dafuge&#039;s FM14 challenge

Having Boyce back and firing was fantastic and he is still only 21. I finally found a decent midfielder in Laird.

The Skrill North Banner.jpg

A season of two halves. I should have been in the playoffs this year.

Frustrating that Millwall (L1) lost to Rochdale (L2) and denied me an even more lucrative 2nd round tie, but the run was still a money-spinner, particularly with the Bognor Regis game being on telly!

We should have beaten Tonbridge, an extended run in this competition is overdue. It seems that in the FA Trophy, I'm more often giant-killed than giant-killer.

Key Players

Adam Dawson | Lee Boyce | Joe Jackson | Marc Laird

Finally got a decent central midfielder into the side - about time! Just need to sort out the full backs.

Awards

Fan's Player of the Season

Marc Laird

Get those decent full backs and I think promotion can follow.

Jackson does get the push into the first XI here. Laird, Disney and O'Dowda all new inductees.

Review of Aims for This Season

70 points and a decent cup run to boost the coffers.

We had the cup run - and though it wasn't as lucrative as I would have liked, it was a good start and has put my finances in good shape. Third round next time would be nice! Who knows, we might get a trip to Old Trafford or the Emirates! 9 points off my target for the season but it's progress nonetheless.

Aims for Next Season

Playoff place. Pure and simple. I'm holding on to all my key players so one or two additions that work out and that should be enough. I reckon I can carry one or maybe even two underperforming regulars, but not the four or so we had this season.

Career Overview

[size=4]Season      League          League Finish      Points       Achievements
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[url="http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/363732-dafuge-s-FM14-challenge?p=9772482&viewfull=1#post9772482"]2014/15[/url]     Skrill North         19th            45         Survival
[url="http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/363732-dafuge-s-FM14-challenge?p=9784784&viewfull=1#post9784784"]2015/16[/url]     Skrill North          6th            70         Minor giantkilling in FA Trophy (N Ferriby)
[url="http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/363732-dafuge-s-FM14-challenge?p=9788388&viewfull=1#post9788388"]2016/17[/url]     Skrill North         11th            58         None.
[url="http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/363732-dafuge-s-FM14-challenge?p=9792166&viewfull=1#post9792166"]2017/18[/url]     Skrill North         18th            50         None.
[url="http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/363732-dafuge-s-FM14-challenge?p=9793145&viewfull=1#post9793145"]2018/19[/url]     Skrill North         13th            61         Reached 2nd round of the FA Cup.
[/size]

dafuge · August 14, 2014

steff91 you can't play as Hereford. You have to holiday until the second season and pick a team promoted to BSN/BSP

It seems they were expelled from the BSP in 2013/14 due to financial irregularities and put into the Southern Premier for 2014/15. This happened after the season had finished so they should appear below the BSN/S in the game until FM15.

steff91 - are you using an updated database?

That could explain why they appeared to be eligible, but unofficial data updates aren't allowed for this challenge.

GreyedOutMan · August 14, 2014

Question. When does the FA Cup stop being regional? I hadn't noticed before this year that you are always drawn against local teams in the early rounds. When is it national? 1st Round Proper?

dafuge · August 14, 2014

I'm pretty sure the 1st round proper is the first round that is not regional.

GreyedOutMan · August 14, 2014

It certainly isn't regional then - Bognor isn't anywhere near Manchester! ;-)

steff91 · August 15, 2014

It seems they were expelled from the BSP in 2013/14 due to financial irregularities and put into the Southern Premier for 2014/15. This happened after the season had finished so they should appear below the BSN/S in the game until FM15.
steff91 - are you using an updated database?

That could explain why they appeared to be eligible, but unofficial data updates aren't allowed for this challenge.

Ah sorry Dafuge,appear to have overlooked this,shame really as i had my team built up quite nicely as well.I'll leave you guys be :/

dafuge · August 15, 2014

Shame that. I know the OP is quite long, but it does need to be read carefully.

steff91 · August 15, 2014

Shame that. I know the OP is quite long, but it does need to be read carefully.

No worries mate,im usually quite aware when it comes to stuff like that as well.

Lenzar · August 15, 2014

steff91 why not write your adventures up across in FMCU instead?

steff91 · August 15, 2014

steff91 why not write your adventures up across in FMCU instead?

Hmm might give that a bash Lenzar,Started off another save might just do that.thanks.

GreyedOutMan · August 15, 2014

FC United

Skrill North

2019/20: Media Prediction - 11th

Club Information | Confidence | Finances | Transfers

The first decision I made over the summer was to finally do the thing I thought I might have to do a while back and move to 3-5-2. The full back positions had been such a problem that I thought getting rid of them might be a good idea! My scouts literally couldn't find a single decent full back (they even said so!), so it was a no-brainer. And it worked. In the end, we actually should have been promoted automatically, but just four points in five games through March and the start of April meant we weren't really in contention for it - just seven more points would have seen us go up automatically as we would have had a better goal difference. You'll notice how many players have made 50+ appearances this year....

The Skrill North Banner.jpg

Big step up in quality this year. We should have ended the season on a massive winning run and got automatic promotion. But instead:

Playoffs

First up was Hereford. We had lost at home to them and beaten them away in the regular season so it was hard to see how this would go.

The first leg went exactly as planned. We hit Hereford early on with a brutally quick start and got ahead with a Jackson goal after 20 minutes. After that, we just held it. Ideally I was hoping for a second on the counter but I wasn't really expecting it and a 1-0 win at Gigg Lane did me just fine.

In the second leg, I wasn't really thinking of just holding on to the lead but a Luke Ashworth own-goal just six minutes in was not ideal. After just twelve minutes, we were exposed by a long ball from the left and Hereford took the lead. This was not in the script. But Lee Boyce did get us the equalising goal before half-time which helped. With momentum on our side, I decided to go for it for the seven minutes before half-time, with a quick-paced, attacking game, but it didn't lead to a single change. Half time. 2-2. I told the players that this was it. They had to perform. They are a more professional outfit this year so they all reacted well, but within four minutes of the restart, we were caught out from a set-piece and were up against it. Boycey had a great chance early in the last 20 minutes but despite throwing the kitchen sink at Hereford, we couldnt fashion a single chance after that. It was particularly disappointing that the last 45 seconds of the game were taken up by my 'keeper WASTING TIME despite having "overload", "take more risks" and the works applied!

The first leg was perfect, and I felt positive we could get to the final but the second leg was a disaster.

Disappointing, but another season at this level might not be the worst thing.

First giantkillings in the FA Cup, albeit only minor ones, first against Skrill Premier side Bury Town. Disappointed to then draw Cheltenham, also of the Skrill Premier, when big teams like Sunderland and Middlesbrough were possibilities in the first round. Indeed, we drew Sunderland - albeit at home - in the second round after the first game, so beating Cheltenham was all the sweeter! Yes, it wasn't the money spinner that a game at the Stadium of Light would have been, but it was still pretty cool to play such a big team! The Cheltenham game alone drew £60k in gate receipts, and then TV alone gave me £70k for the Sunderland game. When we equalised 10 minutes into the second half, I was dreaming of a spectacular result and a lucrative replay. But to lose heavily is no disgrace against a team like Sunderland, and when we got the 2nd goal to make it 4-2, it didn't even look like too much of a thrashing. 5-2 was probably about fair, because we did show some real fight despite being mismatched. Gate receipts of £180k were treble the previous record for the club and the cup run has secured the club's future for some time and will allow me to shop at the top non-league table.

Continues to be my problem competition, not really done much in it as yet. I was probably a little reckless in the second half of extra time, throwing on three fresh players and really going for a goal to win before the lottery of penalties, but it backfired.

Key Players

Adam Dawson | Lee Boyce | Joe Jackson | Marc Laird | Luke Ashworth

The usual suspects stepped up this year. If I can find one more player in a key position (either central midfield or central defence) who really comes off next season, we'll be automatically promoted for sure.

Awards

Fan's Player of the Season

Adam Dawson

Get those decent full backs and I think promotion can follow.

Four new inductees. There are five absolute standouts in this game so far and they are all still at the club. I need a couple more.

I got 3rd place in the Manager of the Year awards for the division.

Records

Lee Boyce broke the FC United league goalscoring record, Mike Norton's mark of 68.

He also got the highest average rating so far at 7.16 in 43 appearances.

Highest league finish.

Highest average attendance: 1991 (previous record 1533 in 2015).

Review of Aims for This Season

Playoff place. Pure and simple. I'm holding on to all my key players so one or two additions that work out and that should be enough. I reckon I can carry one or maybe even two underperforming regulars, but not the four or so we had this season.

Well, the cup run changed my perception of this season, and I would have been happy without it. But I did eventually get the playoff place so I'm really pleased despite the disappointment of a poor performance in that second leg.

Aims for Next Season

Promotion, I think. Via the playoffs would be fine. My board gave me promotion as an absolute minimum.

Career Overview

[size=4]Season      League          League Finish    Points     Achievements
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[url=http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/363732-dafuge-s-FM14-challenge?p=9772482&viewfull=1#post9772482]2014/15[/url]     Skrill North         19th          45       Survival
[url=http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/363732-dafuge-s-FM14-challenge?p=9784784&viewfull=1#post9784784]2015/16[/url]     Skrill North          6th          70       Minor giantkilling in FA Trophy (N Ferriby)
[url=http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/363732-dafuge-s-FM14-challenge?p=9788388&viewfull=1#post9788388]2016/17[/url]     Skrill North         11th          58       None.
[url=http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/363732-dafuge-s-FM14-challenge?p=9792166&viewfull=1#post9792166]2017/18[/url]     Skrill North         18th          50       None.
[url=http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/363732-dafuge-s-FM14-challenge?p=9793145&viewfull=1#post9793145]2018/19[/url]     Skrill North         13th          61       Reached 2nd round of the FA Cup.
[url=http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/363732-dafuge-s-FM14-challenge?p=9795119&viewfull=1#post9795119]2019/20[/url]     Skrill North          5th          72       [size=3]Two minor giantkillings in FA Cup [size=1](Bury Town and Cheltenham)[/size], lost in playoff semi-final.[/size]
[/size]

dafuge · August 15, 2014

Big improvement, nice one :thup:

GreyedOutMan · August 15, 2014

Have lost all my staff though and won't be able to replace them with anything like their quality.

Kept most of the better players, though.

dafuge · August 15, 2014

A decent squad is far more important than a decent non playing staff.

GreyedOutMan · August 15, 2014

Yeah - but I have very little backup now. Tiny squad. I lost basically all the players who didn't have a great season last year. Lots of new players need to come in.

GreyedOutMan · August 16, 2014

Anyone else think the ME is a little odd this year? One of the things I've noticed lately...

Late on (last ten minutes), chasing a goal, I sometimes go "overload", "much higher tempo" and "take more risks". Usually this should result in a goal one way or another, and you'd imagine at least a few chances for one or both sides, right?

I've noticed far too often when this happens, there is not a single highlight after that. I've had games where I do it with 15 minutes to go, and the game just runs down to full time without any more highlights. Seems odd to me.

fcunitedfan · August 17, 2014

It's been a few months since I last played FM14, but I've decided to give this challenge one more shot. I'm having to start again though, as my laptop messed up and I had to reinstall Windows. This means I also lost all the kit packs I downloaded, all the badge packs, all the custom kits I'd made, and the face packs. I don't know what's more frustrating, the saves I lost or all the other stuff.

I've decided to play as Cambridge City. They're a local team to my home town, and they have a pretty decent starting squad and stadium. Here's my profile (featuring dull default game skin).

madmike · August 17, 2014

Anyone else think the ME is a little odd this year? One of the things I've noticed lately...
Late on (last ten minutes), chasing a goal, I sometimes go "overload", "much higher tempo" and "take more risks". Usually this should result in a goal one way or another, and you'd imagine at least a few chances for one or both sides, right?

I've noticed far too often when this happens, there is not a single highlight after that. I've had games where I do it with 15 minutes to go, and the game just runs down to full time without any more highlights. Seems odd to me.

I dont think i have seen a single goal for my own team when switching to overload

Andrew Haines · August 17, 2014

Rushall - 2027/28 - Championship - 1st

Premier League here we come!

I thought we would be weak for the coming season as I had to sell most of the first team last season and the replacements were promising but would need a year or so I thought. Also, club talisman captain and striker Eduard Safonov requested a transfer in pre-season. As it proved no-one was prepared to stump up the funds I would have accepted for Eduard and he scored a club record (beating his own record) of 33 league goals. My team aquitted itself well and my young side played well all season.

I had gone with a model of trying to bring in young English players to develop. This season nine of my first choice XI have been English. Safonov started the trend but he was pretty much the finished article when I paid £15m to Man Utd for him. Centreback Jon Fry was the first of the promising players I brought in when he signed 3 years ago for £4.2m again from Man Utd. He was a gamble as he was not up to standard at first but he has come on and is probably one of the stars of the side and is collecting England caps at only 20 years old. He was joined a year later by fullback Caleb Canning and defensive midfielder James Hayward who cost a combined £25m from Crystal Palace and Southampton. They were not quite up to scratch in their first season but have become vital to the side this year. I augmented them this season with two experienced English players midfielder Nathan Clarke and centreback Kevin Vokes while a 36 year old Jack Wilshere has played his part over the past two years.

I will not be massively overhauling this team for the premier league. I have a quality winger Dani Garcia signed to arrive in the summer and could probably do with a new playmaker but most signings will be to increase the squad depth.

Championship Table

FA Cup

League Cup

The Team

GK Jose Martin Montes - El Salvadoran keeper has been exceptional since arriving from Feyenoord on a free last summer.

RB Caleb Canning - 19 year old signed from Crystal Palace for £12m two years ago. Had a great season.

CB Kevin Vokes - 26 year old English centreback signed on a free from Celtic two summers ago. Now a regular in the England squad.

CB Jon Fry - 20 year old centreback with 6 England caps. Cost £4m from Man Utd 3 seasons ago, was a weak link at first but proving his worth.

LB Justin Hall - Journeyman leftback cost £4.2m from Tranmere last summer. Had a great season.

RW Hugo Lencina - Argentine right winger. Had a good season but will be sold in the summer as one of the weaker players.

BBM Nathan Clarke - 27 year old midfielder, cost £4.2m from relegated Notts Forest last summer. Had a good season.

DLP James Hayward - 20 year old signed from Southampton two years ago for £12.75. Had a good season and has developed well.

LW John Nunn - Promising youngster retraining as a wide midfielder. Signed in January from Arsenal for £2.5m

TRQ Keith Weare - Playmaker will probably be replaced for next season but has a good season and is only 19 so has time on his side.

AF Eduard Safonov - English international has 13 caps now. Signed for £15m four seasons ago from Man Utd. Scored a club record 33 league goals despite being transfer listed all season.

Incoming

AF Dani Garcia - Fantastic right winger due to arrive from Real Madrid when his contract expires.

Tecmo · August 18, 2014

One step forward, two steps back, ugh!

League Table

So yeah, pretty much a disaster. The loss of Darren Masters in defense hurt more than I expected, then I compounded the problem by trying to implement a 3-5-2 to generate more offense. Didn't work too well with only one decent center back. I did bring in two very talented but very young CBs, Matt Meldrum and Nicky Bright, but they had some serious growing pains. I think my defensive issues affected the confidence of my goalkeepers too as they started making a lot of mistakes as well. Our one real bright spot was our young striker, Danny Posey, who scored 18 goals. Frankly, it's only Posey that kept me from bailing on this team. A newcomer, right midfielder Monty Berrow, signed on a free from Torquay, was our only other offensive threat with 11 goals. No one else managed more than 5.

It took a change of formation to finally get the team going and out of relegation risk. Inspired by a win in the FA Trophy, we moved to a 4-1-4-1, implementing some of Cleon's ideas there and the team responded quite well. Posey played great as a solo striker and Sam Chaney and Gareth Johnson-Schuster combined to help control the midfield. We probably would have finished a couple spots higher in the table if it wasn't for a rash of injuries toward the end of the season.

FA Cup

Despite our struggles, we had what was probably our best FA Cup run yet, which may have saved my job. It didn't start well as we drew a pair of games with AFC Totten, having to go to our first ever penalty shootout which we won on the 7th kick. We then saw another replay as we drew with league mates Eastleigh, but we then dominated them at home 2-0. An easy win over Burgess Hill then saw our first TV game, facing League 1 side Gillingham, who dominated us 3-0.

FA Trophy

We had an absolutely crazy first game, facing Hampton & Richmond. Striker John Bragg summed up a horrible season with a violent challenge that resulted in a red card 15 minutes in. I decided to go with a 3-5-1, just trying to play deep and pitch it forward to Posey whenever I got the chance, hoping for a draw. We fell behind early, but Posey tied the game just before halftime and then gave us a lead in the 64th minute. Unfortunately H & R tied the game in the 88th minute and I though we'd be heading for a replay, but then little used midfielder James Gilligan hit a ridiculous shot from well outside the box to give us the win. We then lost the next game to Skrill Premier side Hednesford, but the first victory almost made my season.

I was kind of holding my breath at the end of the season to see if the board would bring us back, but luckily they did. We are bringing much ot the team back, but I'm hoping to find a center back to go with Geoff Brown, a more productive left midfielder and some better depth in the midfield. Despite the poor performance, I do like the team and feel like I've finally found the right tactic for them. Gotta improve, I don't think I'll stick around with less than a top half finish.

fcunitedfan · August 18, 2014

This must be some kind of record for the amount of times players fell over during one replay!

[video=youtube;sWMIOljavNc]

GreyedOutMan · August 18, 2014

FC United

Skrill North

2020/21: Media Prediction - 3rd

Club Information | Confidence | Finances | Transfers

A slight tweak in the formation right at the end of the season was probably the missing ingredient - I have high hopes for next year.

The Skrill North Banner.jpg

In our penultimate game, we were cruising, but late in the second half, I realised that with Worcester losing to Harrogate, it was likely to come down to goal difference. So I threw the kitchen sink at Blyth and got two late goals, while Harrogate got one, meaning we needed to better the Worcester score in the last round of games by a four goal margin, or just get a better result. Long shot, but I was glad that figure was four, not six. Colwyn Bay were rock bottom, so a six-nil win was not impossible by any means. We performed admirably and got a 3-0 win, but that was only one goal better than Worcester's 3-1 win at Boston, so promotion will have to wait for another year.

An away draw to a league team for the first time was good but I would have preferred a small team in the 1st round and then a Championship team in round 2 (or even Premiership in round 3!). The Mansfield game netted me about £40k, which is still useful.

Put up a good fight at home to Lincoln but they were too strong for us away. The tie as a whole netted us a further £20k, so over sixty thousand in from the cups this year.

Key Players

Joe Jackson | Adam Dawson | Michael Potts | Luke Ashworth | Lee Boyce

Niall Wright was good too but Boyce's goals just won it for him. Special mention to 18 year old Danny Townsend who came in right at the end of the season and looked very good.

Awards

Fan's Player of the Season

Joe Jackson

Defence and left wing the current problem areas.

Three new players in this year. Three of the four standouts still at the club.

Records

None to speak of this year.

Review of Aims for This Season

Promotion, I think. Via the playoffs would be fine. My board gave me promotion as an absolute minimum.

Well, we didn't manage it. Same number of points as last year, but one place lower and no playoff spot. Managed to hold on to my job but I doubt I'll be able to survive another season without promotion. Disappointing.

Aims for Next Season

Definitely promotion. We've had the cup runs which has boosted the finances and meant we should be able to get a few good players in and with a new formation that seems to close down the distance between the midfield and the attack, I think we should be able to go up. Just need to find the perfect AMC - the one who did so well for me this season (Potts) is leaving as he is 35 and not cheap.

Career Overview

[size=4]Season      League          League Finish    Points     Achievements
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[url="http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/363732-dafuge-s-FM14-challenge?p=9772482&viewfull=1#post9772482"]2014/15[/url]     Skrill North         19th          45       Survival
[url="http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/363732-dafuge-s-FM14-challenge?p=9784784&viewfull=1#post9784784"]2015/16[/url]     Skrill North          6th          70       Minor giantkilling in FA Trophy (N Ferriby)
[url="http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/363732-dafuge-s-FM14-challenge?p=9788388&viewfull=1#post9788388"]2016/17[/url]     Skrill North         11th          58       None.
[url="http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/363732-dafuge-s-FM14-challenge?p=9792166&viewfull=1#post9792166"]2017/18[/url]     Skrill North         18th          50       None.
[url="http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/363732-dafuge-s-FM14-challenge?p=9793145&viewfull=1#post9793145"]2018/19[/url]     Skrill North         13th          61       Reached 2nd round of the FA Cup.
[url="http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/363732-dafuge-s-FM14-challenge?p=9795119&viewfull=1#post9795119"]2019/20[/url]     Skrill North          5th          72       [size=3]Two minor giantkillings in FA Cup [size=1](Bury Town and Cheltenham)[/size], lost in playoff semi-final.[/size]
[url="http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/363732-dafuge-s-FM14-challenge?p=9800352&viewfull=1#post9800352"]2020/21[/url]     Skrill North          6th          72       None.
[/size]

steff91 · August 19, 2014

Decided im going to give this a try again as i set it up incorrectly last time out.What should be the lowest league,that i load up? The names i have seem to be different to the OP for some reason.Not using any custom DB'S or anything.

Thanks.

dafuge · August 19, 2014

That screen should only allow you to go down to Skrill North/South, unless you have an edited database which extends it beyond that.

steff91 · August 19, 2014

That screen should only allow you to go down to Skrill North/South, unless you have an edited database which extends it beyond that.

Yeh that was the picture that i had,i selected "regional premier divisions" is that correct Dafuge?

dafuge · August 19, 2014

The lowest league to be loaded as active is the Skrill N/S, there shouldn't be any others available below that.

In the custom database, players from the three feeder leagues need to be added.

steff91 · August 19, 2014

The lowest league to be loaded as active is the Skrill N/S, there shouldn't be any others available below that.
In the custom database, players from the three feeder leagues need to be added.

Ok got you now, ( i think) how do i add the players from the feeder leagues? thats the problem i seem to be having i think.Thanks for your paitence

dafuge · August 19, 2014

It's when you choose the database size, change it from 'large' to 'custom'.

steff91 · August 19, 2014

It's when you choose the database size, change it from 'large' to 'custom'.

Never knew that,thanks,hopefully wont be bothering you anymore,thats me set up and ready to go..will post up my team soon.What site do you guys mostly use for sharing images from your game?

steff91 · August 19, 2014

WEYMOUTH FOOTBALL CLUB

p><p><img src= [/img]

Weymouth FC are pleased to announce the appointment of Scotsman Steff Mcallister to the Bob Lucas Stadium.With league prediction of 21st this could be a difficult season with the new promoted side.

fcunitedfan · August 19, 2014

Good luck Steff. Weymouth are a good choice. I played as them for a while in FM13.

In terms of image sharing sites, I currently use Imgur. It's really easy to use, as you can drag and drop images straight into your website albums from your computer.

steff91 · August 19, 2014

Good luck Steff. Weymouth are a good choice. I played as them for a while in FM13.
In terms of image sharing sites, I currently use Imgur. It's really easy to use, as you can drag and drop images straight into your website albums from your computer.

Cheers Fcunitedfan,yes im not too familiar with the image sites and how they work etc,using photobucket for the time being.Anybody know how you can avoid these little "img" letters after every image though? am i doing something wrong? Just for future reference really as i dont want to annoy anyone with these obviously.

Going to try get stuck in a little bit here at Weymouth before i goto work later

GreyedOutMan · August 19, 2014

You can do it directly through Steam, guys. Just take a screenshot in game and go through your user profile. As for the IMG tags - just take them off....

steff91 · August 19, 2014

i take it the img tags would be the very first and last ones respectively after the relevant picture? Might just use text updates tbh...

GreyedOutMan · August 19, 2014

FC United

Skrill North

2021/22: Media Prediction - 2nd

Club Information | Confidence | Finances | Transfers

The replacement for Potts was not as good as he needed to be which limited the effectiveness of the new formation.

The Skrill North Banner.jpg

Despite a dreadful March and April which cost us a shot at automatic promotion, we had a great run in and cruised to a playoff place in the end.

We then lost the first leg at home, and it felt like another frustrating year and possibly the sack. But the second leg was a very different story. One game from promotion.

In the final we started badly, and couldn't keep the ball. So I told them to. And they did.

And it had to be Lee Boyce to score the goal to get us out of the Skrill North at last. We're going up, we're going up!

It was particularly poignant that Tamworth's manager was sacked after the game. I'm fairly sure if we'd lost that would have been me.

Unlucky to draw Accrington so early and get almost nothing in from the FA Cup this year.

I played a few reserve players and wasn't too bothered to be the victim of another giantkilling.

Key Players

Lee Boyce | Joe Jackson | Luke Ashworth | Adam Dawson

Boyce really stood up and was counted this year, that made the difference. Jackson's added goals got us over the line, whilst Ashworth and Dawson completed the quartet of the players who have been most influential in our Skrill North years, and all four of them were crucial this year.

Awards

I was second in the manager of the year award for the Skrill North.

Fan's Player of the Season

Joe Jackson

Far better.