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[FM15] If there were handicaps in football, I'd be on 100


HotChocolate

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Some of you may remember me from such threads as The FMCU Forum Quiz 2012! or The FMCU Forum Quiz- Season 2, sadly a new job got in the way of keeping active on these threads and active on Football Manager. However, a new job have given me the time to get back to playing FM and being active on here!

I started a demo save and then carried on from there: 3 seasons later I’m still on the save so I’ll quickly update you without missing too many important bits.

I chose to start unemployed in England and set myself as Sunday League with a National C License!

Couple months into the season in October, I took the first job that was offered to me…

Hednesford Town

Season 2014-2015

Hednesford.png

I was 18th when I first took over and came up against Colwyn Bay who were rock bottom for my first game in management.

Solid start I thought, even if I’m more defensive than a ‘we’ll score more than you’ type of manager. However, having had the setback of being 18th achieving a play-off position was always going to be a challenge.

Sadly, a poor run to the end of the season cost us the chance of promotion and we had to settle for 8th.

I was pleased with how we’d improved and was looking forward to build over the summer with the hope of challenging for promotion next year. Unfortunately, the people above weren't as pleased and after the last game of the season they challenged me to gain 11 points from the first 5 matches of the new season…

Team			League			Position	FA Cup		FA Trophy	Notes
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hednesford Town		Conference North	8th		4th Qual Rnd	1st Round	Took over in October

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We entered the new season full of hope and optimism - we'd had a good summer, built well and were raring to go! I'd almost forgotten about the requirement of 11 points in my first 5 games...

Hednesford Town

Season 2015-2016

Hednesford.png

James McQuilkin and Khius Metz were my main 2 signings, albeit Metz was on loan.

Newcomers Blyth Spartans were the opposition for our first game of the new season and we started with a solid 3-1 win. With both McQuilkin and Metz getting on the score sheet to bring home 3 points confidence was good going into the next game. Tamworth the opposition, we started well taking the lead after 29 minutes. Playing through the 2nd half we seemed to be holding out for the win, until a mistake in defence left Amenku clear to claim an 89th minute equalizer. 4 points from 6 - a win in the next game would put us back on track and that's exactly what we got! Metz opened the scoring before Melvin put us 2 up and although we had a nervous last 10 minutes we held out for the win to take our tally to 7 points from 9.

Knowing 1 win and 1 draw would do it for us I was determined to get the boards prying eyes away from me so I could manage without having to worry about the sack. Sadly, we never got going in the game against Worcester City and an own goal in the 28th minute cost us the game.

Still, a win in my next game would take me to 10 points out of 15 - something the board couldn't moan at right? Nope - I wasn't even given that chance, the board had 'seen enough' and wanted change. So after less than a year in charge I was sacked as Hednesford Town manager...

Key Players:

Malcolm Melvin - George Waring - Danny Glover - Henry Cameron - Archie Love

Team			League			Position	FA Cup		FA Trophy	Notes
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hednesford Town		Conference North	8th		4th Qual Rnd	1st Round	Took over in October
Hednesford Town		Conference North	-		-		-		Sacked in August

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After my short time at Hednesford I wanted to bounce straight back and prove my managerial abilities.

Within a couple of months I'd accepted a job offer from Tamworth who were in the lower half of the Vanarama Confernance North. The objective was a top half finish.

Tamworth

Season 2015-2016

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Thrown into the deep end we had AFC Telford just hours after putting pen to paper. My main aim to begin with was tighten the defence and make sure we didn't concede sloppy goals. So with a fresh 4-5-1 formation we went into the game and got off to a flying start, Alex Simmons put us 1-0 up within 2 minutes - the belief was there! Half time came and I told them I was pleased with the way they were playing but to make sure they didn't get complacent. They did, and just seconds after kick off Telford had equalized. We got the game going again and by winning the midfield battle we held possession and created opportunities to get the second which duly came from the penalty spot. Alex Simmons tucking away his 2nd of the game to put us 2-1 up with less than half an hour left. The defensive problems continued though as we couldn't hold the lead for longer than 5 minutes and back came Telford to make it 2-2. The game petered out and we took a point from my first game in charge.

I took the positives from my first game and was confident of moving up the table, albeit slowly. Sadly, my confidence was taken away in just the next game. A 4-0 defeat to Gainsborough showed me just how tough this gig was going to be. We worked hard on tightening the defence, tried various formations to stop leaking the goals but nothing worked. The team were low in confidence and belief and we were rapidly falling down the table. It took 8 league games just to earn my first clean sheet and 9 league games to earn my first win. However, a glimmer of hope came within those games: we'd been unbeaten in 5, winning 2 and drawing 3. It was enough to bring back belief that the bottom 3, who were now right behind us, would soon be out of our sight and we'd be looking towards the top half.

Yet again, the hope was beaten out of us as we suffered 3 defeats on the trot and were now staring straight at relegation. But the bounce-back-ability returned and we smashed bottom of the league Blyth Spartans 4-0 to take us 3 points away from the drop with 10 games remaining.

10 games to save our season, 10 games to pick up enough points to make sure we were still in the league next season. Sadly, with my most horrific run of results in FM, we stood no chance. Blyth Spartans was our last win of the season. Just 1 point from a possible 30 had signed and sealed our relegation, which was confirmed before the last game of the season. We couldn't score and we couldn't defend. I desperately tried everything to change our fortunes but it wasn't to be.

Tamworth were, to everyones surprise, relegated from the Vanarama Conference North. Oh, and to rub salt into the wounds - Hednesford Town got promoted.

A few days after the last game of the season I resigned.

The best of a bad bunch:

Charles-Anthony Weston-Hayles - Max Hazeldine - Ryan Ellison - Wes Daly

Team			League			Position	FA Cup		FA Trophy	Notes
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hednesford Town		Conference North	8th		4th Qual Rnd	1st Round	Took over in October
Hednesford Town		Conference North	-		-		-		Sacked in August
Tamworth		Conference North	21st		-		3rd Qual Rnd	Relegated	

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I'm starting to understand the title of this thread a lot more ;)

Hopefully it'll become an irrelevant title... hopefully.

The Hednesford board were brutal. They must have a betting syndicate going on or something like that to be that cut throat with their managers.

I thought it was harsh but at the end of the day we had a meeting at the end of the season and I was told in my next 5 games to earn 11 points so it's not as though I wasn't warned!

Jeez. Not much going on there... Good luck at club #3

Just a typical save for me, but I'm enjoying the game in general!

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I wasn't after a holiday, I was after a new team.

Very quickly I attended many interviews and faced the inevitable question "Last term you were in charge of Tamworth who were relegated, this doesn't look good, what happened?" but I reassured them all I'm a young manager that has learnt from that relegation and would make sure it wasn't to happen again. Most seemed pleased with the way I conducted myself and I had many job offers to consider just weeks after resigning from Tamworth.

Staines, Alfreton & Ebsfleet all offered me the job on the same day. However, I'd also been interviewed by Boreham Wood and during the interview the Chairman had grabbed me, his vision and willingness to give me time in return for loyalty was an opportunity I couldn't let go (especially given my record!). So I said thanks, but no thanks to the other 3 and hoped the risk paid off. It did. And a few days later Boreham Wood approached me...

Boreham Wood

Season 2016-2017

Boreham_Wood.png

So I rolled up to beautiful Borehamwood in Hertfordshire looking forward and desperately trying to forget the past.

My first task was simply, hire some backroom staff - it seems as though the last manager was a 'I'm a one-man show' as there was no-one around! Once I'd got the coaches and scouts in place I was instantly scruitinsing my team. Where do I need to improve? Who isn't cut out for this league? Who do I need to look to?

I layed out my tactic of 4-2-3-1 and started scouting the country for young players that would fit the system. I'm not a big spender typically, I like to rely on youth players, free transfers and loans but I made an exception this year. "]Joe Ironside of Leamington Spa was highly recommended by both scouts and seemed to be available within my transfer budget. I took a gamble, negotiations were long and at times I thought I was over-paying but with clauses to make sure that I'd only pay extra if he was on form, I was happy.

The last transfer before the season started was Austin Lipman on loan from parent club Arsenal, he completed the team. Someone natural to the AMC position and one with obvious talent to help link up with lone strike Joe Ironside. I was ready, I was confident and I couldn't wait to start.

Transfers

It was a poor start, we opened with a 1-0 defeat to Concord Rangers which was followed by a 0-0 draw with Basingstoke just 2 days later. A 2-0 defeat to Bromley in my 3rd game had me questioning some signings, most notably Joe Ironside - 3 games and 0 goals, had I made an awful decision? When the full time whistle blew against Eastbourne Boro and it was another 0-0 I was demorilised. What do you have to do to win games? Or even score a goal?

Ironside was dropped for young and inexperieced David Moli, he wasn't ready. But he was determined to prove the selection was justified. He ran his socks off, battled all game and then broke through in the 89th minute, his finish was cool and calm... 2-1, 3 points and a huge sigh of relief. Go again I said and they did, we ran out 4-2 winners against Bath courtesy of a 1st half Moli hat-trick - putting Ironside to shame. The belief in the team was there and we just wanted the games to keep coming. Ironside broke his goal drought in the next, a 3-0 win at Canvey Island and then got 2 more in the following 3-0 victory over Maidenhead.

We had clicked, we were on form and we were enjoying football. Our run halted slightly with defeats to Whitehawk, Chelmsford and Billericay but those were followed by an 11 match unbeaten run.

After we beat league leaders Welling 1-0 we closed the gap to 8 points, I wanted to chase them down and seemed the only team likely to do so. Unfortunately, we drew 3 of the next 5, losing the other 2. Welling had also slipped up but not as much as us, maybe the pressure had got us? With just 11 games remaining I'd ruled out winning the league and automatic promotion, I was focused on the play-offs.

We ended the season in great form and we never looked like giving up 2nd place. Injuries kicked in though, we'd lost Lipman for the season - possibly the most vital player to our style of play and Ironside, who'd had a great season in front of goal, kept picking up knocks during games. I couldn't complain, throughout our runs I never had any selection problems, we were fresh and injury free so losing Lipman and a couple of reserves towards the end was, almost expected.

Welling had won the league with about 3/4 games left, so we knew our season was being extended. Play-offs, everyones nightmare.

League Fixtures 1 - League Fixtures 2

FA Cup - disappointing, we'd only just taken VCD to a replay with a 93rd minute equalizer in the 1st game.

FA Trophy - disappointing again, cup games just aren't our forte

Whitehawk were our semi-final opponents and we went into the tie full of confidence, we'd finished highest in the league out of the play-off teams and we were on great form.

Whitehawk vs Boreham Wood - Play-off Semi Final 1st Leg

What a start we made, 8 minutes in and winger James Akintunde had put us 1-0 up. I wasn't holding back, I wanted us to go and get a 2nd. Kill the game in the 1st leg now we're in control and they've got a lot to do back at our place. Sadly, that never materialised, even though I demanded they kept the pressure on they seemed nervous to not make a mistake which would lead to a Whitehawk equalizer. But they were making mistakes, they were picking up yellow cards left, right and centre. Fortunately we saw the game out and took the advantage back to Meadow Park for the 2nd leg.

Boreham Wood vs Whitehawk - Play-off Semi Final 2nd Leg

Talk about backs against the wall job! Whitehawk knew they needed to score and we knew they'd come at us, I set the team up to take advantage of their attacking play but we couldn't. We were pinned in our own half, defending for our lives. Half time came and I made substitutions, something I don't usually do. It was needed, we needed to get possesion back and get at them, it didn't work. We were holding out though and Whitehawk seemed to be getting frustrated with the inability to beat Doherty in goal. 70 minutes on the clock, I made the decision to sit back and keep the 0-0. 80 minutes gone, I put everyone behind the ball. We were not going to concede. Finally, in the 93rd minute, we took advantage of their overload attacking mentality. Lone striker Joe Ironside had beaten the offside trap and was through on goal, he wasn't going to miss... 1-0. We were off to the play off final! The bad news came after the game, ever present keeper, Harry Doherty had picked up a knock in the first half and unfortunately twisted his ankle. 3 weeks he was out.

Boreham Wood vs Bromley - Play-off Final

We walked out at Meadow Park (our home stadium, the highest placed team in the play-off final hosts the game - strange I know!). Our fans were expectant, we'd finished 2nd, we'd not lost since February and we were on form. The first half was nervy, both teams had chances but no one was troubling. Ironside was marked out of the game, so it was down to Richie Ball, the replacement for Austin Lipman to initiate anything. He struggled to gain composure and struggled to carve out any good chances. We went into the break with the score tied, 0-0. With a win here you can be playing in the Conference next season I reminded them and sent them back out. It didn't inspire them and whatever Bromley's manager had said worked a treat. 4 minutes into the 2nd half... BANG, 1-0. Sucker punch. Then 15 minutes later, experienced midfielder Sam Cox picked up 2 yellow cards in 2 minutes. Our task became a whole lot harder. From the resulting free kick of Cox's 2nd yellow the ball was headed powerfully into the back of the net by Danny Elliot, 2-0. Attack, attack, attack was the instruction, we had to get 2 goals but with 10 men and a solid Bromley defence it wasn't going to be easy. 10 minutes left on the clock we gave away any chance of salvaging something and we gave promotion to Bromley. Penalty. Danny Elliot wasn't going to miss, he made it 3-0 and our fans started leaving the stadium whilst Bromley cracked open the champagne. There was no coming back. The referee blew his whilst for full time on the game and on the season.

League Table - Competitions - Finances - Transfers

We'd finished the season with the best defence in the league which was pleasing - especially as during my interview I explained I wanted to play defensive football! However, we'd also got one of the worst disciplinary records.

Our squad was good, we'd mixed a couple of experienced players in with youngsters and they worked together brilliantly. Surprise of the season was keeper Harry Doherty, I'd initially signed him as back-up but decided to give him a chance and he never let me down. Player of the season could have been handed to a number of players. Joe Ironside was on fire after his shaky start but he wouldn't have done it without Austin Lipman who also chipped in with a couple of goals. Then there was James Akintunde on the wing who's goal tally sat nicely at 14 and defender Jamie Grimes played a big part in keeping out the opposition.

I never felt like I needed to tinker with my tactics during the season, I let them be flexible with the position and told them to be in control. Look to get forward but also be wary of the oppositions threat. And apart from the odd sticky patch, the tactic worked well.

Shortly after the play-off final I signed a new contract, I'd thought about it before putting pen to paper though. I mean, a 4th season in Englands 6th tier? Not that appealing. But with just a couple of signings I was hopeful the team would go one better next season and pick up the title along with promotion.

Team			League			Position	FA Cup		FA Trophy	Notes
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hednesford Town		Conference North	8th		4th Qual Rnd	1st Round	Took over in October
Hednesford Town		Conference North	-		-		-		Sacked in August
Tamworth		Conference North	21st		-		3rd Qual Rnd	Relegated
Boreham Wood		Conference South	2nd		3rd Qual Rnd	3rd Qual Rnd	Lost in Play-Off Final		

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Unlucky in that playoff :( I bet there were some words said to Sam Cox that shouldn't be repeated in polite conversation after that dismissal.

I didn't see it coming really. Not having my main goalkeeper didn't help but still, we should have been much, much better.

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Boreham Wood

Pre-Season 2017-2018

Boreham_Wood.png

Early on into pre-season my U18’s Manager, Anthony George, was offered the job at newly promoted Dulwich Hamlet. I was sorry to see him leave, wished him the best of luck and very quickly replaced him with Peter Smith.

Pre-Season

The good old pre-season friendlies could have gone much better for us but I’m never focused on the results. It’s all about building the match fitness – especially now players have a match fitness rating. It must be noted though that on our 3-0 defeat to our U21’s side I play 2 first XI against each other with no subs and we ended the game with 9 men. However, against Watford we really stepped up and performed well – only losing in the 90th minute.

Squad

The squad looks good, much bigger than I anticipated and I’ve promoted youth player Deakin James as he seemingly has potential. Realistically I’m only after one more player, a back-up goalkeeper as I expect to play Harry Doherty in goal for the season. 2 disappointing injuries however have slightly hampered my starting 11 for now but I’m sure we’ll ‘make do’.

We have a couple more good young players in our ranks as well who I’ve signed onto contracts/pre-contracts. Luke Harris a Striker already has better finishing qualities than goal machine Joe Ironside. Ricci Oates is a natural LB, already with a little bit of quality and high potential – LB’s I find are useful to keep hold of! And as mentioned, Deakin James who I’m looking to involve in the first team already.

Transfers

To say my squad is bigger than I expected, I’ve not signed a whole load. Daniel Sparkes comes in on a free transfer from Lowestoft, he offers a good option out wide on either wing and should prove vital if we have a tough run of games or injuries. Nick Hopkinsis a young AMC who my scouts highly rate, offering him £400 p/w was a bit of a gamble but he could be the game changer as Austin Lipman refused to talk to me after he was let go by Arsenal at the end of the season. Jodi Jones also comes in as a back-up for the AMC role, he can operate upfront but as you saw from my squad I already have 4 strikers vying for 1 position! Barry Groombridge completed the pre-season transfers as he came in on loan from MK Dons, it’ll be interesting to see if he can perform well enough to nail down a first team place.

Looking forward, the aim is to win the league & automatic promotion. I believe I’ve got the team to achieve it, I just need them to click into the formation like last year and make sure we are the runaway leaders.

Here goes…

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Unfortunate loss in the final, but can only make you stronger!

That's what I hope as the team is strong and ready. I just hope Nick Hopkins steps up as Austin Lipman was vital to finishing 2nd last year and now he's left Arsenal he's not signed for anyone else but refusing to enter contract negotiations with me, which is understandable. Arsenal to Boreham Wood is quite a drop!

Onwards and upwards now!

Fingers crossed!

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Boreham Wood

Start of Season 2017-2018

Boreham_Wood.png

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A very solid start to the season sees us top on goal difference, and would be more if we'd not thrown away points against Wealdstone where we were 2 up at HT and Maidstone where we conceded in the 77th & 81st minute. However, apart from those blips the defence has been solid and is one of the main reasons we're sitting top. Attacking wise, Ironside has started off much better than last term and fortunately we've not had to solely rely on him anyway as players such as Huw Johnson have chipped in with a few goals and MoM performances.

There was a bit of very small transfer activity with youngster Deakin James leaving on loan for a month to get some game time and signing the needed back-up keeper Luke Southwood.

Frustratingly we've already been dumped out of the FA Cup and at the first hurdle. We came up against Maidstone in the 2nd qualifying round just a week after losing to them in the league. And history repeated itself as we couldn't hang on to the lead and they hit back with 2 goals late in the 2nd to take it to a replay. Where again, we took the lead but threw it away by conceding two goals in the 2nd half. Cups just aren't my forte.

In other news: I completed my first coaching course to earn a National B Licence.

With the squad playing consistently well and having gotten over an injury hit start to the season I feel the only way is up and we're already top! But then again, maybe I'm just getting dizzy from the heights...

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Boreham Wood

Mid-Season 2017-2018

4 wins out of 4 in October saw us make a real statement to the chasing pack and guided me to the Manager of the Month award for the 1st time this save I believe. However, we crumbled under pressure in November starting with a dire 0-0 draw at home to Bishop Stortford. Then 2 defeats on the bounce took us off top spot and we couldn’t find our bounce back ability as we drew the next 2 games with Hemel Hempstead and Staines. This poor run saw us slip to 4th and we faced Sutton United who were top, a match I was dreading but at the same time excited for. We somehow raced into a 5-0 lead within 36 minutes and that was game, set and match. Sutton did score a goal in the 2nd half but it was nothing more than a consolation. We then came up against former U18’s manager and his Dulwich Hamlet side, a game I thought we’d dominate and take all 3 points with relative ease given how we simply despatched of league leaders Sutton. Sadly not, we drew 0-0 and neither team looked like scoring. This left us 2nd, 1 point behind Sutton United with exactly half of the games played. The race was on.

The big transfer news was that Austin Lipman finally gave in after not being able to find a club and entered contract talks with me. There was never any doubt of him signing once the contract had been offered. We had Ryan Donnellan leave on loan for 1st team action and sold Ibrahim Keita to Hayes & Yeading as he was unhappy with the lack of 1st team football.

As we’d been knocked out of the FA Cup I was hoping for a run in the FA Trophy. Redbridge were our first opponents and it took us till the replay to get past them. Then we faced Maidstone, again! They raced into a 2 goal lead totally against the run of play as we were battering them, the pressure paid off eventually and we did the dirty on them this time coming from 2 goals down to take the tie to a replay. So we lined up against Maidstone for the 5th time this season and just 2 minutes into the game our back-up keeper, Luke Southwood picked up an injury. Disaster: as Harry Doherty had been ruled for 3 months I had no keeper on the bench. It fell to James Akintunde to don the gloves for 88 minutes. We somehow ran out 2-0 winners as Maidstone couldn’t even muster a shot on target to try and trouble the winger-come-goalkeeper. Into the next round we went where we drawn against Conference side Macclesfield

In other news, I got my first offer of a job interview for Eastbourne Boro who were 20th in our league. Thanks, but no thanks.

The squad have their moments of good and bad form which is frustrating. When we turn it on, we really turn it on but when we’re on off day we stand no chance. Summer signing Daniel Sparkes has bagged 7 goals from the wing whilst Ironside has hit double figures for the season. And Doherty is meant to return to action next month so that will pose an interesting dilemma whether to put him back in the team or keep Southwood in goal.

Finally, the future looks bright as our U18’s have got off to a flyer, sitting pretty at the top of their respective league.

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How do you beat the team coming first 5-1 in the middle of that form slip? Were you playing good but unlucky football during that time or did Sutton just not turn up?

Hope you can turn it around in the new year and get back to winning ways.

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2nd? Pfft, I expect a better showing next update ;)

The indifferent form is desperately costing me!

How do you beat the team coming first 5-1 in the middle of that form slip? Were you playing good but unlucky football during that time or did Sutton just not turn up?

Hope you can turn it around in the new year and get back to winning ways.

I'm not entirely sure, whenever we've lost or drawn we've been poor and deserved it. Just every attack we had we scored against Sutton and seemingly with ease.

Cheers, I hope so too - desperately want out of this tier!

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Boreham Wood

March Update 2017-2018

Well, what an awful end to 2017 and even worse start to 2018 it was. After beating Whitehawk 2-1 on Boxing Day we went on a run of 4 straight defeats leaving us 7th in the league and with an unhappy squad. Why did this run occur? The only answer is, we weren't good enough in any of the games and we were fairly beaten. I made a few tactical changes for the game against Wealdstone, most notably the request for players to 'stay on their feet' as we yet again, had one of the worst disciplinary records. However, Barry Groombridge must have miss-heard me as 12 minutes into the game a 2-footed lunge earned him an early bath - and they were blaming me for the poor run!?

Other tactical changes helped get us back on track with a 1-0 win over Havant & Waterloovile followed by 2-1 and 4-1 victories against Maidstone and Dorchester respectively. We ended February with a disappointing 0-0 draw away to Canvey Island but the 3 wins and 1 draw was enough for me to scoop the Manager of the Month award and moved us back into the play-offs.

In the FA Trophy we faced Maccelsfield who were faring well in the Conference and we started the game strongly. Macclesfield struggled to break our defence down during the 1st half and I thought we'd make it to half time till a long ball from the defence beat our defensively line to leave Rhys Turner through on goal, 1-0. We sat in the dressing room just a minute later and I told them no pressure, there are no expectations - it worked a treat as 5 minutes into the 2nd half we levelled to make it 1-1. Macclesfield hit the post on 60 minutes and we then hit the bar on 70 minutes before we threw away any chance stealing the win with 2 red cards in 2 minutes. So what did I do? I played a 8-0-0 and went contain to take them back to our place and it worked, just! In the replay Ironside hit the bar after 3 minutes, he then hit the post after 23 minutes and completed his woodwork hat-trick 2 minutes later as he headed against the bar again. The domination continued and Ironside finally got his goal, curling the ball into the top corner from the edge of the D. Macclesfield hit straight back at us but this time the woodwork came to our resuce! Only a minute later they got the equalizer, same as in the first game a long punt down field from defence put Noor Husin through to make it 1-1. 70 minutes on the clock our corner was cleared straight to Nick Hopkins who whipped the ball back into the area where Calum Reynolds was waiting and yes you guess it, his header cannoned back off the bar, argh! Fortunately it rebounded straight to the feet of James Moulton who couldn’t miss… 2-1! The linesmans flag saved us on 76 minutes, but only 10 minutes later Noor Husin scored the equalizer and this time it stood. At the end of the 1st half in extra time a chipped ball put Banton in and he finished excellently to make it 3-2. Husin then sealed the win, his header hit the bar and was cleared but it came straight back and this time Husin buried it 4-2. The inability to tightly mark their wingers, as requested pre-match and the inability to hold onto leads cost us the chance of playing Hednesford Town in the next round.

The performances have deteriorated and our form is costing us the chance of automatic promotion. The slight change in tactics seems to have given us a little bit of confidence but I fear that with only 10 games left we'll be looking at another play-off campaign.

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Boreham Wood

41 Games Update 2017-2018

Our chances of winning the league have gone and as we look at the table now, we might not even make play-offs. After 3 good wins on the bounce we took a big step back in the game against Bishop Stortford, Harry Doherty made 2 unbelievable saves in the last 10 minutes only for top scorer Joe Ironside to spurn a sitter in the 89th minute that would have earned us 3 vital points. However, it was still all to play for as we still had to face both Ebsfleet who were 2nd and Sutton United who were top. Both were must wins, especially the Ebsfleet match as that came off the back of the disappointing result against Bishop Stortford, to take the pressure off though I labelled it a must not lose. So why I went against my instincts to play defensive football at the leagues top goal scorers and instead play attacking football I'll never know. We got battered 5-0 and that was when the title hopes had all but gone. Now it was all about cementing our play-off place as we came up against Chelmsford, a victory was a must, we had to bounce back. We dominated large parts of the game and seemed to be cruising to the 3 points in the 2nd half until an 80th minute equalizer sent a shock to our system - it was their only chance of the half! We went for it, we had to get the win but again, we wasted 2 great chances in the last minute to take all 3 points and had to settle with a share of the spoils. With 4 games left in the season we were 8 points behind Ebsfleet in 1st, I had given up on winning the league. Hemel Hempstead were our next opponents and we narrowly took all 3 points in a 4-3 win - it was 3-3 after just 22 minutes! However, Ebsfleet had also won their game so it was still 8 points behind but with just 9 points left. We were destined for the play-offs, or so I thought. With 2 shocking defeats to teams at the bottom we were left 5th and 2 points clear of Havant & Waterloovile in 6th but with 1 game left, that could all change.

During March I requested to improve the Youth facilities and although the board agreed with me, they claimed we didn't have the funds. Which is a shame as we do have a lot of promising youngsters and quite regularly receive a good batch of youth intakes - like this years crop.

March is also the time for contract renewals with me, so Joseph Muscatt, Bradley Barry, vice-captain Sam Cox, youngsters Dave Wilshire & Jim Ford were the first to be signed up for next season. We also made an addition to the squad with West Brom's young Junior Williams joining us on loan for the rest of the season. But with all good news there's usually bad news, Austin Lipman suffered an injury during the game with Dulwich Hamlet and that has ruled him out for the rest of the season & play-offs (again!) and back-up striker David Moli was also ruled out at the beginning of March for 4 months.

The pressure is on, 1 game of the season left and it's against Sutton United who are still in with a shout of winning the league. All we have to do is take a point and our superior goal difference will see us 5th but a defeat leaves the door open for Havant & Waterloovile. I made the mistake in the game against Ebsfleet to not go defensive and it cost me, I won't make that mistake again.

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5841312c-968c-491f-8087-3c67410e1c11.png vs Boreham_Wood.png

Last Game of the Season - Battle for the Play-Offs

We went into the game knowing a draw would seal a play-off position, baring a Havant & Waterlooville 10 goal win to overturn the goal difference. However, we had Sutton who were 2nd and still had hope of winning the league.

I made an error against Ebsfleet just 5 games ago to go attacking rather than defensive, I wasn’t risking it again. Defensive from the outset, we knew what we had to do.

I reminded the boys of the importance of the game before we took to the field. It was a very tight first half, no clear cut chances and no team taking the game by the scruff of the net. We were quickly back in the dressing room and quick to check the latest scores… Havant & Waterlooville 3-0 up against Eastbourne Boro, uh oh. A Sutton goal now and surely we wouldn’t come back? I took the pressure off the boys, something I don’t like doing but I thought it was the only option and out we went for the 2nd half…

It remained tight and boring for the neutral, just the way we wanted it. Silence the crowd, take the point or maybe even nick a win if Sutton were going for it. It wasn’t until the 84th minute that there was any sort of action to talk about, an attacking throw in for Sutton, thrown long, deep into the box, Southwood - who’s been knocking on my door begging to play - finally gets his chance, comes out to collect but is beaten it to by Steven Pollitt, 1-0 Sutton. My stomach sunk, just a few months ago we were top and now we weren’t even in the play-offs. Yet again it was another headed goal we conceded, our kryptonite this season.

No longer were we defensive, that was it, everyone forward, 3 strikers, 2 wingers, overload. We needed a goal.

92nd minute, the ball was pumped forward down the wing and James Atkindue chasd after it but he stood no chance, even Usain Bolt wouldn’t have kept that ball in play. Goal kick. And with only 3 minutes added on I knew that was it. The referee blew his whilstle, game over, season over. Disaster.

We trudged back to the dressing room deflated, we didn’t even need to check the Havant score, we knew they wouldn’t throw it away, they weren’t like us. And we were right, 4-1 it had finished.

Sutton United 1-0 Boreham Wood

Vanarma Conference South

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Boreham Wood

End of Season 2017-2018

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Vanarama Conference South - That didn't go to plan. It was such a disappointing end to the season, we threw away so many points in so many silly ways that we deserved what we got. To be top after 10 games and then 2nd just a point behind after 21 games and finish 6th is hard to take. Ebsfleet and Sutton United finished level on points at 81, a tally we could have beaten if we'd have kept up the form of early season.

FA Trophy - We had a decent run and showed up well in both games against Macclesfield but unfortunately, were beaten in extra time of the replay.

FA Cup - I was hoping we'd go far, get a nice 1st round draw and maybe a giant killing. It wasn't to be and we threw it away in the 2nd qualifying round.

Squad - On paper, our squad was strong enough to challenge this year. We had good back-up in every position to account for injuries and suspensions and we had a solid XI. But our weak spots were established and taken advantage of, most notably the lack of an out-and-out AML and a LB who would be Roberto Carlos one game then Wayne Bridge the next.

Under 18's - At least we won something! Our U18's romped home to the league title with no assistance from the 1st team squad where you can play them to gain match fitness. It's fair to say if I am around at Meadow Park next season, I will be looking to see if there is anyone I can promote.

Key Players

Luke Southwood GK - In the end Southwood played more games than Harry Doherty, mainly due to injury but did impress (apart from the calamity against Sutton!). He's unhappy about the lack of first team football but as he's got a 2 year contract, there's no real danger of him leaving.

Huw Johnson MC - Without ever nailing down a first team spot Huw impressed me, he bagged a couple of goals and never seemed to make mistakes. If he was a fitter and didn't get so tired after every game he probably would have played throughout most of the season.

Austin Lipman AMC - After months of chasing I finally tied Lipman down to a contract and although he didn't reach the impressive performances of last year he still stood out. Maybe we would have reached the play-offs if it wasn't for his injury? He could have quite easily got us a goal in either of the last 2 games to seal the point we needed.

Joe Ironside ST - The Vanarama Conference South Top Goalscorer, he came joint 1st last year but lost out due to more playing time. An impressive 27 goals in 38 starts made him, for me, player of the season. I never had to look to the other strikers for goals or performances, he was consistent throughout. And again, maybe if he'd had Lipman behind him in the last 2 games, we might have got something?

End of season thoughts

It was a disappointing season definitely. There was no getting past that, I stated to the board I'd win the league and I didn't even make play-offs. I couldn't even fall back on a good cup run. My contract is up at the end of the season and I'm not going to ask for an extension - I don't deserve one and I'd be quite embarrassed to ask such a question! However, IF the board for some reason offer me a new one, I will definitely think about it. We had a meeting at the end of the season and it was outlined I needed 10 points from 5 games - so maybe they'll keep me on? But do I want to stay? I feel I have unfinished business here and with a solid transfer window we could win the league next year, for real this time. Looking at the available jobs, Crawley & Wrexham both in the Conference are appealing but we all know the minute I apply I'm done at Boreham Wood. So should I stay or should I go now?

Season		Team			League				Position	FA Cup		FA Trophy	Notes
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2014/2015	Hednesford Town		Vanarama Conference North	8th		4th Qual Rnd	1st Round	Took over in October
2015/2016	Hednesford Town		Vanarama Conference North	-		-		-		Sacked in August
2015/2016	Tamworth		Vanarama Conference North	21st		-		3rd Qual Rnd	Took over November, Relegated
2016/2017	Boreham Wood		Vanarama Conference South	2nd		3rd Qual Rnd	3rd Qual Rnd	Lost in Play-Off Final
2017/2018	Boreham Wood		Vanarama Conference South	6th		2nd Qual Rnd	2nd Round	-	

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The horror period from November to end of January really killed you in the end :\ What do you feel you need to strengthen to achieve promotion?

2 wins in 14 as you say, killed our season & we never recovered. We need better wingers first up and realistically look to bring in some more talented back-up players as substitutions never seemed to have the 'super sub' affect.

Stay, get Boreham to conference at least... They deserve it!

I've decided I'm staying, IF they offer me a contract.

Hopefully next year.

Forever the optimist I am!

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Boreham Wood

Pre-Season 2018-2019

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After not being offered a new contract, I did decide to go and ask for a contract extension - claiming success was on its way. The request was turned down and I wondered if Boreham Wood were just going to let me go. Instead, they kept me on a month-to-month contract and I knew that failure to earn 10 points in 5 games, would see that month-to-month contract terminated.

Squad - A much improved squad from last season sees us strengthen in the areas highlighted at the end of the season. We've also got enough back-up to deal with injuries and with £1,900 in the wage budget left - we've got an extra safety net if we need to bring anyone in.

Transfers - It was a busy summer for us, we let a good number of players go at the end of their contract and replaced them with better quality players. Evan Leach, Danny Burrows & Ryan Barnes all come in on loan whilst Michael Wilson, Lacon Williamson & Kyle Spence were signed as free agents. Early doors we also signed Bradley Lewis, Lewis Hornby & Tony Diagne from Sutton United, Worcester & Solihull Moors respectively.

Friendlies - We performed well in the pre-season fixtures, dominating and winning the opening games against lower reputation teams before we hosted Luton Town at Meadow Park where we carried on our good start by winning 2-1. We lost the next 2 to Brentford & West Ham but in no way did we embarrass ourselves and then we managed to take a 1-1 draw against Watford. From the way we played, I'm confident going into the season & looking forward to seeing them in competitive action.

Board - For a team with a small fan base we have great finances & we've never come close to going into the red. However, it doesn't help my job security - as expected it's insecure & we all know what I need to do to change that. Media predict us to finish 6th but I told the board I was going to win the league - no pressure then!

In other news

The first game of the season sees me take charge of my 100th game for Boreham Wood.

Roberto Martinez took Spain to 2018 World Cup glory - England didn't even qualify.

Looking to the future (just in case) I added Denmark to the small list of countries in the game.

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Boreham Wood vs Hemel Hempstead

We lined up for the 1st game of the season against Hemel Hempstead, I was confident we'd carry on the good performances of pre-seaon. I told the boys what I expected and sent them out for the 1st half, the nerves were apparent - we needed a good start, I needed a good start and we got one. Just a minute gone and we had a corner kick, Lipman whipped in a dangerous ball and recently removed captain Reynolds headed it goalwards but straight against the bar. Fortunately, he made no mistake with the rebound, 1-0. Only 5 minutes later a spell of lovely passing ends up putting new loan signing Barnes through on goal, he rounded the keeper and finished it for 2-0 - what a start, even I couldn't have dreamed of it being this good. 26 minutes gone, Barnes whips a wonderful ball into the box and Ironside heads it beyond the keepers reach... 3-0. Half time came, I told them just how pleased I was but I knew how vulnerable we are with leads. Fortunately apart from the goal on the 64th minute we weren't under pressure and we managed to hold the 2 goal cushion to take the 3 points. A great start was marred by Austin Lipman picking up an injury that keeps him out for 6 weeks.

Result: Boreham Wood 3 Hemel Hempstead 1

Points earned: 3

Remaining needed: 7

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