[FM14] Coaching my way to glory

Reserved

FM14, England down to level 8, large database.

I will be doing a career as a coach. This means I will be responsible for selecting the players for the game and playing the game itself. I will leave the transfers to the chairman or the director of football. Here are the things I won’t be responsible for:

- Signing

- Resigning

- Transfers

- Loans

If an offer comes for an unlisted player, I will sell him if the offer at least matches his value. I will take the advice from the backroom staff on listing players.

The goal of this career is to coach one day my favourite club, Manchester United.

The club that was randomly picked for me is Lancaster, from the Evo-Stik Northern First Division North. They are predicted to finish 4th. They are a semi professional club but everyone is on either a non-contract or an amateur contract.

Next up: July and August 2013

July and August Review

It started out pretty bad for the club as they lost their only goalkeeper on a free transfer to Gainsborough (Skrill North). Then the good news started to filter through as the club signed Peter Scott, a coach who is a former Fulham player.

The chairman also announced the signing of a director of football, Patrik Andersson from Sweden. The guy is a former international with 96 caps who played for Barcelona and Bayern. I’m really happy the club got him but I don’t understand why he accepted to be at such a lowly club! He will be running things in place of the chairman.

A 22 year old scout also joined the club. Although he looks pretty good for this level, I feel he is a bit young!

Three days after his arrival, Andersson made his first signing, a goalkeeper. I’m happy he got one because we had none and it was an urgent need. The problem is he blew half of our wage budget on him!

Mitchell Jones is a former Wrexham trainee who looks like he’ll be a decent keeper for the squad.

The other part of the budget was spent shortly after on Luke Dean, a 22 years old central midfielder. Luke is a former Bradford trainee who will be a solid player in the middle of the park at this level.

Just before the start of the season, Andersson was able to give me a left winger on loan from Doncaster and I was pretty happy. Billy is a decent player with potential to grow so we’ll give him playing time to help his development.

After a decent preseason, we start with a game at home against Cammell Laird. A very even match ends with us on the wrong side of a 1-0 game. We follow this defeat three days later with a deceiving 5-2 away loss to Warrington and suddenly find ourselves bottom of the table. It’s early days, but I’m worried about the small squad I’ve been given (19 players) and things get even worse with 2 injuries and the red card received in the match against Warrington. We have only 16 players available for the next game and confidence is real low. Thankfully, we rise to the challenge and win a tough away game at Padiham after going 2-1 down. It ends 4-2 and things seem good.

Two days later, we play again. The fixtures keep coming and this affects our small squad as no one is really fully fit for the match.

Once again, Andersson pulls off a deal, getting us an 18 year-old striker from Hartlepool on loan. Ben Wignall for 5 months.

We stick him right into the lineup for the home game against Burscough and he gets an assist on our lone goal in a 1-1 draw that we’ll take anyday after only a 2 days break from our last game.

We spend the next few days recuperating for the last game of the month on the 31st, our 5th in 14 days!

Meanwhile, Andersson is busy making loan deals and gets us a much needed left back for three months. Oliver Davies joins us from Stafford. I’m concerned about the loans since we’ll be losing these players and it will be hard to develop chemistry and build a club in the long term but for now, all we need is bodies and I’m happy with any two legged player.

We play at home against Clitheroe in the FA Cup Preliminary Round. They are in the same division so we’re hoping for a win. It turns out to be a perfect outing as we move into the next round with a 4-1 drubbing of Clitheroe who went down to 10 men in the second half. The newcomers Wignall and Whitehouse did well in this game. The crowd was good, with 629 turning out and we’re given £2,27K for reaching the 1st qualifying round. Our opponents will be West Didsbury and Chorlton, a level 9 club so it’s a favourable draw and we’ll be looking to advance. We lose Neil Marshall, a left back, for 5 weeks so we’re thankful Davies came in to our club.

The end of August means the departure of Mitchell Emmerson who was on trial for the last few weeks. He was decent and I hope the club can come to term with him but I don’t have much hope.

Next up: September. At the moment we have 6 games scheduled, including two cup games and 5 away games!

Will be following, I was toying with the idea of something like this so I will be keeping a close eye on it.

We start the month with another player leaving on a free (a fourth) but it’s a player I did not plan on using unless we were really short of strikers so it’s not too bad.

A few days before our first game of the month, Andersson gets us another player. Joe Rogers, a 21 years old center back/right back, joins the club on a non contract with a £25 appearance fee. He looks like he could become a good player but he is average at best at the moment. He is a former Stafford trainee. He’ll be a backup.

The first game of the month is away at Harrogate Railway and we kick things up with a 3-1 win, thanks to Wignall (2) and Whitehouse. It pains me to see them perform well and know that at some point, they’ll be leaving the club and we’ll be left with nothing.

We get our top striker back for the next game at home against Prescot Cables. Jordan Connerton, who scored a record 38 goals for the club back in 2009-2010, is back in the action. He had a short spell at Crewe in league 2 and also played in Salvador and in Iceland during his time away from Lancaster between 2010 and 2013. A small crowd of 116 gathered to see us win another league game 2-0 on goals from Dave Swarbrick and Oliver Davies.

The next game is against West Didsbury & Chorlton in the FA Cup first qualifying round and we give Rogers his first game since we have injury problems at the back. The board wants us to reach the next round so it’s a must win game. We play well and are rewarded with a nice 1-0 win and we advance to the next round. Jordan Connerton was the scorer. We’re given £3,54K for the win.

With a six game unbeaten run, things are running smooth at Lancaster but we’re still a fragile squad with pretty much no depth if we get a bad run of injuries.

The win in the cup means we’ll play the next round at the end of this month and the league game scheduled for that date is pushed back to October. We’ll be playing away to Barton Rovers, a club at our level so another chance to win money and advance towards the dream of the 1st round proper.

Next up is an FA Trophy Preliminary game away to Leatherhead, a team in our level. The board also wants us to reach the second qualifying round in this competition so we need to win this tie. The game ended in a disappointing 3-2 loss and sees us knocked out of the FA Trophy at the first hurdle, much to the dismay of the board. We received 6 yellow cards in this game, including two to Ben Hudson who was sent off and came back twice through Connerton, the second time while being a man down in the 83rd minute but Leatherhead crushed our chances with an 88th minute goal. Hudson will miss the next two games.

Good news did come through when Andersson signed Chris Jones, a 20 years old right back/center back who is going to be a starter for our club. He is on a non contract with a £25 appearance fee.

The last game of the month was the FA Cup 2nd qualifying round. Barton Rovers went ahead in the first half and I thought we were out of it but we bounced back in the second half and came back to win 2-1 on goals from Connerton and Wignall to book our ticket into the 3rd qualifying round, making up for our FA Trophy blunders by going further than the expectations. The prize money for this win was £5,32K

Next up: October. We have 8 games scheduled, including a cup game.

The month started well with a 2-0 win at home against New Mills. Glenn Steel and Jordan Connerton scored the goals and we moved into 4th spot.

Next up was the FA Cup 3rd qualifying round, scheduled a week ago, away (again!) to Bedworth, a club at our level. We went down early but stormed back with three goals, including two from Connerton, to pull ourselves within a win of the 1st round proper! We’ve been given £8,87K for the win.

The draw for the 4th qualifying round surprisingly put us into an away game... but it is against Farsley, a club in our league so the dream is pretty much alive!

Our next game was against Atherton Collieries, a level 9 club, in the Lancashire County FA Challenge Trophy 1st round. It was a disgrace. Once again we get 6 yellow cards and a player sent off and lose 2-0 away in a cup game! The board wanted us to reach the semi-final so we have to be ashamed really!

We played much better in the next game, a 4-3 away win to Ramsbottom. We never looked like losing despite the score as we had 2-0, 3-1 and 4-2 leads and their 3rd goal came in the 90th minute. We also had 3 goals disallowed. Wignall (2 assists), Whitehouse (1 goal) and Connerton (2 goals, 2 assists) led the offence. The win did come at a high cost as we’ll be without Connerton for 6 to 8 weeks!

Three days later, we travel to Mossley for another league game and find a way to win despite the absence of our top striker. We play a solid away game and come out with a 3-1 win. Wignall, McKenna and Hunter provide the goals. The win puts us in 3rd, 4 points away from top spot with 3 games in hand so I’m a happy coach.

We only get 4 days of rest before playing another away game, this time to Farsley for a spot in the FA Cup 1st round proper!

A day before that game, we get another player. Laton Wint, a 21 years old centre back/left back joins us on a non contract and will start at left back in the cup game since Davies, a loanee, is not eligible for cup games due to his loan clause.

In what was our biggest game so far, we started very bad and went down early. At that point, being down, away and without our top striker, I felt we were not going to make it but from then on, we were the better team and stormed back to win 2-1 thanks to Wignall and Luke Dean. We are through to the 1st round proper! We are awarded £14,78K for the win. We lose Wignall for 3 to 4 weeks so injuries are starting to pile up. The draw puts us at home against League 2 club Mansfield, a huge draw!

The last game of the month was away to Prescot Cables. We ran away with it in the second half after Prescot had a player sent off at the end of the first half. The game ended 3-1 with goals from Thompson, Swarbrick and Jackson.

Next up: November. We have 9 games, including a cup game against Mansfield at home.

I see from your location you're a typical local United fan.

I see from your location you're a typical local United fan.

Well I do support Montreal Impact from the MLS but my favorite European club is ManU. I've been to Old Trafford too.

I've been to Old Trafford too.

Which is more than 99% of their so called "fans".

The acid test though, is can you point to Manchester on a map?

On topic, great cup run. Hopefully you can make a few quid.

We start the month with a tough away match at Ossett Albion and come out 1-0 winners in a very even game. Whitehouse was the scorer. Oliver Davies injured himself pretty bad and the estimated length of his recovery far exceeds his loan spell so we’ve terminated the loan.

The next game, our last before the FA Cup clash, went well at home against Clitheroe and we won 2-1 on goals from Swarbrick and McKenna. The win puts us top of the league. The lack of cover, the injuries and the fact we are fighting for a good place in the league meant I had to play the best available players and the cup tie in 4 days might suffer but we have no choice.

2583 fans show up at the Giant Axe to see us attempt a huge upset. I’m pretty sure the board is already happy with the gate receipt! Our tired squad, without two key players, is a heavy underdog. The first half is a nail biting display and we are outplayed badly but surprisingly come up with the first goal in the 44th minute through Swarbrick! We go into half time with the lead. In the second half, Mansfield keep hammering us and we hold on for dear life! We are ready to celebrate when Mansfield score in the 93rd minute (the last one scheduled by the referee) to earn a replay!! We are gutted... But have a replay at Mansfield, which could prove huge!

The day after the cup tie, Andersson gets us another player on loan, Navid Nasseri, a 17 years old midfielder from Bury. He should provide adequate cover.

If by miracle we win away at Mansfield, the second round would be against a Skrill South club.

Next up was a cup game, the 1st round of the Doodson Sport Northern Premier Challenge Cup. Goals from Swarbrick and Jackson were enough to see us coast to a 2-0 win at home and a berth into the next round. We’ve lost both Chris Jones and Laton Wint for 2 weeks. The second round draw has pitted us against Ossett Town at home.

Our little squad takes on Bamber Bridge in a league match, 4 days before the FA Cup game. Wignall is cleared to play but I opt to give him the 4 days of rest and not play him. I hope the decision does not backfire. The game ends in a 0-0 draw, even with Bamber Bridge down to 10 men most of the game.

The replay of the FA Cup 1st round was always going to be tough. Being away, we’re even more of an underdog but at least we have Wignall back. We do have our backup left and right back though... 2159 turn up at the Field Mill. Once again, we shock the fans with an 11th minute goal from Whitehouse and take a 1-0 lead into half time, again...

In the second half, our keeper makes huge saves early on but our best center back gets injured so we have now 3 backups at the back! 10 minutes later, our other center back gets injured too! Seriously, are you kidding me??? I’m worried to death with a 1-0 lead, 25 minutes left and all backups at the back while we’re trying to hold off a club hammering us! I’m praying that Michael Jones, the keeper, does not get injured. We hold on and I see the referee signal for 4 minutes of added time. I’m livid, can’t this end before I have a stroke! 93rd minute, Mansfield score!! %?$?& is all I can think of from the bench!

Extra time it is then! Mansfield get a man sent off in the 95th minute. It was coming as they had 5 players on yellow cards. We have two players on yellows still on the pitch and I take the last change to put young Nasseri on. We give up a penalty in the 97th minute against 10 men and they convert! I just can’t believe it! As if things were not bad enough, we get a player injured 3 minutes from time and can’t get a sub in for him! We give up another penalty in the last minute but Jones saves it!! The ref blows the whistle and our cup run is over... I’m gutted... I can’t fault the lads, they’ve given everything in the two legs and we made them work hard.

The board can’t be mad as they’ve got a healthy profit from the two games and we’ve far exceeded the expectations.

The end of the month looked like it could provide a massive test as we play 3 league games in 8 days.

In the first one, a home game against relegation fighter Northwich, we play a horrible first half but get away with it thanks to 2 goals from Navid Nasseri and a 2-1 win.

The next day, Andersson signs Dillan O’Connor, a 19 years old centre back, on a non contract. It’s a nice addition to the squad and he’ll be fighting for a spot on the starting eleven with Glenn Steel who is on loan.

The game is at home against Darlington and marks the debut of O’Connor and the return of Connerton. We celebrate his return by smashing them 4-1, with Wignall scoring a hattrick and Luke Dean getting the other.

We end the month with an away game at Farsley who are keen on getting revenge for the FA Cup loss. We never look in the game and lose 2-0, our first defeat in 13 games. It doesn’t make it easier to swallow though. We are 2nd in the league, 5 points behind Ramsbottom with 3 games in hand.

Next up: December.

Arrrrrgggghhhhh the curse of the injury time underdog strikes you twice - gutted for you mate.

As the month starts, Andersson announce to me that he has taken on trial a 17 year old winger, Kevin Dunkley. He looks like a good player and I intend on giving him the chance to show what he can do.

The first game is a cup game so I give a rest to a few key players and start Dunkley, Nasseri and Jackson in place of Wignall, Whitehouse and Connerton. We dominate the play but have to come from behind to win and turn a 2-1 defeat into a 3-2 win and a place into the next round. Goals: Dunkley, Dean, Swarbrick.

The big guns are back for the next game, away to Cammell Laird, a club that hammered us at the start of the season but who are currently in the drop zone. Not much motivation needed here to get the boys going! We do enough to win the game and get revenge. It ends 2-1. Goals: Dean, Whitehouse.

We’ve lost Rob Henry, a backup, to Alsager.

Once in a while, you dominate a game and don’t get rewarded for it and the game against Warrington at home was exactly that. We end up drawing 1-1 in a game we really should have won but that’s how life goes sometimes. We’re in 2nd place at the moment which is really nice. Goal: Connerton.

The next game was in the league again and we wanted to erase the last game from our memory and get back to our winning ways. Clitheroe aren’t a bad team and they took the lead early. We stormed back with 2 quick goals before half time and it was enough to secure a good away win. Goals: Wignall, Dean.

Three days later, we travelled again for an away game to Curzon Ashton who sit 4th in the league. We didn’t show up and ended up losing 2-0 despite them playing with ten men for most of the second half. To make matters worse, Wignall broke his toe and will be out for 3 months. It’s a big blow and we hope Nasseri can step up.

With 5 days of rest, we headed into the next game at home against Kendal with confidence. With Kendal lying in 3rd place, we needed to win the game in order to distance ourselves from our pursuant. We answered with a solid 4-1 win with Connerton notching a hattrick and Nasseri scoring the other goal.

We didn’t have time to celebrate the win much as 2 days later we welcomed Ossett Town for our last game of 2013.

Before the game, Andersson was able to get another player on trial. This time, it’s a 20 years old right back. I might give him a game.

We kept our form going by absolutely dominating Ossett Town and getting ourselves another win, 3-0 this time. Nasseri is proving to be a good replacement for Wignall at the moment and he got himself 2 assists in this game. Goals: Swarbrick, Connerton, Whitehouse.

Here is the league table on New Year’s Eve:

Next up: January. We have 8 games.

Glenn Steel’s loan ended on January 1st. With 3 goals and 3 assists from 29 games, the center back has been a good player for us and he won’t be easy to replace.

We continued on our good run of form by defeating Burscough away in the league 3-0 with 2 late goals. The game was closer than it looks. Nasseri, Whitehouse and Connerton scored the goals while Garry Hunter assisted on two goals to get man of the match. With the win, we move into first place in the league for the first time this season!

We went back home to face Harrogate and try to retain our first place. We take a 3-1 lead at the half and hold on in the second to win 3-2 after only a 3 days rest. Next game is again in 3 days so things are starting to be busy! Goals: Hunter, Nasseri, Connerton.

We traveled to Wakefield for our next game and after an uneventful first half, the wheels fell off for us and we ended up losing 3-0

Next up is Radcliffe Boro away. We lose a second game in a row, 1-0 this time and I’m a bit worried by this little dip in form. The good news keep coming as Whitehouse’s loan deal expires so we lose a key player for this season.

We hope that the cup game at home against Burscough (who we’ve beaten in the league at the start of the month) can bring back our winning ways. A place in the quarters is at stake. We go down a goal early but storm back in the second half to run away with a 2-1 victory. Goals: Thompson, Connerton.

Before our next game, we learned that Paul Charles, a 17 years old full back, joins us on a free transfer. He will be on £30 a week until 2015. We hope he’ll be a good right back for us.

Next up was Ossett Albion at home in the league. We lose Wignall whose loan ended just before the game. In 21 games, he scored 10 goals and assisted on 10 and we will miss him dearly.

Paul Charles makes a stunning debut to his career with a red card in the 20th minute! We set ourselves to hold on to a draw but Connerton scores to get a surprise 1-0 win with 10 men. The win means we are still top of the league by a point. We do have three games in hand.

The month ends with only 6 games played since 2 games were postponed to next month.

Next up: February.

On the pitch

We won four of five in the league, including the first one where we went down 1-0 before scoring 4 unanswered goals. It was a tough defeat against Darlington and also in the cup against Ilkeston but the win against Ramsbottom was very rewarding. Nasseri was on form with a tally of 4 goals. Injuries have not been helping us as we currently have Connerton injured so this is a big blow. We actually have still a game in hand and are 4 points above Ramsbottom so things are looking good and we can hope for promotion. Darlington do have huge attendances for a club at this level!

Transfers

We’ve lost a player which I barely used this season. Billy Akrigg, a winger, has signed for Garforth (level 7). I don’t see why they picked him up. Maybe they have seen something in him which neither me nor Andersson has seen...

On the pitch

It didn’t look good at first. A draw after we went down, a huge defeat and a 2-0 deficit in the 3rd game of the month against Radcliffe Boro. But then we managed a great comeback to win the game 3-2. We rode the wave in the next game but were brought back to earth at the last game of the month. We end March with a 5 points lead over Farsley with 5 games to go. We start April with a home game against them so it should be a dandy. Mark Jackson did well in the absence of Connerton with 4 goals in 4 and a half games (Connerton did play one half before being injured again!).

Transfers

It seems our youth intake was decent enough. Andersson has signed all of the 16 players. None of them seem ready for first team action but they should provide adequate urgency cover if needed.

On the pitch

Winning 3 of 5 was way enough to secure the title as we finished 11 points clear of all three pursuant who did their best to choke down the stretch. Ramsbottom who were 1st/2nd for most part of the season managed to not make the playoffs! Brian McGuinness, a youth product, was given a few chances to show what he can do and he did well, earning his first goal. We also won the Peter Swales Challenge Shield against the other Evo-Stik Regional winners, Leek. Off we are to the Evo-Stik Northern Premier Division!

Our little run in the FA Cup has somehow earned me the LMA FA Cup Manager of the Year, voted by other managers. I’m flattered but in all honesty, I don’t understand it!

Transfers

Nothing happened on that front, which was quite normal.

Season review

Couldn’t be happier honestly. We finished top, helped by a bunch of loanees but also by Connerton who was as good as I expected. Most contracts run out (players and staff) so next season we’ll probably have a very different squad. Andersson doesn’t seem to want to stay at the club so changes will come in every aspect of the club. The wage budget has gone up so probably a few more players will come on contracts and we’ll be less likely to be vulnerable to other teams poaching players.

Next: On to the offseason!

Transfers

It’s been a busy summer. Overall, I think we’ve improved. Due to our bigger wage budget, most of our starting eleven is now formed of players on semi-professional contracts. All seven players brought in are on a 1 year contract. Five of them will feature in my optimal starting XI if things stand as they are. We do have a problem once again this season in net. Our goalkeeper is a youngster from the youth products and is nowhere near ready for this caliber. Let’s hope the month of August will bring us a new keeper.

On the staff front, we’ve lost 5 members and gained five to replace them. I’m sad that the club wasn’t able to re-sign Andersson, but that was to be expected.

On the pitch

Not a very good preseason as we didn’t win a single game. What’s more deceiving is that we lost one and drew 2 against club from our former division. I expect us to stay clear of relegation as we seem to have enough quality for this level. We’re actually a player away from a top club in my opinion (a goalkeeper).

Finances update: The club is actually about £50K in the red. Let’s hope they sort it out.

Next up: August.

Transfers

August did bring us a goalkeeper! A solid 18 years old youth product of Oldham. He actually played a game in League One for them last season. It also brought us another center back and a striker who looks pretty good for this level. We are looking solid.

On the pitch

A nice but bizarre start to our season in level 7. We did win 2 out of 3, both away! It might not be such a struggle at this level after all. The new players are doing well and Connerton doesn’t look out of place at all with 3 goals in 3 games.

Financial update

We are about £76K in the red. This is mainly due to our director of football’s lack of awareness to the wage budget. He is £700 per week over it.

Next up: September.

Transfers

Only a couple of players for depth purposes it seems. One on a non contract and the other on loan.

On the pitch

Not a bad month but there won’t be any cup runs this season in our two main cups. A good month in the league puts us in 2nd place. It’s still early but I can see us challenging for promotion this season with the club the DoF has assembled. Tom Rutter had a blinder in the FA Trophy.

Financial update:

Still on a downward spiral on that front. We are overspending but that’s not my department. As long as the club does well on the pitch, I think we’ll be fine.

Next up: October.

Great stuff

Where did you get the file?

Great stuff

Where did you get the file?

Here

Transfers

Only two this month. A fringe player has left us for another club. Neil Marshall has left us for Sunderland RCA. He’s played 153 games for the club over 7 season so I wish him the best. A youth player, Tom Bradley, has been loaned out to Ossett Town of level 8.

On the pitch

We didn’t lose a game this month but we’ve only won 2 out of 6, including a close call against a lowly team in the cup. Connerton is doing well and has found his stride but I feel Rutter is the better player moving forward so there might be a bit of a rotation. Anyways, Connerton is often injured so there is plenty of time for the both of them.

We finish the month in 3rd place, only three points off the lead with 2 games in hand so we’re really doing well in the league.

Finances update:

The finances continue to deteriorate and the club is now over the £100K in the red mark.

Next up: November.

Transfers

Only a loan out here, another youth player.

On the pitch

Another unbeaten month that sees us advancing in the two cups we are still in. The attack seems a bit more balanced now with 4 players providing most of the goals in Rutter, Connerton, Brooksby and Mulligan. Bamber Bridge must hate us for ending their cup runs twice in the same month. We end the month in 3rd place, well behind the top two.

Finances update

Horrible month again. We are leaking money left and right.

Next up: December.

Great thread mate, going back to FM14 myself. I'll be following, have to catch up first.

Transfers

Two loans in for a few months. The first one we probably won’t use since he is my 6th best option at center back. The second one, from Port Vale, will be in the first XI for his time here.

On the pitch

It was a great month that culminated with this gem of a game. First time we have a club parking the bus!

I don’t blame them as they are near the bottom of the league and we are scoring a lot of goals recently. Mullins’ loan expires in a few days and he scored a penalty in his last game. He was a decent player.

We are in third place still, quite a few points from the top two but we still have a few games in hand so maybe we have a chance to catch up. We are off to the semis of the Lancashire Challenge Trophy, which is very nice.

Finances update

Still losing loads of money. If that keeps up, we’ll easily go over the £200K mark...

Next up: January.

Transfers

A few moves this month. Aaron Taylor, a striker we rarely used, was free transferred to Bishop Auckland, a club from the lower divisions. We’ve loaned a player in from Burnley, but it’s unlikely he will be featuring much.

On the pitch

We had a pretty good month again, managing to advance in a cup and keep our dream of winning the division very much alive as we now sit 3 points above Chorley and 6 points clear of Nantwich. Rutter and Connerton continue to impress and Greenway-Tambini proves to be a very good addition.

Finances update

Still leaking money but the board has cut the deficit in half by twice injecting £40K this month so we’re back to “only” £75K in debt this season for a balance of £101K in the red.

Next up: February.

Transfers

Only one. Dave Swarbrick left for Sunderland RCA. He was a fringe player this season after a solid season in level 8 last year so he will get his chance at his new club.

On the pitch

We slipped up a bit this month with 3 defeats in a row. The one against lower league AFC Blackpool in the cup semi final really hurt us. We now only have the Doodson Cup remaining. Our mixed results and the defeat against FC United means that the league is as tight as possible at the top and it is now basically a race between four clubs. Tom Rutter was on great form this month.

Finances update

A loss of €22K this month.

Next up: March.

I hope you do well just because the stadium has such a fantastic name.

Transfers

Only one transfer. Dean Melia joins on loan from Tranmere. He is still young and we are in a fight for promotion so he might not get much playing time.

On the pitch

Not the greatest month but we are still in the hunt for the title. Rutter had a 4-goal game. Too bad our run in the Doodson Cup ended in the semi-final. We are 1 point behind with a game in hand but FC United are also in the mix.

Finances update

We are €45K up this month, only thanks to an €80K injection from the board.

Next up: April.

Transfers

No transfers for this month.

On the pitch

We did really well until the Matlock game. Rutter and Connerton were at their best. We needed at least a draw in the last game against 2nd place club Nantwich in order to secure the title in a 1st vs 2nd last game showdown. It was a crazy game and we ran away with it in the second half thanks to Connerton and Mulligan. Connerton also became the club’s all time best league goalscorer!

Finances update

Another loss, this time of €9K.

Next up: Offseason.

Congrats on the title win! Connerton is an absolute goal machine!

Congrats on the title win! Connerton is an absolute goal machine!

Thanks! Yeah he is... or was I should say...

Transfers

We lost quite a few players after their contract was not renewed or they refused to sign for the club. Seven of the 8 players were first team members so it looks like a complete overhaul is on the way. Particularly sad to see Rutter and Connerton go of course but Brooksby, Mulligan and Sumner are also players that did quite well for us.

Coming to the club are three solid players for this level in Conway and Lynch in the midfield and Harrison as a center back.

On the pitch

Not a great preseason at all. We struggled a lot due to a lack of players and not much chemistry. Let’s hope it’s not a sign of things to come.

Finances update

A loss of €53K. The new wage budget €6.2K won’t help the club stay afloat either but there is talk of a takeover so who knows! There are three buyers interested it seems. One is a local businessman, one is a group of businessmen involving a former footballer and the other is the supporter’s trust so it’s wide open!

Next up: August.

Transfers

Three transfers in this month. All three will feature in the first XI but two of them will leave in January since they are only on loan.

We lost a player who was on an amateur contract. Dillan O’Connor goes to Guiseley of the Skrill Conference Premier. He was a good depth center back.

On the pitch

A great start to our life in the Conference North. Two wins a two draws which leave us in the playoffs. Minshull is absolutely incredible for this level. Too bad he is only here for half of the season.

Finances update

The takeover saga ended with a consortium buying the club. They are planning to remove me and put another guy in it seems. Might be time to get my resume up to date! We are €50K in the black now, mostly due to the loan taken out by the new owners.

Next up: September.

Interesting save style. Best of luck for keeping your job after the takeover, doubt you'll have too many problems.

Welcome back.