Skrill South to Premiership

Has it ever been done? I've just started a new game as Dorchester (predicted to finish rock bottom of Skrill South) and I'm playing a 3-1-2-2-1, a tactic I've never played before. I'm currently sitting 8th after 12 games and I've only conceded 8 and have scored 22. My aim is to build every aspect of the club up completely, I know it will take a lot of time but I seem to be enjoying this much more than anyother save I've tried!

I know people would of tried this before but I'm wondering if anyone has actually done it and if not, how far did they manage to get?

Loads of times. Head on over to the Careers or Challenges forum and there's loads of people who have done it. Most go on to win the Champions League. Some even do it solely using youth products.

with originally unplayable clubs

Took charge of Enfield Town in the second season (after they were promoted to Skrill South via holiday/save/load method) and won the Premier League and Champions League by 2021/22. Decided it was such crap that it was so easy, I quit the save after that.

Just about to start my first season in the prem with Lowerstoft. I won the south, scraped into the playoffs of the skrill prem on the last day in my first season and went up. That first year in l2 was very hard as i come 19th. Went on to win l2 then l1 then the champ all at the first time of asking. Just getting a new ground as well 16 k all seater.

I'm currently sat top of the Skrill South with 2 games in hand (after 32 games and 9 game winning streak) and in the FA Trophy final after beating Luton 5-2 on aggregate. All of this with only signing 2 players and different tactic? All seems a bit unrealistic considering I was predicted to finish rock bottom...

Ah well, can't complain I suppose!

Did it with Boreham Wood in FM12 & Dover on FM13, though I never took Dover to a premier league title. Got Telford to League two with back to back promotions on this years one but am struggling with a ridiculous budget in the football league now.

I won Skrill South by 1 point and won the FA Trophy, now in Skrill Prem with a terrible budget (despite amassing a profit of £400k last season) and the board have scrapped my youth system to save money?! It was all going so well

I'm in 2036 with Histon, still in League 2 (been with the club since the start)

I've won FA Trophy twice and the Johnstone's Paint Trophy once though..

Haha wow! Now that's commitment

I'm in 2036 with Histon, still in League 2 (been with the club since the start)

I've won FA Trophy twice and the Johnstone's Paint Trophy once though..

Fair play, that's all.

I have done it with Bromley in every FM before 14, but not yet got out of non-league football in FM14. Partly due to trying other saves first, but it is somewhat harder (or I'm worse) than it used to be.

I nearly did it before boredom caught me

it was FM12 though, Luton Town 5 seasons straight on Championship and it almost 2021/22 ( i can't recall )

Slightly different but I'm in a long term save with Cambridge. Took me eight years to get out of Skrill Premier but I am now a well established PL side. It is currently 2053 and for most of the save it has been a long old fight to reach the top. It is the first time in any FM save that I've taken a non league side through the leagues and I am loving it, even after 1700 games!

Getting close with Bradford Park Avenue, will be in the Championship for the 2019/20 season.

I've lost my way in the Skrill Prem, my team is way too weak! I can see this being the toughest league to get out of! Nice to see people sticking with it though, seems much more enjoyable then being a team with a shedload of money!

I've lost my way in the Skrill Prem, my team is way too weak! I can see this being the toughest league to get out of! Nice to see people sticking with it though, seems much more enjoyable then being a team with a shedload of money!

Yeah, despite the lack of succes I really enjoy this game.. last season I lost the play-off final penalty shoot-out.. considered resigning, but of course I'm already 30 matches into the next season

My career has very much been worth the wait and the years of under performing...

|Season  | Club             | Division             | Pos  | Other                                                          |
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|2013/14 | Cambridge United | Skrill Premier       | 18th | FAC 4th Quali, FAT 1st Rd Rep                                  |
|2014/15 | Cambridge United | Skrill Premier       | 10th | FAC 4th Quali, FAT 2nd Rd Rep                                  |
|2015/16 | Cambridge United | Skrill Premier       | 20th | FAC 1st Round, FAT 1st Rd                                      |
|2016/17 | Cambridge United | Skrill Premier       | 17th | FAC 4th Qul. Rep, FAT 3rd Rd                                   |
|2017/18 | Cambridge United | Skrill Premier       | 8th  | FAC 4th Qul, FAT 1st Rd                                        |
|2018/19 | Cambridge United | Skrill Premier       | 14th | FAC 1st Round Rep, FAT Runners Up                              |
|2019/20 | Cambridge United | Skrill Premier       | 1st  | FAC 1st Round, FAT 3rd Rd                                      |
|2020/21 | Cambridge United | Sky Bet League Two   | 2nd  | FAC 1st Round, LC 1st Rd, JPT Quarter Final                    |
|2021/22 | Cambridge United | Sky Bet League One   | 13th | FAC 1st Round Rep, LC 1st Rd, JPT 2nd Rd                       |
|2022/23 | Cambridge United | Sky Bet League One   | 10th | FAC 4th Round, LC 3rd Rd, JPT Winners                          |
|2023/24 | Cambridge United | Sky Bet League One   | 3rd  | FAC 3rd Round, LC 1st Rd, JPT 1st Rd                           |
|2024/25 | Cambridge United | Sky Bet League One   | 14th | FAC 4th Round, LC 1st Rd, JPT 2nd Rd                           |     
|2025/26 | Cambridge United | Sky Bet League One   | 13th | FAC 3rd Round, LC 1st Rd, JPT 1st Rd                           |
|2026/27 | Cambridge United | Sky Bet League One   | 6th  | FAC 3rd Round, LC 2nd Rd, Quarter Final                        |
|2027/28 | Cambridge United | Sky Bet League One   | 1st  | FAC 4th Round Rep, LC 2nd Rd, JPT Runners Up                   | 
|2028/29 | Cambridge United | Sky Bet Championship | 21st | FAC 3rd Round, LC 2nd Rd                                       |
|2029/30 | Cambridge United | Sky Bet Championship | 19th | FAC 3rd Round, LC 3rd Rd                                       |
|2030/31 | Cambridge United | Sky Bet Championship | 23rd | FAC 4th Round, LC 2nd Rd                                       |
|2031/32 | Cambridge United | Sky Bet League One   | 1st  | FAC 3rd Round Rep, LC 2nd Rd, JPT Semi Final                   |
|2032/33 | Cambridge United | Sky Bet Championship | 4th  | FAC 4th Round, LC 2nd Rd                                       | 
|2033/34 | Cambridge United | Sky Bet Championship | 3rd  | FAC 3rd Round Rep, LC 4th Rd                                   | 
|2034/35 | Cambridge United | Premier League       | 16th | FAC 3rd Round, LC Quarter Final                                |
|2035/36 | Cambridge United | Premier League       | 5th  | FAC 4th Round Rep, LC 2nd Rd                                   |
|2036/37 | Cambridge United | Premier League       | 12th | FAC 3rd Round, LC Semi Final, EL 2nd KO Rd                     |
|2037/38 | Cambridge United | Premier League       | 18th | FAC Quarter Final, LC 1st Rd                                   |
|2038/39 | Cambridge United | Sky Bet Championship | 8th  | FAC 3rd Round, LC 2nd Rd                                       |
|2039/40 | Cambridge United | Sky Bet Championship | 1st  | FAC 3rd Round, LC 4th Rd                                       |
|2040/41 | Cambridge United | Premier League       | 3rd  | FAC Quarter Final, LC 2nd Rd                                   |
|2041/42 | Cambridge United | Premier League       | 5th  | FAC 5th Round, LC 3rd Rd, CL 3rd in Grp, EL Quarter Final      |
|2042/43 | Cambridge United | Premier League       | 8th  | FAC 5th Round, LC 3rd Rd, EL 1st KO Rd                         | 
|2043/44 | Cambridge United | Premier League       | 5th  | FAC 5th Round, LC 3rd Rd                                       |
|2044/45 | Cambridge United | Premier League       | 6th  | FAC 5th Round, LC 3rd Rd, EL Runners Up                        |
|2045/46 | Cambridge United | Premier League       | 6th  | FAC 5th Round, LC 3rd Rd, EL Quarter Final                     |
|2046/47 | Cambridge United | Premier League       | 7th  | FAC 4th Round, LC 3rd Rd, EL 2nd KO Rd                         |
|2047/48 | Cambridge United | Premier League       | 11th | FAC 3rd Round, LC Quarter Final                                |
|2048/49 | Cambridge United | Premier League       | 10th | FAC 5th Round, LC Runner Up                                    |
|2049/50 | Cambridge United | Premier League       | 3rd  | FAC Semi Final, LC 3rd Rd                                      |
|2050/51 | Cambridge United | Premier League       | 6th  | FAC Runners Up, LC 3rd Rd, EL Quarter Final                    |
|2051/52 | Cambridge United | Premier League       | 1st  | FAC Winners, LC 3rd Rd, EL Winners                             |
|2052/53 | Cambridge United | Premier League       | 6th  | FAC 5th Round, LC 3rd Rd, CL Winners, SC Winners, CS Runner Up |

My career has very much been worth the wait and the years of under performing...

Very impressive but how did you go from 3rd in the prem to getting relegated 2 seasons afterwards ?

Very impressive but how did you go from 3rd in the prem to getting relegated 2 seasons afterwards ?

That is only half the story buddy!

We had a fabulous start to the season when finishing 5th, didn't lose a game until Christmas but after the new year we were average at best but did enough to cling onto fifth. The following season we really struggled with having Europe to plain. Money was very tight as the stadium only held 17,000 at that point. I just didn't have the squad to cope with all the games. We finished 12th and during that season i rejected the chance to manage Arsenal.

This is where it gets confusing. We finished 14th, went into the final day knowing a win would ensure survival before the 2038/39 season saw us win the League Cup, our first major trophy and finish in 7th place. Once again playing in Europe went against us and at Christmas we had just 7 points, 13 off survival. Our form from January was stunning and we finished 16th on 41 points. The great escape was achieved. Then something happened and all my saved files disappeared, one remained but it couldn't be loaded. I was gutted to have lost the save.

I then managed to get the save back but at a cost. I had uploaded the file for someone and they had still got it so i was back but i had to go back to May 2037. That means the cup win and the great escape were confined to being figments of my imagination. In the time between losing the save and getting it back i decided to 'try' and play a new way, ditching a solid tactic that worked for my players for some kind of high pressing, fast tempo, more pleasing to the eye tactic. That failed terribly. We were relegated on the last day thanks to Leeds winning at Spurs 4-0, denying them a CL spot.

So in answer to your question the 5th place was more us overachieving and the relegation was down to me trying to fix something that wasn't broken!

If anyone fancies following this is it over on the Careers Update - HERE. There is an issue with screenshots for the first 17 posts but after that they are all there

I started a new one with Gloucester, as they have one of the lowest playing budgets of any playable English team, making it near impossible to get out of the league first time. First time I haven't picked one of the stronger sides in the bottom tier to start with.

I did it in 8 seasons with Tonbridge. Detailed in one of my tactics threads.

Across about 4 different match engines.

Finally won the premier league in my 18th season.

Was playing Champions League football in the same crappy stadium in front of 11000 crowds ;-)

I make it my goal to turn AFC Telford into world champions every FM

I did it to make Colwyn Bay the premier Welsh team.

Of course by the time I got up to the premier league, Swansea got relegated to the Championship and Cardiff got relegated to league 1, so it was a hollow victory

In my save Thamesmead have gotten up to League 2 with a tycoon. I'm looking on to see where their trajectory takes them. Elsewhere, Met Police are in League One after appearing in Skrill South about 8 years ago. Not managing them but interesting to watch.

I just had my worst nightmare. The moment arrives after a hugely successful first season with Gloucester City in the Skrill North, where I scraped into the play offs with a 93rd minute equaliser on the final day before losing in the play off final itself. Then on the 25th June 2014 the message comes, Gloucester have been moved to the Skrill South, which is so much stronger. Just to worsen the blow, my wage budget is still 3k a week! I can't pay anyone more than £200 a week and I'm relying on 4 long term loans to see me to safety, what a disaster! Oh and not to mention, I'm now expected to finish in the top half due my overachievement in the weaker league last year.

Attempting to take Halifax from Skrill Prem to Prem League. It's not as easy as it used to be. Season 1 was just bad, season 2 I got promoted, season 3 I survived by 2 points, season 4 I'm doing alright so far.

I just had my worst nightmare. The moment arrives after a hugely successful first season with Gloucester City in the Skrill North, where I scraped into the play offs with a 93rd minute equaliser on the final day before losing in the play off final itself. Then on the 25th June 2014 the message comes, Gloucester have been moved to the Skrill South, which is so much stronger. Just to worsen the blow, my wage budget is still 3k a week! I can't pay anyone more than £200 a week and I'm relying on 4 long term loans to see me to safety, what a disaster! Oh and not to mention, I'm now expected to finish in the top half due my overachievement in the weaker league last year.

I'd actually check for youth players. I had a 15 year old winger and 16 year old striker playin' for me. Managed to sell the winger for 1.3mil at the end of my 3rd season and the striker still plays, he's not the best but he has pace which some teams can't handle. Worth checkin' as they're such cheaper wages.

I'd actually check for youth players. I had a 15 year old winger and 16 year old striker playin' for me. Managed to sell the winger for 1.3mil at the end of my 3rd season and the striker still plays, he's not the best but he has pace which some teams can't handle. Worth checkin' as they're such cheaper wages.

Honestly my only half decent club youth player is a goalkeeper due to limited facilities & recruitment, bank balance is -5k so I can't even afford 2k compensation for a great one from Enfield. Had to gamble whether to get 10-15 good players and add awful youth or buy 20 average ones.

I opted for the first, have a couple of good loans and some good players but nowhere near a full squad. I keep losing players to clubs from non playable leagues. It's tough with this lot!

Honestly my only half decent club youth player is a goalkeeper due to limited facilities & recruitment, bank balance is -5k so I can't even afford 2k compensation for a great one from Enfield. Had to gamble whether to get 10-15 good players and add awful youth or buy 20 average ones.

I opted for the first, have a couple of good loans and some good players but nowhere near a full squad. I keep losing players to clubs from non playable leagues. It's tough with this lot!

Ouch. Try to create some friendly for some profit? What's your max wage budget? These youth players I picked up were out of contract(Well, never had a club tbf). I don't get anything actually coming through the club.

Have you tried for a parent club? So far I've been unsuccesful to find a club four times.

Yep it sure can be done ! I'm currently in the Championship and it's won with 7 games to go. I've had successive promotions from The Skrill South using a well developed and researched youth system. My main striker is also now in the England squad !

Ouch. Try to create some friendly for some profit? What's your max wage budget? These youth players I picked up were out of contract(Well, never had a club tbf). I don't get anything actually coming through the club.

Have you tried for a parent club? So far I've been unsuccesful to find a club four times.

Friendlies I've done, but not much profit really. I've been accepted every time but they never find a suitable club. Used my 4 long term loans at start of season, 2 of them got long term injuries in first two games. I've drawn 3 out of 3 so far. My wage budget is 3.2k and max per player is £240, I'm nearly 1k over budget already though.

I never realised how much harder it is with one of the bottom teams in this league compared to the top teams. We all do it with the bigger teams like telford, dover, boreham, stockport etc, but these teams where you can't sign all of the good free players for your level is much more challenging.

Yep it sure can be done ! I'm currently in the Championship and it's won with 7 games to go. I've had successive promotions from The Skrill South using a well developed and researched youth system. My main striker is also now in the England squad !

Not accusing you of anything, but if you get successive promotions from Skrill south to PL using your Youth system you've either cheated, landed a sugar daddy or the game is flawed.. either way it should not be possible.. not even to get close to achieve something like that!

I'm in 2036 with Histon, still in League 2 (been with the club since the start)

I've won FA Trophy twice and the Johnstone's Paint Trophy once though..

2038 now.. I'm in my first season in League 1.. I suspect I will be in this league for a good 5-10 seasons more!

I've used alot of own youth players (which probably is the main reason I've taken this long to get to L1), but its just that much more enjoyable (for me), when you get a single player or two every 3-5 years which make the starting 11

Best own youth player sofar:

I have done it with Dover, managed to sign a 35 year old Wayne Rooney in my promotion season from the Championship too. 0 goals in 20 games, then final day of the season he scored his first goal for the club to seal 2nd place. It was to be the last of his career as he retired at the end of the season.

4 games into my 2nd season with Gloucester, I have amassed a squad of 23 including 9 loans. 16 of that 23 are injured after 6 games! That's a little unrealistic surely but there we go. 3 games later I'm sacked for under-performance, when I'm only 4 points off the top half finish expectations despite having just 7 first team squad players fit! First time I've ever failed the challenge.

I would urge those who regularly do it successfully like myself, to try it with one of the lowest budget teams in the league at the start. It is so much more difficult!

Tried to do it with Tonbridge and after missing out on the play offs by 1 olace for 3 seasons i finally managed to make it before losing in the semi's. The following season we had a shocker start and was sacked in decemeber 2016. I don't believe people who managed to get from skrill south/north to prem in pretty much straght seasons, it's just not possible. Something like KRIS's journey to the top is so much more believable and realistic.

2038 now.. I'm in my first season in League 1.. I suspect I will be in this league for a good 5-10 seasons more!

I've used alot of own youth players (which probably is the main reason I've taken this long to get to L1), but its just that much more enjoyable (for me), when you get a single player or two every 3-5 years which make the starting 11

Best own youth player sofar:

Could you post more screenshots of him and your game in general. 717 appearances is crazy!

Tried to do it with Tonbridge and after missing out on the play offs by 1 olace for 3 seasons i finally managed to make it before losing in the semi's the following season we had a shocker start and was sacked in decemeber 2016. I don't believe people who managed to get from skrill south/north to prem in pretty much straght seasons, it's just not possible. Something like KRIS's journey to the top is so much more believable and realistic.

The first promotions are often the hardest, once you are professional team then generally you have a much much better squad than everyone else in the division, and a low reputation so you are constantly under-estimated, so successive promotions are often not hard.

I'm possibly half a season away from going from the Northern Premier League First Division South to the Premier League, and this is my 34th season. It's certainly possible.

Has it ever been done? I've just started a new game as Dorchester (predicted to finish rock bottom of Skrill South) and I'm playing a 3-1-2-2-1, a tactic I've never played before. I'm currently sitting 8th after 12 games and I've only conceded 8 and have scored 22. My aim is to build every aspect of the club up completely, I know it will take a lot of time but I seem to be enjoying this much more than anyother save I've tried!

I know people would of tried this before but I'm wondering if anyone has actually done it and if not, how far did they manage to get?

If present form continues, Fleetwood should manage it in real life in the next 5/6 years!

In-game though, haven't done it on FM14 (I really need a new laptop, it's getting really hard to deal with the load times) but on FM08 (I think, it was that or 07) I took Farsley from the Conference North to the Premier League in 12 seasons. I also did it in fifteen with Oxford City on last year's game. It's certainly possible, hundreds of people have done it. It doesn't take them as long as it should though, but I guess that's less a flaw in the game than a design feature to keep people interested.

I'd like to know how he kept his job.

If you read through his career thread, it's more remarkable that he kept his job in the first five seasons.

I'd like to know how he kept his job.

Just because you get relegated doesn't mean you get the sack. Although i must have been close.

First up we finished 5th, not third and were then relegated after finishing 12th the season inbetween. I had been at the club 25 years when that relegation occured so i was a Club Legend and very much part of the furniture.

That was the second relegation in my time with Cambridge, going down from the Championship back to League One. That relegation was the best thing that could have happened as from then on we were a totally different side and that kicked off a run of success for the club.

The closest i came to the sack was in the first few years on underachieving in the Skrill Premier and then again in my final year being given an target of 9 points from 5 games as i decided to challenge the new chairman's decision to not build a new stadium.

I did it with Bishop's Stortford in FM11 and Dover in FM12. This year I hope I can do it with Weymouth.

I've recently started a new save with Bath City in the Skrill South, and it's going quite well. Sitting 2nd after 22 games of the first season. Really enjoying it so far. Some saves I start and don't go back to after a few days, but I'm heavily into this one already. Most of my squad are young players with bags of potential, and I'm looking forward to regen day to get more good young players in. Aiming to build them into a top class team.

CM 93/94 was the last version of the game where I took a team from the bottom to European glory (York), but I want this save to be the one that ends this barren run.

Or it could end up being another Droylsden...

I'm possibly half a season away from going from the Northern Premier League First Division South to the Premier League, and this is my 34th season. It's certainly possible.

Who ya managing nobby?? I'm tempted give alfreton a go went to see em play 5 times last season (local non league club) love the ground/atmosphere etc

Newcastle Town, my home town club.

Newcastle Town, my home town club.

That the team fron near stoke?? Pretty sure we (notts county) played em in fa cup a few seasons ago??

I'm really struggling with my Chester save. The main issue is having a really low wage budget. Every player I scout that has 3 * potential wants insane money. Players will only ever sign 1 year deals and when I try to renew them, they are asking for close to £1,000 pw, which is absolutely ridiculous.

I actually have a relatively healthy wage budget of £14,000 pw but I just can't justify the £1,000 pw these players are requesting. At the end of the 1st season I lost 11 players who were all asking between £800 and £1,100 per week. They left on frees then promptly ALL signed for Skrill North/South teams on less than I was paying them. That's what I'm finding unrealistic about it. They could stay and earn £500-600 per week and train full time but chose to hold me to ransom then join sides in the tier below earning half the money and going back to being part time.

So ofc I had to replace those players with free transfers, and like I say, anyone with 3* or above potential is asking for £1000-£2000 per week, so I'm left with a squad full of very young kids, no squad stability and know that when I try and renew their contracts they will ask stupid amounts, leave on frees then go and sign for lesser teams on half the money I was offering. The above scenario has happened in all 5 of the seasons I've played so far, and tbh I'm on the verge of just giving up.

And the players on frees who ask me for £1000-£2000 per week always end up signing for similar or smaller teams than me on sensible wages that I can easily afford. And sign for 2 or 3 years.

Very very frustrated. Just seems like there is nothing I can do about it.

Players who reject your contract offer then go and sign for inferior teams at a fraction of the wages you offered is the single biggest issue in Football Manager for me, and it has been for years. Why this has never been fixed is beyond me. It's a massive pain in the backside, and just totally deflates you when you're trying to squad build, particularly at the lower levels.

I'm really struggling with my Chester save. The main issue is having a really low wage budget. Every player I scout that has 3 * potential wants insane money. Players will only ever sign 1 year deals and when I try to renew them, they are asking for close to £1,000 pw, which is absolutely ridiculous.

I actually have a relatively healthy wage budget of £14,000 pw but I just can't justify the £1,000 pw these players are requesting. At the end of the 1st season I lost 11 players who were all asking between £800 and £1,100 per week. They left on frees then promptly ALL signed for Skrill North/South teams on less than I was paying them. That's what I'm finding unrealistic about it. They could stay and earn £500-600 per week and train full time but chose to hold me to ransom then join sides in the tier below earning half the money and going back to being part time.

So ofc I had to replace those players with free transfers, and like I say, anyone with 3* or above potential is asking for £1000-£2000 per week, so I'm left with a squad full of very young kids, no squad stability and know that when I try and renew their contracts they will ask stupid amounts, leave on frees then go and sign for lesser teams on half the money I was offering. The above scenario has happened in all 5 of the seasons I've played so far, and tbh I'm on the verge of just giving up.

And the players on frees who ask me for £1000-£2000 per week always end up signing for similar or smaller teams than me on sensible wages that I can easily afford. And sign for 2 or 3 years.

Very very frustrated. Just seems like there is nothing I can do about it.

I found a way around this with Gloucester, to help me with my 4k wage budget in the conference. With about 2 months of their contract to go, place the player on the sell or release status on the unwanted list for your DoF. Although a few are purchased by other clubs, many are released for less than their remaining wages. As it is not yet the end of the season and new transfer window, other teams still have full squads and thus show little interest in most free agents. Then many of your released players will ask for a similar wage to what they were on before release. I kept 9 of my play off winning squad like this!