Faramir Posted January 16, 2006 Author Share Posted January 16, 2006 Kenneth McCoy looked on in disbelief. The ashes of the Phoenix Sports ground still smoldered from the fire. "What a waste! Now, we are doubly pressed," muttered McCoy to himself. The Fireman walked tiredly up to McCoy, "Sorry, mate. It isn't going to make things any easier, is it?" McCoy shook his head negatively, "No, it won't. We didn't really have much backing to begin with and now we are going to be solidly in debt to get something rebuilt before entering ECN next season." "You likely heard the Chief on the cause?" "Yes, just one of those celebrating our win- it was an accident- not much more to say than that." The fireman clapped him on the shoulder, "Don't fret too much Kenneth, all us fans of Phoenix are still with you." McCoy smiled with determination, "Good to know. Time to start doing my job I guess." *** At McCoy's small flat he sifted through folders. "Good thing I had all these at the flat, instead of at my office," he commented to himself. McCoy's daunting task seemed more insurmountable now, but he had maintained his optimism throughout the ordeal of the accidental fire that had burnt the Phoenix Sports Club to the ground. "Well, I can't run this like the last couple seasons. I am going to need some actual staff to tackle the ECN." He sifted through more papers, still talking to himself..."and to be realistic, we will need players- players under contract." Rubbing his brow with a timeworn gesture indicating a headache he again muttered, "750K in debt, this isn't going to be easy." Still he was able to chuckle, "Nothing like an *original* headline from the press." Will Phoenix Arise from the Flames?" Phoenix Sports was still celebrating in the streets their win that would take them to the ECN, when the awful spectacle of their Grounds burning became a stark reality. According to official sources, the fire was accidental- due to one of the celebrants tossing a cigar into a rubbish bin. Phoenix fans, players and staff were fortunately out of the Grounds before the fire actually began. The Grounds is considered a complete loss, which will force Phoenix Sports to scramble to be ready to enter the ECN. *** As in Harrowing Misadventure, a bit of editing done- as Phoenix Sports (in Brinsworth) was edited in to the ECN. Same as Harrow Hill- Phoenix Sports starts with nothing- no staff, no players (except even a larger debt) and it is a 'build it from scratch' story. Using a Large DB, instead of the Huge DB used on Harrow Hill. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted January 16, 2006 Share Posted January 16, 2006 Kenneth McCoy looked on in disbelief. The ashes of the Phoenix Sports ground still smoldered from the fire. "What a waste! Now, we are doubly pressed," muttered McCoy to himself. The Fireman walked tiredly up to McCoy, "Sorry, mate. It isn't going to make things any easier, is it?" McCoy shook his head negatively, "No, it won't. We didn't really have much backing to begin with and now we are going to be solidly in debt to get something rebuilt before entering ECN next season." "You likely heard the Chief on the cause?" "Yes, just one of those celebrating our win- it was an accident- not much more to say than that." The fireman clapped him on the shoulder, "Don't fret too much Kenneth, all us fans of Phoenix are still with you." McCoy smiled with determination, "Good to know. Time to start doing my job I guess." *** At McCoy's small flat he sifted through folders. "Good thing I had all these at the flat, instead of at my office," he commented to himself. McCoy's daunting task seemed more insurmountable now, but he had maintained his optimism throughout the ordeal of the accidental fire that had burnt the Phoenix Sports Club to the ground. "Well, I can't run this like the last couple seasons. I am going to need some actual staff to tackle the ECN." He sifted through more papers, still talking to himself..."and to be realistic, we will need players- players under contract." Rubbing his brow with a timeworn gesture indicating a headache he again muttered, "750K in debt, this isn't going to be easy." Still he was able to chuckle, "Nothing like an *original* headline from the press." Will Phoenix Arise from the Flames?" Phoenix Sports was still celebrating in the streets their win that would take them to the ECN, when the awful spectacle of their Grounds burning became a stark reality. According to official sources, the fire was accidental- due to one of the celebrants tossing a cigar into a rubbish bin. Phoenix fans, players and staff were fortunately out of the Grounds before the fire actually began. The Grounds is considered a complete loss, which will force Phoenix Sports to scramble to be ready to enter the ECN. *** As in Harrowing Misadventure, a bit of editing done- as Phoenix Sports (in Brinsworth) was edited in to the ECN. Same as Harrow Hill- Phoenix Sports starts with nothing- no staff, no players (except even a larger debt) and it is a 'build it from scratch' story. Using a Large DB, instead of the Huge DB used on Harrow Hill. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macca_SAFC Posted January 17, 2006 Share Posted January 17, 2006 Was worried this was an Aldershot story for a minute. Great start Faramir Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacemaker7 Posted January 17, 2006 Share Posted January 17, 2006 <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> very bursted bubble has a glory! Each abysmal failure makes a point! Every glowing path that goes astray, Shows you how to find a better way. So every time you stumble never grumble. Next time you'll bumble even less! For up from the ashes, up from the ashes, grow the roses of success! Grow the roses! Grow the roses! Grow the roses of success! Oh yes! Grow the roses! Those rosy roses! From the ashes of disaster grow the roses of success! (spoken)Yes I know but he wants it to float. It will! For every big mistake you make be grateful! Here, here! That mistake you'll never make again! No sir! Every shiny dream that fades and dies, Generates the steam for two more tries! (Oh) There's magic in the wake of a fiasco! Correct! It gives you that chance to second guess! Oh yes! Then up from the ashes, up from the ashes grow the roses of success! Grow the roses! Grow the roses! Grow the roses of success! Grow the roses! Those rosy roses! From the ashes of disaster grow the roses of success! Disaster didn't stymie Louis Pasteur! No sir! Edison took years to see the light! Right! Alexander Graham knew failure well; he took a lot of knocks to ring that bell! So when it gets distressing it's a blessing! Onward and upward you must press! Yes, Yes! Till up from the ashes, up from the ashes grow the roses of success. Grow the ro Grow the ro Grow the roses! Grow the ro Grow the ro Grow the roses! Grow the roses of success! Grow the ro Grow the ro Grow the roses! Those rosy ro Those rosy ro Those rosy roses! From the ashes of disaster, grow the roses of success! Start the engines! Success! Batten the hatches! Success! Man the shrouds! Lift the anchor! Success! </div></BLOCKQUOTE> Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nadessico Posted January 17, 2006 Share Posted January 17, 2006 for a moment i thought u were going to burst into Embrace then peacemaker Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
superwalli Posted January 17, 2006 Share Posted January 17, 2006 Well Faramir, you just can't live without running at least 5 stories at a time, can you I don't mind it though! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted January 17, 2006 Author Share Posted January 17, 2006 Macca- No, no- wouldn't poach like that PM7- Thanks for the serenade (A little off-key, but that is par for the course ) superwalli- actually down to 4 (both Harrowing Misadventure and Troubled Visions are finite) Thanks guys- appreciate the comments *** 13.7.04 It is going to be an uphill struggle for us, but at least the staff is coming together now. We will have to do without a physio for the time being, as I couldn't find one willing to come to us in our strained financial situation. I was also forced to recruit all my staff from the scouting ranks- as they were willing to take the chance to improve their standing in the world. For my Assistant Manager, I signed 23 year old Simon Clifford. Our two starting coaches will be 36 year old Jamie Irvine and 34 year old Paul Sharp. Our two scouts will be 33 year old Rob Campkin and 22 year old David Jarrett. We also had reason to celebrate today as we now have our first player under contract. 19 year old DMC Andrew Wright agreed to a contract with us. I hope that Rob and David can find some youngsters willing to come play for us- as I have pursued all my initial leads and most of them are unwilling to come to Phoenix. *** 14.7.04 Our second signing for the club is 18 year old Rightback Hassain Sulaiman. I had only sketchy information on him, but his pace and intensity both were attractive (along with being one of the very few young players that considered signing with us.) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted January 18, 2006 Author Share Posted January 18, 2006 18.7.04 We completed our first transfer signing (they will all have to be on free or with only sell-on clauses for a good long while due to our difficult financial condition) as we now have a keeper. 34 year old Craig Taylor comes to us from Worcester and was happy to move to a club where he would have a chance to gain playing time at this late stage of his career. The Board also announced a 40K cash injection to help with expenses, but that is a pittance compared to our troubled bottom line. *** 19.7.04 A nice addition to our backline is 24 year old SW/DRC Martin Ridley. Ridley joins us on free transfer from Leek Town and is likely assured of a starting place in the middle of our defense. *** 19.7.04 Later in the day, our roster began filling out more as contracts were accepted by players. 29 year old Nigerian Striker Lawrence Yaku was granted a conditional permit to remain playing in England as he joins us from Maidenhead. Yaku should be one of the leaders on the club. Another addition I value for leadership is 33 year old DC Rob Cousins. Cousins came to us from Forest Green and like Taylor was happy to have a chance to move to a club that might play him. Pairing up with Yaku up front will likely by 24 year old Striker Adam Webster. Worcester let him come to us on free- which I found a bit surprising. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Crumb Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 Going to be tough, I have no doubt of that. Campkin and Jarrett, I used them in my Hornchurch story, though Jarrett was a splendid fitness coach in that story. Look forward to the rest of this story. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flying_Fin Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 I enjoyed your Harrow Hill story a lot, and it was really sad that the save file had to go poof :/ So it's great that you are doing a similar approach again! Good luck! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spav Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 Faramir, I suppose I can get used to supporting Phoenix Sports instead of Harrow Hill. I now understand your choice of name having read of the demise of your Harrow Hill save game. Good luck with this story. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted January 19, 2006 Author Share Posted January 19, 2006 Lordcrumb- Campkin, Jarrett, Bob Pearson and Dave Colley are featured in most of my stories- since they are among the few worthwhile staff a minnow side can attract when starting. Flying Fin- It was frustrating, but fear not (sneak preview here...) Harrow Hill has a return engagement scheduled Spav- Actually, it was mostly referring to the 'Phoenix' in Phoenix Sports, but I like your perception as well Thanks guys *** 21.7.04 We won't have a full roster under contract when we face Rotherham for our first friendly, but we did add 29 year old Irish DLC Sean Daly to our backline. Daly arrives from AFC Wimbledon and gives us another steady veteran presence in the dressing room. Rotherham agreed to a friendly at our new field in a good neighbour gesture. Normally they wouldn't bother scheduling with a minnow club like us, but with their proximity they didn't mind helping us out a bit with a friendly. I don't expect to do much against them, but hopefully our fans will enjoy the atmosphere. *** 21.7.04 As expected, our friendly with Rotherham wasn't much of a contest. Craig Taylor had a rough debut, including an own-goal, as we were easily beaten 4-0 by the bigger side. Our backline played like they didn't know each other yet- and they don't, so it was no surprise to me. It brought in a bit of funds for us, so that was worthwhile. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poyplemonkeys Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 The first Faramir story I've caught the start of. Looking forward to it Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted January 20, 2006 Author Share Posted January 20, 2006 poyplemonkeys- thank you, glad to have you along from the start *** 24.7.04 Three more additions to the club as we prepare for a road friendly- travelling to Bishop Sutton. 18 year old SC Ross Irvine joins us from Rugby United, 24 year old Keeper Alan Williams chose us over several other bidding clubs as he comes to us from Dover and 19 year old DC Steve Daly joins us from Stockport. We still are lacking any midfielders- other than Andrew Wright- but negotiations with several are close to concluding, so perhaps by our next friendly we will have more additions. *** 25.7.04 We lost 2-1 to Bishop Sutton, but it was a much better effort this time. Their two goals came on a penalty and an accidental header. We managed a goal when Lawrence Yaku rammed in a rebound after Adam Webster was stopped on a nice chance. If we can get some midfielders, I am convinced we will continue to improve. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted January 22, 2006 Author Share Posted January 22, 2006 26.7.04 Another busy day of transfer signings. Our fans were uneasy at one new addition- 20 year old FRLC Justin Marsden- who they feel might upset the harmony of the club. He may, but I hope he can provide a bit of offensive spark playing behind the forwards for us. Also joining us was 29 year old DR Paul O'Brien, who will work with young Hassan Sulaiman to fill the Rightback role. 21 year old Adam Hart was the 3rd Rugby United player in the troika from them that joined us today (Marsden-O'Brien-Hart) and will provide cover in the center of our backline. The non-Rugby player to join us will also provide cover in the middle- Gary Sucharewycz- who came to us from Leek Town. We are only a player or two from having a full backline with adequate cover now. *** 27.7.04 Three more players came to us on free transfer today. With the addition of 23 year old Welsh MC Stuart Scheuber (from Leek Town), we finally added a quality midfielder to the mix. Another midfielder who joined us today is 16 year old Anthony Jackson from Frickley. 17 year old DL Michael Ellison (arriving from Marine) will work Sean Daly to learn the Leftback role. *** 28.7.04 We won a well played friendly by defeating Morecambe 2-1 at Christie Park. The key to our win was young Anthony Jackson. Jackson converted a penalty kick in first half extra time and threaded a great pass through that allowed Justin Marsden to score the match winner midway through the second half. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted January 23, 2006 Author Share Posted January 23, 2006 29.7.04 Our fans were again uneasy as we raided financially struggling Rugby United for one more player. This time the worried voices were over our addition of 18 year old MC Rory Squire. Squire is an excellent passer and should help us, but the fans may ultimately be correct on how well he fits into the team concept. We are just over the weekly budgeted wage now, so I cancelled some of the pending transfers. I didn't cancel all of them, because there still are two I would like to get done. *** 30.7.04 Our last two additions leave us with only one other spot on the roster I want to fill. Joining us are 21 year old Andrew Burke (from Braintree) and 26 year old Stewart Wright (from Altrincham). Both are AMLs and Burke instantly became our priciest player (highest wages and only player I gave a min fee release in his contract- albeit 1 Million). The only slot left is to get one more forward for cover. *** 1.8.04 We fell to Paul Gascoine's Harrow Hill side in a home friendly as they were just a little sharper than we were in beating us 1-0. We had some good opportunities, but we didn't get our shots on net today. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted January 24, 2006 Author Share Posted January 24, 2006 4.8.04 We closed out our friendlies with a 3-1 home win over Hucknall. It was a good match in performance, but we lost Adam Webster to injury and now he will likely miss the start of the season- something I was trying to avoid. We have 10 days before our first ECN match, and I hope we manage to get the club to gel a little more than we have shown in our friendlies. *** 10.8.04 Our fans didn't like the signing of Reza Sotoudeh either after he came on free from Salisbury. Sotoudeh is a 24 year old SC and will help provide cover for us up front. *** 14.8.04 Phoenix Sports (0) Lancaster (1) Lancaster was much more efficient than we were as they handed us our first loss in ECN play. Their goal came on a picture perfect passing sequence- one of the pretty variety, unless you are on the receiving end of it. We managed a few chances, but the quality of ours wasn't as good and we are still having trouble hitting the net. It was disappointing, but we didn't play poorly. We just can't afford to make many mistakes against other sides. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted January 25, 2006 Author Share Posted January 25, 2006 17.8.04 Nuneaton (2) Phoenix Sports (0) A truly disappointing match for me. We played a terrible first 10 minutes defensively and paid the price when Chris Taylor gave up two easy goals to quickly fall behind 2-0. Our offense started working after that- in all we setup 8 different times where we had someone one-on-one with Darren Acton. No goals out of all those chances says more than I can about our finishing. Lawrence Yaku and Justin Marsden were especially disappointing as I watched them miss time and again over the net. Adam Webster came on for Marsden and did a great job getting free- but then Acton made saves against him the three times he was in alone. It was a loss that could have been something better- with some better play on our part. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted January 26, 2006 Author Share Posted January 26, 2006 21.8.04 Phoenix Sports (6) Runcorn (0) A six-spot! We finally broke out and finished our chances in this match. Adam Webster deserves all the credit- and the MOM he earned- as he keyed our effort with a hat-trick on the first three goals of the match. Each time he had enough room, Webster blasted wicked shots past Tony McMillan. Webster also made a nice pass that allowed Lawrence Yaku to move past McMillan to score his 1st goal here. McMillan compounded his misery when he score an own-goal while trying to snare a cross after a beautiful play by Justin Marsden. Reza Sotoudeh finished off the scoring when a through ball put him in free and he snapped a shot past McMillan for his 1st goal at Phoenix. It was a wonderful match for us and Alan Williams had an easy time putting up the clean sheet. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spav Posted January 26, 2006 Share Posted January 26, 2006 Nice way to register the first win, Faramir. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted January 27, 2006 Author Share Posted January 27, 2006 You're right about that Spav *** 28.8.04 Barrow (2) Phoenix Sports (1) We lost a heartbreaker of a match when we gave up a late goal to spoil an otherwise fine effort. They took the early lead Justin Marsden made a bad choice and headed past Alan Williams, but we managed to equalize when Justin Marsden fired in a shot from just beyond the edge of the area after Andrew Burke headed a ball down for him. They really piled on the pressure in the late stages- and we didn't handle it well. We were fortunate they hadn't scored before they did- as they hit the post once and the crossbar once. The goal they scored came when we couldn't clear the ball away from the front of the net- and they made us pay in the scramble. We are showing better, but we have to execute better to get results. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted January 28, 2006 Author Share Posted January 28, 2006 10.9.04 I have to say I was a bit stunned that Lincoln accepted our 0 amount offer on 21 year old Striker Daniel Bent. I was even more surprised when Bent agreed to contract with us. Bent is a left footer- something we desperately needed in our attack and he becomes one of our quickest forwards too. With how poorly Lawrence Yaku has played so far- very disappointing to me- it will likely be an Adam Webster-Daniel Bent pairing up front. *** 11.9.04 Phoenix Sports (2) Vauxhall Motors (0) Justin Marsden came off the bench to spark us to a very nice win at home. Daniel Bent had a solid debut, but he was tiring and Marsden came off the bench and exploded against the visitors. They could not mark him at all and on both goals Adam Webster made dazzling passes to send him in free to beat keeper Tim Dittmer. Andrew Burke continues to show why I was so pleased to get him, as he earned MOM honours over Marsden with some great work in the midfield to help blunt their rally attempts and give Alan Williams another clean sheet. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted January 29, 2006 Author Share Posted January 29, 2006 12.9.04 Another 40K cash injection from the Board today as we continue to chip away at the club's debt. We are still 675K in the red though, and that isn't likely to appreciably improve for some time. *** 18.9.04 Stafford Rangers (1) Phoenix Sports (1) We had to fight back from a fluke goal, but the 1-1 draw against Stafford Rangers was well earned and a fair result for both sides. Craig Wilding hit a lucky header that Chris Taylor had little chance on as it floated past him to give them the lead. We struck back when Daniel Bent made a terrific pass to find Justin Marsden lurking inside the edge of the area and Marsden didn't miss as he drilled it inside the right post past Will Smith. Stafford had the better chances to win the match in the second half, but our backline did good work- led by MOM Martin Ridley as this time we held on for a draw instead of a loss. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted January 30, 2006 Author Share Posted January 30, 2006 24.9.04 Ross Irvine broke his arm in practice today and the doctors estimate the soonest he will be ready to go again is at least two months. Fortunately, forward is the one spot we have enough depth in and we should be Ok there unless injuries continue to pile up. *** 25.9.04 Bradford PA (2) Phoenix Sports (0) There was no joy in this match for us as we did not play well in losing 2-0 at Bradford PA. David Poole gave our backline fits and overpowered Rob Cousins to score the first goal of the match. We managed a few feeble chances- easily saved- before the goal that killed us. Early in the second half, Craig Smith sent a long blast in the general direction of our net. Our whole club was stunned into silence when Chris Taylor missed the ball and it went in for a 45-yard goal. I admit I lost my temper on that one- and I did something I rarely do as I pulled Taylor out of the match right then. We weren't showing enough offensively to really hope to rally, but the boys did play hard the rest of the way to keep the final margin at 2-0. I don't believe Chris Taylor will see more than occasional spot duty in net the rest of the season- unless Alan Williams suffers an injury. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted January 31, 2006 Author Share Posted January 31, 2006 28.9.04 Phoenix Sports (3) Moor Green (1) I was extremely happy to see us rebound with a strong effort at home as we dumped Moor Green 3-1. Daniel Bent demonstrated his prowess at striker today with two beautiful goals to earn MOM honours. Lawrence Yaku set him up nicely down the left side for a goal at 5 minutes and an early lead. We quickly added to that lead when Bent returned the favor with a fine pass that allowed Yaku to drive past Adam Capp and rap a shot into the empty net for a 2-0 lead. We let down a little at that point and Simon Rea was able to deflect a sizzling cross from Michael Gilkes past Alan Williams. We moved back ahead by two goals early in the second half when Stuart Scheuber zipped a through ball that sent Bent in free and he fired his shot past Capp. Bent had a couple excellent chances to finish off the hat-trick, but missed the net on both of them. We contained the rally attempts of the visitors in finishing out the strong 3-1 win. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted February 1, 2006 Author Share Posted February 1, 2006 2.10.04 Prescot Cables (1) Phoenix Sports (0) FA Cup 2nd Qualifying Round It was a disappointing loss, but I couldn't fault our effort as we fell 1-0 at Valerie Park. The only goal of the match was when John Howell scored for the home side off a scramble after a corner. We had plenty of excellent scoring chances, but Phil Priestly earned his MOM honours with some fine work in net, and we also missed two wide open nets that looked like certain goals. We didn't play nearly as sharp as our ECN matches of late and our execution was what kept us from getting a better result. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted February 2, 2006 Author Share Posted February 2, 2006 19.109.04 Phoenix Sports (1) Ashton United (2) I was more than a little unhappy with our backline as we frittered away a hard earned 1-0 lead and turned it into a 2-1 loss to a side I dearly wanted to beat. We just couldn't score in the first half, despite some good chances- but finally took the lead midway through the second half when Anthony Jackson scored a fantastic goal- his 1st here. Jamie Miller was our undoing and he split Rob Cousins and Martin Ridley on the dribble and fired a shot past Alan Williams to equalize. Miller added his 2nd goal when no one marked him and he challenged Williams for a looping corner and won the challenge- deflecting the ball past Williams for the match winner. It was a rotten result in a match that should have yielded much better. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flying_Fin Posted February 6, 2006 Share Posted February 6, 2006 Looking good so far, Faramir (as always)! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted February 6, 2006 Author Share Posted February 6, 2006 Thanks Flying Fin *** 22.10.04 This has been an unsettling week at the club. Our best player so far- Andrew Burke- is unhappy about playing for a small side like ours and also feels he is being played out of position (which seems odd since he is playing leftwing for us, something he seems well suited for). On top of that Justin Marsden missed practice (with no notice). It appears our fans worries about Justin have some validity (to put it mildly) and I gave him an official warning this time for his unproffesional behavior. *** 23.10.04 Stalybridge (2) Phoenix Sports (3) A roller coaster of a match for us, as we fought back from behind to win the match with a late goal. We had the better of the play in the first half, but our finishing left a lot to be desired. It looked like we would go to the dressing room scoreless until Adam Webster took a free kick from Martin Ridley and fired a well placed shot inside the right post in the last seconds of first half injury time. We came out flat in the second half and paid the price when the home side took the lead inside a four minute span. Anthony Whealing whistled a free kick past Alan Williams after Martin Ridley took him down just outside the area. Moments later, Chris Swift split Rob Cousins and Ridley to fire a low shot past Williams. I have to say I am quite pleased at how we rallied in this match, the first sign of true heart from this squad, and Andrew Burke deflected a corner past Craig Dootson to even the match at 2-2 midway through the second half. We kept pressuring them and it paid off when Daniel Bent knocked in a rebound after Dootson made a nice save on Webster at 83 minutes. I suffered through a heart-stopping last few minutes of the match as we forced Williams to earn him MOM honours with two critical saves after our backline looked like they lost their concentration. The final whistle saved our important 3-2 road win. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted February 7, 2006 Author Share Posted February 7, 2006 23.10.04 Justin Marsden accepted his warning without comment, and then proceeded directly to the press to discuss his unhappiness at being played out of position. Our fans are right- he is a pain in the rear- and despite the fact that he is our leading scorer I placed him on the transfer list and offered him to every club under the sun (well up through League Two at least). *** 24.10.04 Are things better or worse? It is hard to say after Sunderland, struggling in 19th place in Championship and having lost John Oster for an extended period to injury, came in with a bid for Andrew Burke that met the 750K minimum release fee. Burke is the 5th best rated player in Conference North and is by far our best player- so to lose him is going to hurt us badly. The other side of the coin is that it would just barely take us out of the red. I can't see Burke not being able to work out a contract with him, so I have to plan on him leaving. That will leave Stuart Wright as our only other leftwinger and with Rory Squire still out and Marsden hopefully leaving- we will be very short of able bodied midfielders. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted February 8, 2006 Author Share Posted February 8, 2006 25.10.04 Why all the interest now? We received an 'out of the blue' bid of 26K for Hassan Sulaiman from League 2 Yeovil. At least I had a say in this bid, but I decided to accept it for a couple reasons. Sulaiman is receiving our 3rd highest wages, which makes him pretty expensive for this club. I also have competent Paul O'Brien to replace him and can move Martin Ridley outside to provide cover for O'Brien if needed (there is plenty of cover for Ridley in the middle). I don't think Sulaiman, who is ambitious, will turn down the chance to move to a larger side. *** 27.10.04 As I expected, Burke jumped at the chance to sign with a club the stature of Sunderland and the Black Cats have themselves a new winger. Sulaiman also was happy to move up to play for Yeovil, so they went their seperate ways to news conferences today. I also heard back and received 5 different offers for Justin Marsden- so it appears that we will find him a new home post-haste. All of this is great for our bottom line, but devastating to our talent and really the morale of our side. I was hoping that Burke would be the catalyst that would carry us out of relegation trouble, but now it will be more difficult. This also comes just as our side was appearing to gel. Our last few matches, we have shown more signs of adapting to our attacking system- but that is also out the window with the loss of two starting players. I put out bids on several midfielders (all free transfer offers) in the hopes of adding some depth- since we have no depth at all in the midfield now. The one piece of good news is that the Board has now raised the weekly budget from a miniscule 1900/week up to 3200/week. That may help us attract a player or two. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted February 9, 2006 Author Share Posted February 9, 2006 30.10.04 Altrincham (1) Phoenix Sports (1) I feel fortunate to have escaped our match at Moss Lane with a 1-1 draw, given the distractions of the last week, but it could have been a win if we had finished better. We took the early lead when Anthony Jackson rifled a shot past Stuart Coburn after a good pass from Paul O'Brien. The rest of the first half we spent in our own end under siege as Altrincham tried to rally. Fortunately, their shooting was as off the mark as well- as they missed several good chances. We came out with more fire to start the second half and our execution was excellent in gaining good chances. Jackson and Adam Webster could not make those chances count though and we would rue missing them as Peter Band outleapt Rob Cousins to deflect a cross from Peter Wright past Alan Williams to equalize. Williams remained steadfast to earn MOM honours as he helped us to earn a point from the match with two key saves in the waning moments. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted February 10, 2006 Author Share Posted February 10, 2006 30.10.04 After the match I received word from Justin Marsden's agent that he had accepted a contract from EC club Accrington Stanley and that we could finish completing the transfer paperwork to allow Marsden's move. That was fine by me and several members of the club quietly offered their 'don't let the door strike you on your way out' comments about his leaving. *** 3.11.04 It was nice to be able to add some midfielders, we needed them badly. Coming to us on free transfer were two that our scouts- Campkin and Jarrett- both thought highly off in the scouting reports. 23 year old AMRLC Lee Mudd is versatile and should help us anywhere we need him. He comes to us from the Woking reserves and he accepted a pay cut to come here for a chance to actually play. Also joining us is 17 year old AML Paul Parle. Parle arrives from the Brentford reserves, where he had played really well while Campkin was scouting him. Ross Squire also resumed light training, but he is still a long ways from returning to the lineup. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted February 11, 2006 Author Share Posted February 11, 2006 6.11.04 Banbury (1) Phoenix Sports (1) FA Trophy 1st Round I spent most of the first match second guessing my decision to give Chris Taylor another start at keeper. Taylor missed an easy 25 yard shot from Paul Tait and it looked like we would be broomed out of the competition due to that goal. We had our share of chances, but Scott Ward looked pretty sharp on the other end of the pitch. We were saved by Anthony Jackson, who had subbed on for Stuart Scheuber. A good pass from Steve Daly found him with room in the area and he blasted a shot past Ward for a dramatic equalizer at 89 minutes. Howard Forinton, who had give us fits all day, nearly ended our hopes but his rising blast bounced back off the crossbar. Taylor came up with the save of the match in second half extra time when he managed to ruin George Redknapp's hopes by tipping a shot over the bar, and that also helped him to MOM honours. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted February 12, 2006 Author Share Posted February 12, 2006 10.11.04 Phoenix Sports (4) Banbury (3) Extra-Time FA Trophy 1st Round It was a wild match, but we finally were able to beat a determined Banbury side when we scored in the second half of Extra-Time to take a 4-3 win. Anthony Jackson got us going when he scored a goal in the early moments of the match after being setup by a good pass from Daniel Bent. Banbury then struck for two goals in a three minute span to put us behind. The first came when the ball pinballed out of a scramble in front and Jamie Southall rapped it into the open right side of the net. Shortly after that Howard Forinton flicked a header past Alan Williams. We pegged them back as young Paul Parle scored on his debut thanks to a 25 yard shot that fooled Scott Ward. We regained the lead for halftime when Jackson zipped a pass that allowed Adam Webster to drive a shot by Ward. We dodged a bullet early in the second half when Forinton was taken down by Ridley in the area, but Williams saved Forinton's penalty kick to keep us in the lead. Banbury returned our favor from last match as they struck for a dramatic equalizer in the late moments as Tommy Goodwin's header slipped past Williams. Both sides had good chances in Extra-Time, but it was a good pass from Webster that allowed Lawrence Yaku (on for tiring Bent) to slip a shot past Ward for the eventual match winner. Our backline didn't play well today, but we overcame it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted February 13, 2006 Author Share Posted February 13, 2006 13.11.04 In what I consider a great transfer for us, we managed to sign David Poole to a contract after Manchester United allowed him to come to us on an almost free transfer (50% sell-on clause, but I don't plan on selling him). Poole's contract is a hefty one, but he and Daniel Bent should pair up to give us a pretty potent combo up front. Adam Webster will give us good cover and Lawrence Yaku and Reza Sotoudeh will also remain to help fill in. I guess losing Burke worked out for the best, since I get to add one of my favorite players... *** 13.11.04 Not only Poole, but now John Spicer has joined us on season long loan from Arsenal. Spicer should immediately command a place in our midfield, as he is superior to Scheuber, Squire to fill our right side attacker spot. With his addition, our suddenly bolstered midfield has gone from a clear weakness to possibly a strength. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted February 14, 2006 Author Share Posted February 14, 2006 17.11.04 Phoenix Sports (2) Worcester (1) Despite giving up a goal in the first few minutes of the match, we fought back to defeat Worcester 2-1 with a nice rally. We gave away the early goal as Mark Owen said 'Thank You very much' when Sean Daly passed the ball right to him and he blistered it past Alan Williams into the right side of the net. Anthony Jackson got us back to even with his 5th goal of the season off a nice pass from Paul Parle. Both sides moved the ball up and down the pitch, searching for the go-ahead goal, but we had the better of the chances as we showed fine passing today. Adam Webster keyed the winning goal when he picked out Lawrence Yaku (on for tiring Daniel Bent) on the move and scorched the pass to him. Yaku went in free and made no mistake driving his shot past Lewis Skyers for the match winning goal. David Poole wasn't ready to go- due to recovering from a slight leg injury and Yaku took advantage with today's effort to make sure he is noticed for playing time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted February 15, 2006 Author Share Posted February 15, 2006 19.11.04 Another couple signings on free and one of them might be an important player in our future. We purchased Anthony Pulis on free from Portsmouth (no fees even) and the 20 year old Welsh MC should be one of our best midfielders. Our scouts raved about him in their scouting reports and I was happy to add him to the club. There was less fanfare for the minor free transfer purchase of 24 yeard old D/MC Richard Field. Field was purchased from Redditch with the express intent of providing some (er, any) cover for Andrew Wright at DMC. He won't be getting much playing time unless Wright needs a breather. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott8490 Posted February 16, 2006 Share Posted February 16, 2006 Faramir; How the bloody hell do you do it? Im currently playing as Hayes in the NCS (my favourite and local team IRL) on FM05, second season, having missed the play offs by one point (!) last year; and despite the fact I had some money unlike you, I couldnt get the team winning games for yonks! Then when we hit form, thanks to the signing of 3 20+ goals a season strikers and a new 'keeper, our season turns on its head and we rise from the relegation zone in November to 6th place eventually. But I receive nout bids for my players! Still; Im not too fussy, Ive ousted 2 and bought in 3 hoping for a successful second season, hopefully ending in promotion. Oh, and great story btw, Ive just read up to here from the start. Come on Pheonix! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott8490 Posted February 16, 2006 Share Posted February 16, 2006 Oh, forgot to say; the first 2 times i tried we were relegated first season so I finally acheived my objective of escaping relgation (third time lucky in this case!) And every single time I buy Lawrence yaku; yet he has never racked up more than about 20 apps by the end of the season. I suppose it's out of desperation at the start of the season that I always snap him up! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted February 20, 2006 Author Share Posted February 20, 2006 Scott- Thanks much for the comments I count myself lucky on the transfer market, especially since this is FM 05- of which the market was one of my main gripes. It is much, much improved in FM 06. This is my last 05 story btw. *** 20.11.04 Phoenix Sports (4) Redditch (1) This may have been our most impressive win yet and was also one that showed we are making strides as a club. David Poole immediately paid dividends when Daniel Bent gave him a nice cross and he knocked it past William Coyles for a goal in the first minute of his debut with us. We gave that one back midway through the half when Scott Voice escaped the marking of Martin Ridley and slipped a shot past diving Alan Williams. Bent keyed our 2nd goal, that was credited as an own-goal to defender Andrew Penny, but really could have been Poole's 2nd goal as he flicked the ball toward the net- but Penny pushed it in. John Spicer was the architect of our 3-1 halftime lead as a brilliant through ball found Bent moving in free on Coyles. Coyles stopped the shot, but Lee Mudd swooped in to put the rebound in the net for his 1st Phoenix goal. Lawrence Yaku, on for tiring Bent, was the beneficiary of Poole's driving shot that Coyles blocked away. Yaku was waiting and pounced on the rebound for his 5th goal of the season to finish off a stellar 4-1 win. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
taylor7 Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 Just wondering what reputation do you use for an edited club into the conference north because im thinking of doing it ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted February 21, 2006 Author Share Posted February 21, 2006 taylor7- I didn't bother editing anything with the actual club- nor did I when editing in Harrow Hill in FM05 and again in FM06- only swapped it into ECN. So very obscure, which makes it more challenging- but that is the way I prefer it. *** 23.11.04 My scouts wanted me too, and when he agreed to none-too-pricey contract, I was glad to add 18 year old DL Liam Coyne from Leigh RMI on free transfer. I had been looking for a leftback to pair with Michael Ellison, since Sean Daly had not played that well when forced to fill in for Ellison while he was injured. *** 24.11.04 We are now currently 1/3 of the way through the ECN season (13 matches) and our latest surge has moved us up into 9th place (mostly based on our very positive 8 goal differential). 1st place Worksop is at 27 points- 7 above us at this stage of the season. If we can continue our improving play, we are going to be an opponent no one wants to face later in the season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted February 22, 2006 Author Share Posted February 22, 2006 24.11.04 Alfreton (3) Phoenix Sports (1) So much for our improving play. Our backline played an awful match and left Alan Williams to fend for himself as we fell to Alfreton 3-1. We allowed Mark Sale an easy header to put them in the lead, and then allowed Chris Dolby to cruise unmarked into the far post to flick a header in as we fell behind 2-0 by the midway mark in the first half. We showed some life and drew a goal back when Daniel Bent scored on a rebound after MOM Lee Butler stopped Anthony Jackson's initial blast. That was the only thing Butler allowed us as he played a rock solid second half. Sale scored his 2nd after Adam Hart strolled away to leave him all alone in front of Williams. It was a loss that we deserved and we will have more of these if the backline plays like this. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted February 23, 2006 Author Share Posted February 23, 2006 27.11.04 Corinthian Casuals (0) Phoenix Sports (1) FA Trophy 2nd Round Our advancement in FA Trophy was the direct result of Lee Mudd's unwillingness to quit working. After Lawrence Yaku ran down a ball before it went out of bounds, he crossed it back to Mudd in the area. Mudd blasted a shot, but MOM Ryan Wright parried it away. Mudd kept moving and reached the ball in time to fire it past Wright as he dove to smother it for what would be the only goal in a close contest. Our backline again gave away many chances, but Corinthian wasn't able to capitalize as Chris Taylor earned his clean sheet with a couple key second-half saves. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted February 24, 2006 Author Share Posted February 24, 2006 30.11.04 Southport (2) Phoenix Sports (1) It was the bitter taste of defeat that we took him from our trip to face 5th placed Southport. It was a struggle from the opening whistle as they were much sharper than we were in their execution. They took a first half lead when Terry Fearns slipped in behind Sean Daly to flick a long centering pass by Alan Williams. We equalized in the second half when David Poole scored after a fantastic individual effort with a well placed shot inside the far left post past Steve Dickinson. The match winner came when they dissected our backline by swinging the ball to the open left side and then crossing it back for Chris Price to deflect the ball past Williams. Southport could have conducted a tackling clinic with the several saving tackles they made in their area to ruin our best scoring chances. We didn't make good decisions with the ball today- a bit too much passing- and it cost us a better result. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted February 26, 2006 Author Share Posted February 26, 2006 7.12.04 Stuart Wright and Ross Irvine made quite a pair as neither of them showed up for yesterday's training sessions. No warnings, etc... this time- I placed both of them on the transfer list (free transfer) and offered them to every club I could think of. We don't need this kind of 'spoilt child' attitude at the club- so they can find a new home. For now, they are on the reserves- the only contracted players on there. *** 8.12.04 Worksop (1) Phoenix Sports (1) I guess I should be satisfied with a draw against the top club in ECN, but it was another match that was agonizingly close to being a win for us. Kristian Rogers was brilliant in the first half in their net as he made three terrific one-on-one saves. Twice he parried away point blank headers from David Poole and then he also stopped Anthony Jackson on a nice chance. They took the first half lead when Paul Parle and Michael Ellison combined on a youngster's mistake- as Parle headed the ball down, but then neither of them cleared the ball from the six yard box and Adam Muller swooped in and blasted it past Alan Williams. We finally managed to even the match when David Poole broke in clean and blistered a rising shot. Rogers tried to snare the ball, but instead put it into the net for an own-goal (though to my mind, Poole deserved the goal for it). Rogers righted himself with a dazzling save on Adam Webster (on for tiring Bent) and Williams was also called on for a save to preserve the 1-1 draw. A worthy result, but if we execute a bit better it is a win instead. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted February 27, 2006 Author Share Posted February 27, 2006 11.12.04 Phoenix Sports (5) Gainsborough (3) It wasn't exactly an ideal match, as our backline again left much to be desired, but we managed to put a win in our column thanks to a sterling offensive effort today. We leaped into the early lead when Adam Webster blasted a shot past Jamie Holmshaw. They pegged us back immediately when Gareth Grant turned Gary Sucharewycz into a pretzel as he eluded his marking to score past Chris Taylor. We marched to a 3-1 lead midway through the first half when Lawrence Yaku scored two goals in a three minute span. On the first he made a strong move past the defense after Webster headed the ball down for him. On the second he ran into space and took a through ball from Richard Field before slotting it home. We quickly gave away the two-goal lead as Grant beat Sucharewycz again for his 2nd goal and then Carl Alford slipped past our backline to score early in the second half to even things at 3-3. A good sign of maturity from our club came when we battled right back into the lead. Anthony Pulis made a deft pass that found Lee Mudd alone in the area and Mudd drilled a shot past Holmshaw for his 1st goal. Pulis then made a terrific play of his own as he skinned the ball from Adam Valente and made a powerful shot into the left side of the net for his 1st goal at Phoenix. We played better with this two-goal lead and completed an eventful and entertaining 5-3 win. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted February 28, 2006 Author Share Posted February 28, 2006 15.12.04 In no time at all, we had takers for our two malcontents- Stuart Wright and Ross Irvine. Wright is headed to Forest Green as he selected them out of 7 bidding clubs. Irvine is on his way to Lewes after he picked their offer out of the three bidding clubs. Though Anthony Pulis is a bit out of his normal position on the left side for us- he played really well in our last match, so I may not worry about finding a true replacement for Wright- at least for the remainder of this season. *** 18.12.04 Phoenix Sports (3) Droylsden (1) Another very strong and encouraging showing for us as we parlayed three first half goals into a 3-1 home win over Droylsden. David Poole took advantage of the space afforded him in the area and fired a midlevel shot past Paul Phillips in the early moments of the match. Martin Ridley then added to the visitor's woe as he curled home a 25 yard free kick midway through the first half. Daniel Bent then repeated Poole's feat by firing a quick shot past Phillips after finding himself unmarked just beyond the six yard box. Droylsden got their only glimmer of hope when John Spicer was called for pushing David Cameron in the area and Jody Banim converted the penalty kick past Alan Williams to ruin his chance at a clean sheet. We allowed them little after their goal and saw a lot better work from our backline in support of closing out the 3-1 home win. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted March 1, 2006 Author Share Posted March 1, 2006 20.12.04 I did decide that we needed another right back to alternate with Paul O'Brien- asking Martin Ridley to play out there seemed to not work as well as I had hoped. My scouts both thought that 20 year old DR Craig Clark was an excellent candidate and he agreed to a contract after Kings Lynn accepted a free transfer offer on him. He will tutor with the veteran O'Brien for now. *** 21.12.04 Harrogate Town (1) Phoenix Sports (0) One bad defensive mistake and our inability to take advantage of our own scoring chances doomed us as we lost a close 1-0 match in Harrogate. They took the early lead in the match when a bad clearing pass by Adam Hart went right to MOM Michael Cole. Cole headed it strongly back into our area and Paul Shepherd slipped the ball to unmarked Leigh Wood for an easy marker. We had plenty of good scoring opportunities in the match, but Nick Buxton came up with some big stops for them and we just missed the net with other chances. David Poole fired a wicked low shot off the post and Lee Mudd's header bounced back off the crossbar in a match where we couldn't seem to find the break we needed. I was pleased with the effort, but we still have to play better defensively to get results in this type of close match. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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