[FM11] Ashton & Backwell United - Give youth a chance

After my previous save ended with me getting sacked for no reason and being unable to find a new job, I've decided to do something which I've never really bothered doing before. I'm talking about Neppo's youth challenge, taking a club to the top using only your own youth players.

I've decided to start right at the bottom, level 10 of the English system, with my local club Ashton & Backwell United.

My reasons for starting with them are pretty simple. Firstly, they are my local side, I used to play for them as a kid and I still go and watch them frequently. Secondly, their senior side in real life is mainly made up of people who have played for them since they were kids.

So, here I go. This save will be running till I switch to FM12, which probably won't be till next year, so lets see how far up the leagues I can get in the next 4 months.

History

The club was established in 1911 as Backwell United and played in various local leagues, although activities were suspended during both World Wars. They moved to their current home in 1947, the Backwell Recreation Ground, on land given by local benefactor Theodore Robinson for the benefit of the residents of Backwell, although this is now leased from the local recreation ground trust, whose land was given to the community by the Robinson family in the 1920s.

At this time they played in the Bristol Church of England League, progressing to the Bristol and Suburban League in the 1950s. The Club's true senior football aspirations got under way with their promotion to the Somerset Senior Football League in 1970 when that League formed a First Division, the club finishing in third position. It was in the late 1970s that the club really progressed, ending up League Champions for the 1977-78 season and again League Champions from 1979 to 1983, equalling a record set by Paulton Rovers of four League Championships on the trot and also setting up a new League record of five Championships in six years.

A reserve team was formed in 1981, joining Division Three of the Somerset Senior League, and an 'A' team was formed in 1986 to play in the Bristol and Avon League, subsequently moving to the Weston super Mare and District League.

The 1983-84 season saw the first team elected to the Western League Division One, where steady progress was made with the club gaining the runners-up position for the 1989-90 season which entitled them to promotion to the Premier Division. This was denied, however, owing to the local authority's refusal to grant planning permission for floodlights to be erected. The club went to appeal, which they won, and floodlights were in place for the 1993-94 season, allowing the club to progress to Premier Division football.

Performance has been steady over the years and the first team reached the 5th round of the FA Vase in the 2004-05 season. For the 2005-06 season a change of manager and an exodus of experienced players resulted in a last-place finish and thus the club was relegated to Division One.

Club Merger

For the 2010 season Backwell United merged with Ashton Boys F.C. One of the most successful youth sides in the area, giving them a much stronger youth recruitment program which could help bring success to the club in the future.

*QUICK NOTE*

My personal rules:

Excluding the initial squad & staff, I will not be signing any players or staff members. All players will come from my youth side and all staff will come from retired players.

The only players I will use that have not come from my youth side are players I have been sent on loan by my parent clubs. I will not sign any players on loan, but if I am sent players by a parent club then I will allow myself to use them.

Every season I will give you a rundown of every player that arrives in my youth squad, however I will only track the career of players who either go straight into my senior squad or who I believe have the potential to do so in the future.

Initial Report - 2011/12

Club Status

Overview

Facilities

Finances

So, bugger all money, bugger all fans, and bugger all people know about us, yet we're still expected to win the division. God only knows how the media come up with these predictions! It's going to be a damn long road if we're ever going to reach the top.

Players

Squad - A fairly large squad, with virtually no talent, but hopefully just about enough to do well in the league this year.

Reserve Squad - And these are the players that I have left over! As you can see, the previous manager didn't seem to believe in having a small squad.

Youth Intake

Andrew Bridges - Initial Profile - Far better than any of the existing strikers in the squad, but has 2 other youth players ahead of him in the pecking order, so will have to wait for his chances.

Craig Day - Initial Profile - Despite my assistant thinking he is our third best striker, I actually think that he is our best. He will be starting the season upfront for us and hopefully he can bag himself some goals this season.

Greg Wilmot - Initial Profile - I agree with my assistant that he is our best defensive midfielder, however he also happens to be one of our best defenders, so he will be playing as a DC this year, and will get plenty of playing time as he is in our 1st XI.

Henning Maas - Initial Profile - The only player from this years intake that hasn't made it into the first team squad. I don't use regular wingers and so he doesn't fit into the system I want the team to play, and even if he did, I don't think he is good enough to get into the first team. Is the only player I won't be tracking this year and he will probably be moving on by the end of the season.

James Kearney - Initial Profile - Will be starting the season as a bench warmer, although because we are only allowed 5 subs, his ability to play as either a DM or MC will probably mean that he gets plenty of playing time from the bench.

Jason Wordsworth - Initial Profile - A mixed bag of abilities here. If it wasn't for his inability to run with the ball he would be my first choice striker without any hesitation, however I just don't trust him not to lose the ball every time he gets it, so for now he will be starting from the bench.

John Cullen - Initial Profile - Another youth player who is going straight into the 1st XI, partnering Greg Wilmot in defence. Not technically great but hopefully the fact that he is a very hard worker will make up for that.

Neil Skidmore - Initial Profile - Not particularly good at all, but he is still far better than any of the existing midfielders that were at the club when I took over, and so will be thrown straight in at the deep end in the 1st XI.

Rhys Collins - Initial Profile - Is in the senior squad but not the team yet, although with his very high determination I think that he could be one of the few players here to develop well and so he may end up forcing his way into the first team in the not too distant future.

Ryan Jordan - Initial Profile - A relatively solid player defensively and more importantly, at this level, he is a hard worker and has decent stamina, so he will be my 1st choice DM this season.

Terry Regan - Initial Profile - When this guy is easily your best goalkeeper you know you're a poor side! I have virtually no faith in his ability but hopefully he can prove me wrong.

William Campbell - Initial Profile - Very weak technically, but hopefully the fact that he is physically pretty good for this level will allow him to do well this year.

Season Aims

Well, if you believe the board, it is to win the league. In reality though my aim is to do well enough to avoid being fired at the end of the year.

June 2011 Results

Friendly - Ashton & Backwell 3-0 Hebburn

I thought I would start off pre-season with a few easy matches and first up was Hebburn. They play at the same level we do but they are viewed as a much weaker side so I thought it would be a good way to get the squad to learn to play together. We took control from the off but weren't able to break through till the 35th minute when Nicky Barker pounced on a mistake by the Hebburn defence to leave himself one on one with the keeper. The next goal came 5 minutes after the break with John Mills finding himself on the end of a corner to power a header into the back of the net. Our final goal came just over 10 minutes later when Craig Day (YP10) scored a real poachers effort when the Hebburn keeper spilled a simple catch from a free kick. All in all, a good first effort from the side.

Friendly - Ashton & Backwell 1-1 Royal Marines

Another game that we looked in control of but things didn't work out as well as I would have liked. We had plenty of posession but were wasteful in the final third of the pitch. We had to wait for just shy of an hour for the first goal which unfortunately was against us, with Royal Marines tall defender Calum Nimmo overpowering our defence to get himself on the end of a free kick. Pleasingly, we responded almost immediately when Jason Wordsworth (YP9) timed a run to perfection to leave the defence for dead, get onto the end of a through ball and calmly slot the ball home.

July 2011 Results

Friendly - Ashton & Backwell 1-2 St. Andrews

Our first match against a team who are, in theory, about the same standard as us, and it was a dose of reality. The misery started only 10 minutes in when Ryan Jordan (YP6) turned a cross into his own net, and we were lucky to only be 1-0 down at half time. We picked things up a bit after that and got ourselves back to level in the 56th minute when Josh Gibbons curled one into the top corner from 20 yards, however it only took 4 minutes for us to go behind again with Lewis Wilson scoring a wonder free kick from 35 yards out to give St. Andrews the win.

Friendly - Ashton & Backwell 2-2 Ivybridge

A pretty good match and despite failing to pick up a win I'm still pretty pleased as Ivybridge were heavily favoured for this match. Ivybridge started the brighter and took the lead in the 29th minute when George Haynes rounded the keeper to score. We got back on level terms just before half time through Daniel Collins and then took the lead 20 minutes later when substitute Neil Skidmore (YP8) scored with his first touch however we were unable to hold onto our lead for long and 15 minutes from the end of the match our defence fell asleep, let Gavin Taylor get himself a 1 on 1 chance and he made no mistake.

Friendly - Ashton & Backwell 1-2 Lewes

Despite the loss I'm very pleased with this performance. Lewes were relegated from the Blue Square South last season and so were expected to thrash us but we pushed them all the way and deserved to get a draw from the game. Lewes took the lead in the 21st minute with Anthony Mason finding the back of the net. We got ourselves back into the game on the hour mark when Dale Wint applied the finishing touch to a lovely team move and if it wasn't for our left back William Campbell (YP3) providing a perfect cross for their striker Simon Dunne to head home.

Summary

Not a bad couple of months. Not many matches due to a severe lack of fitness amongst my squad but they are putting in some decent performances and I think that they should do OK once hte season starts. We've just got one more pre-season match in a weeks time and then we're into the season proper.

August 2011 Results

Friendly - Penrith 1-3 Ashton & Backwell

Our final friendly and our first away match, and we performed very well. We looked by far the best side and it was only a matter of time till we took the lead, Jason Wordsworth (YP9) getting the goal. An hour in and Wordsworth added his second, and although we did have a brief scare when Penrith clawed a goal back in the 89th minute, Wordsworth wrapped up the game, and his hat-trick, in extra time.

FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round - Bacup 2-2 Ashton & Backwell

Our first competitive match and it looked like it would be a fairly evenly matched tie. We started the stronger and it only took 5 minutes for Jason Wordsworth (YP9) to open his account for the club. Dale Wint then doubled our lead 10 minutes into the second half before we imploded. An hour in Terry Regan (YP1), our goalkeeper, rushed out to meet a long ball but failed to get to the ball first, leaving the net wide open for Bacup to draw a goal back. 15 minutes later we forgot how to defend corners and allowed Bacup to equalise. A shame that we fell apart given that we performed so well for the first hour.

FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round Replay - Ashton & Backwell 3-1 Bacup

3 days later and we were back for another chance to beat Bacup and we made no mistakes this time. For the second time Jason Wordsworth (YP9) wasted no time, scoring a magnificent solo effort in the 6th minute. Nicky Barker then doubled our lead 24 minutes in from the penalty spot before Craig Day (YP10) came off the bench 10 minutes from time and less than 5 minutes into his debut added a third goal. The only consolation for Bacup from this game was that their only goal, deep into stoppage time, was the result of a lovely team move that we could do absolutely nothing to stop.

Les Phillips Cup 1st Round - Cadbury Heath 0-1 Ashton & Backwell

A very poor quality, bad tempered match with 8 players booked and 5 players injured. Things were pretty close for the first hour but we took control of the match towards the end of regular time, although we were unable to find the net so we went to extra time. It only took 2 minutes of extra time for us to take the lead through a well rehearsed corner routine which John Mills applied the finish to.

FA Cup 2nd Qualifying Round - Causeway United 3-2 Ashton & Backwell

Very annoyed by this. We should have won this match fairly easily but put in a poor performance. Things started badly and in the 33rd minute we allowed one of the Causeway strikers to walk straight through our defence to give them the lead. We managed to get back on level terms just before half time though through a neat finish by Neil Skidmore (YP8) however our lead only lasted 3 minutes. After the break we fell even further behind before Nicky Barker gave us a tiny bit of hope with 20 minutes to go but we weren't able to get the third goal we required.

League - Bovey Tracey 0-1 Ashton & Backwell

Despite only winning 1-0 this was a very good performance. The only goal of the game was scored by Jason Wordsworth (YP9) in the 12th minute, and Bovey Tracey didn't have a single shot until the 81st minute, and that was their only shot for the entire match.

Summary

3 wins from 5 games with only a single loss, so all in all a pretty good month. It is a bit annoying that we are already out of the FA Cup however, but given how poor my squads fitness is, it might well be a good thing. As far as the league is concerned I can't really say anything after a single game, but if the rest of them are as simple as our first game then promotion is a certainty.

Good to see more 'Give youths a chance' threads they're always a good read

I tried a save with Sharnbrook (local team) on my old laptop who are, I think, level 12 and found that I had ALOT of cup games which really helped my finances, but led to really tired players

Good luck with the challenge

September 2011 Results

League - Ashton & Backwell 4-1 Almondsbury UWE

A weird match this. We both only had 5 shots, but we really made the most of ours. Things started brightly with Ryan Jordan (YP6) getting his first goal for the club, courtesy of a huge deflection off the wall from a free kick. Josh Gibbons added a second 30 minutes later, but then an hour in things got a bit tense when Almondsbury got themselves a goal but then Jason Wordsworth (YP9) put the result beyond doubt with 2 good goals in the space of 8 minutes.

FA Vase 2nd Round - Ashton & Backwell 1-2 Kidlington

A match that I think we deserved to win, or at the very least get a point from, but we made a few too many mistakes and it cost us dearly. We started quite well and after less than half an hour we had the lead thanks to Jason Wordsworth (YP9) continuing his current run of form, however things took a dramatic turn right after the break. After less than 5 minutes of the second half we were a goal behind and despite having several great chances to draw level we failed to do so.

League - Ashton & Backwell 0-2 Wadebridge

Back down to earth with a bloody big bang. In a game that I thought we would get something out of we were played off the park. Our fate was sealed in the final 10 minutes of the first half with us conceding a quickfire double by George Hallam, a tricky little striker playing for Wadebridge.

League - Dartmouth 0-1 Ashton & Backwell

Another match where we were in control yet weren't able to get as many goals as we should have done. Things started well with James Kearney (YP7) giving us the lead from the penalty spot after quarter of an hour, but we then wasted half a dozen great chances to increase our lead and it led to a very tense final 30 minutes. We need to start converting dominance to goals soon.

Summary

Not a bad month, 2 wins, 2 losses. The team are starting to play some nice football but we're making too many daft errors and have at times struggled to make the most of our chances. In the league we're showing that we can hold our own which is nice, however I thought we would be able to make it another few rounds in the FA Vase which would have generated some half decent money, so I'm a bit upset at our early exit from the competition.

Have you modified this? should Ashton not be in the Errea County League Premier division?

Up the Cheesemen!!!!

Have you modified this? should Ashton not be in the Errea County League Premier division?

Up the Cheesemen!!!!

I have modified it, simply because in order to get them in the game I had to run it down to level 11 which made the game crawl on my computer, so I moved them up to a suitable level 10 league.

It may not be the correct league but it is a local one, all of the teams in the league are within about 15 miles of the club.

October 2011 Results

League - Ashton & Backwell 4-1 Hengrove

Finally, a convincing win with us controlling the game from start to finish and deserving to win by a few goals. It only took 11 minutes for Josh Gibbons to give us the lead, before John Cullen (YP4) added to it 8 minutes later and once more just before half time, with Neil Skidmore (YP8) getting in on the action too. In the second half we did have a bit of a wobbly start and after 10 minutes Hengrove pulled one back but after that we took control again and they didn't get close again.

Les Phillips Cup 2nd Round - Ashton & Backwell 0-1 Royal Marines

I think we were very unlucky to lose this game. We were easily the best side but some great goalkeeping by the Royal Marines keeper kept them in the game. The only two notable moments in the game were the Marines scoring the only goal in the 76th minute and John Cullen (YP4) breaking his collarbone on the hour mark.

League - Oldland Abbotonians 0-1 Ashton & Backwell

A very dull match with only a handful of chances but luckily most of them fell to us. The only goal came 10 minutes from time with Craig Day (YP10) scoring less than 15 minutes after getting onto the pitch for the first time this season. Unfortunately we lost one of our best players in this match though, Dale Wint strained his groin and will be out for a few weeks.

League - Ashton & Backwell 2-2 Cadbury Heath

A very annoying match, again. For the first hour we were in complete control but we then fell apart and allowed Cadbury Heath to get back into the game. It only took 6 minutes for us to get underway when a well worked move forced an own goal, but I'm not going to complain, they all count after all. Our second goal, 20 minutes later, was in a completely different league though, 23 passes, finished by Nicky Barker burying the ball in the top left corner with his first touch from 30 yards out. It was then that the game turned violent, with Cadbury Heath having 5 players booked in the next 18 minutes. After the break we continued to look good until the 60th minute when we allowed Cadbury Heath to score 2 goals from set pieces and take a point from a game they deserved from.

League - Ashton & Backwell 5-0 Buckland

By far our best performance of the season so far, we were playing some very nice football and deserved to win by a large margin. It took less than 90 seconds for us to get the scoring underway, with Neil Skidmore (YP8) giving us the lead. The second came only 20 minutes later when Nicky Barker converted from the penalty spot. Things then got a bit quiet till half time but we really turned things on again after the break. 3 minutes was all it took for Josh Gibbons to find the net to pretty much put the game beyond doubt. Jason Wordsworth (YP9) then made sure we couldn't be beaten with 2 very well taken goals, especially pleasing given that he hadn't scored for 6 games, he also got himself 2 assists in this match so a very good return

League - Shepton Mallet 0-3 Ashton & Backwell

So we're now really hitting our stride. Things started pretty much the same as they did last match with Neil Skidmore (YP8) scoring in the 2nd minute and Nicky Barker scoring a penalty in the 15th, however this time Jason Wordsworth (YP9) got in on the action much sooner, only taking till the 32nd minute this time. After that we did back off a bit, still playing well but giving Shepton Mallet a few more chances than I would have liked although John Mills was in fantastic form, getting an assist, winning 7 of 7 tackles and only losing 1 of the 6 headers he went for.

Summary

A fantastic month, taking 13 points out of a possible 15 and really hitting our stride towards the end of the month. The team is really clicking now and while we're not always dominating games, we're doing a great job of taking our chances, something which most teams seem to struggle with at this level. The only down side of this month was being knocked out of the Les Phillips cup, not a big competition and not much prize money involved but it would have still been nice to go a few rounds further.

Good luck . Will be following!

Nice start. Good luck for the rest of the season.

Good start to your career. Good luck. Will be following this

Good start so far, deffo gunna follow this good luck

FMtid.

November 2011 Results

League - Royal Marines 2-1 Ashton & Backwell

What is it about the bloody Royal Marines! They're a much weaker side than us yet we've only picked up a single draw from our 3 games against them this season. We should have walked all over them in this game but they controlled things from the off, although it did take them till the 51st minute to score. We did have a glimmer of home in the 64th minute with Alex N'Goma popping up at a corner to score his first goal for the club, although it didn't take long for Royal Marines to score again and secure their victory.

League - Ashton & Backwell 4-0 Keynsham

So it seems like the game against the Royal Marines was simply a blip. It only took 4 minutes for us to take the lead here with John Mills venturing forwards from defence during open play and neatly finishing from 10 yards out. Jason Wordsworth (YP9) then added 2 more by the half hour mark and a third shortly after half time to put the game beyond doubt. A good solid win that puts us top of the table again.

League - Chard 1-0 Ashton & Backwell

So after our best performance of the season we're straight onto one of the worst. Chard were on a run of 6 points from their last 9 matches so I was expecting a similar result to our last league game. We did actually start brightly, with a couple of very good chances in the first 10 minutes but then Chard hit us on the counter attack and it just completely took the wind out of the team and we just didn't recover.

League - Ashton & Backwell 3-1 Gillingham Town

Our good home form continues with another good win, even if we were playing a very weak side. We were 2-0 up by half time, courtesy of goals by Jason Wordsworth (YP9) and Neil Skidmore (YP8) and had a 3rd within 10 minutes of half time with Skidmore getting a brace. We did fade a bit towards the end and allowed Gillingham Town to grab a goal but we never looked in danger of letting them back into the match.

Summary

A bit of a weird month. 2 easy wins at home, 2 awful losses away. I really did feel that we should have picked up at least 10 of the 12 points on offer this month so to only end up with 6 was really disappointing. If we can start picking up more points in away games then I think we're guaranteed to win the league, although thanks to last months form we're still right at the top, although given that only 1 team gets promoted we need to be right at the top in a few months time.

December 2011 Results

League - Ashton & Backwell 0-0 Bradford Town

As usual we played very well at home, with 14 shots on goal to Bradford Towns 1, but our finishing was woeful. We only hit the target once and at the end of the day, if you don't get shots on target you're not going to win matches.

League - Roman Glass St. George 0-4 Ashton & Backwell

Well this is out of character, a good performance away from home. We actually only had 5 shots on target all match so unlike against Bradford Town we showed that we are able to score goals. The goals all came from different players, with Jason Wordsworth (YP9) and Dale Wint scoring before half time with John Mills and Nicky Barker adding to the score in the second half.

League - Portishead Town 1-1 Ashton & Backwell

So normal service is resumed. We didn't deserve anything from this match and were very lucky to get a draw as we only had 2 proper attacks in the match. We went behind almost straight away after making half a dozen defensive mistakes in the same passage of play. We were then pretty lucky not to drop even further behind and in the 88th minute managed to salvage a point with Neil Skidmore (YP8) bagging his 7th goal of the season and his 3rd in the last 5 games, not too bad for a 16 year old central midfielder.

League - Ashton & Backwell 2-1 Ivybridge

Nice to, as usual, bounce back from a disappointing away performance with a good solid win at home. We did have a nervy start and were lucky not to go a goal down in the first 20 minutes, but then Josh Gibbons gave us a goal on the counter and the game turned in our favour. We continued to look dangerous and were rewarded in the 58th minute with Jerome Stoud doubling our lead. Things did get a bit nervy towards the end whe nRhys Collins (YP2) was sent off for a dreadful two-footed tackle but we managed to keep Ivybridge at bay until the 92nd minute by which time they had no chance of taking any points.

Summary

Pretty pleased to get a good win away from home, although I'm pretty sure it won't become a regular thing. Our home form was pleasing as usual, we're looking extremely hard to beat at home, with 13 points from our last 5 games, and hopefully that kind of form can continue and keep us at the top of the table.

January 2012 Results

League - Ashton & Backwell 2-2 Bovey Tracey

Aargh, another home game where we've started very slowly and not recovered. We fell behind in the 7th minute and were lucky not to concede again a few minutes later, and while we did pick things up a bit we still went into the break behind. After the break we took the lead quite quickly though, with the first goal coming after only 80 seconds with Jason Wordsworth (YP9) providing the finish and 3 minutes later a dangerous looking cross was misread by Stephen Harrison on of Bovey Tracey's defenders and he turned it into his own net. After that we did get a bit sloppy and made a few too many mistakes, and we were punished for it 20 minutes from time to give Bovey Tracey a point.

League - Almondsbury UWE 0-4 Ashton & Backwell

So our topsy turvy form continutes. We absolutely trounced UWE here, outplaying them in every single area and if I'm being perfectly honest I'm a bit upset we didn't get another 2 or 3 goals. Our best player early on was Nicky Barker who gave us the lead after 6 minutes and doubled it from the penalty spot 20 minutes later. He will be upset not to have got a hat-trick, especially given that in the 79th minute we had a penalty which he was allowed to take but he blasted it well over the bar. After that the UWE keeper kept the game vaguely close with some fantastic saves to ensure that they went into the break only 2 goals behind. Unfortunately for him the sheer number of chances we had meant that eventually we were going to find the net again and it was Jason Wordsworth (YP9) who did it, before Neil Skidmore (YP8) scored our 4th right at the death, he had played a big part in the match before that moment though, only missing a single pass and getting 2 assists.

League - Ashton & Backwell 1-1 Shrewton United

Another slow start by us, with us on the back foot for the first 20 minutes and going behind in that time. We fell asleep at a corner to allow Shrewton an easy goal. After that we really picked ourselves up though, in the remaining 70 minutes we had 15 shots to Shrewtons 1 but thanks to a great performance by the Shrewton keeper we only managed to get a single goal, however that goal was a joy to behold when Dale Wint managed to get himself on the end of a cross from our own half, well I'm claiming it was a cross!

Summary

Only the 3 games this month, all against teams who are well down the table, including the bottom two, so we should have picked up all 9 points, so obviously only getting 5 is very annoying. No matter what we do we just don't seem to be able to break away at the top of the table, with the whole top 4 continuing to play very well, especially Wadebridge who have won their last 7 league games in a row. Hopefully we can keep playing well though and will eventually manage to get a bit of a lead.

February 2012 Results

League - Wadebridge 0-0 Ashton & Backwell

A great chance to get the upper hand over one of the teams causing us problems at the top of the table and we messed it up. We just didn't turn up and by all rights we did deserve to lose, only a good performance by Terry Regan in goal and some great last ditch tackles by John Cullen (YP4) prevented us losing ground on Wadebridge in the title race.

League - Ashton & Backwell 2-1 Dartmouth

Another good performance at home, even if we did start slowly. We fell behind in the 6th minute when the defence completely fell asleep from a corner and completely forgot to mark anybody. We did pick things up quite quickly though and only took 5 minutes to get back to level when John Mils managed to get some space from a corner of our own, and the final goal came 15 minutes later when Nicky Barker found himself on the end of a cross to head home.

League - Hengrove 1-1 Ashton & Backwell

Another away game, another terrible performance. We only had a single shot in the first half, and that was 5 yards over the bar, and it was nothing short of a miracle that we hadn't conceded before half time. After the break we were a little bit better for the first 20 minutes, and took the lead through a tidy finish by Dale Wint although we then collapsed again and eventually allowed Hengrove to draw level in the 86th minute, luckily too late for them to get a second goal though.

League - Ashton & Backwell 3-0 Oldland Abbotonians

So back to Backwell for this match and back to form too. To begin with both sides were pretty evenly matched, and we just ended up trying to grind one another down in the middle of the pitch. It wasn't until the 42nd minute when John Mills found some space from a corner to get his 5th goal of the season. After that Oldland seemed to lose heart and we started to control the game. The next goal came 10 minutes into the second half, from another corner althoug hthis time it was John Cullen (YP4) who was on the end of it. After this it only took a few minutes for the result to be settled with Craig Day (YP10) scoring only his 2nd of the season.

Summary

Well this month seems to have summed up our season perfectly. 2 home games, 2 away games, 2 wins at home, 2 draws away. Nobody seems to be able to beat us at the moment but we are drawing too many games and just can't close the gap on Wadebridge. Despite the draws I am very pleased with the way the defence is coming together, they are looking a very tight unit and if we can start scoring more reliably then I can't see us being stopped.

com'on mate you can get promotoion good luck mate i'll follow this story

March 2012 Results

League - Buckland 0-2 Ashton & Backwell

At last, a really commanding away performance. I was expecting Buckland to put up a good fight given that they are 10 places higher in the league than the media thought they would be. We did get a bit lucky with the opening goal, there was chaos from a free kick and the ball ended up going in off the legs of one of the Buckland defenders. After that we kept on pushing for more goals but it took till the 80th minute for the next one, this time with Nicky Barker taking his tally for the season into double figures.

League - Ashton & Backwell 2-0 Shepton Mallet

So for once we've gone into a home match after an away win so I was expecting good things and the team delivered. By the 30 minute mark we were 2-0 up thanks to goals by Josh Gibbons and Nicky Barker, continuing his current great run of form. After that we did take our foot off the gas a bit and didn't come that close to extending our lead, but on the plus side we didn't give Shepton Mallet any chances to get back into the match.

League - Cadbury Heath 0-0 Ashton & Backwell

Why oh why can't we play away from home? Playing against a team we should have absolutely thumped at we just failed. We didn't have a single good chance all match, on the plus side, nor did Cadbury Heath, so while we weren't really in danger of losing we never looked capable of winning this match.

League - Ashton & Backwell 1-2 Royal Marines

Why can we never win against these guys? We had total control of the match from start to finish and yet somehow still came away with nothing. When we got the first goal in the 33rd minute through a Ryan Jordan (YP6) free kick I thought that we would push on for more however despite having a huge amount of posession we just couldn't create enough chances, and then things started going wrong. The Marines drew level just before the hour and then agonisingly took the lead in the dying moments of stoppage time. I did think that this wasn't too bad a result though given that Wadebridge were 1-0 down with only 15 minutes to go, however they somehow managed to win 3-1 so we've now slipped further behind them in the league and need them to slip up now for us to stand a chance of promotion.

League - Keynsham 1-3 Ashton & Backwell

After our last defeat we really did need to pick up 3 points in this match and things started well. We were all over them early on and were rewarded after half an hour with Nicky Barker once again finding space in the area to get onto the end of a cross. We did manage to hold our lead till half time but then things started to go wrong. After 58 minutes we were still 1-0 up, after 66 minutes we were 3-1 down. A series of daft mistakes, missed tackles, poor passes, just gifted the lead to Keynsham and we weren't able to pick ourselves up again. Unfortunately Wadebridge won again so we've fallen even further behind.

Summary

Well the month started pretty well but turned bad pretty quickly. I was expecting to lose against the Royal Marines as we seem to be incapable of beating them, but the loss to Keynsham was very, very annoying and I think may well have cost us promotion as I just can't see Wadebridge making enough mistakes to let us get back to the top.

April 2012 Results

From now till the end of the season I will be putting the results for my two rivals at the top of the table on every match report.

League - Ashton & Backwell 1-0 Roman Glass St. George

As far as I care, we need to win all of our remaining games to stand a chance of promotion. This wasn't exactly a game that was easy on the nerves but at least we got the result we needed. We were given a gift in the 37th minute when Roman Glass St. George had their captain sent off, and we took the lead from the resulting free kick with Neil Skidmore (YP8) powering a header into the bottom corner. After this both teams had chances to score and the woodwork saved us twice, so not a nice game to watch but at least we came away with 3 points.

Wadebridge 0-0 Royal Marines

Ivybridge 3-0 Bradford Town

League - Ashton & Backwell 4-0 Chard

Much better, a far more stylish performance than in our last match. Chard actually had a few good chances in the first 15 minutes but then the game really turned. Jason Wordsworth (YP9) got himself a brace in the next 10 minutes, then completed his hat-trick in the 72nd minute, with John Mills adding another goal in the mean time. If we can play like this in our last few matches I will be very pleased.

Wadebridge 2-0 Shepton Mallet

Ivybridge 3-0 Gillingham Town

League - Gillingham Town 2-2 Ashton & Backwell

So this is it, our promotion hopes are pretty much over. We actually controlled this match but unfortunately both times we made a mistake we were punished. We took the lead early on with Nicky Barker getting on the scoresheet once again, but we were pegged back straight away when John Cullen (YP4) held onto the ball too long and then lost it to give Gillingham an easy chance. We did bounce back pretty quickly though with Jason Wordsworth (YP9) getting the goal to keep our hopes alive. After that we were playing keep ball, rarely venturing forwards and just playing for the draw, but the next mistake came in the 84th minute when Nicky Barker attempted a long back pass to the keeper which fell short, putting a Gillingham striker through on goal. I did think we had got back into the game in the 95th minutes when Jason Wordsworth (YP9) left the defence standing with a perfectly timed run, but unfortunately it wasn't quite as perfectly timed as I thought and he was offside by less than half a yard.

Cadbury Heath 2-3 Wadebridge

Roman Glass St. George 1-1 Ivybridge

Summary

It was going so well until the final game. At the start of this month I knew that we needed to win every game to stand a chance of overtaking Wadebridge, but we also needed them to make a mistake and lose a game. Unfortunately we made the mistake and they're still going strong. Second place should be achievable as we've got a game in hand over Ivybridge and we're due to play them in our final game and I feel like we should be able to win that game. First place on the other hand now seems beyond our reach, 5 points behind with 3 games to go. So essentially we need Ivybridge to lose 1 game and draw 1 game which considering their last league loss was in early December I don't think is going to happen. I will still obviously be aiming to pick up 9 points from our final 3 games and will be praying that Wadebridge slip up.

May 2012 Results

League - Bradford Town 1-4 Ashton & Backwell

So we're back on track to keep the miracle possible. If we win all 3 games this month then there is a very slim chance we could win the league still. Bradford Town were very lucky to get away from this match with only 4 goals conceded, if our finishing was a bit better we could have had far more. The first 2 goals came pretty quickly, with Dale Wint and John Mills getting on the scoresheet. The third was a fantastic long strike by Nicky Barker and then in the final 10 minutes Bradford Town got one back only to have it cancelled out 90 seconds later when John Mills found some space in the box from a free kick to get the 3 goal cushion back.

Keynsham 4-1 Wadebridge

Portishead Town 3-0 Ivybridge

League - Ashton & Backwell 2-0 Portishead Town

A damn nervy match this. Very close for the entire game but our finishing was just a little bit better than our opponents. We got our two goals about 10 minutes into each half, with Neil Skidmore (YP8) getting the first and Josh Gibbons the second. The only real downside to this match was that John Mills picked up a knock that will keep him out of our final game.

Wadebridge 1-4 Chard

League - Ivybridge 0-2 Ashton & Backwell

So, it all came down to this. If Wadebridge got a better result than us they would be promoted, so if we won then we had the number 1 spot. Things started very badly, after only 3 minutes Wadebridge took the lead in their match, putting the pressure on us to score. Luckily we managed to do so, although it took a little over half an hour for Jason Wordsworth (YP9) to find the back of the net. A few minutes later we took one more step towards the title with Neil Skidmore doubling our lead. We did have a very nervy last 15 minutes, with Ivybridge getting a goal back and having one ruled out for offside, but we managed to hold out for the 3 points to give us promotion.

Gillingham Town 0-1 Wadebridge

Summary

What a month. We picked up the 3 wins we needed and Wadebridge fell apart. I have to say though, I absolutely hate it when a season is this close, I'm not sure my nerves could take it again! At the end of the day we got the luck we needed and that's all that counts.

*NOTE*

I will be doing a proper end of season update tomorrow.