[FM21] Return of the Phoe Nix - Rise of the Raven. FC Isle of Man Youth Save.

[Jtomsett11]

39 minutes ago, Punch said:

We've not had any IoM kids for two intakes now, so I am guessing he is not local.

None of my poached players have been locals so far (8 of them I think).

My 2.5 gold star potential one was worth £5 million at intake for spurs - I think their PA is a bit more set when poached and 2.5 gold is around 150+ PA.

[Punch]

4 minutes ago, Jtomsett11 said:

None of my poached players have been locals so far (8 of them I think).

My 2.5 gold star potential one was worth £5 million at intake for spurs - I think their PA is a bit more set when poached and 2.5 gold is around 150+ PA.

Good point. I will try and remember to keep an eye on him and see if anything becomes of him.

[Sonic Youth]

2 minutes ago, Punch said:

Good point. I will try and remember to keep an eye on him and see if anything becomes of him.

He might be a good DC too.

[Punch]

JUL 2035 - Friendly Season

A brilliant preparation as we tear through our friendlies in devastating fashion.

Over 5k turning up to Friendlies at our temporary home is a positive sign.

 

We had one player on duty at the Euro U19 Championships, playing well as they were knocked out in the second round.

 

Our U23's will be defending the Papa John's Trophy, and on the look of it, have a tough group draw with two League One teams to get passed.

 

We are making money without even really taking the field, so promising signs that we can keep the finances going away from our home ground this season.

 

It's official, the Ravens faithful are stark raving bonkers. Over 18k taking up season tickets, and the previously advised 10 hour round trip to get to Wigan.

This team has been well supported since day one, but this is just insane levels of support.

Again, I already fear a 20k seat stadium on The Isle is not going to be big enough already.

 

We're not last anymore. Although second last as we generate just slightly more ticket revenue than newly promoted Wednesday.

 

The Bookies rate us no chance of staying up this season, equal favourites with Blackburn to take the drop.

We are even rated much lower than the three promoted teams.

 

Kick the tyres and light the fires...The Ravens are about to take flight for their second Premier League season.

[Punch]

9 minutes ago, Sonic Youth said:

He might be a good DC too.

Or even an M(C), which they can often play too.

[Sonic Youth]

44 minutes ago, Punch said:

The Bookies rate us no chance of staying up this season, equal favourites with Blackburn to take the drop.

We are even rated much lower than the three promoted teams

Oh those bookies 

[Punch]

AUG 2035 - Match Day 1 - At West Bromwich Albion

 

Match Report

Spoiler

The Baggies give us a tough match to start the season.

While we always seemed comfortable, it took until after the hour mark for Wes Heys to get the goal to give us a lead, and from there the defence shut down the hosts attacks and we hung on for the three points.

A win and a clean sheet to start the season, got to be happy with that.

 

 

Table

Spoiler

A strange looking table where every game in the first round had a winner, no draws at all.

 

 

Up next...a massive challenge so soon in the season as defending Champions, Chelsea come to our temporary home ground for our first game there.

[Punch]

21 minutes ago, Sonic Youth said:

Oh those bookies 

Yeah, they don't rate our chances at all.

[Punch]

League Cup 2nd Round Draw

The League Cup draw sends us to Hull.

 

We have a reasonable record against them, although they did win our last meeting.

[Punch]

AUG 2035 - Match Day 2 - Vs Chelsea FC

 

Match Report

Spoiler

Another tough match as we pushed The Blues all the way in a close encounter in our debut at DW Stadium.

An excellent crowd of 23.5k were on hand, and we probably deserved more from the game, it was the visitors experience which got them over the line.

While we were beaten, it is encouraging to see us improving and being very competitive in these matches against the top tier teams.

 

 

Table

Spoiler

We dropped a few spots with the loss, but still too early to read too much into anything yet.

 

 

 

Up next...we travel to Blackburn, who in last place have been awful to start the season. A must win game.

[Punch]

AUG 2035 - Match Day 3 - At Blackburn Rovers FC

 

Match Report

Spoiler

We got the job done at Ewood Park, but only just.

We created a massive amount of opportunities, but it took until after the hour mark before young winger Harden got us on the board with his first goal of the season, and his second senior goal.

Hard working midfielder Adams scored our second goal on 70 minutes, with a cracking strike from outside the box.

We created plenty more opportunities but couldn't put them away. The defence had a great game and held them scoreless until deep into injury time.

 

 

Table

Spoiler

We jump back up to 8th place.

 

 

Up next...League Cup 2nd Round action as we head to Hull. The rotated squad will be out for this game, as I don't want to burn the first team too early in the season.

[Punch]

AUG 2035 - League Cup 2nd Round - At Hull City

 

Match Report

Spoiler

We sent the kids out and they run amok against a Hull side who struggled to contain their attacking intent.

Young winger/striker Harden got us off to an early lead, before Rudden put us two up 20 minutes later.

The kids played with attacking freedom, and they certainly delivered.

A second goal from Harden and another from Lea around a Hull goal completed a fantastic game for our kids, showing we are looking good for the future.

 

 

Round 3 Draw

Spoiler

The draw for round 3 sends Stockport to DW Stadium.

 

We have a pretty ordinary record against them, but most of our meetings are from quite some time ago.

 

 

Up next...back to League action as Wolves come to DW Stadium.

[Punch]

AUG 2035

A pretty good month to start the season as we go two wins and a loss in the League and making the third round of the League Cup.

 

A good result defensively, but we have some work to do still in the attack side of the scale.

 

A good start to the season, sitting in 8th.

 

Stats

 

Goalkeepers

A solid start to the season for Hodgson, putting up good numbers.

Jensen put in a good performance in the Cup game.

 

Defence

Good numbers put up by the defensive team, which is not surprising given the analysts report.

 

Midfielders

Adams has been great to start the season, and while Millinton has had a rough start to the season, he has grown into the season.

 

Forwards

It's interesting that we have won two of three League games without our strikers scoring any goals.

 

Another good month financially.

 

Confirming our fans are crazy...we sold out our season ticket allotment.

 

Player Transfers

Three players moved on who were not part of the first team plans, and were at or close to their max potential.

We got better than expected money for all of them, plus the 50% sell on.

 

We have reduced some of our over growing AM(L) stocks this window.

 

One of those clauses paid off with us receiving a sell on for Bonner.

 

Even though we tripled our wage spend this season, it didn't even make a dent in how far behind we are compared to the League.

Over £6 million a week behind Man U, and more than £2 million behind the League average.

 

A tough looking month ahead.

[Punch]

SEP 2035 - Match Day 4 - Vs Wolverhampton Wanderers

 

Match Report

Spoiler

Another tight fixture although the xG suggest we should have won easily.

One of those days where the only shot on target against us went in, while we had 10 on target, but couldn't make them count.

 

 

Table

Spoiler

We slip one place to 9th after the draw.

 

 

Up next...an international break, before we travel to Southampton.

[Punch]

SEP 2035 - International Break

We had up to 26 players representing at various levels this month.

 

Suk-Kuen's brace gave him back the lead, and he became our first to double figures in senior international goals, while in his next match, Gowdy joined him on 10 goals also.

We also welcomed three new Youth representatives, all for England.

[Punch]

SEP 2035 - Match Day 5 - At Southampton FC

 

Match Report

Spoiler

One of those weird games where we were probably the second best team, but managed to sneak away with the win.

The Saints took the lead on 15 minutes, and were probably playing the better football up until half time, which probably hurt them more than anything.

We came out and played better in the second half, but it took until the hour mark before young striker John Wright got us on the board to equalise.

He had another ruled out before Gowdy came off the bench to snatch a late winner just before full time.

This is one of those games that last season, we might have drawn, or even lost. So to see us stick at it, and come away with maximum points, is very pleasing.

 

 

Table

Spoiler

Our third win in five sends us up the table to 6th.

 

 

 

Up next...a tough assignment against Leicester at DW Stadium.

[Punch]

SEP 2035 - Match Day 6 - Vs Leicester City FC

 

Match Report

Spoiler

Dominant! One of our most complete performances in the Premier League as The Foxes are thumped, and a clean sheet to boot.

Wright got the early goal to send us on our way, before late second half goals to Heys and Harden completed an excellent performance.

Hodgson was brilliant among a defensive line that gave the visitors nothing.

 

 

Table

Spoiler

Our 4th win takes us to 5th place.

 

 

Up next...we host Stockport in the 3rd Round of the League Cup.

[TelcontarTargaryen]

On 06/04/2022 at 11:08, Punch said:

We've not had any IoM kids for two intakes now, so I am guessing he is not local.

I hope you get some really good, really soon. Your career is actually inspiring me to try and do the same with the same team, but with a funny twist, being able to sign and buy players from Channel Islands, and maybe Orkney, Shetland, or Faroe, and strictly under the age of 18. 

[Punch]

2 hours ago, TelcontarTargaryen said:

I hope you get some really good, really soon. Your career is actually inspiring me to try and do the same with the same team, but with a funny twist, being able to sign and buy players from Channel Islands, and maybe Orkney, Shetland, or Faroe, and strictly under the age of 18. 

Sounds cool! Let us know how you get on.

[Punch]

SEP 2035 - League Cup Round 3 - Vs Stockport County FC

 

Match Report

Spoiler

We sent the rotated squad out after only a two day break, and the kids played really well to send us through to the 4th Round.

We went to the break scoreless, but second half goals to Rudden and Wright fired us to victory, and a solid defensive performance kept the visitors scoreless and an excellent all round performance.

 

 

Round 4 Draw

Spoiler

We will take on Sheffield United in Round 4.

 

We have a decent record against them.

 

 

Up next...we travel to Arsenal to take on the 7th place Gunners.

[Punch]

SEP 2035 - Match Day 7 - At Arsenal

 

Match Report

Spoiler

A brilliant result that we worked hard for as we down The Gunners in their own house.

The hosts had the first chance to score receiving a dubious early penalty, only for Hodgson to push it against the post and keep the scores level, and while they kept pushing hard, our defence held strong to keep it that way until half time.

On the hour mark, young striker Wright got us on the board scoring twice in two minutes, which stunned the hosts, and we were able to control the rest of the match.

Just before full time, Wright completed his hat-trick to give us another brilliant away win.

 

Our great start to the season continues as we are unbeaten in five.

 

 

Table

Spoiler

Our early season form has jumped us to 4th place.

 

 

Up next...a monster clash at DW Stadium as the unbeaten Manchester United pay us a visit.

[Punch]

SEP 2035

A brilliant month as we go undefeated, only dropping points to Wolves in the first game of the month.

 

Analyst is happy with the defence, and while the attack is still on the wasteful side, we are moving in the right direction.

 

We find ourselves in the lofty heights of 4th position, although still a long way to go in this season yet.

 

John Wright's performances earned him both the Player of the Month, and the Young Player of the Month awards.

 

Stats

 

Goalkeepers

A brilliant start to the season from Hodgson, with our defensive performance helping us with our great early season form.

Jensen has played well in the two League Cup games.

 

Defence

The defensive unit has been immense to start the season, and along with Hodgson, have been the reason we have been getting good results because the oppositions have struggled to score against us.

 

Midfield

Millington has continued his slow start to the season, while Adams has been solid, they still make a pretty good combination.

 

Forwards

Earl started the season in pretty ordinary form, and the combination of Gowdy, Wright, and Harden have been playing so well that he has stayed on the bench.

The goals have been shared around which is better then relying on one scorer.

 

A decent month financially, turning a small profit.

 

We've improved one spot from last season, but still massively behind both the leaders and the League average.

 

Another big three games this month, and the 4th Round of the League Cup.

[Punch]

OCT 2035 - Match Day 8 - Vs Manchester United

 

Match Report

Spoiler

The Red Devils blazed out of the blocks taking a 0-2 lead against us in what was a very nervous start.

After that we seemed to settle into the game, but they were far too good for us.

Gowdy pulled a goal back before half time, but we couldn't make any further progress, as they hung on for a tight win.

 

 

Table

Spoiler

We lost our first game in six, but we hang on to 4th place.

 

 

Up next...another international break before we take on another tough match with 6th place Aston Villa coming to DW Stadium.

[Punch]

OCT 2035 - Match Day 9 - Vs Aston Villa FC

 

Match Report

Spoiler

A disappointing result as we wasted a mass of chances to get beaten by Villa.

We were pretty good defensively, but our attackers couldn't get passed their keeper who had a brilliant game.

 

 

Table

Spoiler

A second loss in a row but we still hold 4th place.

 

 

Up next...we travel to 9th place Everton.

[Punch]

OCT 2035 - Match Day 10 - At Everton

 

Match Report

Spoiler

A cracker of a game as we upset Everton in their house.

A tight fixture went to the break at 0-0, before Wright continued his great early season form opening the scoring just before the hour mark.

The hosts hit back to level the scores 15 minutes later, and it looked like the match was headed for a draw.

Deep into injury time, substitute Lee latched onto a Gowdy cross and drilled the ball home to secure another away win.

 

 

Table

Spoiler

Still holding down 4th place.

 

 

 

Up next...League Cup action at DW Stadium as Sheffield United arrive for the 4th Round.

[Punch]

OCT 2035 - Internationals

 

I forgot to mention the players on representative duties this month

 

Another big representation as we had over 20 players called up.

 

We welcomed our 73rd youth international with Behan called up for Ireland.

Gowdy scored 3 goals to take back the lead for most senior goals, while Suk-Kuen extended his lead for most senior games, also scoring another goal.

[Punch]

OCT 2035 - League Cup 4th Round - At Sheffield United FC

 

Match Report

Spoiler

I sent the rotated squad out against The Blades, and that gamble looked like it might have back fired when they took the lead after 14 minutes.

Six minutes later youngster Gakou leveled the scores, and by half time, Lea had a brace to send us to the break up 3-1.

The second half bogged down into a midfield tussle, and a series of long shots that never really troubled the keepers, and the half time score, remained the same at the end of the match.

 

 

Quarter Final Draw

Spoiler

We will host Swansea in the Quarter Final.

 

Three wins and a loss against them in previous meetings.

 

 

Up next...back to League action with another tough match away to 12th place Norwich.

[Punch]

OCT 2035

A rough start to the month with two home losses, before away League and Cup wins rescued the month.

 

Pretty similar report from the Analyst again this month.

 

We are still holding onto 4th place despite losing two of three League games this month.

 

Stats

 

Goalkeepers

Despite our poor month, Hodgson continues to put up good numbers, although we still have not had any penalties this month.

Jensen had a rough game in the Cup, but has continued to play well overall.

 

Defence

This young defensive lineup continues to play well against players far more experienced than they are, but they refuse to be intimidated, or take a step backwards.

 

Midfield

Despite a low average rating, Millington has grown into the season, while Adams continues to be solid.

Swindell and Lewis continue to provide decent service when required.

 

Forwards

Wright and Harden have been the surprise packets stepping up this season.

Gowdy continues to play well, we just need him putting the ball in the net more often.

 

Another decent month financially, the bank balance keeps heading up.

 

Due to our sell on clause, we get 50% of Luton's sell on clause.

 

A lighter month, although I am guessing there will be a international break in there.

[Punch]

NOV 2035 - Premier League Player Development

We've produced an astonishing 35 players in the Premier League.

It makes sense that all our players are our own products, with using only our academy players in a youth save, but we also have two of our former players at EPL clubs as well.

Guess it goes to show how much rotation I go through though with 33 players having played for us.

[Punch]

NOV 2035 - Match Day 11 - At Norwich City

 

Match Report

Spoiler

A crazy game as the Ravens and the Canaries blazed 3 goals in the first nine minutes of the match.

Most people had barely warmed their seats before we got our first penalty of the season which Hodgson duly dispatched.

Kearney doubled our lead on 8 minutes, before Norwich hit back almost immediately to make it 2-1 before most people could even blink.

We couldn't hold the lead as Norwich scored a second before the half hour mark to level it up.

That's the way it stayed for the rest of the match as neither side could find a winner.

 

Hodgson smashed home our first penalty of the season.

 

 

Table

Spoiler

We drop to 5th spot with the draw.

 

 

Up next...we travel to 20th place Sheffield Wednesday.

[Punch]

NOV 2035 - Match Day 12 - At Sheffield Wednesday

 

Match Report

Spoiler

We got into a shoot out with The Owls at Hillsborough.

Goals galore were shared around as both sides threw caution to the wind and went on an attacking spree.

The attacking unit put on one of its best displays of the season to rack up 5 goals. The most we have ever scored in a Premier League game.

 

 

Table

Spoiler

We hold 5th place as all of the top 6 won.

 

 

Up next...an international break before 17th place Brighton travel to DW Stadium.

[Punch]

NOV 2035 - Papa John's Trophy

 

Our U23's have qualified for the 2nd Round of the Pizza Cup, smashing in 21 goals in three games.

[Punch]

NOV 2035 - Internationals

Another wave of internationals take place.

 

We welcome two new Youth internationals, called up for England.

Suk-Kuen has taken back his lead of most senior internationals goals.

[Punch]

NOV 2035 - Match Day 13 - Vs Brighton & Hove Albion

 

Match Report

Spoiler

A tough fight where we had to come from behind to secure a point against a Seagulls team that held strong at the back.

While neither team showed a huge amount in attack, the visitors scored an early goal, and then tried to protect it.

Wes Heys scored a late equaliser, but could have had as many as three goals after two were ruled out for offside in the lead up.

Not our best performance, but good to see the kids keep fighting to get something out of the game anyway.

 

 

Table

Spoiler

We maintain 5th spot on the ladder.

 

 

Up next...we travel to London Stadium to take on 18th place West Ham.

[Punch]

NOV 2035

A short month with the international break, but even though we only won one game, we did remain undefeated.

 

The Analyst very happy this month as the attack started to find it's feet.

 

Holding on to 5th spot.

 

Stats

 

Goalkeepers

Hodgson still performing well, even though we conceded a few more goals this month.

 

Defence

The defence is still performing well as a unit.

Keogh and Slack love winning the ball in the air, while Kearney is the tackling machine.

 

Midfield

Adams and Millington make a good pairing still, even though the latter's average rating appears low, his other stats look decent getting us going forward.

 

Forwards

Wright is still keeping Earl on the bench, while Heys has probably been one of our best players this season.

 

A great month financially.

 

A monster month coming up, with a nightmare 3 games in 6 days to finish the month against three of the best teams in the League.

[Punch]

NOV 2035 - Player Focus

 

For something a bit new, with the monthly update I am going to give some details about a random player.

For the first one, I picked our Captain, Pat Millington.

 

 

Millington came to us as the top rated prospect in the class of 2030, quickly rising through the ranks and making a name for himself.

He made his senior debut pretty quickly after coming out of the academy, and landed himself a regular starting spot in our League One team in 2030.

 

He quickly established himself as an important member of the team, starting out as a striker in League One, and The Championship, before transitioning to the central midfield when we made the Premier League.

He has now played over 200 matches for FC Isle of Man, including 165 League matches, and is still only 22.

The majority of his goals have come when he played as a striker, but he also provides a lot of assists from the midfield.

 

He has shown impressive attribute growth over his career, and while his numbers show he is close to his maximum potential ability, he is still the best rated central midfielder at the club.

While his finishing has improved a lot over the seasons, his lack of pace probably holds him back as a genuine striker, but his mental stats have made him a great addition to our midfield.

 

His stats for the season are solid, without being spectacular. He gets in and gets the job done, leading the team with hard work, more-so than making spectacular plays.

 

He has represented England on 8 occasions at Youth level, scoring 3 goals.

As an Isle of Man native, he was a clear choice for me to pick to lead the club.

 

[Punch]

DEC 2035 - Match Day 14 - At West Ham United

 

Match Report

Spoiler

A scoreless stalemate at London Stadium as neither side could find the net.

Both teams keepers were the best players, as the teams couldn't be separated.

 

 

Table

Spoiler

Back to back draws have dropped us to 6th place.

 

 

Up next...we welcome 12th place Newcastle to DW Stadium.

[Punch]

DEC 2035 - FA Cup 3rd Round Draw

We will host Swindon Town at DW Stadium.

 

We don't have a good record against them, but it has been some time since we met.

[Sonic Youth]

5 hours ago, Punch said:

NOV 2035 - Player Focus

 

For something a bit new, with the monthly update I am going to give some details about a random player.

For the first one, I picked our Captain, Pat Millington.

 

 

Millington came to us as the top rated prospect in the class of 2030, quickly rising through the ranks and making a name for himself.

He made his senior debut pretty quickly after coming out of the academy, and landed himself a regular starting spot in our League One team in 2030.

 

He quickly established himself as an important member of the team, starting out as a striker in League One, and The Championship, before transitioning to the central midfield when we made the Premier League.

He has now played over 200 matches for FC Isle of Man, including 165 League matches, and is still only 22.

The majority of his goals have come when he played as a striker, but he also provides a lot of assists from the midfield.

 

He has shown impressive attribute growth over his career, and while his numbers show he is close to his maximum potential ability, he is still the best rated central midfielder at the club.

While his finishing has improved a lot over the seasons, his lack of pace probably holds him back as a genuine striker, but his mental stats have made him a great addition to our midfield.

 

His stats for the season are solid, without being spectacular. He gets in and gets the job done, leading the team with hard work, more-so than making spectacular plays.

 

He has represented England on 8 occasions at Youth level, scoring 3 goals.

As an Isle of Man native, he was a clear choice for me to pick to lead the club.

 

It’s a shame he keeps getting mid 6 ratings 

The funniest thing about Pat is his agent’s name: Bobby Brown  

Edited April 9, 2022 by Sonic Youth
Kid mid?

[Punch]

DEC 2035 - Match Day 15 - Vs Newcastle United

 

Match Report

Spoiler

A great performance as we shut down Newcastle's attack, and took a 2-0 lead into half time.

Gowdy got the scoring underway just before the half hour mark, before Wright doubled our lead on the stroke of half time.

We kept attacking in the second half but were unable to score again, but we kept the visitors quiet until injury time, although a little disappointed we couldn't keep a clean sheet.

 

 

Table

Spoiler

We jumped back to 5th as Tottenham were beaten.

 

 

Up next...we travel to take on 12th place Leeds.

[Punch]

2 minutes ago, Sonic Youth said:

It’s a shame he keeps getting mid 6 ratings 

The funniest thing about Pat is his agent’s name: Bobby Brown  

Yeah, the average ratings can be a bit strange sometimes, and they seem to have been pretty harsh on him this season, as he is playing reasonably well, but keeps getting low scores.

[Punch]

DEC 2035 - Match Day 16 - At Leeds United FC

 

Match Report

Spoiler

A really disappointing result as we were completely outplayed by a determined Leeds outfit.

Even though the xG suggests we should have won, our attack never really put them under pressure, they scored on the hour mark, and then caught us on the counter as we pressed late in the game for an equaliser.

A poor result all round.

 

 

Table

Spoiler

We swap places with Tottenham  again, dropping back to 6th.

 

 

Up next...the run of 4 straigth tough League matches begins as we welcome Tottenham to DW Stadium.

[Punch]

DEC 2035 - Youth Intake Preview

Full backs, Goalkeeper, a forward and a striker.

I am liking the look of this preview, so hopefully they provide us some decent prospects like last year.

[Sonic Youth]

31 minutes ago, Punch said:

DEC 2035 - Youth Intake Preview

Full backs, Goalkeeper, a forward and a striker.

I am liking the look of this preview, so hopefully they provide us some decent prospects like last year.

Is St. George on IoM?

Crossing fingers for your next run of games.

[Punch]

19 minutes ago, Sonic Youth said:

Is St. George on IoM?

Crossing fingers for your next run of games.

Unfortunately not. I am guessing it will refer to somewhere in England.

 

Yeah, tough run, Tottenham, Man City, Liverpool, and Chelsea, in the space of 13 days... Oh, and there is a League Cup Quarter Final in there as well...

[bov]

1 hour ago, Sonic Youth said:

It’s a shame he keeps getting mid 6 ratings 

The funniest thing about Pat is his agent’s name: Bobby Brown  

Suffers because your squad is thinnest at central midfield (and AMR). He's quite clearly better suited as DLF or perhaps even a trequartista if you train him as AMC and makes sure some of that remaining potential ability goes into the relatively low vision. 

[Punch]

7 minutes ago, bov said:

Suffers because your squad is thinnest at central midfield (and AMR). He's quite clearly better suited as DLF or perhaps even a trequartista if you train him as AMC and makes sure some of that remaining potential ability goes into the relatively low vision. 

He has been trained as a Complete Forward, which does train both forward and midfield attributes, including Vision.

[Punch]

DEC 2035 - Match Day 17 - Vs Tottenham Hotspur

 

Match Report

Spoiler

A see-sawing match that did little for the heart rate of either manager I'd bet.

Heys got the scoring under way netting on 25 minutes, but our lead didn't last long with the visitors hitting back 4 minutes later.

Pearce would give us the lead at half time with a great header from a corner, sending us to the break 2-1 up.

Tottenham didn't take long after the break to level the scores again, before taking the lead just after the hour mark.

Just when it looked like we were heading towards a 2-3 loss, we earned another corner in injury time, and the ever improving Gowdy was dancing on the spot to guide home a powerful header to rescue a point, as the crowd went wild.

 

 

Table

Spoiler

We stay in 6th place after the draw.

Gowdy's goal was even more important, with three tough League games coming up, and having lost to Leeds, we had the potential to lose 5 straight League games if we had gone down in this one.

 

 

Up next...one days rest before our League Cup Quarter Final at home to Swansea. Going to have to be the rotated squad unfortunately, as we have three monster League games coming up, and some tired legs.

[Punch]

DEC 2035 - League Cup Quarter Final - Vs Swansea City AFC

 

Match Report

Spoiler

A dominant performance from the rotated squad as we thrash Swansea.

Suk-Kuen and Hodgson got us on the board before half time, before Rudden put us three up immediately after the break.

Swansea pulled one back before the hour mark, and then Williams finished the scoring deep into injury time.

 

Hodgson smashed home his second penalty of the season.

 

We go through to the semi final for the second time, after we were knocked at at the same stage by Wolves three years ago.

 

 

Semi Final Draw

Spoiler

We take on Southampton who knocked out Man U.

 

We don't have a great record against them losing both games last season, but we did win the first meeting this season.

 

 

Up next...the continuation of our tough December run as we head to the blue side of Manchester to take on City.

[Punch]

DEC 2035 - Match Day 18 - At Manchester City

 

Match Report

Spoiler

We were dominated by City as they gave us absolutely nothing.

The hosts made all the running and it was only sheer luck that kept us equal at half time, as they had already struck the woodwork twice by then, and Hodgson had made a number of saves.

They finally took the lead on the hour after a penalty had been awarded, but on 72 minutes, Gowdy stunned the City faithful with an absolute screamer from outside the box that leveled the scores. It would be our only shot on target.

We couldn't hold on though as City would score a late winner to take all the points.

To be honest, the scoreline flattered us, as the game was never that close, they were always in control, and looked to have our measure.

A pretty disappointing performance.

 

 

Table

Spoiler

We lose the spot to City and drop to 7th.

With some tough games still to come, and a log jam of teams circling below us, we could be in for a rough ride.

 

 

Up next...it doesn't get any easier as 2nd place Liverpool come to DW Stadium.