[FM23] Another Island Life - Green Lion Pride - A Guernsey FC Youth Story

[Adonalsium]

A player in this league demanding Championship playing time really is delusional! Rainey needs to be put in his place.

[Punch]

 

JAN 2033

Our unbeaten run as a club came to an end after Liverpool ousted us from the FA Cup, but in a stunning League month, we won four from four, without conceding a goal.

We also won in the FA Trophy, with a rotated squad, also without conceding a goal.

That is some defensive statement to the competition right there.

 

Match Reports

Spoiler

A brilliant all round performance against South Shields, shutting them out of the game completely.

Billy Faherty is a name to keep an eye on, scoring his first senior goal. He has banged in 43 goals in 36 games in the under 18's this season, and is now banging down the door for more first team involvement.

 

A really tough fight against Wycombe, but we held firm with a solid defensive display in the second half to keep them out, and secure the three points.

This is another one that we probably could have thrown away points in last season, showing how far we have improved.

 

We racked up our 20th unbeaten in the League with a hard fought win at Torquay.

We weathered their early storm, and much like the last game, done enough to secure the points.

 

A fairly solid thumping of Gillingham, both on the score sheet, and in the tackles apparently.

The score board read 3-0, and the yellow card count read 6-0

 

We were on a hiding to nothing against the Premier League heavy weights, and while we were well beaten, we were far from disgraced.

A career highlight for Joe Lewis, smashing in a goal in front of the Kopp, in a moment I am sure he will never forget.

So our FA Cup run ends in the 3rd Round, but the £900k share of the gate will help cover a lot of the ever increasing costs we face.

 

A completely rotated squad for this one, including no less than four players making their senior debut.

They put in a good shift, keeping the clean sheet, and sending is through to the next round.

 

A tough draw sends us to Division rival Yeovil for the 5th Round, where again a rotated squad will continue in this competition.

 

 

Easleigh are on a tear, winning 6 on the bounce, and are undefeated in 16, cutting our lead back to 8 points.

We have the best attacking record in the League, but more proudly for me, the 2nd best defensive record, after not conceding at all this month.

14 games remain, so there is still a lot of water to flow before anything is decided yet.

 

Stats

Plenty of players getting minutes as rotation has been necessary.

Reid and Cass have both reached 20 goals, while Lewis and Mbugua have reached double figures.

Rainey continues to impress, with 8 goals and 13 assists to his credit.

 

Thomas continues to improve, while Arani got a few games this month, when Thomas was out due to illness.

Keen eyes may notice a missing name from the list, but more on that later.

 

A perfect month lead me to another Manager of the Month award.

 

Transfers

 

We have sold our first ever player to come through the Academy.

 

Sejdini was our long time keeper but has fallen to 4th in the pecking order, yet surprisingly signed for a League One club, where he will be 5th or 6th in the pecking order.

We probably got more for him that he was worth, and even though his value has gone up, I don't expect him to play a lot, so I doubt that we will collect much on his 50% clause.

We will also get some extra value from a friendly against League One opposition.

 

There might be another goalkeeper on the move yet, as offers have been flying in for our current number 1, Jackson Thomas. If they want him, they are going to have to pay top dollar though.

Rainey, Geall, Arani, and Faherty have all had offers, but they were not realistic, and I am not yet that interested in selling them.

If the offers get a bit more interesting, then there might be some tough choices to make, as we will need to keep the money rolling in.

 

We turn a good profit this month, thanks to the huge share of the gate from Anfield, although we got smashed with a huge tax bill because of it.

 

I thought this was a strange one, especially as the new owner turned us professional on the basis of being an established National League team.

But if he is happy, then so be it.

 

While he is happy, I decided to try my luck with some upgrades.

I had to make a few arguments to get this over the line, but he finally relented and gave me another recruitment upgrade.

 

£1.5 million in the bank, but our financial situation means no more upgrades.

I was not even able to ask for Youth Training Facility upgrade.

So I am guessing that until we reach the Football League, and/or sell more players, there is no chance of training upgrades.

 

A huge 6 pointer to start the month, as a win will send us 11 points clear, while a loss will cut the gap back to 5 points, with 13 to play.

We also face the unique prospect of traveling to Yeovil twice in a week for the League, and the Trophy.

Edited September 26, 2023 by Punch

[Punch]

1 hour ago, Adonalsium said:

A player in this league demanding Championship playing time really is delusional! Rainey needs to be put in his place.

He may well end up being good enough to play at that level, but not yet.

[Punch]

 

FEB 2033

A wobble at the beginning of the month, as we lost the important game to Eastleigh, before being held by Yeovil. We managed to pull it back together and win three on the bounce to complete the month.

The rotated squad exited the FA Trophy at the 5th Round stage, as we went out after a 21 shot penalty shootout.

 

Match Reports

Spoiler

An epic battle at the Lane as we went down in a close one. We had our chances, but didn't put them away.

Our unbeaten League run, and home unbeaten run come to an end, in a 6 point swing that cuts our lead at the top of the table.

 

The most attacking team in the League and we have forgotten how to score.

To be honest though, we probably got away with this one, as they had more than enough chances to win the game.

Form wobbles at the wrong end of the season.

 

We got back to business with a solid win over Radcliffe, although the falling asleep at the end of the game and conceding a silly goal did not go over well.

 

We dominated this one, but Boreham were epic in defence, holding us to the single goal, which ended up being enough to take the win.

This result also sees us qualify for at least a play off birth, although we will be pushing to go up automatically.

We also broke the attendance record, for a non play off game, with nearly 3,500 rolling in, only bettered by the 5,000 capacity crowd at the play off last season.

 

We rounded out the month with a thumping win over Leyton Orient, which is a massive result against a team pushing for the play offs.

Again, just conceding another late goal to spoil a perfect result.

 

An epic at Yeovil as the rotated squad exit the FA Trophy, after a hard fought battle that couldn't be separated in regulation.

It went to penalties, where we were edged out 10-11, with a shoot out that threatened to go as long as the match.

After back to back Titles, we exit in the 5th round for the second straight season.

 

 

A lead that was at one time 11 points, and started the month at 8, had been cut to 3, before Eastleigh finally stumbled and gave up points in the last game of the month.

We now cling to a 5 point lead, with 9 games to play, while both of us have also qualified for the play offs at least.

 

Stats

Plenty of minutes shared around again this month, as the games came thick and fast, while we also had a few illness and injury niggles that required rotation.

 

Thomas continues to show improvement, while Arani only appeared in the Trophy game this month.

 

Back to the usual whack that the finances take, with no FA Cup games to keep us afloat.

 

Transfers

 

While there were a few rumours and the odd small offer, there have been no further player sales.

We received and accepted a massive offer of £350k for keeper, Jackson Thomas, from Australia's Melbourne City FC, but he turned them down. I think he may want a move somewhere in Europe.

 

There was, however, some big news...

 

Geall, our best midfielder, and arguably, best player at the club, wanted to leave for a bigger club at the start of the season, and would not even entertain a new contract.

His manager came to me wanting a new contract, and while we haggled a bit over the wage, it turned out to be a pretty easy negotiation, with none of the non-promotion/release clauses that Allan Kelly wanted.

While it's only a 2(+1) year contract, it's better than the refusal to negotiate that we had at the start of the season.

If we manage to make it to the Football League, I thin that will make us a much more attractive prospect for him long term.

 

A surprisingly quiet March schedule, but important games with only 9 remaining in the season. York will be a particularly tough encounter.

[Punch]

 

MAR 2033

A short month match wise, but plenty to unpack anyway.

Three games, three wins, as we start the month thumping Ebbsfleet and Notts in quick succession, before nearly two weeks of international break.

I had a few players on International Duty, but the ones that were still here played in the under 21's to keep match fit, which worked a treat, as there were no cobwebs when we totally dismantled York.

Another monster crowd in at the Lane to watch the York game too, as we break out non-play off League attendance record for the second time in as many months.

With a capacity of only 5,000, I am not sure where we are going to play if/when we get promoted.

 

Match Reports

Spoiler

Plenty going on here as we had to come from behind, but totally dominated this one to take the three points.

The results confirms that this will be our best ever season, regardless of if we take the title or not.

We also had a massive fan day, with over 3k in attendance, hopefully some future season ticket holders in the stands today.

 

We gave away the early lead for the second game in a row, but it mattered little as we steam rolled the Magpies in their own back yard.

It was great to see some younger players scoring, as we had to rotate a few players out given the quick turn around in games.

We now not only have some great players, but some great depth.

 

After the International Break, there was no cobwebs as we dominated York from start to finish.

We probably should have scored a few more goals, but a crucial three points, and a clean sheet make for a happy Manager.

 

The news got even better as the struggling Swindon knocked over our title rivals in a massive upset, that helps our cause.

 

 

Swindon doing us a massive favour beating Eastleigh, allowing the gap to be extended to 8 points, with 6 games to play.

 

Stats

The minutes continue to be shared around, although to a lesser extent this month, but we are getting some really good value from the rotation players, which has been important.

 

Thomas' numbers keep improving, as that save % keeps catching the expected %.

Still hasn't managed to save a penalty yet, but maybe we should stop giving them away

 

We are on target to break a number of Club and League records this season, which will be monumental achievements.

 

For our three wins, I am awarded the Manager of the Month, while young John Mbugua has taken out the Player of the Month, and the Young Player of the Month after bagging 5 goals in the three games.

Harry Reid was also runner up in the Young Player award.

 

Internationals

Plenty of Youth Internationals, but still only the one Senior, as Kallon adds his 14th and 15th Caps.

 

The Youth Set Up continues to bleed the bank, despite the massive home support.

 

It all comes down to this, a massive 6 games to round out the season.

Four of the six games are against teams either in the relegation zone, or still fighting to avoid it, while only one of our matches are against a top half team.

With an 8 point lead, the Title, and promotion to the Football League, is in our own hands to complete.

[Punch]

 

MAR 2033 - Youth Intake

 

The Class of 33 has arrived, and with the Preview promising a Defender, another Goalkeeper, and some decent prospects, it is always a nervy wait to see what we end up with.

 

Wow!

The defender is gold, and will go straight into the first team, no mucking around, he is already good enough to make the rotation.

The keeper looks class as well, and within a few years, could be another genuine first team contender.

Pedreno looks to be a pretty solid midfielder, and could become very useful if he can reach his potential.

There are a couple of others that look like they could be useful as well.

Aylett looks good, until you see his low ambition and low mentals, and in reality, no room for improvement.

All round, a pretty decent looking Class produced by the Academy, with some really exciting prospects.

 

The Best 3

Spoiler

A Guernsey local, who will go straight to the first team. Still some polishing to be done, but this kid looks class.

 

Not sure how but we keep producing quality Keepers, and this is another with massive potential.

While there is still some work to do with this one, the potential could be amazing.

 

A solid midfielder, with masses of potential, and look at those free kicks

This kid has been bending it like Beckham through three different countries already

 

 

 

 

Plenty of dual citizens again, but we welcome our first from Montserrat, Argentina, Germany, and Norway.

 

Plenty to be excited about from this intake, and if we can get some of them to potential, there are some stars in the making.

[shd34_216_42]

On 02/10/2023 at 04:01, Punch said:

 

With a capacity of only 5,000, I am not sure where we are going to play if/when we get promoted.

 

League Rules typically has the capacity rules mentioned, and I believe that 5,000 is the exact minimum needed for League Two.

[Punch]

3 hours ago, shd34_216_42 said:

League Rules typically has the capacity rules mentioned, and I believe that 5,000 is the exact minimum needed for League Two.

I hadn’t checked yet, but I thought we may have been close.

Not sure if there is a certain number of fixed seats required as well, as we only have about 700 of those.

[shd34_216_42]

35 minutes ago, Punch said:

I hadn’t checked yet, but I thought we may have been close.

Not sure if there is a certain number of fixed seats required as well, as we only have about 700 of those.

Double-checked and apparently you need 2000 seats (unless it's changed since FM22), so looks like it's time for more fixed seats.

[Punch]

53 minutes ago, shd34_216_42 said:

Double-checked and apparently you need 2000 seats (unless it's changed since FM22), so looks like it's time for more fixed seats.

From memory, we have 5,000 capacity, 720 seated, and a maximum capacity increase to 8,250 or something around that.

So if we find a way to put more seats in, we should be good for a while.

I am sure the game will manage it, but in reality, it would be pretty difficult looking at the ground, with an athletic track around it.

[Punch]

 

APR 2033

 

 

We are going up!

The Green Lions roared to the title, although it turned into a non-event in the end, as Eastleigh continued to fall apart, and it was all over after we beat Chester.

 

Match Report

Spoiler

Our possession dominance continued as we showed no signs of nerves holding out Dover.

 

While it would have been nice to do it in front of our home fans, this was the win that confirmed us as Champions, and secured our promotion to the Football League.

Another dominant performance, that was all over by half time, and with Eastleigh beaten, the trophy was secured.

 

With the trophy and promotion secured, we had a party in front of our home fans, putting on another dominant display to celebrate in style.

 

The hang over must have kicked in, as this was about the worst performance we have put in for several years.

While we dominated possession, we done absolutely nothing with it.

 

A rocket after the last performance worked as we got back to our dominant ways in our final home game of the season.

 

We rounded out the season with another comfortable win, ending the season in style.

 

 

We ended up romping away with the title, as Eastleigh fell away, winning none of their last three games.

Their is going to be some really tough games in the play offs, and with only one of those teams coming up with us, some very disappointed clubs.

At the other end, Chester pulled off the great escape, after being in the play off zone early in the season, they escape relegation as Radcliffe lost 7 in a row, while Chester won 3 of those same run.

 

Another loss this month, and a big loss over all for the season, as the Youth Set Up continues to cost us big money.

 

The Board have added £10k to the wage budget, which might come in handy as I am sure their are players who are going to want more money now we are in the Football League.

There is also a massive Transfer Budget, which we won't use, so I can always dump some of that into wages if needed.

 

Up next...time to review the season that was, while also keeping an eye on the play off race.

 

[Adonalsium]

What a great season! League Two awaits... this is where the jump up in quality starts to get really noticeable, I think.

[Sizeman21]

Great promotion! Hoping you stay up first time asking. League 2 is always a challenge. 

[Hootieleece]

Huzzah! National League Champions! Congratulations!Please Phoe Nix Don't Hurt them when you get to League 2!

[Punch]

I think we have enough about us to stay up, despite the big step up in class.

There is also going to be some changes as we will say goodbye to some old regulars that have not been involved this season. If they weren’t getting game time in the National League, they are no chance in League Two.

Interesting times ahead.

[Punch]

 

MAY 2033

Wycombe will join us in League Two next season, as poor old Eastleigh really crash and burn.

In the space of a month they went from Title contenders, to missing out on promotion as their end of season fall is complete.

 

Our brilliant season results in me taking out the National League Manager of the Year award, which made the Board happy.

 

We have successfully upgraded our Youth Category from 4 to 3, which means even more money.

 

Speaking of Youth, we have had our first poaching of the save, as Norwich take one of our Defenders.

Although, it looks like we may not have missed out on too much.

 

I found this interesting, as a first time Football League club, the Board are expecting a mid table finish.

I said this new owner wanted things to happen.

 

A big crunch in the bank this month as we have to make some ground alterations, more on that later, and the Youth Set up is going to keep fighting us.

 

New sponsors on board now that we are an EFL team, and while it's not much, it is a massive improvement on where we started from.

 

And our suspicions were correct, we are not adding more capacity, but more fixed seating, to comply with League Two rules, which while we ok on the 5k capacity, we only had 720 seats.

This change will bring us in line with the 2k fixed seats requirement, without us requiring to move, or build a new stadium yet.

[Punch]

 

2032-2033 Season Review

 

After seven years in the National League system, we are off to the Football League.

Edited October 5, 2023 by Punch

[Punch]

 

2032-2033 Season Review - Stats

 

Goalkeepers

After Sejdini departed, we used just the two keepers, with Jackson being installed as the number 1, while Arani got a few Cup games, and a few League games late in the season when the title was won.

After a rough start, Thomas continued to improve and impose himself throughout the season.

Arani continues to show he is more than capable, should Thomas lose form, or decide to leave.

 

Defenders

Batchelor was the only defender to score a goal, and one of them would be Goal of the Year.

We used plenty of players in the rotation this season, and got plenty of value from them all.

 

Midfielders

Not a lot of goals from our midfield, but they create plenty.

Sampson has been the surprise packet of the season, pushing our only Senior International, Kallon, into the sub/rotation role.

They all end up seeing plenty of minutes though as we need plenty of rotation.

 

Forwards

We had five players reach double figure goal tallies this season, Reid leading the way with 26.

Rainey was probably my pick for Player of the Season, as he was not even predicted to be a regular starter this year, but just forced his way in, and never looked back. 11 goals and 15 assists from a 17 year old who just looked comfortable from the jump.

No game time for Kirkpatrick or Docherty, leaving us looking light in experience, but the kids make up for it in performance.

 

Harry Reid was our player of the season, in a year of massive change.

Plenty to like about where we are headed.

 

Docherty did not add to his games tally, and it is unlikely that Allen's record will be broken anytime soon.

[Punch]

 

2032-2033 Season Review - Attribute Ratings

 

It's that favourite time of year again where we get to review the improvements, or not, in the players attribute averages.

I expected plenty of change this season with the change to full time training after going professional, making for plenty of improvement.

 

Goalkeepers

Massive improvement here from our main two.

Thomas has improved so much, that he is now the highest rated player at the club.

We need these two to keep pushing each other, as none of the others are ready, and Mason is probably the only one that will be good enough to challenge them in future.

 

Defenders

Some steady growth among the defensive line, although Russo has been a standout this season.

We have a good core of players, with some solid rotation options.

We will need to see further improvement if we want to challenge in League Two.

 

Midfielders

Steady progress again, while Sampson came from nowhere to push Kallon down.

Some big improvements from Pearce and Lozano.

We will need to keep producing these numbers, but we do have a good core for now.

 

Forwards

Two players showing 10 point improvements, including Rainey, who was still supposed to be a few years away from first team regular, has shot into one of the most important players in the forward line.

This is the area where we could be a little light, especially with the prospect of busy schedules requiring a lot of rotation.

We have a good core, but the back up is still a work in progress.

 

Best Squad

Plenty to like about the squad though, and I think we might have enough about us to worry a few teams in this League.

 

The average age has fallen below 20 again, while the average score rocketed up this year.

I guess that improvement was to be expected with the change from part time to full time training.

Will be interesting to see how it compares at the end of next season.

 

[Punch]

 

JUN 2033 - Off Season things

 

Job for days

Plenty of job offers coming in, Hibs my first overseas offer, while both the others were in The Championship.

 

Internationals

Plenty on Youth International duty, but still just the one Senior International, Kallon earning Caps 16 & 17.

 

The clean out has begun, with 21 players exiting.

Some of these players had options on their contract, but as they had played no part in games this season, they were not going to see time in a higher League, so I let them all go.

We had tried to sell a few of them, but there was little interest, and some of them are long serving players from lower League's, but they go with our thanks, and blessing, and hopefully they can continue their career elsewhere.

 

We did make a player sale, smashing our Transfer record, as Everitt went to League One Doncaster, for a fee which I could not say no to.

He was a part of the rotation last season, not a regular starter, but a solid performer.

Doncaster started at about £60k, I countered at £200k, and we kept at it, back and forth, and I really expected them to withdraw their offer.

But when they finally agreed to a crazy fee, plus the extra, I could not turn that amount of money down.

 

Our second sale, smashing the fee we got for Sejdini, and straight away his value went to over half a million. Hopefully we can see some value form that down the track.

I didn't expect to see much value from Seejdini's clause. He hasn't played a game at Sheffield, and I doubt he will.

 

Season tickets and a big transfer fee manage to rescue this month slightly, but we are still losing money at a great rate.

 

It's better than the £5k we have been getting in the National League.

 

We kick off the new season away to newly relegated MK Dons, while our first home game will be against Bromley.

 

In a surprise, even the Bookies are showing us around the mid-table region.

Maybe the Board are not too far off with their expectations.

 

Speaking of expectations, mid-table in the League, be competitive in the Cups, and get out of the group stage in the Pizza Cup.

They also seem to have found some more money to put in the transfer budget.

 

Friendly season kicks off, and like last season, I am running a series of Saturday/Sunday Cups along with some hard training weeks to gets us fit and strong for the big season ahead.

Our final game against Wednesday is as a part of the deal to sell Sejdini to them, and we will probably make more from the game than from the transfer fee.

 

 

[Punch]

 

JUL 2033 - Pre-Season things

A stunning pre-season as we ran riot through the Cup style friendlies, with the split squads playing Saturday and Sunday.

Our last Cup we also collected a hard fought win over our first up League opponent MK Dons, and we rounded out by thumping League One opposition Wednesday.

 

After the friendlies, our best squad looks something like this.

I am sure there will be plenty of rotation required over the course of the season, but it is not hugely different to last season.

There is a big difference in that we appear to have a player on loan...more on Allan Kelly later.

 

After marching away with the National League title last season, and not having a single player in the Player of the Year voting, we already have a player in the Bookies minds with a chance in League Two.

 

They also like Harry Reid's goal scoring chances in this League.

 

Transfers

We've sent some on loan, and we have sold a few more players.

Alexandrou was first to go, while he was a regular in the first team a few seasons ago, he hit his ceiling fast and has not been a regular for some time.

With better players available, and more coming through, it was time to make some money while we still could.

He moves home to Cyprus, and we collect a decent fee for a player who has been barely a squad player for the last two seasons.

 

Then the big one happened. Kelly had been unhappy and wanting a move to a bigger club for a few seasons now, but as he was our best defender, I was not letting him go cheap.

St Mirren wanted him badly, and when they agreed to this ridiculous offer, plus all the extras, I could not say no any longer.

£400k, plus another £50 when he makes his debut, plus we get to keep him for our first League Two season, I think they are completely nuts, but that will fund a massive chunk of the club for the season.

 

Hudak was a solid goalkeeper, but was never going to make it to the first team.

We make a small amount of money, plus there is some extra if he makes it big, but I doubt that we will see anything further.

 

Much like Hudak, Cihak is a solid defender, but has not appeared in the first team for two years, and was not going to be playing in League Two.

Again, a small fee, but we have some extras.

 

The rest were loans to continue development.

 

I continue to refuse to sell to clubs in the same division, but it didn't matter, as they all went to different countries.

I am not expecting to see much from most of the sell on clauses, but the Kelly one will be interesting to watch unfold if he can establish himself in the Scottish Premiership, but that won't be until next season now anyway.

 

Season tickets and player sales mean we have a huge month sending us back over the £1 million mark.

 

A massive boost to Season Tickets, as we have already sold more than 600 above last season.

We have also sold more tickets than we have fixed seats, so there will be plenty of fans standing around the running track

 

The Green Lions are about to become a Football League club, and we will also be traveling to League One Plymouth to debut in the League Cup.

 

[Punch]

 

AUG 2033

We are officially a Football League team, starting our time here with a thumping of MK Dons, before being brought back to earth by Bromley.

We learned a valuable lesson against Cambridge, after slacking off resulted in giving up a 2-0 lead, before absolutely belting Cheltenham.

We also debuted in the League Cup, giving League One Plymouth a run for their money, before going out in penalties, while we also kicked off the Pizza Cup, with a win over Southampton 21s.

 

Match Reports

Spoiler

We dominated the Dons as this one was all over as a contest by 30 minutes.

We probably should have scored more, but for our first up win, a pretty great result.

 

A reality check here as we were taught a lesson in being clinical in front of goal.

The stats showed that it was a pretty even game, but Bromley took their chances, and we were wasteful in front of goal.

 

Another lesson to be learned as we were 2-0 up and dominating at the break, but we fell apart in the second half, as they ran over the top of us.

To be honest, we were probably lucky to even escape with a point, but we should have had it wrapped up in the first half, and scored two or three more.

 

After a rocket in training due to two lackluster performances, the biys were at their attacking best in this one, as John Mbugua went buts, smashing in 4 goals.

We threatened to fall asleep again in the second half, but managed to limit the damage to one goal, before we pulled ourselves back together, rounding out the match with a 5th goal.

 

Our League Cup debut against a tough League One opponent, and we gave them a tough fight.

All square at the end, but we go out on penalties, in what was a pretty decent showing.

We also collected about £40k for our share of the gate, so not a complete loss.

 

Another Cup, another debut, as we win our first round encounter with Southampton U21s.

A solid performance all round sends us to the top of our group.

But with games left against two sides from League One, the Boards expectation of reaching the knock out stages is not going to be that simple.

 

 

In first place after game one, we were 13th by game three, eventually finding ourselves in 5th place.

We are scoring plenty, but conceding way too many as well, so we will need to tighten that up.

 

Our kids took out all three places in the Young Player of the Month award.

 

We got belted by Bromley, continuing my tradition of losing milestone matches, but 600 games are up.

 

Backwards again as the Youth Set Up continues it's drain on our finances.

 

Transfers

 

No more players were sold this month, but it wasn't for a lack of trying, on other teams behalf.

 

West Ham came after Arani, which I rejected outright, as I will need him of Thomas goes, and well, the offer was pretty insulting.

 

I rejected all of these as I don't want to sell him yet, and he was OK, but there was a further off of £1.3 million from Hearts, which was hard to say no to.

He was unhappy when I did, but I again advised that he would get no game time there, and that calmed him down.

I can see that it's going to be near impossible to keep him, and he may be gone after the January window.

 

Jackson is another one that is going to be hard to keep in January, as he was upset by saying no to St Mirren, as that is his preferred destination.

 

I guess that is the downside to developing some seriously talented players, everyone else wants them.

 

Just four League games to focus on next month.

[Vakama2619]

What league do Scunthorpe currently sit in if you don't mind me asking?

[Punch]

52 minutes ago, Vakama2619 said:

What league do Scunthorpe currently sit in if you don't mind me asking?

Currently 5th in League One, after winning League Two last season.

They spent three years in the National North, and have rapidly risen their way up since.

Relegated their first year in League One after being promoted, but looking much stronger so far this year.

[Punch]

 

SEP 2033

A real mixed bag this month while we only lose one of the four games, we also only win one.

 

Match Reports

Spoiler

A tough one at Southend, as while we were arguably the better side over the 90 minutes, we took none of our chances, while they took both of theirs.

One thing we have noticed, teams will punish you for not taking your chances at this level.

 

A really tight battle at the Lane, but we rescue a late draw after a ton of possession in the second half.

We almost gave it away late, but managed to hang on.

 

We almost gave up points here, but rescued a late win in a game we dominated.

Taking a 2-0 lead to the break, we we gave up a silly penalty, and then a bit of panicky defending late, looked like we had thrown away two points.

The boys kept at it though and scored a dramatic late winner off the head of Harry Reid, from nearly outside the box.

Also, a rare defender goal, as Allan Kelly slammed home a mis-played corner from outside the box...it was that kind of day.

 

A frustrating scoreless draw, as we had all the running in the first half, but couldn't create enough chances.

Burton dominated the second half, but our defence held strong, as we ended up sharing the points in this one.

 

 

We sit 7th, scoring plenty, but only one side in the top 16 has conceded more goals than we have, so our defence is still being punished for mistakes.

 

Stats

Plenty of minutes have been shared around, but the main core squad got most of them this month.

 

Just the League Cup game for Arani so far, though neither keeper has set a great standard so far.

 

Internationals

Two more Caps for Kallon as he now has 19 Internationals.

 

More of the same, losing money fast.

 

A bit of a weird one this one. We gained 1,200 seats, but lost 1,300 capacity as a result.

We also no longer comply with League Two rules for minimum 5,000 capacity.

Will be interesting to see how this plays out.

 

A massive month ahead, as we face seven League games, and our second Pizza Cup match.

[Vakama2619]

2 hours ago, Punch said:

Currently 5th in League One, after winning League Two last season.

They spent three years in the National North, and have rapidly risen their way up since.

Relegated their first year in League One after being promoted, but looking much stronger so far this year.

Very good to see 

[Punch]

 

OCT 2033

Three wins, three losses, and a draw in the League, while we were beaten in our second Pizza Cup Group Stage match.

After the Morcambe draw, we had gone 4 League games without finding the net, which was a concern.

We then bounced back with 10 goals in our next four games.

 

Match Reports

Spoiler

A tough battle against the high flying Colchester, and we really should have done better.

Another example of not taking our chances, and just when we thought we might settle for a point, they snatch all three with a late strike.

We are learning some hard lessons in this League.

 

This was a pretty close game, the only goal was a deflected strike from outside the box, but neither side really produced anything of quality.

Disappointed to get nothing out of this one, but we are still pushing teams all the way.

 

Our 4th straight League game without scoring, and we really should have done better.

Having said that, they had their chances to win as well, so a point each, may not be such a bad result.

 

We finally found the net...and did so twice.

Really happy with the clean sheet, as they showed glimpses of creating chances in the second half, but our defence did well to keep them out.

 

Now the goals are flying in everywhere as we put in a dominant display belting Chesterfield.

The Footes Lane faithful went home happy after an attacking masterclass.

 

Rovers were always going to be a tough ask, and so it proved to be, but we gave them a helping hand by scoring one for them.

A very clinical opponent who were brilliant at shutting us down, and gave us no chances.

 

We bounced back from the Bristol disappointment with an absolute belting of the hapless Northampton.

It took us a while to get on the board, and on another day, that could have frustrated us into snatching at chances, but the boys stuck at it, and when the goals finally came, they came in a hurry.

 

A tough ask against League One Luton, with a fully rotated squad, two days after a League game.

It was a brave effort, but we couldn't get there in the end.

 

We now need a result against another League One opponent, Birmingham, in our final Group match if we are to meet the Board expectations of getting out of the Group.

 

 

With a third of the season done, we are right where the Board wanted us, and the Bookies predicted us, mid-table.

When we score, we score a lot, but when we don't, we go long periods without a goal.

But we are holding our own against some tougher opposition than we have ever faced, and even in losing, we are not being embarrassed.

 

We take out the top 2 in the Young Player of the Month award, with Captain Luc Geall getting the nod this month.

 

Our FA Cup campaign kicks off in the 1st Round this season, where we will face Leyton Orient.

Hard to gain much from our previous meetings, other than that they have never beaten us.

 

Internationals

Just the one game for Kallon this month, racking up his 20th Senior International Cap.

 

Eh! It's only money...

 

Another big month, 6 League games, the FA Cup kicks off, and our final Pizza Cup Group stage match.

[Punch]

 

NOV 2033

The schedule was pretty fluid this month, changing as many as four times due to: FA Cup fixtures (ours), FA Cup replays (opponents), Pizza Cup results (ours) and Internationals (ours).

The end result being, we only ended up with three League games, for a win, a draw, and a loss, these schedule changes may come back to bite us, while we made it out of the group in the Pizza Cup, only to exit to League One Coventry in the 2nd Round, and we also advanced twice in the FA Cup, taking us into the 3rd Round.

 

Match Reports

Spoiler

A really tough one to gauge here, as we came from behind to take a lead, only to give up a late goal.

In fairness, they were probably the better team, so we may consider ourselves lucky to have even gotten a point here.

 

This one was brutal, we hammered them, they had one shot on target, and it went in, while we couldn't get the ball in the net.

 

This was our kids at their rampaging best, running riot over Wycombe, fellow promoted from the National League team last season.

A hat-trick for Mbugua, as we dominated from start to finish.

 

 

A slight rotation in the squad seen Joe Lewis get a chance, and he took it with both hands, smashing home a hat-trick as we thumped Leyton Orient in the 1st Round.

 

The 2nd Round sent us to Wyemouth, where we were dominant again, thumping the home team on our way to the 3rd Round.

 

We head to Nottingham to face the Forest side of town in the 3rd Round.

 

Needing results to go in our favour to meet the Board expectation of getting out of the Group, it didn't look to be going well, as we went down in the shoot out against League One Birmingham.

 

However, at the same time, Southampton Under 21s did us a favour, beating Luton in the same manor, so while Luton beat us, we had a one goal better For and Against, which sent us through.

 

We were drawn against League One Coventry, where we put on a brave display, but ultimately went down in a close one.

We achieve Board expectation, but to be honest, we probably over achieved against three League One opponents.

 

 

We have fallen to 13th, but we do have 2 games in hand, although it was three at one point.

 

We compete a hat-trick of Young Player of the Month awards, as Mbugua takes out this months award.

 

I thought this one might have been a step too far this season, but we achieved it, and the Board are happy.

 

Internationals

We now boast four Senior Internationals in our squad, as Thomas, Pellejo, and Mbugua are capped by their respective nations.

Pellejo becomes our second to score a Senior goal, finding the net in his second game.

This will only increase the interest in the services of Jackson Thomas.

 

Another job offer in The Championship this month.

 

The FA Cup prize money rescued this month somewhat.

 

A small amount of extra money from the sale of Cihak.

 

OUCH! And there it is...the penalty for so many schedule changes this month, means we face nine League games next month, including a spell of 4 away games in 9 days.

[BML]

On 05/10/2023 at 14:05, Punch said:

Plenty of job offers coming in, Hibs my first overseas offer, while both the others were in The Championship.

Aren't all your job offers technically overseas?

[shd34_216_42]

On 07/10/2023 at 22:28, Punch said:

 

A bit of a weird one this one. We gained 1,200 seats, but lost 1,300 capacity as a result.

We also no longer comply with League Two rules for minimum 5,000 capacity.

Will be interesting to see how this plays out.

 

I expected this when the added seating announcement mentioned that the stadium capacity was going to be reduced as a result. I'm expecting the game to expand the stadium to somewhere near the minimum at the end of the season (probably, ironically, by adding more seats).

Hope you got a good draw for the FA Cup, looks like you'll need the money.

[Punch]

9 hours ago, BML said:

Aren't all your job offers technically overseas?

Haha good point, maybe I should have said outside England 

 

3 hours ago, shd34_216_42 said:

I expected this when the added seating announcement mentioned that the stadium capacity was going to be reduced as a result. I'm expecting the game to expand the stadium to somewhere near the minimum at the end of the season (probably, ironically, by adding more seats).

Hope you got a good draw for the FA Cup, looks like you'll need the money.

Yeah, there was reduced seating while the work was underway, it didn’t occur to me that there would be reduced capacity after the work was completed. Especially since we now don’t meet the minimum requirement for League Two.

We got Forest in the FA Cup, not the best draw, but not the worst either. Hopefully they get a big crowd and we earn some decent coin out of it.

The January transfer window could become an interesting time if we need money.

[Punch]

 

DEC 2033

A gut busting 9 game schedule of League games this month, and it was rotation, rotation, rotation.

Didn't help a lot though as we managed only two wins, three draws and four losses, as we faced a tough run of top level teams.

 

Match Reports

Spoiler

Defence went out the window as we came from behind twice to scramble a point in this 6 goal thriller.

 

Another tough loss in a game we dominated.

Seems to be becoming the story of our season.

 

The we followed it up with an attacking masterclass as we blow Tranmere off the park in a completely dominant performance.

 

Another match where we should have been two or three up, only to concede late and cough up points.

 

We got belted by the top of the table Colchester.

The only positive here was a stunning volley from Mbugua in injury time, but even that couldn't polish up a pretty poor display.

 

A really tight battle against Newport, in a game that could have went either way.

They snuck in one goal, and that was all that mattered as we couldn't find an equaliser.

 

We caused somewhat of an upset as we belted Woking.

A Faherty hat-trick will go down in the memory of a great performance.

 

This one could almost count as a victory as we hold out top of the table Rochdale, in a game they could have scored three or four.

A keeping masterclass from Thomas secured us a point, and will probably have put him on a few teams radars.

 

We go down in another tight battle at the Hive, as Barnet get the only goal in an otherwise pretty dour match.

Neither side created much in attack, as fatigue had really started to set in with our team.

 

 

After a manic schedule, we have caught back up to the rest of the League, and the result leaves us still sitting bang mid table.

We are well clear of the relegation battle, and more than holding our own in our first season after promotion.

 

Stats

 

Goalkeepers

With half the season gone we have still used just the two keepers.

Thomas will create a lot of interest in the January window, so I am not sure if we will be able to keep him at this stage.

 

Defenders

 

Midfielders

 

Forwards

 

 

Linked to another Championship post, but no offer was received.

Made for a happy Board that I shut it down anyway.

 

It finally happened. We have drained the account.

Will make for an interesting January window coming up, as we now might have to sell a player or two, just to cover the rest of the season.

 

A much fatigue friendlier month ahead, but with the transfer window about to open, and a lot of clubs circling to poach a few of our players, there could be some big moves coming up.

[Punch]

 

DEC 2033 - Youth Intake Preview

 

 

We appear to have done it again and found another cracker of a goalkeeper, which might be good news as we might need more soon.

Defenders, midfielders, and strikers are always welcome prospects as well, as we use plenty of them in our rotations.

 

The best looking intake preview we have seen for quite a few seasons.

[shd34_216_42]

I look forward to all those 50% on sale clauses.

[Jtomsett11]

Just catching up - excellent progress again although finances don't look as good - you need a good cup run or some sales which I know you can make if you need to! 

[Punch]

2 hours ago, shd34_216_42 said:

I look forward to all those 50% on sale clauses.

Yep, hopefully a few of them turn into something.

 

16 minutes ago, Jtomsett11 said:

Just catching up - excellent progress again although finances don't look as good - you need a good cup run or some sales which I know you can make if you need to! 

Thank you!

Yeah the youth set up just destroyed the account, but the new owner said from the go he wants us producing and selling players to fund the club.

The upcoming transfer window could be brutal.

 

[Punch]

 

JAN 2034 Part 1 - The matches

 

So much going on this month, I need to split it into two reports.

 

With our match against Bristol postponed due to their involvement in the Pizza Cup, we ended up with a game less this month.

Two wins, a draw, and a loss in our four League games, while we exited the FA Cup at Forest.

 

Match Reports

Spoiler

A seven goal epic at The Lane as we outlast Morcambe to take the points.

We dominated the match, but conceding two goal so easily did not a happy manager make.

 

A really lethargic performance in this one as we struggled to get anything going.

We got an away point, but to be honest, we were lucky to get that.

 

Another lesson in not taking our chances.

We should have scored three or four, we scored none, and lost all three points as a result.

 

A solid performance against the struggling Halifax.

We won comfortably, but again, a lot of missed chances that should have been taken.

 

We were always up against it going to face Championship side Forest, at The City Ground.

We put up a good fight, and gave them a run for their money, but they were just far more clinical and sat on their lead.

 

 

With the missing Bristol game to be made up next month, we have fallen a game behind the League again, finding ourselves in 13th place.

 

Just the League to focus on now, and we face five games next month, including the make up game against Bristol.

[Punch]

 

JAN 2034 - Transfer Window

 

It was a busy month transfer wise, with a lot of players gaining interest from other clubs.

We knew Jackson Thomas and John Rainey would be popular targets, but in the end, we received not one single offer for Rainey.

 

We did however, sell some players early in the month.

 

Tyrie was a regular in the defensive line in our earlier years, but has simply been overtaken by better players, and no longer finds a place in the team.

He was going to leave at the end of his contract, so I hit the sell now button, and they jumped at the chance to take him early.

 

Pepe was another former regular who just kept sliding down the pecking order.

He had made a few appearances off the bench this season, but he was not going to be offered a new contract next season.

Again he signed, I hit the sell now button, and they jumped at the chance to take him straight away.

 

The Jackson Thomas saga

 

There has been plenty of interest in our Australian keeper, Jackson Thomas, for sometime now, and I expected he would be snapped up.

What I did not expect was a surprising lack of interest from The Championship clubs, and only a few League One sides who got into a bidding war.

 

Birmingham and Plymouth both started around the £250-£300k mark, but I refused to budge from £1 million.

 

After plenty of back and forth, Birmingham were first to agree, and I didn't even get the chance to accept, as the Board jumped at the chance to make a million, plus all the usual add ons.

A few days later, Plymouth agreed to my demands, and the Board accepted that one as well.

 

It all came to nought in the end though, as Thomas rejected both clubs, probably realising that he could stay as the number one keeper at a League Two club, or probably be 3rd or 4th in the order at a club only one level above. There was not a lot of incentive for him to make that move at this point in his career.

 

Good news for us as we get to keep our number one, but bad news for the club financially.

 

But it didn't end there.

 

The two clubs he rejected, declared that they were still out to get him, then a third club in Barnsley joined in, but all talking less money than the million we had already accepted.

That was never going to fly.

In the end, we received no further offers, so we still have our number one keeper.

 

Then we finally did sell someone.

 

Stoke City came in with an abysmally low offer for Harry Reid, which I rejected outright, without even bothering to counter.

Reid was unhappy with that, but calmed down once I told him he would get no game time at Stoke, which I thought would be the end of it.

 

They kept coming back with offers that were not good enough, which I kept rejecting.

Finally I negotiated £1 million, plus the usual extras, which is when things started to get interesting.

Originally, they were offering around the £150k mark, with no extras, all of a sudden they jumped to £350k, and accepted the extras.

I'd come down a little bit, they would come up a little bit, back and forth all month this continued.

Right up until deadline day, with just a few hours left in the window...

 

We smash the transfer record of £450k we received for Alan Kelly, and they agree to all the extras.

We put a big chunk of change in the bank, and get to keep him for the rest of the season, while getting the Friendly, and the 50% sell on.

A massive coup for the club, for a player who was probably not worth anywhere near that amount, and has not been at his best this season.

 

 

Harry Reid was the biggest deal of the window in League Two.

 

We did net more from the friendly, than from the fee for Sejdini, in what was a loser of a deal for the player, and Wednesday, he has not played a single minute for them, and I suspect he will be released come the end of the season.

Everitt has doubled in value while at Doncaster, so we could see some coin out of him if they decide to move him on.

Alan Kelly is a juicy prospect, although he is still playing for us for the rest of the season, it will be some time before we would be likely to see any return on that sell on clause.

Reid was straight away valued at £1 million, but as with Kelly, on loan to us for the rest of the season, so again, would be some time before any possible return.

 

The end result is, we have money in the bank again.

Although it probably won't last long, it should at least take some of the pressure off the chances of the Board forcing a sale that I don't want.

Now just need to hope for some of those sell on clauses to pay off.

Also, was a disappointing crowd at Forest, only 12k, so we only netted about £160k from our share of the gate. Could have been worse I guess, but could have been a lot better.

 

[Hootieleece]

Decent returns for the sales. You didn't break the bank but at least you are back in the black.

[shd34_216_42]

11 hours ago, Punch said:

 

Also, was a disappointing crowd at Forest, only 12k, so we only netted about £160k from our share of the gate. Could have been worse I guess, but could have been a lot better.

 

That's pretty normal, actually. 

Even with that much in sales, I expect given the level of spending that you'll be in the red by the end of the season. Plus there's that stadium capacity issue...

[Punch]

11 hours ago, Hootieleece said:

Decent returns for the sales. You didn't break the bank but at least you are back in the black.

Yeah, and we get to keep all our players for the rest of the season. Gives us that time to keep developing some of the younger ones coming through, for which I think we should still be in a good spot next season, even with the two top players leaving.

 

46 minutes ago, shd34_216_42 said:

That's pretty normal, actually. 

Even with that much in sales, I expect given the level of spending that you'll be in the red by the end of the season. Plus there's that stadium capacity issue...

Yes I expect so too.

I wonder if there will be another round of stadium improvements next off season.

I also expect more interest in some of our players in the next window, so as always, interesting times ahead.

[Punch]

 

FEB 2034

An impressive run to start the month, and we should have done better against Burton, before going down in a tight one to finish the month at Carlisle.

 

Match Reports

Spoiler

We dominated the match, and hung on at the end to keep the one goal lead, despite their late push.

Maybe we are learning.

 

We dominated again for no rewards, could have lost our bit late in the second half, but hung on and then secured the win with two late goals to shock the highly fancied Rovers.

Maybe we are starting to learn.

 

A highly entertaining match, and the sides couldn't be separated after 90.

We had our chances to win this, and probably should have taken more of them, but in saying that, they also had chances, so maybe a fair result in the end.

 

Poor old Northampton Town, we could have scored eight, we should have scored 6, but take a 3-0 win.

More precious points, and we keep our run going.

 

I think this is the first time we have had this come up this season, so it has been a great little run of form.

 

Then it came to an end as we gave up two goals in three minutes, and couldn't recover to rescue something out of the match, despite a decent showing in the second half.

 

 

There are some weird things going on with the schedule at the moment, so we find ourselves 11th, but some of the teams below us still have a game to make up.

 

 

Mbugua claims another Young Player award as he continues to make his mark at this level.

 

Jobs for days

 

The press link me with Reading, before Rotherham make an offer, and then Reading did decide to make an offer.

That would make nearly half the teams in The Championship have now offered me a role.

 

We continue to lose money, so the end of season transfer window could be a blood bath for the club if the Board decide to get involved.

 

A strangely quiet schedule of just three League games next month.

We also have the class of 34 Youth Intake to look forward to, which could be exciting as the preview made some big promises.

Edited October 15, 2023 by Punch

[Punch]

 

MAR 2034

Not much happening in the way of games this month, but a disappointing run of results, as we didn't win any of them.

 

Match Reports

Spoiler

A see-sawing first half seen the hosts take the lead just before the break.

We hit back straight after, but were unable to create anything of the dominance of possession we enjoyed.

Still, an away draw is probably not a bad result.

 

We dominated the first half, but the visitors took the lead against the run of play.

We hit back in first half injury time to level at the break.

We bombed chance after chance in the second half, and really, we should have run up a cricket score.

One of those games we must learn from, but at least we didn't lose.

 

Bromley scored in the first minute, and never looked like being headed in this one.

They just gave us no time on the ball, and we created nothing of importance.

The one positive is that we didn't concede any further goals, but it was a disappointing result.

 

 

A winless month see's us sitting 12th.

Mid-table, currently meeting Bookie and Board expectations, and keeping well out of the relegation fight discussions.

 

Internationals

We had up to 15 players on International duty this month, but just the four Seniors, who all added to their Cap tally.

 

Jobs

Another Championship offer. I have now lost count of how many clubs have offered me a job at that level.

 

Seeing as though everyone else was offering me a job, the Guernsey Board thought they might as well make me an offer as well.

No pay rise this time around, although I did just get a 25% bump when we were promoted to the Football League.

Another two years of me rattling on about the Green Lions then

 

Just like that, the money is all gone.

Two months after the January transfer window, and we are back in the red.

Now we need those 50% sell on clauses to help us along.

 

Twice as many games next month, as we face six of our seven remaining League games.

Two teams above us, including 1st place Stockport, while we face four teams below us, two of which are in the relegation battles.

[Punch]

 

MAR 2034 - Youth Intake

 

The Class of 34 has arrived, and after the preview made some pretty exciting promises, there is always some hesitation about what you might end up with.

Well I need not have worried...this year delivered possibly our best ever intake, and while some of them have a few rough edges, there is enough potential to either make the club take some huge steps forward, or provide us with some possible huge financial benefits down the track.

 

The stars can always be a little misleading, but there is plenty of potential on display here.

 

Some big numbers on display here, and while unfortunately 34j Joel Kirk doesn't have huge potential to improve, plenty of others do.

 

The best of them

Spoiler

Tipping the tape at nearly 190 cm, Thompson looks to have the potential to be a huge part of our defensive line, figuratively, and literally.

 

I don't know how he does it, but our HoYD has found another Australian monster between the sticks, and this one has the potential to be even better than current number one, Jackson Thomas.

 

Speed to burn, finishing, and amazing technique for someone so young, this kid has potential to burn.

 

This one is my diamond in the rough.

Plenty to work on, but the ability is there, and the potential is enormous, if we can mold him to our play style, and lift those numbers up to their potential, the sky is the limit for this one.

 

Another forward with blistering pace, and that Spanish flair the we came to expect from Pepe, this one is another that is a little rough around the edges, but has massive potential.

 

 

 

It was getting to hard to keep track of all the cities, so I changed to continents.

Obviously most of our players come from Europe, while the majority of the others are dual citizens, counting for half marks.

While Australia is geographically in Oceania, they now play as a part of Asia, so our Aussie players have fallen under the Asian count.

 

 

Two words to describe this intake - potential, and height...there is a lot of both of them.

There are two players that measure in at 200 cm, three in the 190's, and another couple in the 180's...apparently the HoYD just wants us to be able to see over the top over everyone else

I have always said that if we can get one, maybe two, players per intake with the quality to make first team, then we can keep making steps forward.

This intake, of they were to all reach potential, as many as 8-10 of them would be first team candidates.

That is a spectacular intake for our first in the Football League, while also possibly making us a bigger target to have these kids attract interest from rival clubs.

 

A lot to be happy about at the moment though.

[shd34_216_42]

Five Model Citizens in one intake is absurdly good.

I'm guessing player sales are a bit less scary (unless it's from the intake), plus you definitely will need the money to keep up the youth setup expenses.

[Punch]

5 hours ago, shd34_216_42 said:

Five Model Citizens in one intake is absurdly good.

I'm guessing player sales are a bit less scary (unless it's from the intake), plus you definitely will need the money to keep up the youth setup expenses.

I think there maybe something weird going on with that display, as I am sure they were not all that good, but the mentals for the top 5 are pretty good.

The money side could get interesting next window, especially if the new owner decides to get involved in the process.

[Punch]

 

APR 2034

An amazing month as we win four, and draw one of our six League games.

We also kept four clean sheets in those four wins.

A sellout (in the reduced stadium capacity) against Newport was a highlight too.

 

Match Reports

Spoiler

A professional start to the month as we get the job done against the lowly Dons, who had been showing improved form of late.

We created a lot of chances, and could have become frustrated, but the boys stuck at it, and got the job done.

 

We stung the hosts with two early goals before they had even settled in this one, and when they finally did get possession, we held them out either side of half time.

The third goal was a hammer blow to their morale, and we closed the game out with another clean sheet.

 

The visitors were all over us in this one, and we were down two goals, before Mbugua screamer before the break woke us up.

We scored an equaliser after the break, which really unsettled them, but neither side could find a winner.

A great fight back to secure a point though.

 

A bit of a shock in this one, was Newport were probably slight favourites at the time.

Much like the Cheltenham match, we struck twice early, and never let them settle, before securing the three points with a third goal after the break.

Another impressive clean sheet to boot.

 

The hosts showed how being clinical with your finishing counts as they won fairly easily, despite the number of chances we created.

We were snatching at our chances as one of the top teams put pressure on us, and at times we were in more danger of hitting their supporters than the back of the net.

Plenty of lessons to learn from this one.

 

We dominated the first half, but with nothing to show for it, it was a frustrated team at half time.

After calmly telling them to keep at it, the goals will come, it seemed to work, as they came in a hurry after the break.

A complete domination of the second half, we rattled in four goals, while keeping another clean sheet, to complete a good month.

 

 

In a stunning turn of events, we still find ourselves within a shot of making the play offs with one match remaining.

We travel to 9th place Tranmere, which will be no easy task, while Bromley host 3rd place Rochdale, who are still in with a chance of the Title, and automatic promotion.

So with one match remaining in the season, 5 teams can make the final play off spot, three teams can still win the Title, and three teams are still trying to squeeze into two automatic promotion spots.

This is going to be a crazy last day of the season.

 

Our good form lead us to taking out all three places in the Young Player of the Month award, with midfielder Simon Sampson picking up his first accolade.

 

With a top half finish confirmed, we have a happy Board, as this objective is completed three years ahead of schedule.

 

As expected, Sheffield Wednesday have let Sejdini go on a free transfer, so we will see no benefit from his sell on clause.

He moves home to his native Albania, having played not a single minute for Wednesday.

 

The bank balance continues to dip further into the red. This could make for some interesting conversations with the Board when the transfer window opens.

 

Just the one game remaining, which we need to win, and then have results go our way to steal the last play off spot.

[Punch]

 

MAY 2034

Needing a win to have any chance to make the play offs, and we went down in a tight one at Tranmere.

 

Match Reports

Spoiler

It was a really tight battle as both sides were pushing for the final play off spot.

The hosts scoring the only goal of the match just after the break, and although we had our chances, we couldn't peg them back.

 

 

In the end, it mattered not, as Bromley won their final game anyway, and then went on to secure promotion to League One from 7th place.

Poor Rochdale, who were in the hunt for the League Title on the final day, lost that, and then went on to lose their play off semi final, missing out on promotion all together.

We finish the season in 10th place, which is very respectable for our first season in the Football League.

The Board wanted mid table, so we have exceeded their expectations by my calculations, and there is plenty to like about the way the club is headed.

 

Under 21s

Our Under 21s played their first season of competitive matches, and finished a respectable third place in their Division 3 Group.

 

Under 18s

Our Under 18s win the Title, smashing in goals for fun, undefeated, and blitzing the rest of the field.

Again, the future of the club is looking very bright.

 

We have had our second Youth player poached, one year to the day after the first.

Although like last years poaching, it does not appear that we will be missing out on too much.

 

Jobs

The first time I have sen myself short listed for a job, and while there has been no offer at this stage, the Board are happy that I have declined interest in the press.

 

Internationals

Our keeper Thomas, is off to the World Cup to represent Australia.

This will mark the first time we have had a player from our Academy represent their Nation at a World Cup.

 

This payment rescued our month, and season, somewhat.

While we are still OK financially, it will still make for an interesting pre season transfer window, should we get any large offers coming in.

 

There is the answer to the stadium expansion question.

The Board have decided we can't afford it yet, so have put it off for 12 months.

We are the smallest capacity stadium in the League, as we currently don't meet the required limit.

 

The budgets are pretty similar to last season, but we are currently spending well under the allocated amount, so there has been no reason to move any of the Transfer amount.

 

Well things just got more interesting for next season.

With no money, small crowds, limiting our gate fees, I am going to have to try and stop the Board from selling our best players, as they have changed from maintaining a mid table League Two finish, to gaining automatic promotion to League One next season.

This could be my last season in charge of the club if we don't reach that goal

[Hootieleece]

You got this!

I didn't last long on "Break" darned FM24.

 

[Jtomsett11]

That seems a little crazy that they want you to go straight up with just a youth team! If you spent all the money they've given as well you'd be well in the red. Bizarre!