sherm Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 5th May 2002, 5.15 Aggborough, Kidderminster As I stood in the middle of the Aggborough pitch, celebrating our hard earned promotion with the players and staff, I realised that all the hard times, all the tough times and all the failures I have been through in my life have been for a reason. What that reason is, I've yet to understand, but at that precise minute, I didn't give a monkeys. I turned and embraced the lads closest to me, John Rankin and Stevie Caldwell, two team mates and two goo friends, before spotting our Portuguese trio out of the corner of my eye. I was delighted to see them smiling, and laughing, because I knew how hard they had worked through the season. Joao Paiva, Ricardo Jorge and Hugo Pinheiro had all taken stick at the start of the season, but they had come through the test, every one of them playing a massive part of our romping to the title and well deserved promotion The 3-0 win against Kidderminster on the final day had been a fitting end to the season, but there had been many highlights over the course of the season. Our 131 League goals, and 111 League points, both Division Three records, plus some fabulous individual performances, that I will talk about in a minute. Also, our brilliant run in the League Cup, in which we were just two minutes away from a quarter final place, as we were 1-0 ahead against Liverpool at Anfield - however, a Vladimir Smicer equaliser and penalty shoot-out heartbreak shattered those dreams. Not forgetting the way that myself and the chairman, Max Griggs, handled ourselves despite constant criticism for our supposed 'ruining of the lower league game', as we brought in several foreign players and spent our fair share of money - we didn't care, our goal was achieved, and the doubters were proved wrong -- Let me explain why this was such a special moment to me. Just three years ago, I was attacked in the street, by three teenagers, and stabbed 23 times, in the chest and the stomach. It looked for all the world that I was going to die, I was in hospital for 3 months, but somehow, miraculously, I survived. I was 30 at the time, my playing career almost over, and though I played 234 League games for Rushden in the lower divisions (a club record incidently, until Garry Butterworth broke it this season), I was ready to start my coaching badges. The attack left me unable to complete my exam, therefore without mu UEFA 'Pro' and UEFA 'A' Licenses. However, the FA and the club were suppoortive, understanding, and just 18 months after I was fighting for my life, I completed my test. I was taken onto the coaching staff at Rushden on a part-time basis, and at the start of this season, after Brian Talbot resigned to take care of his sick wife, I was appointed as the third manager of Rushden and Diamonds. Max is an ambitious man, and has plowed six million pounds into the club over the last twelve months, allowing us to attract good players to Nene Park - I have an affection for this club, having been here as a player and coach (and now manager) since 1992, and I want to see us progress *Authors Note ; Game is being played on the legendary CM01/02, with English, Spanish and Italian Leagues loaded. Original database - the aim of the story was to make it a rags to riches (as everybody loves a good one) and to hopefully, make you all feel like you are joining me on the ride. I decided to start at the end of season one, as something different. Hope you all enjoy it Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAFCIan75 Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 Nice start, I heard you are a legend in the story telling world so this should be good. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted May 11, 2009 Author Share Posted May 11, 2009 Cheers Ian - I wouldn't quite put myself in a 'legend' category just yet though --- As I'm sure you all know, football is a team game, and without the 26 players we used, we wouldn't have got promotion - however, there were certain individuals that stood out through the season, and thoroughly deserve their mentions Patrick Horsham (AMRLC, England) ; After being released by Ipswich, I was quick to snap Patrick up, and I was convinced he would be an excellent addition to the squad. What I didn't know was just how much he would be. Playing behind the front two, 'Trigger' proceeded to top the country in the scoring charts, with an incredible 42 goals, 38 of them coming in Division Three. I was amazed at the influence he could have on games, and virtually everything he hit turned to goals. With 14 assists too, he was deserving of the Player of the Season award, and now I'm having to fend off interest from a host of Division One and Premiership clubs Clint Hill (DLC, England) ; Clint was our biggest signing, at £1.1 million, but boy was he worth every penny. An absolute rock at the heart of the defence, playing 42 of our 46 games, laughing in the face of his 'injury proneness'. We did get a lot of stick for spending so much money, but when the players I buy produce what they did, especially in Clint's case, I couldn't care less. He has just committed to the club for the next 5 years, and unless I get an offer that I can't refuse, Clint is going nowhere Ricardo Jorge (FRLC, Portugal) ; One of our Portuguese musketeers, and our second top scorer with 25 goals, coming third in the Division Three scoring charts. It took Riccy a while to get going, and six games to get off the mark, and I also know that the criticism he received hit him hard, but once he found his feet, he was unstoppable. Aswell as scoring goals, he made 11 of them himself, and just like Clint Hill, has committed his future to us for five more years. I've already rejected a £750,000 bid for him from Sunderland, and I've made it crystal clear that Ricardo is going nowhere Chris Brandon (AMRC, England) ; I'll be honest, I wasn't sure on this lad. It was my scouts that recommended him to me, and the only reason I took the gamble was the fact he cost just £150,000. And believe me, I'm glad I did. From the minute he made two goals on his debut against his old club, Torquay, I knew he would do the business, and with 26 assists and 8 goals, he proved his worth to the team. He even got a call-up to the England Under 21's, albeit through injuries, but the lad was chuffed to bits, as were his team-mates. He has converted himself to a more central midfielder rather than a winger, and has become a better player for it Hugo Pinheiro (GK, Portugal) ; Hugo cost £250,000 from Portuguese side Marinhense, but again, it was good money. At 20, he has a lot to learn, and will eventually become the world's best 'keeper. Yes he was prone to the odd mistake, but that wasn't too big a worry. When coming for crosses, I don't think I saw him drop one, and some of the saves he made were unreal. He was happy to have two fellow countrymen with him, and with that, we got some amazing performances. He could hang onto that number one spot for years to come The impact some of the players had (and there were many others too) made me look like a tactical genius, when, in reality, the lads on the pitch did the business. I must give my assistant manager a mention too, as he was vital to me. Jean-Marc Adjovi-Boco came in as a player originally, a back-up defender, but when Terry Westley left, he filled the void of my right hand man superbly. At 38, he's older then me, and has therefore seen more in the game, but his knowledge was unbelievable. Some of his training sessions were the most original I've seen, and the lads loved him for it. I couldn't have done it without him The open top bus ride through the town of Rushden was amazing, as thousands upon thousands of fans greeted us and cheered on our success. We had the Division Three trophy, aswell as Patrick Horsham's Player of the Year trophy, and my own Manager of the Year one, and our achievements were plastered on the side of the bus. Record number of points and goals in the League, aswell as a record goals difference of +82, and six players in the team of the year. It was my greatest year in football, and one I will remember for a long time to come Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
James_W Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 They are all I need to please me, they can stimulate and tease me, they won't leave in the night have no fear that they might deserrrrrt me.. Arctic Monkeys cover FB Great start mate, have a feeling this will be a goodn! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wegason Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 Can I ask as to what's happening with your other stories? Setting the Standard To Hull and back Always take the weather with you The Logan McRae story Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted May 13, 2009 Author Share Posted May 13, 2009 Cheers James. And Weg, due to a technical fault with my laptop, I can't play a version of CM/FM above 01/02. This means that those stories will be (for the time-being) not updated --- Coming back refreshed after a summer break, I didn't leave it long till I was back down to work, as I attempted to build a team to keep us in Division Two. I had known it wouldn't be easy, but I had set to work the previous season, tying up bosman transfer deals for Tommy Miller, a hard working central midfielder from Ipswich, Costinha, a top quality holding player rom Porto, and Betis' young striker Pedro Antonio Benitez. All three had good chances of getting in the team, but they also knew that they would have to be at their best to do that, and when they were in the team they had to perform. Max Griggs, the chairman, had been generous in his distribution of funds once again, and I had promised that I would spend it wisely. Our ground, Nene Park, had also been expanded, and we now had a capacity of 12,835. The coaching staff I had behind me was one I was delighted with, and I was fully confident we could stay in the Division quite comfortably. As usual, I had left the pre-season arrangements to my assistant, and I would not be attending the three game tour of Ireland, although I would be on the touchline for our final pre-season game. -- Rushin' and Rantin' Pre-Season Predictions Well folks, it's that time of the season again, as we analyse our beloved Diamonds and see if they have a chance to top the previous season. In this case, I would doubt it, after a phenomenal campaign last year which saw us romp to the Division Three title in spectacular fashion. I have been watching Rushden for a lot of years, and saw a lot of Garry O'Malley as a player. He was a tough, no-nonsense central midfielder, and he seems to have taken this into his management style We were all pleased when Garry got the job, but a little dubious, as he hadn't had any experience in the field. He brought in players like Joao Paiva, Ricardo Jorge, John Rankin and Clint Hill, aswell as players who surprised us all, like Michael Dunwell and Chris Brandon. 111 points, 131 goals, and only three defeats saw us take the title in fine style, our second successive promotion. Now, we have the players who excelled in Division Three in the Third tier, and the question on all Rushden fans lips is this ; "Can we keep our place in the Division?" I'm here to try my best to answer that question, and I managed to grab an exclusive interview with Garry O'Malley, and gained his views on the side's chances RR ; Garry thankyou for joining us, and congratulations on a fabulous campaign last season GO'M ; It certainly was, and I couldn't have imagined it would go that well. We were brilliant in all aspects of the team, and fully deserved our League title RR ; So are you and the players prepared for Division Two? GO'M ; Absolutely. The coaching team and myself have been preparing strategies, and with some of the names we are looking to bring in, I think we have the opportunity to surprise a few people RR ; So can you tell us who these players are? GO'M ; You know full well I won't be able to do that, but you already know we have brought Costinha, Tommy Miller and Pedro Benitez in, and those three will be integral to our plans RR ; And finally Garry, many people feel that Patrick Horsham will soon be on his way to a bigger club after his magnificent campaign last year. Have you got views on that? GO'M ; Patrick has just signed a five year extension, so he will be with us for the foreseeable future, and he is a key part of our plans. He is going nowhere Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeLikeFM Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 hey sherm, love your work and cant wait for the continuation of this story i am also playing this incarnation of CM and love to know what tactics you are employing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted May 15, 2009 Author Share Posted May 15, 2009 MeLikeFm - Glad you're enjoying the story. As for formation I'm using, it's a basic 4-3-1-2, with attacking mentality, pressing and hard tackling. Hope that helps --- Over the course of the next two weeks, I managed to strengthen the squad considerably, adding new players and seeing several leaving (or retiring), and I also saw the squad leave for Ireland, for their three game tour that I knew would help them gain fitness for the start of the new season. The players I brought in were set to a specific plan, and the most heavily strengthened area was the defence. I felt that some of the options we had in Division Three would not be good enough for Division Two, so I set the ball rolling with the £65,000 signing of Jamie Victory from Cheltenham. He was a good player, good enough to fill in on the left or the centre of defence, and for the price it was a very good buy. Aswell as Jamie, I also added two right full backs. The first was Charlton's Greg Shields. He had fallen out of favour at the Valley, and I felt that the £235,000 that it would cost to prise him away was worth it, and despite Tarkan Mustafa performing well the season before, Greg had that added experience. Also, there was the free transfer acquisition of Alessandro Birindelli. He had been released by Juventus, and was eager to get back into the game, so I gave him that chance and the opportunity of first team chances. Finally, there was Barnet defender Matthew Redmile. He set me back £45,000, but as a back-up defender he was more than good enough and I was sure he could be a decent signing for us. Aswell as strengthening the defensive department, I also brought in two goalkeepers. Billy Turley had departed, leaving Hugo Pinheiro as the sole first team stopper. To counter this, I brought in Peterborough's Mark Tyler, for a minimum fee release clause of £675,000, and also, thanks to West Ham's relegation, I obtained the services of David James, for a fee of £750,000. This left me with three excellent goalkeeping options, and I couldn't wait to put them into action. My assistant, Jean Adjovi-Boco, had travelled to Ireland with the team, and he had promised to fax me through the results and match reports from the three games. The first, against Cork City, had been completed three hours before, but I settled down to read the report Pre-Season Game 1 - Cork City vs Rushden Starting XI ; Pinheiro ; Mustafa, Nando ©, Caldwell, Hill ; Brandon, Costinha, Rankin, Horsham ; Ricardo Jorge, Dunwell The lads started well, testing the Cork 'keeper with two good efforts in the first ten minutes, although Michael Dunwell should have put his header away. The home team weren't going down without a fight though, and Hugo himself had to make a couple of saves. We did find the key breakthrough on 22 minutes, a long ball from Clint Hill finding John Rankin, who played through Dunwell. Mike's shot was parried but the rebound came to Patrick Horsham, who slotted home into the open goal. This gave us confidence, and we bombed forward constantly, but the Cork goalkeeper made saves from Caldwell, Brandon, Rankin and Dunwell, while Ricardo Jorge hit two efforts wide. Half time was approaching and we had dominated, but we managed to go in 2-0 ahead, Horsham and Costinha combining to lay off Ricardo Jorge, who curled home from the edge of the box. This spell was as good as we'd played, and in the second half, the home side came back into it. Chances were scarce, but the one we did get, we took, substitute Joao Paiva sliding underneath the onrushing 'keeper and giving us a comfortable 3-0 win Cork City 0-3 Rushden (Horsham 22 ; Ricardo Jorge 45+1 ; Paiva 67) -- Leaving off football for a minute, my personal life has been full of disappointments and low points, but I like to think I've come through them well and made something of myself. My Dad died when I was five, them my mum just three years later. I lived with my Aunt Sue, my mums sister, for seven years, then she died - that left me alone in the world at 15 - I had no clue what to do, but 18 years later, I'm achieving the ambition I always wanted - managing my club, Rushden and Diamonds People often ask why I never got married - well to be honest, I fell in love once. She was 24, I was 19. I met her in a bar, her flowing red hair, perfect figure and green eyes struck me straightaway. Louise Rogers. I was with her for 8 years, we lived together, even got engaged, but just 6 months before he wedding, I found out she was having an affair. I was devastated, and since then, I just never wanted to get involved again. She broke my heart, and it bloody well hurt - that's when I vowed to concentrate on me, and nobody else in my life Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tenthreeleader Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 Good luck with this, Sherm. The most fun I've ever had in this series of games was playing R&DFC in CM 01-02. Good job getting James -- the purchase that made me go in my own game was Niall Quinn. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted May 15, 2009 Author Share Posted May 15, 2009 10-3 - This is the best version of the game, and one I've always been keen to come back to. Niall Quinn is a legend to a Man City fan such as myself so a big to that. Glad you're enjoying the tale --- Pre-Season Game 2 - University College Dublin vs Rushden Starting XI ; Pinheiro ; Williams, Hill, Caldwell ©, Gray ; Rankin, Miller, Dokos, Horsham ; John-Dawe, Paiva Another good performance, although against a less renowned side than previously, you can only beat what is in front of you. Stuart John-Dawe and Joao Paiva made the strike force pairing, and they worked well together. Dawe tested Patrick Jennings three times, including forcing the 'keeper to tip a shot onto the post, but it was from an unlikely source that the first goal came, as Dokos and Rankin combined well, the Greek winger whipping in a cross for Darren Williams to volley past the 'keeper. That was the 34th minute, and on 43, we were two ahead, Horsham playing in Paiva, who squared it back for Stuart John-Dawe to slide into the corner. The second half was even better than the first, and we dominated the game, scoring three goals in a 14 minute spell that gave us a brilliant win. The third goal came on 56 minutes, Dawe heading home after lovely play down the right from Mustafa and Dokos. Tommy Miller scored the fourth, marauding forward onto Clint Hill's ball and dinking over the 'keeper. The 70th minute saw a fifth goal, and Stuart John-Dawe completed his hat-trick, this one the best of the lot, as he dropped to the edge of the box before hitting a left footed volley that found the top corner of the net. We could have had many more, but 5-0 isn't a result to sniff at U.C.D 0-5 Rushden (Williams 34 ; John-Dawe 43, 56, 70 ; Miller 62) We had been brilliant on tour so far, 8 goals without reply and two excellent wins. I was getting good vibrations about the season ahead, and I was confident that not only could we survive in the Division, we could spring a surprise and maybe even snatch a play-off place. The only member of staff we had left back in Rushden was the man who had took my club record number of appearances, Garry Butterworth, and together we sat in our local pub, The Dog and Partridge, to discuss how we felt the squad would fare over the coming season "So how do you think we'll do boss?" Garry had come to the table with two pints of Dark Diamond, a local beer brewed in honour of the football team by the landlord "Fancy us to stay up comfortably. Players like Horsham, Costinha, Ricardo Jorge and Hill are all too good for Division Two" "Couldn't agree more. Wouldn't surprise me if we finished top six" "You really think we're capable of that?" "Definately - as long as we have an impeccable home record, and pick up enough points on the road, I don't see why not" That night, as I sat on my own in the pub, I had echoed Garry's sentiments in my mind. He was right, and I knew he was. We were capable, more than capable, of finishing in the top six of the Division, and I was sure teams would fear coming to Nene Park Garry and myself had become good friends over the last year, whe he was a player/coach at the club, and he used to rib me that he only stayed as a player to break my record. Ironically, I couldn't have stopped him, because when he played he played bloody well, scoring ten goals and making another 9 in his 21 games for us. We had played golf together, and when he retired, he asked me to give the speech at his leaving party. I valued his opinion, as I did all my staff, and I was delighted with the backroom staff I had at the club. This was going to be my make or break season, or at least I thought so anyway Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted May 18, 2009 Author Share Posted May 18, 2009 I had sent the scouts on several different missions, including checking on our next opponents, scouring Scandinavia and also the lower leagues. I had found a couple of gems from Non-League football so far, including Michael Dunwell, who I paid £250,000 for from Bishop Auckland, and Marc Cleeland, who cost me £70,000 from Alfreton Town. Both men had proven themselves as good players, Dunwell cracking in 14 goals in 23 games, while Cleeland had an average rating of 7.65 over 17 games. I was as happy with the squad as I could have been at that point, but I was always looking for new additions to the team. That said, I had the match report from the final game on the Ireland tour to read, and this was our toughest test yet, as we faced Champions League bound Bohemians, and if we could pull out a good result, I felt we were in with a shout of starting the season well Pre-Season Game 3 - Bohemians vs Rushden Starting XI ; Pinheiro ; Mustafa, Gray, Hill ©, Caldwell ; Rankin, Costinha, Cleeland, Brandon ; Ricardo Jorge, Paiva The lads knew this was our toughest test yet, and I told them we had to start well. That went out of the window when Glen Crowe headed home from just 6 yards out after 5 minutes. Whether they were tired or just wated to go home I don't know, but they were lacksadaisical, and very slack at the back. Stuart Gray was beaten at left back at least four times in the first ten minutes, which wasn't good enough. We were nowhere near the home side in the first half, and if it hadn't been for Hugo having a blinder, we'd have been four or five behind. Needless to say, they got a rllocking from me at half time, and they came out all guns blazing. Cleeland and Caldwell both tested the Bohemians 'keeper, before substitute Patrick Horsham curled a free-kick into the bar. We were starting to get back into the game, but on 58 minutes, we fell two behind, Kevin Hunt playing in Crowe, who rounded Hugo and fired in a second. This made us more determined to get back into it, and when Horsham forced an unbelievable double save, we just knew it wasn't our day. We did get back into the game though, as Costinha paraded forward to latch onto Cleeland's pass, but our first defeat of the pre-season saw us finish on a sour note Bohemians 2-1 Rushden (Crowe 5, 58 ; Costinha 81) -- The team arrived back from Ireland the next day, and I had already instructed them to take the day off. Tiredness was rife amongst the players so it was only fair they didn't train that day. A brief conversation with Jean was in order, where he assured me that barring the first 45 minutes of the final game, the tour was a success, but we had to make sure we won our final friendly game to go into the new season with a bang. I would be on the touchline for that match, in three days, and I assured him that we would be going all out to win I had been in a good mood the morning after, as I arrived for training, but that mood was dampened when I picked up the newspaper that had been left for me. I flicked to the back page and immediately the headline caught my eye Tyler ; Rushden is a stepping stone to my career I had no idea what the article was about but I read on, and became more and more angry as I did Rushden and Diamonds goalkeeper Mark Tyler has today spoken about how he feels he will succeed at the club, and how he doesn't expect to be anywhere but a Premiership club in two years time. He said that the club's manager, Garry O'Malley, has little experience, and though he guided his team to promotion last season, he expects a mere mid-table finish this time around "I've joined this club for the simple reason that I want to be in the Premiership. While Rushden won't be there in two or three years time, I can be, and if I get noticed playing every week for this club, it shouldn't be too difficult" The 'keeper went on to say that he had seen enough relegation battles with Peterborough, and that he wanted a break from all that I was furious, to say the least, and immediately asked Garry Butterworth to send Mark into my office when he arrived. When he did, he cheerfully popped his head round the door and said "You wanted to see me boss?" "Yes I did Mark. Come in and have a seat" He sat opposite me and looked relaxed - almost oblivious to what he had done, so I dropped the paper in front of him and opened my mouth "Mark, you want to explain yourself?" "What's this boss?" "I think you can work that out for yourself. What were you thinking, going to the papers like that?" "What's the harm? I'm not slating the club am I?" "Not slating us? You make it sound like we're *****. I can't have players who don't want to be here" Suddenly, his arrogance began to annoy me "What you gonna do about it? Sell me? I'm your best 'keeper and you know it" "You cheeky bastard. I brought you here but I can hold my hands up and say I made a mistake. Who the **** do you think you're talking to like that?" "Who do you think I'm talking to?" I must have been bright red because my voice bellowed across the hall "Right. **** you Mark, you're suspended indefinately, and transfer listed. Get out of my office and don't ever set foot in this club again" I don't think he expected that but I was absolutely livid. I had never had a player that arrogant and I think it's fair to say I lost it. Big time. I would not tolerate anything like that from players, and Mark Tyler would find that he would be on his way out quicker than the speed of light Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted May 18, 2009 Author Share Posted May 18, 2009 By the time our final pre-season game came around, my outburst had become national press. I had avoided talking to the newspapers, but had fully explained the situation to Max Griggs and the board, who had fully supported me, both privately and in public. I just wanted to concentrate on the situation on the pitch, and when Non-League Guiseley visited Nene Park, that was the best thing that could have happened It was a game that I fully expected to win, and knowing that, I felt it was possible to combine the best players with some players who wouldn't feature as regularly. David James took his place between the sticks, his first game in Rushden colours, and when you have a 'keeper like James betwen the net, a presence like that, it bodes well for a lot of players. We started well, with Costinha and John Rankin both testing the visiting 'keeper, while a powerful header from Stevie Caldwell thundered against the bar. Guiseley couldn't keep up with us, and after dominating the match, we finally got our rewards in the 34th minute, as a lovely ball floated down the right from Hill found Horsham, who swung his cross in, and at the back post, there was Joao Paiva to head home. That sent Guiseley down to the dumps, and we got a second just before the break, Paiva losing the ball, which spun into the path of Chris Brandon, and the midfielder struck home into the bottom corner. A 2-0 half time lead was good, but I wanted us to push on in the second half, and that brought the introduction of Stuart John-Dawe and Tommy Miller, and it the former Hartlepool man who did the damage, scoring one and making one as we pushed on to a good victory. He made the third, as a lovely slide rule pass found John-Dawe, and instictively he turned onto his right foot, stroking home a beautiful effort. Another of our Non-League finds, Stuey was a natural and knew where the net was, and it was his flick header that set up the rampaging Miller, although his first shot was blocked, he was quickest to the loose ball and made it a nice and comfortable 4-0 win, which helped our confidence going into the season -- I hadn't been counting on much hope of getting shot of Tyler, especially if teams got wind of how much of a **** he was being, but I was shocked when his old club, Peterborough, came back at us with a £500,000 bid. I couldn't wait to get rid of him, and was quick to accept the bid. It was certain that Mark would go, so that was one less problem to contend with Once that one had been solved, I was faced with another one, when our in form striker Stuart John-Dawe picked up an injury in training. It was an innocuous accident, in which Stuart and Costinha went in for a tackle, and straightaway our Portuguese midfielder was concerned for his team-mate and called for the physio. Stuart was taken under precaution, and I received the news I hoped I wouldn't. Stuart had broken his ankle, and would be out for four months. Fortunately, we did have other options, but it was always a blow to lose any player. To try and take my mind off the injury, I went on my own for lunch, to a lovely little place that I had discovered when I was a player at the club. It served some delicious Italian food, and I was enjoying it in my usual corner booth, when I was distracted by a female. I could only see her back, but that was more than enough, but as I was staring I suddenly got the strangest sens of deja-vu. I shook it off and looked again, but it was gone - and so was she, and I just carried on. I probably imagined it, I was getting old after all Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tenthreeleader Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 I had found a couple of gems from Non-League football so far, including Michael Dunwell, who I paid £250,000 for from Bishop Auckland Cool. My 01-02 side also had Dunwell. He was a good acquisition. This is a really fun read for me, Sherm. Keep it up! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted May 22, 2009 Author Share Posted May 22, 2009 Glad you're enjoying it 10-3 --- I had managed the side for 50 games last season, yet when I stood in the dressing room with the team just an hour before our opening game, which saw Gillingham as the visitors, I still had butterflies in my stomach. I had opted with the best eleven we had available, as I knew there was nothing better than kicking the season off with three points I took my place in the dugout after applauding the 12,000 odd fans that had come to cheer us on, while captain Clint Hill was busy firing up the players. The visitors were an experienced side at this level, having played for years in the middle echelons, but they had been relegated from Division One the year before, so they were amongst the favourites for promotion. In the opening 15 minutes though, I could see why, as Hugo Pinheiro was forced into making three decent saves, and we couldn't get into the game. We actually couldn't get anywhere near them in the opening quarter of an hour, but it took a little bit of magic from Costinha to get us into the game, as he superbly turned his man, playing in Ricardo Jorge with a lovely ball, and though our Portuguese striker couldn't find the finish, our confidence was boosted. Both sides were able to create chances after that, with both Vince Bartram and Pinheiro making saves, but it was on 32 minutes that the opening goal came, as a scramble in our area saw the ball fall for Hessenthaler, who slid it across for Andrew Niniadis to smash home into the roof of the net. 1-0 was the half time score, but we came out all guns blazing, just as I'd asked the lads to. Patrick Horsham hit the bar, while Dunwell, Ricardo Jorge and Clint Hill all tested Bartram. However, I was beginning to fear that it wasn't our day, especially when Dunwell did the hard work, rounding Bartram, before firing his shot off the inside of the far post. We reached the 70th minute still 1-0 behind, but that soon changed, as a long ball from John Rankin found Ricardo Jorge, who squared the ball for the incoming Patrick Horsham to slide past Bartram and level the game up. There were still opportunities for either side to win the game, and Hugo Pinheiro pulled off a world class save just 5 minutes from time to keep us in it, but when the whistle blew, I was happy with the point -- I hadn't been upset at all by the point against Gillingham, especially with them being favourites for promotion, but I was anxious to get that first win under our belts. When it's a 46 game season, games come thick and fast, and the majority of these players were used to the Saturday-Wednesday-Saturday schedule. With that, we had three days preparation before our next game, which saw us travel to Wales and Ninian Park to face Cardiff. I didn't see any reason to make changes, but when Michael Dunwell strained his thigh, I drafted Pedro Benitez into the starting line-up. It was a slow start, we seemed almost too tentative to push forward, and we were restricted to long shots from outside the area. However, our 'keeper was a mere spectator, and he didn't have a save to make in the first half. The best chance fell to John Rankin, after a lovely Chris Brandon ball, but the Scottish midfielder put his effort wide. After the poor first half, the second half couldn't have started any better, and when Horsham, and then Ricardo Jorge tested the 'keeper, I knew we were in with a chance. The opener came 20 minutes into the half, Brandon and Costinha combining beautifully to set up the marauding John Rankin, who slotted home underneath the on-rushing 'keeper. Just five minutes later, we were 2-0 ahead, Horsham's corner finding the head of Clint Hill, who powered home his header. With 11 minutes left, we made an error to let the home side back in the game, but Steve Blatherwick's goal made no difference and we picked up the win Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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