FM12 Eastwood Town (2012 BSBN Champs)

[Poli]

Current standings:

1. Altrincham 54
2. Histon 54
3. Hinckley 54
4. Workington 53
5. Eastwood 52
6. Nuneaton 52

[Poli]

18 Feb 2012

Eastwood, 15-7-8
@
Droylesden, 12-10-8


Lee, Morris

Elliott, Cooper, Gardner

Benjamin, Caines, Keane, Troke, Hanson

Gilpin

Burge, Hall, Istead, Edwards, McIntosh

[Poli]

Nothing happening in the first half. We manage just 3 weak shots.

[Poli]

All quiet at 67, so I change the formation to a 4-4-2, bringing in Hall and Edwards for Elliott and Morris.

It pays off. Hall finds Troke from the corner. Troke heads in the 1-0 winner.

[Poli]

Lee 6.8, Morris 6.5

Elliott 6.5, Cooper 6.9, Gardner 6.9

Benjamin 7, Caines 7.1, Keane 6.9, Troke 8.6, Hanson 6.8

Gilpin 7

Burge, Hall 6.9, Istead, Edwards 6.5, McIntosh




Troke is the MoM.

[Poli]

Eastwood: 5-4 (Fav) Draw: 11-5 Blyth: 7-4 (Blue Square Bet North)

Blue Square Bet North surprise package Eastwood's home advantage gives them the edge in what should be a close encounter against Blyth, according to Sky Bet.

Following Eastwood's 1 - 0 Blue Square Bet North victory over Droylsden last Saturday, the promotion contenders are currently 3rd in the Blue Square Bet North with 55 points from 31 matches. Eastwood may concede the league advantage to Histon due to still being involved in cup competitions which could prove to be distractions, whereas their title rivals have no such problems.

Following Blyth's Blue Square Bet North 2 - 2 draw with Hinckley last Saturday, Cassidy's relegation candidates are currently 18th in the Blue Square Bet North with 35 points from 31 matches.

The referee for the match will be Peter Banks from Southport who has shown 36 yellow cards and 3 red cards in his ten Blue Square Bet North games so far this season. Banks' last Eastwood Town match was Eastwood's 1 - 2 Blue Square Bet North defeat against Bishop's Stortford on Wednesday 1st February.

[Poli]

Current standings:

1. Altrincham 57
2. Histon 57
3. Eastwood 55
4. Hinckley 55
5. Workington 54
6. Nuneaton 53

[Poli]

22 Feb 2012

Blyth, 9-8-14
@
Eastwood, 16-7-8


Lee, Morris

Hall, Elliott, Gardner

Benjamin, Caines, Keane, Troke, Hanson

Gilpin

Riley, Cooper, Istead, Edwards, McIntosh

[Poli]

7 minutes in and Eastwood starts the scoring. Benjamin clears down the left sideline to Lee. Lee takes it to the corner before sending it back to Benjamin about 25 yards back. Benjamin finds Morris in front of the net and gets the ball there. Morris scores his first goal in over 800 minutes! 1-0.

The joy would be shortlived, though. Morris would pick up an injury just 8 minutes later and Hall would receive a yellow as well during the ruckus. Edwards comes in for Morris. The story I get is the Blyth Spartan collided with Morris and then Hall tripped the Spartan. Seems fair to me.

Keane misses an opportunity to head the ball in on a corner...sending it wide at the 22 minute mark.

A minute later, Blyth scores. Given a free kick after a Benjamin foul, a Spartan breaks free of the pack and runs the goal in. Gilpin must not have seen him coming, as he lunged late in his direction but too late. 1-1.

We hit the extra time and Elliott finds Gardner down the right. Gardner shakes an opponent and sees Lee 25 yards away from the net at the center of the field. Gardner sends the ball to Lee and Lee one times it, a powerful shot that finds it way past the keeper! 2-1.

[Poli]

At 64 Hall collides with a Blyth player during a challenge and gets dinged up. We sub in Istead for him as a precaution.

Shortly thereafter, Elliott and Gardner combine to find Lee again about 25 yards from net...this time off to the left a bit. Lee hits a banana shot and it finds the net. Lee's second goal of the game! 3-1.

Up two and late, I make my final sub. Riley comes in for Benjamin.

Blyth can do nothing offensively. They manage just 4 shots on the day.

[Poli]

Lee 8.8, Morris 7.3

Hall 6.8, Elliott 6.9, Gardner 7.7

Benjamin 7.7, Caines 6.9, Keane 7.1, Troke 6.9, Hanson 6.9

Gilpin 6.9

Riley 6.8, Cooper, Istead 6.7, Edwards 6.9, McIntosh


Lee is the MoM. 502 was the paid attendance.

[Poli]

We were the only league match of the day...the three points is good enough to put us back in first place!

[Poli]

Lee Morris has a dead leg. It'll be alright in about a week.

Cork City was in town to see David Lee. David ain't going anywhere.

Blyth's coach afterward made a nice comment, "I hope Eastwood doesn't get promoted." If we don't, I'm going to put 50 on you next time.

Three days until we face AFC Telford in the FA Trophy. Technically, given their positions in the Premier, this should be an easier game for us. Technically.

[Poli]

Peter Knox finds a team. Gainsborough take him on. Good for him.

[Poli]

I didn't realize this at the time, but Blyth is the only other North team still competing in the FA Trophy. Lucky dogs drew the only South team still in it.

[Poli]

AFC Telford fans are all set to welcome Eastwood fans to Telford for their English FA Trophy Fourth Round match, one which the hosts are expecting to take a comfortable win from.

Eastwood beat Whitby Town, Bury Town, Boston United and Grimsby Town while AFC Telford beat Curzon Ashton, Chelmsford City and Nuneaton Town to get this far.


AFC Telford: 1-6 (Fav) Draw: 5-1 Eastwood: 10-1 (English FA Trophy Fourth Round)

Blue Square Bet Premier outfit AFC Telford should face little, if any, problems in overcoming what are vastly inferior opposition in the shape of Blue Square Bet North surprise package Eastwood, according to Sky Bet.

Luton is just one of the six teams that potentially await Eastwood in the Semi Final if they get through. Eastwood have been performing well beyond expectations in the FA Trophy this season.

AFC Telford beat Curzon Ashton, Chelmsford City and Nuneaton Town while Eastwood beat Whitby Town, Bury Town, Boston United and Grimsby Town to get this far.

The referee for the match will be Lee Metcalfe from Preston who has shown 10 yellow cards and no red cards in his three FA Trophy games so far this season.

[Poli]

25 Feb 2012 FA Trophy

Eastwood, BSN 1st
@
AFC Telford, BSP 18th


Lee, Edwards

Gardner, Caines, Istead

Benjamin, Troke, Keane, Hanson, Cooper

Gilpin

Riley, Hall, West, Christie, McIntosh

West is a youth player who recently turned 19. Christie and McIntosh were reservists...with Mac getting a bit more playing time with the senior squad than I envisioned.

[Poli]

The first half ends with no score. We've put pressure on. Lee did score while offsides. He was clearly, clearly offside so I wasn't upset.

I'm happy that we're hanging with them.

[Poli]

58 minutes in and Gardner hits a free kick from just outside the penalty area into the net. A rare score for us off of a free kick. I'm ecstatic. 1-0

It lasts four minutes. A Telford player gets behind the defense and circles around the net. He finally gets Gilpin out of position and sinks it. 1-1

At 72, I sub in Riley and West for worn out Benjamin and Gardner. I went back and forth on if it should be Hall or West...but with West in better condition I went with the youngster.

I would regret that decision.

West would trip a Telford player inside the penalty area at 80. Cooper gets warned as the team protests. They make the shot along the left post.

I overload hoping for another chance, but we don't get it.

We lose, 2-1.

[Poli]

Altrincham: 1-4 (Fav) Draw: 4-1 Eastwood: 9-1 (Blue Square Bet North)

Blue Square Bet North surprise package Eastwood are unlikely to face a very enjoyable away day excursion when they take on league leaders Altrincham, according to Sky Bet.

Eastwood are currently on a three match unbeaten run and the promotion contenders are enjoying 3rd place in the Blue Square Bet North. Eastwood could go top of the Blue Square Bet North if they manage to beat Altrincham and other results go their way.

Altrincham have notched up three straight wins and the promotion contenders lie in 1st place in the Blue Square Bet North.

The referee for the match will be Scott Duncan from Newcastle who has shown 178 yellow cards and 6 red cards in his thirty Blue Square Bet North games so far this season. Duncan's last Eastwood Town match was Eastwood's convincing 4 - 0 English FA Trophy Second Round victory over Boston Utd on Saturday 14th January.

[Poli]

Current Standings:

1. Altrincham 60
2. Histon 60
3. Eastwood 58
4. Workington 57
5. Nuneaton 56
6. Hinckley 55

[Poli]

To summarize, the board is delighted with the leadership qualities you are demonstrating.

The team's fantastic overall performance in the Blue Square Bet North has been a particular highlight.

However, they are slightly disappointed with the departure of Francis Green.

The club made a profit of $22.75K last month.

Monthly Turnover: $79.98K
Previous Month: $50.37K
Main Income: Gate Receipts $59.33K

Monthly Expenditure: $57.23K
Previous Month: $64.98K
Main Expenditure: Match Day Expenses - $14.82K

[Poli]

56.53k in the green.

[Poli]

3 Mar 2012

Eastwood, 17-7-8
@
Altrincharm, 18-6-8

My man Scott Duncan on the call. That sucks. Stay on Feet from the beginning. Being on the road will not help us.

Weather note: Downpour!

Lee, Morris

Elliott, Cooper, Gardner

Benjamin, Caines, Keane, Troke, Hanson

Gilpin

West, Hall, Istead, Edwards, McIntosh

[Poli]

No score at the half. Altrincham's best shot came at the 15 mark where a ball hit the top post and rebounded high into the field. We cleared, thankfully.

Our best shot came when Lee chased down a cleared ball and attacked the net...but just missed.

They're outshooting us. They're outplaying us. At this point, I'll be happy to draw.

[Poli]

That's how it ends. Frankly, they didn't get a decent shot in the second half. Nothing. We had two hard shots by Lee that didn't make it past the keeper. A few other wild attempts, but nothing else.

I gave West a chance at redemption when he and Edwards subbed for Morris and Gardner.

We didn't draw a yellow in the first half. Duncan was sure to correct that oversight. He hit Hanson and Troke with yellow, and then nailed Troke again. Troke was being an idiot out there, for certain. He deserved it.

Still, a draw against 1st place. I'll take it.

[Poli]

Lee 6.6, Morris 6.6

Elliott 6.6, Cooper 6.8, Gardner 6.8

Benjamin 7, Caines 7, Keane 7, Troke 6.9, Hanson 7.3

Gilpin 6.8

West 6.7, Hall, Istead, Edwards 6.7, McIntosh

[Poli]

Other scores:

Histon 1, Blyth 0
Workington 0, Hyde 0
Harrogate 2, Nuneaton 2
Vauxhall 3, Hinckley 0


The draw doesn't hurt us. Histon's the only team to win, so they pull away a bit...Hinckley is fading.

[Poli]

Troke is given a 2 game suspension, and I fully expect it to be longer.

I issue a warning. Troke admits fault and takes responsibility.

[Poli]

Gainsborough fire their coach.

[Poli]

I say that...and I failed to note we face Hinckley next at their place.

Still, you lose to 20th ranked Vauxhall by 3...you deserve some smack talk sent your way.

[Poli]

Three days from the match I get news that Riley is out for a long time with a hernia. Get well soon.

[Poli]

Hinckley: 13-8 Draw: 2-1 Eastwood: 6-4 (Fav) (Blue Square Bet North)

Hinckley United are slight underdogs in what should prove a tightly contested affair against Blue Square Bet North surprise package Eastwood, according to Sky Bet.

Eastwood are currently on a four match unbeaten run and the promotion contenders are enjoying 3rd place in the Blue Square Bet North. By winning the upcoming match, Eastwood can move up to 2nd in the standings and will hope to leapfrog Altrincham. Although they were expected to struggle to avoid relegation at the beginning of the season, Eastwood have managed to guarantee survival before the end of the season, an outstanding achievement.

Hinckley have been playing far beyond expectations all season and find themselves in 7th place in the Blue Square Bet North.

The referee for the match will be Paul Curry from Ashington who has shown 95 yellow cards and 5 red cards in his twenty-four Blue Square Bet North games so far this season.

[Poli]

Current Standings:

1. Histon 63
2. Altrincham 61
3. Eastwood 59
4. Workington 58
5. Nuneaton 57
6. Boston United 55

[Poli]

10 Mar 2012

Eastwood, 17-8-8
@
Hinckley, 15-10-8

Gusty winds, 53 degrees


Lee, Morris

Elliott, Gardner, West

Benjamin, Caines, Hanson, Keane, Cooper

Gilpin

Montgomery, Hall, Istead, Edwards, McIntosh


Montgomery's a youth contract kid that's also turned 19 like West.

[Poli]

6: The first half starts out quickly. Morris puts the first shot on goal at 6, but it's over the post. The keeper sends it out to midfield. Hanson comes up with a very physical challenge. He wins it and knocks the ball to Gardner, who finds Lee inside the penalty area for a quick kick and score. 1-0

14: Benjamin picks up a card for tripping.

25: Morris with a shot that's deep, but curls away for a goal kick.

30: Gardner picks up a card for tripping.

36: Benjamin collides with their best scorer and their guy has to leave the game. Way to go, Ben!

38: The new guy gets a chance against Gilpin but hits the side of the net.

45+2: Lee and Morris pass the ball to each other on a counter with Lee taking the shot wide from 25 yards out.

I'm satisfied. We need to hold on for this win.

[Poli]

46: Eastwood start the second half with the ball. Efficient, crisp passing is the name of the game and we're moving it to the net. Gardner feeds to Lee in front of the net. The defense collapses around him when Lee pushes it back out to Gardner. Gardner could almost walk it in. He quickly pops it in! 2-0

47: Hanson is noted for doing a great job of clearing the ball from the goal.

52: Gardner tries for the goal on a free kick but it hits the top bar and screams out of bounds to the left.

55: Caines picks up a yellow for knocking over an opponent.

62: Gardner clears the ball for a counter. Lee picks it up and runs down the left sideline. As he turns back to the net. He finds Elliott open through the defense for a one time shot and goal. I'll say this: I'd swear Elliott was offsides. A defender gets a card for protesting the non-call. 3-0

65: Hinckley scores. Tough play where a pass sliced into the penalty area and was quickly headed into the far side of the net. 3-1

66: Edwards, Istead, and Montgomery enter the game for Morris, West, and Cooper. Montgomery is obviously making his professional debut.

77: Hanson gets a chance on a corner but heads it over the goal.

[Poli]

Very happy with that result.

[Poli]

Shelbourne's at the game watching Lee. No mas.

[Poli]

On hold through Friday, possibly Saturday as I will be out of town and away from the desktop computer.

[finkenst]

Originally Posted by Poli

On hold through Friday, possibly Saturday as I will be out of town and away from the desktop computer.

boo...

otoh, i totally understand.

[dxtrfn1980]

Altrincham is the team in real life that kept getting reprieved from relegation from the Conference Proper 3 years in a row then finally got relegated in 2011.

[Poli]

I was pleased this week to find that Eastwood Town has some information on the web. I can't say I've bothered to check it out until I was away for a few days. I'm going back out of town again Monday and I might be out till Wednesday at the earliest.

I hate it. I'd rather be home with my wife, baby, and computer.

[Poli]

Lee 8.5, Morris 6.9

Elliott 8.3, Gardner 7.5, West 6.8

Benjamin 6.8, Caines 7.2, Hanson 6.9, Keane 6.9, Cooper 6.9

Gilpin 6.9

Montgomery 6.5, Hall, Istead, Edwards 6.7, McIntosh 6.5


Lee picked up MoM.

[Poli]

Next up in a week is 20th Vauxhall, who as I noted, also beat on Hinckley recently.

Other scores of note from the top 6 in the standings

Droylesden 0-1 Histon
Guiseley 1-1 Altrincham
Gainsborough 1-1 Workington
Nuneaton 5-1 Boston United


Obviously, it's nice to keep pace with Histon and to gain on Altrincham while putting distance on Workington and whoever ends up in 6th place now that Boston U has lost.

[Poli]

12 Mar 2012: I agree to attend the youth candidates game. Cooper's talking up some 15 year old named Steven Newbold.

14 Mar 2012: While watching the kids play, Vauxhall loses to Blyth. Great news, Vaux will be tired for our match!

[Poli]

Eastwood: 4-5 (Fav) Draw: 2-1 Vauxhall: 3-1 (Blue Square Bet North)

Blue Square Bet North surprise package Eastwood have been touted as comfortable favorites but will have to be wary about complacency when taking on relegation-threatened Vauxhall, according to Sky Bet.

Eastwood are currently on a five match unbeaten run and the promotion contenders are enjoying 3rd place in the Blue Square Bet North. By winning the upcoming match, Eastwood can move up to 2nd in the standings and will hope to leapfrog Altrincham. Although they were expected to struggle to avoid relegation at the beginning of the season, Eastwood have managed to guarantee survival before the end of the season, an outstanding achievement.

With only eight games to go until the end of the season, Vauxhall find themselves in 20th place, two points from safety.

The referee for the match will be Marvyn Amphlett from Great Malvern who has shown 36 yellow cards and 3 red cards in his fourteen Blue Square Bet North games so far this season.

[Poli]

Current Standings:

1. Histon 66
2. Altrincham 62
3. Eastwood 62
4. Nuneaton 60
5. Workington 59
6. FC Halifax 55

[Poli]

17 Mar 2012

Vauxhall 8-4-22
@
Eastwood, 18-8-8

Breezy, 51 degrees


Lee, Morris

Gardner, Elliott, West

Benjamin, Caines, Hanson, Keane, Montgomery

Gilpin


Wilson, Cooper, Istead, Edwards, Clarke


Gardner's making his 100th career league appearance
Edwards needs just 1 goal for 25 career league goals

[Poli]

2: We're already attacking the net. West passes to Gardner and he gives to Lee. Lee avoids a tackle inside the penalty area but can't convert the shot. It hits the side of the netting.

10: Gardner with an opportunity now. Montgomery dumps a pass into the box and Gardner heads it over the bar.

12: We bring the ball back to their side of the field. Elliott sends to West in the middle who's all alone. He takes it upfield about 10 yards and fires a shot from no man's land. It hit's the post and goes out for a goal kick.

27: West and Morris with a give and go action. West's banana shot veers off just a shade too much.

43: The Vauxhall defense tries to move the ball back upfield with a pass to a middie. Lee intercepts and beats the defender. The keeper seems as surprised as anyone as well. Lee sends a laser into the corner for the score! 1-0

Shortly after that West picks up an injury and has to come off. Istead takes his spot.

Halftime.