Reviving the Legend *repost*

[Donners]

August, 2030

Hearts, Champions League third qualifying phase, leg 1, Home

Hearts won the SPL last season, led by 21-year-old striker Ryan Turner. They added Norwegian keeper Harald Berdal for ₤5.75M, also loaning in Ghana striker Isaac Asamoah from Man City and left winger Tor Magnus Pedersen from Rushden.

Jabber and Tinoco had shots from outside the area which missed. Petrov had a far easier chance when Romero crossed into the box, but he headed over. After that initial onslaught in the first six minutes, the game was far more even. A counter-attack saw Jabbie skip past his defender to shoot wide. Mifsud floated in an indirect free in the 32nd. Tinoco rose to meet it, and at last we had a goal. A Moroe free was barely tipped away in the 40th, but he got his revenge in injury time with a fine curling shot that put us two goals up. We continued to have all the chances in the second half. Aros sliced through the defence with a pass to Jabbie, who again missed. The new striker then had a header saved, and partner Petrov also missed as the game petered out. Azulay came off the bench for his début.

It was a solid 2-0 win, but it really proved nothing. Al-Dossari was rarely challenged, and with 14 shots to five, we had the luxury of missing a lot of chances. If Petrov and Jabbie miss that many opportunities against a top side, we'll be in trouble.

There were a few last-minute squad changes. I sold defensive midfielders Diego Redondo to Manchester United for ₤5.5M and Elton Nushi to Celta for ₤3.8M, and brought in two more keepers – Belgian Cedric Pottier and Italian Angelo Costa. United also had a ₤10M bid for Burton accepted, but he refused their contract offer.

Angelo Costa [GK, ITA – 1 U21 cap, 184cm, 33] – 0, 0, 0

Spent most of his career in Italy at Serie B and A level with Chievo. Chelsea signed him for free last season, but he didn't play a senior game. ₤875K is probably a bit much to pay for Costa, especially on a one-year contract, though he does look solid enough.

Cedric Pottier [GK, BEL – 1 Cap, 179cm, 33] – 0, 0, 0

Joins for free from Espanyol, where he has been one of the better keepers in the BBVA. Doesn't look quite as skilful as Costa, but is probably the more in-form and proven player.

Espanyol Supporters' Player of the Year 2025

Manchester United, Premier League, Away

United were third last season, their fourth successive top-four position. Their transfers have been relatively conservative. They lost veteran attacking midfielder Oscar Montero for free to Real Madrid and sold England striker Warren Walton to Arsenal for ₤17.5M and Montenegro midfielder Radovan Andjelkovic for ₤13.5M. Just two players came in – our Diego Redondo for ₤5.5M (though they almost got Burton) and former Rushden defender Philani Mofokeng for ₤22M. I sold Mofokeng for ₤2.6M when he couldn't get a work permit, but things obviously changed. Strikers Jon McCoy, Mick Oakley and Dion Martin are stars. Angelo Costa had the unenviable task to holding them off.

Costa was called into action early when he made two saves in the 6th. Hofman blocked a third shot, and Boyd finally got the ball clear. We were certainly looking outclassed, and though good work from Romero and Tinoco down the left at least made their keeper work, Costa soon had to make another save. Star striker Dion Martin put them ahead in the 34th, getting around Boyd all too easily. We lost the ball soon after the kick-off, and they were straight back on the attack again. Mifsud managed to boot the ball long, and Jabbie ran onto it. With a burst of pace, he left his marker in his wake, got into the area and fired an angled shot past the keeper for his first Rushden goal. Another United star, Jon McCoy, almost put them straight back in front when he sped past Hofman, with Costa again saving. Hofman cleared to Jabbie in the midfield, who passed to Aros. He passed well to Musolino on the break, who scored from 25 yards. A perfect counter-attack, and a lead to Rushden.

McCoy and Martin missed fairly simple chances just before half time, and after the break a header from Martin was parried straight to another United player – 2-2. Mifsud and Moroe went close with frees, but United scored again with half an hour to go with a free of their own. Aros cut out a pass with 13 minutes to go and charged forward. His ball put Jabbie through the defence again, and he scored his second to again square the ledger. With a late save from Costa, we held onto the point.

I brought in a loan signing to boost our squad depth.

Walter González [AM R, ARG – 16 U21 caps, 182cm, 21] – 0, 0, 0 On loan from Roma

Bought by Roma from Atlético Minero for ₤11.25M just a few months ago, González is an exceptionally talented midfielder. While he lacks a bit of pace, he more than makes up for it with sheer class with passing and touch.

Hearts, Champions League third qualifying phase, leg 2, Away

With a solid 2-0 win at home, we held a decent advantage going into this away leg. Ettori headed over early, but in the 8th Azulay set up Jabbie for his third goal in a game and a bit. Romero, Aros and Petrov had chances to extend the lead as the first half ended 1-0, and 3-0 on aggregate. Al-Dossari was beaten by Hearts' first real chance in the 51st, giving them the tiniest sliver of a chance. Our kick-off was quickly cleared though only as far as Ramírez. He found Aros, who once again charged forward and set up Jabbie for his second. Jabbie missed several chances to complete a hat-trick, leaving it to Petrov to seal a 3-0 win, with a 5-1 aggregate.

Valencia, UEFA Super Cup, Neutral

Valencia had a bad year in La Liga, finishing 9th. However, they won the Champions League over Sunderland, and so make this game. We lost against Man U back in 2027, and Valencia appear to be an equally star-studded side. The brightest is striker Hernan Garcia, the 2029 World Footballer and World Player of the Year, bought from River for ₤38.5M just a month ago. Add England striker Scott Haddow (bought from Tottenham for ₤47M), Japanese attacking midfielder Kengo Kan (₤50M), Portuguese wing back Costa (₤30M) and South African defender Samuel Ngcobo (a mere ₤18M), and you have a lot of talent. There was also a Rushden connection, with keepers Patrik Svensson (one of the best in the world) and Jorge Cantu, defender Matti Vatanen and striker Sergio Alarcόn all having come through Nene Park.

For Rushden, Cedric Pottier came in for his début as keeper, while Musolino was rightly a member of the strike team, having been such a major factor in our victory last season.

We had great trouble clearing the ball out of defence. After two failed attempts from Mifsud, a long ball was sent straight over his head to Veteran Argentinian winger Tomas Machuca. He got through the remainders of the defence all too easily, and put Valencia in front. Aros tried to inspire the team with a wonderful through ball to Musolino, who forced a parry from Svensson. Ettori got to the loose ball first, but missed a simple chance. More fine passing only resulted in clean tackles on our strikers. Meanwhile, Striker Haddow casually curled in Valencia's second goal from 25 yards right on half time. Musolino tried to do something similar at the other end, and only managed to put the ball into the stands. We did not have a lot of chances in the second half, and the time ticked away along with Rushden's chances of reducing the margin. At the final whistle, it was still 0-2.

Following this loss, I sold left winger Jose Romero to Deportivo for ₤10M. With Vargas, Tinoco, Brzeczek and Mifsud available for the left wing, I don't need to keep a one-position player who is not outstanding.

Chelsea, Premier League, Away

Chelsea have bolstered their stocks after being runners-up last season. They sold just one player, veteran keeper Angelo Costa, to us for ₤875K, and dumped several youth players. In contrast, they spent ₤47M on new faces. England Under-21 forward Lewis Moore moved from Reading for ₤10.25M (and was promptly loaned out to Rangers), Canadian midfielder Alex Smith earned Newcastle ₤13.75M and former Rushden midfielder Thom Eerhart was bought from Roma for ₤10.75M. We let him go for only ₤2.4M to Aston Villa, but they sold him for ₤675K.Another midfielder, Leeds' Danny Venables, cost ₤6M. They certainly have a Rushden connection, with Eerhart joining Giorgos Siabanis, David Davidson and Kang Chang-Keun as former Rushden stars in Chelsea's side.

Erdogan and Brzeczek did well to clear Chelsea attacks in the first few minutes. Brzeczek again sent the ball away with a long header in the 13th, and Aros moved onto it on Chelsea's side of the centre circle. He immediately charged forward, closely tracked by an opponent. The Chilean kept ahead though, and for some reason, even as he neared the area, none of the defenders moved to block his path. Aros placed his shot past the keeper to complete a fantastic solo goal. Tinoco intercepted a Siabanis pass on the left wing and centred to Aros in the middle. This time he just hit the ball forward, where Petrov ran past the defenders to make it 2-0. Ettori almost scored a third when he headed Brzeczek's free, with the ball just tipped over. He only had to wait six more minutes though, with Aros again slicing a pass through the defence for Ettori to give us a seemingly unbeatable three-goal lead. Aros himself hit the side netting from close range as a half of remarkable dominance came to a close. The second half was not dissimilar to the first, though we were not nearly as effective. Petrov, Brzeczek and Tinoco all tested the keeper without breaking through, and Chelsea managed a number of shots without any real danger to Pottier. Azulay was very good in the midfield and Lei Xiang did well in defence, but Aros was the star in a fantastic win.

Sunderland, Premier League, Home

Sunderland took the title last season, making it back-to-back wins. Not bad for a side that missed relegation by one spot in 24/25. They again relied on Romanian Flavius Avram and Dane Andreas Albrechtsen for their goals, with Albrechtsen the Fans' Player of the Year for the fifth straight season. They do have trouble finding a backup for them, though. Striker Rodney Milsom was offloaded to Aston Villa for ₤3.2M, and they actually loaned in a forward from Verona, Algerian Fabien Lesage. However, their signings were players for elsewhere on the pitch. The biggest was Montenegro midfielder Radovan Andjelkovic for ₤13.5M from Man U, with winger Mirko Gigli moving from Lyon for ₤5.75M and Porto midfielder Ramos costing ₤4.8M. Tom McKenzie, recently named in an England squad, came in for his first game of the season. This game took place in front of a club record 35,626 fans.

Jabbie missed the first shot of the game. Lei Xiang cut out one chance from on-loan forward Lesage, who missed another attempt in the 20th then forced a save from Pottier. Not bad for a 20-year-old Algerian who can't make the Verona side. Our day looked grimmer with Lei Xiang off injured, then Lesage and Gigli both had shots at Pottier. We were lucky to go in level at half time.

The second half started quite differently, with Erdogan sending Musolino down the left. He pushed to the area, went past a defender and skimmed the top of the bar. Aros had a go in the 47th, and only a deflection off a defender gave the keeper a chance to save. A Jabbie cross was cut out, but in the 61st, a chain of passes starting with Brzeczek saw Aros play Musolino through, and after getting through a defender, he scored from a tight angle. We almost conceded an equaliser in the 66th, with Moroe beaten for a header which hit the crossbar. Pottier saved a free and launched a counter-attack which saw Jabbie denied at the other end. With five minutes to go, Musolino broke down the left, with Jabbie parallel to him and only one defender between them. Brzeczek found Musolino; he drew the defender and then passed to the open Jabbie, who made it 2-0. Tinoco missed one shot, but in injury time, he sent a low cross from inside the area to Musolino, who tapped in his second goal. 3-0 wins against the top two sides to start the season – certainly a promising beginning.

Having made plenty of money from the sale of Romero, and concerned that Jabbie's contract was set to expire at the end of the season, I made a club record signing just as the transfer window closed.

Marcos Moreno [sT, ESP, 180cm, 18] – 0, 0, 0

Signed for a record ₤7.5M, with more payable depending on his international caps and league goals, Moreno would have to be something pretty special. He scored more than a goal a game for Sevilla's seconds at the age of 17, is brilliant from frees, has great pace and is good in the air. Jabbie will mentor him.

Aros was named Player of the Month, with his goal second-best and Musolino's third.

[Donners]

September, 2030

West Ham, Premier League, Home

Despite a good run in the Premier League which ended in 17/18, West Ham were twice relegated to League One in the last decade. After four years in the Championship, they somehow managed to get promoted from sixth spot, despite a goal difference of just four. Unsurprisingly, they are not tipped to survive. However, they do have some decent players, such as Welsh striker Craig Marshall, Algerian defender Djamel Larabi and veteran Irish striker Jonathan Grant. Larabi was a free signing from Leeds, while they spent ₤1.2M on promising Bolton left back Alex Wordsworth and ₤2M on Pescara right winger Anders Sundin. Record signing Marcos Moreno made his début for Rushden, as did attacking midfielder Salvador Lamas.

Less than three minutes in, Jabbie was brought down on the edge of the area. A free kick was awarded, and Ramírez floated it to just outside the box. There to meet it was Marcos Moreno, who scored 165 seconds into his Rushden career. Hammers striker Marshall had two shots in the next five minutes, not challenging Pottier with either. Ramírez went direct with a free in the 26th, forcing a save, and another free saw a Jabbie header turned over the bar. Brzeczek came close from yet another free at the start of the second half, as West Ham were reduced to ten men when Lamas was hacked down. Though they never really threatened, Pottier was named Man of the Match, with Azulay again excellent in the middle.

Fenerbahçe, Champions League Group C, Home

We wound up with a relatively easy group, facing Fenerbahçe, Rosenborg and Köln. Our Turkish opponents are no pushover though, considering they finished runner-up in the UEFA Cup in 2029. Their side features the tall and skilful attacking midfielder Ahmed El Sayed and several Turkish internationals such as midfielder Erdem Ferdi and striker Sahin Kurtar. For Rushden, Aros was again rested, with Ronald Vargas starting his first game for the club.

We nearly beat the last match's opening goal, with Jabbie playing Vargas through within 30 seconds, only to be denied by the keeper. In the 8th, Musolino collected a long pass and ran down the left. He tried to pass to partner Jabbie, but it was deflected and intercepted. Bizarrely, the defender decided to pass across his goal, and Vargas gleefully broke in and struck Rushden into the lead. El Sayed came close at the other end, flicking the top of the bar after a good pass. Mifsud was denied at the other end but when Tinoco spun around a defender, he scored our second before half time. A long ball from Ramírez, who had set up Tinoco, sent Musolino into the box to make it 3-0 early in the second half. Ettori made it into the box four minutes later, and though his effort was parried, Musolino was there for his second and our fourth. He completed his hat-trick in the 70th, and Jabbie and Ramírez (who had three assists) spent the rest of the game trying to get a goal for themselves. 5-0 was more than enough in the end.

Leeds, Premier League, Away

Leeds did quite well in their first season back in the Premiership, finishing towards the middle of the table. They did lose one key player, with midfielder Danny Venables off to Chelsea for ₤6M. Veteran Algerian defender Djamel Larabi also went to West Ham. They only spent money on one player, Coventry midfielder Tom Barnett (₤2.5M). Chilean keeper Hugo Morales came in from Fulham and they plucked 30-year-old defender Callum Moncur from League One side Portsmouth. Teenage striker Tom Walker is just breaking into their senior side and could be a future star. Angelo Costa came in as Rushden's keeper.

Leeds missed an early shot and launched another attack in the 10th. Ramírez intercepted and simply belted the ball long. Musolino raced Moncur to the loose ball, and got there first. He also hit the ball into space, this time into the area. Petrov got to it, and struck home a great goal. Leeds got into the area in the 15th, where Brzeczek knocked the ball away with a tackle. Unfortunately, it went straight to Leeds striker Matthew Bond, who quickly levelled the scores. Musolino and Tinoco missed chances to restore the lead, but Aros showed why he's our highest-paid player, breaking through the defence to score in the 27th. After such a high-scoring start, the chances continued but the keepers started to get on top. Leeds' keeper made three successive saves at the start of the second half, keeping out an Aros chip, deflected Musolino shot and Petrov cross. Costa also made a save when Tinoco was beaten for a header from a Leeds corner, while Musolino and Ramírez missed at the other end. With neither side able to break through again, the half-time score of 2-1 was a fitting result.

Coventry, Premier League, Home

Coventry have had two spells in League One over the past 15 years, and finally get back to the Premiership for the first time since 00/01. They won the Championship last season with 89 points, led by Northern Ireland forward Peter McVeigh and veteran Portuguese striker Santos. They've added a dozen players to their squad over summer, spending a total of just over ₤10M. Among them are Birmingham midfielder Dominic Harris (free), former Rushden attacking midfielder Ken Walton (₤3M), Strasbourg defender Jan Schaap (₤3.1M), veteran Slovenian striker Jasmin Recek from AEK (free) and Romanian defender Valentin Popescu (₤2M from Piacenza). Costa had another go in goal.

Petrov put a header wide, a Ramírez free was saved and Azulay had a shot blocked all in the first ten minutes. Azulay was again denied and Aros missed in a first half dominated by Rushden without result. Coventry simply defended throughout the game. Ramírez hit the bar with a free in the 63rd, then Aros had a shot tipped over as the game entered the final twenty minutes. With a quarter hour to go, Ettori took a throw-in on the right. He found Aros, who sent through Petrov. The keeper was well-positioned to take the shot, until it deflected off a defender and into the far side of the net. 1-0. Coventry made a belated attack with nine minutes left. Ramírez made a last-ditch tackle, but sent the ball to an opponent. The shot came in, but Costa took it well. Aros twice blazed through the defence in the final moments, only to be cut out at the area. From the second clearance, Ettori took the loose ball and brought it straight back, outstripping a defender and striking home our second. Another good win.

FC Köln, Champions League Group C, Home

Our second game in this competition, after belting Fenerbahçe 5-0. Köln are fourth in the Bundesliga, and won that competition in four of the past five seasons. They recently broke their transfer record with Feyenoord's Saudi Arabian striker Waleed Aseeri, who cost ₤17.75M. Tall, quick and deadly, he is a huge threat. Cameroon midfielder Alioum Bako is another top player in their side, but their back half is a little weak, with 37-year-old German Silvio Schumacher in goal and little-known defenders.

Petrov missed a long curling shot in the 11th. The goal kick was collected by Aros, who sent a searching long ball forward. Musolino ran onto it, made it to the area, and struck it into the top corner. That was his seventh goal in as many games, and he looks to be justifying his ₤4.2M price tag. Aseeri didn't take long to answer at the other end though, levelling the scores. The first half ended level. Ten minutes into the second, Ramírez did well to win the ball on the right wing. He brought the ball forward and cut a pass into the area. Azulay turned onto it, and struck in his first goal for the club. Pottier had to make a good save on a counter-attack in the 72nd and with three minutes to go, they had a corner. Schumacher came up for it, and somehow was on the receiving end of the ball with plenty of space. The keeper took a shot, and slammed it off the bar. Not only did we survive that scare, substitute Ronald Vargas scored in the final moments to complete a 3-1 win.

Cardiff, Premier League, Away

Cardiff have been a mid-table side for the last few seasons, and have not really made a great effort to move beyond that. They sold former Argentinian international left back Facundo Correa to Siena for ₤550K and brought in some mediocre players, such as Newcastle's 35-year-old Scottish keeper Colin Brown (₤2.3M) and Slovenian midfielder Martin Sloboda (₤275K from Beitar Jerusalem).

Pottier made a series of excellent saves in the 5th as the ball bounced around in the area with Rushden unable to get it clear. A weak tackle from Moroe gave them another chance in the 8th, and this time Pottier was beaten. Aros made a great turn in the 20th, dragging two defenders with him, but couldn't beat the keeper. Cardiff had plenty of chances, and Pottier again had to make some saves, but a few minutes before half time, Musolino struck to level the scores. A red card to Boyd with half an hour to go dramatically reduced our chances of taking three points from the game. Indeed, it looked like it would be a hard job just to retain parity, with Pottier forced to make a save in the 66th. Six minutes later, they scored from a tight angle, retaking the lead. We did not have a single attempt at goal after Boyd went off, and lost our first game of the season.

Ettori was third as Player of the Month, with Azulay runner-up as Young Player of the Month. I was runner-up as Manager of the Month.

[Donners]

October, 2030

Reading, Premier League, Home

Reading slipped to 15th last season, and made significant changes to their squad. They released no less than fifteen players, with veteran keeper Nils Timmermans retiring and joining Rushden as a coach and striker Craig Carter finally going to the Championship after many barren years at this level. Indeed, it's an indication of Reading's mediocrity that he was their regular striker for the past seven years without scoring more than six league goals in any season. They sold Scottish international keeper Scott Martin to Leicester for ₤2.4M and England Under-21 forward Lewis Moore to Chelsea for ₤10.25M. A dozen players came in, including Austrian striker Umit Holzer (free from Treviso), Venezuelan defender Franklin Guerrero (₤5.5M from Rangers), Danish keeper Rune Nielsen (₤2.3M from Mallorca), Norwegian striker Bjorn Gunnar Eriksen (₤4.2M from Aston Villa) and Belgian wing back Pierre-Yves Da Cunha (₤3.8M from Atalanta).

Pottier was kept busy in the first few minutes, making two saves as Reading started aggressively. A wonderful 50-yard ball from Erdogan sent Vargas through for our first attack, though he could not beat the keeper. Reading again tested Pottier in the 33rd, then missed another just before half time. Mifsud and Vargas started the second half with misses, but when Østensen swerved around a series of defenders and passed to Lamas in the box, we looked certain to finally score. Instead, he somehow hit the ball straight to the keeper and the chance was lost. Ramírez was on target with a free in the 71st, but again it was saved. A fairly dominant performance from Rushden, without result.

Rosenborg, Champions League Group C, Away

Another fairly weak side in our group, the Norwegian side haven't made it this far in the Champions League in 2008. Young Serbian striker Stevo Dimitrijevic and Norway Under-21 midfielder Atle Larsen are their only players of any discernible quality. Sergey Karpov came in for his first game of the season.

Marcos Moreno started for Rushden, missing two shots in the first quarter hour. Mifsud also put a free kick wide and when Aros was finally on target in the 29th, it was saved. Jabbie missed in the 43rd. The goal kick was taken by Aros in the midfield, and he came forward in one of his classic runs. Around one defender, past another, around the keeper...1-0. Moreno missed again in the 63rd and Aros and Jabbie did the same in the following five minutes. A sharp ball from Vargas in the 72nd sent Aros through again though, and he scored his second. Jabbie completed a 3-0 win in the 75th.

Liverpool, Premier League, Away

Liverpool managed a mid-table finish last season, returning from a shock relegation. They lost winger Milos Djordjevic to Valencia, albeit for ₤13.5M compensation, while defender Aaron Watt went to Barcelona for ₤6.5M. They certainly more than compensated for these losses with ₤32.5M in signings. Scottish midfielder Peter Molyneux was the biggest, moving from Barnsley for ₤15.25M. Three players came from Newcastle – striker Richard Scott (₤10M), veteran England left back John Daly (₤2.7M) and Saudi Arabian defender Basim Al-Khaldi (₤4.2M). Nonetheless, there was evidently some concern over their squad depth – one-time Rushden defender Pavlin Mihaylov and Bulgarian midfielder Borislav Stoyanov were on loan from Milan and Man U respectively.

Three times in the first ten minutes we sent the ball into the area from set pieces, with no result. Liverpool scored with their first shot, an innocuous free in off the post. They scored again later in the first half, and with a few chances from Moreno wasted, we did not manage to score. Despite having 58% of possession, they walked away 0-2 winners.

Derby, Carling Cup 3rd round, Away

Derby are struggling in League One, and certainly should not present a threat. Striker Robin Harvey was bought for a surprisingly high ₤2.7M given their league, but he's the only noted player of their squad.

A quick break in the 15th somehow saw three Rushden players past the defence, but when Petrov was pushed wide, the defence had enough time to flood the area to block the shot. A sharp run from Walter Gonzalez did not suffer the same fate, and the on-loan winger scored in his third game for the club. Musolino missed a few long shots, then Aros passed through for Jabbie, who scored in the 65th. That made our lead two goals, which was the final margin.

Birmingham, Premier League, Home

After a couple of successive top-half finishes, Birmingham have had a sluggish start to this season. They did lose a few players, including England midfielder Jackson Flynn (₤3.9M to Sheffield United) and released former England right winger Carl Butcher to Southampton. Their only notable signing was Portuguese full back Alex, who moved on a Bosman from Rangers.

Former Rushden keeper Shane Bayliss was tested from long range by Aros and Østensen early on. A free from Brzeczek gave Østensen a chance from much closer range, but Bayliss denied his header and then kept out a curling Aros attempt. He was looking unbeatable, until he came out to meet a clearance from Vargas. He only headed it as far as Jabbie, who lobbed over the keeper and into the net from 30 yards. Birmingham did not take long to answer, scoring with a free just before half time. Musolino missed a few shots, then Ramírez put a free into the outside of the post. Bayliss was saving everything, and Jabbie didn't help the cause by missing when Vargas played him through. Despite eight shots on goal, we could not score again, and had to settle for a draw.

Rosenborg, Champions League Group C, Home

We beat this side 3-0 away a couple of weeks ago, and expected the same result at Nene Park. A penalty seven minutes in was a decent start, but Østensen hit it straight at the keeper. Petrov headed over the resulting corner, Mifsud also found the keeper with a free and even Lei Xiang had an unsuccessful attempt at goal. Several more misses ended a frustrating half, and the second started off the same way. A long pass from Østensen was cleared in the 55th, but Mifsud got in the way and sent the ball straight into the goal with a brilliant half-volley. That didn't have an immediate effect on his teammates, with Jabbie, Karpov and Østensen missing. It took another half-volley, this time from Østensen in the 73rd, for our second. Jabbie quickly added a third to seal the win.

Stockport snatched long-time Rushden coach Scott Gemmill as an Assistant, and I quickly replaced him with career lower-league player Wayne Stephenson.

[Donners]

November, 2030

Manchester City, Premier League, Away

City are looking good, sitting in fourth spot. They've been steadily climbing the table in the last three seasons, finishing in the top half in the last two. They sold defensive midfielder Christian Pirri to Rangers for ₤2.5M and young keeper Richard Martin to Chelsea for ₤4.8M, pinning their hopes on 28-year-old England striker Danny Livermore (₤10.25M from Aston Villa).

A long Ettori shot was deflected into the keeper's arms in the first few minutes, while City hit the bar in the 12th. They made no mistake ten minutes later, taking the lead through Swedish veteran Peter Karlsson. Musolino, goalless since the end of September, was sent through by Ettori. Faced with the chance of breaking his six game drought, he took the shot and was well wide. It took veteran centre back Sergey Karpov to level the scores, heading in an Aros corner in the 35th. Costa was challenged on either side of the break. The first he saved, and though Karlsson beat him the second time, he was offside. Musolino again failed to score, this time on target but denied by the keeper. Our only other chance of the second half was a free kick to Ramírez, which was easily held. 1-1 was a decent result, but not a great performance.

That was our fifth straight league game without a win, despite such a promising start. Moreno and Costa were dumped to the reserves as a result

Cardiff, Carling Cup 4th round, Away

Cardiff are doing fairly well in the league, though we beat them 2-1 in September (the last time Musolino scored). I rested Aros, which looked a bad move when Pottier let a save slip free for a simple third-minute goal to Cardiff. Aros' replacement, Salvador Lamas, had a go at the other end three minutes later, failing to beat the keeper. Cardiff were definitely the better side of the first half. Pottier had to make a number of saves, and several other shots went wide. An unstoppable shot put them two goals up before the break, and with only half-chances to Lamas, Ettori and Erdogan, we deserved to be knocked out of the Carling Cup 0-2.

Newcastle, Premier League, Away

Newcastle are on top of the table, though that doesn't mean a lot at this early stage of the season. It's no surprise though, given that they haven't finished outside the top seven in over a decade. They were very active in the transfer market, both with purchases and sales. As noted earlier, they sold three players to Liverpool for a total of over ₤15M. With Canadian midfielder Alex Smith off to Chelsea for ₤13.75M, Jason Day to Rangers for ₤3.4M and the big one, Brazilian full back Marcos to Milan for ₤23M, they had plenty to spend. Real Madrid provided French keeper Nicolas Poulain and Egyptian left back Hussein Hassan (formerly of Newcastle, Man U and Chelsea) for ₤7.25M and ₤13.25M respectively, Barcelona's Polish midfielder Bogdan Majewski cost ₤7.5M, South Korean midfielder Lee Jin-Woo ₤9.75M from Valencia and another former Newcastle player, winger Robert Morrison, came back from Juventus for ₤8.75M.

It was perhaps the worst possible start for Rushden, with Aros off injured after two minutes. We could come back from conceding an early goal, but facing the top side without our best player is much tougher – and the long-term consequences are potentially severe. This was somewhat evened up by Newcastle losing ₤22M striker Craig Ramsay a few minutes later. We had a number of first half shots. Østensen missed, Musolino headed wide and their keeper had to make two saves. Pottier kept out their only on-target effort, though they also missed a few.

We started off the second half well. Brzeczek's free deflected and forced a save, then in the 53rd, substitute Lamas found Petrov, who played Musolino through. He rounded the keeper and scored from a tight angle. Pottier made a couple of late saves to take Rushden back to top spot with a one-goal win. Aros was put out for a couple of weeks with a head injury.

Middlesbrough, Premier League, Away

Middlesbrough came close to relegation last season, finishing 17th – albeit a few games clear of the drop. They cleared out some deadwood – defender Keskin Dursun, midfielder Marc Kuijpers and utility Keskin Dursun, all in their mid-30s – but did little to improve the squad. Dutch international defender Henk Willemse was their only purchase, from Celta for ₤1.2M, and they got Nigeria right back Valentine Johnson from Albacete for free.

There were good shots denied at both ends in the first few minutes. With Aros already out, we suffered a further blow with his replaceable, Lamas, injured in the 11th, As if that wasn't bad enough, Middlesbrough scored when Pottier parried to a striker. We repaid the favour two minutes later, with Petrov's header parried to substitute Ronald Vargas, who scored. Musolino got the ball into the area again a few minutes later. He was tackled cleanly, and though Petrov got the ball back, he couldn't beat the keeper. Vargas likewise had a shot saved in the 27th, but Ettori was there to finish. 2-1. They came straight forward from the kick-off, but when Petrov intercepted a pass, he was able to burst through the defence. His finish was perfect, and we had two goals in two minutes. Middlesbrough hit back just before half time, giving us a single goal lead to take into the second half. They had just one shot for the half, and Pottier easily handled it. Fabio Sabatini came off the bench for his first game of the season.

Fenerbahçe, Champions League Group C, Home

We hammered the Turkish side 5-0 away last time, but were missing Aros, Jabbie, Lamas and Azulay through injury here. Nonetheless, a sharp pass from Karpov saw Tinoco put us ahead in the 7th minute. Shortly after the kick-off, their keeper came out to collect a back pass at the edge of the area. Somehow, he passed straight to Vargas, who floated the ball into the unattended goal from 40 yards. Ettori set up Musolino to make it 3-0 at the break. Fenerbahçe had a player sent off in the second half and Boyd, Petrov and Mifsud (who also had two assists) joined the scorers to make it a 6-0 romp. The only downside was that Tinoco was put out for up to a month with a twisted ankle.

Arsenal, Premier League, Home

This was a clash between the top two sides, though it's still very tight among the leaders. Arsenal's finish of 5th last season is their equal worst of the last 35 years, which is simply astonishing. Their transfers were low in number but big in cost. Young defender Mikel Imaz was sold to Inter for ₤9.75M, just a year after being bought for ₤8M. They brought in just three players, but for a total of ₤50M. Iceland keeper Helgi Hreinsson cost just ₤1M from Verona, but Manchester United striker Warren Walton cost ₤17.5M and Milan's 27-year-old Norwegian winger Jonas Svendsen somehow was deemed worth ₤31.5M despite having never done a lot in his career.

Petrov led a Rushden attack in the 8th, passing down the left flank to Brzeczek. He crossed to the far post, and though Svendsen got in the way, he only managed to handball. Moroe took the penalty, and put us ahead. Brzeczek had a free saved by former Rushden keeper Nuri Bozkurt, then both he and MacKenzie missed in the next few minutes. Arsenal attacked in the 25th through star striker Carr, and Moroe brought him down. As the last defender, he received a straight red. We still had a one goal lead though, and I brought on Erdogan for Vargas to try and defend it. Despite our decreased attacking presence, we scored again in the 31st – MacKenzie heading in another free from Brzeczek. Arsenal did not even have a shot until the 37th, and that missed. They had just two more in the second half, and again failed to challenge Pottier. Arsenal committed an astonishing 31 fouls to our 11, and deserved to go down 2-0.

After defender Aymen Naven failed to turn up to training for the second time, I agreed a mutual release which saw him leave the club immediately.

MK Dons, Premier League, Away

It wasn't all that long ago that we were facing MK Dons in the lower leagues. They have slowly crawled up the leagues with promotions from fourth place, before finishing as runners-up in last year's Championship season. Unfortunately for them, they are trapped at the bottom of the table at the moment. England Under-21 striker Nick Hogg, Irish international midfielder Marc Thompson and teenage striker Mark Hayward, bought from Rushden, are their only notable players. Considering the struggling state of our opponents, I gave Sabatini and Costa a run in the first team.

A counter-attack saw Vargas hit the post in the 6th, and MacKenzie was there for the tap-in finish. Seconds after their kick-off, Mifsud intercepted a pass and found Vargas. His ball found striker Petrov, who passed to new partner Sabatini who scored from 20 yards for our second goal in a minute. The curse of the attacking midfielders continued – Vargas went off injured late in the first half, with Aros and Lamas already on the sidelines. Dons looked a little better in the second half, having a couple of shots from Hogg and keeping out some of ours, but a 20 yard rocket from Petrov went in off the post and completed a 3-0 win – our fourth straight in the league.

West Brom, Premier League, Away

West Brom aren't doing a lot better than Dons, sitting just one place above them after last season's 14th place. They didn't lose any players, and gained former Atletico keeper Rodolfo Gallardo (free), veteran Iranian striker and 26/27 Barcelona Supporters' Player of the Year Reza Dehghan (₤2.8M) and Chilean midfielder Cristian Paez (₤2.7M from Cadiz). Vargas was out but Aros returned to take the attacking midfield role.

West Brom had a shot on goal in the first twenty seconds when Moroe let a player through far too easily. They had three shots in the first two minutes, without success. Petrov failed to beat the keeper from close range and partner Musolino missed. A González cross to Petrov was intercepted by the keeper and Petrov hit the bar as a frustrating first half ended without any score. Aros almost broke the deadlock in the 48th, shooting just wide. With just a minute to go, González sent in a remarkable outswinging cross from the very corner. It floated to the edge of the box, where Mifsud rose above the keeper and put us in the lead. That was enough for a deserved, if late, win. West Ham had their three shots for the game in the first couple of minutes, while we had 13 but only three on target.

Karpov was named Player of the Month, with Moroe third, while I was Manager of the Month. Incidentally, former Rushden striker David Davidson was named World Footballer of the Year.

| Pos   | Inf   | Team          |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   |       | Rushden       |       | 16    | 10    | 4     | 2     | 27    | 12    | +15   | 34    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   |       | Reading       |       | 15    | 6     | 8     | 1     | 20    | 9     | +11   | 26    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Arsenal       |       | 14    | 7     | 4     | 3     | 15    | 9     | +6    | 25    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Newcastle     |       | 15    | 7     | 4     | 4     | 16    | 12    | +4    | 25    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Chelsea       |       | 16    | 7     | 4     | 5     | 17    | 14    | +3    | 25    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Sunderland    |       | 16    | 7     | 3     | 6     | 19    | 14    | +5    | 24    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Man City      |       | 16    | 5     | 9     | 2     | 18    | 13    | +5    | 24    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Man Utd       |       | 16    | 6     | 6     | 4     | 12    | 10    | +2    | 24    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Cardiff       |       | 16    | 5     | 7     | 4     | 13    | 11    | +2    | 22    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | Liverpool     |       | 15    | 5     | 6     | 4     | 12    | 8     | +4    | 21    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | Barnsley      |       | 16    | 5     | 6     | 5     | 16    | 17    | -1    | 21    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Everton       |       | 14    | 5     | 5     | 4     | 16    | 10    | +6    | 20    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Middlesbrough |       | 16    | 4     | 7     | 5     | 16    | 15    | +1    | 19    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Coventry      |       | 15    | 4     | 5     | 6     | 9     | 19    | -10   | 17    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Aston Villa   |       | 14    | 3     | 7     | 4     | 8     | 11    | -3    | 16    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | Leeds         |       | 15    | 4     | 4     | 7     | 10    | 16    | -6    | 16    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | Birmingham    |       | 16    | 3     | 6     | 7     | 13    | 23    | -10   | 15    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th  |       | West Ham      |       | 16    | 2     | 8     | 6     | 9     | 12    | -3    | 14    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th  |       | West Brom     |       | 15    | 2     | 3     | 10    | 9     | 25    | -16   | 9     | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20th  |       | MK Dons       |       | 14    | 2     | 2     | 10    | 10    | 25    | -15   | 8     | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   

[Donners]

December, 2030

FC Köln, Champions League Group C, Away

With Rushden undefeated in five group games, I was free to give Pottier a rest for the last game of this stage. Though we beat them 3-1 last time, they quickly took control with two goals from two shots. Both went to ₤17.5M Saudi Arabian striker Waleed Aseeri. Petrov pulled one back before half time, but their third goal from as many attempts pretty much ended the game in the 58th. Costa finally made a few saves in the second half, but conceded yet again with five minutes to go. Ramírez scored in the final moments, though it meant nothing.

Barnsley, Premier League, Home

Barnsley are close to the bottom of the table, which is not surprising given that they were 16th last season and sold their star, Peter Molyneux, to Liverpool for ₤15.25M. They were pretty cautious with that money, getting Danish defender Kenneth Olsen from FC Kobenhaven for free, former Argentinian international midfielder Damiano Pepe for ₤500K from Zaragoza, another midfielder, Juan Carlos Rivas for ₤3M from Betis and Swedish winger Kent Magnusson for ₤4.7M from St Johnstone. Belgian winger Albert Acterberg also moved from Deportivo on loan.

There was plenty of back-and-forth play in the first fifteen minutes, without any real chances. Barnsley looked set to score when Boyd was beaten by an attacker and Pottier was left one-on-one, but the keeper charged out and cleared the ball himself. MacKenzie missed a drive in the 26th after being set up by Aros and Mifsud had a powerful free saved late in the half. Aros and Sabatini missed headers to end a scoreless half. Mifsud had two shots saved in the first ten minutes. We got a great chance when Aros intercepted a pass from the keeper and set up Petrov, but the striker shot way over the bar from inside the area. With late shots from Hofman and Aros denied, we could only get a single point.

Everton, Premier League, Away

Everton are as high as they have been in a while, currently third on the table after last season's 6th. Their squad went through a lot of changes over the break. Among those departing were England international defender Nathan Everitt (₤9.25M to Aston Villa), former Rushden winger Lewis Barnard (₤7.25M to Udinese) and Belarus winger Alexandr Frolov (₤6.75M to Palermo). With ₤23.5M coming in, they had the freedom to make a few purchases, like two players from Betis - Nigerian forward Victor Idemudia (₤8.75M) and 34-year-old Dutch defender Marvin van der Krann (₤3.1M) and two from Real Madrid – 33 year old Irish striker Sam Smith for ₤220K and young Spanish winger Pedro Cagigas for ₤2.2M. Remarkably, aside from Danny Caton, who has fourteen goals, no Everton player has more than two for the season.

Though Caton was the obvious danger, Bulgarian striker Denislav Zhelev first tested Pottier, then beat him in the 23rd. Petrov levelled the scores six minutes later when Aros' shot was parried, but Caton stole the ball from Mifsud and put Everton back ahead in the 33rd. Pottier saved from former Rushden midfielder Zeljko Rakic, while Petrov and Mifsud were denied at the other end. We had our chances, with Aros particularly masterful, but when a late effort from MacKenzie was well saved, it was all over. 1-2.

Aston Villa, Premier League, Home

Tenth last season, Villa find themselves in the bottom five. They did lose some top players, selling striker Danny Livermore to Man City for ₤10.25M. That sale was just a year after they bought him, but he still lasted longer than England international defender Nathan Everitt, who was bought for ₤9.25M and then on-sold to Man U for ₤8M and a teenage keeper after just three games. Slovenian midfielder Ales Radovac joined for free from Real Sociedad and striker Rodney Milsom cost ₤3.2M from Sunderland. Former Rushden keeper Anton Grigoryan was in goal.

Mifsud tested Grigoryan first, but Pottier had to work hard when MacKenzie dispossessed an attacker but knocked the ball straight to a forward. He made the save, and when Aros sent in a beautiful cross, Musolino gave us the lead. After that, the game was in Rushden's control, with MacKenzie and Mifsud forcing saves. A terrible defensive pass saw Petrov extend the lead with twenty minutes to go, and Mifsud, Vargas and MacKenzie combined to give him a second in the final minutes. 3-0.

Manchester United, Premier League, Home

United are sitting in the middle of the table. This is our first game against them for the season, and their squad has changed significantly since our last encounter. Among those who are gone from Old Trafford are striker Warren Walton (₤17.5M to Arsenal), midfielder Radovan Andjelkovic (₤13.5M to Sunderland) and veteran forward Oscar Montero. The latter went for free to Real Madrid, having scored just 14 league goals after his ₤36.5M purchase. No wonder I avoid spending money where I can... They spent stacks on new faces, including former two Rushden players - defender Philani Mofokeng (₤22M from Pumas – and to think I sold him for ₤2.6M...) and midfielder Dimo Gyorev (₤3.3M from Huddersfield). They also got midfielder Diego Redondo directly from us for ₤5.5M, adding England defender Nathan Everitt (₤8M from Aston Villa) and Danish midfielder Mathias Moller (₤10.5M from Betis).

MacKenzie had two great chances to score in the third minute; denied by the keeper each time. Musolino, Mifsud, Aros and Musolino again all had shots saved before United scored out of nowhere just before half time. Musolino scored a deserved goal in the second half, but despite 15 shots to 8, we had to settle for a draw.

Sunderland, Premier League, Away

Sunderland are towards the top of the table, despite being hammered by Rushden 3-0 at the start of the season. They have plenty of prize money to spend after back-to-back titles, so it's good we play them twice before January. Aros got a much-deserved break, with Salvador Lamas returning from injury.

Ettori and Petrov earned early corners, while Mifsud and Vargas were very dangerous down the left. From the 20th minute, it all fell apart. They scored from their first attempt, and a few minutes later, Mifsud put a corner into his own goal. To make matters worse, Hofman went off injured. We weren't totally outplayed – Petrov and Musolino both were somehow denied by the keeper from point-blank range. Rushden looked even worse in the second half, and only had a third goal against us avoided thanks to an offside. Nonetheless, it was a bad loss after a promising start.

Aros was named Player of the Month as we closed the year on top of the table.

[Donners]

January, 2031

Chelsea, Premier League, Home

The first day of the year saw us face off against another title contender, with Chelsea yet another side to take second spot behind us. We did belt them 3-0 early in the season, with goals to Aros, Petrov and Ettori, but they haven't lost a game since the start of November – a 12 game unbeaten streak. The good thing about playing them at the start of the new year is that they haven't have a chance to make any purchases yet. Canadian midfielder Alex Smith has been good for them, and their former Rushden striker David Davidson was named World Player of the Year. Midfielder Tom Eerhart and defender Kang Chang-Keun are also familiar faces at Nene Park.

Kang Chang-Keun sent in many frees at Nene Park, and changing to Chelsea colours hasn't make them any less dangerous. Pottier made a good save in the 7th to keep one out, and then another in the 10th. Aros was brilliant, surging through the defence in the 14th, only to have his pass cut out, nearly managing to chip the keeper in the 16th and then finally scoring when a Petrov header was parried to him in the 27th. A couple of minutes, Pottier sent a long goal kick down the left. Mifsud charged down the flank and crossed into the area. This time, Petrov beat the keeper, putting us two goals up. Chelsea were never going to go down that easily, and Alex Smith set up Davidson to cut the margin at the start of the second half. Aros, though, was simply unstoppable. He forced two saves in the second half, then when Kang messed up a defensive header, the Chilean pounced to score his second and restore the two-goal buffer. Chelsea still weren't done, and Davidson again brought them back in the game with his second. That left Pottier to survive 20 minutes, and he did so admirably. A stunning performance from Aros, and a good win for the team.

MK Dons, FA Cup 3rd round, Home

It wasn't great to draw a fellow EPL side at such an early stage, but at least it's the cellar dwellers. Musolino broke through the defence in just the third minute, and only barely failed to beat the keeper. A defender picked up a loose Sabatini header into our area three minutes later, and Østensen somehow managed to tackle the ball into the net for an ugly, but effective, goal. Sabatini added another in the 30th with a header. That proved valuable, with Dons scoring at the start of the second half with what would prove to be their only shot of the match. Nonetheless, we progressed to the next round. Unfortunately, it came at the cost of Sabatini for a month, after he suffered a broken arm.

Frustratingly, not only did attacking midfielder Aitor Gutierrez agree a new contract, he accepted a free transfer to Deportivo rather than a ₤5M bid from Atlético. Despite paying ₤875K for keeper Angelo Costa at the start of the season, I released him for free to Benfica after a series of poor performances. However, I turned down a ₤9M Arsenal bid for young defender Gaup and Real Madrid's ₤15M bid for defender Rene Hofman. Annoyingly, I also discovered that I can't send players to my affiliate which was set up to avoid work permit issues, which is yet another example of how badly implemented this feature is.

West Ham, Premier League, Away

The Hammers are in relegation territory, and were beaten by Rushden at the start of the season. They've already added three players since the transfer window opened, with two teenagers from Celtic for negligible fees and midfielder Roel de Jong on a free transfer. With Sabatini out, Ollie Burton returned to the senior side just a few days after a ₤10M bid from Arsenal which I'm yet to decide on.

Pottier made an excellent save from a close-ranger header, while Burton put one over from similar range at the other end. Pottier looked in danger when he was caught at the edge of the area when Mifsud lost a battle for a high ball, but he managed to parry the shot nonetheless. Rushden had plenty of minor chances, with long frees from Mifsud saved, Aros unable to get through the last few defenders and Petrov denied by the keeper. Vargas went off with a knock, and with Brzeczek and Tinoco already out, I had to bring Michele Mariani on as a left winger. The best opportunity came two minutes before half time when Petrov played Burton through, but while the young forward used his pace, he shot way over. The 54th minute saw another fine pass wasted, with Aros' incisive pass to Petrov rendered useless by a wide shot. Mifsud found Petrov in the area in the 60th, and he was knocked over. Mariani scored from the spot, finally putting us ahead. We continued to dominate after that, with good chances for Aros and Petrov. However, it was a second penalty, when Burton was knocked over in the 80th, that saw us finally get a second. Ettori added a third in the final minutes, and the Hammers had a goal ruled offside in the final minute.

Leeds, Premier League, Home

Leeds are looking like they are set for another trip back to the Championship, having won just four games for the season. We defeated them 2-1 early in the season. Unremarkable centre back Jamal James has been their best player, which isn't saying much. Ollie Burton again started up forward.

Petrov, who scored in our last meeting with Leeds, forced a save in the opening minute. Ettori and Burton also kept him busy early, as Rushden dominated. That was the tone for the rest of the game, but frustratingly it did not equal goals. Burton had five shots, four on target, Ettori, Petrov and Aros had plenty of attempts, and all to no avail. Our second half was quiet, and Pottier actually had to pull off a late save to avoid an embarrassing defeat. Not only did we take just one point, Aros and Pottier were put out for a week each with minor injuries.

Arsenal came in with a bid for Ollie Burton, and having finally managed to get a work permit for reserve striker Itay Mizrahi, I sold Burton for ₤12.5M. He played just a dozen league games after his (relatively) huge ₤4.5M purchase a couple of years ago, but at least I made a profit.

Leeds, FA Cup 4th round, Away

Our second game in a week, with Pottier, Aros and Burton out. Silvestri, Lamas and Mizrahi came in, with a début for Israeli international Mizrahi.

Desperate work from Moroe and Silvestri avoided a Leeds goal, while Mizrahi tested the keeper in the 31st. Mizrahi and Petrov were both halted in the area late in the first half, as again we dominated without a goal. Another sharp shot from Mizrahi earned a parry in the 54th, and Østensen was there to finally put us ahead. Lamas was gifted his first Rushden goal through a terrible pass from the Leeds keeper, making it a 2-0 win. The only bad news was that Vargas was put out for a month with a fractured cheekbone.

I turned down a ₤12.5M bid from Sevilla for right winger Østensen, with few other options for the right wing already in the squad. We did, however, pick up 30% of Francisco Matoso's ₤17.25M move from Barcelona to Palermo, 30% of Marc Grundmann's ₤15.75M transfer from Arsenal to Roma and 25% of James Johnson's ₤16M move from Newcastle to Valencia. Former Rushden strikers Sergio Alarcόn and Nermin Ristic also moved - from Valencia to Arsenal for ₤12M and from Sevilla to Newcastle for ₤11.75M respectively, but we got nothing from those.

Coventry, Premier League, Away

Coventry are still above the drop in their first season in the EPL for many years, and have added Spanish winger Hector Olivera (₤1.9M from Atalanta), veteran Swedish defender Andreas Carlsson (₤600K) and 32-year-old Irish midfielder Paul Battersby (₤110K from Sunderland). All stop-gap measures, but reasonable in the circumstances. We were missing Aros, Brzeczek, Pottier and Vargas, with Mizrahi and Lamas needing a rest. Azulay and Musolino had to come in.

After taking so long to score against Leeds, we went ahead in a minute here through a Ramírez free, then Hofman headed in our second four minutes later. Our captain then went off injured, watching from the sidelines as Petrov made it 3-0 in the 15th. Coventry's pretty dismal half ended with a player sent off for a second yellow. They started the second much better, scoring in the first 90 seconds. Ettori and Petrov missed straightforward shots, and a rocket from the edge of the area whistled past Silvestri and suddenly made it 3-2. With ten minutes to go, the impossible – they headed in from a corner to make it level. Simply unbelievable – they went three goals down with 11 players, and scored three to nothing with 10. A wonderful pass from MacKenzie set Tinoco up for an equaliser, but he put it over. Just three on-target shots, ten men, and still they scored three goals in a half to make it a draw. Ridiculous. Hofman joined our injury list, out for a month with a hamstring injury.

Aros was again Player of the Month. After two draws against lowly sides, we are in danger of losing top spot.

| Pos   | Inf   | Team          |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   |       | Rushden       |       | 25    | 13    | 8     | 4     | 41    | 22    | +19   | 47    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   |       | Sunderland    |       | 25    | 13    | 6     | 6     | 32    | 18    | +14   | 45    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Chelsea       |       | 25    | 13    | 6     | 6     | 31    | 20    | +11   | 45    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Liverpool     |       | 25    | 12    | 8     | 5     | 26    | 12    | +14   | 44    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Man City      |       | 25    | 11    | 10    | 4     | 28    | 19    | +9    | 43    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Newcastle     |       | 26    | 11    | 8     | 7     | 30    | 23    | +7    | 41    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Arsenal       |       | 25    | 11    | 7     | 7     | 29    | 21    | +8    | 40    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Everton       |       | 25    | 10    | 9     | 6     | 32    | 23    | +9    | 39    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Reading       |       | 25    | 9     | 12    | 4     | 27    | 18    | +9    | 39    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | Man Utd       |       | 25    | 7     | 12    | 6     | 23    | 19    | +4    | 33    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | Middlesbrough |       | 25    | 7     | 9     | 9     | 24    | 23    | +1    | 30    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Aston Villa   |       | 25    | 7     | 9     | 9     | 18    | 22    | -4    | 30    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Cardiff       |       | 25    | 6     | 10    | 9     | 20    | 24    | -4    | 28    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Barnsley      |       | 26    | 6     | 9     | 11    | 24    | 34    | -10   | 27    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Coventry      |       | 25    | 6     | 9     | 10    | 21    | 36    | -15   | 27    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | West Brom     |       | 25    | 6     | 8     | 11    | 17    | 29    | -12   | 26    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | Birmingham    |       | 25    | 6     | 6     | 13    | 24    | 38    | -14   | 24    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th  |       | West Ham      |       | 25    | 4     | 11    | 10    | 17    | 24    | -7    | 23    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th  |       | Leeds         |       | 25    | 4     | 9     | 12    | 15    | 30    | -15   | 21    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20th  |       | MK Dons       |       | 25    | 3     | 6     | 16    | 17    | 41    | -24   | 15    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

[Donners]

February, 2031

Cardiff, Premier League, Home

Cardiff beat us 0-2 earlier in the season, one of just four losses for Rushden. Nonetheless, they are a mid-table side, and made no changes to their squad since that meeting. Aros made a welcome return, with Gonzalez replacing Hofman.

The first half was flat, and it was not until a floating free from Ramírez that we had a real chance. Mifsud headed it in for a 57th minute lead. Just as it looked like we were set for a win, Cardiff scored with a rare chance in the final ten minutes. Straight from the kick-off, we came forward. Gonzalez took the ball on the right wing and casually launched a shot from 30 yards. It went close to the keeper, but was fumbled into the goal. An instant reply, and a late penalty to Moroe made sure of it. 3-1.

Reading, Premier League, Away

Reading are title contenders after three seasons of mid-table mediocrity. However, they did not choose to press this potential success, making just one signing of any note in January – left winger Jon Arne Sausjord on a free transfer. Indeed, they probably crippled any chance of a real title challenge by selling their leading scorer, England striker Phil Brown, to Manchester United for ₤21.5M. Erdogan joined the mounting injury list during the week, but the centre of defence is one spot we can easily cover. Pottier returned, and I thankfully dropped Silvestri back to the reserves after he conceded four goals in the last two games.

Reading took a shot at Pottier in the first fifteen seconds, and Petrov put one over a minute later. Reading played extremely wide, with some sharp cross-pitch passing, and scored in the 14th. They had a player sent off a minute later, but history has shown that to actually be a negative for Rushden. Moroe sent Petrov through in the 30th with a long ball, and he was brought down as he approached the area. Another red card, and surely with a two-man advantage we could score? Musolino and Boyd were denied by the keeper, before finally a neat exchange between the strikers saw Petrov flick one into the top corner at the end of the first half. Out of nowhere, though, came a 30-yard strike from Reading which not only pushed aside thoughts of taking the three points, but meant we had to score again just to get one. Our day got worse when Musolino went off injured, and just when Petrov looked to have headed in a goal, he was ruled offside. Another unbelievable result – two more men on the pitch, and we still lost, with 17 shots to 7. That saw us drop to third on the table – the first time in 16 games we were off the top. That ended a five game unbeaten streak, and continued a run of simply ridiculous results.

Sunderland, FA Cup 5th round, Home

I was happy to play Sunderland twice in the league before January, lest the title holders spend up big in the transfer window. As it turned out, they only made a single purchase – Arsenal striker Denis Arregi, for ₤8.5M. They also sold Ghana defender Andrew Armah to Inter for ₤6.5M and Swiss left back Oliver Toppmoller to Liverpool for ₤1.5M.

Unbelievably, our opponents had a player sent off just two minutes into the game. Naturally, there was bad news for Rushden just a few minutes later. Not a goal to Sunderland, rather, an injury to Petrov. Sunderland were quite dominant, but it was substitute Mizrahi who opened the scoring, thanks to an Aros pass in the 76th. Sunderland took just two minutes to equalise, scoring from a corner and setting up a rematch in a few weeks.

Milan, Champions League 1st knockout round, leg 1, Away

Milan are unquestionably a powerhouse, topping Serie A with 41 goals for and just 15 against. They've finished in the top three of that league for the last decade. Among their stars are England striker James Wiseman, ₤37M Mexican playmaker Jose Centeno, former Rushden defender Ferreira and the entire Brazilian international back four.

Despite being outmatched in class, Rushden put up a good fight. Their keeper only managed to save an Østensen shot thanks to a deflection, while Pottier kept out a Wiseman shot and several others. Just 19 seconds into the second half, they took the lead through a long-range Wiseman strike. Another five minutes later to Argentinian Claudio Colman gave them a two-goal lead, which they retained at the final whistle. It looks like our Champions League run will end at the first major hurdle.

Liverpool, Premier League, Away

Liverpool are threatening to jump over Rushden on the table after our string of mediocre results. They beat us 0-2 early in the season. Swiss defender Oliver Toppmoller has joined them from Sunderland for ₤1.5M, while they lost Spanish midfielder Iosu Ripodas to Palermo for ₤8M. Their best player so far has been, as usual, Italian defender Denis Urso.

Mizrahi continued his impressive start to his Rushden career, scoring in the 25th. It's a shame it took so long for him to get a work permit, because I could have used him in the last few seasons. Liverpool took only five minutes to answer, scoring in the 30th through star midfielder Peter Molyneux. Scores were level at half time, and the game continued to be balanced through the second half. As we entered injury time, Liverpool came down the right, but a wayward pass from Molyneux went out. Ettori threw the ball back in, and with Ramírez and Karpov, charged forward. Ettori passed to Lamas, who played through Aros. Our unquestioned star made no mistake, scoring a late winner to put us back on top of the table.

Sunderland, FA Cup 5th round replay, Away

After a 1-1 draw against a 10-man Sunderland, our task looked even tougher away from home. There were a couple of saves at each end, but it was Aros who broke through first – 1-0 to Rushden in the 37th. From there, it was all downhill. Romanian striker Flavius Avram took only three minutes to equalise, then former Arsenal striker Denis Arregi put them ahead just before the break. Those two got another goal each early in the second half, and even when we managed to score again in the 60th, it was a Sunderland player who put it in. A third to Arregi a few minutes later, and a 2-5 embarrassment was complete.

[Donners]

March, 2031

Birmingham, Premier League, Away

Birmingham made a number of changes to their squad in an effort to dig themselves out of the middle of the table. Defenders Andreas Carlsson (₤600K to Coventry), Rens Kuipers (₤2.4M to Sampdoria) and Kim Jong-Bum (₤1.3M to Middlesbrough) and veteran winger Predrag Jovanovic (₤550K to West Ham) all left, with two Chelsea players – defender Jack Hudson (₤2.5M) and keeper Graeme Ward (₤180K), MK Dons midfielder Dean Cartwright (₤2.4M) and Sunderland's 32-year-old Croatian international defender Robert Zupanac (₤210K) all coming in. For Rushden, keeper Abdullah Al-Dossari came in after Pottier let through five in the last game. Brzeczek also finally returned from injury.

Al-Dossari's return did not start well, with the Saudi Arabian conceding a goal from a free in the 18th. Ramírez and Brzeczek were denied by the opposing keeper from frees of their own, and we went into the break behind. Al-Dossari made a good save in the 51st, only to have a striker beat him with a follow-up, then another free put us 0-3 down. Brzeczek lost the ball in the 72nd to see them score a fourth, and his late free kick was of no consolation. 1-4, and it's hard to see us taking the title with that sort of result against a mid-table side.

Milan, Champions League 1st knockout round, leg 2, Home

With that sort of form and a 0-2 deficit already in place, our Champions League run was as good as over. Ettori had three shots early, earning a corner in the 35th. Østensen's curling ball was headed by Boyd and parried to Aros, who made the aggregate 1-2. Jabbie found space in the area in the 55th. His effort was parried to Petrov, but a defender got there in time to intercept the shot. Aros had a go from a free in the final minutes, which was saved. Milan never looked like scoring, but with six saves, they kept us to a single goal and knocked us out of the Champions League.

Manchester City, Premier League, Home

City are off the pace to get the title, but should finish in the top half. They made just the one signing for the season, and that was back in August, so their side is stable. Swedish defender Mats Martinsson has been their best player, along with former Rushden centre back Dougie Noble. Al-Dossari got another chance despite his dreadful game against Birmingham.

We did not start well, losing Gonzalez to an injury in the first few minutes. Jabbie had a long shot saved by former Rushden keeper Steven Slade, but Mizrahi was there to poach a goal. He returned the favour in the 30th, setting up Jabbie for our second. Most pleasingly, Al-Dossari actually managed a few saves to ensure we led at the break. Sharp passing from Boyd and Tinoco saw Jabbie score again, and a fantastic lob from Aros set up Mizrahi's second – 4-0, and a thumping return to form.

Newcastle, Premier League, Home

Newcastle are in a similar position to City; thereabouts without being true challengers. They lost one former Rushden player, defender James Johnson for ₤16M to Valencia, and brought in another – striker Nermin Ristic for ₤7.5M from Sevilla for ₤11.75M. Danish international defender Soren Kristiansen came in from Barcelona for ₤7M to replace Johnson, while Egyptian wing back Mohammed Razek left for Porto at a cost of ₤4.7M. Newcastle have four players with double-figure goal tallies, so Ristic makes them even more threatening. There are even more Rushden influences in their side, with Segerström in defence and Per Brandal in goal. For Rushden, defender Alberto Paschetta came in for his début after excellent reserve form.

It was a former Rushden player who scored first for Newcastle, but rather than Ristic, it was defender Segerström with a long chip. Al-Dossari had kept out a few shots, and a few more had missed, so Newcastle probably deserved the lead. Still, it hurt to go behind to a player who did so well for Rushden over 141 games. Our task seemingly got harder when Jabbie went off injured, but within five minutes of coming on, Petrov intercepted a defensive pass, dodged a defender and levelled the scores. Three minutes into the second half, he burned past Segerström and put Rushden into the lead. Wild Newcastle finishing and a few more saves to Al-Dossari sealed the win.

Some bad news came at the end of the month, with both Lei Xiang and Petrov rejecting contract renewals and agreeing terms for Bosman moves. However, we still sit a point clear at the top of the table, with a game in hand and only seven left in the season. Two of those seven games are against sides in the relegation zone, and we don't play any of the four sides immediately below us. A title is within reach, but we've lost it from better positions than this. We have pretty much a full-strength squad, so there are no excuses.

| Pos   | Inf   | Team          |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   |       | Rushden       |       | 31    | 17    | 8     | 6     | 54    | 31    | +23   | 59    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   |       | Chelsea       |       | 32    | 16    | 10    | 6     | 38    | 22    | +16   | 58    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Sunderland    |       | 32    | 17    | 6     | 9     | 42    | 23    | +19   | 57    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Reading       |       | 32    | 13    | 14    | 5     | 35    | 22    | +13   | 53    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Liverpool     |       | 32    | 14    | 10    | 8     | 34    | 18    | +16   | 52    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Arsenal       |       | 31    | 14    | 9     | 8     | 37    | 24    | +13   | 51    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Man City      |       | 31    | 13    | 11    | 7     | 33    | 27    | +6    | 50    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Newcastle     |       | 31    | 13    | 8     | 10    | 37    | 28    | +9    | 47    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Everton       |       | 31    | 11    | 11    | 9     | 38    | 32    | +6    | 44    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | Man Utd       |       | 32    | 9     | 15    | 8     | 25    | 22    | +3    | 42    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | Aston Villa   |       | 31    | 10    | 10    | 11    | 25    | 26    | -1    | 40    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Cardiff       |       | 32    | 9     | 11    | 12    | 29    | 34    | -5    | 38    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Birmingham    |       | 32    | 10    | 8     | 14    | 32    | 41    | -9    | 38    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Middlesbrough |       | 31    | 9     | 10    | 12    | 30    | 34    | -4    | 37    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | West Ham      |       | 32    | 7     | 14    | 11    | 26    | 31    | -5    | 35    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | West Brom     |       | 31    | 8     | 8     | 15    | 19    | 36    | -17   | 32    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | Coventry      |       | 32    | 7     | 11    | 14    | 26    | 48    | -22   | 32    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th  |       | Barnsley      |       | 31    | 7     | 9     | 15    | 28    | 42    | -14   | 30    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th  |       | Leeds         |       | 32    | 6     | 12    | 14    | 19    | 35    | -16   | 30    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20th  |       | MK Dons       |       | 31    | 4     | 7     | 20    | 22    | 53    | -31   | 19    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

[Bob100]

Quite simply the greatest FM story i have ever read.

You getting FM 09 mate?

[Donners]

Thanks for the kind words.

As for FM09...I doubt it. I'm up to over 27 days playing time for this story. I don't really enjoy FM without writing about it, and as you can see, my stories require a massive time commitment. I'm not really willing to go through that without a lengthy break when this story is done, and nor does FM09 impress me enough to really want to go out and grab it.

April, 2031

Middlesbrough, Premier League, Home

We beat mid-table Middlesbrough 3-2 earlier in the season. They only made a minor change to their squad since then, buying Birmingham's South Korean defender Kim Jong-Bum for ₤1.3M. Irish and Scottish pair David Turner and John Sturrock give them a bit of firepower, but really they are a quite non-threatening side. This was a chance to extend our lead on the top of the table to more than a game, as we joined the rest of the sides on 32 matches played. Aros, Moroe and Ramírez were rested, and Al-Dossari, Paschetta and Mizrahi retained their spots.

Moroe took an early corner, which was wasted when Petrov handballed in the area. The keeper came out to take the kick on the edge of the area and sent it straight to Tinoco, who chipped right back over his head from 30 yards. 1-0. Lamas and Tinoco controlled the midfield, though it was Middlesbrough with the next goal, thanks to a spectacular 20-yard strike from Sturrock. We looked certain to go behind when Al-Dossari parried a shot straight to Sturrock in the 26th, but somehow he managed to dive and keep out the follow-up. Al-Dossari continued his fine game with another few saves to end the half, and Mizrahi took advantage, putting us ahead just after the break. Tinoco and Mizrahi had ten shots between them for the game as Middlesbrough fell away in the second half. 2-1 at the final whistle.

MK Dons, Premier League, Home

Dons are already doomed to go down, despite bringing in a stack of players after we beat them 2-1 in January. They sold young midfielder Dean Cartwright to Birmingham for ₤2.4M and freed up enough money to bring in the likes of former Spanish international midfielder Francisco Sanz (₤3.2M from Barcelona), Irish defender Lee Bruce (₤2.4M from Celtic) and striker Gorka Ramos (₤1.4M from Cadiz).

An incredibly quiet start saw just one shot in the first forty minutes, which Petrov missed badly. As the half looked to be drawing to a scoreless close, Gonzalez stepped up to take a free and slammed it into the top corner. Gonzalez was again involved ten minutes into the second half, passing to captain Hofman. He looked to send a pass into the area and hit it poorly – putting it well wide of Petrov, yet somehow into the goal. 2-0, and Dons gave up. Mizrahi scored easily with a late counter-attack and we cruised to a 3-0 win.

With Chelsea suffering a loss, they dropped to third place. Sunderland now sit second on the table, five points behind Rushden with four games remaining in the season.

West Brom, Premier League, Away

West Brom look set to go down despite making it through the UEFA Cup group stage, but a few wins could see them escape the relegation zone. Despite their precarious position, they made no changes to their squad in January. Instead, they are relying on striker Bernabe Carcedo, who has 17 goals (albeit just 5 in the league), and defender Brian Glover (9 Man of the Match awards).

This one began very quietly, just like the last. The only attempt from Rushden was an extremely long shot from Mizrahi which was accurate, but didn't get past the keeper. It took some really sloppy passing in the midfield and defence for West Brom to be gifted a goal late in the first half. In stark contrast, a fantastic chain of passes involving Aros, Gonzalez and several others got the ball to Mizrahi in the area, but he only managed to hit the frame. West Brom quickly counter-attacked and scored their second. To cap off a terrible day, Mizrahi decided to headbutt an opponent, and was promptly sent off. The only good news was that Sunderland drew their game and then lost in an additional mid-week one, meaning they were still four points behind and we have a game in hand.

Arsenal, Premier League, Away

Arsenal are towards the top of the table, though not really in the title race. We beat them 2-0 despite losing a player early in our November encounter, but their side has changed a lot since then. Over ₤50M in players went out the door in January, with former Rushden winger Marc Grundmann and midfielder Yury Kuleshov off to Roma for ₤15.75M and ₤10.5M respectively, England midfielder Mark Rosenior to Valencia for ₤14.75M and Spanish striker Denis Arregi to Sunderland for ₤8.75M. Despite losing quite a few midfielders, they brought in two Rushden forwards – Ollie Burton directly from us (₤12.5M) and Sergio Alarcόn from Valencia (₤12M). Saudi defender Sattam Abbas came from Man U for ₤14.75M, as did young left back Chris Ross (₤7M). Strikers Peter Carr and Vladimir Novozhilov have 40 goals between them this season, but their midfield is now an obvious weakness.

An excellent pass from Moroe found Aros well clear of defenders, but he was too far down the left, and couldn't close the angle enough to beat the keeper. Arsenal took the lead in the 11th, and only a brilliant leap from Al-Dossari kept out a second in the 29th. Gonzalez somehow threaded a pass through a cluster of defenders a few minutes later, only for Petrov to shoot straight at the keeper. A dangerous late cross from Hofman was our last real chance, and again we failed to beat Bozkurt. It's a horrible time of the year to hit a form slump, and though we may just fall over the line with three games left and a four-point lead on the table, we must get a win or two in those remaining matches.

Our task was made tougher by the news that Mizrahi, who has six goals in ten games, had received a 5-match ban for his violent conduct.

Barnsley, Premier League, Away

With the side looking demoralised, this was a dangerous game against a side low on the table. Sunderland weren't playing, so we had the chance to move seven points ahead – at least for a few days. Barnsley held us to a scoreless draw in November, and added midfielder Gary Prosser (₤4.1M from Everton) since then.

Hofman made Al-Dossari work early, giving the ball away in defence, and another intercepted pass saw Paschetta rounded far too easily, with veteran striker Konig shooting over. We lost Petrov to injury in the 18th, but it was partner Musolino with our first chance, heading in a long pass from Brzeczek and earning a corner. Konig again threatened in the 29th and though Al-Dossari kept that out, our day got much worse with Aros going off injured. If he is out for the next two games, we are in real trouble – through, admittedly, he hasn't been in great form this month. We got lucky, taking the lead through Lamas late in the half despite being outplayed. Ettori should have made it 2-0, missing a sitter after a great Brzeczek cross found him open in the area. Barnsley had a player sent off soon into the second half, which generally means they are going to score. However, it was Rushden with the next goal; Gonzalez heading in a Karpov free with half an hour to go. A brilliant strike from Lamas from long range made it a three-goal lead, and Musolino completed the rout with a fourth. Goal difference doesn't matter, with Rushden well ahead of Sunderland, but the form and confidence boost will help.

What doesn't help is the news that Aros will miss two months, and Petrov will also be out for the final two games. With Mizrahi already out, that's a fair bit of attacking power gone. A day later, Moroe was also ruled out with injury.

The late game saw Sunderland facing Middlesbrough. With the gap now seven points, and just three games left for Sunderland, a loss for them would give us the title. Middlesbrough had most of the play, and when captain Jack Oates was sent off late in the game, striker John Sturrock put Middlesbrough ahead. They held that lead, and at long last, the EPL title was Rushden's.

[Mark Heath]

congratulations on the title win! amazing persistence!

[The_shocker7]

congrats!!!

[Bob100]

Well done on the title win Donners! Rushden will build a statue of you for sure!

And fair enough about not getting FM 09, i think FM 07 is the best game anyway.

As long as you keep writing stories im not too fussed! Great story mate

[Donners]

Thank you. Persistence is the word, I think. It took me two stories and 20 seasons to do it in my first attempt at Rushden, and 24 seasons here. For what it's worth, this story is now over 340,000 words.

May, 2031

Everton, Premier League, Home

After three away games in a row, it was nice to return to Nene Park as the champions. Though Petrov, Aros and Mizrahi were out and the result was meaningless, I kept a pretty strong side in. Everton are in the middle of the table, despite losing midfielder Gary Prosser (₤4.1M to Barnsley) and Scotland defender Jack Pirie (₤8.75M to Inter).

Brzeczek missed a simple early shot, before Moroe put us ahead through a penalty. Vargas finally put some life into a boring game with a terrific 30-yard goal, though unfortunately Everton woke up. They scored with their first on-target shot in the 70th, but Jabbie sealed the win with our third late in the game.

Aston Villa, Premier League, Home

Villa have finished towards the bottom of the table. They lost veteran midfielder Eduardo Rodriguez to Tottenham for ₤4.6M, bringing in winger Thomas Sumstad (₤2.8M from Pescara).

Brzeczek went off early with yet another injury, as the first half ended without a shot. Sergey Karpov scored in what could be his last Rushden game and Aston Villa never really threatened. A simple 1-0 win to end our most successful season.

[Donners]

The season in review

Summary

| Pos   | Inf   | Team          |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   | ECC   | Rushden       |       | 38    | 22    | 8     | 8     | 67    | 36    | +31   | 74    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   | ECC   | Liverpool     |       | 38    | 17    | 12    | 9     | 48    | 25    | +23   | 63    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   | ECC   | Sunderland    |       | 38    | 18    | 8     | 12    | 45    | 31    | +14   | 62    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   | ECC   | Chelsea       |       | 38    | 17    | 11    | 10    | 45    | 35    | +10   | 62    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   | UC    | Newcastle     |       | 38    | 17    | 10    | 11    | 53    | 33    | +20   | 61    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   | UC    | Arsenal       |       | 38    | 17    | 10    | 11    | 46    | 31    | +15   | 61    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Reading       |       | 38    | 14    | 19    | 5     | 37    | 22    | +15   | 61    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   | UC    | Man City      |       | 38    | 16    | 13    | 9     | 43    | 35    | +8    | 61    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   | ITC   | Everton       |       | 38    | 15    | 13    | 10    | 46    | 37    | +9    | 58    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  | UC    | Man Utd       |       | 38    | 13    | 16    | 9     | 34    | 26    | +8    | 55    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | Birmingham    |       | 38    | 13    | 11    | 14    | 37    | 42    | -5    | 50    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Middlesbrough |       | 38    | 12    | 11    | 15    | 38    | 41    | -3    | 47    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | West Ham      |       | 38    | 10    | 15    | 13    | 35    | 39    | -4    | 45    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Cardiff       |       | 38    | 10    | 13    | 15    | 32    | 41    | -9    | 43    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Aston Villa   |       | 38    | 10    | 13    | 15    | 27    | 37    | -10   | 43    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | Coventry      |       | 38    | 9     | 13    | 16    | 31    | 54    | -23   | 40    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | Barnsley      |       | 38    | 9     | 10    | 19    | 34    | 53    | -19   | 37    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th  | R     | West Brom     |       | 38    | 9     | 10    | 19    | 22    | 42    | -20   | 37    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th  | R     | Leeds         |       | 38    | 7     | 14    | 17    | 23    | 48    | -25   | 35    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20th  | R     | MK Dons       |       | 38    | 5     | 10    | 23    | 25    | 60    | -35   | 25    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

| Pkd  | Name                | Apps  | Gls   | Ast   | MoM   | Pas   | Tck   | Drb   | Sh T  | Av Rat| 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -    | Alexis Aros         | 40 (1)| 9     | 15    | 7     | 75%   | 1.43  | 1.93  | 40%   | 7.46  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| FC   | Alessio Musolino    | 36 (2)| 13    | 8     | 2     | 74%   | 0.06  | 1.15  | 49%   | 7.03  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -    | Jeffrey Mifsud      | 35 (2)| 4     | 8     | 3     | 77%   | 2.21  | 1.37  | 53%   | 7.35  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -    | Lyubomir Petrov     | 34 (4)| 16    | 8     | 1     | 73%   | 0.15  | 1.14  | 45%   | 7.13  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S5   | Gavin Boyd          | 34    | 1     | 1     | 2     | 68%   | 4.84  | 0.39  | -     | 7.26  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S4   | Mario Ramírez       | 33 (2)| 2     | 8     | 1     | 72%   | 3.14  | 0.42  | 63%   | 7.09  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DR   | René Hofman         | 33 (1)| 2     | 6     | -     | 74%   | 3.21  | 0.66  | -     | 7.12  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -    | Anthony Ettori      | 32 (3)| 4     | 3     | 2     | 74%   | 1.73  | 2.11  | 43%   | 7.20  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DL   | Michiharu Moroe     | 31 (3)| 4     | -     | 2     | 71%   | 4.08  | 0.47  | -     | 7.12  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -    | Cédric Pottier      | 31    | -     | -     | 1     | 54%   | -     | -     | -     | 6.90  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| AMC  | Rónald Vargas       | 26 (3)| 5     | 3     | -     | 73%   | 1.50  | 2.37  | 54%   | 7.10  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| MR   | Walter González     | 22 (2)| 4     | 4     | 1     | 69%   | 1.40  | 2.51  | 66%   | 7.00  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| FC   | William Jabbie      | 21 (4)| 12    | 7     | 3     | 72%   | 0.28  | 1.84  | 56%   | 7.24  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DC   | Sergey Karpov       | 20 (1)| 2     | 2     | 8     | 62%   | 5.28  | 0.26  | 44%   | 7.38  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| ML   | Lukasz Brzeczek     | 20    | 1     | 2     | -     | 75%   | 2.68  | 1.05  | 33%   | 7.15  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -    | Martin Østensen     | 19 (2)| 3     | -     | 1     | 73%   | 2.07  | 2.72  | 55%   | 6.81  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -    | Adrián Tinoco       | 19 (1)| 4     | 2     | -     | 71%   | 1.55  | 3.04  | 42%   | 7.15  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S3   | Lei Xiang           | 16 (4)| -     | -     | -     | 66%   | 4.15  | 0.32  | -     | 7.10  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -    | Tom MacKenzie       | 14 (6)| 2     | 2     | 2     | 78%   | 2.10  | 0.83  | 30%   | 7.25  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| GK   | Abdullah Al-Dossari | 12    | -     | -     | -     | 55%   | -     | -     | -     | 7.25  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -    | Colin Erdogan       | 11 (5)| -     | 1     | -     | 63%   | 2.57  | 0.08  | -     | 6.94  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| MC   | Adi Azulay          | 11 (1)| 1     | 1     | -     | 79%   | 2.16  | 0.81  | -     | 7.08  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -    | Itay Mizrahi        | 9 (1) | 6     | 4     | 1     | 69%   | -     | 2.24  | 70%   | 7.20  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S1   | Salvador Lamas      | 8 (8) | 3     | 1     | 1     | 78%   | 1.05  | 1.14  | 35%   | 7.00  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DC   | Alberto Paschetta   | 7     | -     | -     | -     | 64%   | 3.71  | 0.29  | -     | 7.57  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -    | Michele Mariani     | 5 (5) | 2     | 2     | -     | 75%   | 2.46  | 0.33  | -     | 7.10  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -    | Fabio Sabatini      | 4 (4) | 2     | -     | -     | 68%   | 0.60  | 1.00  | -     | 6.63  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -    | Marcos Moreno       | 4 (1) | 1     | -     | -     | 82%   | -     | 1.92  | 33%   | 6.60  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -    | Davide Silvestri    | 3     | -     | -     | -     | 70%   | -     | -     | -     | 6.67  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S2   | José Antonio Oliva  | 0 (1) | -     | -     | -     | -     | -     | -     | -     | 7.00  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

Rushden, champions of England. It has a nice ring to it.

After a heartbreaking tumble down the table at the last hurdle in 27/28, it was satisfying to hang on here. Indeed, in the end, we more than just held on – we were more than three games clear at the top. Admittedly, it was not the strongest year in the EPL, considering that we came 2nd with 75 points in 27/28, but I'm not complaining.

While Aros was undoubtedly the star again, we had a balanced side. Musolino, Petrov and Jabbie shared plenty of goals, Mifsud and Ettori were particularly strong in the middle and Karpov regained his form in defence. Goalkeeping was a real issue for a while, but eventually Al-Dossari settled in and held his own.

Perhaps the most promising thing is the youth of our side. Mizrahi, who scored plenty late in the season, is 22, as is regular defender Erdogan, Musolino, Ettori, Al-Dossari and promising defender Paschetta are 23 and Boyd, Ramírez, Østensen and Vargas are 24. If we can fend off offers from other teams, we should be able to retain the core of the side and make another run next season.

The reserves were third in their league, and the Under-18s second.

Aros was named PFA Player of the Year, joining Ettori and Petrov in the Team of the Year. I was Manager of the Season. Mifsud was third as Champions League Best Player, with Mifsud, Ettori, Boyd and Aros in the Dream Team.

Around the world: major awards and results

Rushden Supporters’ Player of the Year:

Alexis Aros

World Player of the Year:

David Davidson (Chelsea)

World Footballer of the Year:

Ferreira (Porto)

England:

Winner: Rushden \o/

Relegated: West Brom, Leeds, MK Dons

Promoted: Wigan, Bolton, Leicester

Spain:

Valencia

Italy

Milan

Champions League:

Milan

UEFA Cup:

Newcastle

[Donners]

The Transfers

Players In

| Date               | Person                | From               | Fee                | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2030           | Mifsud, Jeffrey       | Napoli             | Free               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2030           | Jabbie, William       | Betis              | Free               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2030           | Remy, Salim           | Betis              | Free               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2030           | Paschetta, Alberto    | Juventus           | Free               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2030           | Vargas, Rónald        | Guingamp           | Free               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2030           | Weaver, Tony          | Barnsley           | £3M                | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2030           | Naven, Aymen          | Guingamp           | Free               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2030           | Lamas, Salvador       | Tenerife           | Free               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8.7.2030           | Musolino, Alessio     | Udinese            | £4.2M              | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9.7.2030           | Hansen, René          | Brøndby            | £600K              | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9.7.2030           | Semb, Simon           | Haugesund          | Free               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14.7.2030          | Fuchs, Jürgen         | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16.7.2030          | Al-Dossari, Abdullah  | Al-Shabab (KSA)    | £230K              | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16.7.2030          | Prohorenkovs, Rolands | Ditton D.          | Free               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19.7.2030          | Azulay, Adi           | H. Tel-Aviv        | Free               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12.8.2030          | Pottier, Cédric       | Espanyol           | Free               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16.8.2030          | Costa, Angelo         | Chelsea            | £875K              | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 25.8.2030          | Schouw, Kim           | FC København       | Free               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 28.8.2030          | Hoffmann, Florian     | Rapid Wien         | £10K               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 29.8.2030          | Nuno                  | Académica          | £90K               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 29.8.2030          | Oliva, José Antonio   | Levante            | Free               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 30.8.2030          | Moreno, Marcos        | Sevilla            | £7.5M              | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
|                    | Total                 |                    | £16.5M             | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

Players Out

| Date               | Person                 | To                 | Fee                | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20.6.2030          | Dolman, James          | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20.6.2030          | McMahon, Paul          | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20.6.2030          | Bell, Alan             | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20.6.2030          | Jabnoun, Mahmoud       | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20.6.2030          | Catchpole, Liam        | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20.6.2030          | Hill, Barry            | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2030           | Veres, Balázs          | Norwich            | £100K              | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2030           | Diomandé, Igor         | Morelia            | Free               | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2030           | Fuente, José Luis      | Modena             | Free               | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2030           | Wilson, Michael        | Deportivo          | Free               | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2030           | Gröbl, Boris           | Fiorentina         | Free               | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2030           | Dimitrov, Dimitar      | MK Dons            | Free               | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2030           | Matoso, Francisco José | Barcelona          | £15M               | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6.7.2030           | Walton, Ken            | Coventry           | £3M                | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11.7.2030          | Cantú, Jorge           | Valencia           | £5M                | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20.7.2030          | Arregi, Carlos         | Deportivo          | £3.5M              | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 21.7.2030          | Jensen, Lasse          | Bristol Rovers     | £1.5M              | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16.8.2030          | Redondo, Diego         | Man Utd            | £5.5M              | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 22.8.2030          | Nushi, Elton           | Celta              | £3.8M              | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 23.8.2030          | Romero, Juan Luis      | Deportivo          | £10M               | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6.11.2030          | Thompson, Jason        | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 27.11.2030         | Naven, Aymen           | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3.1.2031           | Steele, Harvey         | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4.1.2031           | Bresciani, Antonio     | Charlton           | £250K              | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9.1.2031           | Costa, Angelo          | Benfica            | Free               | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19.1.2031          | Burton, Ollie          | Arsenal            | £12.5M             | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
|                    | Total                  |                    | £60M               | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

Loans Out

| Date               | Person                | To                 | Fee                | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 30.6.2030          | Frandsen, Ole         | St. Mirren         | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2.7.2030           | Pedersen, Tor Magnus  | Hearts             | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 24.7.2030          | Placidi, Nicola       | Empoli             | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5.8.2030           | Flick, Christian      | Q.P.R.             | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6.8.2030           | Weaver, Tony          | Celtic             | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13.8.2030          | Zevenbergen, Jaap     | Hull               | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15.8.2030          | Gaup, Kristian        | Q.P.R.             | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16.8.2030          | Hansen, René          | Colchester         | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 22.8.2030          | Høpfner, Anders       | Crewe              | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 29.8.2030          | Remy, Salim           | Lens               | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2.9.2030           | Maisano, Craig        | Wolves             | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11.9.2030          | Garner, Craig         | Wycombe            | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2.10.2030          | Schlegel, Bruno       | Southend           | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5.12.2030          | Schouw, Kim           | Derby              | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5.1.2031           | Pedersen, Thomas      | Cesena             | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10.1.2031          | Prohorenkovs, Rolands | Nottm Forest       | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20.1.2031          | Al-Abdullah, Yaser    | Offenbach          | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 30.1.2031          | Høpfner, Anders       | Southampton        | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
|                    | Total                 |                    | £0                 | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

Youth In

| Date               | Person             | To                 | Fee                | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20.6.2030          | Heslop, Martyn     | Rushden            | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20.6.2030          | Tulloch, David     | Rushden            | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20.6.2030          | Hall, Andy         | Rushden            | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20.6.2030          | Wilson, Michael    | Rushden            | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20.6.2030          | Adam, Farid        | Rushden            | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20.6.2030          | Rivers, Ken        | Rushden            | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20.6.2030          | Hibbert, Paul      | Rushden            | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
|                    | Total              |                    | £0                 | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

A stack of players in this season, and a number of them formed a key part of our side. Of the four most expensive moves, only one of them played regularly. Costa was simply a mistake, and was quickly dumped. Moreno and Weaver will take time, with the former scoring a few goals in the reserves and the latter playing a full season with Celtic on loan. The remaining big purchase was Musolino, and along with free-transfer Jabbie, they scored plenty of goals. Another free signing, Paschetta, showed great promise when given a late chance, Al-Dossari more than paid back his ₤230K fee by being our regular keeper and Lamas and Azulay were good midfield backups. Arguably the best signing was a former Rushden player, Mifsud, who was excellent in defence and on the wing. He was exceptional in the Champions League, named the third best player of the competition. Jabbie and Mifsud were named as the league's Signings of the Season.

Plenty of players left, with a total of ₤60M coming in. Matoso didn't come close to justifying his ₤15M fee, with a poor season, ₤10M Romero was worse, Burton played just two senior games and Redondo five. I can't say I'm upset with any of those transfers out.

Remy played a full season of Ligue 1 with Lens, Pedersen got a few Serie A games at Cesena and Gaup did very well in the Championship with QPR.

Unusually, we loaned a player in, and Gonzalez was excellent as a goal-scoring option on the right wing.

[tenthreeleader]

Just a note to say what many others have said -- this is a masterwork. I started playing CM 01-02 with R&DFC and I follow them closely. You've done a brilliant job with the club and with this story. Thank you for your persistence in writing and playing. It's terrific!

[Donners]

It's responses like that which make me persist with the story.

Pre-season, 31/32

With our increased profile following the title win, a stack of bids came in for our players. Among them - ₤3.75M from Barnsley for Paschetta, ₤17.5M from Arsenal for Ettori, ₤10M from Barcelona for Hofman, ₤2.4M from Man U for Zevenbergen, ₤7M from Roma for Vargas, ₤3M from Man U for Pedersen and enquiries for Gaup, Jabbie, Mifsud and Hansen. Mariani agreed a free transfer to Salamanca, while I offloaded frustrating striker Fabio Sabatini to Rangers for ₤5M. Unfortunately, Erdogan turned down a contract offer, agreeing terms with Real Madrid.

I accepted the Ettori offer, selling him to Arsenal for ₤21.5M and a 30% sell-on clause. He wanted to talk to the club, and was upset over his current contract. That meant that, with Petrov gone, two of our three members of the Team of the Year are gone. Likewise, I sold Hofman to Barcelona for ₤16.5M, again with a sell-on clause. Salvador Lamas was sent to Atlético for ₤5M.

We were again ranked as the #2 side in Europe, behind Man U, and 25th on the rich list. ₤32M was paid out to shareholders and despite winning the title, we got a pathetic new sponsorship deal of ₤2.8M.

There were plenty of moves at the start of the window. Going out the door for free were Lei Xiang (Pumas), Michele Mariani (Salamanca), Lyubomir Petrov (Sevilla), Aitor Gutierrez (Deportivo), Erdogan (Real Madrid) and Christian Flick (Köln). With Ettori (₤21.5M to Arsenal), Hofman (₤16.5M to Barcelona) and Lamas (₤5M to Atlético), combined with the transfer of Sabatini before the window opened, we have already added ₤48M to the coffers. To add to that, a series of offers came in for young midfielder Salim Remy, and he insisted on talking to the clubs. Unfortunately, he chose a rival club, moving to Newcastle for ₤7M. We also picked up 25% of Stéphane Bourabia's ₤14.25M move from Rangers to West Ham.

Seven players came in on 1 July, with Aberdeen's Julien Marsden the most expensive at ₤1.3M. I was still left with a weakness on the right wing with Gonzalez gone, so I poached Celtic's Scott Mohan to try and fill the gap. I had arranged a ₤4.1M deal for Argentinian midfielder Hernan Alves, but he was denied a work permit, and I wasn't willing to spend that much for someone who would have to be loaned out for years. I did bring in a number of non-EU players, loaning them out to affiliate Offenbach.

I finally re-signed Karpov on reduced wages, and signed up a few younger players. Scout Wang Dali moved to Leicester and was replaced by German Martin Kaya.

As the season drew close, I realised we had major problems on the right. I signed veteran right winger Raúl Rubio and made two domestic purchases – Everton right back Brian Scott for ₤2.7M and Preston winger Nicky Gardner for ₤1.1M. The latter offer was only accepted thanks to the intervention of the Championship club's board – something I had to suffer in my early days at Rushden.

We were made 3-1 favourites to take the title, ahead of Sunderland, Chelsea, Newcastle and Liverpool.

[Donners]

SEASON OVERVIEW 31/32

The Club

Home Ground: Nene Park, Irthlingborough - capacity 35,650

Rivals: Kettering, Northampton (fierce); Peterborough, Oxford, Luton

Reputation: Continental

Estimated Value: ₤94M

Balance ₤475M

Transfer Budget: ₤298M

Media Prediction: 2nd

Board Expectation: Challenge for the Title

Fan Expectation: Win the title

Staff

Chairman: Ryan Woods

Assistant Manager: Simone Palermo

Coaches: Wayne Stephenson, Stuart Regan, Kevin Horlock, Bonaventure Traore, Mark McLaughlin, Simon Dawkins (General); Niels Timmermans (GK);

Physios: Eoin Jess, Michele Franco

Scouts: Andy McWilliam, Drew Black, Danny Russell, Martin Kaya, Esteban, Fraser Soutar

The Squad

| Pkd | Inf | Name                     | No.  | Squad Status | Cnt     | Weekly wage | Expires   | Value   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| AMC | Wnt | Alexis Aros              | 15   | Key Player   | F/T     | £60,000     | 30.6.2034 | £25M    | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S1  | Wnt | Sergey Karpov            | 5    | First Team   | F/T     | £17,000     | 30.6.2033 | £1.5M   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| GK  | Bid | Francesco Briglia        | -    | First Team   | F/T     | £24,000     | 30.6.2034 | £2.9M   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DC  | Bid | Gavin Boyd               | 2    | First Team   | F/T     | £25,000     | 30.6.2034 | £7.75M  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wnt | Adi Azulay               | 8    | First Team   | F/T     | £12,500     | 30.6.2034 | £5M     | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S5  | Inj | Ibrahim Tolba            | -    | First Team   | F/T     | £8,000      | 30.6.2034 | £4.8M   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DL  | Wnt | Jeffrey Mifsud           | 6    | Rotation     | F/T     | £14,750     | 30.6.2032 | £4.9M   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S3  | Inj | Tom MacKenzie            | 28   | Rotation     | F/T     | £17,500     | 30.6.2032 | £3.1M   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S2  | Bid | Lukasz Brzeczek          | 11   | Rotation     | F/T     | £10,250     | 30.6.2032 | £2.8M   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| FC  | Inj | William Jabbie           | 18   | Rotation     | F/T     | £18,000     | 30.6.2032 | £11.5M  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| MC  | Bid | Adrián Tinoco            | 35   | Rotation     | F/T     | £3,800      | 30.6.2033 | £4.4M   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wnt | Brian Scott              | -    | Rotation     | F/T     | £14,750     | 30.6.2034 | £2.7M   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DC  | Wnt | Michiharu Moroe          | 4    | Rotation     | F/T     | £6,000      | 30.6.2032 | £7.25M  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| FC  | Wnt | Alessio Musolino         | 14   | Rotation     | F/T     | £15,000     | 30.6.2034 | £6M     | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Inj | Davide Silvestri         | 12   | Rotation     | F/T     | £4,400      | 30.6.2032 | £2.2M   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DR  | Wnt | Mario Ramírez            | 3    | Rotation     | F/T     | £7,500      | 30.6.2033 | £4M     | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S4  | Wnt | Fabien Lesage            | -    | Rotation     | F/T     | £11,750     | 30.6.2034 | £5.25M  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| MR  | Bid | Martin Østensen          | 19   | Rotation     | F/T     | £6,000      | 30.6.2034 | £5.25M  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Inj | José Antonio Oliva       | 25   | Rotation     | F/T     | £8,000      | 30.6.2034 | £6.25M  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wp  | Shuei Uruno              | -    | Rotation     | F/T     | £4,500      | 30.6.2035 | £3.3M   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wnt | Marcos Moreno            | 17   | Rotation     | F/T     | £3,100      | 30.6.2035 | £6M     | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wnt | Cédric Pottier           | 20   | Backup       | F/T     | £12,250     | 30.6.2032 | £2.3M   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Loa | Raúl Rubio               | -    | Backup       | F/T     | £10,750     | 30.6.2033 | £700K   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wnt | Alberto Paschetta        | 30   | Backup       | F/T     | £6,500      | 30.6.2033 | £3.8M   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Bid | Julian Marsden           | -    | Backup       | F/T     | £9,000      | 30.6.2034 | £1.3M   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| ML  | Wnt | Rónald Vargas            | 23   | Backup       | F/T     | £13,000     | 30.6.2033 | £6.25M  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Inj | Kim Schouw               | -    | Backup       | F/T     | £2,800      | 30.6.2033 | £1.3M   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wp  | Abdul Rahman Al-Shemmari | -    | Backup       | F/T     | £5,250      | 30.6.2034 | £5.25M  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Bid | Anders Høpfner           | -    | Backup       | F/T     | £1,000      | 30.6.2033 | £1.9M   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wnt | Nicola Placidi           | -    | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £1,200      | 30.6.2032 | £3.5M   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Sus | Itay Mizrahi             | 32   | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £1,600      | 30.6.2034 | £6.5M   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wnt | Abdullah Al-Dossari      | 1    | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £4,800      | 30.6.2033 | £2.1M   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wnt | Thomas Pedersen          | -    | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £675        | 30.6.2033 | £2.9M   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Bid | Tor Magnus Pedersen      | -    | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £1,200      | 30.6.2035 | £2.8M   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wnt | Kristian Gaup            | -    | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £800        | 30.6.2033 | £3.1M   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wnt | Tony Weaver              | -    | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £1,400      | 30.6.2035 | £2.9M   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wnt | René Hansen              | -    | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £3,600      | 30.6.2033 | £1.4M   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wnt | Ole Frandsen             | -    | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £2,500      | 30.6.2034 | £1.7M   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wnt | Simon Semb               | 39   | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £250        | 30.6.2033 | £2.9M   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wnt | Nicky Gardner            | -    | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £2,200      | 30.6.2035 | £1.1M   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wnt | Craig Maisano            | -    | Youngster    | F/T     | £625        | 30.6.2034 | £1.8M   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wp  | Yaser Al-Abdullah        | -    | Youngster    | F/T     | £2,900      | 30.6.2034 | £3.5M   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wp  | Lebo Thwala              | -    | Youngster    | F/T     | £400        | 30.6.2032 | £3.3M   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wnt | Craig Garner             | -    | Youngster    | F/T     | £325        | -         | -       | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wnt | Jeff Smith               | -    | Youngster    | F/T     | £110        | -         | -       | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Inj | Bruno Schlegel           | -    | Youngster    | F/T     | £325        | 30.6.2032 | £1.4M   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Bid | Jaap Zevenbergen         | -    | Youngster    | F/T     | £900        | 30.6.2032 | £1.7M   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wp  | Hiroki Hunakoshi         | -    | Youngster    | F/T     | £375        | 30.6.2035 | £16K    | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wnt | Rolands Prohorenkovs     | -    | Youngster    | F/T     | £180        | 30.6.2033 | £3M     | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Yth | Danny Saunders           | -    | Youngster    | F/T     | £575        | 30.6.2032 | £1.1M   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Yth | Francisco Javier Méndez  | -    | Youngster    | Yth     | £110        | 30.6.2032 | -       | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Yth | Christian Holland        | -    | Youngster    | Yth     | £110        | 30.6.2032 | -       | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Yth | Peter Rowe               | -    | Youngster    | Yth     | £110        | 30.6.2032 | -       | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Yth | Phil Conroy              | -    | Youngster    | F/T     | £70         | 30.6.2032 | £3M     | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Inj | Mark Grieves             | -    | Youngster    | Yth     | £100        | 30.6.2032 | -       | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wnt | Nuno                     | -    | Youngster    | F/T     | £450        | 30.6.2033 | £1.1M   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Loa | Jürgen Fuchs             | -    | Youngster    | F/T     | £600        | 30.6.2034 | £700K   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wp  | Attila Pál               | -    | Youngster    | F/T     | £850        | 30.6.2034 | £3.1M   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wnt | Florian Hoffmann         | -    | Youngster    | F/T     | £325        | 30.6.2033 | £1.8M   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wp  | Søren Mandrup            | -    | Youngster    | F/T     | £1,000      | 30.6.2034 | £2.3M   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wp  | Arikan Burhan            | -    | Youngster    | F/T     | £230        | 30.6.2034 | £625K   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

Wage Budget: £2,001,358

Total Weekly Wages at 7/8/31: £372,180

Senior Players: 21

Reserve Players: 40

U-18 Players: 14

[Note that players classed as Backup, Prospect or Youngster will not be profiled (with a few exceptions), and are regarded as reserve players]

Player [Pos, Nationality, Height, Age] – Rushden Seasons, Rushden League Games, Rushden League Goals

Goalkeepers

Abdullah Al-Dossari [GK, SAU – 6 Caps, 183cm, 23] – 1, 10, 0

The last-minute signing stepped up well, holding his position as we charged to the title late in the season. He now has more support, and is playing at international level, so should continue to develop.

Francesco Briglia [GK, ITA – 2 U21 caps, 188cm, 30] – 0, 0, 0

Brought over from Palermo on a free transfer, having never found a regular spot in that side. He's a very talented keeper and comes on big wages, so I expect him to be first choice.

Cedric Pottier [GK, BEL – 1 Cap, 179cm, 34] – 1, 20, 0

The veteran did not do all that badly, keeping clean sheets in half his league games last season. He really never should have been a first choice keeper, and this season will play a role better suited to his current ability.

Espanyol Supporters' Player of the Year 24/25

Davide Silvestri [GK, ITA – 5 U21 caps, 185cm, 22] – 3, 13, 0

Does not really look good enough at this level, and will be the fourth choice keeper.

Defenders

Gavin Boyd [D/DM C, SCO – 14 Caps, 178cm, 24] – 6, 90, 3

Got the big new contract he wanted, but is now seeking a new challenge. He was again good last season, though not remarkable.

Premier League Young Player of the Month November 2027; Premier League Team of the Season 29/30; Champions League Dream Team 30/31

Lukasz Brzeczek [D LC/M L, POL – 44 Caps, 180cm, 28] – 3, 47, 1

Did play well in his 17 league games, but was once again slammed by a series of injuries – this time, hamstring, shoulder and cheekbone. Though he's a useful player, those injuries may make it hard to justify re-signing him.

Kristian Gaup [D C, NOR – 5 U21 caps, 181cm, 20] – 4, 0, 0

I said last year I expect Gaup to play in the seniors in 31/32. With Erdogan, Lei Xiang and Hofman gone, Ramírez possibly moving to right back, Moroe refusing to re-sign and Karpov nearing the end, it may well be time for Gaup to get a go. With every major club in the world seemingly after him, and three years at QPR under his belt, he should be ready.

Championship Young Player of the Month October 2029, November 2030, February 2031

Sergey Karpov [D C, RUS – 58 Caps, 189cm, 31] – 10, 236, 10

Eventually re-signed for two more seasons, and on reduced wages. He was actually fantastic last season, rating 7.53 with seven man of the match awards in 15 league games. He still has good pace, and there is no doubting his bravery and ability in the air.

Premier League Player of the Month February 2024, December 2025, December 2030; Champions Cup Dream Team 23/24; Premier Division Select 24/25, 25/26, 28/29; English Footballer of the Year third placed 2025; Supporters' Player of the Year 24/25, 28/29; Football Writers Footballer of the Year 2029; #1 most Rushden Man of the Match awards; #3 most Rushden games; =#4 best Rushden average rating

Craig Maisano [D C, AUS – 6 Caps, 188cm, 21] – 5, 6, 0

Hasn't played a senior game for a few years and was quite poor in the Championship last season. Well down the pecking order.

Jeffrey Mifsud [D/AM L, MAL – 42 Caps, 183cm, 30] – 4, 23, 2

A fantastic return after a decade away from Rushden. Mifsud played mostly at left back, but was a capable replacement on the left wing when required. He is almost 31, but I may try to extend his contract beyond this season.

Italian Serie A Defender of the Year 2029; Serie A Team of the Year 2029, 2030; Champions League Best Player third placed 30/31; Champions League Dream Team 30/31

Michiharu Moroe [D C, JPN – 18 Caps, 182cm, 27] – 7, 71, 4

Settled in as a senior regular and produced another reliable performance. He is demanding a new contract and attracting a lot of bids, which will make it difficult to hold onto him. I just hope that I can get some money for him rather than lose him for nothing.

Alberto Paschetta [D/DM C, ITA – 6 U21 caps, 180cm, 23] – 1, 7, 0

Broke into the side late in the season and looked very comfortable. He does have Serie A experience, so that shouldn't be a big surprise, but he was very impressive. With Rushden likely to feature a defensive midfielder this season, he should have a regular role.

Mario Ramírez [D RC, COL – 13 Caps, 179cm, 24] – 2, 42, 2

Has not really justified his purchase price, with pretty unremarkable performances at the back. With Hofman gone, he has a big role to play at right back if I play four defenders. However, if I only play three, he could be pushed out of the side.

Brian Scott [D RC, SCO – 6 U21 caps, 187cm, 24] – 0, 0, 0

Signed for ₤2.7M from Everton to cover the loss of Hofman – his defensive skills at least; certainly not his leadership. Scott is tall and a pure defender, with good tackling and marking skills. He's a good backup for Ramírez.

SPL Team of the Year 2029

Midfielders

Abdul Rahman Al-Shemmari [WB/AM R, ISR – 7 U21 caps, 179cm, 22] – 0, 0, 0

Signed despite not being granted a work permit, Al-Shemmari comes for free from Maccabi Tel-Aviv. He has reasonable skills and should continue to develop while on loan.

Alexis Aros [AM C, CHI – 27 Caps, 180cm, 28] – 3, 79, 28

An absolute star, named the league's player of the year for the second season in a row. He scored half as many goals as last season but had twice as many assists – an indication of our greater forward strength more than anything else, but a highlight of how adaptable he is.

UEFA Midfielder of the Year 2029, runner-up 2030; Rushden Supporters' Player of the Year 29/30, 30/31; Premier League Team of the Season 29/30, 30/31; English PFA Player of the Year 2030, 2031; Champions League Dream Team 30/31; Copa America Dream Team 2031; Premier League Player of the Month August 2030, December 2030, January 2031; =#4 most Rushden Man of the Match awards; =#4 most Rushden assists, #2 best Rushden average rating

Adi Azulay [M C, ISR – 9 Caps, 180cm, 22] – 1, 7, 0

Managed a handful of games after good reserve form. He's still young and has time to develop, though on his wages I really need some results.

Nicky Gardiner [AM R, ENG – capped at U19 level, 181cm, 18] – 0, 0, 0

Spotted by my scouts playing for England at Under 19 level, Gardiner was snapped up for ₤1.1M from Preston – the same price they paid Barnsley for him in January. He shows a bit of pace and skill already, and will be given time to develop.

League One Young Player of the Month January 2031

Fabien Lesage [AM/F C, ALG – 5 Caps, 178cm, 21] – 0, 0, 0

Not just a replacement for Lamas as backup to Aros, possibly a replacement for Aros himself a few years down the track. He has absolutely fantastic skill on the ball and is deadly with shots from close range or distance. Verona didn't give him much of a chance and he was quite bad at Sunderland on loan last season. I'm counting on him to make use of his raw talent.

Tom MacKenzie [DM, ENG – 4 U21 cap, 177cm, 28] – 2, 26, 0

Played a reasonable number of games last season, though not as many as he wanted. He has some talent – enough to be a regular member of the England squad – and could have more of a role this year in a defensive midfield position.

Julian Marsden [AM RC, IRE – 1 Cap, 181cm, 22] – 0, 0, 0

A pretty unremarkable player from Aberdeen, Marsden comes as a backup for our weak right wing. He doesn't have a great deal of talent despite his impressive list of achievements in Scotland, and probably won't get much of a go.

SFL Division One Young Player of the Month August 2029, January 2030, February 2030, April 2030; SFL Division One Young Player of the Year 2030; SFL Division One Team of the Year 29/30; SPL Young Player of the Month September 2030, November 2030, December 2030, April 2031; SPL Young Player of the Year 2031; SPL Team of the Year 30/31

Martin Østensen [AM R, NOR – 2 Caps, 184cm, 24] – 3, 31, 2

Played just 11 league games last season and was dropped to the reserves. With Ettori and Hofman gone, there is suddenly a gaping hole on the right wing, and he is the most established player in that position. He's the best of some poor options, and will need to work to keep his spot.

SPL Young Player of the Month August 2028, January 2029

Tor Magnus Pedersen [AM L, NOR – 3 U21 caps, 179cm, 22] – 4, 0 0

Has been at the club for a while now, and despite not playing a senior game, has been re-signed for four seasons. He has been pretty good on loan in the Championship and SPL and with his decent pace and great crosses, he could offer something to our seniors.

Nicola Placidi [M C, ITA – 5 U21 caps, 184cm, 24] – 5, 0, 0

Has spent five seasons on loan in the Championship and Serie B without ever making it into the senior side here. With a reasonable amount of pace and skill, he should hold his own. The question is whether a position will open up for him.

League One Young Player of the Month March 2028; Championship Young Player of the Month January 2029

Raúl Rubio [AM RC, ESP – capped at U19 level, 180cm, 31] – 0, 0 0

A veteran of La Liga and Serie A, most recently with Lazio, Rubio has never been much of a performer. He has been quite mediocre, albeit at high levels. He's here simply as a backup, who may be able to score a few goals off the bench with his good shooting skills.

Adrián Tinoco [M LC, ESP, 180cm, 24] – 5, 25, 4

Even with Matoso and Romero gone, Tinoco did not play much of a role. He missed some games through injury and did not do a lot to hold his spot when he did play. Chelsea and Man U are interested in him, and a move is not out of the question.

Ronald Vargas [AM LC, COS – 39 Caps, 173cm, 24] – 1, 20, 2

Played more games than I expected, both on the left wing and as an attacking midfielder. He scored a couple of excellent goals from long range and added plenty of spark to the midfield.

Forwards

Yaser Al-Abdullah [sT, KSA – 16 U21 caps, 177cm, 22] – 1, 0, 0

Another player without a work permit, Al-Abdullah is spending his second season at Offenbach. He's a real sharpshooter and should be useful in a few years.

William Jabbie [sT, FRA – 10 Cap, 177cm, 26] – 1, 15, 7

Looked pretty solid last season, rotating through the striking positions and scoring at a reasonable rate. He was only signed on a two-year deal, which means I may have to fork out for a wage increase to retain him.

Itay Mizrahi [sT, ISR – 4 Cap, 180cm, 23] – 3, 7, 5

Finally built up enough of a reputation to earn a work permit, and scored at a remarkable rate late in the season. He marred his arrival with a five-game ban for a headbutt, though that is hopefully an aberration.

Marcos Moreno [sT, ESP, 180cm, 18] – 1, 3, 1

Did not make an impact on the seniors and now dislikes Jabbie after a failed apprenticeship. He will be stuck in the reserves this season with plenty of scoring options around.

Alessio Musolino [sT, ITA – 2 Caps, 180cm, 23] – 2, 36, 12

Not quite as dominant as I hoped after such an impressive spell on loan a couple of years ago, though he was a regular scorer. With Petrov gone, he has the chance to step up.

Ibrahim Tolba [sT, EGY – 13 Caps, 175cm, 21] – 0, 0, 0

A new signing, who slammed in 16 goals in 22 games for Ajax in his first senior season. He is a well-rounded player who could still use some refinement. A rotational option.

Overview

This is a weaker side than last season, with two regular centre backs, our captain, main striker and a key midfielder gone. Aside from adding a first-choice keeper, I've not really managed to cover any of our weaknesses except with a few last-minute purchases which may or may not work.

The wage bill is about the same as last season, despite clearing out a number of players. With Moroe, Jabbie, Mifsud and co needing new contracts, it could soon be even higher.

We have the scoring power, but I'm not sure about the control of possession, nor of the defensive depth. Right back and the right wing are obvious concerns.

Goalkeeping: Better, with Al-Dossari finding a regular spot in a successful side, Pottier a capable backup and Briglia both very skilled and proven when given a chance.

Defence: Though Gaup may be ready to step up and Paschetta has shown signs, Moroe is unsettled and Scott is unproven.

Midfield: A lot of playmakers have gone, and Tinoco is not overly talented. Aros is the unquestioned star, but those behind him are not really good enough.

Forward: Plenty of options. If the ball gets to them, they should score regularly.

First XI

I'll stick with the same formation, though I'm really concerned about the right wing. I may be tempted to put in a defensive midfielder at some point, though we'll see how the first few games go.

GK: Francesco Briglia

RB: Marco Ramírez

LB: Jeffrey Mifsud

CB: Michiharu Moroe

CB: Gavin Boyd

RM: Martin Østensen

LM: Ronald Vargas

CM: Adrián Tinoco

AM: Alexis Aros

CF: William Jabbie

CF: Alessio Musolino

Sub: Sergey Karpov

Sub:Lukasz Brzeczek

Sub: Tom MacKenzie

Sub: Fabien Lesage

Sub: Ibrahim Tolba

Captain: Adrián Tinoco

Penalties: Alexis Aros, Michiharu Moroe, Gavin Boyd

Free Kicks: (L) Adrián Tinoco, Lukasz Brzeczek; ® Alexis Aros, William Jabbie

Corners: (L) Lukasz Brzeczek, Jeffrey Mifsud; ® Michiharu Moroe, Alexis Aros

Throw Ins: (L) Lukasz Brzeczek, Adi Azulay; ® Martin Østensen, Julian Marsden

Playmaker: Alexis Aros, Tom MacKenzie

Target Man: Alberto Paschetta, Sergey Karpov, Michiharu Moroe

[mrmurphster]

Truly spectacular...

Was meant to go to bed a couple of hours ago until I spotted this thread.

Bookmarked for future updates..

[Donners]

Hope it didn't keep you up too late! I'll try to keep the updates prety regular, but they do take a while.

September, 2031

Aston Villa, Premier League, Home

Villa have been in the bottom half for the last few seasons, and lost England Under-21 defender Steve Green to Liverpool for ₤4.6M. They did manage to steal Middlesbrough's Irish striker Danny Middleton for free and spent ₤2.4M to get veteran defenders Sebastian Chudzinski and David Dominguez. Two ex-Rushden players, keeper Anton Grigoryan and winger Tobias Bohman, were in their side.

Mifsud came close to giving Rushden an early lead, with his 4th minute free barely turned away. Lesage and Mifsud had five shots between them in the first half hour, testing Grigoryan on several occasions without breaking through. Vargas had a go shortly before half time and the shot was parried to Lesage. He was brought down before he could take the shot, and a penalty was awarded. With Aros out, Rubio stepped up and put Rushden ahead. Tobias Bohman, no stranger to Nene Park, broke down their right wing but was halted by Mifsud. He combined with Azulay to come forward, and from 25 yards, Azulay sent in a rocket to make it 2-0. Lesage capped off a dominant win with our third goal in the final minutes. They had just two shots for the game.

Shakhtar, Champions League Group E, Away

A quite easy group for Rushden, with Shakhtar, Club Brugge and Fenerbahçe our opponents at this stage. Our Ukrainian opposition here rarely make it past this stage and feature few players of note.

Mifsud, after an excellent showing in the previous game, took just 57 seconds to score thanks to a deflection and good set-up from Azulay. Ramírez had a direct free saved, then a few minutes later set up Lesage with a high ball. He scored his fifth of the season to make it 2-0. Lesage continued his brilliant start to his Rushden career with another goal ten minutes into the second half, and Spellman set up Vargas to seal it. 4-0.

Middlesbrough, Premier League, Away

Middlesbrough continue to hang on in the EPL despite several seasons of bottom-half finishes since promotion. They had a few important players leave, such as striker Danny Middleton (free to Aston Villa), ex-Rushden winger Giorgos Samaras (₤190K to Huddersfield) and defender Aaron Reid (₤8.75M to Inter). However, they only had two signings of any note, and even those were quite mediocre. Inverness winger John Sinclair cost ₤2.3M and Bolton left back Tom Lloyd came for ₤2.1M. Star striker John Sturrock has a lot of work to do to keep them up.

Vargas had a shot saved in the opening minute. Middlesbrough did show some attacking flair, with Al-Dossari having to make a couple of saves and Paschetta coming in with some last-ditch tackles. 33-year-old striker Jesper Moller rounded Karpov far too easily in the 13th, and thankfully missed. Mifsud and Lesage started to get Rushden back into the game, and Mizrahi put through his first of the season in the 31st when a Ramírez shot was parried to him. Rushden should have scored a second when a Vargas shot bounced off the woodwork to Azulay, but he somehow missed. We continued to waste chances at the game entered the final half hour. Vargas went wide for the fourth time, and substitute Musolino also missed. However, Middlesbrough had used up all their aggression in the first few minutes and did not threaten our one-goal lead.

Chelsea, Premier League, Home

Fourth last season, Chelsea remain one of the stronger sides in the league, though they've lost three of four games so far this season. As usual, there were plenty of big moves in and out. Among those departing were Uruguay defender Nicolas Rojas (₤15M to Newcastle), young right winger Carlo Riva (₤9.75M to Roma) and England striker Glen Kerr (₤26.5M to Man City). ₤60M was spent on new faces like former Rushden forward Christian Ogris (₤7.75M from Zaragoza), Argentinian defender Lucas (₤14.75M from Porto), German right back Andreas Leitl (₤6.75M from FC Bayern)Paris SG's left back Juan Carlos Quintana (₤5.75M) and Ajax's midfield pair Ronald Zwarthoed (₤6.5M) and Wang Zheng (₤17.25M). With Ogris joining Kang Chang-Keun, David Davidson, Thom Eerhart and Giorgos Siabanis, it's like a Rushden recycling centre.

Rushden twice forced saves in the opening ten minutes. First it was Mizrahi, played through by partner Lesage, then Mifsud from a free. It was third time lucky, when Lesage came down the left and found Tinoco, who scored with thanks to a deflection off Eerhart. It took a combination of former Rushden players to get Chelsea level, with star striker David Davidson scoring from Orgris' throw. As we entered first half injury time, Azulay ran down the middle and lofted in a dangerous pass. The keeper punched the ball away from Lesage, only to see Vargas blast it straight back past him to restore the lead. Marsden, Lesage and Tinoco missed shots in the second half, as Rushden had the majority of play with little result. The closest thing Chelsea came to a chance was a corner with three minutes to go. Boyd headed it clear to Mizrahi in the middle. He was dispossessed, but Vargas picked up the loose ball and smacked in a fantastic 30-yard goal. 3-1.

Fenerbahçe, Champions League Group E, Home

A Turkish opponent for our second group game, and a fairly decent one. Among their squad is a player I tried to sign but couldn't get a work permit for, midfielder Hernan Alves. They also feature quality Turkish midfielder Erdem Ferdi.

Tom MacKenzie was in for his first game of the season, and the midfielder earned a free kick just outside the area ten minutes before half time. Brzeczek stepped up and blasted it straight in. Briglia was made to work at the other end, and a one-goal lead was by no means decisive at half time. Indeed, Ferdi scored with a free of his own in the 67th, levelling the scores. We quickly came forward from the kick-off, and Tinoco earned the free wide on the left. Brzeczek again took it, floating in a pass for Musolino to score his first of the season. In the 73rd, Musolino was involved as well, exchanging passes with Brian Scott, who set up Tinoco for our third. Fenerbahçe pulled another goal back with ten minutes to go, but with Alves missing a late shot, we held on for a 3-2 win. William Jabbie returned from injury off the bench,

Cardiff, Premier League, Away

In the bottom half for the last few years, Cardiff were weakened by the loss of regular striker Alex Richardson to Sunderland for ₤15.75M. Right back Paul Bell also went to Leicester for ₤4M and veteran defender Victor Lopez to Dortmund for ₤250K. Australian striker David Smith was their biggest purchase, from Cruz Atul for ₤4.2M, and they also replaced Bell with Reading's Benjamin Munday, signed for free. For Rushden, Vargas was put out for a month with a training injury, which is a blow with Aros still out. The in-form Lesage moved to the attacking midfield spot, with Mizrahi and Musolino as the strikers.

Brzeczek caused more trouble with frees, with a Lesage header barely saved in the first minute. Cardiff had a corner in the 20th, which was sent straight to the unopposed Pedersen. Bizarrely, he decided to head it straight into the goal, putting Cardiff ahead. He tried to make amends with a run down the left, but Mizrahi's header from the cross was saved. Through Briglia had to do a bit of work, the main chances went to our players – Mizrahi, Musolino and Mifsud. They were unsuccessful, and a moment of stupidity resulted in a loss to end the month.

Lesgae was named Young Player of the Month.

[Donners]

October, 2031

Coventry, Premier League, Away

Coventry had their first year back in the EPL for decades last season, and managed to barely hang on. Now they have moved to shore up their position. They did not lose a single regular player, and added several. Their only purchase was Paraguayan midfielder Nery Denis, who cost ₤6.5M to prise from Vitesse. They brought in four teenagers to boost their youth side, and snatched forward Chris Peters from Aberdeen and defenders Adrian Brumwell and Jose Ramos from Hibs and Alicante respectively. Unfortunately, they do not look good, having conceded 14 goals and not scored any in six games.

Right back Dan Spellman was responsible for most of our attacking chances, sending several passes into the area. Tolba had one saved and missed another, and while Pedersen worked well down the left, he also failed to convert. That left us level at half time, and facing an embarrassing loss of two points against a dreadful side. Thankfully, our two best players of the first half combined for a goal five minutes into the second half. Pedersen sent in the cross, which Spellman chested down and struck in. A free from Pedersen in the 56th was equally successful, with Karpov heading in for a 2-0 victory.

Newcastle, Premier League, Away

With Aros returning on the bench and Vargas still out, it was annoying to see that Lesage was unavailable due to international duty. Marsden came in as the attacking midfielder, behind Mizrahi and Jabbie.

A shot from Jabbie in the first minute was turned away but Newcastle looked the better side after that. They hit the crossbar in the 28th and scored a minute later though Ramsay. A long shot from Brzeczek was accurate, though comfortable for the keeper, and we went in a goal down at the break. Aros came off the bench, but having been beaten repeatedly at the back, Karpov conceded a penalty in the 64th. Al-Dossari continued his from from the Community Shield with a save, and a counter-attack saw Marsden's long shot agonisingly close. Aros had the chance to be a hero, heading over with three minutes to go. Marsden had an even better chance deep in injury time, failing to beat the keeper and condemning us to another loss. We only suffered eight losses for all of last season, and have already had three.

Club Brugge, Champions League Group E, Away

The Belgians were the third opponent in our group. Their best player, Chinese striker Li Qi, was ineligible for this game, putting us in a good position to grab three points.

We looked set to score in the 27th when their keeper came far out and only parried a shot, but Lesage's effort was cleared off the line. Lesage was denied again in the 38th after great play from Spellman to set him up, and missed another opportunity on the other side of the break. Jabbie also missed the target in the 59th and as we entered injury time, a Lesage header was held. Marsden was denied in the final moments, leaving us with a scoreless draw despite domination.

Everton, Premier League, Home

Just outside European qualification last season, Everton only lost two players of any note – Irish midfielder Andy Hall (₤2M to Ipswich) and Brian Scott (₤2.7M to us). Their inclusions more than covered that, like Uruguay striker Pedro (₤5.75M from Murcia), Danish defender Patrick Hoeg (₤2.2M from Palermo) and Greek striker Efthymis Loukopoulos (₤1.2M from Sporting CP).

Alexis Aros was back in the starting XI, and when MacKenzie hit a ball forward, he was naturally the one who collected it, rounded the keeper and drilled in a 10th minute goal. Mifsud and Brzeczek had frees held by their keeper, while Everton were busy but inaccurate at the other end. Everton were reduced to ten men for a late tackle just moments into the second half. Another fantastic ball from MacKenzie sent Moreno through, though he could not finish as well as Aros. Nonetheless, we kept them on the back foot, which meant our sole goal was enough.

Birmingham, Carling Cup 3rd round, Home

An EPL opponent for our first round in the Carling Cup. They were 11th last season, and swapped players with Aberdeen – winger Jimmy Kane came in for ₤2.7M, forward John Brennan went out for ₤1.4M. Polish striker Grzegorz Wolczyk is their star, though England defender Paul Mudge is quickly overshadowing him. For Rushden, Marcos Moreno came up to the seniors after good reserve form.

Mifsud came close with an early free, but it was veteran right winger Rubio who set up our first, crossing to Moreno to head in a fifteenth minute goal. Just a few minutes later, a long free from Mifsud was headed in by fellow left-sider Pedersen. They did not threaten much in the first half, but the second was a different story. Wolczyk scored five minutes in, and a brilliant run by Marsden down the right only saw Mizrahi hit a shot to the keeper. Moreno missed a chip, and Birmingham charged straight up the other end. Boyd shoved Wolczyk, which saw them level the scores from the direct free. With seven minutes to go, Briglia at last managed to save one, keeping out Wolczyk when he broke through the defence. As usual, it was Aros who sparked up Rushden, slicing through a pass for Mizrahi, though the striker again wasted a good chance. It took Jeffrey Mifsud to put us back ahead, drilling in a free. That ended Birmingham's resistance, and saw us progress to the fourth round.

Mizrahi and Tolba were dropped to the reserves, and Musolino and Jabbie may be following if they can't find some goals.

Wigan, Premier League, Away

Wigan won the Championship last season, and find themselves back in the league they were relegated from in 24/25, 26/27 and 28/29. They let go two of their regulars from their promoted side for free, with midfielder Simon Burgess off to Cardiff and left back Casper Lambaek to Reading. They signed fifteen players for a total of ₤6.75M. Among them were canny free signings such as West Brom's Irish midfielder Sammy Threlfall, Chilean midfielder Nicolas Cortes from Lyon, Lazio defensive midfielder Guiseppe Fiorentini and teenage Ghana full back Gabriel Mensah after he was released by Arsenal. Add in one-time England midfielder Jackson Flynn (₤4.1M from Sheffield United), Welsh defender Ryan Baker (₤1.6M from Sheffield Wednesday), Celta's 35-year-old Venezuelan full back Jose Santana (₤325K) and defender Roberto Perez (₤180K) and Slovenian forward Tomislav Kutos (₤170K from Beitar Jerusalem). Quite an eclectic bunch, though they seem to be surviving so far.

Strikers Musolino and Moreno had a shot each saved in the first ten minutes. For the second game in a row, a Rubio cross did the damage, this time headed in by left winger Adrián Tinoco. Frees from Ramírez and Mifsud came close to extending the lead, then Lesage continued his astonishing scoring form with his eighth of the season. Wigan didn't have a single shot on target as we cruised to a 2-0 win.

Club Brugge, Champions League Group E, Home

After a disappointing scoreless draw away, we needed to do better at home. Jabbie had an early effort saved, while Lesage and Azulay missed. In the 28th, Marsden and Ramírez came down the right. It was the defender who sent in the cross, and just as he did against Birmingham, Marcos Moreno headed us into the lead. A kick saw Brugge reduced to ten men late in the game, and substitute Musolino scored a much-needed goal to seal it. Pedersen was the star on the left wing in the convincing win.

For the second month in a row, a Rushden player was Young Player of the Month. This time, it was Dan Spellman.

| Pos   | Inf   | Team          |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   |       | Liverpool     |       | 11    | 8     | 3     | 0     | 15    | 4     | +11   | 27    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   |       | Man City      |       | 11    | 8     | 0     | 3     | 14    | 7     | +7    | 24    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Man Utd       |       | 10    | 6     | 4     | 0     | 12    | 3     | +9    | 22    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Rushden       |       | 10    | 7     | 0     | 3     | 18    | 5     | +13   | 21    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Bolton        |       | 11    | 6     | 1     | 4     | 13    | 15    | -2    | 19    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Cardiff       |       | 11    | 5     | 3     | 3     | 8     | 6     | +2    | 18    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Newcastle     |       | 10    | 5     | 2     | 3     | 13    | 7     | +6    | 17    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Barnsley      |       | 11    | 4     | 5     | 2     | 16    | 14    | +2    | 17    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Sunderland    |       | 11    | 4     | 3     | 4     | 12    | 7     | +5    | 15    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | Arsenal       |       | 10    | 4     | 2     | 4     | 14    | 11    | +3    | 14    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | Middlesbrough |       | 11    | 3     | 4     | 4     | 10    | 11    | -1    | 13    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Leicester     |       | 10    | 4     | 1     | 5     | 8     | 11    | -3    | 13    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Birmingham    |       | 11    | 3     | 3     | 5     | 9     | 10    | -1    | 12    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Aston Villa   |       | 10    | 3     | 3     | 4     | 7     | 12    | -5    | 12    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Everton       |       | 11    | 1     | 8     | 2     | 7     | 8     | -1    | 11    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | Wigan         |       | 11    | 2     | 4     | 5     | 11    | 15    | -4    | 10    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | West Ham      |       | 11    | 2     | 4     | 5     | 6     | 11    | -5    | 10    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th  |       | Reading       |       | 11    | 2     | 3     | 6     | 7     | 13    | -6    | 9     | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th  |       | Chelsea       |       | 11    | 2     | 1     | 8     | 15    | 24    | -9    | 7     | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20th  |       | Coventry      |       | 11    | 0     | 2     | 9     | 2     | 23    | -21   | 2     | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

[Donners]

November, 2031

Manchester United, Premier League, Home

United seem to have returned to their usual spot in the top few, led by young defender Artiz Susaeta and Australian winger Andrew Kierno. William Jabbie got a rare start for Rushden, still recovering from injury.

After United's star striker Mick Oakley gave us an early scare, Rushden started to take control. Brzeczek had a free kick saved and a Jabbie effort was tipped over the bar. Jabbie continued to be involved, missing a chip in the 28th then collecting a pass from Spellman and forcing another save late in the half. At half time, it was still scoreless.

Jabbie's partner, Marcos Moreno, also had a shot saved at the start of the second half, then had a header parried in the 62nd. On that occasion, he collected the loose ball himself and finally put it in for a Rushden lead. A counter-attack in the 72nd saw Julian Marsden come down the right, and his cross to the opposite side of the area saw left winger Tor Magnus Pedersen score a second. Aros crossed to Marsden in the final minutes and though he was dispossessed, Moreno was there to mop up and score again. 3-1, and it is really promising to beat a top side with goals shared between a 22-year-old and 19-year-old.

Physio Michel Franco left for Lazio and was replaced by Brazilian Edson. After many months of negotiating, I finally re-signed Mifsud on a two-year deal with a significant wage increase. However, midfielder Tom MacKenzie announced he would leave on a Bosman.

MK Dons, Carling Cup 4th round, Home

Dons were relegated after finishing bottom of the EPL last season. While they did lose promising England Under-21 striker Nick Hogg to Rangers for ₤7M, they also spent over ₤12M on new faces in a bid to bounce straight back up. Irish international striker Shaun Priest was the highlight, coming from St Johnstone for ₤4.9M.For Rushden, defender Kristian Gaup made his long-awaited début, and Ibrahim Tolba returned after good form in the reserves.

Dons actually had the better of the chances in the first twenty minutes, with several to unremarkable striker Matthew Lloyd. Pedersen wasted a good Aros pass with a wayward header, while Moreno had two shots saved before the break. In the 61st, Pedersen sent a cross into the area. It was headed straight back to him by the defence, and he sent the ball back into the area for Raúl Rubio. The veteran midfielder turned and struck it in for the lead. The game petered out after that, with Gaup named Man of the Match for his work in defence.

Reading, Premier League, Home

After rising to 7th last season, Reading are back in the lower half of the table. They lost a couple of defenders – Benjamin Munday to Cardiff for free and Andrej Simeunovic to Man City for ₤3.5M. In return, they stole Reading left back Casper Lambaek for free and bought Rangers' defender Jamie Richards (₤4.1M) and striker Andrew Fisher (₤13.5M). Veteran Dutch midfielder Joop van der Zee was loaned in from Sevilla.

There was just one shot in the entire first half, with Fisher missing for Reading. Rushden looked a little better in the second half, with Moreno pushing through the defence to force a save in the 58th. Musolino came off the bench for the disappointing Tolba, who had again failed to take his chance. Musolino missed a header, Moreno also failed to hit the target and we were left with a scoreless draw.

Shakhtar, Champions League Group E, Home

Our fourth straight home game, and against a side we beat 4-0 away. Tolba missed a sitter after fantastic work from Azulay to create the chance, and Lesage likewise shot way over the bar. Two more Lesage misses ended the half. Karpov was finally on target after the break with a free, but it was saved. Tolba was denied, as was Mifsud with another free. It took substitute Tinoco to meet Spellman's cross with a diving header to finally put us ahead in the 81st. Shakhtar never threatened and we took a simple, if frustrating, 1-0 win.

Arsenal, Premier League, Away

Arsenal are genuine title challengers, with their sixth place last season their worst finish since 94/95. That poor result prompted significant changes, with manager Marco van Basten resigning, veteran England defender Scott Laxton released to Deportivo and former England striker Dennis Pilgrim released. Two former Rushden players were sold off, with defender Mark Nolan to Barcelona for ₤10.75M and Ashley Winn to Bolton for ₤4.2M. Defender Ivan Aleksiev left for ₤2.9M, just four games after being bought for ₤7.5M. Just four players replaced these losses. Rushden midfielder Anthony Ettori cost ₤21.5M, Inter's German international midfielder Patrick Lehmann ₤4M, Norway utility Stian Eriksen ₤4.5M and, the big one, Atlético's Spanish forward Marc Vázquez for a whopping ₤52M.

Tinoco, back in the starting side after scoring the winner in our previous game, volleyed wide in the 5th minute. Al-Dossari was kept busy by Arsenal pair Carr and Vázquez, while Lesage missed at the other end. A Karpov free nearly put us ahead, only saved by a great effort from former Rushden keeper Nuri Bozkurt. The half ended with Arsenal having an ominous number of chances. Sure enough, Vázquez put them ahead in the 57th, then scored again a few minutes later with a 30-yard free which went in off the frame. Lesage had a few opportunities, with five shots, yet none were on target. 0-2.

Barnsley, Premier League, Away

Barnsley were just one spot away from relegation last season – indeed, just a single goal of goal difference separated them from 18th placed West Brom. Despite the loss of Scottish winger Craig Henderson to Villarreal for ₤8.5M, and the sole signing of direct replacement Scott Mohan from Celtic on a free transfer, they have managed a few wins this year and are in a more comfortable position.

Barnsley's veteran striker Adolf Konig had a couple of early shots, one forcing Briglia to save. Another Barnsley foray forward in the 19th was halted by Mifsud, who combined with Musolino and Tinoco to counter-attack. A Karpov header sent Azulay through, and he found Lesage. Lesage's original shot was saved, then he followed up to score. Azulay missed a shot of his own, and Boyd had to cut out a counter-attack from Barnsley. Lesage poached a second goal in the 38th when Azulay's shot was turned away, making it 2-0 at the break. A professional foul when Marsden was through on goal reduced Barnsley to ten men and saw Boyd score our third from the spot. The game settled down after that, finishing 3-0.

West Ham, Premier League, Home

West Ham survived last season after promotion, and made great efforts to bolster their squad. They did not lose any senior players, and spent ₤9.75M on new faces. They brought in former Rushden Maciej Cieslewicz from Pescara for ₤3.7M and England defender Ross Laing for ₤5.75M from Leicester. Snapping up teenage Greek international striker Christos Karagiannidis for free was a great bargain, particularly alongside Rostock's Austrian striker Gerhard Kollmann and Partizan's Bulgarian midfielder Partizan. Three internationals aged under 23 for no money – quite a deal. With Jabbie and Musolino continuing to struggle and Tolba dropped back to the reserves, 20-year-old Portuguese striker Nuno came up for his début after scoring four goals in the previous reserves game.

A fantastic long ball from Karpov in the 20th found the speedy Nuno, who had defenders immediately converge upon him. He got the shot out, but it was weak and easily cleared. Rubio came close with a header from Spellman's 34th minute free, heading just wide. Tinoco started the second half with a terrific run down the left, dodging two opponents. Through a chain of passes across the middle, the ball reached Marsden, who crossed into the area. Rubio was in perfect position to take it and score, and while he did the former, he failed dismally at the latter. That awful miss proved costly, with the game ending scoreless.

Azulay was third as Player of the Month; Moreno was Young Player of the Month with Spellman second. Liverpool are looking like runaway leaders so far this season, though we are certainly within range. The major concern is the form of our strikers, with Musolino, Jabbie and Tolba sharing two goals between them. Without Lesage, we would have been in huge trouble. Despite Nuno making his début, I loaned him out to Watford to get some more senior experience.

| Pos   | Inf   | Team          |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   |       | Liverpool     |       | 15    | 11    | 4     | 0     | 20    | 6     | +14   | 37    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   |       | Rushden       |       | 15    | 10    | 1     | 4     | 27    | 10    | +17   | 31    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Man City      |       | 15    | 10    | 1     | 4     | 21    | 13    | +8    | 31    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Arsenal       |       | 15    | 8     | 3     | 4     | 21    | 12    | +9    | 27    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Man Utd       |       | 14    | 7     | 5     | 2     | 14    | 7     | +7    | 26    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Newcastle     |       | 14    | 7     | 3     | 4     | 20    | 11    | +9    | 24    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Middlesbrough |       | 16    | 6     | 6     | 4     | 17    | 13    | +4    | 24    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Bolton        |       | 16    | 7     | 3     | 6     | 17    | 22    | -5    | 24    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Cardiff       |       | 16    | 6     | 5     | 5     | 12    | 13    | -1    | 23    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | Barnsley      |       | 15    | 5     | 6     | 4     | 18    | 20    | -2    | 21    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | Leicester     |       | 16    | 5     | 4     | 7     | 12    | 15    | -3    | 19    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Sunderland    |       | 14    | 4     | 6     | 4     | 14    | 9     | +5    | 18    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Birmingham    |       | 15    | 4     | 5     | 6     | 12    | 12    | 0     | 17    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Everton       |       | 16    | 2     | 11    | 3     | 9     | 10    | -1    | 17    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Wigan         |       | 16    | 3     | 7     | 6     | 17    | 20    | -3    | 16    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | Reading       |       | 16    | 3     | 5     | 8     | 8     | 16    | -8    | 14    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | Aston Villa   |       | 15    | 3     | 4     | 8     | 7     | 18    | -11   | 13    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th  |       | West Ham      |       | 16    | 2     | 6     | 8     | 9     | 18    | -9    | 12    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th  |       | Coventry      |       | 15    | 2     | 3     | 10    | 7     | 25    | -18   | 9     | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20th  |       | Chelsea       |       | 14    | 2     | 2     | 10    | 21    | 33    | -12   | 8     | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

[Donners]

December, 2031

Fenerbahçe, Champions League Group E, Away

With Rushden several points clear on top of the group, this result was not particularly important. Tinoco set up Musolino for a 7th minute goal, and he scored again before half time. Fenerbahçe were not totally outplayed, hitting the woodwork on one attack. After half time, they looked even better, scoring in the 54th and then again with 20 minutes to go. Briglia made a belated save to avoid a shock loss, though a 2-2 draw was still a disappointment.

Leicester, Premier League, Away

Leicester are back from the Championship and have racked up a few wins already. They certainly came with a fair bit of money, spending over ₤25M on new faces to move up to Premiership level. The biggest was a former Rushden forward, Elvind Hoas, who cost them ₤7M to get from Bolton. Another familiar face, striker Laurent Marchal, came on a free transfer after three bad seasons at Palermo. Add in Scotland right back Paul Bell (₤4M from Cardiff), tall UAE defender Jasim Mohammed (₤4.8M from Celtic), Tottenham's Finnish defender Fredric Palm (₤3.7M) and young Lebanese midfielder Mohammad Shatila (₤3.2M from Spartak Moscow) and yet another ex-Rushden forward, Ollie Burton on loan from Arsenal, and you have a decent squad.

Moreno made a great break in the 16th, but was dispossessed as he got to the area. The ball slipped free to Lesage, who shot over the bar. Jabbie continued his drought with two shots saved in the scoreless first half. Azulay made some good runs through the defence without success and Moreno had a close-range shot tipped over. With only moments to go, Mifsud sent a fantastic long ball through the defence to Moreno. He got to the ball just before the onrushing keeper, who got a hand to the shot. That was enough to slow it down and allow defenders to cut in and boot the ball clear before it crossed the line. Leicester didn't have a single shot on target, we had seven, and yet the scores were level. Moreno was put out for a month with an injury, and Jabbie has not scored a single goal all season.

Birmingham, Premier League, Away

We faced Birmingham in the Carling Cup in October, winning 3-2. England defender Paul Mudge has been terrific so far this season, with seven Man of the Match awards.

We were quite thoroughly outplayed for much of the first half, not having a single attack in the first half hour. A two-footed tackle on Pedersen on the left wing reduced Birmingham to ten men and gave us a chance to turn things around. Instead, as so often tends to happen when one of our opponents is sent off, they were the ones to score, through Polish veteran Grzegorz Wolczyk. Admittedly, they deserved the win, but it was another disappointing effort from Rushden and took us down to third place.

Sunderland, Premier League, Home

Sunderland have tumbled right down the table after two titles and a third place finish in the last three years. They did lose right winger Israel Grisi to Real Madrid for ₤28M, but more than replaced him with our right winger Martin Østensen (₤11.5M), striker Alex Richardson (₤15.75M from Cardiff) and Venezuela midfielder Jose Ramírez (₤12M from Porto). Alexis Aros made a very welcome return from injury.

In contrast to our last few games, we managed a terrific attack out of nowhere. A long throw found Lesage in an exceptional amount of space, and he managed to chip the keeper from beyond the corner of the area and slip it into the far side of the net. A classic solo run and shot from the edge of the area saw Aros back to his best with our second goal. That certainly wasn't the end of the matter, with Østensen scoring against his old side right on half time. The second half was quiet, though Østensen had the chance to be a hero with an 80th minute shot. It missed, and we held the 2-1 lead.

Newcastle, Carling Cup quarter final, Home

Newcastle are among the title contenders, as usual. They beat us a couple of months ago with a goal to Scottish international Craig Ramsay, who has 14 for the season. Former Rushden striker Nermin Ristic is their next best with just five, so they are quite reliant on Ramsay with ₤31M international teammate Danny Bryne out of form..

There were saves at both ends in the first few minutes, with Mifsud denied and Al-Dossari having to cut out a dangerous ball. Rushden had a few more chances after that, with a Musolino shot deflected off former teammate Segerström, then Aros also forcing a save. Al-Dossari kept out Ramsay in the 31st after he got past Paschetta and Lesage missed twice as the first half ended with plenty of opportunities and no goals. Musolino had a fine chance in the 60th when he broke through, but he drove it over the bar. It only took four more minutes for that elusive goal though, with Marsden heading in a corner from Aros. Newcastle lost Byrne to injury to continue his poor season, and we progressed in the cup with a 1-0 win.

With the transfer window about to open, Manchester United made a few bids for Rushden players. Jaap Zevenbergen was the subject of a ₤4.7M bid, Paschetta ₤7.5M and Gaup a ₤6.5M offer. Unfortunately, Paschetta was interested in the move. He has been exceptional for us this season, with five Man of the Match awards. Milan and Real Madrid then came in with ₤10M offers, and again he was interested. I turned them down for the moment, but may have to accept if he becomes upset.

I did manage to sell midfielder Nicola Placidi to Ascoli for ₤2.5M, and Tom MacKenzie for ₤3.5M to Tottenham. He is a good player, but didn't like playing a backup role and would have left at the end of the season anyway. However, a big blow was when my ₤5.5M bid for hugely promising defender Csongor Kardos was accepted, but he chose Sunderland over us.

Liverpool, Premier League, Away

Liverpool are on top of the table and our biggest challenge to retaining the title. They were runners-up to us last season, and made few changes to their squad. They released former England striker Mark Brierly after over 15 years at the club and his long-time partner, former Scotland striker Jimmy Christie. Romanian Costel Vatavu came on a free transfer to help cover those losses, and they bought right back Steve Green from Aston Villa for ₤4.6M and Porto's Austrian defender Horst Siegl for ₤4.8M. They have not lost a single game so far this season.

An early shot from Vargas deep on the left was kept out, and Briglia had to make a brilliant dive at the other end in the 4th. A wonderful penetrating pass from Aros found Musolino between two defenders on the edge of the area, but he shot well wide. Liverpool hit the lead with a quick counter-attack in the 20th, and Aros' attempt to single-handedly match that only resulted in a good save. They scored again on the half-hour mark and a horrible miss from Musolino wasted a chance for a quick reply. At half time, we'd actually had six shots to their five, yet were two goals down. In the 56th, Jabbie took the ball wide on the left and passed to Vargas. He ran around in circles in the area, somehow finding space before squeezing in a shot to finally put us on the board. A few minutes later, Paschetta took a corner. He hooked it into the area, and it was met by Jabbie. The ball got past the keeper, and at long last, the French international had his first goal of the season. Better yet, we were level. Liverpool did not challenge much after that, with only one long shot which was dealt with by Briglia. In the end, we were perhaps unlucky not to win, but coming back from two goals down is not a bad effort. It's good to see Jabbie back in some form as well.

Bolton, Premier League, Away

We smashed Bolton 6-0 early in the season, but they have now settled into a mid-table spot. Rushden youth product Ashley Winn is leading their scoring, albeit with only six goals.

Despite the result of the previous game, it was Bolton with the far brighter start. Briglia had to make a save a few minutes in, and then conceded in the 11th then Paschetta was beaten for a header. Briglia made another two saves later in the half, while our only effort, from Tinoco, was easily dealt with. Winn hit the post for Bolton with a header and missed another shot in the 68th. Meanwhile, Rushden were finally having a few shots, with little result – Musolino and Aros both missed. Bolton sealed it with a free kick late in the game, ending our year with a loss.

Paschetta was runner-up as Player of the Month. He has been one of our best players so far, ably supported by veteran Sergey Karpov. The midfield has been fantastic, led as always by Aros. The concern is the strikers. Jabbie has one goal from twelve games, Musolino five from twenty. Tolba and Mizrahi are the reserves having failed to impress in the seniors. Lesage is the only shining light, with ten goals in twenty games, but even then most of those game early in the season.

Though we are not far from the top of the table, we already have six losses – just two less than the last two seasons, and more than when we were runner-up in 27/28. Liverpool still haven't lost a game, and could be impossible to overtake even if we have a good second half of the season.

| Pos   | Inf   | Team          |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   |       | Liverpool     |       | 20    | 14    | 6     | 0     | 30    | 10    | +20   | 48    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   |       | Man City      |       | 20    | 13    | 1     | 6     | 25    | 15    | +10   | 40    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Arsenal       |       | 20    | 12    | 3     | 5     | 30    | 15    | +15   | 39    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Rushden       |       | 20    | 11    | 3     | 6     | 31    | 16    | +15   | 36    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Newcastle     |       | 20    | 10    | 6     | 4     | 26    | 13    | +13   | 36    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Man Utd       |       | 20    | 10    | 6     | 4     | 20    | 12    | +8    | 36    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Cardiff       |       | 20    | 9     | 6     | 5     | 16    | 13    | +3    | 33    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Sunderland    |       | 20    | 7     | 8     | 5     | 21    | 14    | +7    | 29    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Barnsley      |       | 20    | 7     | 7     | 6     | 24    | 26    | -2    | 28    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | Bolton        |       | 20    | 8     | 3     | 9     | 20    | 29    | -9    | 27    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | Middlesbrough |       | 20    | 6     | 8     | 6     | 18    | 16    | +2    | 26    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Birmingham    |       | 20    | 6     | 6     | 8     | 17    | 15    | +2    | 24    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Leicester     |       | 20    | 6     | 5     | 9     | 15    | 19    | -4    | 23    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Everton       |       | 20    | 3     | 13    | 4     | 11    | 13    | -2    | 22    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Wigan         |       | 20    | 4     | 9     | 7     | 19    | 22    | -3    | 21    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | Aston Villa   |       | 19    | 5     | 6     | 8     | 12    | 20    | -8    | 21    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | Reading       |       | 20    | 4     | 5     | 11    | 10    | 22    | -12   | 17    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th  |       | Chelsea       |       | 19    | 3     | 4     | 12    | 27    | 39    | -12   | 13    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th  |       | West Ham      |       | 20    | 2     | 6     | 12    | 10    | 26    | -16   | 12    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20th  |       | Coventry      |       | 20    | 2     | 3     | 15    | 8     | 35    | -27   | 9     | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

[Donners]

January, 2032

As the transfer window opened, I brought in a couple of young Norwegians as prospects, while we lost midfielders Tom MacKenzie (Tottenham; ₤3.5M) and Nicola Placidi (₤2.5M to Ascoli).

Liverpool, FA Cup 3rd round, Away

The undefeated Liverpool were not the side I wanted to face so early in the Cup. Briglia had to make a few saves in the first half, and was let off the hook with some wild finishing from Liverpool. The normally reliable Aros and Lesage missed rare chances for Rushden and only a series of terrific saves from Briglia kept us in the game. He made six saves in total – double our total number of shots – and we barely scraped away with a draw to earn a home rematch. Paschetta continued his excellent season with another Man of the Match award.

Leicester snatched goalkeeping coach Nils Timmermans from us. He was replaced by former Torquay keeper Greg Paterson.

Aston Villa, Carling Cup semi final first leg, Away

We defeated Villa 3-0 way back in September, and they are barely avoiding the relegation zone at the moment. As one of the lowest-scoring sides in the league, they shouldn't be a major threat to us.

An unmarked striker at a free kick let Villa take the lead after less than ninety seconds. Musolino should have equalised in the 16th, played through by Aros, but he shot way over the bar. Lesage twice forced saves from Grigoryan and Boyd skimmed the bar with a header as Rushden dominated the game. We finished the first half behind, with Grigoryan looking unbeatable. Lesage didn't help the cause with a miss from inside the area in the 70th and he couldn't beat the keeper four minutes later. Boyd conceded a penalty on a rare Villa attack, giving them a two-goal lead. We couldn't even get a valuable away goal in the final moments - Pedersen hit the post. We looked the better side, yet go into the second leg in big trouble, with a 0-2 loss.

Manchester City, Premier League, Home

City are among the top few sides, though a few points behind leaders Liverpool. They beat us 0-2 early in the season, and with the dangerous England international striking pair of Danny Livermore and Glen Kerr, they are a tough challenge. Ibrahim Tolba came up to the seniors after good reserve form, joining fellow youngster Marcos Moreno.

Tolba had an early impact, forcing a desperate save from former Rushden keeper Steven Slade with a sharp 16th minute header. Both Rushden strikers missed shots in the 21st and Aros and Tolba were equally unsuccessful later in the half. When Aros and Moreno failed to score, then Kerr put through City's very first chance, I was even more angry than during the previous match. Surely we wouldn't dominate again and yet lose? Thankfully, Pedersen crossed to Tolba, who headed in a 74th minute goal. Still, that only levelled the scores, and we deserved more. Mifsud missed a free kick, then with six minutes to go, Aros broke forward. He took the shot, which Slade parried. Moreno got there first, and he gave us the lead. We continued to control the game from there, and walked away with three points.

Liverpool, FA Cup 3rd round replay, Home

After the 0-0 draw in our first game, we moved to Nene Park for the rematch. The first half was pretty quiet, with only a couple of saves from Briglia. We went through a long chain of passes in the 56th, going through Pedersen, Aros, Musolino, Pedersen, Brzeczek and back to Aros, who threaded through a pass for Musolino. Unfortunately, it was all for nothing, with the striker missing. They took the lead shortly after, through star midfielder Peter Molyneux. We had a fine chance with three minutes to go. Brzeczek took a shot from the edge of the area, which was parried down to Lesage. He tried to follow up, but the tight volley was wide. That was the end, and we were knocked out.

Middlesbrough, Premier League, Home

We defeated the mid-table Middlesbrough early in the season. So far this month, they have sold off veteran defender Janis Vucans to Preston for ₤425K, bringing in Belgian centre back Anthony Girard from Udinese for ₤1.2M and Celtic left winger Paul Barker for ₤4.2M.

Moreno had an early shot saved, then was brought down in the area. Boyd took the 20th minute penalty, making no mistake. Rushden had all the chances, with more shots to Moreno and partner Lesage. Pedersen and Azulay were also denied before a fine pass from Vargas saw Lesage make it 2-0. A comfortable win, though it could have been more.

Aston Villa, Carling Cup semi final first leg, Home

Though we had most of the play and chances in the first leg, they take in a 0-2 lead. Though conceding an away goal will make it almost possible to make it to the final, I had no choice but to go with an attacking mentality. Since our last encounter, they have added Albanian left winger Ylli Dragusha for ₤800K from Benfica.

Mizrahi was denied twice in the opening minutes, and again in the 27th. Six minutes later, Aros collected a long ball from Spellman. He carried it forward with his usual poise, and found Mifsud on the left. His fantastic long pass sent Musolino through, and the out-of-form striker scored a rare and important goal. He had a chance to single-handedly equalise a few minutes later, grazing the bar. On either side of the break there were several misses, with Pedersen, Mizrahi and Musolino all unsuccessful. In the 59th, Azulay collected a poor clearance. He broke into the area, fired at the top corner...and was denied by former Rushden keeper Anton Grigoryan. In total, we had sixteen shots, but seven saves to Grigoryan kept us from levelling the aggregate. No final for us.

The interest in impressive young defender Alberto Paschetta continued. With six Man of the Match awards already this season, I really wanted to keep him, but he was attracted by the offers from big clubs. Eventually, I agreed a ₤15M deal with Milan – not bad for a player I signed for free a season and a half ago.

Chelsea, Premier League, Away

We beat Chelsea 3-1 early in the season, with two goals to Vargas and one to Tinoco. They are, amazingly, in the relegation zone despite scoring more goals than even the mid-table sides – mostly through two-time World Footballer and Player of the Year David Davidson. Their defence is the worst in the league, with Rushden legend Kang Chang-Keun sadly nearing the end of his career. This month, they have sold mediocre Canadian midfielder Alex Smith for a very generous ₤23M from Milan, and also offloaded former England midfielder Danny Bagnall to MK Dons for ₤1.3M. To try and solve their defensive issues, they bought Belgian Brice Oliver from Udinese for ₤3.7M, and also spent ₤30M on Lazio's Australian striker Chris Josifovski as a partner for Davidson.

Sharp passing saw Chelsea take the lead past the out-of-position Briglia in the 20th. Moreno was dispossessed as he entered the area four minutes later, with the ball spilling to Azulay. He tried to shoot, but the keeper had already come out for Moreno, and was able to block it. We replicated Chelsea's successful more from earlier in the game, only for Moreno to hit the post. A former Rushden player did much better, with Giorgos Siabanis putting them two goals up in the 33rd. An Aros corner gave Azulay the chance to bring us back in the game four minutes later, with the midfielder scoring with a diving header. Just before half time, a counter-attack saw us outnumber the defenders. Though Aros played Mizrahi through, the striker missed.

The only good news in the second half was that Davidson had a goal disallowed. Nonetheless, they scored again a few minutes later, and the 3-1 result from earlier in the season was reversed.

Cardiff, Premier League, Home

Cardiff are in position for a European spot, and defeated us 0-1 in our last encounter. This month, they sold backup keeper Paul Spencer to Tottenham for ₤2.8M with two cheap signings – young striker Jesus Preciado from Real Madrid for ₤625K and veteran South African defender Andile Barnard for ₤275K from Porto. Defender Adrian Moore has been their only stand-out player, with their side the lowest scorer in the top half.

Cardiff were reduced to ten men only a few minutes in when Mizrahi was elbowed. Both Azulay and Mizrahi missed shots in the following minutes, while Aros was denied by the keeper. Mizrahi was certainly looking dangerous as the half closed, with three shots in the final five minutes. Two were saved, one went wide and the half ended scoreless. Another save was made from a Mizrahi shot in the 52nd, but his partner Marcos Moreno got there to finally put us on the board. The strikers had fourteen shots between them, and Aros added another six, with half of them saved by 36-year-old Scotsman Colin Brown. Moreno scored a belated sealer to complete a Man of the Match performance, though our total dominance should have resulted in a much bigger score.

Pedersen was third as Player of the Month, with Moreno runner-up as Young Player of the Month.

[Donners]

February, 2032

Aston Villa, Premier League, Home

Villa knocked us out of the Carling Cup just a few weeks ago, so this was a chance to get some revenge. Instead, they caused us plenty of trouble. Briglia fumbled one save just five minutes in, and managed to parry into the path of a striker in the 11th, allowing Villa to take the lead. Former Rushden keeper Anton Grigoryan was made to work after that, with shots from Moreno, Mizrahi and Karpov all on target. At half time, they hadn't had a chance since their two at the start of the game, while we'd had six and were still a goal down.

With 20 minutes to go, Aros took a throw-in from Brian Scott, out-paced former teammate Tobias Bohman and lobbed into the area. Mizrahi was pushed over as he went for the header, and a penalty was awarded. Aros put it through, levelling the scores. Mizrahi forced a save a minute later, and from the corner, Vargas took the ball but was dispossessed. A defender made a risky pass across the area which Vargas intercepted, and he was promptly tripped. Two penalties in two minutes, and Aros again made no mistake. A long goal kick from Briglia in the 82nd sent Marsden forward. With support from Aros and Scott, they made it to the area, and Marsden received the ball back and crossed in. A defender got there first, and headed it straight into his own net. 3-1. Tinoco completed a terrific 20-minute burst, scoring our fourth in the final moments.

Coventry, Premier League, Away

We defeated Coventry 2-0 back in October 2031. They are rock bottom on the table and made no transfers of significance over January, evidently having given up already. That made it all the more embarrassing when they took the lead with a header in just seven minutes. We had a mere two shots for the half – Mizrahi was denied and Marsden missed. A blast at half time worked wonders – just a minute in, Mizrahi headed in a free kick from Brzeczek. That ended a 15-hour goal drought for the striker. A two-footed tackle on Vargas reduced Coventry to ten men and another header – this time Moreno from a Scott cross – made it 2-1. Fine work from Aros and Mifsud saw the latter score our third, and yet another penalty – this one because Musolino was tripped – let Aros make it 4-1. Again we came back from an early deficit to record a big win.

Deportivo, Champions League 1st knockout round leg 1, Away

Our Spanish opponents are currently second in their league, having finished third last season. They made the quarter final of this competition back in 29/30 and got here through a group which included Paris-SG and Milan. Among their star internationals are Italian keeper Mario Fiori, former Rushden pair Kim Holmen and Juan Luis Romero, former Arsenal utility Scott Laxton and Colombian striker Antonio Maestre.

Deportivo certainly looked the stronger side. Briglia had to make a number of saves, and our only chances came from free kicks which Fiori handled. Vargas did have a couple of shots late in the half, and again we were unable to break through the quality keeper. Lesage had the first opportunity of the second half, skimming the bar after Vargas' good pass. Deportivo brought on Ecuador striker Pablo Sanchez, and through Briglia kept him out once, he scored in the 78th. We did not manage to score an away goal, putting us at a significant disadvantage for the second leg.

Newcastle, Premier League, Home

We knocked 6th placed Newcastle out of the Carling Cup, though they beat us in the league earlier in the season. They dumped veteran Israeli winger Fahad Al-Mutraf for ₤450K to Liverpool, signing Austrian defender Stefan Lackner from Napoli for ₤15.75M.He joins former Rushden defender Nicklas Segerström, Argentinian forward Marcos Ramírez and Scottish striking team Craig Ramsay and Danny Byrne as the stars in this powerful side.

Though Briglia had a couple of saves to make, it was Rushden with the first half lead. It took a fine pass from Aros to sent Musolino through for a rare goal. Newcastle had their own moment of skill to set up their equaliser, with Danny Byrne blasting in a goal past Briglia from 30 yards. Mizrahi and Aros failed to restore the lead, and the game finished 1-1.

Everton, Premier League, Away

Everton are pretty comfortable in the middle of the table, though that is slightly down on their results from the last few years. They lost no players over January and signed former Italian international defender Leonardo Florio (₤2M from Deportivo) and young midfielder Sergio Guierrez (₤550K from Valladolid). They have a mediocre squad with no stand-out players.

Aros and Musolino each earned corners in the first ten minutes of the game. A counter-attack from Everton featured some sharp passing, which was enough to carve through our defence and give them a 19th minute goal. After several high-scoring games early in the month, I would have thought we could at least create some chances against such an average side. Instead, the closest we came was an Aros free which, though accurate, was easily saved. A bad loss.

Wigan, Premier League, Home

Wigan are surviving in the league so far, though they are only a few positions away from being sent straight back to the Championship. They made no signings over January, and continue to rely heavily on on-loan pair Lewis Moore and Antonio for their goals. William Jabbie made his return to the senior side after over a month in the reserves.

Kristian Gaup, getting more of a run with Paschetta gone, forced an early corner with a header which had to be tipped away. Aros curled the ball in, and this time Marsden was able to head us into the lead. Six minutes later, Marcos Moreno doubled the lead. The only challenge to Briglia in the half was an audacious bicycle kick which he managed to hold. Jabbie had several shots without success as we cruised to a 2-0 win.

It was a clean sweep of the February awards for Rushden. Gaup was named Young Player of the Month, with Aros Player of the Month, and I was Manager of the Month. Ironically, Danny Byrne's goal for Newcastle against us was Goal of the Month.

[Donners]

March, 2032

Deportivo, Champions League 1st knockout round leg 2, Home

We went into this already a goal down and facing a tough task against a quality side. Jabbie had a shot on goal in the 22nd which was turned away. Mifsud sent in the corner, and the French striker rose up to head in a vital goal – only to have it ruled out, with the referee claiming he committed a foul in the contest. Briglia kept us in the game with a couple of fine saves, and when Marsden sliced through a fine pass, Jabbie hit the back of the net again – and this time it stood. He just barely missed in the 37th, which proved costly when they scored through Colombian Maestre three minutes later. That made it 1-2 on aggregate, and since it was an away goal, we now needed two more.

Jabbie continued his exciting game in the second half, having one shot saved, then ramming another into the post in the 52nd. Exciting, but ineffective. Maestre had another go in the 53rd, which was parried straight to former Arsenal star Scott Laxton, who scored. That seemed to end it for Rushden, particularly when their keeper Fiori cleared another attack in the 60th. However, Vargas picked up the loose ball, dodged a defender and found Moreno with the pass. He scored, and it was 2-3 on aggregate. Again, though, we needed two more goals. In the 68th, Gaup cleared down the left. Mifsud carried the ball down the flank to Jabbie, who shot from 25 yards...and scored! 3-3 on aggregate, and we were down on away goals only. Deportivo had two wild shots which never troubled Briglia, but wasted more time. We were still level with two minutes to go when Brzeczek had a throw-in deep in our half. He found Aros who went with a curling long range shot...which was held by Fiori. No more chances for Rushden, and our Champions League run was over.

We were struck with a series of injuries during the week between matches. Tinoco and Scott were both put out for several weeks, and worse yet was a twisted ankle for Aros – meaning one to two months on the sidelines. With eight goals and ten assists in 26 games, Aros is crucial to our attack, and losing him is a major blow. Though first spot is probably unreachable, even though Rushden are fourth, we need to keep winning to get a good European spot. Actually, first may not be that far off. Liverpool lost two league games in February, ending an unbeaten streak which had lasted right up until that month.

Manchester United, Premier League, Away

United are second on the table, a fair way behind Liverpool though three points ahead of us. They sold off Australian winger Andrew Kierno to Roma for ₤23.5M and more than spent that on new faces. They were Sunderland defender Mark Jukes (₤8.5M), Betis' Danish international defender Mathias Hammer (₤10.75M), Rangers' England international midfielder Jason Day (₤7M) and Reading's top class Norwegian striker Bjorn Gunnar Eriksen (₤14M). They have three players with double-figure goal tallies so far, including England pair Mick Oakley and Phil Brown. Former England striker Jon McCoy is playing almost exclusively off the bench.

Lesage, replacing Aros in the middle, took the ball from the kick-off and started a chain of passes leading from Jabbie to Azulay and Marsden. Marsden took a long shot from the edge of the area which was parried straight to the on-rushing Jabbie, who struck in a goal just 45 seconds from the beginning of the game. A loose pass across the area almost gave us a second, with Marsden's attempt to poach kept out by the keeper. Jabbie had another chance in the 8th thanks to a long Azulay pass, only denied by the keeper diving at his feet. Al-Dossari, in his first game for a few months, kept out Brown in the 20th and he had to work hard to keep out a long shot two minutes later. Moreno twice blasted over for Rushden and an injury time shot from Jabbie was parried. A fairly even half, but we had the lead. Boyd was having a brilliant game at the back, and Al-Dossari continued to keep out anything that got past the defenders. A second yellow saw United down to ten men in the 70th and though they managed to hit the back of the net a few minutes later, offside had already been called. In the final moments, Rubio sent a long ball to the edge of the area. Azulay tapped the ball on for Lesage, who sealed a fine win – 2-0. That shot us straight up to second spot.

Coach Mark McLaughlin joined Clyde as an assistant manager, and was replaced by Russian Vasily Makarov. Al-Dossari and Marsden joined our already lengthy injury list.

Birmingham, Premier League, Home

Birmingham are in the upper half of the table, though heavily dependant on striker Grzegorz Wolczyk and defender Paul Mudge. The latter, a 22-year-old England international, is actually their second-highest scorer thanks to his skill with headers. They made no significant transfers in January. Moreno was still suffering the effects of a knock in the last game, and Al-Dossari, Marsden, Tinoco and Aros were all out injured for Rushden.

Aside from a free from Jabbie which was held, there were no chances in the first half. The second half was even worse – there wasn't even that. A scoreless draw. Without Aros, we really lack a lot of attacking flair.

Reading, Premier League, Away

After a surprisingly successful 30/31, Reading are back to their more usual position towards the bottom of the table. The loss of striker Phil Brown to Man U last season is undoubtedly a major reason for that. Nonetheless, they showed they have learned little, selling another top striker – Norwegian Bjorn Gunnar Eriksen – to them for ₤14M in January. Winger Shane Cook also went off to Watford for ₤1.6M. They brought in an international team-mate of Eriksen's to replace him, with Bordeaux's Trond Ringstad coming for ₤9.25M, and they also loaned in two players from Villarreal – striker Ruud Artz and midfielder Fernando Gonzalez.

Jabbie twice managed to put shots from inside the box into the keeper's hands, and Tolba put another shot over. Again, it was a tedious game with few opportunities at either end, and ended scoreless.

We really wasted the chance to push for the top, with two flat draws. Gaup was Young Player of the Month for the second time in a row – the fifth Rushden winner this season.

| Pos   | Inf   | Team          |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   |       | Liverpool     |       | 32    | 20    | 10    | 2     | 48    | 19    | +29   | 70    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   |       | Man City      |       | 32    | 19    | 4     | 9     | 39    | 24    | +15   | 61    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Rushden       |       | 32    | 18    | 6     | 8     | 51    | 24    | +27   | 60    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Newcastle     |       | 32    | 17    | 9     | 6     | 45    | 19    | +26   | 60    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Man Utd       |       | 32    | 17    | 8     | 7     | 33    | 20    | +13   | 59    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Arsenal       |       | 32    | 17    | 7     | 8     | 44    | 26    | +18   | 58    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Cardiff       |       | 32    | 12    | 10    | 10    | 27    | 30    | -3    | 46    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Birmingham    |       | 32    | 11    | 10    | 11    | 27    | 22    | +5    | 43    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Sunderland    |       | 31    | 10    | 12    | 9     | 31    | 31    | 0     | 42    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | Barnsley      |       | 32    | 11    | 8     | 13    | 37    | 40    | -3    | 41    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | Bolton        |       | 32    | 11    | 7     | 14    | 37    | 46    | -9    | 40    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Leicester     |       | 32    | 11    | 6     | 15    | 33    | 34    | -1    | 39    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Wigan         |       | 32    | 9     | 12    | 11    | 31    | 33    | -2    | 39    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Everton       |       | 31    | 7     | 17    | 7     | 18    | 20    | -2    | 38    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Middlesbrough |       | 32    | 9     | 11    | 12    | 26    | 31    | -5    | 38    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | Reading       |       | 32    | 7     | 10    | 15    | 20    | 34    | -14   | 31    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | Chelsea       |       | 31    | 8     | 6     | 17    | 48    | 59    | -11   | 30    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th  |       | Aston Villa   |       | 31    | 6     | 12    | 13    | 20    | 34    | -14   | 30    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th  |       | West Ham      |       | 32    | 4     | 10    | 18    | 15    | 40    | -25   | 22    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20th  |       | Coventry      |       | 32    | 3     | 7     | 22    | 14    | 58    | -44   | 16    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

[Donners]

April, 2032

Arsenal, Premier League, Home

Arsenal are pushing for a European spot. They cleared out two former internationals, England defender David McHale to Sunderland for ₤300K and Chilean midfielder Daniel Rubio to Bolton for ₤725K. Scotland defender Richard Murray was bought for ₤9M from Bolton. ₤52M striker Mark Vasquez has 18 goals so far this season, England's Warren Walton has 15 and Jamaican Peter Carr has 10.

We lost Vargas to an early injury, with Pedersen taking over on the left wing. Spellman sent in a few dangerous passes. Mizrahi missed one header, and a Lesage shot was saved. Pedersen gave us a perfect chance to take the lead in the 26th, passing across the area for Jabbie, but he ignored the half-open goal and shot straight at former Rushden keeper Nuri Bozkurt. There was another Pedersen set-up for another Jabbie miss later in the half, and Mifsud curled a free into the keeper's hands. Vasquez had Arsenal's first chance, which Briglia saved. Mizrahi, Jabbie and Karpov all failed to beat Bozkurt and despite eight shots on target, we recorded our third straight scoreless draw. Vargas was put out for two months with an ankle injury.

Barnsley, Premier League, Home

Barnsley are in a comfortable mid-table position, having barely avoided relegation last season. They made just their second signing of the season in January, buying Man City's left back Tom Jennings for ₤3.2M as a direct replacement for Paul Donachie, who was sold to Tottenham for ₤2.6M. They also loaned in Roma's Swedish international right winger Fredrik Berggren. Veteran striker Adolf Konig has 17 goals so far this season.

Azulay was a fairly potent attacking force in the first ten minutes, setting up Moreno (who missed) and having a shot of his own (which was cleared off the line). It was third time lucky in the 22nd minute, with a sharp pass sending Jabbie through for the opening goal. A number of Rushden shots were saved, and just on half time Barnsley had a player sent off, cementing our dominance.

West Ham, Premier League, Away

The Hammers are set to go back down the the Championship, having won just five games for the season. The addition of Liverpool's veteran left winger Oliver Toppmoller for ₤375K and the loan of Betis' former Argentinian international striker Leandro Peralta was a last-ditch attempt to improve their squad, which was just too little and too late. Aside from striker Craig Marshall, who has six goals, no other player in their squad has more than one. We lost Briglia to a season-ending injury at training, so Abdullah Al-Dossari will be the keeper for our final four games.

Despite a couple of early shots to Jabbie, West Ham looked on top in the first half hour. Al-Dossari made a save in the 17th but a long range strike from teenage Greek international Christos Karagiannidis blazed past him in the 22nd. Karagiannidis had two more shots in the next ten minutes, which thankfully caused Al-Dossari little trouble. Jabbie did have a couple of shots on either side of the break, missing both. The second was a particularly bad miss after Moreno played him through. He made amends in the 57th, when Mifsud and Tinoco took the ball down the left, and he was able to volley in the cross. Al-Dossari kept out a free from Marshall, and Mifsud and Jabbie were enough of a threat at the other end to keep them on the back foot. We did not manage to score though, and 1-1 against the 19th placed side is very disappointing. It also cost us Tor Magnus Pedersen for the final games with a slight knee injury.

Leicester, Premier League, Home

Our injury list grew with Jabbie suffering a neck injury at training. Itay Mizrahi came in to partner Moreno.

We received an advantage after just two minutes, when an elbow on Mizrahi reduced Leicester to ten men. A similar incident only resulted in a yellow card in the 20th, but two minutes later, Boyd was kicked. Twenty-two minutes in, and Leicester had just nine men. In the 31st, a long goal kick from Al-Dossari found Moreno, who went left to Tinoco. His long ball went over a defender and to the running Rubio, who got around a defender and scored from a tight angle. We just cruised after that, with Moreno having the luxury of missing several shots as the undermanned Leicester failed to challenge. 1-0.

Karpov and Rubio went out injured after that game, meaning we are now missing those two plus Briglia, Karpov, Jabbie, Vargas, Scott and Pedersen from our first team squad, with Aros and Marsden not back to full training.

First place looks out of reach, with Liverpool five points clear after 36 games. However, the result of the next game could make for a thrilling end to the season, as we actually play Liverpool at home in the final game. If we defeat Sunderland and they lose to Reading, our title chances will be entirely in our hands. It is unlikely though – we are away to 10th placed Sunderland and missing a lot of players, while they host 17th placed Reading. Then again, they just suffered their third loss of the season, 1-3 to Birmingham, so anything is possible.

Still, we could fall as low as sixth if results go against us, with Newcastle the biggest danger. They play Chelsea and Cardiff in their last two games.

| Pos   | Inf   | Team          |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   |       | Liverpool     |       | 36    | 20    | 13    | 3     | 50    | 23    | +27   | 73    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   |       | Rushden       |       | 36    | 20    | 8     | 8     | 54    | 25    | +29   | 68    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Newcastle     |       | 36    | 19    | 9     | 8     | 49    | 21    | +28   | 66    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Arsenal       |       | 36    | 19    | 9     | 8     | 51    | 27    | +24   | 66    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Man Utd       |       | 36    | 18    | 11    | 7     | 37    | 22    | +15   | 65    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Man City      |       | 36    | 20    | 5     | 11    | 43    | 29    | +14   | 65    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Everton       |       | 36    | 11    | 18    | 7     | 27    | 21    | +6    | 51    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Birmingham    |       | 36    | 13    | 11    | 12    | 32    | 25    | +7    | 50    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Cardiff       |       | 36    | 13    | 11    | 12    | 28    | 37    | -9    | 50    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | Sunderland    |       | 36    | 11    | 14    | 11    | 35    | 37    | -2    | 47    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | Bolton        |       | 36    | 13    | 8     | 15    | 41    | 48    | -7    | 47    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Barnsley      |       | 36    | 12    | 10    | 14    | 40    | 43    | -3    | 46    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Leicester     |       | 36    | 12    | 7     | 17    | 36    | 37    | -1    | 43    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Wigan         |       | 36    | 9     | 14    | 13    | 32    | 38    | -6    | 41    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Middlesbrough |       | 36    | 9     | 12    | 15    | 28    | 36    | -8    | 39    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | Chelsea       |       | 35    | 10    | 6     | 19    | 55    | 65    | -10   | 36    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | Reading       |       | 36    | 7     | 13    | 16    | 22    | 38    | -16   | 34    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th  |       | Aston Villa   |       | 35    | 7     | 13    | 15    | 21    | 39    | -18   | 34    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th  | R     | West Ham      |       | 36    | 5     | 12    | 19    | 17    | 42    | -25   | 27    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20th  | R     | Coventry      |       | 36    | 5     | 8     | 23    | 17    | 62    | -45   | 23    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

[Donners]

May, 2032

Sunderland, Premier League, Away

Sunderland have suffered a big slide, sitting in the middle of the table after two titles and a third place in the last three seasons. They beat us to Romanian defender Csongor Kardos in a ₤5.5M deal in January, selling Mark Jukes to Man U for ₤8.5M to make room for him. They also took Arsenal's former England international defender David McHale for ₤375K. Liverpool don't play until the following day, so our fate won't be determined until the following game.

It took desperate efforts from Gaup and Al-Dossari to keep Sunderland from scoring in the 10th. Brzeczek did send in one terrific pass in the 38th which sent Moreno through, but not only was he offside, he couldn't beat the keeper anyway. He did much better in the 41st, sent on a run when Mizrahi split two defenders with a pass. Moreno ran onto the ball and chipped the keeper perfectly to give us a lead at half time. Brilliant long-range shots from Brzeczek and Moreno kept the pressure on Sunderland, and even Dan Spellman forced a save. Recovering pair Alexis Aros and Julian Marsden came off the bench for a run to get them ready for the final game, and a wonderful long pass from Marsden in the 81st was flicked on by Azulay for Moreno to score goal number two. A simple win, but we don't know how significant it is yet.

The next day's results could not have gone any better for us. Not only did third placed Newcastle lose 1-0 to Chelsea, meaning we cannot sink lower than second, Liverpool were shockingly thumped 3-0 by Reading to ensure they survived and Aston Villa went down. That was just Liverpool's fourth loss of the season, and leaves them a mere two points clear of us before our encounter at Nene Park. Better yet, it harms their morale – while we're coming off two wins and a nine-game unbeaten streak, they have just suffered two big losses. Our chances of back-to-back titles, which seemed impossible for most of the season, are now entirely in our hands.

Liverpool, Premier League, Home

This was it, the final game of the season where only a win would do. Liverpool have been the dominant side, not losing a single league game for the first half of the season. However, coming off a 1-3 loss to Birmingham, and a 0-3 home loss against Reading, they are on the slide. They are also missing key Scottish midfielder Peter Molyneux through suspension. He scored in both our 2-2 league draw and our 0-1 FA Cup encounter, so it's good to see the back of him. Of the other scorers in that game, Vargas was out injured for Rushden, while Jabbie and Richard Scott lined up for their respective sides. This was the Rushden team for our last game of 31/31:

GK: Abdullah Al-Dossari

RB: Marco Ramírez

LB: Lukasz Brzeczek

CB: Kristian Gaup

CB: Gavin Boyd

RM: Dan Spellman

LM: Jeffrey Mifsud

CM: Adrián Tinoco

AM: Alexis Aros

CF: William Jabbie

CF: Fabien Lesage

Sub: Julian Marsden

Sub: Marcos Moreno

Sub: Adi Azulay

Sub: Itay Mizrahi

Sub: Brian Scott

Twice we had shots from free kicks within the first twenty minutes. In the 11th, Jabbie's effort was held German keeper Gunter Heinze. Ramírez, who is upset at not getting a new contract, had a go from 25 yards in the 19th. He curled it to the near post and somehow squeezed it past the keeper and into the goal. 1-0, and a fantastic start for Rushden with the defender's first goal of the season. That didn't necessarily count for much against the league's highest-scoring side. England midfielder Mark Breckin was particularly prolific, with Brzeczek and Boyd forced to work hard to cut out their forward thrusts. In the 38th, Ramírez took the ball down the right and found Spellman. He crossed into the area for Tinoco, who fired over the bar. In the 43rd, Brzeczek had a shot from the left corner of the area which curled in at the near post and was held by Heinze.

Right at the start of the second half, Aros, Jabbie and Lesage came forward. As the defenders converged on them, there was a jumble of players, passes and tackles through which Rushden somehow kept moving toward the goal. Eventually, Jabbie was able to find a bit of space and sent Aros through. The Chilean put on a burst of pace, broke past a defender and scored our second – just sixteen seconds from the kick-off. Boyd again had to work hard to clear an attack in the 50th, but he got the ball only as far as Breckin in the midfield. His sharp pass found Gaup out of position. Richard Scott charged forward, only to be met by the on-rushing Al-Dossari who blocked the shot. Jabbie could have sealed it in the 65th when Aros played him through, but his shot grazed the outside of the post. A repeat of the move eight minutes later saw the ball turned away, and the corner cleared. We were still 2-0 up with twenty minutes to go though Liverpool were still coming forward often. Jabbie missed an opportunistic shot in the 72nd and with ten minutes to go, I took him off for defender Brian Scott to try and hold the lead. Lone striker Lesage actually had a close-range shot in the 88th which was parried, and we entered the three minutes of injury time still holding a two-goal lead. The ball stayed in Rushden's half for most of that time, and with Gaup Man of the Match, we snatched the Premier League title for a second straight season.

[Donners]

The season in review

Summary

| Pkd | Name                | Apps    | Gls   | Ast   | MoM   | Pas   | Tck   | Drb   | Sh T  | Av Rat| 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Francesco Briglia   | 38      | -     | -     | 1     | 51%   | 0.03  | -     | -     | 6.89  | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| ML  | Jeffrey Mifsud      | 36 (3)  | 3     | 4     | 1     | 74%   | 2.39  | 0.93  | 38%   | 7.23  | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| S3  | Adi Azulay          | 36 (1)  | 2     | 5     | -     | 78%   | 2.10  | 1.15  | 42%   | 7.16  | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| FC  | Fabien Lesage       | 34 (1)  | 12    | 5     | 1     | 75%   | 0.27  | 1.18  | 54%   | 7.14  | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| MR  | Dan Spellman        | 32 (2)  | 1     | 3     | 1     | 71%   | 2.34  | 1.30  | -     | 7.00  | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| DC  | Gavin Boyd          | 32      | 2     | 1     | 2     | 63%   | 3.05  | 0.45  | -     | 7.22  | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| -   | Sergey Karpov       | 32      | 1     | 2     | 3     | 64%   | 4.74  | 0.19  | 38%   | 7.38  | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| S1  | Julian Marsden      | 30 (5)  | 3     | 6     | 1     | 71%   | 1.32  | 1.29  | 38%   | 7.03  | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| -   | Tor Magnus Pedersen | 27 (3)  | 3     | 5     | 3     | 75%   | 0.82  | 2.19  | 55%   | 7.33  | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| AMC | Alexis Aros         | 26 (2)  | 9     | 10    | 4     | 74%   | 1.13  | 1.73  | 54%   | 7.64  | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| MC  | Adrián Tinoco       | 25 (3)  | 5     | 3     | 4     | 73%   | 1.90  | 2.14  | 30%   | 7.32  | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| S2  | Marcos Moreno       | 23 (1)  | 12    | 2     | 3     | 77%   | 0.14  | 2.01  | 51%   | 7.04  | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| DL  | Lukasz Brzeczek     | 21 (6)  | 1     | 2     | 1     | 75%   | 2.36  | 0.57  | 55%   | 7.04  | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| DR  | Mario Ramírez       | 21 (1)  | 1     | 4     | -     | 74%   | 2.82  | 0.38  | 42%   | 7.00  | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| -   | Alessio Musolino    | 20 (12) | 7     | 2     | -     | 72%   | 0.09  | 0.94  | 50%   | 6.69  | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| FC  | William Jabbie      | 20 (2)  | 6     | 5     | 1     | 69%   | 0.05  | 1.28  | 56%   | 6.82  | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| -   | Rónald Vargas       | 20 (1)  | 4     | 4     | 1     | 70%   | 1.13  | 2.21  | 55%   | 7.14  | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| -   | Raúl Rubio          | 17 (3)  | 3     | 3     | -     | 71%   | 1.49  | 1.07  | -     | 6.80  | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| S4  | Itay Mizrahi        | 17      | 2     | 4     | -     | 70%   | 0.06  | 1.57  | 62%   | 6.76  | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| DC  | Kristian Gaup       | 16 (5)  | -     | -     | 3     | 67%   | 4.33  | 0.06  | -     | 7.33  | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| GK  | Abdullah Al-Dossari | 16      | -     | -     | 2     | 46%   | -     | -     | -     | 7.06  | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| S5  | Brian Scott         | 15 (2)  | -     | 2     | -     | 66%   | 2.75  | 0.46  | -     | 6.94  | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| -   | Ibrahim Tolba       | 7 (5)   | 1     | -     | -     | 68%   | 0.14  | 1.85  | 28%   | 6.67  | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| Pos   | Inf | Team          | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   | ECC | Rushden       | 38    | 22    | 8     | 8     | 58    | 25    | +33   | 74    | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2nd   | ECC | Liverpool     | 38    | 20    | 13    | 5     | 50    | 28    | +22   | 73    | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 3rd   | ECC | Newcastle     | 38    | 20    | 9     | 9     | 53    | 23    | +30   | 69    | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 4th   | ECC | Man Utd       | 38    | 19    | 12    | 7     | 40    | 22    | +18   | 69    | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 5th   | UC  | Arsenal       | 38    | 19    | 9     | 10    | 51    | 30    | +21   | 66    | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 6th   |     | Man City      | 38    | 20    | 6     | 12    | 43    | 31    | +12   | 66    | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 7th   | ITC | Birmingham    | 38    | 14    | 12    | 12    | 34    | 25    | +9    | 54    | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 8th   |     | Everton       | 38    | 11    | 20    | 7     | 29    | 23    | +6    | 53    | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 9th   |     | Cardiff       | 38    | 14    | 11    | 13    | 31    | 42    | -11   | 53    | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 10th  |     | Barnsley      | 38    | 12    | 12    | 14    | 42    | 45    | -3    | 48    | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 11th  |     | Sunderland    | 38    | 11    | 15    | 12    | 36    | 40    | -4    | 48    | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 12th  |     | Bolton        | 38    | 13    | 9     | 16    | 41    | 50    | -9    | 48    | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 13th  | UC  | Leicester     | 38    | 13    | 8     | 17    | 39    | 39    | 0     | 47    | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 14th  |     | Wigan         | 38    | 11    | 14    | 13    | 34    | 38    | -4    | 47    | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 15th  |     | Chelsea       | 38    | 11    | 8     | 19    | 58    | 67    | -9    | 41    | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 16th  |     | Middlesbrough | 38    | 9     | 13    | 16    | 28    | 37    | -9    | 40    | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 17th  |     | Reading       | 38    | 9     | 13    | 16    | 27    | 38    | -11   | 40    | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 18th  | R   | Aston Villa   | 38    | 7     | 14    | 17    | 21    | 43    | -22   | 35    | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 19th  | R   | West Ham      | 38    | 6     | 12    | 20    | 20    | 44    | -24   | 30    | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 20th  | R   | Coventry      | 38    | 6     | 8     | 24    | 19    | 64    | -45   | 26    | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Rushden, back-to-back winners of the Premier League. We did not do well in Europe or the cups, but the domestic success was a great achievement.

Azulay was third as English PFA Player of the Year (ironically, former Rushden players David Davidson and Ollie Burton took the senior and youth awards), while Mifsud and Azulay made the Team of the Year. I was named Manager of the Year.

There were worrying signs early in the season, where we seemed unable to score and could only watch Liverpool build a huge lead at the top. Somehow, it all came together for Rushden. Once again, Aros was the star, scoring nine goals himself and setting up ten others. That was hugely important, with Jabbie, Tolba, Mizrahi and Musolino not providing much of a threat. Moreno and Lesage were our other dangerous forwards.

The midfield was strong, highlighted obviously by Aros. Pedersen, Marsden, Tinoco, Vargas and Azulay all played a useful role.

The defence was strong. Paschetta was brilliant early, and when he left, Gaup stepped up. Veteran Karpov was still good enough to be named Fans' Player of the Year, while Boyd was terrific.

With an average age of just 24, this is an impressive squad. Both the reserves and Under-18s won their leagues, despite many players being out on loan. There's a lot of promise there, though whether we can hold onto them all – and get work permits for those requiring them – is another matter.

Around the world: major awards and results

Rushden Supporters’ Player of the Year:

Sergey Karpov

World Player of the Year:

David Davidson (Chelsea)

World Footballer of the Year:

David Davidson (Chelsea)

England:

Winner: Rushden \o/

Relegated: Aston Villa, West Ham, Coventry

Promoted: MK Dons, Norwich, Sheff Utd

Spain:

Valencia

Italy

Roma

Champions League:

Atlético

UEFA Cup:

Newcastle

[mrmurphster]

Nice one lad.

What odds on 3 in a row

Any chance of a screenshot of your manager overview.

I'd be interested to see just how many players bought and sold plus the fees in and out.

[MeLikeFM]

does anyone know if there is a word file of this

[Donners]

It's in Word - well, actually OpenOffice, but can be converted to Word - and it's so big it's actually split over two documents. It has no tables and a lot of formatting tags, so it's pretty ugly.

As for the screenshot of the manager overview, I'm happy to send it, but I'm a few years ahead of what I've posted, so it's up to you whether that's a problem. For the same reason, I can't really comment as to the chances of three in a row.

The Transfers

Players In

| Date               | Person                    | From               | Fee                | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2031           | Briglia, Francesco        | Palermo            | Free               | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2031           | Al-Shemmari, Abdul Rahman | M. Tel-Aviv        | Free               | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2031           | Marsden, Julian           | Aberdeen           | £1.3M              | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2031           | Lesage, Fabien            | Verona             | Free               | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2031           | Tolba, Ibrahim            | Ajax               | Free               | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2031           | Hunakoshi, Hiroki         | Gamba              | £16K               | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2031           | Uruno, Shuei              | S-Pulse            | Free               | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9.7.2031           | Mandrup, Søren            | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10.7.2031          | Pál, Attila               | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12.7.2031          | Rubio, Raúl               | Lazio              | Free               | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 21.7.2031          | Scott, Brian              | Everton            | £2.7M              | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 21.7.2031          | Burhan, Arikan            | K. Erciyesspor     | Free               | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.8.2031           | Gardner, Nicky            | Preston            | £1.1M              | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 28.8.2031          | Spellman, Dan             | Bolton             | £5.25M             | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 31.8.2031          | Romanov, Nikolay          | Kairat             | £70K               | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.1.2032           | Nilsen, Richard           | Lillestrøm         | £80K               | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.1.2032           | Berg, Erik                | West Ham           | £55K               | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11.3.2032          | Huisman, Marcel           | Heracles           | Free               | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3.6.2032           | Khoza, Doctor             | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
|                    | Total                     |                    | £10.5M             | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Players Out

| Date               | Person             | To                 | Fee                | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 22.5.2031          | Little, Mark       | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 22.5.2031          | Millar, Lawrie     | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 22.5.2031          | Koivisto, Mikko    | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3.6.2031           | Sabatini, Fabio    | Rangers            | £5M                | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10.6.2031          | Piper, John        | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10.6.2031          | Förster, Achim     | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10.6.2031          | Hamilton, Darren   | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 21.6.2031          | Holt, Ken          | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2031           | Lei Xiang          | Pumas              | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2031           | Mariani, Michele   | Salamanca          | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2031           | Ettori, Anthony    | Arsenal            | £21.5M             | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2031           | Petrov, Lyubomir   | Sevilla            | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2031           | Gutiérrez, Aitor   | Deportivo          | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2031           | Hofman, René       | Barcelona          | £16.5M             | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2031           | Erdogan, Colin     | Real Madrid        | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2031           | Flick, Christian   | Köln               | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2031           | Lamas, Salvador    | Atlético           | £5M                | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8.7.2031           | Remy, Salim        | Newcastle          | £7M                | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14.8.2031          | Moroe, Michiharu   | Roma               | £15.25M            | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 26.8.2031          | Østensen, Martin   | Sunderland         | £11.5M             | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 31.8.2031          | Schlegel, Bruno    | Celtic             | £2.4M              | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.1.2032           | MacKenzie, Tom     | Tottenham          | £3.5M              | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2.1.2032           | Placidi, Nicola    | Ascoli             | £2.5M              | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 24.1.2032          | Paschetta, Alberto | Milan              | £15M               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
|                    | Total              |                    | £105M              | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

Loans Out

| Date               | Person                    | To                 | Fee                | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2.7.2031           | Hunakoshi, Hiroki         | Offenbach          | Loan               | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3.7.2031           | Uruno, Shuei              | Offenbach          | Loan               | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3.7.2031           | Weaver, Tony              | Celtic             | Loan               | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4.7.2031           | Al-Abdullah, Yaser        | Offenbach          | Loan               | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4.7.2031           | Al-Shemmari, Abdul Rahman | Zaglebie           | Loan               | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5.7.2031           | Frandsen, Ole             | FC København       | Loan               | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8.7.2031           | Thwala, Lebo              | Messina            | Loan               | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14.7.2031          | Oliva, José Antonio       | Leganés            | Loan               | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 22.7.2031          | Burhan, Arikan            | Offenbach          | Loan               | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5.8.2031           | Hansen, René              | Fulham             | Loan               | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8.8.2031           | Schlegel, Bruno           | Doncaster          | Loan               | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13.8.2031          | Prohorenkovs, Rolands     | Wycombe            | Loan               | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15.8.2031          | Semb, Simon               | Leyton Orient      | Loan               | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 29.8.2031          | Høpfner, Anders           | Blackburn          | Loan               | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2.9.2031           | Gardner, Nicky            | Bristol Rovers     | Loan               | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2.12.2031          | Nuno                      | Watford            | Loan               | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17.1.2032          | Hoffmann, Florian         | Luton              | Loan               | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10.2.2032          | Wilson, Michael           | Crewe              | Loan               | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15.2.2032          | Nilsen, Richard           | Port Vale          | Loan               | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 25.3.2032          | Saunders, Danny           | Stockport          | Loan               | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
|                    | Total                     |                    | £0                 | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

Youth In

| Date               | Person             | To                 | Fee                | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20.6.2031          | Ruano, Óliver      | Rushden            | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20.6.2031          | Baxter, Jamie      | Rushden            | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20.6.2031          | Dogan, Martin      | Rushden            | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20.6.2031          | Pedersen, Jan      | Rushden            | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20.6.2031          | Barbaro, Michael   | Rushden            | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20.6.2031          | Riley, Steve       | Rushden            | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20.6.2031          | Casey, Sacha       | Rushden            | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
|                    | Total              |                    | £0                 | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

We had quite a bit of success with signings this season, with several new faces playing a prominent part in our title win. Briglia was our top keeper for most of the season, and though Al-Dossari did outshine him late, Briglia is still adapting to England and should improve. Lesage was our only regular scorer early in the season and was vital to keeping us in the title chase. The third free transfer signing for the senior team, Rubio, played a role when the other right wing options were injured.

Marsden did well for a ₤1.3M signing, playing most of the season and being involved in a few goals. The more expensive Brian Scott was pretty flat at right back and only played seventeen games for the season, while the most expensive signing, Dan Spellman, played 34 games despite still being a teenager.

We made a massive ₤105M from sales. Ettori was the biggest, playing a full season at Arsenal after his ₤21.5M move. Hofman, Moroe, Paschetta (who just made his Italian début) and Østensen were also solid after going for eight-figure sums. None went on to be real stars though, which is a relief with former Rushden players everywhere in the annual awards.

Hopfner, Semb and Hansen played regularly in the Championship on loan, and we had several stars at Offenbach as we try and get work permits for some of our young players. Indeed, the two signings of the season for the league were Abdul Al-Shemmari and Shuei Uruno – players we sent out on loan all season. The most impressive, however, was Oliva, who was one of the best players in La Liga at the age of 20.

[MeLikeFM]

cool:cool:

if you post the two files

i love donners stories!!!!!!!!!

[Donners]

Can't see an e-mail address in your profile, so you'll need to PM me or something. If you want the story offline, wouldn't it be easier just to save the HTML pages?

Pre-season, 32/33

Like last season, a stack of bids came in for our players. Gaup was a popular target, though since the bids were low (around ₤6.75M) and he wasn't interested, I was able to deflect the likes of Real Madrid and Man U. Boyd was interested when Valencia made a bid, but they weren't willing to meet my counter-offer of over ₤10M.

There were a few deals that got done, though. Tor Magnus Pedersen agreed terms with Valencia in a ₤10M move, while I refused to meet Jabbie's demands for a massive pay increase, and he signed with Pescara. We also lost defender Lebo Thwala to Lyon, which is really annoying given we spent three years trying to get him a work permit.

₤45M was paid out to shareholders, following a season profit of over ₤95M. Despite our title win, we dropped to seventh in the European club rankings, with Newcastle, Man U and Arsenal moving ahead of us. We also fell to 27th on the rich list.

1 July saw the departures of backup keeper Cedric Pottier (free to Bordeaux) , Tor Magnus Pedersen (₤10M to Valencia), William Jabbie (free to Pescara) and Lebo Thwala (free to Lyon). However, the bids kept coming, and with players demanding the ability to have talks with the bidding clubs, two more deals were made. Defender Gavin Boyd went to Real Madrid for ₤13.25M – with 45% of that going to former club Hearts. Midfielder Adrian Tinoco followed fellow left winger Pedersen to Valencia for ₤13.5M.

We also had a ₤13M deal for Ronald Vargas to go to Valencia, but that fell through since they had already signed their one non-EU player for the season. With his contract expiring at the end of the season and demands of a huge wage increase, we may lose him for nothing.

Plenty of players came in on pre-arranged transfers, mostly strikers with a few midfielders. The only one to cost any money was right winger Colin Holmes, for ₤1.2M from St Mirren. None of the moves interested the fans.

Late in the pre-season, Roma made a bid for striker Marcos Moreno. I was not thrilled about this, considering I paid a record ₤7.5M for him, but he was interested in talking to them and we have a lot of strikers at the club already. He quickly agreed terms, and left for just ₤8.75M – though that will almost certainly rise to over ₤12M.

We were made 5-2 favourites to take the title for a third straight season, with Newcastle, Liverpool and Man U the major threats.

[EvilDave]

I'm sure you don't need me to tell you this, but this story is nothing short of inspirational. I've recently read the HoF effort with Rushden and this is surely heading the same way. I know you're ahead, but my fingers are crossed for another EPL title for Rushden and who knows, more European glory?

[MeLikeFM]

what html pages

[Donners]

Go to File, click Save As and select HTML only.

And EvilDave, I do appreciate any positive comments. This is a very time-consuming and often tedious task, and I wouldn't be doing it if people weren't reading it.

SEASON OVERVIEW 32/33

The Club

Home Ground: Nene Park, Irthlingborough - capacity 38,950

Rivals: Kettering, Northampton (fierce); Peterborough, Oxford, Luton

Reputation: Continental

Estimated Value: ₤73M

Balance ₤568M

Transfer Budget: ₤324M

Media Prediction: 1st

Board Expectation: Win the title

Fan Expectation: Win the title

Staff

Chairman: Ryan Woods

Assistant Manager: Simone Palermo

Coaches: Wayne Stephenson, Stuart Regan, Kevin Horlock, Bonaventure Traore, Greg Paterson, Morten Nielsen, Vasily Makarov, Simon Dawkins (General);

Physios: Eoin Jess, Edson

Scouts: Andy McWilliam, Drew Black, Danny Russell, Martin Kaya, Esteban, Fraser Soutar

The Squad

| Pkd | Inf | Name                     | No. | Squad Status | Cnt     | Weekly wage | Expires   | Value   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| AMC | PR  | Alexis Aros              | 15  | Key Player   | F/T     | £60,000     | 30.6.2034 | £19.25M | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DC  | Inj | Sergey Karpov            | 5   | First Team   | F/T     | £17,000     | 30.6.2033 | £3.4M   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| GK  |     | Francesco Briglia        | 21  | First Team   | F/T     | £24,000     | 30.6.2034 | £3.1M   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DL  |     | Jeffrey Mifsud           | 6   | First Team   | F/T     | £26,500     | 30.6.2033 | £4.2M   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| MC  | Wnt | Adi Azulay               | 8   | First Team   | F/T     | £12,500     | 30.6.2034 | £9M     | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S1  | Ctr | Lukasz Brzeczek          | 11  | Rotation     | F/T     | £10,250     | -         | -       | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   |     | Brian Scott              | 13  | Rotation     | F/T     | £14,750     | 30.6.2034 | £2.7M   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S4  |     | Alessio Musolino         | 14  | Rotation     | F/T     | £15,000     | 30.6.2034 | £5.5M   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S2  | Wnt | Mario Ramírez            | 3   | Rotation     | F/T     | £7,500      | 30.6.2033 | £4.1M   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| MR  | Inj | Julian Marsden           | 16  | Rotation     | F/T     | £9,000      | 30.6.2034 | £3.5M   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| ML  | Wnt | Rónald Vargas            | 23  | Rotation     | F/T     | £13,000     | 30.6.2033 | £6.75M  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| FC  | PR  | Fabien Lesage            | 10  | Rotation     | F/T     | £11,750     | 30.6.2034 | £12.25M | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DC  | Wnt | Kristian Gaup            | 19  | Rotation     | F/T     | £1,300      | 30.6.2036 | £2.7M   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Inj | Erik Berg                | -   | Rotation     | F/T     | £2,100      | 30.6.2035 | £875K   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   |     | Salvatore Chiappara      | -   | Rotation     | F/T     | £7,750      | 30.6.2035 | £5M     | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   |     | José Antonio Oliva       | 18  | Rotation     | F/T     | £8,000      | 30.6.2034 | £7M     | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Inj | Shuei Uruno              | -   | Rotation     | F/T     | £4,500      | 30.6.2035 | £3.5M   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   |     | Béla Szili               | -   | Rotation     | F/T     | £5,500      | 30.6.2034 | £4.9M   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DR  |     | Dan Spellman             | 4   | Rotation     | F/T     | £6,500      | 30.6.2033 | £5.25M  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wnt | Raúl Rubio               | 22  | Backup       | F/T     | £10,750     | 30.6.2033 | £300K   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S3  |     | Christian Koller         | 7   | Backup       | F/T     | £18,500     | 30.6.2033 | £3.9M   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Inj | Antonio Domínguez        | -   | Backup       | F/T     | £8,500      | 30.6.2033 | £1.2M   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S5  |     | Ivano Mugnai             | -   | Backup       | F/T     | £21,000     | 30.6.2035 | £4.1M   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Loa | Colin Holmes             | -   | Backup       | F/T     | £5,500      | 30.6.2035 | £1.4M   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wnt | Kim Schouw               | -   | Backup       | F/T     | £2,800      | 30.6.2033 | £1.5M   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wp  | Abdul Rahman Al-Shemmari | -   | Backup       | F/T     | £5,250      | 30.6.2034 | £3.9M   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wnt | Anders Høpfner           | -   | Backup       | F/T     | £1,000      | 30.6.2033 | £3M     | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Slt | Ibrahim Tolba            | 9   | Backup       | F/T     | £8,000      | 30.6.2034 | £5.75M  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wnt | Ole Frandsen             | 2   | Backup       | F/T     | £2,500      | 30.6.2034 | £3.9M   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wnt | Jaap Zevenbergen         | -   | Backup       | F/T     | £2,000      | 30.6.2035 | £2.2M   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wnt | Rolands Prohorenkovs     | -   | Backup       | F/T     | £2,500      | 30.6.2035 | £4.5M   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| FC  |     | Itay Mizrahi             | 32  | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £1,600      | 30.6.2034 | £6.75M  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wnt | Davide Silvestri         | 12  | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £3,400      | 30.6.2035 | £2.4M   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Inj | Abdullah Al-Dossari      | 1   | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £4,800      | 30.6.2033 | £2.8M   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Loa | Thomas Pedersen          | 20  | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £675        | 30.6.2033 | £2.3M   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wnt | Tony Weaver              | -   | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £1,400      | 30.6.2035 | £2.7M   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   |     | Nikolay Romanov          | -   | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £3,400      | 30.6.2034 | £2M     | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Int | René Hansen              | -   | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £3,600      | 30.6.2033 | £2.3M   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Bid | Simon Semb               | -   | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £250        | 30.6.2033 | £2.6M   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   |     | Nicky Gardner            | -   | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £2,200      | 30.6.2035 | £3.2M   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wnt | Nuno                     | -   | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £450        | 30.6.2033 | £2.5M   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wnt | Richard Nilsen           | -   | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £925        | 30.6.2034 | £600K   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wp  | Doctor Khoza             | -   | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £1,000      | 30.6.2035 | £2.5M   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wnt | Craig Maisano            | -   | Youngster    | F/T     | £625        | 30.6.2034 | £1.7M   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wp  | Yaser Al-Abdullah        | -   | Youngster    | F/T     | £2,900      | 30.6.2034 | £2.9M   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Loa | Luis Jaka                | -   | Youngster    | F/T     | £5,000      | 30.6.2034 | £1.9M   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wnt | Craig Garner             | -   | Youngster    | F/T     | £425        | -         | -       | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wnt | Jeff Smith               | -   | Youngster    | F/T     | £140        | -         | -       | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wp  | Hiroki Hunakoshi         | -   | Youngster    | F/T     | £375        | 30.6.2035 | £1.1M   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   |     | Phil Conroy              | -   | Youngster    | F/T     | £220        | 30.6.2034 | £3.9M   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Inj | Jürgen Fuchs             | -   | Youngster    | F/T     | £600        | 30.6.2034 | £600K   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   |     | Denis Larrainzar         | -   | Youngster    | F/T     | £5,000      | 30.6.2034 | £5.25M  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Bid | Francisco Ortega         | -   | Youngster    | F/T     | £1,700      | 30.6.2034 | £1.7M   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Yth | Martyn Heslop            | -   | Youngster    | Yth     | £100        | 30.6.2033 | -       | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Yth | David Tulloch            | -   | Youngster    | Yth     | £110        | 30.6.2033 | -       | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Yth | Andy Hall                | -   | Youngster    | Yth     | £110        | 30.6.2033 | -       | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Loa | Farid Adam               | -   | Youngster    | F/T     | £275        | 30.6.2033 | £275K   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Loa | Ken Rivers               | -   | Youngster    | F/T     | £325        | 30.6.2033 | £900K   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Inj | Paul Hibbert             | -   | Youngster    | Yth     | £110        | 30.6.2033 | -       | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wnt | Attila Pál               | -   | Youngster    | F/T     | £850        | 30.6.2034 | £2.7M   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wnt | Florian Hoffmann         | -   | Youngster    | F/T     | £325        | 30.6.2033 | £2.4M   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Int | Søren Mandrup            | -   | Youngster    | F/T     | £1,000      | 30.6.2034 | £2.3M   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wp  | Arikan Burhan            | -   | Youngster    | F/T     | £230        | 30.6.2034 | £1.4M   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Bid | Valentin Popa            | -   | Youngster    | F/T     | £625        | 30.6.2035 | £2.2M   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Wnt | Marcel Huisman           | -   | Youngster    | F/T     | £800        | 30.6.2034 | £3.5M   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Loa | Fredrik Karlsson         | -   | Youngster    | F/T     | £600        | 30.6.2035 | £325K   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

Wage Budget: £4,403,220

Total Weekly Wages at 18/8/32: £385,875

Senior Players: 20

Reserve Players: 46

U-18 Players: 13

[Note that players classed as Backup, Prospect or Youngster will not be profiled (with a few exceptions), and are regarded as reserve players]

Player [Pos, Nationality, Height, Age] – Rushden Seasons, Rushden League Games, Rushden League Goals

Goalkeepers

Abdullah Al-Dossari [GK, SAU – 10 Caps, 183cm, 24] – 2, 22, 0

Another quite impressive season from a fairly young player. He filled in for a few games while Briglia found his feet, and took over for the crucial final games. Re-signing him may be difficult after such good performances.

Francesco Briglia [GK, ITA – 2 U21 caps, 188cm, 31] – 1, 26, 0

Despite having trouble adapting to England, Briglia was able to perform solidly as our first-choice keeper. He is now feeling comfortable at the club and should be even better in 32/33.

Defenders

Lukasz Brzeczek [D LC/M L, POL – 54 Caps, 180cm, 29] – 4, 65, 1

Still at the club despite the expiry of his contract, our weakness on the left means that Brzeczek will still have a role to play – as long as another side doesn't steal him away. He was thankfully free from injury last season and proved a useful player.

Ole Frandsen [D C/DM, DEN – 4 U21 caps, 177cm, 24] – 3, 0, 0

After three seasons on loan, to Gretna, St Mirren and FC Kobenhavn, the departure of Boyd opens the door for Frandsen. He possesses exceptional stamina and good pace, though his defensive skills could use a bit of work. He is particularly weak in the air, which could be a problem. A defensive midfield role may suit him best.

Kristian Gaup [D C, NOR – 8 U21 caps, 181cm, 21] – 5, 17, 0

It's fortunate Gaup is signed up for four more seasons, since he's attracting a lot of attention. He really stepped up when Paschetta was sold and It was only through his form that I was comfortable selling Boyd. This should be another big year for the young star.

Championship Young Player of the Month October 2029, November 2030, February 2031; Premier League Young Player of the Month February 2032, March 2032

Sergey Karpov [D C, RUS – 62 Caps, 189cm, 32] – 11, 269, 11

Now level with Juho Heinonen on 392 total games for the club, though he will not reach Glenn Wilson's league tally of over 330. Though not nearly as impressive as in 30/31, Karpov did enough to be named the Fans' Player of the Year for the third time. He is surely in his final season, and having suffered a broken leg in pre-season training, he will struggle to contribute much.

Premier League Player of the Month February 2024, December 2025, December 2030; Champions Cup Dream Team 23/24; Premier Division Select 24/25, 25/26, 28/29; English Footballer of the Year third placed 2025; Supporters' Player of the Year 24/25, 28/29, 31/32; Football Writers Footballer of the Year 2029; #1 most Rushden Man of the Match awards; =#1 most Rushden games; =#5 best Rushden average rating

Jeffrey Mifsud [D/AM L, MAL – 44 Caps, 183cm, 31] – 5, 53, 3

How's this for a fairytale return. After not playing a game in three seasons a decade ago, he comes back and wins two titles in as many years. Better yet, he made the league's Team of the Year at the age of 31. This may be his last year given his age, but considering our weakness on the left, hemay have to stay on.

Italian Serie A Defender of the Year 2029; Serie A Team of the Year 2029, 2030; Champions League Best Player third placed 30/31; Champions League Dream Team 30/31; Premier League Team of the Year 31/32

Mario Ramírez [D RC, COL – 19 Caps, 179cm, 25] – 3, 57, 3

Has been remarkably consistent, with an average rating of exactly 7.00 from three seasons. He has not offered a great deal, simply filling a hole at right back. This may be his last season.

Brian Scott [D RC, SCO – 6 U21 caps, 187cm, 25] – 1, 13, 0

Signed mostly as a backup, Scott didn't do much to impress. He'll have more of a chance to show what he's got this season, but doesn't look anything special.

SPL Team of the Year 2029

Dan Spellman [D/M RC, ENG – 2 U21 caps, 177cm, 19] – 1, 23, 1

Twenty-three league games is impressive for a teenager, and Spellman certainly looked capable at EPL level. The ₤5.25M I paid for him could well prove to be a bargain with his valuable versatility. Re-signing him is a priority.

Premier League Young Player of the Month October 2031

Jaap Zevenbergen [D C, HOL – 4 U21 caps, 184cm, 24] – 3, 0, 0

Like Frandsen, a player who has been on the list for three years without playing a senior game. He spent last season in the Championship with Hull and did fairly well without excelling. He is a better defender than Frandsen, with good size and defensive skills. Will get a run.

Midfielders

Alexis Aros [AM C, CHI – 30 Caps, 180cm, 29] – 4, 97, 37

What more can be said about our star? He missed half of last season through injury, yet still scored nine goals – more than most of our strikers. His average match rating in those games was an incredible 7.89. Our title challenge rests on him more than anyone.

UEFA Midfielder of the Year 2029, runner-up 2030, third-placed 2032; Rushden Supporters' Player of the Year 29/30, 30/31; Premier League Team of the Season 29/30, 30/31; English PFA Player of the Year 2030, 2031; Champions League Dream Team 30/31; Copa America Dream Team 2031; Premier League Player of the Month August 2030, December 2030, January 2031, February 2032; #4 most Rushden Man of the Match awards; #1 most Rushden assists, #2 best Rushden average rating

Adi Azulay [M C, ISR – 15 Caps, 180cm, 23] – 2, 35, 2

A terrific second season, sealing a spot in the first team and being recognised as one of the top midfielders in the league. With MacKenzie gone and Tinoco often injured, he took over in the centre and was often the playmaker. Now that Tinoco is also gone, Azulay has a big season ahead.

Premier League Team of the Season 31/32; PFA Player of the Year third-placed

Antonio Domínguez [AM RL, ESP – 3 U21 caps, 176cm, 30] – 0, 0, 0

One of those “what was I thinking?” signings, Domínguez looks a quite untalented player who has a history of mediocre performances in La Liga with Racing. I honestly cannot understand why I signed him, and I'm glad it's only for one season.

Colin Holmes [AM R, WAL – 2 Caps, 178cm, 22] – 0, 0, 0

An impressive young midfielder who was my only purchase of the post-season - ₤1.2M from St Mirren. He has quite a list of accomplishments already and has all the skills one would want in a winger.

SPL Player of the Month November 2030; SPL Young Player of the Month December 2031; SPL Young Player of the Year runner-up 2031; SPL Team of the Year 31/32

Christian Koller [AM RLC, AUT – 50 Caps, 177cm, 30] – 0, 0, 0

At last we get to a new signing, and it's a veteran. Koller has had long stints at Atalanta (Serie A) and more recently Zaragoza (La Liga, having bought him for ₤8.25M). He's never been a star, but is a great team player and has the ability to play anywhere across the midfield. He'll be a valuable option, at least for this season – he's only on a one-year contract.

Fabien Lesage [AM/F C, ALG – 15 Caps, 178cm, 22] – 1, 24, 9

The player I touted as a potential replacement for Aros did nothing to disprove that, proving a valuable goal scorer during a scoring drought and setting up several others while playing as an attacking midfielder. There's plenty of competition around, but he clearly has a first team spot.

Premier League Young Player of the Month September 2031

Julian Marsden [AM RC, IRE – 9 Caps, 181cm, 23] – 1, 22, 2

Useful in his first season. I said he wouldn't get much of a go, but he wound up playing 22 league games, which is a good effort. He looked comfortable and may continue to get a go on the right wing given the dearth of other options. He and Azulay will share the captaincy duties.

SFL Division One Young Player of the Month August 2029, January 2030, February 2030, April 2030; SFL Division One Young Player of the Year 2030; SFL Division One Team of the Year 29/30; SPL Young Player of the Month September 2030, November 2030, December 2030, April 2031; SPL Young Player of the Year 2031; SPL Team of the Year 30/31

Ivano Mugnai [AM/F C, ITA – 2 U21 caps, 182cm, 26] – 0, 0, 0

An attacking option signed for free from Bologna, Mugnai has been a regular scorer at Serie B level. He scored 20 goals last season and in addition to being brilliant from frees, he's a natural leader. A good player to have around.

Bologna Supporters' Player of the Year 31/32; Serie B top goalscorer runner-up 31/32

Raúl Rubio [AM RC, ESP – capped at U19 level, 180cm, 32] – 1, 17, 2

As expected, Rubio played a role by filling in on the right and occasionally as an attacking midfielder when needed. He'll be phased out of the side and released at the end of the year.

Ronald Vargas [AM LC, COS – 42 Caps, 173cm, 25] – 2, 36, 5

A deal to sell Vargas to Valencia fell through, meaning we will probably lose him for nothing at the end of the season. Still, at least I get to hold on to him for this season, given we have few other options on the left wing with Tinoco gone. The pace and skill of Vargas should result in a few goals.

Forwards

Salvatore Chiappara [sT, ITA – 2 U21 caps, 177cm, 21] – 0, 0, 0

An impressive young striker who comes from Verona. He scored two Serie A goals in four games last season, though he has minimal senior experience in his career. He's an exciting sharpshooter who could become a very useful forward.

Denis Larrainzar [sT, ESP – 1 U21 cap, 180cm, 19] – 0, 0, 0

A speedy striker with good skills, Larrainzar scored fifteen goals in Spain's second league last season. He comes from Betis on a free transfer, and looks a great prospect.

Itay Mizrahi [sT, ISR – 7 Caps, 180cm, 24] – 4, 22, 7

After five goals in seven games in 30/31, Mizrahi managed just two in fifteen in 31/32. He looks to have all the goods on paper, though that means little if it doesn't equal results. He'll get another chance, and must take it.

Alessio Musolino [sT, ITA – 8 Caps, 180cm, 24] – 3, 57, 14

A massive disappointment last season, with just two goals in 21 league games. He was so good on loan back in 29/30, and has not come close to recapturing that form. I may look to sell him in January.

José Antonio Oliva [sT, ESP – 2 U21 caps, 182cm, 21] – 2, 1, 0

After making his début in his first season at Rushden, Oliva was loaned out to Leganes in La Liga. There, he scored 13 goals in 32 games, named Man of the Match four times. He has a lot of pace and can certainly score. He will be around the squad this season.

Béla Szili [sT, HUN – 6 Caps, 177cm, 20] – 0, 0, 0

Another La Liga player, Szili comes on a free transfer from Tenerife. He does not look hugely impressive, though he's certainly dangerous in the air despite his diminutive size. A backup option.

Ibrahim Tolba [sT, EGY – 13 Caps, 175cm, 21] – 1, 7, 1

Really struggled in his first season at Rushden, failing to find a place in the senior side despite originally being promised a regular role. He looks very talented, but has failed to convert that into performances. Definitely a player who needs to step up.

Overview

With increased expectations, I would hope to have a stronger squad than this. While there are no clear weaknesses, there are certainly doubts over how well we can cover some positions. The squad has also reached a quite bloated size, and there needs to be some clearing out done at some point.

Goalkeeping: Pottier is no loss, with Al-Dossari and Briglia proven at EPL level.

Defence: I have a bit of a concern about left back and the centre. If we lose Brzeczek, Mifsud will be our only option on the left, and the centre depends mostly on players who haven't really been proven. The loss of Karpov for the first couple of months is a blow.

Midfield: The right wing is the biggest concern here, though the left could be a problem if we lose Brzeczek and/or Vargas becomes unsettled. Attacking midfield is a key strength.

Forward: Stacks of options, though we saw last season that doesn't always equal goals.

First XI

I said last season. “I'll stick with the same formation, though I'm really concerned about the right wing.” That applies equally here, with a few additional concerns on the left.

GK: Francesco Briglia

RB: Marco Ramírez

LB: Jeffrey Mifsud

CB: Sergey Karpov

CB: Kristian Gaup

RM: Julian Marsden

LM: Ronald Vargas

CM: Adi Azulay

AM: Alexis Aros

CF: Fabien Lesage

CF: Itay Mizrahi

Sub: Alessio Musolino

Sub: Lukasz Brzeczek

Sub: Brian Scott

Sub: Fabien Lesage

Sub: Ivano Mugnal

Captain: Julian Marsden

Penalties: Alexis Aros, Jeffrey Mifsud, Ibrahim Tolba

Free Kicks: (L) Jeffrey Mifsud, Lukasz Brzeczek; ® Alexis Aros, Ivano Mugnal

Corners: (L) Lukasz Brzeczek, Jeffrey Mifsud; ® Julian Marsden, Alexis Aros

Throw Ins: (L) Lukasz Brzeczek, Christian Koller; ® Dan Spellman, Julian Marsden

Playmaker: Alexis Aros, Colin Holmes

Target Man: Kristian Gaup, Brian Scott,

[Donners]

August, 2032

Liverpool, Community Shield, Neutral

Liverpool looked to have the title sewn up for most of last season, not losing a game for the first six months. They crumbled in the final few games though, and we defeated them to snatch the title. They did not lose a single senior player, adding midfielder Alfonso Molino (₤4M from Mallorca), right winger Valerio Boni (₤11.25M from Newcastle) and Bolivian defender Ricardo Cortez (₤14.25M from Udinese). There were two new faces for Rushden, with Frandsen in defence with Koller on the right wing, with Marsden and Karpov injured. Al-Dossari was also out, so Briglia started in goal.

Aside from a wild shot from Aros, Rushden offered little challenge. Star Liverpool midfielder Peter Molyneux missed one shot, but England international Richard Scott put them ahead in the 24th. Vargas and Mizrahi were both forced off with knocks before half time. Lesage had our only realistic opportunity of the match when he broke through the defence, only to shoot wide. It was a flat game and we deserved to lose.

Newcastle, Premier League, Away

Having just faced last season's runner-up, we took on the side which finished third. Unlike Liverpool, Newcastle showed no reticence in clearing out members of their senior squad. Former Rushden keeper Per Brandal (₤14M to Roma – and we sold him for just ₤3M!), winger Valerio Boni (₤11.25M to Liverpool), midfielder Salim Remy (₤16M to Arsenal) and Scottish left winger Robert Morrison (₤20.5M to Atlético) all departed. Another former Rushden player, defender Rene Hofman, joined from Barcelona for ₤17.5M, as did team-mate Florin Sava (₤2.9M) as a backup keeper. A player we had on loan, Walter Gonzalez, moved from Roma for ₤10M and Arsenal's midfielder Ersin Ilhan cost ₤14.5M. New purchase Colin Holmes made his début on the right wing.

Newcastle simply dominated us in the first half. Captain Danny Byrne had no less than five shots, forcing Briglia to save three of them. To his credit, he managed. Still, it was clearly only a matter of time before they scored. ₤46M Argentinian Marcos Ramírez was the one who finally did it, in the 52nd minute. We didn't put a single shot on target for the game. A worrying start, with a 0-1 loss.

Arsenal, Premier League, Home

Another top opponent, this time 5th placed Arsenal. They have gone through a few changes, highlighted by the release of Chinese striker Cao Bin. He spent the last three seasons in the reserves, scoring well over 100 goals in six league seasons before that. Turkish midfielder Ersin Ilhan went to Newcastle for ₤14.5M, England left back Chris Ross to Roma for ₤10M and right back Stian Eriksen to Real Madrid for ₤5M. Coming in to replace them were former Rushden midfielder Salim Remy (₤16M from Newcastle – we sold him for ₤7M), teenage midfielder Habib Rouquet (₤7.75M from Fiorentina), defender Jack Hudson (₤5M from Birmingham), teenage keeper Iker Uriarte (₤4.9M from Milan and a couple of other young signings. Yet another Rushden alumnus, keeper Nuri Bozkurt, was out injured and replaced by Icelandic international Helgi Hreinsson.

After a disturbingly flat first league game, it was fantastic to see an attacking move in the first two minutes. Gaup dispossessed former Rushden midfielder Anthony Ettori and hit the ball long for Musolino. He headed forward for partner Lesage, who broke the offside trap and fired home a goal. Lesage looked wonderful, with two more shots on goal in the next ten minutes which were barely handled by Hreinsson. Just as we looked totally on top, a pass which deflected off Gaup left Jamaican Peter Carr to poach a goal for Arsenal just on half time. Only a brilliant save prevented Vargas from restoring the lead, but Lesage did the honours in the 62nd – again helped by a fine pass from Musolino. Lesage had seven shots for the game, with six on target and two goals. It's worrying he was the only striker to pose a threat, though Musolino did set up his goals, but at least we have a win on the board. José Antonio Oliva made his début off the bench.

Barnsley, Premier League, Home

At last, a side which finished towards the middle of the table last season. That cost manager Martin Ling his job, with Ray Parlour taking over after the grand total of one week as manager of Chesterfield. He sold Polish midfielder Radoslaw Ostrowski to Celtic for ₤3.7M and released a couple of veterans, bringing in Serbian winger Alket Beqiri for free from Racing, Barcelona striker Leonardo Valencia (₤2.2M) and midfielder Andre Foss (₤650K from Rosenborg).

Mizrahi tried to give us as good a start as the last game, taking a shot from a fine Azulay pass, only to be denied by the keeper. After that, though, Barnsley took control and had the next three shots. Briglia held two, but Danish forward Mikkel Jensen beat him in the 25th. Aros had a free held before half time, then on the other side of the break he hit the post with a long half-volley. In the 60th, Mifsud sent a free into the box to Spellman, who was immediately knocked over. A penalty was immediately awarded, and a red card was shown moments later. Aros scored from the spot, levelling the scores with half an hour to go. Unfortunately, we reverted to our form of the first game, not looking threatening at all even when Salvatore Chiappara came off the bench late in the game. 1-1 was the final score.

I'd managed a bit of success re-signing players, with Al-Dossari and Spellman secured for a few more years, but Vargas and Ramírez were proving uncooperative. When a ₤10.75M bid came in for Mario Ramírez from Napoli, I couldn't resist. It leaves us a bit weak at the back, and upset Karpov, but he's never been a top player and was likely to go at the end of the year anyway.

I decided to try to use that money to sort out our weakness on the right wing, bringing in Aros' international team-mate Sebastian Morales.

Sebastian Morales [AM RC, CHI – 5 Caps, 177cm, 25] – 0, 0, 0

Receiving a work permit on appeal, Morales moves from Recreativo for ₤6.25M – one of our biggest ever purchases. Brought to my attention through scouting, Morales is reasonably quick and has terrific skill, especially carrying and crossing the ball. He should be a real threat.

I also sold backup keeper Davide Silvestri to West Ham for ₤3.5M.

Dan Spellman was named Young Player of the Month.

[Donners]

September, 2032

Doncaster snatched coach Kevin Horlock to be their Assistant, and I replaced him with former Croatian international Robert Bicanic.

Birmingham, Premier League, Home

Birmingham were 7th last season. They released a couple of senior players in their mid-30s, such as defender Thiago and striker Marco Bergsma, lost full back Alex to Pescara on a Bosman and sold yet another defender, Jack Hudson, to Arsenal for ₤5M. They brought in three internationals to replace those losses – Georgi Traykov (₤1.2M from Al-Hilal), young Welshman Alvin Cook (₤2.6M from Celtic) and Kon Mitropoulos (₤2.1M from Alicante). They also got Bastia striker Michal Lukac for free and Messina's Norway international keeper Ronny Sorensen for ₤6.25M. Former Rushden keeper Shane Bayliss took over from Sorensen in goal for this game. For Rushden, Karpov, Tolba and Lesage were missing from this game, the latter thanks to an injury suffered representing Algeria in World Cup qualifiers. Mugnai made his début alongside Musolino.

Rushden had an impressive start, with two quick shots from Musolino. One was held by Bayliss and the other went wide, but at least we were showing some flair. In the 29th, Aros charged forward and found Musolino with a typically excellent pass. He lobbed the ball into the area, where partner Mugnai headed home a goal on début. Defenders Mifsud and Gaup kept the pressure on with the next two shots, then just on half time, the strikers reversed roles – this time Mugnai set up Musolino for his first goal of the season. Spellman intercepted a pass five minutes into the second half, playing through Aros. The Chilean was running riot, and capped off a great game with our third goal. Wing back Thomas Pedersen came off the bench for his first game in his fifth year at the club.

St. Mirren, Champions League Group F, Away

St. Mirren won the Scottish Premier League last season in something of a surprise result. Irish striker James Tapp has been their leading scorer and fan favourite for the past five seasons. They also relied quite a lot on young right winger Colin Holmes, who we bought this season for ₤1.4M. Their weakness is emphasised by the fact that they have three Rushden players on loan – defender Richard Nilsen, midfielder Roland Prohorenkovs and forward Phil Conroy. All three were ineligible for this match. For Rushden, Sebastian Morales made his début on the right and José Oliva partnered Mizrahi up forward.

The first half hour was pretty even. Aros had two shots held and St Mirren challenged Briglia a couple of times. In the 34th, Aros started an attack down the left flank with a pass to Brzeczek. He found Mifsud, who crossed into the area. Mizrahi rose up to head it across the goalmouth and into the net. Just two minutes later, Aros was once again the playmaker, collecting the ball in the midfield, running forward and sending through Oliva, who half-volleyed our second goal. Ten minutes into the second half, Brian Scott sent a long pass down the right to the corner of the area. The defence were caught off guard, and Morales easily collected the ball, rounded the keeper, and scored a début goal. Three minutes later, Mifsud flicked a pass into the area for Oliva to meet with a diving header, making it 4-0. That was enough, with Jaap Zevenbergen coming off the bench for yet another Rushden début this season.

MK Dons, Premier League, Away

Dons bounced straight back after relegation, winning the Championship with an impressive 28 wins for the season. They have brought in a few veterans to boost their side, such as Saudi midfielder Musa Al-Otaibi (₤5M from Hertha BSC), Juventus' ex-Rushden defender Filip Arvidsson (₤3.6M) and two local free signings – Ipswich forward Jon Livermore and Tottenham midfielder Tony Royle. Ireland striker Shaun Priest was their leading scorer last season, having been bought straight after relegation.

Rushden attacked from the start, with a Mugnai header saved in the fourth minute. Dan Spellman switched sides in the 7th, and recipient Mifsud cut inside and blasted in a fantastic goal from 25 yards. Dons didn't have much luck – they lost Al-Otaibi to injury and Tony Royle missed several shots. Aros was simply brilliant for Rushden in the 1-0 win, with no fewer than eight key passes and four runs past opponents. Unfortunately, Musolino completely lost his radar, missing four shots. Julian Marsden came off the bench for his first game of the season.

Briglia suffered a back injury during the week, putting him out for a month.

Sheffield United, Premier League, Home

Unlike Dons, Sheffield United took three seasons to get back into the Premier League, and had to scrape in from fifth spot. They are sitting bottom of the table with just three points and don't really look up to this standard. Their leading scorer of last season is 33 and was never a top player, while they have no other stand outs. With Briglia out, Al-Dossari came in for his first senior game of the season. I gave much-deserved breaks to several players who have worked hard this season, namely Azulay, Aros and Gaup.

Spellman crossed into the box just a couple of minutes in. Musolino was quickly dispossessed. Oliva picked up the loose ball, took a shot and was denied by the keeper. They cleared the ball and tried to start a chain of passes in the middle, only for Morales to step in and intercept. He held it up and passed to Oliva, who this time managed to score. We were back on the attack a couple of minutes later, with Koller passing low into the area. Oliva was tripped, and a penalty was awarded. Thomas Pedersen scored his first Rushden goal, and it was 2-0 after five minutes. We showed no signs of letting up. Morales scraped the bar, then Pedersen collected a clearance in the 24th and centred for Oliva, who scored his second with a volley. Their keeper was not completely useless, making three saves after that, but when Pedersen headed a throw-in from Spellman, even defender Gaup was able to get on the board with a powerful strike. A long Pedersen free kick just before half time set up Oliva to complete his hat-trick, and make it 5-0 at the break. We relaxed after that and did not add to our lead, in a game featuring stellar performances from Pedersen, Morales and Oliva – three players with less than ten senior games for Rushden between them.

Unfortunately, Oliva's wonderful day was soured by an ankle injury suffered in the final minutes, putting him out for a month.

Vozdovac, Champions League Group F, Home

We seem to have wound up with quite a weak group in the Champions League this year, with a minor Serbian side our second opponent. I rested several senior players again, and we took the lead after ten minutes through Musolino. Chiappara scored his first for the club in the 22nd after a counter-attack and Jaap Zevenbergen did the same at the end of the half. Brzeczek added a fourth from a free late in the game. Jaap Musolino was again completely off target, with one on target from five attempts. Julian Marsden looked good in his first full game for the season.

Dan Spellman was again Young Player of the Month, and I was runner-up as Manager of the Month.

[Donners]

October, 2032

Chelsea, Premier League, Away

Chelsea had their worst finish in over 30 years, coming 15th on the table. That was made all the more remarkable given that ex-Rushden striker David Davidson scored 22 league goals. Chelsea released former England forward Chris Kerr and sold two 22-year-olds - forward Lewis Moore (₤10.5M to Man U) and midfielder Ronald Zwarthoed (₤10.25M to Roma). Barcelona's Spanish forward Jose Alejo was their biggest signing, for ₤14M, and they curiously bought two former Rushden players from Deportivo – midfielder Aitor Gutierrez and defender Michael Wilson for ₤2.8M and ₤3.5M respectively.

Chelsea started impressively, with two shots on goal in the first dozen minutes. Things got worse when Brian Scott knocked over an opponent in the area, and a penalty was awarded. Michael Wilson put it through, and only a fine Al-Dossari save prevented Alejo adding another two minutes later. We were fortunate to go in only a goal down, and did not look much better in the second half. A terrible miss from Davidson was only a brief reprieve, with Frandsen knocking in an Al-Dossari parry for an own goal. Mugnai belatedly scored in the final minute with a 25-yard free, which was only a consolation.

Christian Koller was put out for three months with a torn groin muscle suffered playing for Austria.

Liverpool, Premier League, Away

We already lost to Liverpool in the Community Shield, and though they are not looking as dominant as last season, defender Denis Urso and striker Richard Scott are looking as good as usual. Oddly for such a strong side, they have loaned in South Korean right back Jung Ki-Han from Milan.

After a very poor effort against Chelsea, it was a relief that we had a shot in the first minute here, though Mugnai's effort went over the bar. Mugnai came forward again in the fifth when Scott's long header sent him through, and with a quick dodge around a defender he was one-on-one with the keeper. He made no mistake, and it was 1-0. Liverpool quickly made Al-Dossari work to prevent an equaliser, and again came forward in the 11th. Brian Scott intercepted that attack, and launched the ball forward to Musolino. He found playmaker Aros, who quickly flicked on a pass to Mugnai. The forward broke free and fired in his second goal, for a 2-0 lead to Rushden. Aros continued his dangerous game, setting up Spellman for a shot which was barely turned away. Mugnai came close to a hat-trick with a wonderful header in the 28th, again barely tipped over. Out of nowhere, Liverpool scored just before half time, and despite Rushden's dominance, they were only a goal down. That sparked them into action, and several more shots were fired in at our keeper, though thankfully none got through. Thomas Pedersen and Lesage took control for Rushden in the second half, to the extent that Liverpool had just one more shot for the game. That was held by Man of the Match Al-Dossari, and we took the win.

Fenerbahçe, Champions League Group F, Away

The third opponent in our group is a Turkish side with little history of success in this competition. They feature a couple of quality players, particularly Egyptian forward Ahmed El Sayed and Turkish defender Tanyildiz Emre, but are overall a fairly mediocre side. Spanish striker Denis Larrainzar came up from the reserves for his senior début following a stunning six goals against Norwich's reserve side.

We were, surprisingly, on the back foot for the first few minutes, with Al-Dossari called upon to make a number of saves. He again had to make a finger-tipper in the 21st – his fifth save, while our only attempt had come from defender Zevenbergen. It took until the 32nd for our first real chance, with Mizrahi getting around a defender and beating the keeper with a sharp strike. El Sayed failed to equalise a few moments later, and Mizrahi had a number of shots to end the half. We carried that momentum into the second half, with Marsden winning the ball off a defender and passing to débutante striker Larrainzar, who smashed it in low to double the lead. He added a second with a 30-yard free later in the half for a comfortable 3-0 win. Sergey Karpov played his first game of the season, returning from a broken leg.

Bolton, Premier League, Away

Bolton survived last season after being promoted from the Championship, but are struggling at this early stage. They cleared out a couple of veterans – 37-year-old defender Sean Brown, 34-year-old midfielder Graham Kitchen and 35-year-old midfielder Andy Winter. They also lost striker Ruben Vega to Real Madrid without compensation. Their only major purchase was of Chelsea defender Manuel Arraiz for ₤3.5M, though they also got Reunion forward Francis Girardot and striker Iker Lekue for free from Celta and Deportivo respectively.

Spellman, Brzeczek, Pedersen and Mugnai all missed shots in the first twenty minutes, in contrast to our previous match where we were totally on the back foot. After a couple of testing shots from Bolton's Bulgarian striker Ivaylo Kyuchukov, Pedersen broke down the left and crossed into the area. Lesage's header was turned straight to fellow forward Mugnai, who scored. Girardot came close to equalising at the start of the second half, then did so a few minutes later. Aros had a shot turned away in the 63rd, and Brzeczek took the corner. It hooked into the area where fellow defender Dan Spellman headed us back into the lead. That lasted just four minutes, with Kyuchukov beating Brzeczek to a floating ball and heading it past Al-Dossari. Larrainzar came off the bench and missed a shot, though it was Bolton who were the dominant side in the final minutes. 2-2 was a fair reflection of the game.

Birmingham, Carling Cup 3rd round, Home

This was our second game against Birmingham in just over a month, having defeated them 3-0 in the league. A long exchange of passes between Aros, Pedersen and Brzeczek on the left held up the play until there was space for Brzeczek to slice a pass into the area, where Lesage ran onto it for a simple 20th minute goal. Al-Dossari did well to keep out a few shots from Birmingham's captain, Irish forward Brian Saunders, which was all we needed to retain the lead and progress to the fourth round.

Manchester United, Premier League, Home

United recovered from a terrible 30/31 to finish fourth last season. England forward Mick Oakley was one of the better players, and new Spanish defender Artiz Susaeta more than repaid his ₤4.4M fee with a very solid season at the back. Despite not losing a single player of significance, they spent plenty on new players. Teenage striker Chris Preston (₤6.75M from Man City), 22-year-old ex-Rushden midfielder Ken Walton (₤5.5M from Coventry), 22-year-old left back Alex Wordsworth (₤4.7M from West Ham) and 22-year-old winger/forward Lewis Moore (₤10.5M from Chelsea) highlighted a youth policy from manager Ban Mitchell, topped off by ₤22.5M Uruguayan winger Hernan Fernández from Betis.

It was Rushden on the attack from the start, with Aros and Larrainzar forcing saves from keeper Antony Canoville. Lesage had three on-target shots in the final five minutes of the half and Brzeczek also tested Canoville with a free, all to no avail. Mick Oakley had one of United's rare chances straight after the break, heading wide of the goal. Larrainzar answered at the other end, forcing a fingertip save. Aros took the resulting corner, which was headed out for a throw. A lucky deflection sent a pass intended for Vargas to Aros, who weaved through a crowd to score. Al-Dossari protected the lead with a couple of fairly easy saves, then another United attack was halted when Azulay rose above Oakley to head clear. Aros picked up the ball and found Lesage with a sharp pass, which was bettered by the 25-yard strike into the back of the net. A professional foul in the final minute not only saw United reduced to ten men, but Aros struck in his second goal with the free. 3-0, and a convincing victory to take us to the top of the table.

Unfortunately, Lesage was put out for a month with a thigh strain.

[Donners]

November, 2032

Fenerbahçe, Champions League Group F, Home

After a fairly easy 3-0 away win, Fenerbahçe didn't loom as a particularly large threat. Briglia returned in goal for Rushden. Kaprov set the tone early, slamming a long free kick into the upright. A free kick a few minutes later, this time from Mifsud, set up our first goal, with Marsden rising above an opponent to head it in. Marsden set up Larrainzar a few minutes later with a long throw, which he struck in to make it 2-0. Larrainzar matched his brace in the previous game against Fenerbahçe, playing past an opponent in the 40th to strike home his second of the game. Fenerbahçe actually got a goal of their own late in the half, but it never looked like turning the game. Chiappara had a goal disallowed just after the break, but scored one which did count only a few minutes later. An injury to Oliva brought Musolino on, and he scored our fifth in the 71st. Chiappara had a second goal disallowed late in the game, leaving us 5-1 winners. The only bad news was that Oliva was put out for five months with a torn calf muscle.

Sunderland, Premier League, Away

Sunderland finished in the middle of the table last year despite back-to-back titles and a third place in the three previous seasons. They only let a few players go, most notably striker Alex Richardson (₤4.4M part exchange to Rangers) and defender Yassine Haddad, who was released and quickly picked up by West Ham. Their purchases far outweighed those limited moves, with ₤33M spent. Having already picked up Scottish defender Aaron Watt as part of the deal for Richardson, Sunderland bought Austrian forward Michael Muhlbauer (₤15.25M from Sporting CP), Italian winger/forward Sergio Giacobbe (₤10.25M from Verona) and Bulgarian defender Ivan Aleksiev (₤5.75M from Sevilla).

Sunderland had several good early chances, yet it was a strike from a seemingly impossible angle 20 yards out which got past Al-Dossari. Only a free kick right on the edge of the area gave us any chance of scoring in the first half, and Mugnai blasted it over. They had no such difficulty from further out, making it 0-2, and a wild elbow from Musolino saw him sent off to make our day even worse. Tolba came off the bench and managed to miss two simple shots as we actually had most of the play with fewer men. Vargas failed to beat the keeper for a late consolation, and they scored a third to cap off a miserable day.

Aston Villa, Carling Cup 4th round, Home

Villa are in the Championship despite winning this competition last season. Their 18th place last season saw them relegated and prompted the release of over 20 players, including former USA defender Chris Bowyer and Uruguay striker Fernando Vargas. They also sold winger Thomas Sumstad to Norwich for ₤2.7M. They still have ₤8.5M striker Ton Meijer, who joined in January last year from Bolton and immediately broke his leg.

Denis Larrainzar continued his impressive form with three shots which caused the opposing keeper trouble. Azulay had the best chance when one of the Larrainzar attempts was parried to him, only to half-volley way over the bar. An Aros header in the 42nd was parried and cleared, but Brzeczek, Azulay and Pedersen combined to send the ball back into the area moments later. Aros collected it and found Larrainzar, who this time beat the keeper for a lead late in the first half. Meijer was a threat, but through a combination of poor finishing and tight defending, he never had a real chance at goal. Without their star striker, Villa had no real threats and were promptly knocked out of the competition.

Reading, Premier League, Away

Reading were just one place and a few points away from relegation last season. Rather surprisingly, they sold off one of their few good players from that season, defender Franklin Guerrero, to Palermo for ₤6.5M. They are instead relying on a motley collection of free signings and loans to get them to survive. Among the free signings are Salzburg striker Matteo Anaclerio, Belgian international left back Dominique Scotto from Vitesse and Deportivo's midfielder Juan Barreiro. Their loan signings are Porto left back Romeo Duro, Rangers defensive midfielder Christian Pirri and Bayern's Peruvian striker Israel Vilchez.

Powerful work from Azulay brought us forward in the 4th minute. Defenders Mifsud and Gaup found Pedersen wide on the left, and he hooked the ball in. It came of first one Reading player, then Duro, and dribbled into the net for a convoluted own goal. Gaup did a very good job in defence, though Vilchez did have one shot late in the half which barely missed. Mizrahi came on at the start of the second half to replace the tired Larrainzar, and thanks to a combination of passes from Spellman, Aros, Azulay and Marsden, he was sent through on goal to make it 2-0. Vilchez continued to loom as a threat, but could not score. 2-0 the final result.

St. Mirren, Champions League Group F, Home

We beat St Mirren 4-0 last time, and with their Rushden on-loan players again out for this game, they were substantially weakened. Our youth academy product Phil Conroy is actually their leading scorer. Rushden simply dominated this game. Spellman was an immense presence at the back, Aros controlled the midfield and our forwards were a potent threat. A goal to Musolino just before half time and a penalty to Mifsud made it a simple 2-0 win. Lesage returned from his thigh strain suffered at the end of October.

Middlesbrough, Premier League, Home

Middlesbrough are having a remarkably successful season considering they finished low on the table last year. Despite being a low-scoring side (we're actually the highest-scoring team in the league), they have racked up quite a few wins to sit in a European qualification position. They really don't seem to have made any significant changes to their squad to prompt such an improvement. Veteran Albanian midfielder Ilir Mustafa was their only notable sale, off to Burnley for ₤1.1M. Their signings are not particularly impressive either – former Italian striker Vanni Dionisi (who didn't play a senior game for Inter for the last two seasons), Sunderland midfielder Scott Lawrence and West Brom defender Michael Butler. All are mediocre and all were free. They did at least get Man U defender Nikki Wood and Valencia's (and former Rushden) defender Matti Vatanen on loan.

Vatanen showed his class, despite now being 33, by cutting out several attacks from Aros and Marsden. A long chain of passes, starting with keeper Briglia and going through Karpov, Zevenbergen, Mifsud, Vargas, Azulay and Marsden finally saw the ball reach Aros, who showed his versatility by rising above a defender to head in a goal. Rushden simply dominated after that, and if not for Marsden missing five of six shots, we would have won by several goals. In the end, one was enough, despite the loss of Mifsud to a red card after a wild two-footed challenge.

| Pos   | Inf   | Team          |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   |       | Leicester     |       | 19    | 13    | 5     | 1     | 25    | 8     | +17   | 44    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   |       | Man Utd       |       | 20    | 13    | 4     | 3     | 21    | 11    | +10   | 43    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Rushden       |       | 19    | 12    | 4     | 3     | 39    | 18    | +21   | 40    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Newcastle     |       | 20    | 11    | 6     | 3     | 30    | 14    | +16   | 39    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Chelsea       |       | 20    | 11    | 3     | 6     | 34    | 23    | +11   | 36    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Liverpool     |       | 19    | 9     | 6     | 4     | 27    | 16    | +11   | 33    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Man City      |       | 20    | 8     | 6     | 6     | 17    | 13    | +4    | 30    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Sunderland    |       | 20    | 7     | 7     | 6     | 20    | 17    | +3    | 28    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Middlesbrough |       | 20    | 7     | 7     | 6     | 16    | 14    | +2    | 28    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | Everton       |       | 20    | 8     | 2     | 10    | 19    | 24    | -5    | 26    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | MK Dons       |       | 20    | 7     | 4     | 9     | 20    | 22    | -2    | 25    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Arsenal       |       | 19    | 4     | 11    | 4     | 15    | 17    | -2    | 23    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Sheff Utd     |       | 20    | 7     | 2     | 11    | 18    | 26    | -8    | 23    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Bolton        |       | 20    | 5     | 7     | 8     | 16    | 19    | -3    | 22    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Reading       |       | 20    | 4     | 9     | 7     | 15    | 24    | -9    | 21    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | Cardiff       |       | 20    | 3     | 10    | 7     | 15    | 26    | -11   | 19    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | Barnsley      |       | 20    | 2     | 9     | 9     | 13    | 27    | -14   | 15    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th  |       | Wigan         |       | 20    | 3     | 6     | 11    | 14    | 29    | -15   | 15    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th  |       | Birmingham    |       | 20    | 2     | 6     | 12    | 14    | 24    | -10   | 12    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20th  |       | Norwich       |       | 20    | 2     | 6     | 12    | 12    | 28    | -16   | 12    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

[Donners]

December, 2032

Norwich, Premier League, Home

Norwich were promoted from the Championship last season, and look like going straight back down. They brought in a few free signings, like Australian midfielder Nick Davidson (Burnley), Russian forward Maxim Vishnyakov (Ipswich), defender Justin Lovell (Leeds) and one purchase, Norwegian winger Thomas Sumstad (₤2.7M from Aston Villa). Their top scorers in the last two Championship seasons have one goal between them this season.

A 4th minute free kick from Aros put Rushden in front, with Morales heading home. Aros had a shot himself a couple of minutes later, then we got our second goal from a header in the 9th – this time when Mizrahi put in a Morales corner. It was nearly three goals a couple of minutes later when Mizrahi had another shot saved, but a dramatic turnaround saw Vishnyakov score at the other end to make it 2-1. Vargas lost possession shortly after the kick-off, and a rapid counter-attack from Norwich led to an equalising goal. 2-2 after 20 minutes, and we had thrown away the lead. The half was relatively quiet after that, with no more shots at goal after such an attacking start.

There was another twist four minutes into the second half. Spellman sent the ball into the area, where Morales collected the ball and was promptly tripped. Aros took the penalty and restored the lead. There were saves at both ends in the following minutes, with Briglia keeping out Vishnyakov and Marsden denied. A Spellman free was turned away and Morales missed, but when Vargas intercepted a goal kick and charged past a defender, we scored our fourth. A two-goal buffer with twenty minutes to go didn't seem enough when we lost that same lead in a much shorter period early in the game, though we controlled the play. Mugnai, Azulay and Marsden all forced saves, then a second yellow card saw Norwich reduced to ten men. A lob from Mugnai in the final minutes sealed it at last, 5-2.

Cardiff, Premier League, Home

Cardiff scraped into the top half last season, but this time around they look closer to relegation, with just two wins so far. They didn't suffer any huge losses to their senior squad, with 34-year-old Turkish forward Usta Ferdi released and a couple of fairly promising young players sold off (though Welsh forward Noel Wright is worth a lot more than the ₤1.2M Arsenal paid). However, they didn't improve their squad either, with no signings of note. Instead, they rely on Newcastle's Danish defender Soren Kristiansen and Roma's Swiss midfielder Yan Peres, who are both on loan.

Our first few forays forward were cut out by defenders' tackles, and former Rushden keeper Kenneth Bergseth saved a Mifsud free. A long header out of defence from Zevenbergen sent Musolino forward, and he found partner Lesage for a 21st minute goal. Cardiff responded twenty minutes later, with Pedersen evaded all too easily by the scorer. A free kick from Karpov just before half time restored the lead for the break, though the game had been quite even. Cardiff had a player sent off a few minutes into the second half, yet had the next two shots on goal. Both went wide, and when Larrainzar picked up a loose ball in the 69th, he cruised through the defence to make it 3-1. He did the same thing with ten minutes to go, collecting a loose ball and charging in to score, completing a convincing 4-1 win. Larrainzar has seven goals from eight games, albeit four from two in the Champions League.

Vozdovac, Champions League Group F, Away

We won 4-0 away earlier in the season, and the early minutes of this game make it clear that there would be no surprises this time around. Chiappara put in a Vargas cross then set up Aros to make it 2-0 after only seven minutes. Spellman added a third in the 11th and Chiappara had more than enough chances to score again in the first half. It was Marsden who eventually got our fourth on the other side of the break, then Spellman set up Chiappara for a belated second. We relaxed after that, settling for a crushing 5-0 victory. That's 14 goals in our last three games.

Everton, Premier League, Home

After three very weak opponents, we had to be careful not to be complacent against Everton. They are in the middle of the table, as they have been for the past several seasons. With no significant losses – their only sale was striker Danny Caton to Wigan for ₤3.7M – they did not make a single purchase over the break. Instead, Everton took a number of players on free transfers, though most have not played a senior game. Those that have, such as Hertha's Ukranian striker Oleg Astakhov and Saint-Etienne's Albanian midfielder Florian Cela, are mediocre veterans. Perhaps most disturbing, they have loaned in a player from MK Dons who spent last season at non-league Bedford.

Defenders Pedersen and Zevenbergen had the first two shots, missing badly. Spellman also wasted a chance, and as usual it was veteran and star Alexis Aros who did the job, heading in a Marsden free late in the first half. Everton took just two minutes to reply and level the scores, thanks to Spellman giving away the ball. A number of formation changes made no difference, and the loss of Marsden made the day even worse. It took Aros again, with an incredible swerving run around the area, capped off with his own powerful strike past the keeper, to restore the lead. When we earned a free on the edge of the area with fifteen minutes left, who else could take it? Aros drilled it in perfectly, completing a magnificent hat-trick. An incredible solo effort to make it a 3-1 win.

Wigan, Premier League, Away

Wigan are in danger of relegation, despite surviving last season. They lost no senior players, with their only significant sale young defender Patrik Vestin to Arsenal for ₤3.7M. They made a token effort to strengthen their squad with a few purchases, such as Romanian defender Ionut Bordeianu (₤1.7M, Bochum) and Wigan striker Danny Caton (₤3.7M), and loaned in former England defender/midfielder John Daly from Bolton.

Mizrahi had our first shot in only three minutes thanks to sharp passing from Spellman and Morales, but failed to beat the keeper. A counter-attack brought two Wigan strikers to the area in the 15th. Zevenbergen got in with a tackle to dispossess one as Briglia charged at him, and the ball trickled straight to his partner. The shot came in, as somehow Briglia got back into the goal and dove to deflect it away. That was one of several saves Briglia had to make in the first half. We lost Mifsud to injury just before half time, and Pedersen was a very creative influence after he came on. However, our shooting was wayward and we never had any really outstanding chances. After so many recent high-scoring games, this was a flat effort. Wigan failed to score, and so did we.

Liverpool, Carling Cup quarter final, Home

We defeated Liverpool 2-1 in October, and they now sit sixth on the table. England striker Richard Scott is their star, while Italy defender Denis Urso looks to finally be slowing down in the final years of his career.

Liverpool's star midfielder Peter Molyneux had the first shot, then Rushden took over. After Mizrahi missed, Morales headed a Pedersen cross at the keeper. The ball was fumbled, and defender Frandsen tapped it in. A driven free from Aros in the 12th made it a two-goal lead. Though Briglia had to make a couple more saves, three more shots from Mizrahi kept Liverpool on the back foot. Molyneux looked good at the start of the second half before Chiappara put the result pretty much beyond doubt with our third at the start of the final half-hour. Liverpool gave up after that and Aros capped of a thumping with his second, and our fourth.

Manchester City, Premier League, Home

City are solidly in the top half, as they have been the last few seasons. They had one big sale (20-year-old striker Chris Preston to Manchester United for ₤6.75M) and one big purchase (Leicester's Lebanon left back Mohammad Shatila for ₤7.5M). They also took Nancy midfielder Fabian Verbeek and Inter's Ireland left back Phillip Sharp on free transfers.

A wicked curving shot from Azulay really tested former team-mate Steven Slade, who barely tipped it away in the 12th. Pedersen, Lesage and Azulay had more shots later in the first half, without success. The second half continued the same frustrating pattern, with more misses and saves. It wasn't until the 79th minute that Chiappara finally broke through with our first. Just two minutes later, he poached a second, which proved crucial when City grabbed a late goal. We held on for the three points.

Newcastle, Premier League, Home

We faced Newcastle in the opening match of the season, losing 0-1. Their superstar Argentinian Marcos Ramírez was the scorer then, and would again be a threat. However, he has been outscored this season by Danny Byrne, Henry Lopez and Craig Ramsay, so he's certainly not the only danger. They are fourth on the table, just below us, making this a crucial game.

Newcastle missed a couple of early shots and we made them pay in the 30th, with Mugnai heading in a free from Brzeczek. Just three minutes later, we were down to ten men. Zevenbergen was sent off for a professional foul, leaving us a tough task to hold the lead. I brought on Brian Scott to bolster our defence, and ironically he conceded a penalty a few minutes later. There went our lead before half time. Considering our disadvantage, we played well in the second half. Azulay set up several good chances, and Musolino was denied twice only by good saves. Just as it looked like we had held the points, and sharp pass and blind linesman saw Newcastle score from a blatantly offside position with just six minutes to go. Rushden were still behind as the game ticked into injury time. Brzeczek was awarded a free wide on the left of the area, and hooked it in. Musolino rose tallest, and headed it across to the far side of the goal. It squeezed in, levelling the scores. A punch from Al-Dossari cleared a final Newcastle attack, letting us escape with a point.

Aros was Player of the Month, with young defender Frandsen third.

With half the season gone, we sit in a pretty good position. We're only four points behind league leaders Leicester, and we are yet to face them in the league. They've only lost one game so far, but Liverpool showed last season how a side can slump after a very promising start. We are looking very good. Aros has been in insane form, with a dozen goals from the midfield already, including a hat-trick. Six other players have at least five goals, including the injured Oliva who is unlikely to be back this season. Young defenders Gaup and Frandsen have been exceptional and Vargas has been terrific in the midfield. A third straight title is within reach.

| Pos   | Inf   | Team          |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   |       | Leicester     |       | 19    | 13    | 5     | 1     | 25    | 8     | +17   | 44    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   |       | Man Utd       |       | 20    | 13    | 4     | 3     | 21    | 11    | +10   | 43    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Rushden       |       | 19    | 12    | 4     | 3     | 39    | 18    | +21   | 40    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Newcastle     |       | 20    | 11    | 6     | 3     | 30    | 14    | +16   | 39    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Chelsea       |       | 20    | 11    | 3     | 6     | 34    | 23    | +11   | 36    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Liverpool     |       | 19    | 9     | 6     | 4     | 27    | 16    | +11   | 33    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Man City      |       | 20    | 8     | 6     | 6     | 17    | 13    | +4    | 30    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Sunderland    |       | 20    | 7     | 7     | 6     | 20    | 17    | +3    | 28    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Middlesbrough |       | 20    | 7     | 7     | 6     | 16    | 14    | +2    | 28    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | Everton       |       | 20    | 8     | 2     | 10    | 19    | 24    | -5    | 26    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | MK Dons       |       | 20    | 7     | 4     | 9     | 20    | 22    | -2    | 25    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Arsenal       |       | 19    | 4     | 11    | 4     | 15    | 17    | -2    | 23    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Sheff Utd     |       | 20    | 7     | 2     | 11    | 18    | 26    | -8    | 23    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Bolton        |       | 20    | 5     | 7     | 8     | 16    | 19    | -3    | 22    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Reading       |       | 20    | 4     | 9     | 7     | 15    | 24    | -9    | 21    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | Cardiff       |       | 20    | 3     | 10    | 7     | 15    | 26    | -11   | 19    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | Barnsley      |       | 20    | 2     | 9     | 9     | 13    | 27    | -14   | 15    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th  |       | Wigan         |       | 20    | 3     | 6     | 11    | 14    | 29    | -15   | 15    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th  |       | Birmingham    |       | 20    | 2     | 6     | 12    | 14    | 24    | -10   | 12    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20th  |       | Norwich       |       | 20    | 2     | 6     | 12    | 12    | 28    | -16   | 12    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

[Donners]

January, 2033

I decided to strengthen our squad with two purchases at the start of the transfer window. One is a long-term signing, the other should slot straight in.

Dominic Holden [AM L, ENG – capped at U19 level, 182cm, 18] – 0, 0, 0

Signed from Celtic for ₤2.5M, Holden is a teenager with impressive skill. He has already played at Premier League level with Everton last season and played eight SPL games after being bought by Celtic for ₤775K at the start of the season. He'll start in the reserves, but if Vargas goes at the end of this season (which seems likely, as he keeps rejecting contracts), he may get his go as early as next season.

Alban Nushi [D C, ALB – 2 Caps, 181cm, 21] – 0, 0, 0

Awarded a conditional work permit, Nushi comes over from Shakhtar after a few very impressive seasons. He has picked up 16 Man of the Match awards there in the last 18 months and comes highly recommended by my scouts. Nushi is a pure defender who will start with a rotational role, and step up when Karpov leaves.

Arsenal, Premier League, Away

Aros was rested, with Mugnai playing in the attacking midfield role.

Chiappara and Morales shot way over former Rushden keeper Nuri Bozkurt. German midfielder Patrick Lehmann was equally off-target for them, Gaup made one crucial tackle, and the first half ended scoreless. Arsenal scored in the 50th and really could have had another two if not for bad misses. They were the better side, which made a sitter missed by Chiappara in the 75th even more painful. A late red card to Arsenal gave us some hope. A last-minute cross was met by a Mugnai header and pushed away by the keeper. The counter-attack took the remaining injury time, leaving us unable to respond. That was our first league defeat in nine games. The only consolation was that leaders Leicester also lost.

Barnsley, Premier League, Away

This game took place just two days after we faced Arsenal. Barnsley are 18th in the league, though they held us to a 1-1 draw earlier in the season. Their only player with more than three goals for the season is Danish forward Mikkel Jensen, who has seven.

Jeffrey Mifsud, possibly in his final Rushden season, as he is asking a wage increase to re-sign at the age of 32, opened the scoring with an 18th minute free. Barnsley had the better of the first half, yet only made Al-Dossari work on one occasion. A penalty in the 67th saw Aros score our second, and they did not challenge after that.

Rushden defenders were targeted in the transfer window. Young Danish defender Anders Hopfner agreed terms with Levante, leaving without any compensation. Palermo made a ₤5M bid for Jaap Zevenbergen and ₤10M for Ole Frandsen, while Udinese came in with over ₤12M for Gaup. However, the first completed deal was a ₤2.2M sale of midfielder Christian Koller to Galatasaray.

Nottingham Forest, FA Cup 3rd round, Home

A League One opponent equalled an opportunity to test a few other defenders. Kazakhstan Nikolay Romanov came in for his début, as did ₤4.7M purchase Alban Nushi. Portuguese striker Nuno also got a run.

Despite dominating the first half, with five shots on goal, we failed to score. With Forest totally on the back foot, the second half was no better, meaning we will have to face them again. As if that wasn't bad enough, we lost Vargas for three months with a hip injury – effectively ending his Rushden career, since he refuses to re-sign for a reasonable wage.

Newcastle, Carling Cup semi final, leg 1, Away

Newcastle have taken over top spot on the league table, and reached the Carling Cup semi final by knocking out Chelsea. We drew with them 2-2 just last month, and since then they have substantially strengthened their squad. Though they lost Austrian defender Stefan Lackner to Real Madrid for ₤13.25M, he only played 8 league games in a year after a ₤15.75M move. They brought in Leicester midfielder Liam Allen for ₤6.5M as a mere backup, then took Canadian playmaker Alex Smith from Milan for a ridiculous ₤32M despite a mediocre career, and finally ex-Rushden midfielder Thom Eerhart, for ₤12.25M from Chelsea.

Newcastle's deadly pair of Byrne and Ramsay caused plenty of trouble for Al-Dossari initially. However, Aros was no less dangerous at the other end. He started a counter-attack in the 27th, and Chiappara played back to him for the finish. The Chilean's shot was parried right back to Chiappara, who cashed in. Newcastle attacked straight from the kick-off, and with Nushi rounded too easily by Ramsay, they were level within a minute. Ramsay had the first three shots of the second half, missing two and having one powerful free held by Al-Dossari. Aros fired over from distance, but Fabian Lesage had the goods for Rushden, slotting in a goal with a dozen minutes left. That was enough for a significant lead thanks to the two away goals, though it is far from certain that we will progress to the final.

Birmingham, Premier League, Away

Birmingham are deep in relegation trouble despite possessing a reasonable attack. Rather than making any purchases to try and survive, they have actually made three big sales – winger Garry Makin to Celtic for ₤2.8M, 20-year-old midfielder Darren Murray to Chelsea for ₤5.25M and Romanian wing back Tiberiu Zamfirescu to Inter (₤9.25M). England defender Paul Mudge is clearly their star, and thankfully was suspended for this game.

The game couldn't have begun much more disastrously for Rushden, with Birmingham scoring in the opening minute. We immediately went on the attack. Musolino was denied by the keeper in the sixth, and three minutes later, Pedersen headed into the post. The loose ball was hacked away, but straight to Aros, who finished coolly. In the 17th, Birmingham again took the lead, with Azulay beaten in the air for a header. Lesage hit the side netting shortly after the kick-off, then had a curling shot parried in the 20th. Musolino slipped in, and we poached our second goal to again restore parity. We couldn't even hold that to the break. Having scored the first goal, former England midfielder Mark McLeod had the confidence to have another go, and put Birmingham ahead in the 38th. The wet conditions and Birmingham's constant attacking made our attempt at a fightback in the second half difficult. Pedersen created a few chances without success, and two minutes into injury time, we were still behind. We had a last-minute free kick, which Brzeczek crossed in. Musolino knocked the ball into former Rushden midfielder Martin Kloppenborg, who deflected the ball into his own net. A late, lucky goal, and just one point from a game against a side likely to go down.

While Palermo withdrew their bid for Zevenbergen, they completed a deal with Ole Frandsen for a ₤10M sale. He was rating an exceptional 7.73, but wanted to discuss terms with them and went for a decent price.

More painful was the loss of Kristian Gaup. Though we got the deal to a hefty ₤15.75M, he has been at the club for six years and really looked to be becoming a superstar. Again, though, he insisted on negotiating, and there's no point having unhappy players around.

I endeavoured to cover these two losses with a new signing.

Ronald [D C/DM, POR – 18 Caps, 183cm, 23] – 0, 0, 0

Bought from Villarreal for ₤4.8M, which was his minimum release fee, Ronald has a lot of talent without the performances. He has played a fair bit of Serie A with Milan and La Liga with his last club without ever meeting his true potential. With exceptional ball skills, especially shooting and passing, size, stamina and tackling ability, he could be a brilliant defensive midfielder. Marking is his only weak point.

Nottingham Forest, FA Cup 3rd round replay, Away

I did not rest anybody but Aros for this game, yet we were actually on the back foot early. Our class finally came through in the 30th minute, where a chain of passes took the ball out of defence to Azulay in the middle, and he came forward and drilled in a fantastic goal from 30 yards. Pedersen added our second from similar distance in the second half and this time we managed to progress.

MK Dons, Premier League, Home

Dons are solidly in the middle of the table, having won the Championship last season. Mifsud gave us a 1-0 win against them back in September. The only change of note to their squad since then was the purchase of Austrian defender Kevin Asamoah from Palermo for ₤1.5M. Irish defender Lee Bruce has had a good season for them, as has veteran midfielder Tony Royle.

A very long run down the left from Larrainzar capped off with an incredible shot from an angle prompted a good save in an otherwise dull first half. It took until the 60th minute for Rushden's next chance, with both strikers charging forward. The keeper could only get a hand to Larrainzar's shot, and it trickled to Chiappara to tap in a goal. Al-Dossari made a good late save, and though Chiappara was denied from close range in injury time, his earlier goal was enough for three points.

We picked up over ₤2M from Arsenal's sale of Ollie Burton to Birmingham. I spent a mere ₤65K on Colchester's James Gibbs, “the next Owen Hargreaves”.

Newcastle, Carling Cup semi final, leg 2, Home

Our advantage in this leg was slight, with a 2-1 away lead. Al-Dossari had to make two saves in the first fifteen minutes. Ronald, on début, was rounded easily by striker Byrne, who fortunately shot wide. Pedersen should have extended the lead when a great cross from Marsden found him in the box. Ignoring the mostly open goal, he headed straight to the keeper. This leg was scoreless at half time.

Our defenders were caught badly out of position when a long ball was sent forward for Newcastle, and it took a good save from Al-Dossari to keep them out. However, Craig Ramsay squeezed in a goal with ten minutes to go. That left us with a lead purely on away goals. A quick break as we entered injury time gave Lesage a chance to seal our progression, but he missed. Marsden was also off-target. It was still 2-2 on aggregate four minutes into injury time, with Rushden in possession. Marsden hooked a pass into the area for Aros, who made sure of our survival with a great strike. 1-1 for the game, 3-2 on aggregate, and we were through to the final.

Having lost several players from a position we are quite weak in, defence, I sold off a striker, which we have in excess. Itay Mizrahi was the man to go, sold to Hertha BSC for ₤9.25M. After scoring six goals in his first ten games, he managed just two in seventeen last season. He had four from eleven this season, which is not bad. It just came down to competition and the fact that I could easily get good value for him.

Newcastle, FA Cup 4th round, Home

Perennial nemesis Craig Ramsay fired an absolute rocket in the first minute which barely missed. They took the lead in the 14th through defender Nicolas Rojas. Chiappara failed to score from inside the area, though to be fair Ramsay was missing plenty at the other end. An innocuous floating free from Brzeczek drifted over the area in the 70th. Morales ducked in out of nowhere and slammed in an equaliser. The final minutes ticked away, leaving us with yet another game against Spurs.

We took ₤3.4M from Valencia's sale of winger Tor Magnus Pedersen to Newcastle – as if it wasn't annoying enough to keep playing them!

Aros was Player of the Month, Spellman third as Young Player of the Month, and Mifsud took Goal of the Month.

[Donners]

February, 2033

Sheffield United, Premier League, Away

Sheffield United look to have survived fairly comfortably after being promoted from the Championship. None of their January transfers were of any significance. They have two decent strikers, though an average squad overall.

Sheffield completely carved us up in the first dozen minutes, yet a sharp break from Rushden in the 15th saw Pedersen smack in a great goal. Mugnai had several shots after that, missing them all. After being quiet for half an hour, Sheffield United, scored in the 65th. Again it was Pedersen, playing on the left wing, who squeezed in a fantastic strike from a sharp angle to restore the lead. 2-1, with an unlikely star for Rushden. That took us to the top of the table, ahead of Leicester by a significant goal difference.

Chelsea, Premier League, Home

Chelsea are in the title hunt and have made a substantial amount of transfers both in and out. Former Rushden midfielder Thom Eerhart left for Newcastle (₤12.25M), Chinese forward Wang Zheng went to Atlético (₤15.5M), Brazilian defender Gustavo to Arsenal (₤13.5M) and former England keeper Christian Brookes to Coventry (₤650K). Two Birmingham players were bought, 20-year-old midfielder Darren Murray (₤5.25M) and England playmaker Mark McLeod (₤10M), along with Reading defender Kane Reddington (₤3.9M) and ex-Rushden defender Mark Nolan (₤6.75M from Leicester).

Speaking of ex-Rushden players, our former striker David Davidson scored the first goal after only ten minutes. Aside from a few misses from Brzeczek, there were no other chances at either end in the first half. Chiappara was shoved just outside the area two minutes into the second half. Aros stepped up, and as usual, delivered. Davidson kept us on our toes by hitting the bar, and Briglia had to make a series of saves. Chelsea were looking the better side, but a good cross from Pedersen saw Mugnai volley us into the lead. Briglia made another good save, and was rightly Man of the Match as we stole the three points.

Newcastle, FA Cup 4th round replay, Away

Thankfully our last encounter with Newcastle this season, regardless of the result. The result was quite clear with a scoreline of 0-3 after eleven minutes. A fourth late in the game rubbed it in. We were quite simply crushed by Newcastle, with a brace each to strikers Byrne and Ramsay.

Liverpool, Premier League, Home

We hammered Liverpool late in December, and they have not signed a new player since then. Their only January transfers were to sell off a few fringe players, increasing their reliance on stars Peter Molyneux and Richard Scott.

Indeed, both those stars were involved in the opening goal. Scott earned a free in the 17th when Brzeczek held him back, and Molyneux put it through. Briglia at least made a few saves after that, and while Chiappara was denied at the other end, Marsden headed in an Aros free late in the half. Chiappara missed a couple of shots on either side of the break, and despite a red card to Liverpool with twenty minutes to go, they held on for a draw. That saw us drop to third on the table.

Milan, Champions League 1st knockout round, leg 1, Away

A pretty tough match-up for the first knockout round, especially with so many players – like Nushi, Pedersen and Ronald, ineligible. Our back four of Brzeczek, Karpov, Romanov and Spellman was far from our best. Milan are second in Serie A, having finished third last season. Their keeper, Adnan Al-Madi, is 37 years old, and they have four players valued at eight-figure sums ineligible for this game. However, they also have England striker Jamie Wiseman (formerly of Aston Villa), Mexican midfielder Jose Centeno and defenders Ferreira, who they bought from us for ₤17.5M, and Alberto Paschetta, who left us for ₤15M.

We took the lead in only four minutes, when Rushden got numbers in the area and Aros was able to tap in when a Marsden shot was parried. Aros and Musolino tested their keeper a couple of times, before a counter-attack from Milan saw them level the scores in the 38th. Only a good save from Briglia kept out another two minutes later, and from the resulting corner, Spellman made that save moot by heading into his own net. 1-2 at half time, and though we had looked a bit stronger, we went in behind.

Seven minutes into the second half, Spellman made amends with a fine long free kick from the left wing which Musolino collected and knocked in. The scores were level for just three minutes – again Milan scored, this time with a Wiseman header. Denis Larrainzar answered that a minute later on the break – 3-3. Larrainzar almost scored again in the following minute, with his shot from another counter-attack barely turned away. The game turned once again, with a second yellow card shown to England winger Ken Hutton. That did nothing to deter them – a quick attack, and they beat Briglia once again. 32-year-old Argentinian Claudio Coleman, bought many years ago for over ₤40M, did the damage. A magnificent flick-on from Aros, a little lob from Musolino, and it was 4-4 with twenty minutes to go. The ball bounced back and forth outside the Milan in the 75th, and a deflection off Azulay found Coleman in space. Milan's fifth shot on target, and their fifth goal. Two goals with ten men to take this leg 4-5 – a record high score for Rushden, and not one we wanted. Briglia was not actually that bad – the weak defence allowed them too many good chances.

Manchester United, Carling Cup Final, Neutral

United beat us in this competition back in 2027. Unusually for them, they did not buy a single player during the transfer window. Indeed, they weakened their squad with two major sales – England striker Phil Brown (to Milan for ₤16M) and former Rushden full back Grigor Yordanov (₤12.75M to Valencia). After Briglia let through nine goals in three games, Al-Dossari returned to the keeping role. Nushi also came in for Karpov as a central defender, though injuries to Ronald and Vargas limited our options, with the latter forcing Mifsud to play on the left wing.

A typically sharp pass and even more typical dangerous long shot from Aros forced United's England keeper Antony Canoville to parry. Chiappara got in for the follow-up and missed everything. Another Aros effort was parried in the 10th and Chiappara missed again in the 16th. We certainly had our chances, and two misses from Musolino only increased the frustration in a scoreless first half. We had seven shots while they didn't have so much as an attempt, yet it was still level.

They evidently decided to change their approach for the second half, with a headed shot going just over the bar after only 24 seconds. Another header missed in the 63rd and Brzeczek had to clear off the line in the 72nd. Just as it looked like we were going to extra time, United launched an attack late in injury time. Romanov managed to get a boot in, knocking it straight to an opponent. With Al-Dossari out of position, the shot only had to be accurate. It was.

Nushi was named Young Player of the Month. Having lost the Carling Cup final, been knocked out of the FA Cup and defeated in the first leg of a Champions League knock-out round, it's fair to say that was a pretty unsuccessful month for us. Still, we are certainly within reach of a title, and the new players should continue to gel over the coming months. Having Vargas back would make things a lot better, but he is still months away.

| Pos   | Inf   | Team          |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   |       | Newcastle     |       | 28    | 17    | 7     | 4     | 44    | 17    | +27   | 58    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   |       | Leicester     |       | 27    | 16    | 8     | 3     | 33    | 15    | +18   | 56    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Rushden       |       | 26    | 16    | 6     | 4     | 50    | 25    | +25   | 54    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Man Utd       |       | 27    | 14    | 8     | 5     | 27    | 18    | +9    | 50    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Chelsea       |       | 28    | 13    | 8     | 7     | 49    | 33    | +16   | 47    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Man City      |       | 28    | 12    | 7     | 9     | 26    | 21    | +5    | 43    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Arsenal       |       | 28    | 10    | 13    | 5     | 27    | 24    | +3    | 43    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Liverpool     |       | 28    | 10    | 12    | 6     | 34    | 24    | +10   | 42    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Middlesbrough |       | 27    | 11    | 7     | 9     | 27    | 23    | +4    | 40    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | Sunderland    |       | 28    | 9     | 11    | 8     | 30    | 27    | +3    | 38    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | Bolton        |       | 27    | 10    | 8     | 9     | 26    | 24    | +2    | 38    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | MK Dons       |       | 28    | 11    | 5     | 12    | 30    | 29    | +1    | 38    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Wigan         |       | 28    | 8     | 7     | 13    | 27    | 40    | -13   | 31    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Sheff Utd     |       | 28    | 9     | 3     | 16    | 26    | 38    | -12   | 30    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Everton       |       | 28    | 8     | 4     | 16    | 27    | 39    | -12   | 28    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | Reading       |       | 28    | 5     | 12    | 11    | 20    | 34    | -14   | 27    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | Barnsley      |       | 28    | 5     | 10    | 13    | 21    | 35    | -14   | 25    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th  |       | Cardiff       |       | 28    | 4     | 13    | 11    | 17    | 34    | -17   | 25    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th  |       | Birmingham    |       | 28    | 3     | 9     | 16    | 19    | 36    | -17   | 18    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20th  |       | Norwich       |       | 28    | 3     | 8     | 17    | 18    | 42    | -24   | 17    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

[Donners]

March, 2033

Manchester United, Premier League, Home

This was a chance to get a bit of revenge for our Carling Cup loss. Instead, we were totally outplayed. Al-Dossari made a number of saves before being beaten by former Rushden midfielder Philani Mofokeng in the 40th. England striker scored a second moments into the second half and international team-mate Jon McCoy sealed it at the very end.

Milan, Champions League 1st knockout round, leg 2, Home

After a 4-5 result in the previous game, there was no telling what could happen here. With injured and unavailable players everywhere, I had to go with Marsden as a forward. Claudio Coleman, scorer of a brace for Milan in the previous leg, went down in the area eight minutes in. Thankfully, the ref noticed the dive, and showed him a yellow card. Morales hooked in a 28th minute cross, which deflected off a defender. That left Marsden in perfect position to tap in, and he did so. 5-5 on aggregate, and a lead on away goals to Rushden. Al-Dossari saved a header from Jamie Wiseman, and just before half time, former Rushden defender Paschetta was sent off for a second yellow. They scored twice after having a player sent off in the previous leg, so that wasn't necessarily a good thing. A headed goal from Marsden in the 58th was ruled offside, but two minutes later Mifsud scored. That meant they had to score twice to win on aggregate, and they did not manage any. 2-0 for the leg, 6-5 on aggregate, and survival in the Champions League for Rushden. Jose Oliva returned from his torn calf muscle late in the game.

Bolton, Premier League, Home

Bolton are in the top half of the table. They brought in former England defender David McHale (₤240K from Sunderland) and Tottenham's left back David Smith (₤1.5M) , and remain heavily reliant on ex-Rushden pair Sebastian Hontecillas and Ashley Winn.

Marsden continued his good form as a forward, heading in a fourth minute goal from an Azulay cross. Bulgarian Ivaylo Kyuchukov missed several shots for Bolton in the first half and they did not threaten at all in the second half. Larrainzar scored late from a tight angle to complete a 2-0 win.

Sunderland, Premier League, Home

Sunderland will finish in the middle of the table, only a couple of years after back-to-back titles. After spending plenty of money in the off-season, their only January moves were sales. Among those leaving were Portugal midfielder Ramos (₤8.75M to Palermo) and Italy winger Mirko Gigli (₤11.5M to Juventus). In contrast to Rushden, defence is their strength, with centre backs Peter Evans and Jack Oates internationals for England and Scotland respectively.

Rushden had the only chances of the first half, with shots from Marsden, Spellman and Larrainzar all unsuccessful. Mugnai came close ten minutes into the second, winning a header which was barely tipped away. Misses from Larrainzar and Mugnai followed, and it took until the final five minutes for Mugnai to finally put us ahead. It was late, but it was enough. 1-0.

Leicester, Premier League, Home

We went into this ahead of second-placed Leicester on goal difference alone. Remarkably, this is our first game against them for the season, with an away match in a couple of weeks. This has been an impressive season from Leicester, given they were fourth in the Championship two years ago and 13th in the EPL last season. New striker Nick Hogg (₤6M from Rangers) has 10 goals for them so far, Italian international midfielder Riccardo Facchini (₤1.7M from Barcelona) has been solid and Lichtenstein forward Reinhard Funkel has played a remarkable 44 games. They bought former Rushden right back Mark Nolan for ₤5M at the start of the season, then sold him to Chelsea for ₤6.75M in January. Mexican left back Francisco Brown also left, for ₤8.75M to Pumas.

There was a fair bit of play around the areas without either side managing to get in many shots. Aros and Larrainzar had efforts saved, and Briglia denied Funkel twice as the first half ended scoreless. It hardly looked like a game between the top two sides in the first forty-five minutes. Rushden attacked in the second half. Larrainzar missed a couple of minutes in, and as usual it was Aros who did the job, heading in a 50th minute Mifsud cross. We had all the play after that. Mifsud and Larrainzar missed, then the latter made a nice run around the keeper to put through our second. Mugnai headed in a Brzeczek cross to seal a fine 3-0 win, and take us three points clear of our nearest opponents on the table.

Dan Spellman made his début for England at the age of 20 in a World Cup qualifier. I was given a new four-year contract at ₤95K per week – almost double my current wages.

Aros was third as Player of the Month; Larrainzar was Young Player of the Month with Spellman runner-up and I was Manager of the Month.

[mrmurphster]

Could be a 3rd league win in a row in the offing

[Donners]

April, 2033

Leicester, Premier League, Away

After an impressive 3-0 win, we faced Leicester again. They took only seven minutes to better their performance in the previous game, taking the lead through Uzbekistan forward Suhrob Tojimov. He should have scored again with a point-blank shot a few minutes later, which instead was sent straight to Briglia. Aros made him pay, drilling in an 11th minute free. He turned provider ten minutes later, playing through Larrainzar who put us into the lead. That lasted just six minutes, with Karpov beaten for a header which saw Leicester draw level again. As if that wasn't enough, they scored from 25 yards in the 34th minute, making the score 2-3. Marsden could have brought us level just before half time, breaking the offside trap after a pass from Larrainzar, but missed. On the other hand, Briglia made a good save to avoid Rushden going down further. After Lesage was denied by a late tackle in the area, it looked like we could not score. In the 84th, Mifsud and Brzeczek came down the left, with the former crossing into the area. Marsden was the target, but a defender rose up to meet it first – and headed straight into his own net. We settled for the 3-3 draw, and Newcastle moved to within two points of us. Ronald Vargas returned from injury late in the game.

Lens, Champions League quarter final, leg 1, Home

Lens are top of Ligue 1, and won that league seven out of the last eight seasons. On the other hand, they lost at this point of the Champions League in the last two seasons, and earlier than that in every previous attempt. Former Rushden forward Laurent Marchal is up-front for Lens at 32 years of age, and they even have two regulars on loan. Bosnian midfielder/forward Damir Kodro is their star.

An early shot from Lesage was tipped away, and from the resulting corner, a Karpov header was deflected to Larrainzar, who scored. Two minutes later, Marsden launched a counter-attack and crossed to Azulay, who found Lesage for another goal. Lesage, Aros, Marsden and Mifsud peppered the goals, and another counter-attack saw Aros set up Lesage for his second, and our third, just before half time. Lens gave up after that. Lesage completed his hat-trick, Aros scored his 20th of the season and Brzeczek capped it off with a late free kick. A 6-0 demolition, with Lens not managing to have a shot on target.

Reading, Premier League, Home

Reading, having barely survived last season, are in a somewhat safer position this time around. They brought in Man City defender John Simpson for ₤2.6M, but sold young utility Kane Reddington to Chelsea for ₤3.9M. Aros was rested for the big final games of the season.

A 12th minute free from Mifsud somehow found Spellman in plenty of space inside the area. H took the shot, and smashed it into the bar. Reading had a player sent off for an elbow on Brzeczek four minutes later. Again we hit the woodwork in the 40th, but this time Chiappara was able to collect his own rebound and tap in a goal. Larrainzar had a number of shots in the second half, while Brzeczek hit the bar with a long free. With nineteen shots, we should have scored a lot more than once. Thankfully, it was enough.

We picked up ₤1.4M from the Mizrahi transfer a lot sooner than I expected – he has scored ten Bundesliga goals in as many games...

Lens, Champions League quarter final, leg 2, Away

With a 6-0 lead, there wasn't exactly a lot of pressure on Rushden here. Lens certainly did little to threaten, with Morales and Oliva scoring to complete an 8-0 aggregate rout.

Norwich, Premier League, Away

Norwich are dead last on the table and will be returning straight to the Championship. They made a few signings in January in an attempt to survive, including Bolton defensive midfielder Juan Abadias on loan, but this was clearly not enough.

Norwich had the kick-off, and came forward immediately. A quick pass down the right, a run past Brzeczek and a shot, and a goal was on the board in an incredible 11 seconds. Not exactly what you want in a game against the bottom-placed side when you're trying to hold onto top spot. Adi Azulay stepped up with an excellent run and better shot, equalising in the 9th. Norwich did not show a lot of attacking flair after their initial shock, and Larrainzar put us ahead before half time. With Ronald holding firm at the back and Azulay and Vargas controlling the midfield, 2-1 was the final score.

Cardiff, Premier League, Home

Cardiff are dangerously close to relegation, with the particularly untimely loss of key defender Gamal Shokry to injury. They made no transfers in January, sticking with a pop-gun attack and generally mediocre squad.

Larrainzar and Brzeczek missed early shots before ex-Rushden keeper Kenneth Bergseth brought down forward Jose Oliva in the area. He was sent off, and a penalty was awarded. With Aros again rested, Pedersen took the spot kick and scored. Oliva earned another penalty just six minutes later. Lesage took this one, and hit it straight to the keeper. Brzeczek collected a clearance in the 21st and found defensive partner Ronald. The new signing fired from 25 yards, scoring our second goal. Cardiff had a goal disallowed just before half time, allowing us to retain a 2-0 lead. Pedersen set up Larrainzar in the 64th, and though he had his first attempt blocked, he recovered to have a second go, and scored. 3-0, and three easy points.

Manchester United, Champions League semi final leg 1, Away

After our series of matches against Newcastle, we now come up against a side we faced in the Carling Cup final (losing 0-1) and twice in the league (with a three-goal win and loss). With our two new defenders, Ronald and Nushi, winger Pedersen and forward Mugnai all ineligible, it was a fairly weakened Rushden side.

Our problems were made worse with Larrainzar going off injured early. Norway striker Bjorn Gunnar Eriksen put Briglia under a lot of pressure, coming closest with a half-volley in the 20th. In turn, we challenged keeper Antony Canoville with shots from Aros and Larrainzar's replacement, Lesage. Dan Spellman, playing in the unusual position of centre back, managed to make a crucial interception when United midfielder Philani Mofokeng came forward. Spellman had a terrific game, but it looked like a game we were in danger of losing when Morales was sent off for a late tackle. We held on for ten minutes despite being a man down, keeping the aggregate level but finishing without an away goal.

Everton, Premier League, Home

Everton are second-last on the table, though survival is certainly a possibility. Like doomed Norwich, they did not make any purchases in January, only bringing in Aston Villa striker Chris Livingstone on loan. They are missing a number of key players through injury, including former Rushden midfielder Zeljko Rakic and Nigerian forward Victor Idemudia. Aros was again rested, with Mugnai playing as the attacking midfielder.

Rushden came forward straight from the kick-off. Though our initial attack was thwarted, Ronald was able to take the clearance and send the ball back. Brzeczek took the ball on the left and centred to Azulay, who went down the right to Scott. He looked for Marsden, with the ball deflecting off a defender to Oliva. The young striker made no mistake, for a second-minute goal. A number of misses from Pedersen and Morales were followed by a goal to Everton, despite what looked to be a clear offside. Oliva failed to restore the lead before the break, but on the other side, Mugnai did so with a free kick. Mugnai added his second, and our third, ten minutes later to give us some breathing room. We could relax after that, and a late penalty saw Tolba score to complete a 4-1 win.

Ronald was second as Player of the Month, as Larrainzar was as Young Player of the Month.

| Pos   | Inf   | Team          |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   |       | Rushden       |       | 35    | 23    | 7     | 5     | 69    | 33    | +36   | 76    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   |       | Newcastle     |       | 35    | 21    | 9     | 5     | 49    | 20    | +29   | 72    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Leicester     |       | 36    | 19    | 11    | 6     | 43    | 26    | +17   | 68    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Man Utd       |       | 36    | 18    | 12    | 6     | 35    | 20    | +15   | 66    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Chelsea       |       | 36    | 17    | 9     | 10    | 58    | 40    | +18   | 60    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Liverpool     |       | 36    | 15    | 13    | 8     | 47    | 31    | +16   | 58    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Arsenal       |       | 36    | 13    | 15    | 8     | 33    | 30    | +3    | 54    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Middlesbrough |       | 35    | 14    | 10    | 11    | 32    | 26    | +6    | 52    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Sunderland    |       | 36    | 13    | 12    | 11    | 38    | 31    | +7    | 51    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | Man City      |       | 36    | 14    | 9     | 13    | 33    | 28    | +5    | 51    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | MK Dons       |       | 36    | 15    | 5     | 16    | 41    | 38    | +3    | 50    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Bolton        |       | 34    | 13    | 9     | 12    | 30    | 30    | 0     | 48    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Reading       |       | 36    | 9     | 14    | 13    | 27    | 38    | -11   | 41    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Sheff Utd     |       | 36    | 11    | 5     | 20    | 33    | 47    | -14   | 38    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Wigan         |       | 36    | 9     | 9     | 18    | 31    | 52    | -21   | 36    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | Barnsley      |       | 36    | 7     | 12    | 17    | 31    | 47    | -16   | 33    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | Cardiff       |       | 36    | 6     | 14    | 16    | 21    | 45    | -24   | 32    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th  |       | Birmingham    |       | 35    | 7     | 9     | 19    | 29    | 44    | -15   | 30    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th  |       | Everton       |       | 36    | 8     | 6     | 22    | 28    | 54    | -26   | 30    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20th  | R     | Norwich       |       | 36    | 5     | 10    | 21    | 24    | 52    | -28   | 25    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
|       |       |               |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

[EvilDave]

Looking good for three in a row and maybe even a CL on top! Excellent work as always, very much looking forward to the dramatic finale.

[Donners]

Here you go...

May, 2033

Manchester United, Champions League semi final leg 2, Home

With a 0-0 away draw, we could not afford to concede a goal here – yet needed to score to get to the final. It would be some revenge after United beat us in the Carling Cup, and certainly wasn't impossible given we beat them 3-0 at home earlier in the season. However, we were missing Nushi, Pedersen, Ronald, Mugnai and Chiappara (all unregistered) as well as the injured Larrainzar and the suspended Morales and Spellman. With Vargas back, I was able to put him on the left wing, with Mifsud at left back and Brzeczek in the centre of defence with Karpov. With Scott having to play at right back in the absence of Spellman, my only other centre back is the unimpressive Romanov. In contrast, United were only missing former England forward Jon McCoy and veteran Greek midfielder Panagiotis Marinos.

A wild long-range shot from Lesage was the only attempt at goal in the first half hour. Mick Oakley swerved around several defenders and was denied only by Briglia's save in the 31st. Marsden carried the ball clear, and the first half ended without further incident. Just as the game was about to enter the final half hour, a short free kick was headed past Briglia by Bjorn Gunnar Eriksen, giving United an away goal. We looked completely non-threatening until a long clearance from Briglia in the first minute of injury time sent Oliva through, and with a burst of pace he got into the area and scored his eighth goal in ten games. Shortly after the United kick-off, we had the ball again. Scott switched sides to Brzeczek, who passed into the area. Oliva collected the ball and went for the shot. Could the 22-year-old become a star? The ball skimmed the top of the bar and went over. The final whistle went moments later, and our Champions League run was over.

That leaves us just three games to complete the season. We are four points ahead of Newcastle, who likewise have played 35 games. With superior goal difference, two wins will give us the title regardless of their results. In the run home, we face Wigan (15th), Middlesbrough (8th) and Man City (10th). Newcastle face Reading (13th), Bolton (12th) and Middlesbrough (8th), and also have the Champions League final against Man U to worry about. Both our sides are at full strength, so there are no excuses.

Wigan, Premier League, Home

Wigan are towards the bottom of the table, though safe from relegation. They brought over 34+year-old Georgian winger Levan Pirtskhalava, who spent several seasons at Rushden, from Tenerife for ₤350K. Former England defender Barry Robinson joined from Liverpool for ₤240K, while they sold Chilean midfielder Nicolas Cortes to Nantes for ₤650K. Striker Daniel Morley is their star, with a dozen goals so far. The good thing about missing so many players for the Champions League through suspension and ineligibility was that they were fresh for this match.

Mugnai sent in a few testing long-range shots in the first ten minutes, while Chiappara missed from inside the area. With a Mifsud free saved, we went in level at half time. With Newcastle two goals down against Reading, it wasn't all bad. With Mifsud, Chiappara and Azulay all picking up knocks, my tactical options were limited, and chances were rare. We finished with a flat draw, yet with Newcastle's loss, we pulled five points clear.

Middlesbrough, Premier League, Away

Middlesbrough are firmly in the middle of the table. They sold off a few players during the season, including left back Graziano Pazzi (₤1M to Charlton) and defender Paul Keith (₤800K to West Brom), buying Arsenal keeper Helgi Hreinsson for ₤1.2M. Scotland striker John Sturrock has 20 goals this season and midfielder Billy Francis has been solid.

Middlesbrough had the first two shots of the game, with Al-Dossari making an athletic save to keep one out. A sharp pass from Vargas gave Chiappara a shot from inside the area, which was tipped away. With a Morales free missing by a long way, we went into the break scoreless. A 44th minute goal to Bolton had them ahead of Newcastle, and if these results stayed the same, we would take the title. Oliva missed a shot at the start of the second half, and as the game entered the final 20 minutes, there were still no goals. Oliva was denied when a brilliant Morales cross was punched away just before the striker got to it. With yet another miss from Oliva in the 80th and a save from a close-range Azulay shot, we simply could not score. It didn't matter – with Newcastle likewise impotent in their game, we moved to six points clear after 37 games. That resulted in the title, our third in a row.

Manchester City, Premier League, Away

This match meant nothing to either side, with City firmly in the middle of the table. They spent up big in January, letting defender John Simpson go to Reading for ₤2.6M and bring in our defender Jaap Zevenbergen (₤8.5M) and Lebanon winger Mohammad Shatila (₤7.5M from Leicester). With the title sealed up, I brought in a few reserve players like Luis Jaka, Colin Holmes and Nuno.

The first half was dull, with only a couple of shots. City took the lead in the 60th, which was cancelled out a few minutes later by Aros on the counter-attack – his 50th league goal for Rushden. The game finished 1-1. Newcastle suffered their third loss in a row, meaning we finished seven points clear.