Sharpening a Rusty Blade - Book II

[Amaroq]

Friday, 28th March, 2008.

"So, boss?" Stuart McCall asked me. "You remember how Chris Morgan's been feeling run down, and we've conceded a few late goals?"

I nodded.

"You DO realize we've got both him and Hayden Foxe on 'pre-season' training, right?"

I was stunned - I'd completely forgotten, but of course I'd put them both on intensive training to speed their recovery from certain injuries, and hadn't taken them back off. I made the requisite change.

In fact, a number of players who had come back from injury were suffering from the same error. No wonder we'd been struggling at the end of matches!

I rectified the situation for the near-term by making the requisite change, but I decided that Stuart and I would have to have a talk about a proper procedure for temporary training assignments next year to prevent a recurrence.

In other news, the 27th had been the final transfer deadline for English clubs below the Premier League level. We hadn't brought any further players in: we'd have to make do with the lineup at hand for our final push.

[Amaroq]

Its things like that that I wish our in-game Assistant Manager would "advise" us about..

[Amaroq]

Saturday, 29th March, 2008. Championship - Game 40, at Reading.

Our fortieth match of the 46-match season was on the road against 12th-placed Reading. They were looking at a comfortable mid-table finish for the second year in a row, after a single season in the Premier League for 2005-06 - their first ever appearance in the top flight. Not bad for a team that was in League One at the turn of the millennium. They were on a good run of form, too, with seven wins and a draw from their last ten games. Our last meeting with them had been a scoreless draw, but the match true Blades fans remembered was the Championship Playoff Final in 2005, when Reading and United had drawn 1-1. Heartbreak had followed in the penalty shoot-out, and Reading had gone on to the Premier League.

If it weren't for that twist of fate, I might never have come to be the Sheffield manager: Neil Warnock might still be in control. Regardless, we had work to do, and to do it I named a lineup little changed from the one which had manhandled Plymouth. Allan McGregor was in goal, with Sean Dillon, Chris Morgan, Steve Foster, and Eric Deloumeaux across the back. Mathieu Berson, Jonathan Forte, and Leandre Griffit would handle the midfield duties, with Marc Bridge-Wilkinson joined by Joe Newell in the attacking midfield. Noel Hunt again got the nod as the striker. The changes were Delomeaux at right back, and Newell in the attacking midfield; Mamam was named to the substitutes' bench.

A steady rain was falling on Madejski Stadium, about 35 miles west of London. Reading came out pressing, determined to keep us on our back foot, a task they managed for the first ten minutes, looking very threatening. Then Marc Bridge-Wilkinson picked up where he left off. Jonathan Forte and Noel Hunt exchanged passes on the left side, with Hunt's through ball narrowly escaping fullback Kevin Muscat to spring Forte past the defense. He sent a low cross from the end-line, which the on-fire Bridge-WIlkinson met at the near post, lowering his entire body to head home, and it was 1-0 after 14 minutes!

The hosts nearly equalized three minutes later, when fullback Nicky Shorey sent a long ball down the left for Derek Riordan, who flat out-ran Eric Deloumeaux. Allan McGregor came rushing out to cut down the angle, and Riordan shot wide. That incident aside, we dominated most of the first half, with the majority of the posession and every other chance. Just 60 seconds before the break, Muscat came venturing well forward to send in a cross from the right side. His first effort was cleared back out by our defense, but he held it in bounds and sent another cross over. Left wing Dave Crawford rose above Deloumeaux, nipping just in front of McGregor to head it home from the six, and we went to the break even at 1-1.

There'd been a lot of positives in the first half, and I had every confidence we'd go on to win it. That plan took a sharp body blow just seven minutes after the half, when Colin Healy, Lloyd Kerry, and Riordan put together a quick combo to shred our central defense. Riordan played the final pass, a wonderful ball to space ahead of Healy, who had been unmarked since making the first pass. McGregor made an incredible save one-on-one, but the rebound carombed directly to Craig Easton, 16 yards out. He drilled a left-footed shot with his first touch, and suddenly we were facing a 1-2 deficit.

McGregor had to make a brilliant one-handed save at full stretch in the 65th minute to keep us in the match - Riordan had launched a wicked shot from a tight angle. I tried every change I could, including giving Souleymane Mamam his debut, and bringing on Lewis Guy and Carl Motteram for fresh attacking legs. We were again dominating posession and chances, but there seemed nothing we could accomplish. In the 81st minute, Nicky Weaver made a fine double save to deny first Mathieu Berson and, on the rebound, Leandre Griffit, and I thought we'd given it our best shot.

In the 87th minute, I changed to a desperate 3-5-2, bombing everybody forward into the attack. In the 90th minute, with defeat looming, Steve Foster sent a long ball up the park to a wide-open Mamam. Kept onside by the opposite side fullback, he showed his pace and dribbling ability to keep a step on everyone with the ball at feet. He shot from just inside the 18, scoring a dramatic equalizer on his debut! 2-2!!

Reading 2, Sheffield United 2

Crawford 45, Easton 52; Bridge-Wilkinson 14, Mamam 90

MoM: McGregor

The stunned crowd could only watch as we escaped with an unlikely point! Stuart McCall was pounding me on my back, calling me a genius for putting Mamam up front in a striker's role for those final seconds.

Allan McGregor was named Man of the Match, almost entirely on the strength of that phenomenal save in the 65th minute, though he'd added a few others in the closing minutes as our desperation created holes in our defense.

[Amaroq]

Monday, 1st April, 2008.

At the monthly board meeting, everyone expressed their delight, but Derek Dooley kindly took a moment to remind me that even a playoff berth is well above what they'd expected for us at the season's start.

Financially, March hadn't been a great month for us, as we lost £0.3M, taking us to a net loss of £1.5M for the year, though the bank balance of £10.4M is still very healthy.

Peter Weatherson's clever 20-yard lob over the keeper on March 1st against Leicester was named the Goal of the Month for March, but streaking Crystal Palace took a clean sweep of the other awards.

Lewis Guy's loan had completed, and he returned to Newcastle. He looks to be an excellent player in my mind, talented, young, and with plenty of potential yet untapped. Newcastle, unfortunately, are well aware of what a talent he is, and aren't about to let him go - at least not for a price we can afford.

Lewis Guy, SC, 22: January 2008-March 2008: 1 season, 5 games, 1 goal, 6.60

There had been bad news on Sunday, as Derby County crushed last-placed Wigan Athletic 5-1. It was a rude welcome for new Wigan manager Steve Cotterill, but the valuable points had moved Derby up into a tie with us for second place and the final guaranteed promotion berth. Looking at the schedule, our next draw was a tough match against Crystal Palace, fourth place, only a point back, and sporting a 13-game unbeaten run.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Pos Pts W D L GF GA GD

1 Ipswich 88 26 10 4 66 25 +41

2 Sheffield Utd 79 22 13 5 68 30 +38

---------------------------------------------------

3 Derby County 79 24 7 9 64 33 +31

4 Crystal Palace 78 23 9 8 66 37 +29

5 W.B.A. 73 20 13 7 66 38 +28

6 Coventry 72 21 9 10 58 42 +16

---------------------------------------------------

7 Everton 70 20 10 10 62 39 +23

8 Millwall 66 17 15 7 51 33 +18

9 Q.P.R. 66 18 12 10 57 44 +13

10 Leicester 62 18 8 14 56 43 +13</pre>

In fact, with six matches to play, we had Derby County, Crystal Palace, W.B.A., and Coventry as four of our six opponents. It was shaping up to be an incredible finish to the season - we'd need to be on the top of our game to earn second place!

[owl83]

Fantastic story Amaroq!! Taken me about a week to read(when i should have been doing what i get paid for, but nevermind!! )

Just a side note, Reading is about 40 miles west of london! I know, i live there!!

KUTGW!

[Amaroq]

Thanks, owl - and my apologies to your employer. Sorry about the Reading location, and thanks for pointing it out. I must have had a dyslexic moment while looking at a map. I've got a request in for the mods to correct it.

[Amaroq]

Thursday, 4th April, 2008.

Peter Weatherson played forty-five minutes in Tuesday's Reserve match against Lincoln Reserves, and Graham Allen and Souleymane Mamam played into the second half as they worked up to match fitness, but all the big names were off the pitch before the scoring started. Billy Sharp supported his claim that he deserved some first-team action with the opening goal, but Lincoln pegged our lads back within 4 minutes. It looked like the game was headed for a draw until attacking midfielder Mark Whitehead found the back of the net in the 90th minute to give us a 2-1 win.

The Champions League had progressed to the Quarter Final round, and watching the sold-out matches on TV, I was struck with an abiding urge to guide a team to that competition.

Chelsea had drawn multiple-times champion Bayern München, and got off to a great start when Kapo scored in the fifth minute. The holders came back through a Hasan Salihamidzic penalty in the 17th minute, with Ivan Klasnic putting them ahead in the 25th. The remainder of the match was scoreless, giving them a 2-1 advantage going into the second leg.

Barcelona took an early lead at Old Trafford through Samuel Eto'o, but a brace by Ruud van Nistelrooy and a goal by Mark van Bommel gave Manchester United a 3-1 victory in the rain.

In the other two matches, A.C. Milan defeated Dortmund 1-0 thanks to Eidur Gudjohnsen, while Porto and Juventus battled to a 1-1 draw, with the Italian giants getting a valuable away goal by David Trezeguet.

The UEFA Cup Quarter Finals followed on Thursday, with the following scorelines:

Aston Villa 0, PSV 2

Deportivo 0, Arsenal 3

Bayern Leverkusen 2, Atletico Madrid 0

Young Boys 1, Newcastle United 1

19 year old striker James Lloyd's loan came to a close, and he bid adieu to Bramall Lane, returning to Charlton. He'd been quite good for a Championship player, but I still felt he had a lot to learn to be an asset for a Premier League side. Still, he'd made quite the splash here, with four goals in six appearances.

James Lloyd, SC, 19: January 2008-March 2008: 1 seasons, 6 games, 4 goals, 7.33

Our training review was very positive. Billy Sharp had shown the most improvement this past month, as though determined to work his way into my plans. He was in the best shape Stuart McCall had ever seen him in, dating from before my time at the club. Keith McCormack's time with the Irish Under-21 side seemed to be helping him, as he was demonstrating excellent development over time and was beginning to look like he deserved a full-time job at right back. Gavin Atkinson had continued his upward trend, and I was especially pleased with his mental development. Peter Weatherson and Noel Hunt were both in good form, and Joe Keenan was in his best shape yet. Chris Sedgwick and Graham Allen were both making nice strides in recover from their injuries, and Allan McGregor looked to be in peak form as well.

I could only hope it would be enough against Crystal Palace.

[Amaroq]

Saturday, 5th April, 2008. Championship - Game 41, vs Crystal Palace.

There was a crowd of 28,502 on hand to watch our lads, clad in their classic red-and-white striped kits, face Crystal Palace, who wore a gaudy yellow with blue accents. The fourth-place side had gone 13 games unbeaten, including winning their last seven matches, to climb from relative obscurity to mount a serious challenge for second place and promotion back to the Premier League.

There were only two changes to my lineup from our match against Reading. Jordan Holmes returned at right back in place of Deloumeaux, and Hayden Foxe returned to central defense. They partnered Steve Foster and Sean Dillon in front of Allan McGregor. Mathieu Berson was the defensive midfielder, with Jonathan Forte and Leandre Griffit on the wings. On-form Marc Bridge-Wilkinson teamed with Joe Newell in attacking midfield, with Noel Hunt at striker.

It was a physical, hard-hitting match right from the off, and referee Nigel Miller was forced to hand out plenty of yellow cards to keep order. Our lads seemed caught aback at the hectic pace at first, as though perhaps they'd expected an easier time of it, or had thought the Eagles would sit back and defend rather than taking the match to them. The defense had work to do, but weathered the storm.

By the half-hour, however, we'd found the pace of the match and our offense was in full swing. Several attacks ended in shots off target before Marc Bridge-Wilkinson's long pass sprang Noel Hunt past the last defender. Fitz Hall made a desperate sliding tackle from behind at the spot, but got the ball cleanly: Miller waved play on, despite the crowd's pleas for a penalty.

Palace had chances of their own, and in the 38th, Sandor Torghelle had a great opportunity, beating Jordan Holmes on the left side, but he blazed the shot over the bar. In the 41st, March Player of the Month Jason Koumas sent a cross in from the right side. Andrew Johnson looked offsides at the six, but no call was given, and he had space to turn and tap it in at the near post. Captain Hayden Foxe argued vociferously for the offsides call, but the goal stood, and we trailed 0-1 at the half.

I switched to our patient buildup tactic to try and get the goal back, but Palace looked the more dangerous side in the opening minutes of the second, with a series of corner kicks and a threatening free kick. I held my breath when Jordan Holmes, already on a yellow, delivered a crunching tackle in the box, but the ball squirted free and no foul was given. My heart was pounding in my chest - so close!

Just past the hour, we had another chance of our own for a penalty of our own: left wing Jonathan Forte was brought down just on the edge of the Palace area. The crowd was screaming for the call, but Miller placed it right on the 18. Bridge-Wilkinson lined up, and everybody in Bramall Lane expected a crashing drive. Instead, he sprayed it right for Mathieu Berson. Around the wall, the French midfielder had a perfectly clear shot.. but blazed it high and wide of the near corner.

I made a triple substitution in the 65th minute, giving Billy Sharp his chance, and getting Graham Allen and Souleymane Mamam on the pitch as well. The visitors were bunkering down, trying to outlast the final twenty five minutes, and we had plenty of posession, but just couldn't find that killer through ball.

To their credit, the crowd remained in full voice and the lads never faltered, but the breakthrough was nowhere to be found. In the 85th minute, I shifted us to the 3-5-2 which had suited Mamam so well last week, but there were no last-minute heroics this time, and one-nil was the way it ended.

Sheffield United 0, Crystal Palace 1

----; Johnson 41

MoM: Flynn (Palace MC)

There was disappointed silence in the locker room afterwards, as our dejected lads faced the fact that, so close to the season's end, they'd been knocked out of the number two spot - and on the torrid pace Palace had been setting, even winning out might not be enough to get it back.

We'd need help. I was touched when Souleymane tried to apologize to me for not finding an equalizer: I told him I'd expect better next week, when he was in the starting lineup.

[Amaroq]

Thursday, 10th April, 2008.

Rupert Wormwood was at his cynical, negative best.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Blessing in Disguise?

This column has often predicted that the Sheffield United\s run of good form was illusionary, and that a collapse was imminent. Manager Ian Richards has kept that collapse at bay for an incredible length of time, but any Blades fan knew it was just a matter of time.

Their weaknesses have been exposed for all the Championship to see, and losses to Ipswich and Crystal Palace have only gone to show just how far this team has yet to go. Promotion to the Premiership? If you're a true supporter, don't hope for it: the competition in the top flight would make a quick meal of this team.

But it could be worse - and for proof, all we need do is look at Wigan Athletic. They've gone 21 games without a victory, and have but two victories all season. This weekend's games confirmed their relegation from the Championship - surely a formality, even after a change in management. Earn promotion, and that's the sort of nightmare season the Blades will be facing next year. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Ipswich Town's 3-1 win over Q.P.R. had all-but-clinched the title; Crystal Palace were into second with their 14th straight unbeaten, and Derby County's 1-1 draw with Oldham had sent us down to fourth. West Brom, our next opponent, had taken a solid 3-0 win at Stoke City.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Pos Pts W D L GF GA GD

1 Ipswich 91 27 10 4 69 26 +43

2 Crystal Palace 81 24 9 8 67 37 +30

---------------------------------------------------

3 Derby County 80 24 8 9 65 34 +31

4 Sheffield United 79 22 13 6 68 31 +37

5 W.B.A. 76 21 13 7 69 38 +31

6 Coventry 75 22 9 10 62 44 +18

---------------------------------------------------

7 Everton 73 21 10 10 67 42 +25</pre>

On Sunday, our Under-18s struggled to a 1-1 draw with Tranmere U-18s in Birkenhead. Right wing Mark Kearney opened the scoring, but Tranmere equalized just before halftime on a free kick which Colin Hatton could do nothing about.

Right back Danny Payne, who'd been out since November, returned to action on the practice pitch Monday, and played 60 minutes against Preston Reserves on Wednesday. Peter Weatherson led the squad with a first-half goal, and a second half flurry of goals saw Billy Sharp and Mark Whitehead get on the scoresheet as well before Preston managed one for pride. Darren Wrack, playing as a central defender, was named Man of the Match in the 3-1 victory.

In the Champions League Quarter-Finals, Barcelona and Manchester United played a hard-fought scoreless draw at the Nou Camp which saw the English side through to the Semi-Finals on a 3-1 aggregate.

At Stamford Bridge, Kapo scored in the early minutes to put Chelsea through on away goals, but the Bayern München dynasty proved too strong. With typical German efficiency Bastian Schweinsteiger put the visitors ahead on aggregate in the 24th minute. With Chelsea desperately seeking an equalizer in the second half, my favorite Paraguayan, Roque Santa Cruz, slipped their defense to make the final score 2-1 Bayern, and gave the Munich side a 4-2 aggregate.

In Dortmund, the match went to extra time as Lars Ricken gave the home side an early goal, and that put Dortmund level with A.C. Milan 1-1 on aggregate. Eighty minutes of scoreless football followed, but 4 minutes into extra time, Andriy Schevchenko scored for the Italians to give them a 2-1 aggregate victory.

Juventus cruised to a 4-0 domination over Porto on a brace by David Trezeguet and goals by Emerson and Stephen Appiah. Alessandro Brindelli had a bad match, missing a penalty and getting sent off in the closing minutes, but the 5-1 aggregate win was already well sealed for the home side by that point.

The UEFA Cup matches were a bit less interesting. Newcastle United were eliminated at home by Swiss side Young Boys, who scored a 1-0 victory for a 2-1 aggregate. Aston Villa were unable to recover from a home loss - though they beat PSV 1-0, they, too, were eliminated on a 1-2 aggregate. Arsenal cruised with a 1-0 win over Deportivo for a 4-0 aggregate, and Bayern Leverkusen and Atletico Madrid played a barnstorming 3-3 tie which saw the German side through on aggregate 5-3.

Four players returned to the side late in the week. Chris Sedgwick and John Melligan resumed training after their time with the physiotherapist, which might serve to give us some more depth. 19-year-old central defender Jamie Cooper had returned from his loan to Oldham Athletic, where he'd started 14 games. The ex-York lad said all the right things in the press, about how he was sad to be leaving, but hoped he'd learned things which would help him establish his place in the first team at Bramall Lane. 18-year-old left back Briam Holmes had been on loan to York, where he'd played ten games, starting but once, and he too returned to the side. I didn't expect any of them to contribute in the closing weeks, however.

[sherm]

Top quality stuff Amaroq, absolutely brilliant Just wanted to pop in and congratulate you on yor showing at the FMA awards ceremony. All fully well deserved and I'm sure there may be many more to come. KUTGW, and well done again

[Wegason]

It's a good job this story is now ineligible for future Story of the Year awards

[Amaroq]

Thank you, sherm! Glad you've enjoyed it!

[Amaroq]

Saturday, 12th April, 2008. Championship - Game 42, vs W.B.A.

Thanks to our defeat against Crystal Palace, we were down in fourth place in the Championship when fifth-placed West Bromwich Albion came to visit, on an unbeaten run of 14 games. The First Division winners of 1920 had fallen on hard times recently, being relegated from the Premier League after both the 2002-03 season and the 2005-06 season. Last year, they'd fallen just short of promotion, eliminated in the playoffs after finishing third, and this year they'd been consistently in the top ten but never looked like threatening to take the title.

We had a strong starting lineup, as you might expect, despite an upcoming mid-week game as well. I'd chosen to focus my efforts on the two weekend matches, against West Brom and Derby, fielding a weaker side against Crewe. Allan McGregor was of course in goal, with Joe Keenan, Hayden Foxe, Steve Foster, and Jordan Holmes across the back. Mathieu Berson would be the shepherd, with Graham Allen and Jonathan Forte on the wings. Souleymane Mamam made his first start in the attacking midfield with leading scorer Marc Bridge-Wilkinson, and Noel Hunt was once again the striker.

29,362 filled Bramall Lane for the match, plus a million more on a national television audience. The fans would be disappointed that Alan Shearer wasn't in the lineup for the visitors, having bruised his shin the previous week. As was the case with Crystal Palace, the Baggies came out with a fast-paced attack, and I was getting the impression that sheer speed would be necessary to survive in the Premiership next year. Ben Paszkowec nearly scored while the fans were still settling into their seats, missing by inches after shooting from a difficult angle.

In the 17th minute, Noel Hunt's shot was deflected tantalizingly across the goalmouth, drifting slowly - one of those where if I had a second striker on, he might have poached a goal on the rebound.

There was frightening news on the 27th minute, when a hard tackle left Marc Bridge-Wilkinson limping. I left him in for a few minutes, but Tom Mitchell warned me against further injuring my star player at this critical juncture, and I brought him off for Joe Newell in the 35th minute. Even missing his creative spark, we mounted heavy pressure just before half-time, and were unlucky to go in at the break with a 0-0 scoreline.

The Baggies came out with a period of their own pressure just after, but Joe Newell got the counter attack going, and honestly Jonathan Forte should have buried it when Newell's fine pass set him free. Instead, the winger blazed it over.

In the 64th minute, I brought Leandre Griffit on in place of Forte, who was tiring, but it was still scoreless in the 72nd when Joe Keenan earned a throw-in on the left side. Newell knocked it back to him, and Keenan spotted Griffit lurking above the arc. His long pass was spot on, but the magic was all Griffit. A brilliant juke made Jamie Fowler miss, then a second convinced two more defenders to pull themselves out of position. Griffit took it straight up the middle, reaching the six before powering it home. It was an incredible strike, electrifying the crowd as it put us up, 1-0.

Hunt nearly added another just moments later, but a great save from Russell Hoult kept it out. I made my final substitution, sending Sean Dillon on to provide more defensive cover, with Joe Keenan playing as a very defensive left wing. Griffit was the hero on the defensive end as well, heading a great cross behind for a corner in the 85th minute.

With West Brom sending everybody forward in the waning moments, Souleymane Mamam, Hunt, and Newell took off on a 3-on-2 counterattack. Mamam chipped a great ball ahead for Hunt, who took it into the area, and there was no save from Hoult this time: Hunt's assured finish made it 2-0, and that was the final.

Sheffield United 2, W.B.A. 0

Griffit 73, Hunt 87; ----

MoM: Mamam

For my money, Leandre Griffit had been the Man of the Match for his end-to-end performance, but he'd come on as a substitute, and the local press named Souleymane Mamam in his first start instead. Either way, the 2-0 result was a solid win against quality opposition, and had to buoy our spirits with only four matches remaining.

I was even happier to spot Marc Bridge-Wilkinson in the locker room celebrating with his teammates: he wasn't even on crutches, and Tom Mitchell assured me he should be fine even mid-week against Crewe.

[Amaroq]

Monday, 14th April, 2008.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Richards considering Newcastle? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I couldn't believe Rupert Wormwood had the gall to write such a thing, especially considering that I learned that Graeme Souness had been fired from the Newcastle United position in the same paper. The side was currently sixth in the Premiership, and honestly I don't think I'd consider a position where that sort of form would get me fired. I certainly hadn't spoken with chairman Freddie Shepherd; it was just another ploy to sow dissension by the lowlife reporter.

I hastened to assure Derek Dooley it wasn't true, and fortunately the national media seemed to be focusing their speculation on Kevin Keegan, currently unemployed.

That distracted somewhat from our acheivement on the pitch, however: we'd leapfrogged Derby County to get back up to third place, after their 1-3 loss at Norwich City, but another win by Crystal Palace - 3-1 over Forest - kept them two points ahead of us with four to play.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Pos Pts W D L GF GA GD

1 Ipswich 91 27 10 5 69 29 +40

2 Crystal Palace 84 25 9 8 70 38 +32

---------------------------------------------------

3 Sheffield United 82 23 13 6 70 31 +39

4 Derby County 80 24 8 10 66 37 +29

5 W.B.A. 76 21 13 8 69 40 +29

6 Coventry 75 22 9 11 62 47 +15

---------------------------------------------------

7 Everton 73 21 10 11 67 43 +24</pre>

In other news from around the world of football, Doncaster had become the second side relegated from the Championship, and Northwich Victoria had clinched the Conference North title, earning their way back to Conference National where they'd been for 20 years before relegation after 2004/05. York City, I'm sorry to report, had returned to their losing ways, dropping two in a row and slipping back within a stone's throw of the relegation zone.

Jamie Cooper and Brian Holmes were both in the starting lineup for Saturday's other game, as our Under-18 side defeated Wrexham U-18s. Cooper played well, but Holmes was embarrassed when he missed a penalty near the end of the first half. Paul Preston scored the only goal as our first-placed youths won, 1-0, in the rain at Saltergate.

There was a tasty F.A. Cup match Sunday afternoon, a Manchester derby: City had drawn United in the Semi-Finals. Despite the home-pitch advantage over their rivals, City were thoroughly outclassed, 4-0, with Steed Malbranque scoring a brace for United after Ruud van Nistelrooy and Raul Tamudo had opened the scoring. Juan Pablo Angel scored two for Aston Villa in a 2-1 victory over Tottenham to set up a Villa-United final.

Goalkeeper Nick McDonald returned to Bramall Lane on Sunday after completing his loan to Conference side Carlisle. He'd started fifteen matches for them, allowing just less than a goal per game, with 3 clean sheets and a 6.53 average rating. Unfortunately, the former York youth seemed very displeased with the experience. He stated that he thought it a complete waste of time, and that he would have learned more by staying here and working with goalkeepers coach Phil Hogg.

I was glad to have him back, however, as I'd trust him a lot more than Dean Bond, should anything happen to Allan McGregor - McDonald would go straight onto the substitutes' bench for our next match.

Of less interest to me was the return of right-side winger Nick Smith, who had been at Rochdale in League Two. Fourteen unimpressive appearances had left him with a single assist and a measly 5.86 rating.

Goal scoring Noel Hunt was named to the Championship Team of the Week, to my surprise - usually there's at least two forwards who have bagged a brace, so a single goal is rarely good enough to earn that honor for a striker.

[Damien77]

Amaroq: Do forgive me for my late congratulations on your FM awards win as I was tied up with work for the past month to pop in to check. KUTGW

Love ur story.

cheers.

[Amaroq]

What? You have a life? Seriously, thank you Damien, and especially for your unflagging support all along; its been very motivating.

[Amaroq]

Tuesday, 15th April, 2008. Championship - Game 43, at Crewe Alexandra.

Our evening visit to Crewe followed a minute of silence observed at six minutes past the hour in remembrance of the Hillsborough tragedy. A priest said a few words, then asked the crowd to duck their heads in silent prayer. The silence was almost breathtaking, heartbreaking, to the outsider's eye, and miraculously, unbroken.

Then the moment was past, and the crowd began to come to life, though the home fans couldn't get too enthusiastic about the match. Last year's League One runners-up were struggling, but at 21st were just outside the relegation zone. They'd need to take points today to help their chances - they'd been relegated from the Championship twice in the previous seven seasons, and had just a three-point cushion over Oldham Athletic.

Two Sheffield United players would make their debut league appearances as I named a young lineup, resting some of the veterans for the big Derby County match the coming Sunday. Allan McGregor was in goal, with Sean Dillon at left back. Ben Hammond and Chris Morgan spelled Foxe and Foster in central defense, while Keith McCormack returned to the lineup on the right side, making his first start since going out on loan. 16-year-old Steven White, who had done well in the Reserves all year, made his first professional debut at the key defensive midfield position. A morning-of-kickoff hunch prompted me to give Darren Wrack only his eighth start of the season on the left wing, primarily to provide some veteran leadership for this lineup, while Leandre Griffit was on the right. 18-year-old Gareth Davies made his first league start in the attacking midfield role, partnered with Joe Newell. Peter Weatherson returned to the starting lineup at striker. I wasn't throwing caution entirely to the wind: Marc Bridge-Wilkinson and Joe Keenan were available off the bench if either of the youngsters struggled with the pressure.

Crewe had the opposite philosophy: Marcus Bent was making his 400th league appearance. They were opposite in terms of strategic philosophy as well, playing an attacking 4-3-3 which pleased the fans, but wasn't getting results on the field. I maintained the stodgy, conservative 4-5-1 we'd played all year. We dominated the first twenty minutes, with Darren Wrack hitting side-netting, and Peter Weatherson sending a header just over the bar. Gareth Davies had a great chance in the box, but didn't challenge the keeper.

On the 20-minute mark, Davies sent a great playmaking ball in front of Joe Newell. It reminded me of Tappa Whitmore, and Newell raced into the area, hitting the lower-left corner just as the referee blew the play dead. The pass was an instant too late, and Newell had gotten offsides just before Davies struck it. Still, the lad's potential was obvious to see.

Davies continued to feature, sending a half-volley just wide in the 24th minute. In the 27th, it was Leandre Griffit driving a ball into the six, where Darren Wrack connected with a solid diving header. Owain fon Williams was lucky to tip it over. For all we'd lacked finish, the Railwaymen looked completely inept, utterly overwhelmed in midfield and unable to find their three forwards with anything. On the half-hour, Newell won a poor clearance fairly deep in the Crewe half, nodding it to Wrack. The veteran winger struck the ball forward for Weatherson, catching him in stride, and this time there was no offsides. Our number nine raced into the area, and coolly slotted it past the Welsh keeper for his tenth goal of the season, and a 1-0 lead.

I tried to settle Gareth Davies a bit at halftime, and made sure to offer some praise for Steven White, who had looked composed and collected in the defensive midfield role. We continued to control the match through the second half, but despite a decided advantage in possession and shots, were unable to find a second. Finally, concerned about the potential of that 4-3-3, I shouted the orders to go defensive. I also made the last of my substitutions, around the seventieth minute. With Billy Sharp and Marc Bridge-Wilkinson already on, I sent Joe Keenan in to relieve White and provide some veteran assurance in the back five.

As soon as we let up our pressure, the Railwaymen mounted their first serious challenge. For the next eight minutes, they cranked up the heat, forcing our backs to the wall. The crowd, almost forgotten, rallied in support of their boys. Fortunately, our defensive perimeter held, limiting them to hopeful long shots, none of which troubled Allan McGregor, but after eight minutes I'd had enough, and ordered the lads to start pushing forward a bit more, if only to buy some space. This seemed to work, and the crowd quieted as we pushed the home side back.

They began to grow ever more desperate, and in the 89th minute, their desperation left space at the back. Wrack launched a long ball for Bridge-Wilkinson, which found he and Davies in a 2-on-1, everybody else having ventured forward for the hosts. The defender and goalkeeper both shaded towards our leading scorer, leaving Davies wide open in the box. Bridge-Wilkinson sent a perfect centering pass for the youngster, who somehow couldn't control it - a perfect opportunity to score on his debut, and he could only watch in despair as the ball skittered away from him on the six.

It didn't matter. A minute later, Sharp made a nice slide-tackle to dispossess Ritchie Sutton in the Crewe area. Bride-Wilkinson opportunistically pounced on it, inside the six but wide of the post. He didn't pass this time, and managed to poke it in despite the oblique angle. His nineteenth of the season made the final score 2-0.

Crewe Alexandra 0, Sheffield United 2

----; Weatherson 30, Bridge-Wilkinson 90

MoM: Wrack

Darren Wrack, whom I had honestly penciled in on a hunch just before kickoff, was named Man of the Match after controlling the left sideline and earning the assist on Weatherson's goal.

[Amaroq]

Saturday, 19th April, 2008.

It was mixed news from the radio in the changing room, after: nil-nil draws for West Brom and Coventry meant that we'd all but clinched our berth in the playoffs. Unfortunately, we hadn't gained any ground at the top: Crystal Palace had crushed Oldham 3-0, and Derby kept pace with a 3-1 win over Forest. So, we were still third, two points back of Palace with three games yet to play.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Pos Pts W D L GF GA GD

1 Ipswich 94 28 10 5 70 29 +41

2 Crystal Palace 87 26 9 8 73 38 +35

---------------------------------------------------

3 Sheffield United 85 24 13 6 72 31 +41

4 Derby County 83 25 8 10 69 38 +31

5 W.B.A. 77 21 14 8 69 40 +29

6 Coventry 76 22 10 11 62 47 +15

---------------------------------------------------

7 Everton 74 21 11 11 69 45 +24</pre>

John Melligan made his return to the pitch the next day, as did Chris Sedgwick, both playing more than a half in a Reserve tie at Macclesfield. The match ended in acrimony, with both sides yelling at the ref and at each other; luckily, the only red card given went to Macclesfield Reserves, not our lads. The final score, nil-nil, was imminently forgettable.

In Friday's papers, Glenn Hoddle announced that he hoped to put a dent in our promotion chances by beating us on Sunday. I responded in the Saturday issue of the Star by saying I believed in my team, and going on to say I still felt we had a chance at guaranteed promotion, not just fighting up through the playoffs.

In Saturday's matches, Chelsea clinched the Premier League title - no surprise to anybody there that they retained it, as the outcome hadn't been in doubt for some time - and Gillingham were the first side relegated from the Premier League. Last year's Championship runner-up after a disappointing 18th the previous season, their first-ever trip to the top flight had yielded only four wins and 20 points thus far.

Though I'd talked a big game Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon Crystal Palace put us deep in the hole, beating Preston North End 3-1 to put us five points down. Our match against Derby was shaping up to be a must-win: even a draw would put us all but in the playoffs, but a win was vital to give us any hope of guaranteed promotion.

[Amaroq]

Sunday, 20th April, 2008. Championship - Game 44, at Derby County.

The pressure was simply incredible, a living, breathing tightness in my chest all morning, and the silence on the bus for the drive south to Derby spoke volumes. A pent-up tension wired us all together, and though nobody was speaking, I could sense the storm about to break - but whether for good or for ill, I couldn't tell.

The televised matchup between the third and fourth place sides in the Championship brought a huge television audience, and a sell-out crowd to Pride Park. Derby County had twice won the First Division in the '70's, but had been relegated from the Premier League after the 2001/02 season, and despite two playoff appearances in the last three years, had not managed to secure promotion back to the top flight. Seven points back of Palace, it looked like they were due for another playoff run, even if they could beat us - and this match might well be a preview of the playoff final.

I started the best lineup I could: Allan McGregor in goal, with a back four of Sean Dillon, Hayden Foxe, Steve Foster, and Jordan Holmes. Mathieu Berson was the defensive mid, with Graham Allen and Jonathan Forte on the wings. Souleymane Mamam partnered with Marc Bridge-Wilkinson in the attacking midfield, and target man Noel Hunt was up front. My heart pounding with excitement, I led them out to a tremendous roar from the capacity Pride Park throng.

We silenced the raucous crowd when we got off to a flier in the second minute. Marc Bridge-Wilkinson was trapped by two defenders on the left wing, and played it back to Jonathan Forte. Noel Hunt drifted out left, and Forte knocked it into the corner for Hunt as Bridge-Wilkinson broke for the box. Hunt cut it low as Bridge-Wilkinson entered the area, and scandalously there was no Ram close to our leading scorer! He closed to within 8 yards before striking a laser to the far post underneath the outstretched Graham Stack. It was his 20th goal of the season, and gave us a very early 1-0 lead!

With 88 minutes yet to play, I knew we couldn't relax. Derby were pushing forward to equalize despite the early nature of their deficit, with a 5-3-2 that began to play more and more like a 3-5-2 or even a 3-4-3, so aggressive was their midfield. In the 7th minute, Bridge-Wilkinson got a head to a Derby pass near the back, flicking it over to Hunt. I expected the big forward to turn and shoot, but instead he laid it back to Bridge-Wilkinson's feet. Linvoy Primus followed the ball, not his man, charging as though he expected a long range shot, and Bridge-Wilkinson chipped it over him into space for Hunt. There was a shocking amount of space, with Stack rushing desperately out, but Hunt got to the ball first and made it 2-0.

The place would have been a morgue, but there were almost 8,000 visiting fans, and they were directly behind that goal, so all our players heard was joyous celebration. To their credit, Derby came out with more energy and pace, seeking a way back into the match - a tribute to Glenn Hoddle's training - and for a good twenty minutes they pressured us back. But, they may have been trying too hard: I noticed that more and more players were creeping forward, and they were losing their shape at the back.

I'm not even sure how to describe our third goal - Souleymane Mamam and Noel Hunt were pressuring the defense, and forced a few consecutive uncontrolled touches. It wound up with a loose ball in the area, and all three members of the Derby back line thought somebody else would get it, and stepped upfield. I learned later that an enterprising fan had yelled "I got it!", and they'd all thought it was a teammate! However it happened, Mamam claimed the loose ball unmolested. A deft touch allowed him to dribble around Stack and tap in for the easiest goal of his career. 3-0, and just thirty-five minutes gone!

Forte set up the fourth five minutes later, putting a glorious gentle touch on a ball to play it into space for Bridge-Wilkinson. Yet again, he was able to dribble into the area and take a shot without a marker, and thus padded his team-leading tally. On all four goals, there hadn't been a defender within a few yards of our man - it was shamefully bad defending from the hosts, and a 4-0 scoreline at halftime was fully deserved!

Through the intermission, I had a brief argument with Bridge-Wilkinson. He wanted to pursue a hat trick, but I'd noticed he was limping, and when he said "just a little twinge in my groin," that was it for him. I made the point that it was all but over as a contest, and we'd have more important matches upcoming. He grudgingly acquiesced.

At the 65th minute, Mathieu Berson scored his first ever goal in a Sheffield uniform. The French midfielder angled a pass wide right to his countryman Leandre Griffit, who dribbled into the area. Finally, Derby closed down a man, but as two men charged Griffit, they left Berson open trailing the play. The substitute winger teed it up for the defensive midfielder, who drove it straight on from 16 yards out. Stack might have had it covered, but a wicked deflection off of defender Titus Bramble left him no chance, and that made it 5-0.

The Derby fans were already streaming for the exits, and the goal just intensified the flow. By the 80th minute, fewer than 10,000 of the initial crowd were left to see Stack make a fine save to deny Griffit the sixth, or to see the soft penalty which was awarded when Mauricio Taricco brought down Jordan Holmes just inside the area. Holmes had been enjoying the match, and took advantage of the ridiculous scoreline to make an overlapping run up the right side. Griffit got it to him, and Holmes was inside Taricco when he decided to cut out wide to make a cross. Taricco, trailing him and rushing goalward, couldn't help but clip him, and the foul may or may not have taken place inside the line. With a five goal lead, I would have let it go, personally, but referee Trevor Parkes showed no mercy, pointing decisively at the spot and handing Taricco a yellow card for his trouble.

Substitute striker Peter Weatherson converted confidently enough, and that made the final score a resounding 6-0.

Derby County 0, Sheffield United 6

----; Bridge-Wilkinson 2, 40, Hunt 7, Mamam 35, Berson 65, Weatherson pen 90

MoM: Bridge-Wilkinson

I got a big laugh from the lads when I started my post-match team talk with "Well, to be honest, I was expecting a bit more of a challenge."

In stark contrast to our pre-game tension on the bus, the mood in the clubhouse was jovial and relaxed. Frankly, if we could finish off the fourth-placed side by six goals, I wasn't the only one feeling confident even if we did have to go the playoff route.

Tom Mitchell pulled me aside and said that he was glad we'd pulled Marc Bridge-Wilkinson off when we did: the attacking midfielder was still Man of the Match with two goals and an assist, but he'd avoided any serious injury and should be fit for our next match.

[Amaroq]

Tuesday, 22nd April, 2008.

The 6-0 victory was a "modern record", the largest win for Sheffield United since the turn of the millennium, and chairman Derek Dooley couldn't resist crowing to the media about how delighted he was. Personally, the win felt surreal - getting such a quality result against quality opposition - and I still felt tense, as we remained two points behind Crystal Palace, having only managed to keep pace with them for the weekend.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Pos Pts W D L GF GA GD

1 Ipswich 95 28 11 5 72 31 +41

2 Crystal Palace 90 27 9 8 76 39 +37

---------------------------------------------------

3 Sheffield United 88 25 13 6 78 31 +47

4 Derby County 83 25 8 11 69 44 +25

5 Coventry 79 23 10 11 65 48 +17

6 W.B.A. 77 21 14 9 69 41 +28

---------------------------------------------------

7 Everton 75 21 12 11 71 47 +24</pre>

It was refreshing that the 'modern record' topic distracted Rupert Wormwood: his entire column was devoted to deriding that concept as foolish, as though it negated the entire history of the 1900's and made football 'start' in 2001.

I found that it was the first time I'd really agreed with him: baseball records have the same thing, starting in 1901, negating thirty years of professional baseball that predates that, and Formula One for that matter seems to start with the first Driver's World Championship, ignoring the great pre-war racers.

Wonders will never cease - I found agreeing with Wormwood more out of place than the unexpected 6-0 victory!

After such a strong showing, and on national television, we had three players named to the Team of the Week: young fullback Jordan Holmes, Australian defender Hayden Foxe, and on-loan midfielder Souleymane Mamam.

The celebration for our victory had no sooner faded, than I was reminded yet again why so many managers go grey before they turn forty. Central defender Steve Foster suffered a fractured arm in training Tuesday afternoon. It was a freak accident, a fall in training, with the weight of two men on his forearm, but it would bring his season to a likely close. Though he promised to get fit in time for the playoff final, if we need it, physio Dennis Pettit was dubious.

It was good that we had such depth in defense, as with Foxe, Chris Morgan, and young Ben Hammond, we should have adequate cover - but it was an added stress I didn't need with our next encounter against fifth-placed Coventry providing no relief.

[Amaroq]

Thursday, 24th April, 2008.

Wednesday was the first leg of the Champions League Semi-Finals, and I needed the breather - I settled in to watch with Stuart and Mister Dooley.

The matches wound up with similar scorelines. At Old Trafford, Mark van Bommel was sent off in the 28th minute, leaving Manchester United battling with only ten men, and A.C. Milan took advantage, with Kaka scoring a vital away goal in a 0-1 defeat for the Red Devils.

In Munich, David Trezeguet scored just before half-time to give Juventus the only goal in a 1-0 win over Bayern München. It was the first match since the remodelled Allianz-Arena had re-opened that the German side had lost in the venue - eighteen straight European matches plus an incredible string of domestic games unbeaten.

The Final looked to be a matchup of Italian giants - but there was still the second leg to go; each needed only a draw at home.

In Wednesday's Reserve match, Chris Sedgwick was obviously back to match fitness, putting in a perfect '10' performance and earning assists on both goals in a 2-1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday Reserves. He'd been the provider for John Melligan and Gareth Davies, when in the 79th minute David Cockerill brought him down in a crunching tackle. The injury-prone winger was carted off the pitch, and though he was later named Man of the Match, that would be nothing compared to his joy at the doctor's report: merely a sprained wrist, no surgery or physiotherapy required. Davies also suffered an injured foot in the match - even at the Reserve level, the rivalry between United and Wednesday breeds bad blood and hard tackling.

In the UEFA Cup semi-finals on Thursday, Arsenal beat PSV 1-0 on Kolo Abib Toure's stoppage-time goal, giving them an away goal, while Swiss club Young Boys continued their unlikely campaign with a 1-0 victory at home against Bayern Leverkusen.

In other news, Vincente Del Bosque was named as the new manager of Newcastle United Wednesday night - and I noticed that Rupert Wormwood's article on Thursday mentioned nothing of his distracting conjecture about me, instead blasting Van Bommel for his red card.

[Amaroq]

Saturday, 26th April, 2008. Championship - Game 45, vs Coventry City.

With two matches left to play, there were just seven teams left in contention. Ipswich Town had earned guaranteed promotion, and we were eliminated from the title race, but guaranteed a playoff spot. We needed for Palace to falter, obviously - while Everton needed help from somebody to catch either West Brom or Coventry. We'd try to provide the Toffees help against the 1987 F.A. Cup winners.

I couldn't believe our schedule - it felt like we'd played the entire top ten for our last ten games, starting with that Cup tie against Aston Villa. Coventry City had been relegated from the Championship three years ago, won League One two years back, and placed fifth in the Championship last year, losing out in the playoffs. That they were fifth again this year only meant that they had more experience with close games and important matches; at Bramall Lane or no, it didn't sound like an easy tie.

I wanted to start the same lineup I had for our six-nil victory the previous weekend, but the injury to Steve Foster meant a single change: Chris Morgan replaced Foster in the back row. Other than that, it was the same: Allan McGregor in goal, with Sean Dillon, Hayden Foxe, Chris Morgan, and Jordan Holmes in defense. Mathieu Berson was the base of the midfield, with Graham Allen and Jonathan Forte on the wings. Souleymane Mamam and Marc Bridge-Wilkinson partnered in the attacking roles, behind big target man Noel Hunt.

On our home turf, with a big win behind us, we came out confident, controlling the play from the outset, and it was clear within ten minutes that Coventry keeper Luke McCormick was going to have a long day ahead of him. The ball was out of play just before the twenty minute mark when a load groan went up from the crowd - announced at 29,998, just shy of capacity. It took me a minute to find the out-of-town scoreboard, but there it was: Crystal Palace had taken an early lead over Stoke City. I found out later it was Finnish midfielder Aki Riihilahti who had scored.

At 21 minutes, Noel Hunt from out wide placed a low pass to the feet of Souleymane Mamam. The Togo international got his shoulder inside of Coventry defenseman Michael Walsh, and drove into the area - it was perfect technique, as there was nothing Walsh could do but foul him. Mamam got the shot off just as Walsh pulled him down, and if the shot hadn't wound up in the back of the net, it would have been a penalty anyways. With a 1-0 lead, at least my boys were doing their part.

The Sky Blues gamely stayed with their 4-4-2, and did make an occasional foray forward, but the game was thoroughly in our control from there on, and I found myself repeatedly glancing over at the Crystal Palace score. Both games were still 1-0 when the halftime whistle blew.

We nearly scored right off the second half kickoff, with McCormick having to make a top-drawer save to deny Marc Bridge-Wilkinson when the midfielder let fly a scorcher from 25 yards. I'd thought it was in - curling to the top-right corner, but somehow the Coventry keeper

In the 58th minute, Mamam played provider, with a great pass sending Hunt between the two central defenders. Walsh got a foot in at the top of the arc, but the ball bounced up and over the luckless defender's knee. Hunt let it drop before striking a half-volley from the 18. It was a truly spectacular shot, rippling the net in classic fashion, and the Bramall Lane crowd celebrated: the score was 2-0.

An extra goal made our result safe, but I knew that didn't matter unless Palace lost their 1-0 lead. It wasn't happening, and I had two players who were limping a bit: Graham Allen and Sean Dillon. Both came off, for Leandre Griffit and Joe Keenan, respectively.

With twenty minutes to play, Hunt chased a long ball into the left corner. He dribbled along the end line, and shot from a tight angle. McCormick blocked it with his palsm, but the ball rolled across the goalmouth. The speedy Mamam raced into the six to tap it home at the far post, and it was a comfortable 3-0 lead.

Just a few minutes later, a loud roar went up from the crowd. I glanced to the scoreboard with my heart pounding, and saw that against all odds, Stoke had equalized! Veteran Nigerian striker Ade Akinbiyi, a former Crystal Palace player who had never settled in there, had found the net to equalize against his former club. Irony!

I could barely watch the proceedings on our field, and it was maddening not to have any information beyond the score - but according to our scoreboard it stayed 1-1 through the end of our match. By stoppage time, our supporters were singing and dancing in the aisles, their hopes of promotion revived, and belting out through Bramall Lane at full volume:

The Blades are going up,

The Blades are going up,

The Blades are going up,

And now you're gonna believe us,

The Blades are going up!

Sheffield United 3, Coventry City 0

Mamam 21, 69, Hunt 58; ----

MoM: Hunt

I'd thought Souleyman Mamam would earn Man of the Match, with two goals and an assist, but that honour was instead given to Noel Hunt, who after all had the other goal and assists.

The best news, however, came from the radio. It was confirmed: Stoke City had held on for an improbable 1-1 draw against Palace, putting us level for second place with only one match to play.

There was celebration, and joy, and talk of the Premier League, and I had to temper their enthusiasm by reminding them that there was, after all, one more match to play. Even if it is against already-relegated Doncaster, we still have to win it to go up.

[Amaroq]

Sunday, 27th April, 2008.

Since our home defeat to Crystal Palace, we'd run off four straight victories by a combined total of 13-0!

Ipswich Town had clinched the title on Saturday thanks to Palace's draw, and with the outcome decided, they blooded several youngster on Sunday at Millwall. Their weakened lineup lost, 0-3, but it was all one to the Tractor Boys, who were assured of Premiership football next season.

Despite the uplifting results from Saturday - and the enthusiasm of our supporters - we still had work to do. The first tie-breaker, our mammoth goal differential, had us ahead of Palace and in second place - but by the narrowest of margins, and all would depend on the final match of the season.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Pos Pts W D L GF GA GD

1 Ipswich 95 28 11 6 72 34 +38

2 Sheffield United 91 26 13 6 81 31 +50

---------------------------------------------------

3 Crystal Palace 91 27 10 8 77 40 +37

4 Derby County 83 25 8 12 72 48 +24

5 W.B.A. 80 22 14 9 72 42 +30

6 Coventry 79 23 10 12 65 51 +14

---------------------------------------------------

7 Everton 78 22 12 11 76 47 +29</pre>

Whatever result Palace acheive against Hull City, we would need to equal or better.

[HD]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Since our home defeat to Crystal Palace, we'd run off four straight victories by a combined total of 13-0! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

That's impressive, but how does it compare to the 9-9 draw my Ayr side just achieved!

[Wegason]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Amaroq:

The first tie-breaker, of course, is head-to-head matches, and we'd lost to Palace 0-3 away and 0-2 at home, rendering our mammoth goal differential moot.

</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Seriously? I could of sworn that didn't factor in to league football and it was just goal difference then goals scored....

[Amaroq]

Oy, really? Drat. I might have some re-writing to do, then. Can somebody confirm?

[aaberdeenn]

It goes.

1. Goal Difference

2. Goals Scored

3. Results between the teams.

I think, I may be wrong but I think that's right.

p.s. I've been really busy of late but I hope to get right back into this soon. Well done on the award too.

[Amaroq]

Right, then, I'll ask the mods to update that.

[Amaroq]

Thanks, aaberdeen, btw. I'd been wondering where you were! Mod-request in to correct that, and the table - and I've updated the not-yet-posted text as well. Glad you guys caught it early!

[Amaroq]

Monday, 28th April, 2008.

In other news from around the leagues, Birmingham were relegated from the Premier League, joining Gillingham. They'd taken the drop three years ago, earned promotion immediately, and last year stayed up by the narrowest of margins on the last day - but weren't so lucky this season.

From the lower divisions, Burnley earned promotion from League One, with Welsh side Wexham relegated. To my dismay, York City lost 0-2 to Huddersfield - the Minstermen had now dropped five straight scoreless defeats, plummeting into the relegation zone with just one match left to secure salvation:

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> LEAGUE ONE

Pos Pts W D L GF GA GD

17 Walsall 54 13 15 17 54 59 - 5

18 Colchester 53 13 14 18 47 58 -11

19 Huddersfield 52 13 13 19 54 63 - 9

20 Grimsby 52 13 13 19 56 66 -10

--------------------------------------------------------

21 York 51 14 9 22 42 60 -18

22 Swindon 50 13 11 21 46 67 -21

23 Wrexham 46 11 13 21 50 63 -13

24 Cheltenham 40 11 7 27 48 67 -19</pre>

Yeovil and Torquay gained promotion from League Two, with Leyton Orient relegated to the Conference. Dorchester and Halifax had been relegated from the Conference. In the Conference North, Vauxhall Motors, Hucknall, and Guiseley had all been relegated. Woking won the Conference South, with Lewes, Halesown, and Cambridge City suffering the drop on the last day.

Despite having an off day on Saturday, our Under-18 side were confirmed as Under-18 Group 4 winners, giving them at least one piece of silver to add to their trophy case, despite their disappointing penalty loss in the Under-18s Cup Final.

With perfect '10' ratings for their match, Souleymane Mamam and Noel Hunt were an easy selection to the Championship Team of the Week. I was stunned at how much of an impact Mamam had made in such a short time, and began seriously contemplating what it would take to secure his services from Manchester United full-time, next season.

[Amaroq]

Wednesday, 30th April, 2008.

The Italian juggernaut continued their domination in the Champions League Semi-Finals, with each Serie A club steamrolling to a 2-0 victory for a 3-0 aggregate.

A.C. Milan played a tough, hard-tackling match at the San Siro, which saw Gabriel Heinze and Wayne Rooney off injured for Manchester United by halftime. The outcome was beyond doubt by then as well, with Kaka and Andriy Shevchenko having scored goals for the hosts.

Bayern München's reign as European Champions was officially brought to a close by a Zlatan Ibrahimovic brace at the Della Alpi; Juventus advanced to the final, setting up a battle of Italian giants which would mimic the two club's neck-and-neck battle for the Serie A.

In one of life's strange oddities, Ade Akinbiyi was the captain of the Stoke City Reserves today, and looked bemused when his announcement was met by a standing ovation at Saltergate. Akinbiyi, of course, had scored the goal for Stoke's senior side which had given us our chance at promotion.

The crowd was over 1,000, as I'd made it known that this would likely be the last match in a United jersey for veteran Eric Deloumeaux. He wasn't in my lineup for the season finale, and I wasn't about to renew his contract. Though he'd only been at the club for two years, the captain was warmly appreciated by the fans, and he received a loud ovation when he came on in the 60th minute.

Billy Sharp and winger Robbie Poole scored the goals, with Sharp earning Man of the Match honors, in a 2-0 victory that brought the Reserve season to a close. That left our lads sixth in Reserve Group 3, 23 points behind the champions Doncaster Reserves, but two points ahead of Sheffield Wednesday Reserves, an accomplishment which they all would be happy with.

[Amaroq]

Thursday, 1st May, 2008.

The board were giddy as schoolboys, and seemed as certain of our players that we'd earned promotion already. I found myself giving them almost the same speech as I had to my players: "Don't relax yet, we have one more game to win!"

Financially, we'd made £0.3M for the month of April, which put us at a net loss of £1.3M for the year, and a total balance of £10.6M. I wondered if it was time to start the discussion of how much money I would need for transfers next year, and decided to start that off with a discussion of Souleymane Mamam. His impressive performances since joining us on loan had earned him the Championship Player of the Month award for April; Noel Hunt had an honourable mention, at third. I told the board how I felt it would take a few more players of Maman's quality to have any success in the Premier League. I mentioned the television revenue, and the £10M balance, and reminded them that I would need help to keep the club up, if we do earn promotion.

Terry Robinson informed me that the board were well aware of my concerns, and knew what it would take to keep us in the Premier League.

"We'll make sufficient funds available with next year's budget," he assured me, "If we earn promotion."

He wouldn't tell me what that number would be - or even give me a minimum I could expect if we failed to promote. Which meant I'd have to defer any decision on Maman until the budget was announced.

On-loan right back Jordan Holmes had come close to winning an award as well, netting second in the balloting for Young Player of the Month, while I was third in the Mananger of the Month voting.

In the UEFA Cup, Arsenal advanced to the Final with a 1-0 victory over PSV at Emirates Stadium, with Andres D'Alessandro's goal giving them a 2-0 aggregate.

Young Boys would be the sentimental favorites, as well as a big underdog, after their dramatic victory over Bayern Leverkusen. Trailing 1-0, which had the match level on aggregate, goals by Marco Haller and Raphael Fontana in the 88th and 89th minutes, respectively, had seen them through to the Final by a 3-1 aggregate score.

[aaberdeenn]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I'd been wondering where you were! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Nice someone noticed my absence.

Now that '08 is out, I'm considering beginning my very own FMS career. I'll see how things go.

I think I'll just read the updates from now on and catch up with all the bits I missed over the next week or so.

kutgw though.

[Amaroq]

Good luck with the writing.

[Amaroq]

Saturday, 3rd May, 2008.

Doncaster manager Steve McManaman, named late in the season, had done nothing but preside over Doncaster slipping below Wigan Athletic, down to 24th out of 24 teams in the Championship. Still, he made the match a big deal in the press, stating that he hoped to dent our chances of promotion in the season finale.

I told the media, "I'm confident of promotion. Even if we don't prevail tomorrow, we've got experience with the playoffs."

I was hiding my concern: it felt like the squad thought that they'd already done it - despite our precarious position in the table, complacency was setting in.

I had another problem brewing, as well. Jamie Cooper came back from his loan to Oldham Athletic convinced that he belonged in the starting lineup. In an interview with none other than my favorite reporter, Rupert Wormwood, he had said "I'd tell my manager to either play me regularly, or risk losing me."

The young defender truly isn't ready for a Premier League campaign, but that's a situation I'll have to deal with in the offseason.

Saturday's results saw Bristol City become the third and final team relegated from the Premier League. They'd won the Championship playoffs last year, promoting from League One to the Premier League in just three short seasons - and their tenure in the top flight lasted just one year. It was a warning to me, trying to bring a team up from League One in an even shorter time period.

Elsewhere, Burnley won the League One title, and Wolverhampton Wanderers took second to earn the other promotion slot. Yeovil won the League Two title, with everyone's favourite villains, MK Dons, "franchise FC", claiming the other promotion slot.

My former club, York City, at home against Luton Town, dropped behind 0-1 in the first half .. but came from behind for a dramatic 2-1 win, with veteran Richie Barker providing the equalizer and 22-year-old defender Liam Fontaine scoring a headed goal from a corner kick in the closing minutes. The Minstermen had avoided relegation by a single point, leapfrogging Huddersfield to safety on the final match day. A Hollwood scriptwriter couldn't have scripted that better!

Though the biggest game of the season loomed on the horizon, I took the brief moment to do my usual monthly training review, feeling a bit behind.

Sean Dillon was the most improved for the month, showing his tremendous determination in training sessions and matches alike. Keith McCormack may not have improved much from April 1st, but he'd held onto the tremendous gains he'd made in the previous two months, and I had very high hopes for the young Irishman's future. Our left wings, Jonathan Forte and Andrew Schofield, were both in their peak condition; young Schofield had shown more improvement, but Forte remained the better player. Kyle McFadzean, out on loan, was showing good improvement as well, at his all-time best performance according to coach Niko Kovac, who had gone to observe him.

Our strikers were having a mixed time of things: Noel Hunt was thriving on his regular first-team action, while Peter Weatherson's injuries had cost him. Billy Sharp had lost ground for the month of April, but was still showing good improvement for the quarter, while Chris Gray was continually improving. The injury to Danny Lea had really cost the youngest of my strikers. Two veteran players whom I would have expected more of were also struggling, as Graham Allen and Joe Keenan had shown considerable drop in form, which would keep them out of the lineup against Doncaster.

[Amaroq]

Sunday, 4th May, 2008. Championship - Game 46, at Doncaster.

Doncaster had gone 24 straight games without a victory, and were on the verge of setting a record for futility in the Championship if they failed to win today. Changing managers hadn't helped their fortunes: for all his bluster, McManaman had yet to win a match.

Despite my worries about complacency, I made just one change from the lineup which had catapulted us to the brink of the Premiership, bringing Leandre Griffit in on the right wing. With Allan McGregor in goal, and Sean Dillon, Hayden Foxe, Chris Morgan, Jordan Holmes across the back, we looked to be in good shape. Mathieu Berson anchored the midfield, with Griffit and Jonathan Forte on the wings. Souleymane Mamam, Marc Bridge-Wilkinson, and Noel Hunt would run the offense.

There was a crowd of 15,467 on hand at The Doncaster Community Stadium, and more than half of those were Sheffield United supporters. I was very nervous, with butterflies in my stomach as we kicked off, and it was clear that so were my players. Doncaster looked dangerous in the first minute or two, but then Sean Dillon made a nice tackle in the box, and it seemed our nerves were settled. We began playing our game, taking it to them.

In the 11th minute, Doncater had a free kick some forty yards out. David Bell took, and played an aerial ball to Inigo Idiakez in the arc. The veteran Spaniard made a twisting volley, but didn't have enough power on it. Allan McGregor looked to have it covered, but the ball struck Morgan and deflected back to the opposite corner. Suddenly, incredibly, we were in the hole, 0-1, and making matters worse, the news arrived that Palace had struck an early penalty, taking a 1-0 lead - so we would need to score twice to go up.

I freed my players up from our normal conservative nature, telling them that anybody could go forward if he saw a good opportunity. With my players surging forward, we quickly took it to them, and in the 24th minute earned our third corner kick. Leandre Griffit received a short corner, dribbled around one man, and looked to have the keeper beaten, but Steven Davis knocked it off the line. Another corner followed, and this time Marc Bridge-Wilkinson sent an outswinger to Mathieu Berson, who'd been lurking unmarked outside the area. The Frenchman met it with a powerful header from 14 yards, which went straight into the back of the net to equalize, 1-1.

Doncaster's confidence seemed shattered: heads were hanging, and their section of the crowd jeered. Bridge-Wilkinson had a powerful shot tipped over by goalkeeper Richard Lee when I thought he'd surely given us the lead, and the resulting corner kick looked like dropping in the six, untouched. Souleymane Mamam reached it with a diving header, but got a little too far under it, and it cannoned back off the crossbar. Seeing the shift in the two teams, Steve McManaman began yelling orders to get his lads more defensive, dropping from a 3-5-2 to a very defensive 5-3-2.

It was still even at halftime, where I learned that Palace still held a 1-0 lead over Hull. I told the lads to forget defending - look to get involved in the attack, but do it patiently. Doncaster were holding enough players back, however, that they were really clogging things up, frequently double-covering Noel Hunt. He did get one header, on the end of Jonathan Forte's cross in the 62nd minute, that sailed just over the net, but I knew he needed some help. I brought young fullback Jordan Holmes off for veteran striker Peter Weatherson in the 63rd minute, shifting to a 3-5-2.

We had a number of chances, but just couldn't seem to find the final touch - Bridge-Wilkinson's best long-range effort was saved, Weatherson whistled on just wide, and Hunt scuffed a shot when he'd looked open in the box. I felt helpless, pacing my touchline, wishing I could take the pitch and do it myself. Time continued to tick away: the 70th minute came and went, as did the 80th. Doncaster seemed content to waste as much time as they could, playing the ball down into the corners with regularity, not looking to attack but just to escape with a draw.

I grew ever more vigorous in my encouragement to my players to get forward, and made my last two substitutions, Graham Allen and Joe Keenan, but it was all to no avail.. until the 93rd minute. Sean Dillon ranged down the left flank, then cut it back for Forte. He lifted an aerial ball into the box.. Weatherson flashed into the air, whipping his head to connect with a vicious redirection...

... but it sailed just over.

The final whistle blew, and we were left hoping that Hull had pulled out a miracle in the dying seconds of their match.

Doncaster 1, Sheffield United 1

Idiakez 11; Berson 25

MoM: Morgan

"And the final score here is Crystal Palace 1, Hull 0, Palace will be going to the Premiership thanks to an unlikely result from last-placed Doncaster..."

I clicked the radio off, and turned to my players, who looked weary and defeated.

"Listen, lads, this was just one way to get there. We still have the playoffs - and after last year, we know how to win them. Keep your head up, and lets work hard these next two weeks."

[Amaroq]

Wednesday, 7th May, 2008.

For the second straight year, I found myself leading Sheffield United into the playoffs. This time, the stakes were much higher: a place in the Premier League and a share of that tremendous television revenue.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pos Pts W D L GF GA GD

C 1 Ipswich Town 98 29 11 6 73 33 +40

P 2 Crystal Palace 94 28 10 8 78 40 +38

-----------------------------------------------------

3 Sheffield United 92 26 14 6 82 32 +50

4 Derby County 86 26 8 12 74 48 +26

5 Coventry City 82 24 10 12 71 54 +17

6 W.B.A. 81 22 15 9 73 43 +30

-----------------------------------------------------

7 Everton 79 22 13 11 77 48 +29

8 Q.P.R. 74 20 14 12 64 54 +10</pre>

Our first task in the playoffs would be West Bromwich Albion, who had placed sixth thanks to a 1-1 draw with Q.P.R. while Everton drew 1-1 at Reading. We were the top seed, after coming third, with Derby County and Coventry City playing the other leg. We'd beaten West Brom both times we'd faced them this year, by the score of 2-0 each time - but after we'd underestimated Doncaster, nobody was counting anything as certain.

[avstwentyone]

Unlucky! So what, another nailbiter playoff series coming up then is it? Makes for good writing fodder, I'll bet.

[aaberdeenn]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Amaroq:

Good luck with the writing. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks.

Unlucky, really gutting to miss out like that. Good luck for the playoffs anyway.

[Wegason]

I really thought you'd get the automatic promotion due to you facing Doncaster! Unbelievable!. I hope you can take them to victory in the playoffs. I'm also glad York stayed up, just!

[Amaroq]

I have to say, I did too. Thanks for the support, lads - and avs, yeah, I think just about anybody could have written a gripping tale with the plot this save-game kept tossing at me!

[Amaroq]

Sunday, 11th May, 2008.

Our Under-18s closed out their group-winning season on Saturday with a solid 4-0 victory over Mansfield U-18s. Robbie Poole wore the captain's armband and scored the first goal, with Chris Gray, Dean Reid, and Mark Whitehead all getting on the score sheet as well, and Gareth Davies was named Man of the Match for a hard-working performance at attacking midfield.

18-year-old winger Nicky Thomson suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in training, so he wouldn't be celebrating. It was off to surgery for the left wing, with a projected 8 month recovery time that will eat well into next season - though the surgeon did tell me that a motivated patient can recover more quickly.

The Championship Playoffs got underway on Sunday, and Coventry thrashed Derby County 4-1 on Sunday with a brace by Gary McSheffrey leading the way. Daniel Nardiello and Stern John rounded out the scoring - it looked like the 6-0 pounding we'd given Derby had really rocked their confidence.

I tried to remind myself that it didn't matter - we had West Brom to deal with first.

[Amaroq]

Monday, 12th May, 2008. Championship Playoffs - Semi-Final, First Leg, at West Bromwich Albion.

West Bromwich Albion had scraped into the playoffs just two points ahead of Everton, and given that we'd beaten them twice in the regular season, we were heavy favourites for both legs of the tie - even if we were on the road for the first match.

The starting lineup were fully fit, and I went with Allan McGregor, of course the rock in goal. Sean Dillon, Chris Morgan, Hayden Foxe, and Jordan Holmes lined up across the back four. Mathieu Berson's loan was coming to a close, and he wouldn't be available for the playoff final, but he was in the lineup for this match. Graham Allen returned on the right wing, with Jonathan Forte on the left wing, as I figured Allen would have more at stake than on-loan winger Leandre Griffit. Souleymane Mamam remained partnered with Marc Bridge-Wilkinson in the attacking midfield, and Noel Hunt was the striker.

We got things started, taking the opening kickoff, and getting the first shot: Souleymane Mamam blazed it over the bar from just outside the 18. In the 6th minute, Graham Allen sent a great ball up the right wing for Noel Hunt, who found himself one-on-one with Russell Hoult, but the Baggies keeper made a great save to deny him. He turned Hunt away again in the 12th minute. West Brom was looking for goals as well, and the game was entertaining and open, with chances at both sides. In the 22nd minute, Andy Gray got up to head a Danny Butterfield cross 10 yards out, and he redirected it just inches wide.

The pace was much faster than when we'd last seen Albion, end-to-end action with everybody rested and fully motivated. There were quite some few crunching tackles flying around the place, and by the 35th minute, Gray, Butterfield, and our own Chris Morgan were all limping from particularly hard challenges, but no yellows had been awarded. In the 37th minute, fullback Neil Clement sent a 25 yard free kick curling towards the far post, but Allan McGregor was there to clutch it to his chest. Marc Bridge-Wilkinson tried two of his trademark long shots, wicked curlers, but Hoult saved them both and it was scoreless at halftime.

With Morgan reduced to hobbling, I decided to pull him off over the intermission. He put up a great protest when I informed him that Joe Keenan would be taking his place, but with one or two key matches remaining I wasn't going to take any chances with his health, especially not with Steve Foster out with that broken arm.

Sean Dillon remained the left back, with Keenan in a central role, and Dillon made that look a great choice in the 50th minute, when his brilliant pass picked out Hunt with space in the box. The big man hit side netting, and I recalled my initial assessment of him: great in the air, but not as skilled with the ball at his feet. In the 54th minute, Jonathan Forte's pass put Bridge-Wilkinson loose at about the same spot - the Baggies' right side central defender was lying well too far off the ball - but Hoult made a brilliant save to push his shot wide.

The match ticked through the sixtieth minute still scoreless, and it was beginning to look like the Bramall Lane leg would be the decider. David Johnson's powerful header came oh so close for the hosts, skimming the top of the bar from 18 yards out. Hunt got his chance in the 66th, when Darren Wrack, on for Graham Allen on the right side, took a free kick. He flighted it into the area beautifully, and the big man diverted it with his head. Hoult was utterly wrong-footed, but the effort went just wide.

Two minutes later, James Fowler had possession, trapped on the sideline 30 yards from our end. He found the slightest of openings and drove a high ball into the area. Keenan, not used to central defense, thought that Hayden Foxe was responsible for Leon McKenzie, while Foxe left him for Keenan to mark. McKenzie must have thought it was Christmas, getting that much space, and he punished the mistake with a powerful volley from 8 yards out. McGregor could do nothing about it, and we were down 0-1.

With a second leg yet to play, I didn't think I would adjust my strategy to try and get an equalizer - but then Neil Clement went down in the 72nd minute. Manager Paul Jewell had already made all three of his substitutions, so we found ourselves with a man advantage for twenty minutes. The home side fell back to defend their lead, while I sent men ranging forward for the chance to grab a vital equalizer.

Despite our advantage in numbers, the W.B.A. midfield really clogged our ability to get forward. Its a narrow pitch to begin with, and they'd abandoned all pretense of attacking threat. It was tough to find space for anybody - for the second match in a row I found myself almost nauseously pacing my touchline, unable to make anything happen. We managed only two weak shots in injury time, and would go to our home leg with a deficit to overcome.

W.B.A. 1, Sheffield United 0

McKenzie 68; ----

MoM: Fowler (W.B.A. ML)

In just eight days, we'd gone from being 90 minutes away from promotion to being 90 minutes away from crashing out of the playoffs, and the locker room mood was somber and grim.

I didn't have much to say, just a "Put it out of your minds, lads, we've beaten them by two before, we'll just have to do it again."

[Swans777]

Fair play m8 i have just spend mywhole day in work reading all this nice 1

[HD]

Choke artists

[Dixie Flatline]

I've spent the last fortnight at work and late at night at home reading this epic after the Awards ceremony. I take my hat off (were I wearing one) to you for keeping the motivation up to write such a fantastic and highly detailed story. Having been there and done that, I'm well aware of the dedication required.

Good luck with the second leg and beyond!

[Amaroq]

Swans - thanks. I can just see the essay now: "The impact of 'Sharpening a Rusty Blade' on the British GDP.."

Dixie Flatline - thanks very much; I do imagine you do! "How to make your way in the Primera Liga" put the "epic" in "epic tale" - and might be the only story on the board with more pages, since I caught flippers up.

Props to both of you for the fortitude in reading it all back-to-back, I'm glad it's got enough staying power that it kept you entertained.

As for HD - We'll just have to see...

[Amaroq]

Wednesday, 14th May, 2008.

The press coverage of the playoffs is pretty intense, but I was glad of that on Tuesday when I had an opportunity to sit alongside Hayden Foxe in a press conference. One of the journalists asked the captain about his earlier complaints about playing time, and he gave me a warm smile, putting his hand on my shoulder as he said, "No, I've been delighted lately. I've noticed Ian's been far more willing to play me since I asked him for a regular place in the lineup."

I even got a chance to explain my side, that it had been an unfortunate confluence of injury and international duty that limited his playing time in the first half of the year.

Right back Danny Payne had missed most of the season with injury, but had been working back towards fitness with Reserve matches at the end of the year. He'd suffered a bruised rib in the last Reserve match, but was training with the first team, trying to provide scouting of what W.B.A. typically play, when he suffered a strained groin. That would end any chance of his contributing in the playoffs, as I sent him packing off to a physiotherapist with orders to report rested and fit to camp in July.

Mathieu Berson's loan period came to a close: that 1-0 defeat against West Brom would be his final match as a Blade, at least for this season. He didn't return to train with Aston Villa immediately: he stayed on as a guest of the club to cheer us on from the stands.

Mathieu Berson, DMC, 28: November 2007 - May 2008: 1 season, 19 games, 2 goals, 3 assists, 7.26

The Frenchman had been a big part of our club for six months, and Villa hadn't offered him a contract for next season, which had me contemplating whether I'd be able to tempt him to stay on with us permanently. His agent sounded a bit more receptive to the idea, now - but wanted to keep his options open for the time being.

In an odd deal, I arranged the purchase of one of West Brom's young players, goalkeeper Adam Ryan, who had just turned 17, demonstrating that even at the height of a rivalry on the pitch, the business side of football marches on.

Finally, Wednesday held the first of the second leg matches. Derby County did win at home, posting a 1-0 victory over Coventry, but it was nowhere near enough for them, as Coventry advanced to the Final on a 4-2 aggregate.

And then it was our turn.

I was so nervous I couldn't sleep, and though I hadn't intended to be distracted by it, I wound up finding a midnight replay of the UEFA Cup Final, in which Arsenal had dominated Young Boys 3-0. Patrick Vieira, Samuel Kuffour, and Edu scored for the Gunners, as Dida posted his 28th clean sheet of the season, and his 10th in European competition.

[Amaroq]

Thursday, 15th May, 2008. Championship Playoffs - Semi-Final, Second Leg, vs West Bromwich Albion.

We'd lost the first leg, 1-0, and we needed to get a goal. Away goals don't matter for this purpose: if we were drawn after ninety minutes, it would go to extra time, and then to penalties, which left me with two questions to answer. First, what tactic to use? I decided to go with the patient build-up version of our 4-5-1, expecting Paul Jewell to play defensively and protect his aggregate lead.

Second, who to start? Throughout the season, I'd used a completely new eleven after a period of only three days, but this was the biggest game of the year: if we went out, I didn't want to do it with anything other than my best lineup. Allan McGregor made his 48th start of the season in goal, that was a given. Sean Dillon would start again on the left wing. Chris Morgan was feeling jaded, and Steve Foster had gotten himself back to mostly match fit, so I named Foster alongside Hayden Foxe, my first choice central defense. Jordan Holmes remained on at right back. With Berson gone, I needed a defensive midfielder, and I didn't think I could trust it to 18-year-old Gavin Atkinson or 16-year-old Steven White. Instead, I named Joe Keenan to the spot, hoping he'd be able to redeem himself for the mistake which had cost us in the first game.

I did not want to chance leaden legs on the wings, so I brought 18-year-old Andrew Schofield in on the left wing to replace Forte, and Leandre Griffit, who'd had that magical goal against W.B.A. in April, on the right instead of Allen. Up front, I'd pulled Marc Bridge-Wilkinson off after sixty minutes of the first leg so that he'd have fresh legs for this tie, and he was partnered with Joe Newell. Noel Hunt was too tired to start at striker, but Peter Weatherson took his place, with Hunt, Melligan, Forte and Deloumeaux avaliable off the bench.

With two teams so well familiar with each other, it is very rare to see an early goal, especially when one team needs a goal based on the previous match. Nonetheless, that's exactly what we got, in the sixth minute. Joe Keenan took a free kick from 40 yards out, and made me look inspired in selecting him. He played it to space to the right of Peter Weatherson, who was hanging out in the arc, and the striker read it beautifully, timing his run to perfection. He caught up to it, and launched a high, hard strike from 15 yards out, a beautiful goal to give us a 1-0 lead - and more importantly, to make it 1-1 on aggregate.

Six minutes later, we nearly took the lead. Youngster Andrew Schofield played a long ball for Marc Bridge-Wilkinson through the centre circle. The veteran midfielder was free on a breakaway, but had a long way to dribble. Danny Butterfield caught him at the edge of the area, tackling it away just as he was about to shoot. West Brom were getting chances of their own, and in the 23rd minute, Andy Johnson drilled a header from close range, but Allan McGregor tipped it over.

As the first match had been, it was a hard-hitting match, with plenty of wince-inducing tackles. In the 30th minute, West Brom left wing Lee Buckley and our right back Jordan Holmes collided, a hard impact that left both of them laid out. Buckley had to come off injured, giving way for pacey forward Scott Dobie; Holmes stayed on, but never looked quite right after that. A minute later, Leon McKenzie sent a long ball past Steve Foster, who looked visibly off the pace as Andy Johnson blew past him. He had a fine one-on-one chance, but Allan McGregor was up to the task with a top-drawer save.

Another crunching tackle in the 41st minute left us a man down, with Schofield off receiving treatment, when Jamie Fowler sprang McKenzie into the left corner behind Holmes. The gimpy fullback couldn't catch McKenzie, and his cross was met by Dobie on the six level with the near post. A beautiful header equalized the match, putting our visitors ahead on aggregate, 1-2.

Three minutes later, Schofield was back on the pitch, and went in recklessly on Dobie. The goalscorer came off injured - and to my surprise, there was no foul, let alone a card. The referee seemed to be taking a 'let the lads sort it out' approach. It was still 1-2 at halftime, but Paul Jewell had made all of his subs due to the injuries. We had Holmes and Leandre Griffit limping, and Newell didn't look close to 100% either. I didn't want to expend my substitutions as Jewell had, so I sent all three out to start the second half.

It wasn't working, and with fresh legs, West Brom seemed able to keep us at bay easily. After ten minutes of that, I made two of my three substitutions, bringing on Jonathan Forte for Griffit - he would be playing on the wrong wing - and the still recovering-from-injury John Melligan for young Newell. With renewed energy, we began piling on the pressure. Bridge-Wilkinson's blistering 20-yard effort cannoned off the crossbar with a resounding clang in the 63rd minute. Melligan took the rebound, shooting from close range, but Russell Hoult made a magnificent save to push it wide. A minute later, Forte's header hit the side netting after he'd slipped open down the right side. In the 67th, we had our best chance, as Forte sent a cross into the six, where Weatherson and Bridge-Wilkinson were both clear. They both went for the ball, and could only get in each other's way. Hoult made the save easily.

Jewell reacted by collapsing his lads in defense, often bringing all eleven players back to defend, and it was clear that time was running out on our season as the 70th minute ticked into the 75th. I had one last roll of the dice to make, a final substitution, but there were several pressing needs. Weatherson was clearly exhausted up front, Schofield had been struggling towards invisible on the left wing, Holmes' limp had gotten more pronounced on the right wing - and we desperately needed a goal. I made the switch in the 76th minute, bringing Holmes off for Noel Hunt, and switching to a 3-5-2. Six minutes went by, and only eight remained when Jonathan Forte sprang up the left wing. He juked past Butterfield, who had had a tremendous afternoon, into the corner. With ten men defending in the final 12 yards of the pitch, Forte cut a low pass back to Joe Keenan in the arc. The defensive midfielder drilled it from the 18 to the top left corner for the most important goal of his career. A tremendous cheer went up from the crowd of 30,890: we were level at 2-2.

With six attackers on the pitch, and only four defenders, it was tough to switch back to my preferred 4-5-1. I wound up putting Keenan at right back and asking Forte to play the DMC role for first time all season. He looked very uncomfortable there, and in the 88th minute, West Bromwich striker Andy Gray blew past him and between our two central defenders onto a long ball. Hayden Foxe, wearing the captain's armband, had had a phenomenal game to date, but Gray was past him. Foxe slid in just as Gray entered our area, catching legs and ball to knock it away. I looked to referee Clive Oliver, expecting a penalty ...

[Amaroq]

... but he waved 'play on', and you could hear the capacity crowd exhale as one. Just a few more minutes, and Oliver blew his whistle: extra time.

For the first half of extra time, I switched things up again, moving Forte to left wing, letting Keenan return to the defensive midfield role, with Schofield at right wing and Melligan trying his hand at right back. He made for a very interesting right back, often wandering well forward in his more natural attacking midfield role, then sprinting back to try and get in position. I felt certain that the goal would come - either way - as a result of one of his excursions.

In the 92nd minute, one such move set up Weatherson, but the number nine blazed his 20-yarder over the bar. Later in the period Fowler and Lee Clark had good chances go off target for the visitors - both coming through the gap Melligan had left, as it became clear he simply had no idea how to play fullback.

By the final intermission, at the 105th minute, it was clear that W.B.A. were utterly exhausted. They didn't seem to have the strength to continue an attack, and were content to play defensively, holding out for penalties. I made my final throw of the dice, putting Melligan back up front and returning to the 3-5-2 which had gotten the tying goal. If he wasn't going to defend, I might as well get the most out of him in attack.

The final fifteen minutes were spent entirely in the visitors' half, but there was only one clear-cut chance, and it was Melligan who got to it, taking Keenan's pass at the arc, breaking into the box, firing for glory ..

The groan of the crowd, and the disappointment writ clear upon his face told the story: he'd come so very very close .. but inches wide.

Two minutes later, the whistle blew for the final time: our chances would come down to the dreaded penalty shootout.