FM: Harrogate's (hopeful) ascendency

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

You may want to criticise him to the press, or give him an official warning if he continues to play below a 6.

that's some bad bad play...

Believe me, the thought has crossed my mind. I'm going to bench him for at least a game or two (well perhaps longer if Palmer keeps playing like he just did this last game.) Hopefully, this benching will be a wake up call. He did have a 7 this last game off the bench.

[Eaglesfan27]

January 29th, 2006 -

Southend (20th in League 2) has fired Steve Tilson. A major news outlet states that Southend wants to hire me to lead the team. A reporter from the outlet called me and asked for a comment. I consider telling him "no comment" but I decide to put this rumor to rest immediately. I tell him that I'm not interested in the job.

[thealmighty]

With always turning down job offers, are there offers you would take, or are looking for? Are you staying put no matter what?

[Eaglesfan27]

January 30th, 2006 -

Mr. Fotherby made an official comment to the media that he was delighted that I reaffirmed my committment to the club by removing myself from consideration for the Southend job. He said that he sees our club rising to great heights with me as manager.

The players also seem more chipper.

Also today, I was informed that Pettinger has agreed to sign a deal with Moor Green and go play for them. This was in doubt as Pettinger has made it quite clear that he really didn't want to leave some of his friends on the team. Ultimately, the promise of first team football seemed to convince him that Moor Green was the right place for him. We finalized the deal and Mr. Fotherby eagerly deposited the 4,000 dollar check in the team's bank account.

Also, Leigh Wood agreed on a new deal with Hyde United. That transaction has been confirmed, and we expect the check for 20,000 dollars to arrive by 5:00 PM today.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by thealmighty

With always turning down job offers, are there offers you would take, or are looking for? Are you staying put no matter what?

Well at the beginning of this dynasty, I said that I was going to stay until either Manchester United, Arsenal, or Chelsea offered me a job. I'm going to amend that list by saying I might leave should Hull ever offer me a job. Otherwise, I'm fairly certain that I won't be tempted to take any other jobs.

If I am fired, then I of course will consider all jobs but only if it is a higher division than where I am currently.

[SirFozzie]

Umm... if you're fired, you won't have any division, right?

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

Umm... if you're fired, you won't have any division, right?

You are more of a smart ass than the average bear

I meant to say I will only go to a club in a higher league than where the team was when I was fired

[Eaglesfan27]

January 31st, 2006 -

Today we are 11 points ahead of 2 second place clubs. We travel to play 16th ranked Droylsden. They are trying to raise their fortunes with several good loan players. Jon Cartledge is on loan from Bury and he has been their most consistent DC. Graham Potter is a talented left fullback on loan from Macclesfield. Craig Mawson is on loan from Oldham and has been playing well in goal lately. David Cameron has provided most of the scoring punch with 13 goals.

We've played this team 5 times (twice last year in the 4th round of the FA trophy) and we have a lifetime record of 2 wins and 3 ties against them. Our home match against this year ended in a 1-1 tie.

We are 5:4 favorites to win this match.

It's a muddy 38 degree day with rain continuing throughout the day.

Lineup:

GK: Scarsella
DL: Barnard
DC: Morley
DC: Wall
DR: Black
ML: Wright
MC: Atkins
MR: Collett
AMC: Kelly
SC: Smyth (ok from injury only 3 days after it occurred)
SC: Palmer

S1: Buxton (backup keeper moves onto sub list with Pettinger's departure.)
S2: Curtis (backup veteran defender moves onto sub list with Wood's departure.)
S3: Surey
S4: Dunning
S5: Turley (Farrell is banned for this match.)

[Eaglesfan27]

1st minute: Collett is checked hard by Avery. Collett is screaming in agony. He will have to be replaced. I remember Turley playing ok at right wing before, so I sub him in. (I really want to show his ability and hopefully get an offer before his contract expires in a few months.)

11 minute mark: Scarsella with a save of a shot by Cameron. Quick kick to Kelly at midfield.. two dribbles.. pass between two defenders to Palmer.. he is streaking down the field.. dribbles into the right portion of the box.. keeper is trying to cut down the angle.. shoots for the left corner.. it's past the keeper.... just barely wide.

13 minute mark: Black with a great tackle on Cameron to prevent a scoring opportunity.

16 minute mark: Steve Brodie gets the ball in our right corner.. he centers with a very crisp pass to Cameron by the near post.. Cameron heads it.. into the upper right corner.. goal. Down 1-0.

21 minute mark: Brodie gets the ball on the right corner of our box.. unleashes a powerful shot.. Scarsella easily saves it.

25 minute mark: Atkins steals the ball at midfield.. passes it wide to Turley.. Turley takes a few steps and passes to Kelly who is at the center of the field about 25 yards from goal.. Kelly passes to Palmer.. Palmer draws two defenders to him.. inside the box.. passes between them.. Kelly gets the ball at about 10 yards out.. shoots.. upper left corner.. the keeper doesn't have a chance.. GOAL!!!!! 1-1.

31 minute mark: Brodie gets teh ball in the right corner... centers for Cameron.. he heads it.. into the crossbar. Wall clears the rebound.

Halftime: 1-1.

48 minute mark: Wall intercepts the ball deep in our zone. He passes to Palmer at midfield.. Palmer immediately sends it towards the left corner of the box for Smyth.. Smyth speeds past the defenders.. gets to the ball.. dribbles towards the left post a few steps.. shoots from 15 yards out.. the keeper has played the far post where Smyth usually shoots it.. Smyth shoots for the near (left) corner.. the keeper dives.. it's past him.. GOAL!!!! 2-1.

50 minute mark: Brodie centers for Cameron.. Scarsella deflects the shot.. Mick O'Brien beats Morley to the rebound.. O'Brien shoots for the upper left corner.. Scarsella has no chance to recover.. it's past him... into the net.. GOAL. 2-2 tie.

52 minute mark: Paul Challinor comes into Kelly with a wicked two legged tackle. Kelly is tackled just outside the box. The ref reaches into his card.. give Challinor a red card! He is ejected. Mick O'Brien is furious.. he argues.. yellow card for him. Atkins takes the free kick.. blazes it through a crack in the wall.. it just whistles over the crossbar.

60 minute mark: Atkins intercepts it at midfield.. passes to Kelly who is 35 yards out.. he passes it to the right corner.. Palmer gets to it.. he crosses it to the far post for Smyth. The keeper tries to intercept the pass. Mawson misplays it. It reaches Smyth.. he has the wide open net.. he buries the shot! GOAL!!! 3-2 (that is another 3 assist game for Palmer!)

65 minute mark: Surey on for Atkins and Dunning on for the tired Kelly.

79 minute mark: Palmer passes it into the box for Dunning.. Dunning is about to shoot.. he looks like he is tripped by Cartledge.. no.. he gets called for Diving.. Yellow card for Dunning.

81 minute mark: Morley gets a yellow card for a trip on Cameron. Fortunately, it occurred outside the box.

86 minute mark: Cameron gets the ball inside the right edge of the box.. shoots from 15 yards.. Scarsella with a nice save.

90 minute mark: Barnard with a good tackle on Brodie. Barnard passes it up to Wright. Wright passes to Dunning who is at the left edge of the box.. Dunning dribbles towards the left post.. draws a defender.. he passes around the defender.. Mawson tries to intercept the pass.. he misses it.. Palmer gets the ball at the far post.. quick kick.. slams it into the back of the net.. GOAL!!!! 4-2!

Game over. 4-2 win for us.

We were outshot 15-13. (6 on target shots for both teams)

Palmer had 3 assists and a goal which earned him a 10 for form, but Turley won MoM at right wing! Turley also had a 10 for form, 24 of 27 passes, 5 of 5 tackles, 2 of 4 headers, 4 interceptions, 3 runs. I'm a little surprised, but glad to see Turley perform well and perhaps interest some teams..

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Info:

Benjamin Collett has severely strained an ankle ligament. He will require 3-4 weeks of physiotherapy to help him recover.

Stuart Wall is fatigued again and will need to sit out the next game.

[Eaglesfan27]

Febuary 1st, 2006 -

Mr. Fotherby called me into his office and told me that he wants to sign me to a new long term deal and that he is delighted at my management of the club. I told him that I'd be glad to listen to his offer and that I want to stay with the club for the long haul.

[Eaglesfan27]

Febuary 4th, 2006 -

Today we are in 1st place by 11 points and we travel to play the team that has sole possesion of 2nd place, Stalybridge. Stalybridge is led by right fullback Nathan D'Laryea and midfield Kevin Parr. Parr has 12 goals on the season and is the leading midfielder scorer in the league. Damien Hindle has been the team's leading scorer among strikers with 9 goals, but Chris Denham and Phil Eastwood each have 8 goals from the striker position. Tommy Lee has played very well in goal, and has 15 cleansheets on the year.

Stalybridge are 6:4 favorites to win this match at home.

They tied us 0-0 this year, and beat us in both games last year.

It's a wet, muddy, 51 degree day.

GK: Scarsella
DL: Barnard
DC: Morley
DC: Shepherd
DR: Black
ML: Wright
MC: Atkins
MR: Turley (earned a start at Right wing with his last performance)
AMC: Kelly
SC: Smyth
SC: Palmer (earns the start with 2 fantastic starts in the last 2 games.)

S1: Buxton
S2: Curtis
S3: Surey
S4: Dunning
S5: Farrell

[Eaglesfan27]

13 minute mark: Shepherd with a big intervention in our box on Denham. Kelly gets the ball.. passes it up the field to Atkins. Atkins is 15 yards ahead of the defender.. dribbling towards the box.. he just doesn't have the legs.. he is caught from behind as the defender quickly closes the gap and tackles the ball clear.

21 minute mark: Calcutt takes the corner.. Shepherd tries to clear it but he heads it back to Calcutt. Calcutt passes a high pass aiming for the far post.. Gregg Pearce is by the far post.. he outjumps Palmer.. heads it.. it's past Scarsella.. Goal. We are down 1-0. That is Pearce's first goal of the year.

24 minute mark: Turley gets the ball from Atkins on the right wing.. dribbles it up the pitch.. passes to Palmer in the right corner.. he centers for Kelly at the near post.. Kelly settles it quickly.. shoots for the near (right) upper corner.. it's in the back of the net!! GOAL!!!!!!!! 1-1.

31 minute mark: Shepherd gets called for a trip on Denham in our box.. Penalty shot awarded .... Calcutt steps up to take it.. Drills it towards the left lower corner.. it hits the post.. and bounces in. Goal. Down 2-1.

33 minute mark: Wright gets the ball on the left wing after our guys pass the ball around a bit. Wright dribbles up the left side of the field.. he centers to the near post for Kelly.. Kelly misses the pass and can't control it. It bounces past him and past the keeper towards the far post.. Palmer gets it.. slams it into the open net!!!! GOAL!!!! 2-2! For the second time, we immediately counter a goal with a goal.

45 minute mark: Shepherd intercepts the ball deep in our zone. He passes to Atkins at midfield. Atkins immediately passes it accurately to Kelly at the edge of the box. Kelly dribbles to his left.. into the box.. the keeper comes out to cut down the angle. Kelly dribbles around the keeper.. shoots .. into the open net.. GOAL!!! 3-2.

Halftime: We are up 3-2.

54 minute mark: Atkins steals the ball at midfield on an errant pass. He dribbles one step and passes to Palmer on the right wing.. Palmer dribbles up the right sideline.. puts a move on the defender to give himself a clear passing lane.. crosses towards Kelly at the center of the box.. Kelly dives and heads the ball.. towards the left corner .. the keeper can't get to it.. it's in the net.. GOAL!!! 4-2!! That is Kelly's hattrick! (as well as Palmer's second assist.)

66 minute mark: Farrell in for the tired Smyth. Surey in for the tired Atkins.

72 minute mark: Scarsella saves a shot from Hindle.. kicks it very long.. it bounces down the field.. Palmer is running with D'Laryea. Palmer manages to position his body to cut D'Laryea off. He dribbles to his right.. shoots for the right corner.. past Tommy Lee.. GOAL!!! 5-2! That's Palmer's 2nd goal.

Game over. 5-2 win for us against our nearest competitor!

We outshot them 15-7. (9-3 on goal)

Greg Kelly wins MoM with a 10 for form, 20 of 22 passes, 5 of 5 tackles, 4 of 6 headers, 1 interception, 2 runs, and 3 goals.

Palmer had a 9 for form with 2 goals and 2 assists. I decide that Palmer has earned some praise. I'm going to talk to the media after the game and tell them how happy I am with Palmer's play.

[Eaglesfan27]

Febuary 6th, 2006 -

Fans are writing in droves praising my praise of Palmer. They all agree that he has been sensational recently.

[Eaglesfan27]

Febuary 7th, 2006 -

Walsall (top of league 2) just offered Jonathan Harkness, a young DL, and 12,000 dollars for Scarsella. I'm turning them down.

[Eaglesfan27]

Febuary 10th, 2006 -

Grimsby (5th in League 2) has offered Dean Gordon, a 33 year old left winger, and 8,000 dollars for Scarsella. I decline this offer as well.

[Eaglesfan27]

Febuary 11th, 2006 -

We are currently 2/3 of the way through the season and our record is 17wins, 9 draws, and 2 losses. We are currently 14 points ahead of 2nd place Halifax. Today we host 19th place Hinckley. Hinckley has been hit HARD by injuries, and they will be without 6 of their best players today. The injured include star strikers Nathan Lamey (torn knee tendons) and Ramon Calliste (sprained ankle.) Matthew Trevett, their best midfielder is out for a week or 2 with a strained groin. Jake Sedgemore, their top defender, is out for two weeks with a sprained ankle. Tyrone Mintus a backup defender is out for 2-3 weeks with back spasms. Leon Jenkins a backup right fullback is out for 3 days with a thigh injury. They barely have enough healthy men to field a team. Their main threat on the field is backup striker Matt Lewis.

Not surprisingly, we are even odds favorites to win.

We have a 1 win, 2 tie, and 1 loss record against them. Our most recent match with them we lost in the 1st round of the English FA Trophy. We beat them 1-0 on the road this year in conference play.

It's a slightly overcast 35 degree day.

GK: Scarsella
DL: Barnard
DC: Morley
DC: Wall
DR: Black
ML: Wright
MC: Atkins
MR: Turley (continues to play right wing well)
AMC: Kelly
SC: Smyth
SC: Palmer (playing great)

S1: Buxton
S2: Curtis
S3: Surey
S4: Dunning
S5: Farrell

[Eaglesfan27]

For the first 25 minutes, we dominate ball possession but can't get any good scoring opportunities as they play 10 men back at all times.

26 minute mark: They finally go on the offensive after stealing the ball from Smyth.. they send it long to Matt Lewis. Wall easily dispossesses him of the ball. Wall passes to Palmer who takes it up the right side of the field. Palmer dribbles into the right corner of the box.. shoots.. Stuart Tomlinson deflects the shot to the left wing.. Smyth gets to it.. he can't shoot from where he is at without a severe angle.. he centers for Kelly in the box.. Kelly gets it.. shoots for the upper left corner.. Tomlinson can't get to it.. GOAL!!!! 1-0. That is Kelly's 20th goal of the year.

Halftime: 1-0 lead for us.

57 minute mark: Wall with a nice intervetion on an attempt to get Lewis the ball in our box.

59 minute mark: Wright gets called for a trip on Richard Lavery.. Yellow card for Wright.

61 minute mark: Barnard gets called for a trip on Matt Lewis inside the box.. Penalty shot awarded ... David Nugent takes the penalty kick.. shoots to the right side of the net.. Scarsella dives to his left.. he can't get to it.. goal. 1-1.

66 minute mark: Surey for the tired Atkins.

81 minute mark: Michael Alexis bodychecks Mark Smyth. Smyth looks hurt. Alexis gets a yellow card. Smyth has to come off. Farrell goes on the pitch.

Game over. 1-1 tie.

We outshot them 8-4 (4-2 on goal)

Andrew Wright won MoM, 21 of 28 passing, 1 of 6 tackles, 3 of 10 headers, 1 interception, 1 run.

[Eaglesfan27]

Febuary 11th, 2006 -

Mick Hickman has been fired by Port Vale (currently 7th in league 2) and the media believes that I'm the top candidate. They are calling my home asking for a comment. I decide to release a comment that I'm not interested in the job.

Word among my peers is that my reputation is growing and I'm no longer considered an obscure manager. There is also word among my peers that they respect my loyalty to the team and my players.

[Eaglesfan27]

Febuary 18th, 2006 -

Morale on the team is superb. We are in 1st place by 12 points and we are traveling to face 10th place Burscough today. Danny Harrison is on loan from Tranmere and he has been dominating in English Conference North play the last 5 games. Iain Swan has played very well at DC this year. Darren Connell has been the main scoring threat for the team and he has 10 goals on the year. Keeper David Blower has been inconsistent lately.

We beat them 3-0 at home in our only match with them ever this year.

We are 6:4 favorites.

It's a sunny pleasant 55 degree day.

GK: Scarsella
DL: Barnard
DC: Morley
DC: Shepherd
DR: Black
ML: Wright
MC: Atkins
MR: Turley
AMC: Kelly
SC: Smyth
SC: Palmer

S1: Buxton
S2: Curtis
S3: Surey
S4: Dunning
S5: Farrell

[Eaglesfan27]

25 minute mark: Morley with the header of a long pass into our zone.. he sends it to Atkins.. Atkins sends it towards the left corner.. Smyth gets to it.. he centers it for Kelly who takes it inside the box... shoots.. into the right upper corner.. GOAL!!!! 1-0.

44 minute mark: Morley with a big tackle on Connell inside our box.

Half time: Up 1-0.

54 minute mark: Atkins steals the ball at midfield.. passes it to Kelly who is just right of the box.. Kelly dribbles two steps.. passes to Smyth who is on the left side of the box.. Smyth shoots.. aiming for the lower left corner.. it hits the post.. bounces back.. Iain Swan clears the rebound.

63 minute mark: Atkins steals it at midfield.. passes to Kelly 15 yards in front of him.. Kelly passes it to Smyth at the left edge of the box.. Smyth shoots.. Blower saves it.

70 minute mark: Surey in for the tired Atkins, and Dunning in for Kelly.

75 minute mark: Scarsella with a key save of a Connell point blank shot.

80 minute mark: Dunning intercepts it at midfield.. he plays the ball into the right side of the box.. Palmer gets to it.. he dribbles towards the right post.. draws the defender and the keeper towards him.. passes it towards the far post.. Smyth is there.. the pass sails between the keeper and the defender.. it gets to Smyth.. heads it into the back of the net.. GOAL!!!! 2-0.

Game over. 2-0 win. Another steak dinner for Scarsella.

They outshot us 13-9 (5-4 on target in their favor)

Scarsella wins MoM.

[Eaglesfan27]

Immediately after the game, several reporters gathered around me. They informed that Wrexham (13th in League 2) had fired Denis Smith. They believe that I'm the top target for the job. They asked for a comment. I told them that I was not interested in the job, and that I was dedicated to Harrogate.

They also asked for a comment about all of the pundits who said that the club was heading for a midtable finish at the beginning of the season. I decided to take the high road, and not comment for that story other than to say that I was happy with my team's performance.

[Eaglesfan27]

Febuary 21st, 2006 -

Today we are in 1st place by 12 points. We are hosting 6th place Worksop. Worksop's left full back Kevin Davies has been playing very well the past week. Striker Dene Cropper has been on fire lately with 6 goals in his last 3 games. He has 18 on the season. Their main keeper, Peter Keen, is out on a suspension for fighting last game. Kristian Rogers will have to start against us and he let up 3 goals in his only start this year.

We are even odds favorites.

We have 2 wins and a tie against them in past meetings. Our most recent match resulted in a 4-0 win for us on the road.
GK: Scarsella
DL: Barnard
DC: Morley
DC: Wall
DR: Black
ML: Wright
MC: Atkins
MR: Collett (freshly back from his injury)
AMC: Kelly
SC: Smyth
SC: Palmer

S1: Buxton
S2: Curtis
S3: Surey
S4: Dunning
S5: Farrell

[Eaglesfan27]

36 minute mark: Wright intercepts the pass at midfield.. he sends a beautiful pass down the field to the very edge of the box.. where it dies.. the keeper rushes out to it.. Palmer rushes to it.. Palmer beats him to it.. Palmer takes one dribble with the ball to the right.. the keeper is out of position after racing for the ball. Palmer shoots at the open net.. GOAL!!!!! 1-0.

38 minute mark: Palmer has a breakaway.. Mark Haran trips him from behind with a nasty two footed technique. The ref calls him over.. RED card!! He is out of here.

1-0 at half time.

66 minute mark: Farrell in for the tired Smyth, Surey in for Atkins.

71 minute mark: Worksop hits us on the counter attack as Peacock has it in the right corner.. he centers for Adam Muller a talented young striker who has come on for Cropper. Muller is by the far post.. he heads it.. into the net. GOAL. 1-1 tie.

91 minute mark: Peacock gets angry and starts shoving Andrew Wright.. RED card! Peacock is gone!

Game over. 1-1 tie.

We outshot them 15-7, but only 2-1 for shots on goal.

Andrew Wright wins MoM with 27 of 38 passes, 0 tackles, 1 of 2 headers, 1 interception, 4 runs, and 1 assist.

[Eaglesfan27]

Febuary 25th, 2006 -

After our tie last match, we are now only 11 points ahead of the 2nd place team. There are 11 games left on the schedule. Today we travel to play 21st ranked Altrincham. Altrincham has gotten a recent boost from newly borrowed midfielder David Mannix from Liverpool. He helped guide them to their first win in 12 games last match. They also have Adam Cottrell, a right fullback on loan from Charlton, and he has stabilized the defense recently. Rod Thornley is still the main scoring threat and he has 15 goals on the season. Stuart Coburn has been bad in goal, but in his defense the defense has played fairly poorly in front of him most of the season.

Interestingly, the oddsmakers have Altrincham as 5:4 favorites!

We have 1 win, 1 tie, and 1 loss against them with the win being a 3-0 contest at home earlier this year.

It's a sunny 51 degree day.

GK: Scarsella
DL: Barnard
DC: Morley
DC: Wall
DR: Black
ML: Wright
MC: Atkins
MR: Turley
AMC: Kelly
SC: Smyth
SC: Palmer

S1: Buxton
S2: Curtis
S3: Surey
S4: Dunning
S5: Farrell

[Eaglesfan27]

10 minute mark: Intricate series of passes from Altrincham ends up with Thornley having the ball wide open in the center of our box.. he shoots for the lower right corner.. Scarsella dives.. and catches it! Nice save!

24 minute mark: Scarsella with a nice save on a shot by Thornley.. he kicks it long.. Kelly gets it.. dribbles into the box.. tries to go left around the keeper.. the keeper backpedals and maintains position.. Kelly shoots.. the keeper tips it.. wide of the net.

28 minute mark: Collett with a fancy pass from the right wing between two defenders to Kelly at the right corner of the box.. Kelly shoots for the right corner of the goal.. it's.... just wide.. into the side netting.

Adrian Viveash is repeatedly coming back and stopping Smyth and Palmer from getting breakaways.

Halftime: 0-0.

65 minute mark: Surey on for Atkins, Farrell on for Palmer.

88 minute mark: Surey intercepts it at midfield.. passes it to Kelly at the edge of the box.. Kelly draws the defender.. sends a crisp pass to Farrell on the right side of the box.. he has open net.. he shoots.. over the bar.

Game over. 0-0 tie. Interesting to see two defenders who had excellent speed and generally shut down our breakaway attacks.

We both had 6 shots. We both had 3 shots on goal.

Stuart Coburn won MoM.

[Eaglesfan27]

Febuary 27th, 2006 -

I missed the match on TV, but Manchester United beat Tottenham 1-0 to win the English League Cup. Giggs assisted to Ruud van Nistelrooy for the only goal of the match.

[Eaglesfan27]

Febuary 28th, 2006 -

Despite my telling the media I wasn't interested, Wrexham's chairman Alex Hamilton just offered me the job. He feels that I'm the "perfect guy to lead them back into competition for the league title." He notes that I would only have a 6,000 dollar transfer budget due to debt. Also, I'd have to reduce the 30,000 dollar wage budget some. I look at my measley 3,600 dollar wage budget and consider it for a second. However, I tell him that I'm happy with my current situation and good luck with his search.

[Eaglesfan27]

March 3rd, 2006 -

Today Mark Atkins strained his neck in practice. He will miss at least a week.

[Eaglesfan27]

March 4th, 2006 -

With 10 games left, we are in 1st place by 10 points. Today we host Gateshead which is in 8th place. David Morgan has played excellent defense at left fullback for them. Arran Lee-Barrett has played very good in goal for the team. David Colvin and Ryan Peters are the main two strikers and they each have 8 goals on the season.

We beat them 2-0 earlier in the year in our only match ever.

We are 5:4 favorites

It's raining hard today. The temperature is 61 degrees.

GK: Scarsella
DL: Barnard
DC: Morley
DC: Shepherd
DR: Black
ML: Wright
MC: Surey (for the injured Atkins)
MR: Collett
AMC: Kelly
SC: Smyth
SC: Palmer

S1: Buxton
S2: Curtis
S3: Turley
S4: Dunning
S5: Farrell

[Eaglesfan27]

37 minute mark: Smyth draws two defenders to him in the left side of the box, after receiving a great pass from Collett. Smyth passes to Kelly who is in the center of the box.. Kelly shoots.. upper left corner.. the keeper dives.. and catches it.

0-0 at the half.

49 minute mark: Shepherd intercepts a pass deep in our zone. Shepherd passes it to Surey at midfield.. Surey passes to Kelly who is about 25 yards from the goal.. Kelly passes it to Palmer in the right corner of the field.. Palmer centers it for Smyth at the far post.. the keeper tries to intercept it but misses it.. Smyth heads the ball.. into the open net! GOAL!!! 1-0.

67 minute mark: Morley with a yellow card for a trip on Ryan Peters.

70 minute mark: Dunning on for the tired Kelly. Farrell on for the tired Palmer.

85 minute mark: Shepherd heads a ball from our box to Smyth at midfield... Smyth passes to Farrell who is 10 yards ahead of him.. Farrell dribbles past a defender.. keeps dribbling up the field.. dribbles past another defender.. around a third.. the keeper comes out to meet him as he enters the box.. Farrell shoots for the lower right corner on the narrow angle shot.. It's past the keeper... it's in the net!! GOAL!!!! 2-0! What an individual effort by Farrell!

Game over. 2-0 win for us.

We outshot them 12-3 (5-1 on goal)

Mark Smyth wins MoM, 9 of 12 passes, 3 of 5 tackles, 2 of 3 headers, 1 interception, 2 runs, 1 assist, and 1 goal.

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Game info: Our nearest competitor tied. So, we are now 12 points ahead of our competition with 9 games to go. That means our magic number is 5 more wins! (we are way ahead on Goal Differential which is the first tie breaker)

[Eaglesfan27]

March 11th, 2006 -

We are in 1st place by 12 points. Today we travel to play Hucknall who are in 17th place. They are led by the tandem strikers, Leon McSweeney and Danny Bacon who have 13 and 10 goals respectively. Paul Mitchell has been a catalyst in the midfield. Keeper play has been a problem for this team all year long, and Robert Brook has recently taken over as the primary keeper. He has given up 7 goals in 3 games.

We have a 2-1-1 career record against them with a 3-0 win this year.

We are even odds favorites.

Today their are gale force winds with driving rain. It's 50 degrees out.

GK: Scarsella
DL: Barnard
DC: Morley
DC: Shepherd (Wall injured his ribs in practice yesterday)
DR: Black
ML: Wright
MC: Surey (in for the injured Atkins)
MR: Turley (giving him another start to try to provoke interest - also he has played very well in the position.)
AMC: Kelly
SC: Smyth
SC: Palmer

S1: Buxton
S2: Curtis
S3: Collett
S4: Dunning
S5: Farrell

[Eaglesfan27]

4 minute mark: Birch steals it deep in our zone.. he passes to Gary Birch who is getting his first start at Striker today.. Birch shoots for the lower right corner with a quick shot.. Scarsella dives... it's in the back of the net.. GOAL. Down 1-0.

9 minute mark: Turley gets a yellow card for a trip on Paul Mitchell.

12 minute mark: Turley intercepts the ball on the wing.. he sends it down the pitch to the corner.. Palmer races to it.. gets it.. dribbles past a man.. centers for Kelly.. Kelly heads it... into the goal!! GOAL!!!!! 1-1.

14 minute mark: Turley collides with Paul Mitchell... Mitchell is injured.. he will have to leave the game.

19 minute mark: Black intercepts a long pass in our own zone.. he sends it deep down the field to Palmer who gets it inside the right edge of the box.. Palmer holds.. holds.. centers for Kelly who is 10 yards to his left.. Kelly hits the half volley.. into the goal... GOAL!!!! 2-1.

36 minute mark: Shepherd intercepts the pass deep in our box.. heads it to Barnard.. Barnard passes up to Wright.. Wright passes it up the left sideline to Smyth.. Smyth centers for Kelly.. he is by the far post.. he heads it.. into the net!!! GOAL!!!! 3-1! Kelly has his hattrick in the 1st half!

44 minute mark: Mark Smith pushes Surey.. Smith gets a yellow card.

Halftime: 3-1 us.

48 minute mark: McSweeney bodychecks Kelly.. Kelly looks hurt. McSweeney is given a yellow card.. McSweeney argues with the ref.. second yellow card.. he is out of here! On the ensuing free kick from 30 yards out... Surey passes it up the field to Morley.. Morley gets the ball at the edge of the box.. he shoots.. it deflects off a defender's body.. into the net! GOAL!!! Morley's first goal! 4-1. I sub in Dunning for the injured Kelly.

62 minute mark: I sub in Collett for the tired Turley.

91 minute mark: Palmer steals a pass from the left fullback to the keeper.. he dribbles it into the box.. dribbles to his right.. shoots for the upper left corner.. it's past the keeper.. GOAL!!!! 5-1.

Game over. 5-1 win for us.

We outshot them 12-9 (8-2 on goal.)

Kelly wins MoM despite only playing a half. 3 of 5 passes, 2 of 2 tackles, 2 of 3 headers, and 3 goals.

[Eaglesfan27]

Post match info: Stalybridge lost their match, allowing Halifax to creep into 2nd. We are now 14 points ahead of the 2nd place team with 8 games to go. 4 wins will guarantee the title at this point. Our record is 20 wins, 12 draws, and 2 losses for a total of 72 points. Coincidentally, we have scored 72 goals on the year which is 1st in the league. We have only given up 19 league goals which is also good for 1st in the league. The differential of +53 is 1st by a wide margin with Stalybridge being second with a +17 goal differential.

[Eaglesfan27]

March 14th, 2006 -

Today we host 19th place Northwich. Northwich has been led by Strikers George Glegg and Mark Quayle who each have 12 goals. Peter Handyside has solidifed the middle of the defense this year. Liam Richardson has played reasonably well in goal.

Northwich beat us 1-0 at their place earlier this year in our only matchup ever.

It's odd that Northwich are heavy 4:5 favorites to win.

It's a muddy 56 degree day.

GK: Scarsella
DL: Barnard
DC: Morley
DC: Shepherd
DR: Black
ML: Wright
MC: Surey
MR: Turley
AMC: Kelly
SC: Smyth
SC: Palmer

S1: Buxton
S2: Hunter
S3: Collett
S4: Dunning
S5: Farrell

[Eaglesfan27]

27 minute mark: Surey intercepts the ball at midfield.. he sends it to Palmer.. Palmer dribbles into the right side of the box.. he draws two defenders over.. passes around them both... to Kelly who is at the center of the box.. shoots from 10 yards out.. upper left corner... the keeper can't get to it.. GOAL!!! 1-0! That is Kelly's 25th goal of the year.

38 minute mark: Palmer gets the ball at midfield.. dribbles past a defender.. around another defender.. into the right side of the box.. he passes towards Kelly on his left.. the defender intercepts it with a header that puts it over the goal.. Corner kick.. Turley takes it.. aims for the near post.. Wright jumps by the near post.. he heads it.. into the goal! GOAL!!!!!!! 2-0

42 minute mark: Surey intercepts it at midfield.. he plays a great ball to the right corner.. Palmer gets to it.. dribbles around a man.. centers for Kelly.. Handyside heads it away.

Halftime: 2-0 lead for us.

51 minute mark: Turley gets the ball on the right wing.. dribbles it up the right side of the field.. crosses for Kelly.. Handyside jumps.. whistle.. he gets called for unfairly jumping with Kelly! Penalty shot awarded! Shepherd takes the penalty shot.. he steps up quickly.. shoots.. lower right corner.. the keeper dives.. he can't get to it.. GOAL!!! 3-0

71 minute mark: Dunning on for Kelly, Farrell on for Smyth, Hunter on for Wright.

75 minute mark: Nice series of passes get Robert Senior the ball in the left corner of our box.. he centers for Gregg. He is at the center of the box.. shoots for the left corner.. it hits the post and clangs into the net.. GOAL. Up 3-1.

Game over. 3-1 win for us.

We outshot them 9-5 (6-4 on goal)

Turley wins MoM, 15 of 20 passes, 1 of 2 tackles, 2 of 2 headers, 2 interceptions, 3 runs, and 1 assist.

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Info:

Stalybridge and Halifax both lost. Accrington moves into 2nd with 59 points. We now have 75 and are 16 points ahead of them. With 7 games to go, our magic number is now down to 2 wins!

[Eaglesfan27]

March 16th, 2006 -

Notts County (15th in League 2) has offered me a job as manager of the club. They wold make available 20,000 for transfers, and I could keep the wage budget around 30,000/week (which is where it is now.)

I politely decline the offer.

[Eaglesfan27]

March 18th, 2006 -

Today we travel to play 3rd ranked Halifax. They are a versatile team that has had plenty of goals from midfielders, forwards, and even quite a few from one defender. Steve Bushell has 6 goals from the midfield, and has played a good all around game. Steve Basham has 14 goals from the forward spot. Adam Quinn has played solid defense and even chipped in 2 goals. Craig Perry has been average at best in goal, and has really been helped by a defense that plays well in front of him. I think if we gets shots on him, he'll crack like a nut.

Shocklingly, Halifax is 1:2 favorites. They tied us 1-1 in our only meeting ever earlier in the year.

It's going to be a muddy day. Temperatures should be in the mid 60's.

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

S1: Buxton
S2: Hunter
S3: Surey
S4: Dunning
S5: Farrell

[Eaglesfan27]

6 minute mark: Barnard intercepted the ball in our zone.. plays a long ball towards the left corner.. Smyth gets to it.. centers for Kelly who is in the middle of the box.. Kelly heads it.. it deflects off the defender.. into the goal! GOAL!!! 1-0!

33 minute mark: Bushell passes the ball into the box for Basham.. Basham shoots from 10 yards out.. Scarsella smothers the shot.

42 minute mark: I note that Barnard has repeatedly been thwarting attempts to attack by the opposition.. really great play from Barnard.

1-0 at the half.

48 minute mark: Barnard with another interception of a pass in our zone.. he sends it down the right side of the field... it's heading towards the end line.. Palmer is racing to it.. he just reaches it before it goes out of bounds.. he settles.. centers for Smyth who is by the far post.. Perry tries to intercept the pass but misses it.. Smyth heads it.. into the goal!!!! GOAL!!!!!!!! 2-0.

63 minute mark: Surey on for Atkins who is very tired, Farrell for Smyth, and Hunter for Wright.

75 minute mark: Morley heads a pass away to Surey at midfield.. Surey passes to Hunter on the left wing.. Hunter dribbles quickly up the field.. into the box.. one step.. passes to Palmer who is by the far (right) post.. Palmer kicks it immediately.. slams it into the net.. GOAL!!!! 3-0.

80 minute mark: Foster takes the corner kick.. he sends it towards the near post.. Denny Ingram outjumps Wall.. Ingram heads it.. GOAL. 3-1.

90 minute mark: Kirk Hilton takes a free kick from their own half.. he sends a ball into the box that Wall misplays.. Ryan Sugden gets the ball in the box as a result.. he shoots.. lower left corner.. Scarsella is shocked that it made it to Sugden.. he tries to react.. but too late.. GOAL. 3-2.

Game over. 3-2 win!

They outshot us 19-11 (6-5 on goals)

Palmer wins MoM, 18 of 21 passes, 6 of 7 tackles, 1 of 3 headers, 4 runs, 1 assist, 1 goal.

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Info: We've secured a playoff spot at the bare minimum. Furthermore, with our win Accrington's tie, we are now 18 points ahead of our nearest competitor with 6 games to go! This means with the tie breaker we are virtually assured of winning the league. With 1 more win or tie, we should officially be declared the league champion!

[condors]

congrats!

[Dawgfan1980]

Keep kickin some ass Eagles! One day, I hope to score 56 goals in two years, much less have a goal differential that high!

[SirFozzie]

You know, I think we need to censure Eaglesfan27 for getting to the point where he needs one more point to clinch the championship and promotion...

and then leaving us hanging.

Boo!

Boo I say!

Seriously, great job, Eaglesfan27, enjoying the read

[jbmagic]

when u win the division, what happens? do you get promoted to another league? is there playoffs to be played?

if you do get promoted to another league, what happens there if you win it all ?

thanks

[BreizhManu]

When you win you always clinch automatic promotion (well maybe not in some asian leagues/ Brasil or Belgium D3), in most leagues the top 2/3 get promoted automatically without playing a playoff.

An if you win it all after being promoted you get promoted again or you're national champion (if it's the top division of the country), in Eaglesfan27 case, he would play in Conference (from where he could promote to League 2 -> League 1 -> Championship -> Premiership).

[BreizhManu]

Dola

e.g : I'm currently in Scotland with Stenhousemuir, last season we won Scottish D3 and got promoted to D2 (top 2 were promoted), this season we're leading D2 (top 2 promote) and if we win it we'll play in D1 (only the champion promotes to the Premiership) next season

[Desnudo]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

(OOC) Most of the 1st half details were obscured by my wife sitting next to me on the couch and asking, "How is this fun?" "It's just a bunch of bubbles chasing down a little bubble!" She then asked, "why aren't your bubbles chasing the little bubble?" (when my defender Curtis was missing a play on the ball) Most of the 1st half was uneventful, but I started saying "GOAAAAL!!" when Smyth finally hit Kelly with a cross for a goal.. she looked at me like I was crazy. She had to leave for work after that point, and she said, "Least I know you aren't out chasing women.. have fun!" /(OOC)

That is too funny. I don't know if you can frame a reply to that that doesn't make you sound more crazy than she already probably thinks you are.

[Eaglesfan27]

Thanks all!

As for leaving you hanging, sorry but I never intended to play til 4:20 AM last night.. I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer and didn't think falling asleep with my laptop running the game would be a good idea

About to load up the game now