Wallace v Roberts 2009

[bermybhoy]

To be fair Canvey, I did pretty much invite it. Assumed it would be someone who had already signed up mind you! Good to see you on board anyway CoachFlu.

What's the magic word though? (Check the opening posts again).

Shouldn't matter in the long run if it gets out of sync, will usually be evened up the other way at some point in any case.

[CoachFlu]

To be fair Canvey, I did pretty much invite it. Assumed it would be someone who had already signed up mind you! Good to see you on board anyway CoachFlu.

What's the magic word though? (Check the opening posts again).

Shouldn't matter in the long run if it gets out of sync, will usually be evened up the other way at some point in any case.

Oh yeah, 3IAR.

(Just to clarify, I've been following the thread the past week or two. Was tempted to sign up earlier already, but figured there was a long list already and since I'll be getting busy in a few weeks it wouldn't be convenient for me by the time it was my turn... But since there seemed to be a free weekend now, I kinda jumped in. Hope I'm not stepping on anyone's toes. I'll try to be fairly fast and give detailed updates.)

[canvey!!]

November

Redditch 0-0 Blyth

We took shot after shot but couldn’t be bothered to finish anything off. Discipline is also an issue, having received 4 yellow cards.

MOM: Callum Brown (7.4)

Blyth 1-3 Gillingham

FA Cup 1st Rnd

I was expecting us to be demolished after Gillingham scored in the 2nd minute but we played quite well even if Gillingham deserved a good win and if it weren’t for Steve Driscoll’s idiocy in stoppage time, the score would’ve been a lot closer.

MOM: Gillingham’s Sean Gilmour (8.0)

Leigh Genesis 1-0 Blyth

After the referee decided not to give us an obvious penalty, Steve Driscoll’s goalkeeping error led to us letting in a perfectly avoidable goal. Things can only get better, right?

MOM: Leigh Genesis’s Iain Burns (7.6)

Stalybridge 3-1 Blyth

FA Trophy 3rd Qual. Rnd

We played a good passing game but crosses and shots were few and far between.

MOM: Stalybridge’s Alex Bell (7.9)

Blyth 1-0 Farsley

Am I dreaming? A win?! Admittedly, our goal was offside, but this is like gold dust! Hopefully we can now snap ourselves out of this poor run of form.

MOM: ‘ James Canvey *Youth* (7.5)

Hooray, my first man of the match!

League Table – if we can beat Hinckley (which is a huge ask) we can move up a place. If we lose, we’re out of the playoff zone for the first time in the season.

[pnefc22]

Good luck against Hinckley

[CoachFlu]

Braintree, August 1st 2010

Pre-season almost over. One more friendly match lined up (against parent club Histon), and then the season can start.

The results of our other friendly matches:

Braintree - Falkirk: 1-1

Braintree - Galway Utd: 0-1

Gainsborough - Braintree: 1-1

Braintree - Leigh Genesis: 2-0

I did quite a bit of squad strengthening, though the wage budget didn't quite stretch as far as I was hoping. An overview of the new signings:

Chris Beech MC

Alan Hayes MC

Two top notch center mids to go along with the two very good ones we already had, so that's one area we're well covered in, at least. I hesitated confirming Hayes' signing, knowing we could probably use the wage budget for another position... but he just seemed to good to pass up.

Liam Griffiths ML

Not quite as pacey as I'd have liked, but we ran out of wage budget to bring in another left mid, so Liam will have to do. I think he'll do okay - not a lot of cover in the squad for that position though.

Charlie Redshaw DR

Ollie Graves DR

The right back position remains a bit iffy. The scout rated Redshaw as having high potential, but our Assistant Manager seems to disagree. I tend to trust the scout's judgment more though. Ollie Graves will be our starting right back, though I admit his defensive stats aren't all that great. He does, however, get a lot of stars, and is pacey... I'm hoping he'll do okay.

Danny Roberts DL

The left back position is also not exactly our strongest, but I had a choice to make. We only had room in the wage budget for one, and when we came across one who's named Danny Roberts... well, sometimes a name is more important than quality.

Paul Beale DC

One of our two season-long loan signings, and a much needed extra DC, to start alongside Gary Thorne. To provide some cover for the DC position, I decided to stretch the pennies and sign two youngsters on youth contracts:

Tim Hill DC

Nicky Owen DC

Both are on the low side in CA, but have good potential, and they're cheap.

Tim French ST

Our second loan player is a striker who's a bit on the slow side, but I was happy to find a half decent one at all. And at least he's strong and has a few other decent qualities, so he may do all right.

Like I said, it's not all brilliant, but at least there's a little bit more balance in the squad. A few areas are still vulnerable in case of injuries, though. The defense in particular may be a bit of an achilles heel... but we'll have to make do.

Promotion odds

40/1, and the media predicts us to finish 16th. Personally, I'm hoping to finish somewhere around 10th place... but maybe I'm an optimist.

Onwards and - hopefully - upwards.

[CoachFlu]

Braintree, August 14th 2010

Updates will probably be monthly, but I figured I'd do a small update about the opening match of the season.

Welling - Braintree (BSS)

0 - 1

A splendid way to start the season!

Roberto922 started on the bench due to not being match fit yet (he was injured for most of the friendlies), but other than that we could field our strongest squad.

It was a bit of a boring match, to be honest, with few chances, but since all of the decent chances were for us, I didn't mind much. It's already quite clear that we won't be winning any fair play awards this season though.

A penalty kick goal put us ahead, and shortly after that our new brave, aggressive midfielder got the second yellow on his debut, heh. (though to be fair, the commentary said that the sneaky Welling player clearly dived on the second one)

We took off a striker and switched to a sort-of 4-4-1 diamond, but never got in trouble. In fact, we had two more great chances late in the match.

An encouraging start, especially defensively.

[CoachFlu]

Braintree, August 28th 2010

Braintree - Bedford (BSS)

3 - 2

We were 0-1 down after a very poor first half, in a match which the board had picked as a fan day... a good time for a harsh half time team talk, which paid off. A freak goal looked to rob us of two points, but we kept pushing for the winning goal, and it came at a very sweet moment.

The fan day was declared a success.

Maidenhead - Braintree (BSS)

1 - 1

The shots indicate that this is a fair result, but their late equalizer, combined with our possession, make this feel like we could have gotten more from the match. But a point isn't bad.

Braintree - Hitchin (BSS)

3 - 2

A splendid first half, and then a rather poor second half, but we had done enough to secure the win. Also nice to see a "first ever goal for Braintree" for midfielder Chris Beech and loan defender Paul Beale.

League table end of August

And so, after four matches, we're actually in the lead!

Obviously it's way too early to start hoping though. Keep in mind that two of our four opponents (Bedford and Hitchin) were teams who just promoted to the BSS. The real challenges are still to come.

Still, I hadn't quite expected to start this well. Every point we have is one that can't be taken away. For now, we'll take it one match at a time and see where we end up. Morale is superb - hopefully we can build on that for a while longer and get a few more good results.

Edit: and this splendid month earns Danny Roberts his first manager award!

[Jimbokav1971]

So as it stands now, if you don't do well you just jack it in and let someone else have a go:eek:.

Get a grip for feck sake:mad:!

You didnt see the Northern Monkeys quitting last season when we were relegated, (think it was Nep). I haven't read on but if you lot quit just because you aren't enjoying it and aren't enjoying it because you are losing then you can count me out of this.

Shambles!

[Guest roberto922]

It wasn't because I was losing Jimbo.

[Dava]

Jesus mate chill, I've said I'm not going to be taking part again but what is wrong with me posting regularly on here exactly?

It was supposed to be tongue in cheek but it didn't come across that way. Mainly as the smilies are crap and I refuse to use em.

[Benjaminoo]

Great start CoachFlu, keep it up!

[canvey!!]

December

Blyth 1-2 Hinckley

What a shocking performance given by the defenders today. Both Hinckley’s goals were avoidable through proper defending. I played Karl Ingram to avoid having to play Danny Brown (although both have been awful this season) and he went and got himself sent off. From the performance of the midfield and strikers, we might have stood a chance, but poor defending stole the show.

MOM: Hinckley’s Ben Jackson (8.1)

Burscough 1-1 Blyth

We were spurred on by Burscough’s fluky goal but the finishing just wasn’t up to scratch. In the end, a late penalty earned us a result we could at least accept.

MOM: Burscough’s Dane Miller (7.6)

Stalybridge 3-1 Blyth

This result mimicked that of our FA Trophy match, and Stalybridge got lucky once again. We dominated this match, but our finishing was woeful and at times we found it difficult to break through the Stalybridge defence. Of course they had no difficulty breaking through our defence…

MOM: Stalybridge’s Arron Mead (8.0)

Altrincham 2-5 Blyth

It was excellent to record a superb win over a team who lately have been struggling just as much as us. I’m elated!

MOM: Chris Walker (8.7)

League Table – With such a great win at the end of the month, hopefully our fortunes will turn around. Mind, we won at the end of last month, too.

[CoachFlu]

Braintree, September 22nd 2010

Basingstoke - Braintree (BSS)

1 - 2

In a fun match for the neutral spectator, we went a goal down early, but we played good football and patiently turned the situation around.

Braintree - Welling (CLCS)

By winning this match and reaching the second round of the Conference League Cup, we satisfy our first competition goal of the season.

Like in the opening match of the season, we completely dominated Welling. Another similarity with that match: red card for MC Chris Beech, though a bit of an odd one - from what I can tell, two yellow cards in the same minute for protest. The post match news item mentioned ungentlemanly conduct, so I suspect he flipped the referee the bird.

Given our dominance in the match, we didn't change our tactic after the red card and continued with two strikers, which paid off.

Braintree - Farnborough (BSS)

1 - 0

A dominant first half was rewarded when ML Liam Griffiths scored his first ever goal for the club - a close range header on an indirect free kick. The second half was much more even, but we were never really in trouble.

So far our good form continues, still undefeated after seven matches this season. We have an away match against league favorites Bath coming up at the end of the month though, which may put an end to our impressive run.

[CoachFlu]

Braintree, October 2nd 2010

Braintree - Staines (BSS)

0 - 0

An absolute snoozefest, as the whole team seemed to be comatose. Luckily against an unimpressive Staines team.

Team Bath - Braintree (BSS)

1 - 0

Our third match in 8 days, so we had to rest a few key players. Despite that, we had the slight edge in a fairly entertaining first half and were denied by the post. The second half was very different - they scored early, and after that neither team had any chance to speak of.

A draw would have been a fair result, but instead we were handed our first defeat of the season. Had to happen sooner or later.

Braintree - Stafford (FA Cup 2nd Qual.)

4 - 0

The bookies oddly didn't give us a chance against Stafford (20th in BSN), but we went and showed them. We took control from the start and played a near-perfect first half, with a marvelous hattrick by our star striker Richard "Roberto922" Crowe. The second half was notably less impressive, but that was to be expected.

After two matches without scoring, this was a good way to get back on the right track.

BSS League table - Oct. 2nd 2010

The match against Bath dropped us down to 2nd place, but heck, I'm quite thrilled about the season so far.

[dafuge]

Looks like a great start to the season

[Salman91]

This is really a great idea. i've spent the last hour reading this and i've been enjoying it

I'd really like to join the "Southern Softies" if it's possible.

(3IAR)

[CoachFlu]

Braintree, October 16th 2010

Dorchester - Braintree (BSS)

1 - 0

We deserved a point from this match, though we weren't dangerous enough in front of goal to claim anything more. A defensive error late in the match sealed our fate. Slightly disappointing.

Braintree - Havant & W (BSS)

1 - 1

Frustrating! We were in control, but they scored from their one chance in the entire match. We should really have finished this one off.

Braintree - Bishop's Stortford (FA Cup 3rd Qual)

2 - 1

It took us a few minutes to recover from the early goal, but then we took charge and turned things around by half time. The second half wasn't pretty, with lots of midfield battling, but we held on to a good win.

This is a busy period, with constantly two matches per week, which isn't easy on our fragile squad. So far we're holding on okay, though our league form is suffering a bit, with only two points from the last four matches. Some great results in the cups are keeping our spirits up though.

In a way, getting kicked out of all the cups so the lads can get some more rest between league matches would not be a bad thing. But on the other hand, the club can certainly use the extra income, so we'll obviously continue to battle for every round.

[canvey!!]

January

Boston Utd 3-2 Blyth

A large majority of our chances were wasted, and Boston United had no such impotence. We should’ve won this game, and we would’ve been in with a chance if Iain Porter hadn’t decided to score an own goal worthy of goal of the month. Stefan Jones, of course, was rooted to the spot.

MOM: Boston Utd’s Chris Young (8.1)

Blyth 4-1 Hucknall

It was refreshing to play a game against a relegation struggler to get a win and build up morale. Iain Porter once again let the side down with a defensive error leading to their goal, but fortunately this time it didn’t cost us a result.

MOM: Karl Nash *Youth* (8.0)

Bedford 0-0 Blyth

This would have been an excellent opportunity to secure a playoff position for now but the team wasted it against lowly relegation battlers Bedford and instead our position is looking precarious. Bravo!

MOM: Graeme Pepper *Youth* (7.5)

Gainsborough 4-3 Blyth

We played well, scoring 3 goals. Now, if only Steve Driscoll didn’t concede ridiculous amounts. An abysmal game, it was ours for the taking.

MOM: Gainsborough’s Chris Colbeck (7.9)

Blyth 2-1 Harrogate

A win over the league leaders is excellent! My defensive, counter-attacking, possession-based approach really paid dividends. Who said the Ten Ton FC you knew and loved were gone?

MOM: Chris Walker (7.8)

Blyth 3-0 Hyde

A win against the bottom of the table team was to be expected. Hopefully this is the beginning of a wonderful re-ignition of our season.

MOM: Karl Nash *Youth* (8.2)

Tamworth 1-0 Blyth

I was expecting a win because Tamworth haven’t won in 6 games but despite our complete and utter annihilation of Tamworth and us completely dominating the match they scored with their only shot.

MOM: Callum Brown (7.6)

League Table

[bermybhoy]

Struggling for consistency it seems, still going well though. Keep it up.

[canvey!!]

Yeah. I can't help but feel that that Vauxhall result just brought us down to earth and everything from there has been a struggle. They're my next fixture (played two games into February) and I hope to get revenge. I just don't want to miss out on those playoff spots come the end of the season.

Thanks for the support though, you and others .

[CoachFlu]

Braintree, October 26th 2010

AFC Wimbledon - Braintree (Conf League Cup S 2nd Round)

1 - 1 (3-5p)

After a very even 90 minutes, we had to paddle hard to keep our head above water in extra time, but goalkeeper Raymond Watt kept us in the match. He did one better and saved one of the penalties of the series, while our guys didn't miss. Our good cup results continue.

Hampton & Richmond - Braintree (BSS)

3 - 2

Just three days after a 120 minute cup match, so we had to play a lot of the backup players and give several of our first team lads a rest. We were nowhere in the first half, but a much improved second half saw us accomplish a nice comeback... only to see it slip away again in injury time.

Braintree - Hayes & Yeading (BSS)

2 - 0

A very convincing performance, though it took a whole lot of off target shots before Standen finally bagged two in quick succession. Our first win in six league matches, so this one is very welcome.

BSS League table, Oct. 26 2010

Despite the form drop we're still nicely near the top. Not all that far ahead of midtable though, so it's still much too early to adjust the season goals. Two feet still firmly on the ground, it's just nicer to be on this end of the table than on the other end.

[Robert_296]

Good start to the season CoachFlu although one game could see you drop down to 8th. KUTGW

[CoachFlu]

Yep, no need to order the champagne just yet. Still early in the season, and not much has gone wrong so far.

Braintree, November 7th 2010

Whitby - Braintree (FA Cup 4th Qual)

1 - 0

I was disappointed with this result, as I was hoping to survive at least another round, but plucky Whitby pretty much outplayed us. We had possession, but failed to do anything with it, while they created chance after chance and we were lucky to concede only once.

Thurrock - Braintree (BSS)

0 - 1

When we got the early goal it looked like it could turn into a fun match, but it didn't. That's ok, we got the three points, it doesn't always have to be pretty.

Braintree - Chelmsford (BSS)

2 - 0

A good, solid win over a rival club. A few too many shots off target to my liking, but on the other hand two of the three shots on target hit the back of the net, so that works.

So we were knocked out of the FA Cup, but we won three straight league matches. I can live with that compromise.

[CoachFlu]

Braintree, November 30th 2010

Thurrock - Braintree (Conf. League Cup S 3rd Round)

2 - 1

A match in which we missed those vital few perfent to make the difference. We were the better team - if not by much - and should at least have taken it to extra time. We recovered well from the early goal down, but a long range goal put us behind again and we failed to come back a second time.

AFC Wimbledon - Braintree (BSS)

1 - 1

While a draw at AFCW isn't a bad result, this was an incredibly frustrating wasted opportunity. We missed so many good chances, including two open goal shots with the keeper walkabout. I only barely resisted the urge to toss the laptop out the window.

Braintree - Billericay (FA Trophy 3rd Qual)

2 - 1

A silly defensive error made this match a bit tougher than it should have been, but luckily we managed to set things straight within the 90 minutes play time.

Braintree - Maidstone (BSS)

0 - 1

What should have been an easy win against relegation candidates turned again into a frustrating match. A lacklustre performance, until we finally woke up in the last ten minutes but then couldn't get the ball into the net.

BSS League table, Nov. 30th 2010

Some mixed results, with a few matches which didn't quite go our way, but we're still doing better than I expected we'd do. I still somehow expect a drop down the ranks at some point, but hopefully we can stick it out in the top five for a while longer - if only because of the positive effect on our average attendance, thanks to which we've reduced our debt a bit over the past few months.

We also temporarily strengthened our defense: John Chandler has joined us on loan for the next three months.

[Jimbokav1971]

Hang in there Canvey .

Anywhere in and around the playoffs will be a brilliant effort so keep it going.

Maybe it might be worth "throwing" the cup games, (if there are any left), to keep the guys fresh.

[canvey!!]

I'm already out of all the cups . We did rather well in the FA Cup (lost to Gillingham in the 1st Round for the 2nd year in a row) but I lost in the first round of both the other two, to Hinckley and Stalybridge.

[canvey!!]

February

Blyth 4-2 Fleetwood

A good result against a mid-table team to help build confidence after the Tamworth result.

MOM: Graeme Pepper *Youth* (8.1)

Vauxhall 0-0 Blyth

We controlled the first half, them the second. All in all, a draw is a fair result, but it’s so frustrating when playing against a team we should be beating two or three nil.

MOM: Vauxhall’s John Hunter (7.6)

Blyth 1-2 Kidderminster

We completely outplayed Kidderminster but of course our strikers failed to score, and Kidderminster scored with their first shot. Only when I went 3-4-3 could we got any sort of goal. It’s pathetic.

MOM: Kidderminster’s Kevin Furness (8.4)

League Table – A very short month this month, and we’re still in sync with Solihull Moors which means we’re not overtaking them.

[canvey!!]

March

Stafford 1-2 Blyth

In poor weather, we recorded a win to please our travelling fans. Steven Porter scored a beautiful long range winner to soften the blow of our missed penalty.

MOM: Steven Porter (7.9)

Blyth 2-1 Solihull Moors

A win over Solihull Moors gave us some breathing room in the league table. Steven Porter scored a brilliant goal again (although it wasn’t put down as his, quite rightly) as he bounced the ball of a Solihull Moors player and into the net. A good result against the former Monkeys.

MOM: Solihull Moors’s Conor Taylor

Blyth 2-4 Redditch

How and why we lost at home to Redditch I neither know nor care. We dominated this match. Redditch had four shots on target and scored all four. We had six shots on target. Why didn’t we win 6-4?

MOM: Redditch’s Tom Connolly (7.6)

Gateshead 2-2 Blyth

We could have won the game, if not for shambolic defensive performances by Danny Brown and Iain Porter. I felt relieved to get Chris Walker’s equaliser: I’m so glad we’re not coming away from yet another match we dominated with absolutely nothing.

MOM: Gateshead’s Mike Swailes (8.0)

King’s Lynn 1-1 Blyth

We played well, but our finishing needs serious improvement. Callum Brown had an aberration in giving away a penalty but he still won man of the match. The midfield are looking good.

MOM: Callum Brown (7.6)

Blyth 1-1 Leigh Genesis

Our possession game was terrible: our passing and crossing was poor. Chris Walker was a goalscoring hope for us which was probably why Leigh Genesis deliberately injured him.

MOM: Leigh Genesis’s Daniel Jackson (7.7)

League Table – We’re still in step with Solihull Moors but can’t break away from them to claim that playoff place. It’s a battle of the Northern Monkeys. The lowest we can finish is 19th, which means Ten Ton are not getting relegated.

[ssestig]

Can't start until Tuesday at the earliest so there is no rush canvey. KUTGW though.

[CoachFlu]

Braintree, December 22nd 2010

Braintree - Sutton Utd (BSS)

2 - 3

A cruel home result against the league leaders, as it looked like we did enough to earn a point. We managed to pull level twice, but the football gods were not on our side today.

Weston-super-Mare - Braintree (BSS)

2 - 0

No blaming the gods in this case; we just performed poorly. Two silly defensive errors caused the goals, and we never came even close to fighting back.

Braintree - Farnborough (FA Trophy 1st Rnd)

1 - 1

One of those frustrating matches where Farnborough scored from their one good attack of the match, while we insisted on blasting the ball into the stands, over and over again. Only an injury time spot kick managed to earn us a replay - which, considering the busy schedule of the upcoming weeks, I have mixed feelings about.

We've been struggling a bit lately, and now lost three league matches in a row. Hopefully we manage to pull it together quickly, but with a busy few weeks ahead, I'm slightly concerned about that.

[canvey!!]

Can't start until Tuesday at the earliest so there is no rush canvey. KUTGW though.

Okay, thanks . I have three games to play and will be finished tomorrow night.

[CoachFlu]

Braintree, January 1st 2011

Braintree - Bath (BSS)

2 - 0

After a bit of a slump, this convincing win was very welcome to boost morale a little.

Farnborough - Braintree (FA Trophy 1st Rnd Replay)

2 - 2 (3-5p)

Several key players were allowed to sit out this replay in the middle of a congested fixture list, which turned out to be a good decision. The semi-B-squad played fairly well, but again we looked to be headed for a "profit from wasteful Braintree" situation, until deep in injury time our star striker forced the game into extra time.

Braintree - Bishop's Stortford (BSS)

2 - 1

A very good first half, but then we tuned off a bit in the second half and allowed them back in the match. Luckily we managed to set it straight late in the match.

BSS League table, January 1st 2011

Pretty much halfway into the season - though we still have a game in hand - and it's still looking good. With only the FA Trophy remaining as a distraction, hopefully we can maintain this position.

[CoachFlu]

Braintree, January 12th 2011

Braintree - Welling (BSS)

1 - 0

Newport Co - Braintree (BSS)

1 - 0

Bedford - Braintree (BSS)

1 - 1

And with another win, loss and draw, we're pretty much through the busy part of the schedule, without doing major damage to our season. It took some improvising though, with a few cases of "play whoever's fit" - like in the match against Welling, where backup left mid Graham Knight made his first appearance of the season and scored the only goal of the match.

[Lower Leagues Rule]

Very nice Coach, looks like it may be a promotion battle this season, we have to be happy with that, would be good if we could get up though

[CoachFlu]

Very nice Coach, looks like it may be a promotion battle this season, we have to be happy with that, would be good if we could get up though

I'd be thrilled if we can finish in a playoff spot, to be honest. We've slowly been dropping just out of the playoff zone, as we've been a bit inconsistent in December and January. I'm hoping we can pick up the momentum again soon.

Braintree, January 22nd 2011

Braintree - Rotherham (FA Trophy 2nd Rnd)

0 - 0

Though we've survived a few rounds in the various cups, this was our first match against a team from a higher league (BSP). In that respect, getting a draw is a nice result, but of course there are obvious down sides to yet another replay squeezed into the schedule. Oh well.

Braintree - Maidenhead (BSS)

1 - 2

A result which hurt, as Maidenhead were just below us in the league before this match. After getting the early goal we looked to have the match sufficiently under control in a low-action match, but the situation suddenly turned around in 5 minutes and we were unable to respond.

Hitchin - Braintree (BSS)

2 - 2

Yet another missed chance to pick up valuable points; we really should have finished this off. They scored two great goals with few chances, we scored two great goals with several more chances. Such it goes, sometimes.

[CoachFlu]

Braintree, February 1st 2011

Rotherham - Braintree (FA Trophy 2nd Rnd Replay)

2 - 1

Not an unexpected result. The match stats are a bit deceptive as we put up a bit more of a fight than they indicate - the final score is pretty much a fair reflection of the match.

Farnborough - Braintree (BSS)

0 - 2

For the first time in months I was able to field our strongest possble starting eleven, and it showed - at least in the first half, which we completely dominated. The second half was a bit reversed, but we were never in big trouble in the final sixteen. A very welcome three points, to keep us close to the playoff zone.

BSS League table, Feb. 1st 2011

Still looking good, though we've been slipping slightly. We're now out of all the cups though, so hopefully that will make the difference. Though we're already doing a little bit better than I had hoped at the start of the season, trying to obtain a playoff spot has to be the goal now.

[Jimbokav1971]

Can't start until Tuesday at the earliest so there is no rush canvey. KUTGW though.

I thought that Bermy was next, (according to the list on page 1). If there is a new order then perhaps someone could update it so that we have a clearer idea of when we might be on.

Cheers guys.

[CoachFlu]

Braintree, February 16th 2011

Staines - Braintree (BSS)

1 - 2

A good win, with another dominant first half followed by a notably lower quality second half. Slight concern when Staines managed to pull one back, but we managed to limit their chances and held on to the three points.

Braintree - Basingstoke (BSS)

1 - 1

We started with a goal behind, and had no response for the entire first half. Raising my voice in the dressing room helped a bit and we piled on the pressure in the second half, but had to wait until injury time before finally hitting the back of the net. A point saved or two lost, that's a matter of perspective.

BSS League table, Feb. 16nd 2011

A few good away results keep us in the running, but we merely did what we had to do against teams in the bottom half of the table. Two more points from the Basingstoke match would have been welcome before facing some tougher opposition, as we'll be facing teams from the top 7 in our next three matches.

(PS. Just a heads up for whoever takes over at the end of the season: it looks like finishing on Monday night - even counting the post-midnight hours - is probably not going to happen. Tuesday night seems more likely.)

[Benjaminoo]

Keep it up CoachFlu!

We can get that play-off spot!

[NepentheZ]

Canvey!! - Glad you didn't sign that guy at the top of this page - He was pants. Well done on an excellent start to the season, its a shame you've had a mid season slump - Keep it up though, play-offs looks viable with 7 games left.

CoachFlu - Good job too mate. Keeping in and around the play-off spots is vital in the BSS

[bermybhoy]

I thought that Bermy was next, (according to the list on page 1). If there is a new order then perhaps someone could update it so that we have a clearer idea of when we might be on.

Cheers guys.

Sorry about any confusion, been busy and haven't got round to updating, obviously. Will try to mind and do it tonight. Deffo not me next seeing as I don't have the game yet.

[CoachFlu]

Braintree, February 26th 2011

Braintree - Team Bath (BSS)

1 - 1

Another point saved in the last minutes, but it could have been more as we had the slight edge and were only a goal behind through a defensive error. Still, a point against the team in second place isn't bad.

Braintree - Dorchester (BSS)

0 - 0

I'm a bit disappointed that we didn't manage to get three points here, as Dorchester is a direct compatitor for a playoff spot. Neither team could really get a hold on the match, and 0-0 was a just result.

Havant & W - Braintree (BSS)

0 - 0

Pretty much our third bore draw in a row. We had two great chances to grab the win at the very end, but at that point I was already glad not to lose, since we were a man down due to an injury after the third sub.

BSS League table, Feb. 26th 2011

We're on a nice seven match unbeaten run, but five of them were draws. That keeps us close to the playoff zone, but we're not quite pushing into it yet. Our strikers have been struggling a little lately - hopefully they find their form again as we head into the decisive stage of the season.

[CoachFlu]

As the season is starting to get down to the wire, I'll start doing a brief update after every match.

Braintree, March 5th 2011

Braintree - Hampton & Richmond (BSS)

4 - 1

League table

When you're gunning for a playoff spot at this stage of the season, it's crucial to win home matches against midtable teams like this one. A hattrick by loan striker Tim French was a nice change from our previous two matches - scoreless draws.

With Havant & W losing their match, we sneak into a playoff spot again. The next two matches are also against midtable competition, so this would be the time to pick up the points.

[Robert_296]

Great, we are in the playoffs now. Lets stay there!

[Guest roberto922]

Well done Coachflu

[CoachFlu]

Braintree, March 12th 2011

Hades & Yeading - Braintree (BSS)

1 - 3

League table

Sometimes you can't score to save your life, and sometimes it seems to go so easily. Tim French is on fire - after last week's hattrick, he adds two more goals and an assist to his tally. Hopefully he can maintain that form for a while longer.

A home match against Thurrock next; with some tougher matches still to come, taking three more points there is almost crucial.

[canvey!!]

April

Farsley 1-1 Blyth

Our finishing was dire and really cost us today. With this, our fourth draw on the trot, we just have to thank bottom-placed Hyde for their late equaliser which prevented Solihull Moors going ahead of us and our playoff place slipping out of our grasp.

MOM: Farsley’s Josh Woodhouse (7.6)

Blyth 2-1 Burscough

It’s good to get three points on the board before the difficult matches ahead. Unfortunately, Vauxhall and Solihull Moors also won, meaning I’m still level on points with them and fighting to preserve my place. Graeme Pepper *Youth* embarrassed himself by elbowing someone and getting sent off.

MOM: Iain Porter (7.6)

Hinckley 0-0 Blyth

A draw away to high-flying Hinckley is a good result but I can’t help but rue missed chances. Solihull won meaning we are now 2 points adrift of that playoff spot. Could our season all go down the drain so close to the death?

MOM: Hinckley’s Matthew Turnbull (7.5)

In other news, Hyde are relegated.

Blyth 2-3 Stalybridge

It was Paul Wallace’s 100th game, and just look what I had to put up with! We dominated the match, but the strikers refused to score. I’ve added the match stats to show you what I mean. You may think we were just unlucky but we only got those two goals back at the end of the match (and one was from a penalty) and this is something I’ve had to put up with nearly every match. canvey!!’s Guide for the Tactically Blind is going to return, you mark my words!

MOM: Stalybridge’s Luke Barwick (8.3)

Blyth 0-1 Altrincham

We played absolutely diabolically. Solihull won which means no playoffs this season. Which is probably fair considering how terribly we’ve played over it.

MOM: ‘ James Canvey *Youth* (7.6)

Hucknall 1-0 Blyth

I’m glad this match wasn’t important for anything because it was utterly embarrassing. Hucknall scored with their only shot.

MOM: Hucknall’s Ryan Gamble (7.6)

May

Blyth 5-2 Boston Utd

Now they win? Perhaps it was because I said “No pressure”. Phil Russell and Karl Nash *Youth* both broke their goal droughts. About time!

MOM: Phil Russell (8.7)

Season review to come, including league table.

[canvey!!]

Sometimes you can't score to save your life,

I know what you mean

and sometimes it seems to go so easily.

I don't know what you mean .

[CoachFlu]

Aye, the ones where it seems to go easy are a bit of an exception, heheh.

Braintree, March 15th 2011

Braintree - Thurrock (BSS)

2 - 0

League table

But so far our scoring streak continues, and Tim French scores his 6th goal in 3 matches. After the two goals we sat back a bit and Thurrock came knocking on the door a few times, but they didn't knock very hard.

And so, with three straight wins and a ten match unbeaten streak, we're looking in pretty good shape. The battle is far from over though, as we face in-form Chelmsford and 4th placed AFC Wimbledon next.

[canvey!!]

The Season Review

So in summary, a poor season, at least in my opinion. We actually went backwards by dropping a league place; League Table. (I don't know what's up with the size of the screenshots, they should be bigger than that.)

We flirted with failure throughout and finally embraced it towards the end where we dropped out of playoff contention and let Solihull Moors take the place. Oh, to be a part of the old Northern Monkeys!

Goalkeepers

Steve Driscoll came in on loan from Burnley and played a number of games. At times I saw him as a great goalkeeper but as time wore on I realised that him and Stefan Jones were not too different and that Driscoll was going through a bad run of form. I dropped him, and Stefan Jones took his place for the rest of the season, managing one game more than Driscoll and generally playing rather well. Of course he had poor games, but it isn’t entirely his fault and the defence can be blamed somewhat for that.

Defenders

Danny Brown is a red-hot prospect but I’m not very impressed with his discipline. He didn’t get too many bookings but he gave away needless penalties and had many poor games. I played him less towards the end of the season, opting instead for Jon Sayer, a rock in the defence. He played many games and played well, and I noticed no real problems in his game, unlike Iain Porter, who scored an own goal and had fouling mishaps. However, towards the end of the season he picked up his game and grabbed two goals. I just hope he’s entirely more consistent.

‘ James Canvey *Youth* (original name, Eric Moss) was the hottest prospect from the academy this year. He played a few games and generally did rather well, getting Man of the Match honours on two occasions. Other times he preferred to just sit back and aid team play. He was the back-up to Graeme Pepper *Youth* who is a great player and generally played some very good football. He had a few mishaps but I’ve forgiven him those and he’s contributed well to the team.

This is in contrast to my new signing Karl Ingram, who I got so angry with after poor performance following poor performance, fouls and defensive errors everywhere, that I chucked him in the Reserves. He isn’t great at the moment but in a couple of seasons time, if the team are still at this level, he will be a good player. Stephen Stokes *Youth* was usually a choice centre-back, playing 39 games without any major errors. He’s a good prospect. Danny Macauley was last year’s captain and he didn’t get to play as much this year, but his versatility was useful and when he did play he played well. I’ve also been hanging out with him outside of “work” and he’s pretty cool. He has a dog and he works in a garage.

Midfielders

Steven Porter was a sound midfield player, amassing a good number of games and four goals. He wasn’t always playing well, but I feel that I got good use out of him and he typically contributed to the team in the most selfless of ways. Callum Brown, on the other hand, is our top talent and he played well but I am not happy with his lack of motivation playing for a manager with such little experience as Paul Wallace. Who is he to slur the 1000-goalscoring legend? He made 47 appearances and scored 9 goals so he is a key player and it looks like he will go from strength to strength. Sam Brunskill remained from last season and he had less of a role this season. He still played games, but was unremarkable in the central midfield. Still, I have nothing negative to note and he has made a good contribution.

Joe Woodley *Youth* came in from the academy this season and played a number of games as a back-up to the main midfield players. He scored two goals which I was rather impressed with. One of those main midfield players was André McLeod, my captain, who played well but towards the end of the season tended to play more from the subs bench, along with James Jones. These two contributed well in attacking midfield and Jones scored 7 goals [McLeod 1]. A good contribution from some veteran players.

Ryan Clements is a good wing player but he could have played more if not for injury. He took a bit of a secondary role in this season, as did Pete Clifton who could have played more often and been more promiscuous in his goalscoring. Still, I didn’t play Clifton in the position as striker and this pair contributed 7 assists each, so not bad going.

Strikers

Chris Walker was on loan from Preston and I rated him very highly. He played very well, but perhaps not as well as I’d expected him to. Still, he has made a contribution and I still remark him as a very good player. Matthew Abbott, on the other hand, had a rather poor season. He was mainly used as a back-up, and made a handful of appearances. He scored a good 5 goals, but he’s nowhere near good enough to be starting regularly. Joe Wilson remained from last season and I didn’t play him much. He scored two goals but he perhaps profited most from his time in the reserves where he scored 5.

Karl Nash *Youth* was the main striker and top goalscorer but his long periods without scoring really antagonised me. He made a great contribution and I always remarked him as a great player but if he had only done more in finishing off some good chances then perhaps we might have made it into the playoffs. Phil Russell also had long periods of goal-lessness and he ended up scoring 7 goals. I don’t see him as much of a future prospect, and just a utility striker until better arrives.

Squad

~

We started so well and I thought I was really going to have fun and win not illustriously but at least comfortably. Then, the season came off the rails a bit and as you can tell from my match reports I got a bit negative about the whole thing. We dominated matches but failed to score, and I understand that is a problem with this year’s version. In the end, we were hanging on in the last of the playoff spots and I thought we might make it but we just couldn’t tie up the season, and there were more irritating results.

The FA Cup was of course our strongest competition. We reached exactly the same stage as last year: the First Round where we lost to Gillingham. There were two easy teams, Chesham and North Leigh, and we scraped a replay against AFC Wimbledon to progress through the Second Qualifying Round, which was excellent as I didn’t want to go out in the first round entered of every tournament. The match against Gillingham brought 2543 fans who saw Karl Nash *Youth* score our consolation. We got a better result against them than last year so you could say things are looking up! Aston Villa won the competition; we lost to the team who lost to the team who lost to the team who lost to the winners.

The Conference League Cup and the FA Trophy were both hard on us as we got difficult draws for both. We faced Hinckley away in the CLC and we lost 1-3, and Stalybridge away in the FA Trophy with the same scoreline. They were both, I suppose, winnable matches, but I’ve not been able to get strikers to score that much so we weren’t really going to be winning them. Cambridge United won the Conference League Cup and Salisbury won the FA Trophy.

The Reserves finished 8th (/19) in their league, 9 points behind the winners Eastleigh. Not too shabby.

~

And at last, some good news!

Paul Wallace came third as manager of the season! Excellent!

My tips for the next Northern Monkey

• Central defence is probably the weakest area. Invest in a player there. He has to be a really good player, ideally.
  
• A prolific goalscorer would be a good idea
  
• Sell any players who you don’t think are going to make the cut this season, to cut down on the wages and allow an injection of more quality into the squad
  
• If you can, lose the Fitness coach and get a new all-rounder
  
• Any players on my shortlist aren’t important, I tend to keep all decent players and above on there. You may want to have a little look through for some of the highest-rated ones but it isn’t necessary
  
• There is a guide to the symbols used in Paul Wallace’s notes. If you’re ever confused, use that. Please add any new symbols you choose to use to that
  
• I’ve put in two little Easter Eggs. See if you can find them!
  
• And have fun!
  

bermybhoy, I don’t wish to be added to the bottom of the list.

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