Paratore had a very nice 8.2 performance, A.Jones 7.6 wasn't bad either. Nice of Clarke-Harris to almost immediately reward me for subbing him in, breaking a drought of more than 600 minutes.


Nov 20, 2013 (postmatch)
Rickard sustained a serious ankle sprain in that heavy fall that sent him off. He'll be out 6-7 weeks.
Nothing unusual from the press conference and nothing notable otherwise after the match either.

Mutero bitches to the press about playing time. I reluctantly warn him that if his attitude doesn't change then the transfer list awaits.

[JonInMiddleGA]

November 22, 2013 (morning)
Remember Junior, the Brazilian I couldn't get a work permit for? He abruptly announced his retirement at the age of 25.

November 23, 2013 (morning)
Our U18s played a group match vs Bromley U18s,

Madine scores from a free kick pass by Ferguson at 40'. That was enough as we outshot them 13-3, had 53% possession and barely half as many fouls (11 to 19). We remain in 2nd place in the U18 group, 2 points behind a strong Woking squad (23 gf / 8 ga)

November 23, 2013 (afternoon)
Chelsea has fired coach Claudio Ranieri after a disappointing 7th place start to the season. Michael Laudrup, most recently at Wolfsburg, is believed to be the front-runner for the position.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Nov 20, 2013 (afternoon)
Blyth (5-6-6, 11th BSBN) at Droylsden (7-6-4, 7th BSBN)

We're a tiny 5:4 favorite on the road. Stick with 4-4-2 Diamond Standard to open

GK: Dovey
D: Giddings, A.Jones, Williamson, Purvis
MF: Sawyer, Slaughter, Bembo-Leta, Moke
F: Lobjoit, Cofie
Available Subs: (Groves, Whitaker, Clarke-Harris, Davies,McDonald)

2' - Longball on a throw-in, Vickers grabbed it in the arc & drilled it home (0-1)
6' - Switch to Counter
24' - Switch to Standard

Halftime - Well that was bollocks. I assertively let them know I'm not happy. Who would be? 3 layers under 6.0, only 2 over 6.6

55' - Sub Whitaker (for Bembo-Leta, tired 6.2) ... move Moke to MR
55' - Sub Groves (for Purvis, tired 5.7) ... flip Giddings to ML/Slaughter to LD
64' - Switch to Attacking ... flip Lobjoit to STR and Cofie to STL
65' - Hague denied by the crossbar to keep it a one goal game
71' - Whitaker takes a shot but it's saved cleanly
84' - Vickers wins yet another battle in the midfield, feeds Hague on the opposite side ... (0-2)
84' - Sub Clarke-Harris (for Lobjoit, 5.8)

Fulltime: Droylsden 2 - Blyth 0


Nov 23, 2013 (postmatch)
Outshot 12-3, we put only one on target all day. Williamson (7.2) played well, hardly anyone else did. Purvis 5.7, Slaughter, 5.9, Lobjoit 5.7 in particular stood out in a negative way. First loss in four games.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Nov 26, 2013 (morning)
Robert Paratore was selected in the BSBN Team of the Week first eleven.

Nov 27, 2013 (morning)
MR Mo Davies is suffering from food poisoning, will miss 5-6 days

Nov 27 2013 (evening)
Our Reserves played a group match at Harrogate, winning 3-1

6 trialists in the lineup to start the match. 18 year old D/MF William Nightingale makes a good first impression with a goal from Higgins free kick at 15'. 6 minutes later Chinthengah feeds Higgins in tight for a 2-0 lead. Chinthengah scores himself at 50', they try to answer with a goal from a corner at 54'. Higgins rattled the crossbar at 65'.

Nightingale is MOM (8.5), Higgins & Chinthengah both played very well (8.2). Jonathan Henly gets the win in goal.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Nov 30, 2013 (morning)
Our U18s played a group match at Borehamwood, losing 2-1

Went down 1-0 at 6'. Goodall leveled things at 30' with a nice rebound shot.
They go back up at 43'. I rip the defense for poor play at the half. They settled down somewhat but we just couldn't get it done. D/M Anson Watson will miss a couple of weeks while a gashed leg heals.



Nov 30, 2013 (afternoon)
FA Trophy 3rd Round Qualifying
Blyth (5-6-7, 14th BSBN) vs St. Alban's (2-2-14, 22nd BSBS)


We're a teeny Pick 'Em favorite at home against the dregs of BSB South. Stick with 4-4-2 Diamond Standard to open. We need to win here in order to meet board expectations.

GK: McDonald
D: Holden, Williamson, Seery, Groves
MF: A.Jones, Slaughter, Moke, Whitaker
F: Clarke-Harris, Cofie
Available Subs: (Sawyer, Morrison, Lobjoit, Clarke,Dovey)

5' - Slaughter creates an opportunity with a steal, several passes later it's Clarke-Harris who knocks in a mid-range shot for the lead (1-0)
15' - Bussell splits the defenders, scores (1-1)
38' - Corner kick to Schofield in the scrum for a header that's in (1-2)

Halftime - Not good enough boys, not good enough.
Sub Morrison (for Holden 5.9) ... Slaughter to LD, Whitaker to LM
Switch to Control

74' - Sub Sawyer (for Slaughter, tired 5.9) .. Switch to Attacking
81' - Sub Lobjoit (for Moke, tired)
92' - Barton seals it for St. Alban's with a sliding goal after a free kick (1-3)

Fulltime: St Alban's 3 - Blyth 1

Nov 30, 2013 (postmatch)
Another competition, another disappointing outing & I'm sure to hear about that from the board. I let the team hear it loudly after the match, most seemed motivated ... but will that show through next time out? I didn't bother to hide my annoyance in the post-match press conference either.

[JonInMiddleGA]

December 1, 2013 (morning)
The board remains fairly satisfied overall but we lost another $59k last month & the financial position is getting pretty poor.

[JonInMiddleGA]

December 4, 2013 (morning)
Assistants are urging me to drop John Cofie from the starting lineup after his recent run of four scoreless matches & generally meh performance. I decided to gently ask him to pick it back up a notch, he gets all assertive, I don't like his tone. He apologized for speaking out of turn, I'm not feeling much sincerity there frankly.

Dec 4, 2013 (evening)
Our Reserves played a group match vs Sheffield United,

"Experts" predicted a basketball score for Sheffield's reserves. What they got was a scoreless draw where we controlled the action for the first 70 minutes or so. DC Rhys Paul was MOM (7.5), trialist Nightingale looked good again (7.3) and Matty Hunter got himself a clean sheet.

On the downside, MR Hassan Janneh pulled a hamstring and will be out for a month.

And, backup GK Kieran Gonzalez and backup LD Matthew Martin both want first-team action. Ain't happening. Both are listed, neither draws a whiff of interest from anyone.

December 5, 2013 (morning)
Add backup DC Phil Stevenson to the list of players wanting first team action they aren't likely to get,not only from me but from anyone else apparently.

The chances for any playing time for Stevenson or Martin diminished since we knew what might be coming up ... the addition of versatile 19 y/o RD Ben Jefford. He can also play DC and DMC. He's a former Reading prospect that recently won a spot with his trialist play.

[JonInMiddleGA]

December 6, 2013 (morning)

A press conference called to unveil the signing of Ben Jefford had an additional surprise for those in attendance ... the signing of 21 y/o DC/DR Daniel Boateng. The former Arsenal prospect was quietly inked to a deal through the end of the 2016 season at $300/wk. He is expected to play a key role for the club sooner rather than later.

[JonInMiddleGA]

December 7, 2013 (morning)

Groups for the upcoming 2014 World Cup were drawn today

Group A
Belgium - Brazil - Canada - Tunisia

Group B
Denmark - Germany - Ghana - South Korea

Group C
Australia - Ivory Coast - Portugal - Russia

Group D
France - Japan - Mexico - Uruguay

Group E
Argentina - Italy - Saudi Arabia - USA

Group F
Chile - Egypt - Greece - Spain

Group G
Ecuador - England - Holland - Trin. & Tob.

Group H
Colombia - Croatia - Senegal - Slovenia

[JonInMiddleGA]

Dec 7, 2013 (morning)
Our U18s played a group match vs Kingstonian, losing 1-0.

Match is the Blyth debut (of sorts, he was a trialist) for newly signed Ben Jeffords as we try to get him match fit. 44' the post denies Madine. They break the ice by banging one in off the crossbar at 46', and that was all it took. A mediocre performance all around, 10 of 12 shots were off target by a mile.

After the match we confirm the signing of Charlie Butt. A 19 y/o WB with some speed, he might develop into something useful at some point. Fans as hopeful, as the club shop says lots of kids are asking for the name Butt to be put on the back of their jerseys

[JonInMiddleGA]

Dec 7, 2013 (afternoon)
Blyth (5-6-7, 14th BSBN) at Boston United (4-6-8, 18th BSBN)

They're Pick 'Em favorites at home. Stick with 4-4-2 Diamond Standard to open

GK: Dovey
D: Giddings, Williamson, A.Jones, Groves
MF: Sawyer, Whitaker, Moke, Paratore
F: Mutero, Clarke-Harris
Available Subs: (Boateng, Davies, Cofie, Clarke, McDonald)

10' - Mutero leads the counter attack, shoots from a tight angle to the left, it's saved ... but Paratore is in front to knock in the rebound (1-0)
27' - Mutero chases a long pass into the box, is dragged down for a penalty ... Whitaker makes it count (2-0)
42' - Clarke-Harris cross is intercepted, played back to the keeper who bobbles it right into the net for an own goal (3-0)

Halftime - We haven't been great but we've been quite good enough thus far. Just keep it up boys. Switch to Counter

49' - Dovey somehow misses a knuckleball and they get one back (3-1)
51' - Switch back to Standard
56' - Whitaker misses on a great chance, fired right into the keeper's belly
62' - Sub Boateng (for Groves)
63' - Another goal for Boston Utd but they're offside
70' - Sub Davies (for Paratore, tiring)
74' - Sawyer throw in from the left sideline to Davies, touch pass to Mutero who whips it to the right side for Moke ... GOAL ! (4-1)
80' - Sub Clarke (for Sawyer, tiring)


Fulltime: Blyth 4 - Boston Utd 1
Mutero (7.7) is MOM, Paratore (7.4) and Whitaker (7.0) also stood out. Congrats to Moke on his first league goal for the club. I'm happy, and the boys are all delighted.


Dec 7, 2013 (postmatch)
I'm happy, life was good today.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Dec 8, 2013 (evening)
Our Reserves played a fitness friendly at Consett, winning 3-2

Chinthengah buries a PK at 6'. Carruthers corner sets up Boateng perfectly for a header goal at 28'. Carruthers corners sets up Foot for a one-hop header into the net at 33'. We switch to a 4-3-2 at the half just to get a little time with a formation we haven't used in a while. They get a free kick goal at 80' thanks to a dumb foul by Reece Loudon. 4 minutes later they score again. Rhys Paul concedes a PK at 92'58 ... and they airmail the kick high & wide !

Chris Carruthers (8.0) is MOM, Boateng 7.9 and Foot 7.5 also stood out. The collapse at the end was with all subs on, still infuriating.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Dec 9, 2013 (morning)

We have reached agreedment on a deal through 2015 with 18 year old CM/RD William Nightingale. Former AFC Wimbledon prospect sparkled in his play while on trial.

December 10, 2013
Robert Paratore and Trevor Mutero were selected in the BSBN Team of the Week first eleven.

[JonInMiddleGA]

December 11, 2013 (morning)

As you may have suspected would happen, we've signed 30 year old LD/ML Chris Carruthers to a contract through the end of the season. Since beginning his pro career at Northampton Town in 200, he's woven his way across & around the UK, playing for Hornchurch, Kettering Town, Bristol Rovers, Oxford United, Crawley Town, York City, Gateshead and Chesterfield.

[JonInMiddleGA]

December 11, 2013

Dec 4, 2013 (evening)
Our Reserves played a fitness friendly at Spennymoor, losing 2-1.

A long speculative shot beat Hunter at 19' to put us down by one, barely missed a similar try at 36', another just missed before halftime. Sub Wignall draws us level at 63'. Loudon misfires point blank at 68'. Hunter makes two quick saves to keep us level at 85', they score on the ensuing corner.

We fielded a collection of trialists and further down the depth chart players ... and we largely played like it.

December 12, 2013
Backup Phil Stevenson fails to report for training. We issue a warning which he accepts.

[JonInMiddleGA]

December 13, 2013 (evening)
We play a fitness friendly at Whitby

The schedule gave us more than a week off, I didn't care for that with so many players below match fitness, so we schedule a quick friendly to get work for a mixed squad. Seidu & Boateng will both start on the back line for example, but they're flanked by young newcomer Jefford and scarcely used youngster Joe Henderson.

Both sides miss by inches off corners in the first 15'.
They've had the better of it by a bit through 30'.
At the half we're just kinda ... eh.

ML Andrew Musungu picked up a knock but he wants to keep going.
Seidu (6.1) and Bembo-Leta (6.1) have looked poor, the rest of the defenders have looked fine (6.7 - 6.8)

We begin the slow parade of subs at 50'

71' finally sees a goal, as Boateng made a steal at midfield, passed to Niall Smith, who lead Leroy Chinthengah on the wing where he drove into the area and scored.

78' they equalized after we simply couldn't clear the area no matter what we tried.

81' Chinthengah shoots, gets his own rebound & then shoots wide

We end up with a disappointing 1-1 draw.
The good? Chinthengah 7.2, Boateng 7.1
The bad? Loudon 5.9 (his mistake led to their goal), Bembo-Leta 6.0
The worrisome? Carruthers 6.1, Seidu's bad first half (6.1 vs 6.7)

[JonInMiddleGA]

Dec 14, 2013 (morning)
Our U18s played a group match vs Tonbridge, winning 1-0.

Branker scores off an unselfish pass from Robson at 18'. And, thanks to that, we escape. Tommy Smyth (7.5) was MOM thanks to a solid defensive effort. Gary Pemberton (7.4) and Alex Donald (7.1) added to a good backline.

DC Rory McKeever will miss 4-5 weeks due to a twisted ankle.


Dec 15, 2013 (morning)
Trialist LD Dean Howell has left the club after agreeing to terms with Sutton Utd of BSBS.

Dec 15, 2013 (afternoon)
Our U18s played a fitness friendly at Billingham Syn,

Similar to the senior squad friendly, there are some different mix-and-match combinations to the lineup and the subs here as we try to get everyone some playing time.

A scoreless first half as both clubs had some chances that weren't cashed in.

Jack Harrison finally breaks through for us with a goal at 71', a brief spark of life in an otherwise drab game. Unintentional comedy struck at 89:46 as Dombaxe backpassed two feet away to Daly, who then all but wrapped the ball with a bow before giving it to Myers for Billingham to blast home for a tie.
Defies description, or belief.

Tons of 6.8 and 6.9 ratings, we didn't suck particularly, just a mind bogglingly stupid moment led to a sad little draw. On the outs DL Matthew Martin was MOM was a 7.1

[JonInMiddleGA]

December 21, 2013 (morning)

Our U18s played a group match at Braintree,

Long free kick by Goodall finds Madine in the box for a diving header and a 1-0 lead at 8'. We head to the break that way, I warn the team against complacency. Goodall gets hurt in the 82'. Robson clears a threat from the area at 88', Branker runs it down and goes coast to coast to make it 2-0.

Branker ends up MOM with an 8.3 (after a 6.2 first half). Madine wasn't far behind with an 8.2. 4 other players at 7.0 or better. Backup keeper Kerthney Batey,all 16 years old of him, gets a clean sheet win helped no doubt by facing only 6 shots and none on goal.

Apparently Goodall's knock was nothing serious.

[JonInMiddleGA]

December 21, 2013 (noon'ish)

About the start the most demanding stretch of the season thus far, with 4 games in 10 days. We're home against Gainsborough (3rd) later today, then at Vauxhall (14th) on 12/26, at Colwyn Bay (15th) on 12/28, home with Corby (7th) on 12/31 and host Harrogate (21st) on 1/4 to complete a stretch of 5 matches in 10 days.

We've added some depth & improved the roster in terms of talent over the last few weeks but will it be enough?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Dec 21, 2013 (afternoon)
Blyth (6-6-7, 14th BSBN) vs Gainsborough (10-5-4, 3rd BSBN)

Somehow we're a 5:4 favorite at home against the fourth most potent offense in the league. Stick with 4-4-2 Diamond Standard to open, likely to shift that in some more specific direction as the match unfolds.

GK: Dovey
D: Giddings, Williamson, A.Jones, Groves
MF: Sawyer, Slaughter, Moke, Whitaker
F: Mutero, Clarke-Harris
Available Subs: (Boateng,Whiteley, Cofie, Davies, McDonald)

6' - Clarke-Harris gets a nice run but shoots weakly wide
8' - Clarke-Harris takes a short run into the area but fires into the keeper
10' - Noting that the referee today has averaged nearly 7 yellow cards per match, he's issued one yellow & two warnings already today
11' - Nice save by Dovey
15' - Giddings corner kick sails wide to Jones for a header ... off the crossbar
17' - Giddings free kick, Jones header is over the crossbar
33' - Jones hobbles off for treatment
38' - Giddings free kick, Jones try is saved & cleared
39' - Clarke-Harris on a long run down the right flank ... late cross to Mutero who dribbles & fakes and ... SCORES ! His first league goal since August 31, on Clarke-Harris first league assist in 18 matches (1-0)
44' - Giddings picks up a yellow card ... switch to Defensive to avoid giving up a cheap goal before the break, which we often do

Halftime - I make a couple of player specific minor adjustments (tell Giddings to ease up a little, shorten Whitaker's passing since he's turning the ball over a lot), tell the team I'm happy thus far and to keep it up. They look delighted ... let's hope I'm just as delighted 45 minutes from now.

47' - Switch to Counter, let's see if we can get another goal here
56' - Giddings with a corner, Jones header flies over the crossbar
60' - Mutero with a speculative try that goes high
65' - Switch back to Defensive
66' - They get their 4th yellow card of the match, to our one (so far)
69' - Mutero is knocked, goes off for treatment ... and they take advantage, a fast break goal to even the score (1-1)
72' - Sub Cofie (for Mutero, knocked) ... switch to Counter
76' - They get their 5th yellow
76' - Cofie plays it ahead to Clarke-Harris who shoots ... over the crossbar
76' - Sub Whitely (for Slaughter, tiring) ... move Whitaker to ML, Moke to AMC
89' - Whitaker long ball for Cofie, who gets dispossessed but recovers it, we end up with a corner
89' - Sub Boateng (for Sawyer, tired) ... switch to Defensive, let's not blow it

Fulltime: Blyth 1 - Gainsborough 1

Dec 21, 2013 (postmatch)
I'm happy with the performance and admit as much, to the delight of the squad. Sawyer 7.4, Giddings 7.3, Mutero 7.2, Clarke-Harris 7.0 all stood out in a positive way. Deep down I know that we let three points slip away, 3 clear cut chances but only one goal, we had the better of nearly every stat all day.

Happily, the physios have nothing to tell me so apparently Mutero will be fine.

[JonInMiddleGA]

December 24, 2013 (afternoon)

A couple of days away from playing Vauxhall and I notice that the referee will be none other than the infamous Scott Duncan. Remember him from season 1? The most infuriating yellow card addict I've ever seen. So far he averaging about 6 per match this year so I can only hope that we avoid major issues like the ones we saw on our maiden trip through BSBN.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Dec 26, 2013 (afternoon)
Blyth (6-7-7, 11th BSBN) at Vauxhall (6-4-9, 16th BSBN)

We're a 4:5 favorite, this time on the road. Stick with 4-4-2 Diamond Standard to open then figure out what comes next. We'll mix up the lineup but have a couple of key players on the bench if needed.

GK: Dovey
D: Holden, Williamson, Seery, Boateng
MF: Morrison, Davies, Whitaker, Paratore
F: Cofie, Clarke-Harris
Available Subs: (Seidu, Carruthers, Mutero, Moke, McDonald)

1' - An embarrassing miss for Clarke-Harris one on one off the start
3' - Davies crossing attempt in gathered by the keeper
5' - They score on a scrum in front of the net, several bodies in a pile and Dovey just didn't/couldn't grab the ball (0-1)
11' - Williamson has his pocket picked at midfield, Loveridge narrowly misses his second goal for Vauxhall
32' - Williamson fouls, gets a yellow card, Mullin buries the ensuing DFK (0-2)
32' - Switch to Attack, have to find some offense
41' - Whitaker fouls in the area, Nwaogu buries the penalty kick (0-3)
This is going oh so well

Halftime - I give the "I expect better in the second half" speech assertively. They look mostly motivated ... that would sure be an improvement. Nearly the whole lineup (7 of 11) have ratings under 6, Dovey is the highest rated at 6.8 and he's given up three goals. Just a full-on clusterfuck of a half.

51' - Paratore blisters one ... high over the net
52' - Davies with a steal, feeds Cofie, who shoots from a mile away and misses by about the same amount. WTF?
59' - Cofie picks up a yellow
60' - Sub Carruthers (for Davies, knocked 5.5) ... we also tweak the formation into a 4-3-1-2
69' - Paratore picks up our 4th yellow card of the match
70' - Sub Seidu (for Whitaker, 5.3) ... shift Morrison to MR, Paratore back to AMC, Williamson to MC
74' - Clarke-Harris corner to Cofie ... who heads it harmlessly over the bar
74' - Switch to Overload, let's try to at least score once. Switch Tackling to More Cautious, let's avoid any more cards, shall we?
81' - Sutherland misses an easy chance that could have piled on more
81' - Sub Moke (for Williamson, yellow card 5.6) .. shift Morrison to MC
87' - Seery gets a yellow card, our sixth

Fulltime: Vauxhall 3 - Blyth 0

Dec 26, 2013 (postmatch)
What a drizzling shit of a performance. The defense was atrocious, the offense ineffective, five players at 5.8 or worse. I go OFF afterwards, soothed the feathers of the few players who played okay. Mostly motivated ... supposedly.

Cofie has now gone 10 hours without scoring, he promised to put an end to that streak. The club is fined $800 for failure to control our players (how about the league control fuckwit Stuart Duncan instead?) Fans are devastated by the showing, singling out Boateng, Williamson and Clarke-Harris in particular for their ire. I refused to apologize for the yellows in the post-match presser.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Dec 27, 2013 (evening)
Our Reserves played a fitness friendly at Ryton,

Not really as much a fitness thing as a "want to see trialists in action" thing.

11' in they misplay a pass deep in their own end, Lobjoit pounces & makes them pay 1-0. 34 year old trialist Danny Cadamarteri (a veteran of a dozen different English teams) strikes at 29'. Subbed on Whitelr\ey for a goal a 57' off a nifty assist from Wignall.

A 3-0 win, with trialist George Baldock (7.9) the MOM, trialist Cadamarteri scoring a goal and trialist Alberto Massacci playing well (7.2) before taking a knock. For a change we get pretty much exactly what we want out of one of these friendlies.

After the match we reached agreement to extend the contract of first team DMC Sam Sawyer through next season.