Football Manager Chronicles [2012] - The Seapatrick Years

It's been a while since I did a serious long term career and posted on the forums so I though it was about time I did it again. My last career on here was with Cambridge City, guiding them through the leagues in the Daffy challenge and completing the Premiership/Champions League double. Whilst completing this challenge I used every single glitch or workaround I could find to be successful. This time however, it should be a bit more difficult.

No attribute masking, large database, only Northern Irish Leagues loaded and Sunday Footballer set as my experience.

SEAPATRICK 2012/2013 Northern Irish Second Division

So I stepped into management with newly promoted Seapatrick. Here is there facebook page.

Just one look at their facilities let me know that I was indeed in a tough time. The media prediction was indeed for last place.

Our finances were so poor that I could only bring in these free transfers.

LEAGUE - A bad start to the season left me wondering if this would be a one season wonder. After 12 games we were last 4 points behind the next highest placed club but we rallied to get at high as 12th before slumping back to 14th with just 4 games to go. 1 win and 2 draws from those final games was enough however to finish 14th and just outside the relegated bottom 2.

FA Cup

2nd Round W 2-0 A v Laurelvale (Despite less possesion than the hosts we deserved the win).

3rd Round W 2-0 (aet) H v Dunmurry YM (On top the whole time but just could not put the ball into the net until extra-time).

4th Round L 0-3 A v Nortel (Hammered by the non-league side with biggest reputation).

League Cup

2nd Round L 0-2 H v Annagh United (Terrible loss against fellow 2nd Division strugglers)

Intermediate Cup

1st Round W 1-0 H v Strabane (A lot easier than the scoreline suggests against the non-league club)

2nd Round L 0-2 H v Draperstown (Deservedly giant killed again by a better non-league club)

Mid-Ulster Cup

1st Round W 3-2 A v Lower Maze (A rare easy win against non-league opposition)

Quarter-Final W 1-0 H v Loughgall (Finally giant lilling in our favour as the first division side succombe to a striker Richard Reid's 49th minute goal)

Semi-Final L 0-2 v Glenavon (No shock here as a weakend Premier side scored an easy victory)

Steel & Sons Cup

Just a quick note on this competition. There are quite a few teams who stop playing in this competition when promoted to the Second Division despite other League Clubs playing in it. Fivemiletown United also do the same. However, some continue to play in this cup when promoted into the League. I feel robbed of the chance for more silverware.

Top scorer was Richard Reid who grabbed a paltry 10 goals in 31 games overall. Most assists came from Andy McGrory who assisted 8 times. Most Man of the Match awards went to centre back Andy Quinn with 3 whist my AssMan rates left back Aaron Traynor as our best player at the moment.

Seapatrick's current Team Report and Boardroom Confidence in my abilities.

Next season: -

I couldn't give two figs about the cups however, I'm determined to make us at least a mid-table side next season. Another worry though is our end of season finances. We are now £43k in debt despite being approximately £300 under our £1,500 wage budget.

[b]SEASON    DIVISION        POS  OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
[/b]2012-2013 Second Division 14th Mid-Ulster Cup Semi-Finalists

SEAPATRICK 2013/2014 Northern Irish Second Division

So onward into Season Two. My mission this season, should I choose to accept, was to avoid relegation again with a massive wage budget of £1,200!!! The bookmakers weren't that impressed either pricing us at 500-1 to gain promotion and the media expecting us to finish 15th. I did however, manage to secure a two-year extension to my contract keeping me at Seapatrick until the end of the 2016 season. Financially we were serious struggling. Oh for a tycoon!!!! Pre-season went better than last season with 4 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss.

I'd been very busy in the transfer market bringing in and shifting out quite a few players. The most promising of these players being right midfielder Kris Bradley.

LEAGUE

Another struggle for us but not quite as bad as last season. We yo-yo'd between 10th and 14th for most of the season although we secured another season in Division Two with 3 games to go. We only conceded 34 goals in 30 games but could only score 31.

FA CUP

2nd Round L 2-3 H v Sport & Leisure (very close game indeed, we even had more CCCs)

LEAGUE CUP

1st Round W 3-0 H v Knockbreda (Easy win)

2nd Round L 0-2 A v Carrick Rangers (Fairly even game but the Premier side showed us how to finish)

INTERMEDIATE CUP

1st Round L 1-2 H v Loughgall (The promotion chasing 1st division side just edging it)

MID-ULSTER CUP

1st Round W 1-0 A v Lower Maze (Comfortable win against the non-league side)

Quater Final W 2-0 H v Dungannon Swifts (Easy victory against the Premier side who went on the prop up the table)

Semi Final W 1-0 N v Moyola Park (Another comfortable win against the non-league side)

FINAL W 3-1 N v Glenavon (Impressive victory against the mid-table side to give us our first trophy with myself as manager)

Our current squad needs to be able to score a few more goals to enable a mid-table finish although our top scorer striker Jason Holmes did manage 17 goals from 36 games in all competitions.

Club finances are terrible with the club £113,000 in debt despite being under our wage budget. At the moment I think we do have a squad with depth but we do need more goals!!!

[size=3][font=Courier New][b]SEASON    DIVISION        POS  OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS[/b]
---------------------------------------------------------------
[size=3]2012-2013 Second Division 14th Mid-Ulster Cup Semi-Finalists[/size][/font]
2013-2014 Second Division 12th Mid-Ulster Cup WINNERS[/size]

Do I see a bit of Mission Impossible in there

Do I see a bit of Mission Impossible in there

I certainly hope not but I think its going to take a while to be the new Barcelona

SEAPATRICK 2014/2015 Northern Irish Second Division

One thing I needed for season three was more goals. Defensively we seemed OK for this level but until we could score more, mid-table look liked a dream.

Thankfully the board weren't too demanding again. They simply required that we avoid relegation. The media prediction was still a bad one. They expected us to finish last of the 16. The bookmakers were much kinder than last season quoting us at 100/1 for promotion. Our financial report to the shareholders at the AGM was yet again a poor one. Despite still being under the wage budget of £1,200 we were still making large losses.

Pre-season went well with 4 wins, 2 draws and 0 losses. On the transfer front I managed to offload right midfielder Davy McCullan on a free and brought in 4 players also on a free including centre back Phil Faulkner who looked the best prospect.

LEAGUE

An unbelievable season saw us finish just one point from winning the title. The title race was so close that the top three all had 50 points whilst we finished in 4th on 49 points with a better goal difference. Annoyingly our big rivals Banbridge took the title. Luckily I had come across three quality centre backs in December to boost our squad.

FA CUP

2nd Round L 0-1 A v Abbey Villa (Well beaten by the non-league side)

LEAGUE CUP

1st Round W 2-0 A v Chimney Corner (An even game but we were more clinical)

2nd Round W 6-2 A v Loughgall (A massacre of a mid-table 1st Division side)

3rd Round L 0-2 H v Glentoran (We were no match for the mid-table Premier club)

INTERMEDIATE CUP

1st Round L 2-4 A v Limavady United (A very entertaining game against the fellow Second Division side)

MID-ULSTER CUP

1st Round L 1-2 A Coagh United (Only the 1st Division promotion chasers clinical finishing was the difference)

Overall an excellent season. Our squad seems to be very capable of maintaining a promotion push next season. Striker Jason Holmes was top scorer once again with 16 goals from 30 games in all competitions.

Finances are still dire though. Hopefully our chairman will get fed up in a while and sell the club.

[size=3][font=Courier New][b]SEASON    DIVISION        POS  OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS[/b]
---------------------------------------------------------------
2012-2013 Second Division 14th Mid-Ulster Cup Semi-Finalists[/font]
2013-2014 Second Division 12th Mid-Ulster Cup WINNERS
2014-2015 Second Division  4th -[/size]

SEAPATRICK 2015/2016 Northern Irish Second Division

Season Four began with optimism. The board's expectation was once again to just avoid relegation (something which I expected to do comfortabley). The bookmakers had us at 33/1 for promotion which was surely worth a £5 bet after last season??? The media were also predicting gloom and doom around the place with a forecasted prediction of 15th. I signed a new 3 year contract. Once again we reported a financial loss to the shareholders at the AGM although it was a smaller loss.

Pre-season transfers did not go too well. I had to release a few squad players who were at the end of their expensive contracts however, I could only find two players (both on frees) good enough to bring in leaving me with a strong first XI but a weak back up squad. The most promising of these players was 24 year old left midfielder Dale Montgomery.

LEAGUE

With me hoping for promotion and the experts predicting disaster I suppose it was fitting that we'd finish mid-table. The reasons were basically that the squad was just not strong enough to back up the long term injuries we had picked up. Oh well, maybe next season.

FA CUP

2nd Round L 0-2 A v Nortel (Once again we were easily beaten by this annoying non-league side)

LEAGUE CUP

2nd Round L 0-3 A v Crusaders (Easily beaten by the Premier Division runners-up)

INTERMEDIATE CUP

1st Round W 1-0 A v University of Ulster Coleraine (More comfortable against the non-league side than the score suggests)

2nd Round W 1-0 A v Lurgan Celtic (Straightforward win versus a mid-table First Division club)

3rd Round W 2-0 H v Annagh United (Another comfy win against the worse side in our division)

4th Round W 7-2 (aet) A v Downshire (Yep thats right FIVE goals in extra time against a non-league team in a game we dominated)

Quarter-Final W 4-0 H v Banbridge (Shockingly easy victory against our biggest rivals and defending Second Division champions)

Semi-Final W 1-0 N v Portadown Reserves (Close game to give us a shock place in our first Intermediate Cup Final)

Final W 1-0 N v Ards (Close game but we deserved the win for an historical Trophy success)

MID-ULSTER CUP

1st Round L 1-5 A v Dungannon Swifts (Hammered by the mid-table Premier Division side)

Our weak squad needs improvement all over if we are to challenge for promotion next season whilst our finances are still shocking and also need improving.

[size=3][font=Courier New][b]SEASON     DIVISION         POS   OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS[/b]
---------------------------------------------------------------
2012-2013  Second Division  14th  Mid-Ulster Cup Semi-Finalists[/font]
2013-2014  Second Division  12th  Mid-Ulster Cup [b]WINNERS[/b]
2014-2015  Second Division   4th  -
2015-2016  Second Division  11th  Intermediate Cup [b]WINNERS[/b][/size]

I certainly hope not but I think its going to take a while to be the new Barcelona

I was referring to when you said "should I choose to accept". I thought you were referring to Mission Impossible lol .

SEAPATRICK 2016/2017 Northern Irish Second Division

SEASON FIVE

So here we were yet again for another season of Second Division footy. Once again the board's expectation was simply to avoid relegation however, this time the wage budget had been lowered to just £1,000k. At least this time however the media was predicting a final position of 14th and the bookies had us priced at 40/1 to gain promotion. Pre-season went OK with 4 wins, a draw and a loss. In the transfer market however we only managed to bring in 2 players but didn't let any others go. The best of these free transfers was 23 year old Thomas Robinson from Premier Division side Coleraine.

LEAGUE

With the introduction of Robinson up front it meant that our all time top score Jason Holmes was only a bit part player this season and even worse for him I'd decided to let him go when his contract ran out at the end of the season. A sad end for our target man. As for the league it was mid-table obscurity for us from start to finish.

FA CUP

2nd Round W 1-1 (4-2p) A v Larne OB (A very even scrap with the non-league team)

3rd Round W 2-0 H v Comber Rec (Easy against the non-leaguers)

4th Round W 1-0 H v Glenavon (Shockingly easy giant killing performance against the Premier Division side)

5th Round W 1-0 H v Ballyclare Comrades (Again an easy giant killing win against the bottom 1st Division club)

Quarter-Final L 0-1 H v Institute (The Premier side were just too good)

LEAGUE CUP

1st Round W 2-1 (aet) A v Lurgan Celtic (Lucky win against 1st Division opposition)

2nd Round L 0-2 A v Wakehurst (Disappointing performance)

INTERMEDIATE CUP

1st Round W 2-1 H v Newbuildings Utd (A tough game against non-league opposition)

2nd Round L 0-2 A v Coleraine Reserves (Poor performance in a poor game meant our grip on the trophy had gone)

MID-ULSTER CUP

1st Round L 1-2 H v Portadown (Destroyed by the Premier side)

As for next season? Well our squad is still short on strength in depth and was not helped by left sided player Andy Linton's decision to refuse to sign a new contract and join relegated Carrick Rangers at the end of the season. Finances are still poor although we are close to breaking even now and the chairman is still loving the club.

[/size]
[size=3][b]SEASON     DIVISION         POS   OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS[/b]
---------------------------------------------------------------
2012-2013  Second Division  14th  Mid-Ulster Cup Semi-Finalists
2013-2014  Second Division  12th  Mid-Ulster Cup [b]WINNERS[/b]
2014-2015  Second Division   4th  -
2015-2016  Second Division  11th  Intermediate Cup [b]WINNERS[/b]
2016-2017  Second Division   7th  -

SEAPATRICK 2017/2018 Northern Irish Second Division

So time for the new season and a sixth attempt at getting out of the bottom Division.

The close season saw an increase in the board's expectation. Now they expected us to maintain a mid-table finish and following this demand I signed a new contract.

The transfer window was once again a quiet one for bringing in players. The only signing was young striker Aaron Hanna on a free from Premier Division Newry Town. Hopefully now we could bag some goals.

LEAGUE

We held high hopes of improvement this season and to begin with we got it. We regularly maintained 4th place just a few points off top spot however a disasterous run of 1 win 2 draws and 6 losses in our last 9 games inexplicabley left us trailing in 6th.

FA CUP

2nd Round W 2-0 A v Churchill United (Straight forward victory over a non-league side)

3rd Round W 3-1 H v Draperstown (as above)

4th Round W 3-1 H v Brantwood (Easy against a poor Div 2 side)

5th Round W 1-0 H v Tobermore United (as above)

Quarter Final D 1-1 A v Loughgall (Outplayed but hung on to a replay)

Quarter Final Replay L 1-1 (3-4p) H v Loughgall (Close game against a mid-table 1st division club that could have gone either way)

LEAGUE CUP

1st Round L 0-0 (3-4p) A v Lurgan Celtic (Outclassed by the first division side)

INTERMEDIATE CUP

1st Round L 0-1 H v Lisburn Rangers (Did everything except put the ball in the net. Once again at the wrong end of a giant killing)

MID-ULSTER CUP

1st Round W 3-2 (aet) H v Moyola Park (Again outplayed the struggling 2nd division side but could not defend)

Quarter Final W 4-0 H v Coagh United (Great performance against the side bottom of the 1st division)

Semi-Final L 2-2 (2-3p) N v Glenavon (An excellent close game against the Premier Division team)

Next season: Really do have to bring in more players and let less players go. At the moment there just doesn't seem to be the quality.

[size=3][b]SEASON     DIVISION         POS   OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS[/b]
---------------------------------------------------------------
[size=3]2012-2013  Second Division  14th  Mid-Ulster Cup Semi-Finalists
2013-2014  Second Division  12th  Mid-Ulster Cup [b]WINNERS[/b]
2014-2015  Second Division   4th  -
2015-2016  Second Division  11th  Intermediate Cup [b]WINNERS[/b]
2016-2017  Second Division   7th  -
[/size]2017-2018  Second Division   6th  Mid-Ulster Cup Semi-Finalists[/size]

SEAPATRICK 2018/2019 Northern Irish Second Division

Well here we go again. Time another monotonous season in Division Two...

Following our dreadful finish last season I was hoping we could get back on track and get close to the promotion race. The media didn't think we had much of a chance though with a prediction of only ninth whilst the board were once again asking for mid-table obscurity as a minimum.

The transfer window was pretty productive for us. Central Midfielder Tony McDowell (Dungannon Swifts), Left Back Glenn McKnight (Lisburn Distillery) and Centre Back Dean Wilson (Glentoran) all arrived on freet transfer from Premier clubs where they were squad player. Young striker Marty Mitchell also signed from Linfield on a free and looks like a good prospect.

LEAGUE

We had a great start to the season and led the table into christmas. In the end though despite being a lot more consistent we just couldn't keep up with the champions Newington. However, we finished 7 points clear of third placed Portstewart to comfortabley gain promotion to the first division.

FA CUP

2nd Round W 5-0 A v Draperstown (Comfy win against the non-leaguers)

3rd Round W 3-0 H v Dundonald (as above)

4th Round D 1-1 H v Coleraine (Luckily to get a draw against the Premier team)

4th Round Replay L 0-1 A v Coleraine (well beaten)

LEAGUE CUP

1st Round W 3-0 A v Tobermore United (Another comfy cup win against fellow second division opposition)

2nd Round W 1-1 (4-2p) A v Institute (Shock win in a close game against the mid-table Premier Division side)

3rd Round L 0-1 (aet) H v Coleraine (as with our games against Coleraine we were well beaten)

INTERMEDIATE CUP

1st Round W 1-0 A v Limavady United (Smash and grab win against Div 1 opposition)

2nd Round W 4-0 H v Bryansburn (Easy win against non-league team)

3rd Round W 3-0 A v FC Ballynure (as above)

4th Round W 2-2 (3-2p) A v Sirrocco Works (dominated the game against another non-league team but needed penaltied to get the job done)

Quarter-Final L 1-2 (aet) H v Donegal Celtic Reserves (Very unjust. We had 26 shots at goal!!!)

MID-ULSTER CUP

1st Round W 2-1 (aet) A v Newry Town (Didn't deserve the win against the Premier Division'd bottom side)

Quarter-Final W 1-0 (aet) H v Glenavon (50/50 game to knock out another Premier side)

Semi-Final W 2-0 H v Annagh United (Close game against non-leaguers)

Final L 1-2 N v Moyola Park (A just result against fellow a second division side denied us the Cup)

Overall our squad should be good enough to stay in the first division. Top scorer was Tony Parker with 15 goals in all competitions. His strike partner Aaron Hanna helped greatly with plenty of assists for the advanced forward. New signing Glen McKnight had an outstanding season and for me was our player of the season.

[size=3][b]SEASON     DIVISION         POS   OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS[/b]
---------------------------------------------------------------
2012-2013  Second Division  14th  Mid-Ulster Cup Semi-Finalists
2013-2014  Second Division  12th  Mid-Ulster Cup [b]WINNERS[/b]
2014-2015  Second Division   4th  -
2015-2016  Second Division  11th  Intermediate Cup [b]WINNERS[/b]
2016-2017  Second Division   7th  -
2017-2018  Second Division   6th  Mid-Ulster Cup Semi-Finalists
2018-2019  Second Division   2nd  [b]PROMOTED[/b], Mid-Ulster Cup Finalists[/size]

Promoted Finally! Well done

Promoted Finally! Well done

Cheers mate. Doesn't normally take that long. Sometimes at this really low level the FM engine tends to make the leagues a lot closer than really they should be. Personally I believe I've had the best team for about 4 seasons.

SEAPATRICK 2019/2020 Northern Irish First Division

For season Eight I had high hopes of being able to maintain a safe mid-table position. The end of the previous season saw me catching the eye of Premier side Glenavon as they offered me their vacant managerial job which I turned down. At last my under 18's were offered regular competitive action in the form of the Under 18s league. Our all time best XI was released.

The board expectation was to avoid relegation however a wage budget of £2,200 per week was a nice surprising bonus. Our promotion had also secured a two year extension to my contract. The transfer window saw five new players join us on free transfers Ian Cochrane, Johnny Rafferty, Craig Wright, Aaron Reid and Tommy Murphy.

LEAGUE

As I had hoped we maintained a mid-table position until the last 4 games of the season which we lost however, we were bottom of the League after our thrashing at home in our 4th league game of the season at home to Ballinamallard United.

Our best win: -

FA CUP

3rd Round L 1-2 (aet) H v Larne (A fair but close result)

LEAGUE CUP

2nd Round L 1-3 H v Banbridge (Clinical finishing from our fiercest rivals)

INTERMEDIATE CUP

1st Round L 1-1 (3-4p) H v Banbridge (Annoyingly after destroying our rivals they equalised in the final minte to send the game into extra-time)

MID-ULSTER CUP

1st Round W 3-1 H v Killymoon (Easy win)

Quarter-Final L 0-1 A v Portadown (Easily beaten by the Premier Division side)

Our squad still lacks strength in depth so unless the transfer market can pull up a few gems we will struggle to do better.

Meanwhile our finances just get worse and I'm expecting the board to reduce our wage budget. Our all-time best XI was released.

[b]SEASON     DIVISION         POS   OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS[/b]
---------------------------------------------------------------
2012-2013  Second Division  14th  Mid-Ulster Cup Semi-Finalists
2013-2014  Second Division  12th  Mid-Ulster Cup [b]WINNERS[/b]
2014-2015  Second Division   4th  -
2015-2016  Second Division  11th  Intermediate Cup [b]WINNERS[/b]
2016-2017  Second Division   7th  -
2017-2018  Second Division   6th  Mid-Ulster Cup Semi-Finalists
2018-2019  Second Division   2nd  [b]PROMOTED[/b], Mid-Ulster Cup Finalists
2019-2020  First Division   10th  -

SEAPATRICK 2020/2021 Northern Irish First Division

So here we are for season nine hoping to build on last season's first division survival.

The end of season board meeting did not go well when the chairman informed me I could only have a wage budget of £1,200. The bookies had us priced at 50/1 for promotion and still consider us relegation candidates whilst the media are predicting a 12th place finish. Transfer wise the window was quiet to say the least with only one guy brought in but what a guy! 20 year old striker Louis Barker had joined us on a free from Larne where he had scored 12 goals in just 13 games. He is also a product of Liverpool's youth academy and I have very high hopes for him.

LEAGUE

Our first defeat of the season came 18th November with a 2-1 loss against Lisburn Distillery however, until then we had won EVERY game League and Cup! Nine straight League wins had us well clear. In the end it was stunningly easy and we ended up winners by 13 clear points!

I thought our squad was a little weak and I have to say they surprised the hell out of me.

Louis Barker lived up to my high expectations with a whopping 21 league goals, 27 in all competitions.

Left midfielder Tommy Murphy was our best player for supplying the assists.

At the back Gareth West certainly helped with his share of goals.

FA CUP

3rd Round L 0-1 A v Derriaghy (Should have done better against the non-leaguers but could not put the ball in the net)

LEAGUE CUP

1st Round W 3-0 H v Glenavon (Easy win)

2nd Round W 4-1 A v Ballymena United (Easy win against Premier Division opposition)

3rd Round W 1-0 H v Crusaders (Close win against another Premier side)

4th Round L 1-2 H v Bangor (Bangor just shaded the game)

MID-ULSTER CUP

1st Round W 1-0 A v Glenavon (Close game that went our way)

Quarter-Final W 1-0 A v Banbridge (Big rivals beaten in a close derby game)

Semi-Final L 1-3 N v Warrenpoint (A case of dominating the game but the 2nd division team's 3 shot on target all went in.

Our finances are still very bad. Our reserves have finally been granted a place in the reserve league. The end of season summary shows us as serious overachievers but the signing of Barker was crucial.

Our all-time best XI was released.

[size=3][b]SEASON     DIVISION         POS   OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS[/b]
---------------------------------------------------------------
2012-2013  Second Division  14th  Mid-Ulster Cup Semi-Finalists
2013-2014  Second Division  12th  Mid-Ulster Cup [b]WINNERS[/b]
2014-2015  Second Division   4th  -
2015-2016  Second Division  11th  Intermediate Cup [b]WINNERS[/b]
2016-2017  Second Division   7th  -
2017-2018  Second Division   6th  Mid-Ulster Cup Semi-Finalists
2018-2019  Second Division   2nd  [b]PROMOTED[/b], Mid-Ulster Cup Finalists
2019-2020  First Division   10th  -
2020-2021  First Division    1st  [b]CHAMPIONS, PROMOTED
[/b][/size]

Next season is all about survival.

SEAPATRICK 2021/2022 Northern Irish Premier Division

Well season ten is finally here. Having secured promotion last season the minimum expectation of the board was to stay clear of relegation. The media was predicting that we would finish in last place and our chairman was now only "happy" to stay at the club. Centre back Daniel Tumelty was the 1st player to sign on a free in the transfer window although not guaranteed a start he might be one for the future. Naturally winning the 1st Division title got me the obligatory 2 year contract extension. The board shocked when they found out that we'd actually made a profit on last season for the first time although our debt was still pretty bad. As you can see we made a serious overhaul of players. Drafting in 18 new players on frees whilst letting double that number leave.

LEAGUE

An oustanding debut in the Premier saw us finishing up a very comfortable 4th only 5 points off 2nd after a 38 game league campaign. We had the second best defence conceding just 43 goals.

The best results undoubtedly came against Northern Ireland's biggest club by a mile Linfield.

1st win

2nd win

FA CUP

4th Round W 2-1 A v Lisburn Distilley

5th Round W 3-2 H v Linfield (Yes beat them again)

Quarter-Final W 3-2 H v Wakehurst

Semi-Final W 7-0 N v Portadown (WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Final W 2-1 N v Ballyclare Comrades (Giving us European Football next season)

LEAGUE CUP

2nd Round W 3-1 H v Banbridge (As we get better our rivals get worse)

3rd Round W 3-3 (5-3p) A v Churchill United (We were pushed all the way by the 2nd Division side)

Quarter-Final W 2-1 H v Dergview (Easier than it looked against 2nd Division opponents)

Semi-Final W 1-1 (5-4p) N v Coleraine (revenge for past defeats although they hammered us)

Final W 4-2 N v Ballyclare Comrades (I bet Ballyclare fans were fed up of playing us this season)

MID-ULSTER CUP

1st Round W 3-0 A v Armagh City

Quarter-Final W 2-1 H v Moyola Park

Semi-Final W 1-1 (4-2p) N v Warrenpoint (Slaughtered them but needed pens)

Final W 4-2 (aet) N v Portadown (Again we slaughtered the opposition)

YES THAT'S RIGHT A TREBLE OF CUPS!!! WE WON EVERY SINGLE SENIOR CUP GAME!

This is the squad that impressed me soooo much!

Selected players

Louis Barker (Goals goals goals)

Brendan Creane (supplier of 19 goals this season)

Andrew Barkley (All round excellent season)

Reserve League

Reserve Squad

Under 18s League

Under 18s Squad

Our finances are still dreadful.

The end of season summary showed us as overachievers and that we had the 2 best signings of the season.

[size=3][b]SEASON     DIVISION         POS   OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS[/b]
---------------------------------------------------------------
2012-2013  Second Division  14th  Mid-Ulster Cup Semi-Finalists
2013-2014  Second Division  12th  Mid-Ulster Cup [b]WINNERS[/b]
2014-2015  Second Division   4th  -
2015-2016  Second Division  11th  Intermediate Cup [b]WINNERS[/b]
2016-2017  Second Division   7th  -
2017-2018  Second Division   6th  Mid-Ulster Cup Semi-Finalists
2018-2019  Second Division   2nd  [b]PROMOTED[/b], Mid-Ulster Cup Finalists
2019-2020  First Division   10th  -
2020-2021  First Division    1st  [b]CHAMPIONS, PROMOTED
[/b]2021-2022  Premier Division  4th  FA Cup [b]WINNERS[/b], League Cup [b]WINNERS[/b], Mid-Ulster Cup [b]WINNERS[/b]
[/size]

Pretty impressive Once you cut the shackles of the 2nd Division you've shot up with some fine results.

I thought I had a very strong squad after about 2 seasons in Division 2 so why we didn't get out of there sooner is beyond me. However, I certainly did not expect to win all three cups in my 1st Premier season.

Oh and by the way the Intermediate Cup is now played for by my reserves.

1st Round W 2-2 (5-3p) A v Ards Rangers (Not the better side but at least we won)

2nd Round L 0-3 H v Dunmurry YM (An even game)