FM: Harrogate's (hopeful) ascendency

[Eaglesfan27]

Yes. The crowd cheers louder at really big stadiums full of people. It's actually quite a nice touch.

[Eaglesfan27]

September 10th, 2005 -

Today our 7th ranked team faces 8th ranked Vauxhall Motors on the road. Vauxhall has several prominent loan players and are a dangerous team. David Poole, the striker from Manchester United is quite the scorer and has me very worried. Stephen Jordan is a consistent defender on loan from Manchester City. Michael Eckersley is their right winger and he is on loan from Bolton. Mike Kinsella is playing well in goal early in the season.

We are 4:5 favorites.

It's a dry 47 degrees today.

Our starting Lineup:

GK: Scarsella
DL: Barnard
DC: Shepherd
DC: Wall
DR: Black
ML: Wright
MC: Atkins
MR: Collett
AMC: Kelly
SC: Smyth
SC: Farrell

S1: Pettinger
S2: Palmer
S3: Dunning
S4: Surey
S5: Wood

[Eaglesfan27]

6 minute mark: Collett steals the ball deep in our territory. He plays a long ball down the right wing.. Farrell (first start of the season) races to it.. he gets it.. centers.. Kelly jumps.. his defender jumps.. Kelly heads it.. towards the right upper corner... just inches wide!

18 minute mark: Smyth receives the ball at midfield.. he dribbles past a midfielder.. through 2 defenders.. to the edge of the box.. he passes to Farrell by the right corner of the box.. Farrell immediately centers it back for Smyth.. The keeper is out of position.. Smyth immediately kicks it.. into the center of the net!!! GOAL!!! 1-0

Half time: Up 1-0. Kelly seems to be injured at some point during the match. I'm going to let him play for a bit more to see if he can play through it.

57 minute mark: Kelly looks like he is really limping. I decide I'll pull him at the next break. Wall has a harsh tackle against David Poole.. outside the box. Yellow card for Wall.

58 minute mark: I try Palmer at AMC for Kelly. I also sub in Dunning for Collett (who is winded) at right wing.

64 minute mark: Poole gets the ball inside the box. He is wide open.. just him and the keeper. Poole blasts a shot.. Scarsella smothers it. Gets up.. Kicks it deep. Palmer gets it.. dribbles into the box.. unleashes his own powerful shot. Kinsella deflects it. Jordan clears the rebound.

76 minute mark: Atkins is still looking good as far as stamina goes, and he is playing his best game this season. Barnard is tired. I decide to use my third sub to bring out Barnard and put in Dunning.

79 minute mark: Smyth receives a long pass from Wall. Smyth takes it up the left side of the field.. crosses.. Palmer heads it.. Kinsella barely tips it over the bar.

83 minute mark: Poole gets the ball from Eckersley. Poole takes two dribbles into the box.. shoots.. heading towards the lower right corner.. Scarsella dives.. tips it just wide.. corner kick. On the ensuing corner kick, Paul Robertson hits a nice curving shot towards the near post.. Carl Nesbitt heads it.. towards the far post on the severe angle.. it's past Scarsella.. heading towards the post.. just inside the goal. 1-1.

87 minute mark: Atkins plays a perfect pass to Palmer.. Palmer dribbles past the defender.. into the right side of the box.. the keeper comes out to meet him.. Palmer goes wide.. around the keeper.. open net.. shoots.. over the bar!

Game over. 1-1 tie.

We outshot them 16-12.

Atkins wins MoM, 45 of 52 passes, 2 of 3 tackles, 2 of 3 headers, 3 passes intercepted. 9 for form.

[Eaglesfan27]

September 12th, 2005 -

Mark Atkins finally has a good match, but what happens? Two days later, he sprains a ligament in his knee. He is expected to be out for at least 3 weeks.

[Eaglesfan27]

September 17th, 2005 -

Today my 9th ranked team faces 17th ranked Droylsden on our home pitch. This team has Craig Mawson on loan from Oldham, and he is their most prominent player at this time. Max Howell is playing very good defense for them. David Cameron has been playing well at striker for them. Graham Brett has been their most consistent midfielder, but he hasn't played particularly great.

We are even odds favorites.

Our Lineup:

GK: Scarsella
DL: Barnard
DC: Shepherd
DC: Wall
DR: Black
ML: Wright
MC: Surey
MR: Collett
AMC: Kelly
SC: Smyth
SC: Farrell

S1: Pettinger
S2: Palmer
S3: Dunning
S4: Turley
S5: Wood

It's 51 and sunny out.

[Eaglesfan27]

31 minute mark: Surey is called for a rough tackle on Brett. Yellow card.

41 minute mark: Farrell receives a long pass from Black.. Farrell has the keeper alone.. puts on a good move.. shoots.. over the net.

0-0 at halftime.

48 minute mark: Surey hits the goal post with a shot.. flurry of my players get to the ball and shoot.. only to be blocked by defenders.. Finally Brett clears it out of bounds.

50 minute mark: Smyth dribbles the ball into the left side of the box. Max Howell slides and knocks the ball away.. right to Kelly.. Kelly shoots from 20 yards.. the keeper looks surprised.. it's past him.. into the net!!! GOAL!!! 1-0

61 minute mark: Farrell picks up a small injury. I decide to sub him out for Palmer.

70 minute mark: O'Brien their midfielder hits a great shot on goal from 15 yards out. My keeper barely punches it over the bar.

I decide to sub in Dunning for Wright at this point. Also, I put in Wood for Surey who appears tired.

75 minute mark: Shepherd misplays teh ball giving Cameron a wide open opportunity in the box. Cameron shoots.. it's past Scarsella.. grazes the bar as it sails over. I let out a sigh of relief.

82 minute mark: Wood makes a great header that prevents a scoring opportunity.. sends it to Wood.. Wood passes perfectly up the pitch.. Palmer races to it.. he is about to shoot.. Whistle stops play.. Palmer was offside.

87 minute mark: Wood with another great intervention on a pass into the box.. sends it to Dunning.. Dunning sends it to Smyth.. Smyth dribbles into the box.. shoots.. tipped over the bar.

91 minute mark: Sh$! They hit us on the counter-attack.. 2 on my keeper breakaway (why aren't the guys playing all out defense like I'm telling them.) Chris Jones the backup striker and Gary Burke advance into the box.. Burke passes to Jones who is by the right post.. Jones shoots.. Scarsella deflects it.. Burke gets to the rebound.. he shoots the easy rebound goal. 1-1.

Game over. It's early in the season, but a very disappointing 1-1 tie.

We each had 13 shots. We had only 4 shots on goal, they had 8 shots on goal.

David Scarsella wins MoM with his 7 saves.

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Report:

Paul Shepherd has pulled his groin. He will miss 2-3 weeks.

Andy Farrell will likely miss most of the week of practice due to a stubbed toe?!?

[Eaglesfan27]

September 19th, 2005 -

Today I was informed of the results of the 2nd qualifying round of the FA Cup Trophy. We will be traveling to play Egham Town. I must admit, I don't know much about them except they are in the regional divisions. They should be an easy matchup for us, but I better get my scout over to check their team out.

[Eaglesfan27]

September 24th, 2005 -

Today my 8th ranked team travels to play the 7th ranked Lancaster team. Lancaster's defense has been very solid in large part to Paul Sparrow who has been playing phenomenal defense through the early part of the season. Steve Jones has been playing very well in the midfield scoring 2 goals and an assist in 5 games. Striker Peter Thompson has been on fire so far, with 3 goals in 5 games. Mark Thornley has been solid in goal for them.

We have 1 win and 1 tie against them in my career.

We are slight 5:4 favorites.

It's 55 degrees and cloudy today.

I'm using the same lineup as last time, except Wood will start at DC for the injured Shepherd. Curtis moves into the empty bench spot.

[Eaglesfan27]

1st minute: Joe McMahon gets a yellow card for an illegal trip on Smyth.

22 minute mark: Surey intercepts a pass about halfway into our end of the field. He sends it to Kelly at midfield. Kelly dribbles up the pitch.. draws a defender.. places a good pass btw two defenders. Farrell gets it into the center of the box.. shoots.. a low shot.. it's heading to the left of the keeper.. he can't get to it.. GOAL!!! 1-0 Farrell's first of the year!

33 minute mark: Wood gets a yellow call for arguing an offside call against Kelly.

1-0 at the half.

50 minute mark: Wall makes a great clearance of a long pass. Collett collects the header off of Wall. He sends a long pass to Kelly. Kelly makes a move on his man.. dribbles into his box.. steps right.. shoots left... it's past the keeper.. GOAL!!! 2-0!!

58 minute mark: After stopping a shot, Scarsella passes to Surey. Surey takes it past midfield.. he sends a ball into the box... Farrell races to it.. gets it by the left post.. shoots the extreme angle shot.. towards the far post.. the keeper is out of position.. GOAL!!! 3-0!! Farrell's 2nd of the game!

65 minute mark: Farrell is tired, but I'm leaving him in to give him a shot at the hat trick. Kelly is tired, and I'm subbing in Palmer for him. Wright is tired as well, so I'll sub in Dunning. Finally, with the big lead, I'll rest Smyth. Turley will come in for him.

3-0 final score.

We outshot them 9-7.

6-2 for us re: on target shots.

Ben Surey won MoM. 21 of 31 passes, 1 of 2 tackles, 1 of 1 headers, 6 passes intercepted, 1 assist. I had 8 men receive an 8 for form that match! Surey was the only 9 of the match.

[Eaglesfan27]

The local media did a story on us about how good we are doing, and Mr. Fotherby said he is thrilled that we are overcoming the slow start to push towards the top of the table.

Reading the article, I decide it is time to finally start praising some of my guys. I look at our internal grades for everyone on the team, and see that Scarsella has been receiving the most consistent grades on the team, and he has all 8's for the last 5 games. I decide I'll release a story to the press praising him, and see how fans respond.

[Eaglesfan27]

September 27th, 2005 -

Many of the local fans are flooding the media with positive reaction to Scarsella's recent play. He is apparently held in high esteem by the fan. Unfortunately, I notice that Pettinger seems to be quite unhappy with the acclaim that Scarsella is receiving.

[Eaglesfan27]

September 27th, 2005 -

Today our 6th ranked team hosts 19th ranked Stalybridge. This team has been hit hard by injuries to two of their better players. Kevin Parr is their leading midfielder who is healthy. Nathan D'Laryea has been their most consistent defender. Tommy Lee is a 19 year old kid who has just taken over in goal for them. His 1st game, he only conceded one goal.

They beat us both times last year by a score of 2-0 and 1-0.

We are 6:4 favorites.

We are using the same lineup as last game.

It's 51 degrees and cloudy.

[CraigSca]

Really enjoying this dynasty, Eagles. Keep it up and good luck!

[Eaglesfan27]

8 minute mark: Wall with a key tackle on Andy Hayward (their striker) inside the box.

44 minute mark: Ben Smith gets a yellow card for a vicious tackle on Mark Smyth that might have prevented Smyth from scoring. The whistle blew when Smyth was outside the box.

0-0 at the half.

47 minute mark: Brian Byrne with a hard tackle on Smyth.. Yellow card for Byrne.

55 minute mark: Ben Surey gets a yellow card for a tackle on Parr. Wright is mad at the call. He is screaming at the ref. He gets a yellow card too.

62 minute mark: Curtis is subbed in for Wood. I sub in Dunning for Wright.

83 minute mark: Smyth gets the ball at the edge of the box.. powerful shot.. low and away.. just wide right.

Game over. 0-0

We outshot them 9-8, but we each only had 1 shot on goal.

Kelly wins MoM, 25 of 30 passes, 0 tackles, 4 of 6 headers, 1 pass intercepted, 1 run.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by CraigSca

Really enjoying this dynasty, Eagles. Keep it up and good luck!

Thank you.

[Eaglesfan27]

October 1st, 2005 -

Mr. Fotherby called me into his office for our monthly review. He told me, he is thrilled with my management of the club. He'd like to see our wage bill lower, but he is satisfied with the current finances of the club. However, he said as long as I keep winning, he doesn't want me to do anything differently. He hopes I'll stay with the club for a long time.

[Eaglesfan27]

October 1st, 2005 -

Today we travel to play Egham Town. I'm taking a chance against this team of relative unknowns. I'm going to play multiple backups. We are heavy 1:6 favorites. It's 55 degrees and sunny. Here is a look at the matchups:

[Eaglesfan27]

1 minute mark: Gibson receives a crossing pass at the left corner of the pass. Black tackles him. The ref blows his whistle! Penalty shot. Black is called for a hard tackle.

John Murray takes the penalty shot.. and blasts it past Pettinger.. Goal. Down 1-0.

17 minute mark: My panic abates slightly when I see Wall head the ball to Fox. Fox passes it up the right flank to Farrell. Farrell dribbles towards the right post.. he centers it for Hunter.. Hunter shoots.. to the left of the keeper.. GOAL!!! 1-1!

39 minute mark: Fox is tripped and is screaming in pain. He's holding his knee. It doesn't look good. I move Hunter from AMC to right wing, and sub in Palmer at AMC.

1-1 at the half.

48 minute mark: Wall intercepts a pass deep in our zone. He sends it long to Farrell. Farrell gets it in the right half of the box.. he dribbles right twice.. shoots.. the keeper has come out to cut down the angle.. but it's too late.. the ball is past him.. GOAL!!! 2-1.

66 minute mark: Pettinger with a nice save on a point blank shot by Randall.

68 minute mark: Turley receives the long pass from Wall. He takes it down the left flank. Centers.. Palmer heads it.. not a particularly good strike.. but the keeper can't handle it.. it goes right over his shoulder into the net!!! GOAL!!! 3-1.

With the game in hand, I decide to give Wall a rest and bring in Curtis. Similarly, I rest Surey in favor of Krief.

Game over. 3-1 victory.

We outshot them 18-8.

9-2 advantage for us for shots on goal.

Farrell won MoM, 14 of 18 passing, 1 of 1 tackles, 2 of 4 headers, 7 runs, 1 assist, and 1 goal. 9 for Form. 7 guys got 8's for form. Pettinger was the only one to receive a 6 for form.

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Report:

We were awarded 6,000 dollars for the win. We now advance to the 3rd qualifying round of the FA Cup.

Fox twisted his knee, but the early physio examination suggests it is minor and he will only be out for a week or so.

[CraigSca]

You hereby stink. Because of you (and others) I just ordered this game and will have it overnighted. Sigh...looks like I'll be eating Ramen noodles this week

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by CraigSca

You hereby stink. Because of you (and others) I just ordered this game and will have it overnighted. Sigh...looks like I'll be eating Ramen noodles this week

Well, I'm sorry about that. However, I suspect you'll be happy you got this game once you get the taste of the Ramen noodles out of your mouth.

[Eaglesfan27]

October 5th, 2005 -

Today we found out that we will be playing our old foe Runcorn in the 3rd qualifying round of the English FA Cup. Runcorn was relegated from our division last year, and has had to dump some salary as a result. This should aid us in beating them. The match will be in their stadium.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by CraigSca

You hereby stink. Because of you (and others) I just ordered this game and will have it overnighted. Sigh...looks like I'll be eating Ramen noodles this week

Ramon noodles were a staple of my military days.


Todd

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by CraigSca

You hereby stink. Because of you (and others) I just ordered this game and will have it overnighted. Sigh...looks like I'll be eating Ramen noodles this week

Nah, you'll be fine, just as long as you get invited to other people's place for *cough* short *short* Christmas parties. I say short cause, well, you won't be able to stay away from that game for long anyway...

Have fun with it!

FM

[daedalus]

Originally Posted by FrogMan

Nah, you'll be fine, just as long as you get invited to other people's place for *cough* short *short* Christmas parties. I say short cause, well, you won't be able to stay away from that game for long anyway...

This is why I really, really, REALLY (did I mentioned really?) want a laptop. Laying down and FM'ing. Is there a better definition for bliss?*

*NOTE: That was rhetorical and exaggerated. Much as I love the addiction that is CM/FM, there are many, many greater form of bliss. Jennifer Garner comes to mind at the moment. But, never mind that . . . let's get back to our regularly scheduled programming.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

Ramon noodles were a staple of my military days.


Todd

They were a staple of my college days. If I ever see another Ramen Noodle, it will be too soon. The sad thing is that my wife really enjoys them!

[Eaglesfan27]

October 15th, 2005 -

Today we travel to play Runcorn in the 3rd qualifying round of the English FA Cup. Runcorn's defense has been solidified by David Ness. Mark Cartwright has played reasonably well in goal. Lee Kissock has been their main scoring threat from the striker position with 2 goals on the season. Lee Parle has been their main threat in the midfield, and he plays in the AMC spot in an offense that is quite similar to my own.

We tied them 0-0 at home, and 1-1 on the road last year before they were relegated.

We are heavy 4-6 favorites.

It's a perfect 68 degree day with the sun shining brightly. I'm starting most of my regulars this game as they have had almost 3 weeks off with the long break for international play and I want them to return to tip top match shape. Here is my lineup:

GK: Scarsella
DL: Barnard
DC: Shepherd
DC: Wall
DR: Black
ML: Wright
MC: Atkins (Freshly back from injury)
MR: Collett
AMC: Kelly
SC: Smyth
SC: Farrell (has won the starting job from the newcomer Palmer)

S1: Pettinger (morale really improved after playing last game - will try to get him some more playing time in the future to keep him happy and sharp.)

S2: Dunning
S3: Wood
S4: Surey
S5: Palmer
S2:

[Eaglesfan27]

9 minute mark: Collett gets the ball deep in our zone on the right side of the pitch. He sends a long pass down the field.. it's rolling into the box.. Smyth gets to it.. the keeper comes out to cut down the angle. He shoots.. it's heading towards the right post.. just wide.

11 minute mark: Ness trips Kelly who is trying to get a breakaway.. Yellow card for Ness. Free kick for us.

17 minute mark: Will scramble for a goal in front of Runcorn's goal. Atkins hits a defender in the body with a shot. It's Ness.. he looks hurt. Kelly shoots the rebound.. hit the crossbar.. Smyth gets off a shot that the keeper deflect.. Kelly gets another shot that hits a defender.. finally they clear the ball. Ness needs prolonged treatment for his injury.

25 minute mark: Farrell gets a long pass from Collett. Farrell plays a great ball centering it for Kelly.. Kelly shoots.. low and away to the left corner.. it's past the keeper... it's wide by inches.

33 minute mark: Atkins with a *great* pass through 3 defenders to Kelly. Kelly has a clear 1:1 with the keeper. He shoots from 15 yards.. The keeper blocks it, but can't control the rebound. Smyth races to the rebound.. he gets to it before the defender.. he shoots.. the keeper dives and tips it.. but it crosses the goal line.. GOAL!!! 1-0

35 minute mark: Scarsella makes a great save on a close Kissock shot.

36 minute mark: Atkins is tackled at midfield. Whistle blows. Free kick.. Atkins plays the ball up the pitch to Shepherd?!? Shepherd shoots from 22 yards out.. it hits the crossbar.. Farrell hits the rebound off the bar on the half volley.. GOAL!!!! Right past the stunned keeper!! 2-0

43 minute mark: Parle unleashes another hard tackle on Atkins.. Atkins looks hurt... Yellow card for Parle.

44 minute mark: Shepherd body checks Parle to the ground.. I wonder if that was in retaliation for the tackle on Atkins. Shepherd gets a yellow card, and I let out a sigh of relief that it wasn't a red.

With the halftime stoppage in play, I pull Atkins out of the game permeantly and put Surey in for him.

2-0 at the half.

52 minute mark: Collett gets the ball from Scarsella at midfield. Collett passes to Kelly who is right of the box. Kelly dribbles left twice and passes to Smyth. Smyth is 25 yards out.. he unleashes a booming shot. It's heading for the upper right corner.. the keeper can't get to it.. It's in the back of the net.. GOAL!!!! 3-0!

60 minute mark: Kelly gets the ball inside the box after a long pass from Wall. He shoots.. the keeper smothers the shot.

At this point, I sub Dunning for Wright and Wood for Shepherd since the game is under control.

Game over! 3-0 win for us.

We outshot them 18-3 (9-1 on goal)

Mark Smyth wins MoM with a 9 for form, 16 of 20 passes, 1 of 1 tackles, 1 of 4 headers, 2 passes intercepted, 2 runs, and 2 goals.

Post match Info:

We won 8,000 dollars with this win and advance to the 4th qualifying round the English FA Cup.

Atkins is fine according to the physio, and really only had the wind knocked out of him.

Shepherd on the other hand has a calf strain and could miss up to 2 weeks.

[Eaglesfan27]

October 17th, 2005 -

Today we found out that we will be traveling to play Cambridge City in the 4th qualifying round of the English FA Cup. They are currently 9th in the English Conference South and should be a challenging opponent.

[Eaglesfan27]

October 18th, 2005 -

Today we are in 6th place and we travel to play Hinckley who are currently in 11th place. Hinckley is led by Michael Keane who is a skilled midfielder on loan from Hull. Adam Willis is the stabilizing force in the defense. Nathan Lamey is a 25 year old dangerous striker. In 6 league games, he has 3 goals and 4 assists. Stuart Tomlinson has played ok in goal.

We tied them 1-1 on the road, and 0-0 at home last year.

Hickley are heavy 4:7 favorites to win. The odds are 4:1 of us winning.

It's a dry 46 degrees.

We are using the exact same lineup as last game, except Wood is in for Shepherd who is out with his injury. Lennie Curtis moves onto the bench.

[tanglewood]

I'd concentrate on the FA Cup run at the moment. If you could get into the 3rd round and get a Premiership side (or even a Champuionship side with a large stadium & fanbase) it'd be a HUGE financial boost.

[Eaglesfan27]

22 minute mark: Lamey gets into the box with a nasty dribble between both of my DC's. He shoots for the upper left corner.. Scarsella can't get to it.. I let out my held breath as it barely sales over the bar.

40 minute mark: Collett gets the ball on the right wing from Wall.. he passes to Smyth.. Smyth dribbles into the ball.. Adam Willis tackles him from behind. The keeper clears the ball.

0-0 at the half.

55 minute mark: Lamey gets the ball at the right corner of the box.. unleashes a great shot towards the left corner of the box.. Scarsella dives.. barely tips it... it goes inches wide. A scrum for the ball ensues in front of our box. After 30 seconds of scrambling for the ball, Wall finally clears it.

70 minute mark: After another wild fight for the ball in front of our net, Scarsella controls a shot... quick kick deep down the field.. Smyth gets to it.. Willis tries to fight the ball away from him.. he does for a second.. but no Smyth recovers the ball.. dribbles into the left edge of the box.. kicks it... powerful shot.. heading to the upper right corner.. the keeper dives, but he can't reach it... It sails into the net!!! GOAL!!! 1-0.

I sub in Curtis for Wood who is tired. Also, I sub in Surey for Atkins who is also tired.

82 minute mark: Black makes a major tackle to save a likely Lamey goal.

89 minute mark: Ramon Calliste gets the ball inside our box.. he dekes the keeper.. I scream at my keeper.. Calliste shoots.. OVER the bar!!! Whew!

91 minute mark: Wall throws himself in front of a shot by Lamey.. deflects it out of bounds.. corner kick.

Wall clears the corner kick.

Game over! 1-0 win for us. I feel very lucky to have won this game on the road against this team that dominated us most of the game.

They outshot us 18-6 (3-2 on goal shots)

Benjamin Collett won MoM, 16 of 27 passes, 3 of 6 tackles, 2 of 2 headers, 6 passes intercepted.

[Eaglesfan27]

October 20th, 2005 -

Today Northern Spirit offered me a deal for my keeper Scarsella. They are offering 0 dollars and 50% of next sale. I think I'll turn it down

[Eaglesfan27]

October 22nd, 2005 -

Today we have an important match with Worksop on their pitch. They are currently 2nd in the league, and we are 4th. This matchup will test our fortitude and I think we can make a big statement with a win. We are 5:4 favorites despite being on the road. We beat them 2-1 at home last year, and tied them 2-2 on the road. They have a diversified offense led by Richard Peacock's 5 goals and Dene Cropper's 4 goals. Peter Keen has played well in goal for them. Let's take a look at the match up screen before we start the match:

[Eaglesfan27]

1st minute: Atkins gets a yellow card for a trip on Gavin Smith.

2 minute mark: Wall sends the ball to Wright on the left wing. He sends it down towards the center of the pitch just outside the box. Smyth races to it.. He takes it inside the left side of the box.. shoots... towards the right side of the net.. over the keeper's shoulder.. GOAL!!! 1-0!

8 minute mark: Cropper gets a yellow card for a dangerous 2 footed tackle on Atkins.

19 minute mark: Scarsella easily saves a cropper shot from 20 yards out.

23 minute mark: Farrell gets the ball at the right corner of the pitch.. he centers for Kelly.. Kelly meets the ball with a solid header.. the keeper dives.. he can't get to it!! GOAL!!! 2-0!

35 minute mark: Steve Hawes shoots from 25 yards.. Scarsella makes the save cleanly.

45 minute mark: Scarsella does a nice job intercepting a cross from Peacock intended for Cropper.

2-0 at the half.

50 minute mark: Atkins is looking tired, I sub in Surey for him.

61 minute mark: Cropper gets a point blank shot off after a great pass from Peacock.. Scarsella.. tips it over the bar.

67 minute mark: Peacock gets the ball on the right wing.. dribbles past my winger. Dribbles it towards the box.. shoots.. the keeper deflects it as he is by the right post.. ball heads towards the left corner of the box.. Caudwell gets it.. shoots for the left post.. Scarsella has been running back into position.. dives.. catches it!!! What a save!!

At this point, I sub in Dunning for Wright and Palmer for Kelly.

74 minute mark: Dunning gets the ball on the left wing.. he sends it up the pitch to Smyth.. who is just left of the box.. Smyth centers.. Palmer receives the spot on pass. He quickly settles the ball and shoots.. the keeper can't react quick enough.. it's right into the center of the net.. GOAL!!! 3-0

93 minute mark: Farrell gets the pass from Scarsella at midfield.. He takes a step and sends a pass down the length of the field into the box. Smyth races to it. He beats the defender.. shoots.. low and to the left.. it's past the keeper.. GOAL!!! That is Smyth's second. 4-0.

Game over. 4-0 Win for us.

We were outshot 21-14! (they had 9 on goal, we had 5 on goal)

Scarsella wins MoM with the clean sheet 9 save game. Scarsella, Wright, and Smyth all got 9's for form this game.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by CraigSca

Wow, I think you owe Scarsella a steak dinner for that performance!

Consider it done.

[CraigSca]

Wow, I think you owe Scarsella a steak dinner for that performance!

[Eaglesfan27]

October 25th, 2005 -

Today I discovered that we will be traveling to face our old friends Hinckley in the 1st round the English FA Trophy.

Our upcoming match against Cambridge City in the 4th qualifying round of the English FA cup is our main focus, however, it would be nice if we can win both.

[Eaglesfan27]

October 29th, 2005 -

Today we travel to play Cambridge City to advance in the English FA cup qualifying phase. They are led by their midfielder Louis Riddle who has 2 goals and 3 assists in 11 games. Duncan Roberts, their keeper, has been of average quality this year averaging 1.6 goals conceded per game. Lee Chaffey, their left full back has been their most consistent defender. Robbie Simpson, their 29 year old striker, has provided most of their offense this year and leads the team with 7 goals.

We are 5:4 Favorites.

It's dry and 46 degrees.

We are using the same starting lineup as we did in the game against Worksop as Shepherd is still injured.

[Eaglesfan27]

10 minute mark: Wright gets a yellow card for pulling Riddle's shirt while he is trying to run with the ball.

25 minute mark: Chaffey has repeatedly neutralized our attack in the last few minutes. He is playing spectacular defense.

40 minute mark: Richard Scott gets a yellow card for a trip on Smyth.

44 minute mark: Stuart Graham takes it down the left wing.. he centers for Robbie Simpson.. Simpson hits a powerful header.. Scarsella plays it perfectly and clutches the ball to his chest.

0-0 at half time.

48 minute mark: Scarsella with a nice save on a shot by Simpson from just outside the box.

67 minute mark: Atkins is tired, so I sub in Surey. I also sub in Palmer for Kelly.

71 minute mark: Collett dribbles down the right flank.. turns in.. dribbles toward the right corner of the box.. he sees Smyth open.. flicks the pass to him at the edge of the center of the box.. he shoots for the lower left corner.. the keeper can't get to it.. it hits off the post... and in!! GOAL!!!! 1-0

They sub out Simpson at this point.

78 minute mark: Carlin Itonga gets the ball inside our box.. he is open.. he shoots for the upper right corner.. Scarsella dives and barely tips it over the bar.

89 minute mark: Wall with a key header to clear away a dangerous pass in our own box.

93 minute mark: Wall with another big defensive play.

GAME OVER! 1-0 Victory!!

They outshot us 21-12 (9-4 on goal)

Scarsella wins MoM again for another 9 save cleansheet performance. As per a fan's recommendation, we have decided that Scarsella will get a steak dinner for every clean sheet. Hmmm.. steak.

Benjamin Collett also had a 9 for this match.

[Eaglesfan27]

Wow!


With that win we were awarded 18,000 dollars!

Also, we are through to the 1st round of the English FA Cup!

[FrogMan]

great show!!!

FM

[Eaglesfan27]

And how quickly the high ends...

There were so many lower league teams in this draw.... I saw two English Conference teams get each other.. so many League 2 teams. Do I get any of these? No! Of course not. We drew Oldham (Currently 4th place in League 1) Least we are at home and will hopefully set an attendance record.

[Eaglesfan27]

November 2nd, 2005 -

Today we have a very tough choice. We have 4 games in 12 days so I need to rest some of my starters some games. This is a league game where we are currently ranked 2nd (yes!) and we are hosting 17th ranked Burscough. Burscough is having a rough season. Their most consistent defender is Iain Swan who only has a 7.11 avg form (highest on their team.) David Parry is the man in the midfield for them. Darren Connell is their leading scorer with 2 goals. David Blower has been the main bright spot, and he is only averaging 1.2 goals/game.

We've never faced this team as they were promoted from the regional division and have just joined our league this year.

We are 5:4 favorites.

I decide I'm going to rest most of our defense this game, but keep our main scorers on the pitch, with a plan to rest our main scorers in an upcoming league game.

Our starting lineup:

GK: Pettinger
DL: Dunning
DC: Wood
DC: Shepherd
DR: Marc Smith (my young fullback)
ML: Wright
MC: Atkins
MR: Fox (getting unhappy at the lack of PT)
AMC: Kelly
SC: Smyth
SC: Farrell

S1: Scarsella
S2: Krief
S3: Curtis
S4: Surey
S5: Palmer

It's a dry cool 33 degrees.

[Eaglesfan27]

1st minute: Smyth is tripped inside their zone. Whistle. Free kick. Smyth takes the kick from 30 yards out left side of the pitch. He blasts a shot from 30 yards out that curves towards the left goal post.. the keeper is shocked as it curves.. so am I! It's in the back of the net! GOAL!!!! 1-0.

18 minute mark: Atkins takes a direct kick from Midfield. He kicks it to Wood who is just outside the box. Wood shoots from 20 yards out.. it's over the keeper's left shoulder.. GOAL!!! 2-0.

2-0 at the half.

I find myself amazed to hear that 1265 fans showed up for this game. I'll have to review the attendance from the last few games, as I just realized that our attendance might be going drastically up with us winning so much lately. Last year, we averaged 300 a game, and had 850 as our highest attendance of the year.

With a 2-0 lead at 55 minute mark, I sub in Krief for Atkins, Surey for Kelly, and Palmer for Smyth.

88 minute mark: An intricate series of passes inside their half ends with Fox passing from the right side of the pitch to Krief at the center edge of the box. Krief hit a quick pass to Palmer near the left post who buried a quick shot.. GOAL!!!! 3-0.

3-0 game over.

We outshot them 9-5 (7-1 on goal)

Andrew Wright had a 10 for form and won MoM, 26 of 29 passes, 1 of 1 tackles, 1 of 3 headers, 2 passes intercepted, 4 runs, 1 assist.

[SirFozzie]

Harrogate for the title!

How's Cambridge United doing in the game?

[Eaglesfan27]

November 2nd, 2005 -

Post match report. Today Mr. Fotherby said he is extremely proud of this team. He is not surprised at our excellent play. He believes that I will continue to guide the team to wins. We are currently in 1st place!!! He said, he believes the experts are wrong and this isn't just a lucky start.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

Harrogate for the title!

How's Cambridge United doing in the game?

I hope so!

Cambridge United is currently 15th in league 1.

[SirFozzie]

Nice! Must have promoted last year.