Cloondawg
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Posts posted by Cloondawg
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Time to get going with this again. Back at Bamber Bridge after I didn't get much time to play this challenge in FM23!
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Season 1 (2023/24) - Vanarama National League North
Competitions:
Vanarama National League North (Table| Results):
Board Expectation: Attempt to avoid relegation. Season Preview Odds: 11th (33-1).
Finish: 1st.
It was a poor start which suddenly turned into a great start once Nyal Bell started scoring goals for fun. After not winning the first two league games, we quickly recovered to win the next 9 with Bell scoring in all of these. After these 11 games we suddenly looked like strong promotion contenders and Bell had already scored 17 goals. We continued to win games and stay top of the league until about March when we started to lose games to promotion rivals and Chester charged into first place, but it wasn't enough to stop us being promoted as Champions as we charged to 7 straight wins to end the season. Although Chester did push us all the way and were unlucky not be automatically promoted on 100 points.
FA Cup (Results):
Finish: Knocked out in Fourth Qualifying Round by Barnet
Easy wins against Rushden & Diamonds and Bedford set us up with a tough tie away to Barnet who are a league above us. This proved too difficult and we went out in a closely fought tie with a 2-1 defeat.
FA Trophy (Results):
Finish: Knocked out in Third Round by Southport
Our stay in the FA Trophy was short lived. We managed to get through against Matlock in the Second Round, but then we were narrowly beaten by Southport of the National League 2-1.
Club:
Squad | End of Season Awards: The squad remained injury free and I was able to rotate quite well, having quite a solid second XI.
Transfers: I made a lot of free transfer signings to fill the squad up because the one I inherited was quite bare. Managed to sell Roache for £8k which was quite nice as he rarely featured due to Bell's form.
Club Vision | Board/Supporter Feedback: Expected to attempt to avoid relegation in the Vanarama National. Was offered a new 1 year extension with another year if we got promoted which could now extend my stay until at least 2026.
Key Players:
Harvey Rhoades - Very solid at the back and chipped in with 8 goals and has signed a contract until the end of next season.
Tom Allan - A great CB partner to Rhoades who helped contribute to the league's best defence. He was also a massive threat from set pieces with 9 goals and has also signed on for next season.
Brad Jackson - Provided great deliveries from the right wing and got 29 assists in the league which is ridiculous.
Kamil Conteh - All action centre midfielder who was all over the pitch in the box-to-box midfield role. Signed on for next season.
Nyal Bell - The main man up top, scoring massive 42 league goals. He had a purple patch at the beginning of the season with 17 goals in the first 11 games, but then struggled in the middle of the season when we went on bad run, before finishing strongly and helping us seal promotion.
Best Youth Intake Player: I signed a few youth players and this was the best one - Fabiano Donnetti
Overall Best Eleven: As expected
Finances: It looks ok for now!
Manager Profile: Completed my National C and National B licenses. Currently studying towards the National A license.
Season Team League Finish FA Cup FA Trophy Top Goalscorer Most Assists Notes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2023/24 Bamber Bridge Vanarama National League North 1st 4th Qual. Round 3rd Round Bell (42) Jackson (29) Promoted as Champions!0 -
Didn't get far with my first save and stopped playing for a while, so going to start again now so everything is fresh. Back at Bamber Bridge again!
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Time to get this going again now the Winter Update has landed.
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Season 5 (2026/27) - Sky Bet Championship
Competitions:
Sky Bet Championship (Table| Results):
Board Expectation: Fight bravely against relegation. Season Preview Odds: 23rd (200-1).
Finish: 4th (Lost in Playoff Final to Fulham).
I thought this would be a tough season because the gap in finances and reputation between us and other teams in the league had increased massively at this level, especially given the last 4 promotions. We had a transfer budget for the first time really but it was tough to improve the squad significantly due to our reputation and players not being interested. However, after a great first half of the season we gave ourselves a chance at promotion and went very close to both automatic promotion and then via the playoffs - but we just fell short. In the balance of the season, Fulham, Palace and Hull were better team and deserved to go up. Any other season so far, a total of 88 points would have been good enough for automatic promotion, apart from this season so it was a competitive league at the top of the table this year. We lost a lot of games against our promotion rivals and struggled a bit on the road towards the end of the season and this inconsistency ultimately led to a 4th placed finish after we had been top for a period. We managed to beat Brentford in the Playoff semi final over two legs, which included a huge 3-0 win at home in the second leg. Then we had Fulham in the Final and this was a very tight game that could have gone either way, but in the end they just edged it and we will play another season in the Championship.
FA Cup (Results):
Finish: Knocked out in Fifth Round by Spurs.
Another decent run in the FA Cup. We had a favourable Third Round tie and edged through against Swansea who were also in the Championship. Then we managed to beat Premier League Birmingham, who have since been relegated, in a thrilling 4-3 replay win. We drew Spurs away which was a very nice tie and provided a good cash injection. It ended 3-0 as we were outclassed and knocked out.
EFL Cup (Results):
Finish: Knocked out in Quarter Final by Newcastle
A second Quarter Final, in two years, for us in the EFL Cup. We played lower league opposition up until the Fourth Round where we edged through past promotion rivals Fulham. Then we got a big away tie against Newcastle, who were at the time top of the Premier League. They absolutely destroyed our makeshift team 6-2.
Club:
Squad | End of Season Awards: Most of the squad stayed to begin with and then we sold some players who weren't being played in January. We added a few to the squad but it was tough to find those which would improve us. We were a little thin on the ground at times, but there is less matches in the Championship season (without the EFL Trophy) so it was not too bad.
Transfers: This was the first time we had some transfer budget to spend and we brought in a few players for around 200k who came in and did well, but weren't our top performing players. We also sold a few for less than 100k each in January when they weren't playing and wanted to move, or their contracts were not going to be renewed. This sadly included club legend Harry Boyes who had been with us since the start and was one of the top performing players at the club in recent seasons.
Club Vision: We had a member of the board who bought out the owner this season. The club vision has the objective to continue to fight bravely against relegation.
Key Players:
Sam Pearson - Quickly becoming a fan favourite and was outstanding this season. 8 goals and 19 assists from right wing in the league this season - breaking the league record for assists in a season.
Harry Smith - Another good season from him. We brought in Kelly who I thought would start ahead of Smith, but his form was too good and he played most of the games. He got 17 goals in 26 league starts.
Jake O'Brien - Rotated in and out of the centre back position with some of the other options we had, but he was the best performer. Started 21 league games and finished with a 7.21 averagerating.
Samuel Iling - Another season on loan from Benevento and another great season. 11 goals and 6 assists from left wing for him this season in the league was amazing. I would like to bring him back on loan again but they are asking for a lot more wages and money for the loan now.
Vitezslav Jaros - He's been the first choice keeper for 4 seasons now and he was one of the best performers this time. He's developed with the club and is solid for this level.
Best Youth Intake Player: The youth intake was predicted at 5 starts but it ended up at just 1.5 stars. This was the best of them - Hassan Ugwu
Overall Best Eleven: 2 players inducted
Finances: The finances look very good and the best they have been. This is due to the TV money in the Championship and some good cash injections from cup ties. We also didn't spend all our transfer budget this season so this remained in the club's account. The board also announced plans to build a new stadium, which will cost £14m (including a £9.25m loan taken out) and this will be 13,452 capacity and be completed at the end of the 2028/29 season.
Manager Profile: I completed the Continental A Licence and have started on the Pro Licence now.
Season Team League Finish FA Cup EFL Cup EFL Trophy FA Trophy Top Goalscorer Most Assists Notes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2022/23 Bamber Bridge Vanarama National League North 1st 1st Round N/A N/A 3rd Round Carty (24) Boyes (16) Promoted as Champions! 2023/24 Bamber Bridge Vanarama National League 1st 3rd Round N/A N/A 4th Round Shaw (16) Boyes (14) Promoted as Champions! 2024/25 Bamber Bridge Sky Bet League Two 1st 3rd Round 2nd Round Runner Up N/A Smith (28) Matheson (11) Promoted as Champions! 2025/26 Bamber Bridge Sky Bet League One 1st 3rd Round Quarter Final Winner N/A Beresford (23) Iling (13) Promoted as Champions! 2026/27 Bamber Bridge Sky Bet Championship 4th 5th Round Quarter Final N/A N/A Beresford (18) Pearson (19) Lost in Playoff Final0 -
Season 4 (2025/26) - Sky Bet League One
Competitions:
Sky Bet League One (Table| Results):
Board Expectation: Fight bravely against relegation. Season Preview Odds: 22nd (100-1).
Finish: 1st.
It was difficult to bring anyone in who would significantly improve upon what we already have so we started the season with mainly the same squad and extended almost all the loans from last season too. The team cohesion, tactical familiarity and great team morale saw us carry the momentum into this season, even with a squad of less quality than many teams around us. We started really well and performed well in all competitions - we were actually still fighting in all competitions until an EFL Cup exit in December. Due to the sheer amount of fixtures being played, fatigue and injuries started to hit and we went on a slump in January - only winning 4 league games between New Year's Eve and the end of February. However Barnsley and Portsmouth, our promotion rivals, also struggled and although they closed the gap, we stayed in the automatic promotion spots. We kept grinding out wins and were quite consistent until the end of the season, this left us in a 3 horse race for promotion and it was very tight. We lost to Portsmouth with 3 games to go and then both they and Barnsley played before our penultimate game - we dropped out the promotion places for the first time since October! Colchester was next, a must win game, which we did... just! A last minute goal from Harry Smith sealed 3 vital points and set up an exciting last day. Fortunately we blew Burton away to seal the title and go up to the Championship!
FA Cup (Results):
Finish: Knocked out in Third Round by Everton.
We got favourable ties against League Two Doncaster and Exeter to make the Third Round. Unfortunately it was a home time against Everton. It would have been nice to get an away draw for the money but we still sold out at home at least. This was at a point in the season where we just had so many games so I had to play a weakened side which included some youth players. We lost 3-1 which was respectable and Dimitris Vasilogiannis scored his first goal for the club at 17 years of age as a consolation.
EFL Cup (Results):
Finish: Knocked out in Quarter Final by Southampton
What an unexpected run in the cup this was! We breezed past Rochdale and Tranmere to make the Third Round. Then we faced tougher opposition in Stoke of the Championship and thanks to an early red card for them, we won comfortably and progressed. Next was another Championship team at home, Middlesbrough and we snuck past them against all match stats. There were some big names in the pot for the Quarter Final and it was sure to be a good money maker. Unfortunately we drew Southampton away and not the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool or Arsenal, but it was still a good draw. Southampton dominated the match but couldn't put away their chances, which seemed to be why they were struggling in the Premier League this season. Although, they did have too much quality and won 3-2, our goals only being consolations and coming from nothing.
EFL Trophy (Results):
Finish: Winner
After last year's final disappointment, I was determined to try and go one better here and we did it! Finishing top of the group containing Hull U23s, Rochdale and Shrewsbury and then dispatching Grimsby, Leicester U23s, Lincoln and Bristol Rovers, we made it to Wembley again. The opposition would be Cardiff and there was an almost 80,000 crowd. Cardiff really had the better of the game and will feel very unlucky not to have won, but we found a way to grab 2 goals and grind out the win for our first win at Wembley.
Club:
Squad | End of Season Awards: Most of the squad stayed again and we continued to try and rotate often. This was forced upon us more often than not due to the amount of fixtures we had coming thick and fast. We really need to try and freshen up the squad for next season because I think they aren't of the required quality for a step up again, but that might be easier said than done.
Transfers: The only first team transfer in the Summer, apart from loan extensions, was Marley Redfern coming in from Hamilton for £23,000 (the highest fee I've paid for anyone yet). This was a replacement for Joshua Williams, who decided he wanted to move to Bradford for £50,000. Redfern did ok and had some memorable moments but was quite inconsistent. In January we were forced to bring in several free transfers due to other players who had interested and wanted to leave the club due to it. Will Forrester (to Chesterfield for £125,000), the captain Elijah Dixon-Bonner (to Swindon for £50,000) and Bayli Spencer-Adams (to Cardiff for £50,000) all got interest and eventually left after telling me they wanted to go. Ideally I would have kept them all, but they forced my hand. I think this caused some disruption to the squad and led to poor results in January and February. I brought in Shaun Hutchinson, Rollin Menayese and Matthew Craig as direct replacements, all on free transfers with short term contracts. Finally, George Long came in as a backup loan goalkeeper for 1 month to cover whilst Jaros was out with a sports hernia.
Club Vision: All objectives met and now expected to fight bravely against relegation in the Championship.
Key Players:
Harry Boyes - Another season, another stormer from him. I was very close to letting him go in the summer, but he was happy to stay as the back up LB on a good contract. He made 16 starts in the league and featured heavily in cup competitions. A 7.59 average rating and 15 assists across all competitions was amazing again.
Harry Smith - Followed on from last season and just kept scoring. He was a constant menace in the air and bullied defenders to get 20 goals in the league including a hat-trick on the final day to seal the title.
Ronny Nelson - A mainstay in the heart of the defence, especially after 2 CBs left in January. He was heavily relied upon and delivered.
Ben Beresford - On loan from Birmingham for the 3rd season running and it was another great decision to bring him in as he continues to develop with the club. This was his best season yet, with 23 league goals and on course to win the League One Golden Boot dependent on the playoff scorers. He will be back again for a 4th season on loan from Birmingham.
Samuel Iling - A second season on loan from Benevento and performed very well again. He was the go to player at left wing and scored 7 league goals and had most assists in League One with 13. His contract is up and we are trying to bring him in for the Championship, but his wage demands are huge. But we will see!
Best Youth Intake Player: The youth intake was awful, just 1/2 a star. This was the best of them - Laurent Ouattara
Overall Best Eleven: 6 players inducted
Finances: Looking good for now due to success in the cups this season. The training facilities and youth facilities were upgraded early in the season, as well as getting improvements to junior coaching and youth recruitment. The board have provided a healthy wage and transfer budget for next season, as well as deciding to build a new stadium some time in the future. Not sure where that money is coming from!
Manager Profile: I was busy completing the Continental B License this season and have also started with the A License too. I got offered a new contract at the end of the season, which extends it to 2029.
Season Team League Finish FA Cup EFL Cup EFL Trophy FA Trophy Top Goalscorer Most Assists Notes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2022/23 Bamber Bridge Vanarama National League North 1st 1st Round N/A N/A 3rd Round Carty (24) Boyes (16) Promoted as Champions! 2023/24 Bamber Bridge Vanarama National League 1st 3rd Round N/A N/A 4th Round Shaw (16) Boyes (14) Promoted as Champions! 2024/25 Bamber Bridge Sky Bet League Two 1st 3rd Round 2nd Round Runner Up N/A Smith (28) Matheson (11) Promoted as Champions! 2025/26 Bamber Bridge Sky Bet League One 1st 3rd Round Quarter Final Winner N/A Beresford (23) Iling (13) Promoted as Champions!0 -
Season 3 (2024/25) - Sky Bet League Two
Competitions:
Sky Bet League Two (Table| Results):
Board Expectation: Avoid relegation. Season Preview Odds: 14th (33-1).
Finish: 1st.
Kept the majority of the squad from last season, with many getting professional contracts. After an inconsistent start, I was expecting that we would have to push for a playoff spot at best, but a lot of wins in September and October quickly propelled us to the automatic spots. With three automatic promotion spots available there was not too much pressure on us and we kept pace with Colchester and Chesterfield at the top, before a great end to the season saw us win the title with a game to spare.
FA Cup (Results):
Finish: Knocked out in Third Round by Wolves.
Made light work of Port Vale, before impressively beating League One Cardiff at home to setup another Third Round tie. This would be against Championship Wolves (who ended up being promoted back to the Premier League) at home. Maybe an away tie would have been better for the finances here, but nevertheless it was still a good tie. Unfortunately they were too good and won comfortably 2-0.
EFL Cup (Results):
Finish: Knocked out in Second Round by Burnley
We beat Tranmere to make it to the Second Round where we drew Premier League Burnley. Burnley eased to a 3-1 victory at Turf Moor.
EFL Trophy (Results):
Finish: Runner Up to Forest Green
This was a great cup run and our first visit to Wembley. We won every game in the group, including against Newcastle U23s and then beat Sheff Wed (L1), Tranmere (L2), Ipswich (L1) and Oxford (L1) to make it into the final. A lot of these teams played weakened sides and we managed to scrape a few 1-0 victories. Forest Green proved to be one League One side too far and they played their best team in the final. They were on top for most of the game, and then scored a screamer to go 1-0 up. Beresford then decided to two-foot someone, but we still managed to get a late equaliser with 10 men to go to extra time. In extra time, they found the winner and we had no reply. Maybe next season!
Club:
Squad | End of Season Awards: A lot of the squad from last season remained and continued to develop. It was hard to improve the starting XI and most of the backups were as good if not almost as good in the same position. Therefore we were able to rotate a lot without weakening the side too much. This was maybe a big advantage because we did well in all competitions and kept everyone happy.
Transfers: Managed to keep Forrester, Jackson (free transfers) and Beresford (another season loan) as well as add some additional loans and free transfers to make up the squad. In addition to this (not shown in screenshot as happened in May) we sold Cannonier to Cardiff for £170K with a 50% sell on clause and also got a one season loan back clause in there. Although, he ended up not playing very often for us.
Club Vision: Met all the objectives for this season comfortably. Expected to fight bravely against relegation in League One.
Key Players:
Harry Smith - An amazing season for the new target man who won the Golden Boot in League Two this season with 28 league goals.
Ronny Nelson - Another great season from him after being the second best player last season too. He was ever present at the back and contributed with even more goals in the league.
Jake O'Brien - He was actually only signed in November after Rod McDonald complained about game time and was sold to Oxford for £35K, but what a signing. Slotted straight into the back line and was solid.
Harry Boyes - Another season, another great one for him. He played mostly as a back up at left back towards the end of the season, but every time he was called upon he was great. 21 league apps and 8 assists.
Samuel Iling - On loan from Benevento, this was gem of a loan signing found by the Director of Football. He caused problems on the left with his pace. Signed for another season on loan.
Best Youth Intake Player: The youth intake wasn't great. This was the best of them - Steve Finney
Overall Best Eleven: Nothing unusual
Finances: Kept alive by the cup runs. Board have announced plans to improve training facilities which took a big chunk of money out here.
Manager Profile: The board allowed me to complete coaching courses for the National A and Continental C licenses. I have now started the Continental B license too.
Season Team League Finish FA Cup EFL Cup EFL Trophy FA Trophy Top Goalscorer Most Assists Notes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2022/23 Bamber Bridge Vanarama National League North 1st 1st Round N/A N/A 3rd Round Carty (24) Boyes (16) Promoted as Champions! 2023/24 Bamber Bridge Vanarama National League 1st 3rd Round N/A N/A 4th Round Shaw (16) Boyes (14) Promoted as Champions! 2024/25 Bamber Bridge Sky Bet League Two 1st 3rd Round 2nd Round Runner Up N/A Smith (28) Matheson (11) Promoted as Champions!0 -
Season 2 (2023/24) - Vanarama National League
Competitions:
Vanarama National League (Table| Results):
Board Expectation: Avoid relegation. Season Preview Odds: 7th (12-1).
Finish: 1st.
After adding some better quality to the first team and keeping hold of some our better players to be used in the squad, we were in a good position before the season started. Then we were able to add a few more as it begun to give a bit more strength in depth. We got off to an excellent start, being unbeaten until November in the league and not picking up too many draws either. This propelled us to the top of the league. Only defeats to Halifax and Wrexham slowed us down until we hit March with about an 8 point gap over Wrexham in 2nd place, who also just kept on winning and winning. We then went on to draw 5 straight matches and suddenly Wrexham were level on points and it was going right down to the wire. We went into the penultimate game, which was Wrexham away, 1 point ahead at the top - it went terribly and we lost 2-0. It looked like the dream of being champions was over and we would have to settle for playoffs unless a miracle happened. We played relegated Barrow at home and managed a comfortable 2-0 win. Wrexham played Barnet away and amazingly lost this 2-1 and handed us the title. I expect them to win the playoffs after missing out on automatic promotion, even though they beat us home and away and finished on a massive 107 points. Promoted again and on we go to League Two!
FA Cup (Results):
Finish: Knocked out in Third Round by Watford.
A great run in the FA Cup, which saw us reach the Third Round for the first time and generate a bit of income. We comfortably saw off Witton in the qualifying round and then knocked out Rochdale (admittedly playing reserves) in an impressive away performance. We then struggled to get passed Halifax, but did eventually after an unwanted replay. A good draw away to rock bottom of the Premier League Watford came next. It was always going to be a tough ask and I was just happy to take a nice bit of income from gate receipts, but we made the tie interesting. We managed to stay in the game, coming back from behind twice to equalise, but then Maguire was sent off for a second yellow on 90 minutes. Watford then scored two in quick succession in injury time to knock us out. A good effort.
FA Trophy (Results):
Finish: Knocked out in Fourth Round by Barrow
This was very disappointing and I felt we should have made it a lot further. We knocked out Barwell easily and then drew Barrow who were struggling in the league. It came at a time where we had a lot of matches and needed to rest first team players. It was a poor match and they snuck a 1-0 win to knock us out. Maybe our last chance to win that trophy gone since we got promoted to League Two.
Club:
Squad | End of Season Awards: It was quite a small squad and we really struggled with injuries and fatigue at times, even though we were scraping results consistently. We had a long term injury to Quitongo who played LM most of the season, then his backup Hilsser didn't get a work permit renewed and had to be released. We were excellent at the back, but our strikers struggled to score.
Transfers: I kept some key players from last season and tried to add as much National League quality as I could.
Club Vision: Expected to avoid relegation in League Two. Was offered a new 2 year extension until 2026!
Key Players:
Harry Boyes - Player of the season once again and fan favourite! Another impressive season and 14 assists this time in the league. Let's see how he manages another level up.
Ronny Nelson - A rock at the back. 6'5" with 16 jumping reach, he won everything in the air. Chipped in with 6 league goals too.
Gary Shaw - Carried his good form from last season into this one. I expected him to play as a backup, but he started 27 league games and was our top goalscorer with 16 goals.
Luke Matheson - The plan was to play Josh Dawodu RB, but he left to Hartlepool. Matheson was an amazing replacement in the first team and didn't disappoint 11 assists is amazing considering he is not taking set pieces.
Will Forrester - On loan from Stoke and the partner to Nelson for most of the season at the back. He was very consistent and scored 7 goals. Looking into keeping him on for next season.
Best Youth Intake Player: The youth intake wasn't great, but this guy looks ok - Andre Smith
Overall Best Eleven: Nice to see a mix of players from both seasons here now
Finances: A bit of a boost from the FA Cup run. Still looks ok.
Manager Profile: The board allowed me to begin the coaching course for the National B Licence, once the season had ended
Season Team League Finish FA Cup FA Trophy Top Goalscorer Most Assists Notes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2022/23 Bamber Bridge Vanarama National League North 1st 1st Round 3rd Round Carty (24) Boyes (16) Promoted as Champions! 2023/24 Bamber Bridge Vanarama National League 1st 3rd Round 4th Round Shaw (16) Boyes (14) Promoted as Champions!0 -
Season 1 (2022/23) - Vanarama National League North
Competitions:
Vanarama National League North (Table| Results):
Board Expectation: Avoid relegation. Season Preview Odds: 7th (9-1).
Finish: 1st.
I was unsure if we would have the squad to get promoted this season after a major overhaul, but thanks to periods where we were able to go on several winning streaks we created a gap at the top of the league that meant Gateshead couldn't catch us. It was a two-horse race between us and Gateshead really, who were also too good for this league. We got off to a very good start, winning the opening 5 games of the season and we also ended quite strongly, going on a 7 match winning run from March to mid-April. We only picked up 1 win from the final 4 games and did our best to let Gateshead back in, but they thankfully also dropped vital points and we were crowned Champions after a 1-1 draw on the penultimate game of the season!
FA Cup (Results):
Finish: Knocked out in First Round by Peterborough United.
We had some favourable early ties which meant we could rotate the team and give our best XI a much needed rest. We easily got past Brightlingsea and St. Ives and then were drawn against Colchester in the final qualifying round. They ended up finishing as Champions of the Vanarama National, so our most impressive result of the season was knocking them out of the cup 1-0 with a snatch and grab victory. Peterborough were up next, who finished 6th in League One, and they just had too much quality and comfortably beat us 2-0.
FA Trophy (Results):
Finish: Knocked out in Third Round by Wrexham
Our stay in the FA Trophy was short lived. We managed to get through against Hemel Hempstead in the Second Round, but then we were easily beaten by Wrexham of the National League by 2 goals.
Club:
Squad | End of Season Awards: The squad remained mainly injury free and I didn't have to use my fringe players so often. I had a few problems with players not happy with playing time, but by the end of the season this had been resolved.
Transfers: I overhauled a lot of the squad and thankfully got offers to take some dead wood on big wages off my hands. I made good use of the loan market and also brought in a lot of youth players who were happy to be Fringe players, whilst I worked out my best XI. Martin Svidersky, one of my starting CMs, has already signed with a Slovakian team and will join at the end of the season.
Club Vision: Expected to avoid relegation in the Vanarama National. Was offered a new 1 year extension which now extends my stay until 2024.
Key Players:
Harry Boyes - What a season from my LB. A 7.91 average rating in the league, with a massive 16 assists. He was my set piece taker and also provided a lot of good deliveries from the left. Signed a contract to stay again next season.
Tom Allan - My most reliable CB and a threat from set pieces, scoring 5 goals. He dominated in the air being 6'4" with 14 jumping reach. Looks likely to sign a deal to stay next season.
Elijah Dixon-Bonner - I was shocked this guy was interested in joining us given his quality. He was our highest paid player and was offered Star Player, playing most of our games. He performed very well as a box to box midfielder. Unfortunately, it seems like he is not interested in extended his contract right now, so will have to wait and see if we can keep him next season.
Nickseon Gomis - Another solid CB who played the majority of the matches alongside Allan. He provided some pace to the backline and was consistent throughout the season.
Conor Carty - The main man up top, scoring 24 league goals. He was signed on a non-contract and expected to be backup but started scoring and never looked back. A great season for him.
Best Youth Intake Player: I signed a few youth players and this was the best one - Louis Brady
Overall Best Eleven: As expected
Finances: They look ok for now!
Manager Profile: At the end of the season, the board finally agreed to let me start the coaching course for the National C Licence
Season Team League Finish FA Cup FA Trophy Top Goalscorer Most Assists Notes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2022/23 Bamber Bridge Vanarama National League North 1st 1st Round 3rd Round Carty (24) Boyes (16) Promoted as Champions!0 -
Starting with Bamber Bridge, let's see how it goes!
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On 07/09/2021 at 17:57, MikaelS said:
@Cloondawggreat results
But your post needs some editing - it says League Two all over 
Thanks and well spotted!
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Season 4 (2024/25) - Sky Bet League One
Competitions:
Sky Bet League One (Table| Results):
Board Expectation: Avoid relegation. Season Preview Odds: 6th (6-1).
Finish: 1st.
The momentum continued and with a good base of squad players, added to by 5 quality loan signings who were excellent for this level. Before long it was clear we would be going up to the Championship. We struggled a little bit after January with an injury to the star striker, and so many fixtures from all the competitions we were playing in, but we kept grinding out results. Another great season.
EFL Cup (Results):
Finish: Knocked out in Fourth Round by Leicester.
Another season, another defeat to Leicester in this competition. Although we made it further this time, beating Barrow, Shrewsbury, then Hull before Leicester proved to be too good for us.
FA Cup (Results):
Finish: Knocked out in Quarter Final by Manchester City.
An amazing run in the FA Cup and our best yet. The number of replays we had to play to get through to this stage really put strain on the squad throughout the season, but it was worth it for the income gained. A replay win against Scunthorpe and a win away to Swindon got us through to the Third Round, from here the draws were quite kind to us and we knocked out Nottm Forest and Reading after tight draws and replay wins. Then another kind draw saw us face Birmingham, also of the Championship, who we came back from behind to take to extra time and then sneaked through 4-3. Finally, we were draw against out first Premier League team at home, Manchester City. They were top of the league and had great players as expected. We were totally outclassed and dumped out the cup, but an amazing run.
EFL Trophy (Results):
Finish: Winners
Our first trophy outside of league competitions. We didn't get off the best of starts in the group stage after a loss to Chesterfield, but wins again Doncaster and Burnley u23s saw us top the group. Manchester Utd u23s were next, who knocked us out of this last year, and this time we got revenge winning 3-2. Narrow victories over Mansfield, Morecambe and Liverpool u23s saw us into the final where we also narrowly beat Stoke 2-1 to lift the cup.
Club:
Squad (End of Season Awards): We were again heavily reliant on loans and these players were way above the quality of the rest of the squad. Macdonald in particular was unbelievable and carried us at times. The good news is, we already tied up 3 loans for next season and will hopefully use the other 2 spots wisely again.
Transfers: Sent a lot of players that would not feature out on loan. Strengthened a lot with free agents and loan deals. The best piece of business was to sell Taylor Oswell for £1.2m to Derby and get him back for a season long loan. I have also got him for another season on loan too.
Club Vision: Expected to avoid relegation in the Championship.
Key Players:
Gareth Macdonald - Still can't believe I was able to loan this guy from Liverpool. He was unstoppable with a 43 league goals in all competitions. Great news is that I was able to tie him up for another years loan.
Ian Carlo Poveda - Signed on a free after being released by Leeds and previously being on loan with us in League Two. He carried on his good form and provided 13 goals and 19 assists in all competitions from the left wing.
Taylor Oswell - Sold for £1.2m to Derby, with a loan back clause. He was solid again at the heart of the defence. Retained on loan for another year.
Jarell Quansah - Another solid season after I had doubts he would be able to step up to this level. He played well partnered with Oswell, just like last season.
Jersson Gonzalez - Played in rotation with Poveda on the left wing and also chipped in with a good amount of goals and assists. In fact, he broke the League One record for most assists in a season with 18 assists.
Best Youth Intake Player: I signed a few youth players and this was the best one - Trevor Woodall
Overall Best Eleven: 7 inductees this year
Finances: Still looking good after good cup runs. The youth facilities were upgraded again. Plans for a new stadium are still in place, but no news about this.
Manager Profile: Completed the National A Licence and will hopefully be able to start on the next one soon.
Season Team League Finish FA Cup EFL Cup EFL Trophy FA Trophy Top Goalscorer Most Assists Notes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2021/22 South Shields Vanarama National League North 1st 3rd Round -------- --------- Runner-Up Connelly (35) Gillies (16) Promoted as Champions! 2022/23 South Shields Vanarama National League 1st 1st Round -------- --------- 3rd Round Bell (18) Conn-Clarke (19) Promoted as Champions! 2023/24 South Shields Sky Bet League Two 1st 5th Round 2nd Round 2nd Round --------- Kayode (19) Gonzalez (11) Promoted as Champions! 2024/25 South Shields Sky Bet League One 1st Qtr. Final 4th Round Winners --------- Macdonald (32) Gonzalez (18) Promoted as Champions!0 -
Season 3 (2023/24) - Sky Bet League Two
Competitions:
Sky Bet League Two (Table| Results):
Board Expectation: Avoid relegation. Season Preview Odds: 8th (14-1).
Finish: 1st.
I thought back to back promotions would make this division difficult for us, it also seemed really difficult to get players in of the right standard at first. However, the momentum continued and we got off to a really good start which just kept going. Before long we built a gap at the top and it looked clear we would be promoted, especially with 3 automatic promotion spots. In the end we were champions, even with a bad patch towards the end of October where we didn't win in 5 games. Expecting a difficult season in League One, but if we can keep momentum going, let's see what happens.
EFL Cup (Results):
Finish: Knocked out in Second Round by Leicester.
Beat Tranmere to make it through to the Second Round, but Premier League Leicester were always going to be too good for us.
FA Cup (Results):
Finish: Knocked out in Fifth Round by Norwich.
A great run in the FA Cup with some very favourable home draws. The only disappointment was that we didn't get a big side away for the extra income. Wycombe and Blackpool of League One and Sheff Wed of the Championship were great victories, but Norwich of the Premier League again were too much. We were very lucky to take them into extra time and were just hanging on really before they beat us 3-1 AET.
EFL Trophy (Results):
Finish: Knocked out in Northern Section Second Round
It was clean sailing through the group stage, then we squeezed past Carlisle in the first knockout round. Man Utd Under 23s had some amazing young players and they dominated us despite it being only 2-1.
Club:
Squad (End of Season Awards): We were quite heavily reliant on loans which is a concern going into League One. A real strength this season is that we could rely on a strong backup in most positions this season and it was much needed with so many fixtures coming thick and fast.
Transfers: Sent a lot of players that would not feature out on loan. Strengthened quite a lot with free agents and loan deals.
Club Vision: Expected to avoid relegation in League One.
Key Players:
Jarell Quansah - Signed on a free after being released by Liverpool. He was a rock at the back alongside Oswell in the majority of games this season and chipped in with some vital goals.
Taylor Oswell - Signed of a free after being released by Man City. Already at League One level and still improving.
Ian Carlo Poveda - On loan from Leeds, he provided some creativity out wide. Looking to bring him back on loan again next season if possible.
Cieran Slicker - Another one in on a free after being released by Man City and he was a very solid goalkeeper.
D'Margio Wright-Phillips - Started off really well with a lot of goals. Struggled a little bit after an injury but came back again strongly at the end of the season.
Best Youth Intake Player: I signed a few youth players and this was the best one - Martyn Sweeney
Overall Best Eleven: 5 inductees this year
Finances: Looking good. Training facilities for the first team and the youth were upgraded. Plans for a new stadium have been announced.
Manager Profile: Completed the National B Licence and have started on the National A Licence
Season Team League Finish FA Cup EFL Cup EFL Trophy FA Trophy Top Goalscorer Most Assists Notes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2021/22 South Shields Vanarama National League North 1st 3rd Round -------- --------- Runner-Up Connelly (35) Gillies (16) Promoted as Champions! 2022/23 South Shields Vanarama National League 1st 1st Round -------- --------- 3rd Round Bell (18) Conn-Clarke (19) Promoted as Champions! 2023/24 South Shields Sky Bet League Two 1st 5th Round 2nd Round 2nd Round --------- Kayode (19) Gonzalez (11) Promoted as Champions!0 -
Season 2 (2022/23) - Vanarama National League
Competitions:
Vanarama National League (Table| Results):
Board Expectation: Avoid relegation. Season Preview Odds: 8th (10-1).
Finish: 1st.
The momentum from last season got us off to a great start and this continued. There we some shaky months where the strikers were struggling to fire and I brought in more options to find something that worked again and also played a slightly different formations in some games. Although, we never really looked like we wouldn't be promoted and stayed top of the league for the majority of the season. York and Colchester both went on very good winning runs and kept us going to late in the season, but we saw them off to be promoted as Champions again!
FA Cup (Results):
Finish: Knocked out in First Round by Cambridge.
Disappointing compared to last season when we reached the Third Round, but we got League Two Cambridge in the First Round which was a tough fixture. We took them to penalties after a thrilling 3-3 but unfortunately lost.
FA Trophy (Results):
Finish: Knocked out in Third Round by Grimsby
Also disappointing this season compared to last season's trip to Wembley and we move to League Two without having won the FA Trophy.
Club:
Squad (End of Season Awards): We stuck with a core of players that we had last season, who continued to develop in a higher division. We added to that with some other good young players. There will be a big job now to prepare for League Two after two successive promotions.
Transfers: A few young players came in as well as making good use of the loan market to add to the core we had last season. Nathan Delfueneso came in to add experience and goals when we struggled slightly for goals from our strikers and he helped seal promotion.
Club Vision: Expected to fight bravely against relegation in League Two. Was offered a 1 year contract extension until 2025.
Key Players:
Nyal Bell - Top scorer for us in the league and our most consistent striker. 18 goals in the league and Fan's Player of the Season
Ibrahim Bakare - Club captain and solid yet again
Shea Charles - Brought in as another CB option and he was just as good as Bakare and Gamblin
Chris Conn-Clarke - Back again on another season's loan and got the most assists in the league with 19
Lucas Gamblin - Solid alongside either Bakare or Charles and very consistent
Best Youth Intake Player: I signed a few youth players but this was the best one unfortunately - Mohammad Noor Afzali
Overall Best Eleven: Sheaf and Burrell inducted into the best eleven
Finances: Looking good. The board announced plans to expand the stadium to comply with league rules which will probably have an effect and also we will turn professional
Manager Profile: Completed the National C Licence and have started on the National B Licence now
Season Team League Finish FA Cup FA Trophy Top Goalscorer Most Assists Notes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2021/22 South Shields Vanarama National League North 1st 3rd Round Runner-Up Connelly (35) Gillies (16) Promoted as Champions! 2022/23 South Shields Vanarama National League 1st 1st Round 3rd Round Bell (18) Conn-Clarke (19) Promoted as Champions!0 -
Season 1 (2021/22) - Vanarama National League North
Competitions:
Vanarama National League North (Table| Results):
Board Expectation: Avoid relegation. Season Preview Odds: 3rd (7-2).
Finish: 1st.
It was a slightly unsure start with a loss and a draw, but then we went on a big run and in the end we ran away with it. There was a battle for the top spot with York, but then they went on an awful run and despite how we lost to them home and away, they almost handed us the title in March with so many points dropped. Thankfully the season was mainly injury free and I think this helped during fixture congestion, which was made worse as we did well in both cup competitions, which was also a surprise and highlight in the season even though we lost in the FA Trophy final at Wembley! Player rotation was key and a lot of games to the young players that were signed helped them to develop massively. A fair amount of players seem capable of playing next season at a higher level so I hope we can have a solid finish.
FA Cup (Results):
Finish: Knocked out in Third Round by Port Vale.
A great performance in this cup after some very favourable ties, with the exception of Accrington in the First Round who we sneaked past. We breezed past Redditch and Halesowen, before beating Chelmsford of the VNS after a replay. This set us up with a First Round tie against Accrington Stanley where we got a lot of luck and managed to sneak through despite them being the better team. Another favourable tie against same tier Ebbsfleet of the VNS in the next round was welcomed and we made the Third Round. At this point I was hoping for a big away tie for the income it would provide from gate receipts, but we had to settle for League Two's Port Vale. We didn't get the same luck here and they deservedly won the game.
FA Trophy (Results):
Finish: Runner-Up to Colchester United
A great run in this competition which gave us our first taste of a final at Wembley. Lower leagued Ashton Utd and Whitby were dispatched easily before Welling were beaten after a replay. Altrincham of the league above was a tough tie but we edged it 3-2 to get Brackley who were struggling in our division. This was a fairly easy tie to get us into the semis. Wrexham were beaten 5-3 on aggregate and the first leg was one of our best performances of the season, which gives confidence going into their division next season. Colchester, who finished 5th in league above, deservedly beat us in the final. We will look for revenge in the league next season!
Club:
Squad: Forgot to capture the end of season awards. I inherited some good players and added to this with youth who have developed with the club this season and should be good enough for the step up next season. A couple of loans were also great additions.
Transfers: North Carolina came in for one of the best players at the club early which was unfortunate but I got £63K for him, thankfully we didn't need him. We brought in a few young players who made up the core of the squad.
Club Vision: Expected to avoid relegation in the Vanarama National. Was offered a new 2 year contract which now extends my stay until 2024.
Key Players:
Nyal Bell - Was a great partner to Connelly up top and provided goals and assists consistently. He won goal of the season.
Lee Connelly - On loan from Sunderland, who kept complaining I wasn't playing him as an AMC, scored a crazy 42 goals in all competitions. 35 of these came in the league, which sealed the Golden Boot and Vanarama National North Player of the Season.
Ibrahim Bakare - Club captain at 19 and was a warrior at the back. He has improved a lot over the season and will be at the heart of the defence next season.
Josh Gillies - I was unsure about him and toyed with the idea of trying to replace him, but I was glad that I didn't! 16 assists in the league was 2nd best and 10 goals added to that was a big help.
Myles Boney - Solid performance from this goalkeeper who was already in the squad when I took over. I played an attacking style so he faced a lot of one on ones and saved us a lot of times.
Best Youth Intake Player: I signed a few youth players but this was the best one unfortunately - Chrissy McKernie
Overall Best Eleven: As expected
Finances: Looking healthy after good cup runs and the title win. The board announced plans to expand the stadium to comply with league rules which will probably have an effect.
Manager Profile: At the end of the season, the board finally agreed to let me start the coaching course for the National C Licence
Season Team League Finish FA Cup FA Trophy Top Goalscorer Most Assists Notes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2021/22 South Shields Vanarama National League North 1st 3rd Round Runner-Up Connelly (35) Gillies (16) Promoted as Champions!0 -
About time to start this challenge again for FM21! I have taken over at South Shields.
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Season 3 (2022/23) - Vanarama National League
Competitions:
Overview | End of Season Review
Vanarama National League North (Table| Results):
Board Expectation: Top half finish. Media Prediction: 5th.
Finish: 1st.
It was a struggle at first to get a squad together, but we did have some players already signed up from last season. We used the loan market again really well and got some great players in. It's again a worry for next season that all my better players were only on loan. I thought the step up would be bigger this season, but I think it will be a lot bigger in League Two now. We didn't start well because of the limited squad we had but once a few players came in we found our feet. By October we were up to 3rd place and stayed there for a long long time until right at the end of the season. For a long time I didn't think I would catch Scunthorpe because they were too good and Boston Utd were also knocking around too. In the end in came down to a three-way title race and we had to play Scunthorpe. This was a 3-2 thriller and we hung on to leap frog them into top spot. We then beat Ebbsfleet on the final day to snatch the league title!
FA Cup (Results):
Finish: Knocked out in Third Round by Everton.
A great performance in this cup and some much needed cash from a Third Round tie at Goodison Park. We breezed past Whitby and Gateshead before beating bottom of League Two Burton on penalties. This set up a lucrative tie against Everton which we were destroyed in. They were 6-0 up at half time and ended up winning 7-0.
FA Trophy (Results):
Finish: Runner-Up to Barnet
Another great run in this tournament, but sadly we didn't get the trophy before moving up into League Two. We knocked out Grantham, Wrexham, Boston and Bromley on the way to a tough semi final against Aldershot. This was around the time the title race was heating up so I had to play a rotated side and we snuck through after a 0-0 and a 1-0 win in the second leg. I thought we should easily beat Barnet in the final who finished 9th in the league, but had already beaten us 4-0 this season. They dominated us and easily won 4-1 which was disappointing.
Club:
Squad (End of Season Awards): Again a lot of loan players and we lacked cover in some areas with a thin squad. We were getting a lot of worried messages from physios telling me to rest players towards the end of the season. Luckily we stayed largely injury free though.
Transfers: We brought in a lot of players, especially loans. I think it will look similar next season.
Club Vision: Expected to avoid relegation. Was offered a new 4 year contract which now extends my stay until 2027.
Key Players:
Stefan Mols - I kind of took a chance on this guy after seeing the scout report and not being able to see all the stats, but it paid off big time. On loan from Blackburn, the Spaniard played in a DLP role and just pulled the strings in midfield. He weighed in with a massive 10 league goals too with some great strikes from outside the box.
Lewis Baines - On loan from my senior affiliate at the time Lincoln. A great loan signing and was solid at the back, had a great partnership with Shotton.
Cameron Archer - Again he just could not stop scoring. He struggled to get going and tailed off a bit towards the end but he scored the goals I needed. Finished league top goalscorer with 21 goals. Trying to get him to stay as an impact sub for next year.
Callum Jones - After he signed a late contract with Hull and they wouldn't let him join on loan, I thought I would be unable to get him back. However, this changed after a few games and we managed to get him back for another season loan. He was solid as ever and played well a bit deeper for us.
Saul Shotton - On loan from West Brom, he had a solid season at the back alongside Lewis Baines.
Best Youth Intake Player: I signed one youth player but to be honest he doesn't look that great - Stephen Doherty
Overall Best Eleven: McKenna our young keeper this season moves into the best starting XI.
Finances: Looks a lot better after good runs in FA Cup and FA Trophy. The club has turned professional, is expanding the stadium to 5,500 and upgrading the training facilities. Exciting times.
Manager Profile: The club allowed me to also complete my National B Licence and hopefully I can do the next one soon.
Season Team League Finish FA Cup FA Trophy Top Goalscorer Most Assists Notes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2020/21 Bamber Bridge Vanarama National League North 5th 4th Qual. Round 4th Round Archer (21) White (13) Lost in Playoff 1st Round 2021/22 Bamber Bridge Vanarama National League North 1st 3rd Qual. Round Semi Final Archer (33) Poveda (23) Promoted as Champions! 2022/23 Bamber Bridge Vanarama National League 1st 3rd Round Runner-Up Archer (21) McGhee (15) Promoted as Champions!
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Season 2 (2021/22) - Vanarama National League North
Competitions:
Overview | End of Season Review
Vanarama National League North (Table| Results):
Board Expectation: Playoffs. Media Prediction: 2nd.
Finish: 1st.
We strengthened really well in the Summer and got some really key players in to add to a few we already had. We secured some players that were on loan last season and got some superb loans in this season. We started brilliantly and started to put points together as the games came quickly in the first half of the season. The lowest position we were in was 5th which came after losing both our league games in November. This came around the time star man Poveda was injured with a torn hamstring and over this period we struggled and the 442 went stale. A switch to the 4231 really helped and we picked up form with some really nice comebacks and last minute winners. We found ourselves in a title race with Stockport and Southend and us three were always swapping places at the top. A big win against Southport at the beginning of March lead the way for a good run of 8 wins in a row that saw us pull away from the other two and finish quite comfortably and clear at the top. The title was secured with two games to go and we ended up finishing 10 points clear as Champions!
FA Cup (Results):
Finish: Knocked out in Third Qualifying Round by Morpeth Town.
Very disappointing performance this season. We struggled through 3-2 away to Quorn to set up a Third Qualifying Round tie against fellow VNN side Morpeth. We never got into the game and slumped to a 2-0 defeat with a slightly rotated team. Hope to go further next year as this was below the board's expectations.
FA Trophy (Results):
Finish: Knocked out in Semi Final by Aldershot Town
Another really good run in this competition as we went one step further than last season and got some revenge against some good teams in process. We breezed through the first couple of rounds with a rotated side against Matlock and Darlington. The same rotated side beat Dulwich Hamlet after ET with an 118th minute winner from Nyal Bell who was great in this competition and played his way into my first team. We then came back from 1 goal down to promotion rivals Stockport who we had never beaten before to send the game into extra time and then go on and win it, again Bell got a brace. This set up a quarter final against Dagenham & Redbridge, of the league above, who knocked us out at the same stage last season. A thrilling 3-2 victory away saw us go into the semi final and gave me some confidence in this team's chances next season. We were unfortunate to draw the only VN team left in the competition in Aldershot for the semi final over two legs. We lost the first game 2-0 as they had too much quality and then managed a 1-1 draw in the second leg to unfortunately fall short.
Club:
Squad (End of Season Awards): Made up again of a lot of loan players which is always a worry but necessary at this level. There was a strong first XI to choose when everyone was fit and luckily we only really had one major injury to Poveda which did affect us a bit.
Transfers: We kept a decent amount of last season's players with a lot becoming squad players and then added quality on top of this to the first team. We really secured some great loan signings and they were top players in the division which helped provide a title winning season. Got to try and do the same again and get a good squad together for what will be a tougher season.
Club Vision: Expected to finish top half next season. Was offered a new contract for another year.
Key Players:
Ian Carlo Poveda - The Colombian wizard out on the wing this season. The ex-City player was instrumental to how we played and was a big miss for a few months after suffering a torn hamstring. Fortunately when he came back he stayed fit and contributed to our success with a league leading 23 assists as well as 4 goals in only 25 starts.
Cameron Archer - Brilliant again and built upon a great season last year. He bagged a massive 37 goals in all competitions with 33 and a golden boot award in the league. Did really well up top on his own towards the end of the season too. He's signed a contract for last year but we will see if he will be the number one striker.
Remi Savage - I was unsure about him starting this season and thought about signing another CB instead, but I decided to stick with him and I am glad that I did. He was more consistent and solid this season, but also added goals to the team with 12 goals in all comps, plus 9 in the league. Could become a backup next season.
Kane Wilson - An amazing loan signing from West Brom. Bombed up the pitch from RB and got a lot of assists. A great partnership with Poveda on the right.
Callum Jones - Very good centre midfielder on loan from Hull. Worked hard and was consistent. Started in a middle 2, but moved into AMC as we changed formation and improved here.
Best Youth Intake Player: There were no players I thought were worth signing again.
Overall Best Eleven: Only Osadebe and Abdelkader remain of the players who left last season.
Finances: Getting worse and worse which is worrying. We have to expand stadium to 4000 due to league rules which means another hit even though we will be nowhere near filling it.
Manager Profile: The club has now allowed me to do the first coaching course. A few attribute increases again though.
Season Team League Finish FA Cup FA Trophy Top Goalscorer Most Assists Notes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2020/21 Bamber Bridge Vanarama National League North 5th 4th Qual. Round 4th Round Archer (21) White (13) Lost in Playoff 1st Round 2021/22 Bamber Bridge Vanarama National League North 1st 3rd Qual. Round Semi Final Archer (33) Poveda (23) Promoted as Champions!
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Season 1 (2020/21) - Vanarama National League North
Competitions:
Overview | End of Season Review
Vanarama National League North (Table| Results):
Board Expectation: Avoid relegation. Media Prediction: 15th.
Finish: 5th.
We got off to a decent start but this quickly tailed off as my small squad, that was still being put together with transfers and loans, struggled with the early season fixture congestion. In this period I just drew too many games (9 out of the first 17), which took me out of the title race. From October on results picked up and I was winning a lot more games, it wasn't all perfect but I quickly moved up the table into the playoffs spots and stayed there from the end of January onwards. On the final day I jumped above Gateshead, who I would play in the Playoff First Round, into 5th spot. I had drawn home and way to Gateshead 1-1 earlier in the season and that's how this Playoff tie ended. I dominated the match and created a lot more chances. Cameron Archer put us 1-0 up in the first half, but we couldn't find a second to finish off the tie. Gateshead equalised in the 87th minute to send us to extra time and then penalties. Unfortunately, Gateshead won the lottery that is penalties 7-6 and ended my hopes for promotion this season. We go again!
FA Cup (Results):
Finish: Knocked out in Fourth Qualifying Round by Boston United.
A 5-1 thrashing of Rushden & Diamonds and then seeing off Berkhamsted after a replay, sent me through to the Fourth Qualifying Round against Boston United of the Vanarama National. It was a close game, but we just didn't have the quality to get a result and lost 1-0.
FA Trophy (Results):
Finish: Knocked out in Fourth Round Replay by Dagenham & Redbridge
A nice run in this competition for us this season. We saw off Gainsborough, Stourbridge and St. Albans before getting revenge against Boston United who knocked us out of the FA Cup earlier in the season. Then we had an unexpected Fourth Round tie against Dagenham & Redbridge who were flying high in the league above. A thrilling 90 mins and extra time couldn't seperate us and it ended 3-3, we took the lead 3 times! Then in the replay they were just too good and we lost 2-0.
Club:
Squad (End of Season Awards): There was a lot of new players coming in early on and this could have been part of the bad run at the start of the season. I hope I can keep the core of the squad and add a bit of extra quality to push for promotion next season, but a lot of my better players were in on loan.
Transfers: We let a few players go who didn't feature much throughout the season, more to save money than anything. We brought in good quality and used the loan market well. Burton became our senior affiliate and we managed to get one young striker on loan who scored a few goals. Hopefully we can get some more players off them next season too.
Club Vision: Expected to reach the playoffs again next season. Was offered a new contract for another year.
Key Players:
Kyle Hawley - Brought in on loan from Morecambe, the big target man was really good for me. With 17 goals and 9 assists in the league and another 10 goals in the cups, he was my top goalscorer this season. Hopefully can sign him on loan or free in the summer.
Cameron Archer - Signed on a free after he was released by Aston Villa. He scored a lot of goals especially towards the end of the season. He managed 21 goals in the league and was the league's top scorer. Already signed up for another season at The Brig.
Ryan White - Was at the club when I arrived and provided a lot of chances and assists from the right wing. 7 goals and 17 assists in all competitions was a good return and he topped the league's assists chart with 13.
Emmanuel Osadebe - Brought in on loan from Macclesfield. He had a good season but I was expecting a bit more. Improved as the season went on. Could be difficult to get again next season.
Remi Savage - A good season for the young centre back who was also my captain this season and played a lot of games this season. He had good defensive stats in the league with the second most interceptions and headers won.
Best Youth Intake Player: There were no players I thought were worth signing.
Finances: Still not looking great although the owner has pumped substantial money in, to keep us going.
Manager Profile: The club is refusing to allow me to start the next coaching course. A few attribute increases nonetheless.
Season Team League Finish FA Cup FA Trophy Top Goalscorer Most Assists Notes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2020/21 Bamber Bridge Vanarama National League North 5th 4th Qual. Round 4th Round Archer (21) White (13) Lost in Playoff 1st Round
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Here we go again!
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Season 3 (2021/22) - Vanarama National League North
Competitions:
Overview | End of Season Review
Vanarama National League North (Table| Results (part 1, part 2):
Board Expectation: Avoid relegation. Media Prediction: 15th.
Finish: 2nd.
Again we didn't start that great, but quickly recovered and found form. We only lost 1 league game after the turn of the year and looked like we could be in with a shot of being crowned Champions. However, Stockport and FC United were both equally excellent and just kept winning games so it was a very close run title race. We sat in 2nd place for a lot of the season and were beginning to make ground on Stockport in first, but in the end FC United charged past both of us and into 1st place. With a superior goal difference it was going to be hard to finish above them with games running out and in the end we finished 1 point off the top, in second place. In the Playoff semi final we played Stockport who had led the league for most of the season. We had drawn and beaten them in the league already this season, but this time we just didn't turn up. Stockport were comfortable and we really struggled to create anything and fell to a 2-0 defeat. Another season in the VNN...
FA Cup (Results):
Board Expectation: Reach Fourth Qualifying Round.
Finish: Knocked out in Fourth Qualifying Round by York City.
Comfortable wins against King's Lynn and Worcester saw us through to the Fourth Qualifying Round. Here we faced a strong York City side playing in the league above so it was going to be a test. We went 1-0 in the game, but their quality shone and they came back to win 2-1.
FA Trophy (Results):
Board Expectation: Reach First Round.
Finish: Knocked out in Second Round by Macclesfield Town.
Another decent run in this competition, with good wins against Nuneaton and Solihull Moors (both going to replays). Then we 2-1 to Macclesfield Town of the league above.
Club:
Squad (End of Season Awards): We retained a lot of players from last season and added some quality too. We are almost there in terms of quality to get promoted, so hopefully won't need to change too much for next season. However, it is a worry that a lot of the best performing players are here on loan.
Transfers: A few players left the club as they wanted too much money for a new contract, but a month into the window they decided to re-join. We also brought in a few new players with extra quality and made use of the loan market.
Key Players:
James Bowen - Released by Leamington, Bowen came in to play the majority of matches this season at LB. He got a goal and 10 assists and caused problems with a long bullet throw.
Sam McClellen - Re-trained to be able to play out on the left as an Inside Forward in games we chose to go with the 4-1-2-2-1, he played a lot of games this season again. Towards the end he was on a great run of form, getting April Player of the Month. He ended the season on 14 goals and 6 assists which is another slight improvement on last season.
Billy Chadwick - Brought in on loan from Crewe as a squad option, he soon nailed down a starting place in the side scoring 7 goals from midfield. He was signed on a free permanently during the season.
Brett McGavin - Brought in on loan from York when we in the middle of an injury crisis in midfield, he kept a place in the side and played well.
Isaac Ward - Another one in on loan from Crewe, he was solid at the back alongside Tharme.
Best Youth Intake Player: There were no players I thought it worth signing.
Overall Best Eleven: Stewart-Dawes, Wood and Bowen were inducted into the best eleven.
Finances: Still not looking great although the owner has pumped substantial money in, to keep us going.
Manager Profile: Again, due to finances I was refused being able to start the next coaching course. A few attribute increases nonetheless.
Season Team League Finish FA Cup FA Trophy Top Goalscorer Most Assists Notes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2019/20 Bamber Bridge Vanarama National League North 13th 2nd Qual. Round 1st Round McClellen (12) White (9) Avoided relegation 2020/21 Bamber Bridge Vanarama National League North 6th 4th Qual. Round 4th Round Smith (18) White (15) Lost in Playoff 1st Round 2021/22 Bamber Bridge Vanarama National League North 2nd 4th Qual. Round 2nd Round Stewart-Dawes (15) Hawkins (11) Lost in Playoff Semi
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Season 2 (2020/21) - Vanarama National League North
Competitions:
Overview | End of Season Review
Vanarama National League North (Table| Results (part 1, part 2):
Board Expectation: Avoid relegation. Media Prediction: 18th.
Finish: 6th.
As is clear from the results, if we had done half as well in the first half of the season as we did in the second, we would have been promoted as champions. A mixed start, with a lot of draws, followed by an awful October and November made things appear as though we were in for another mediocre mid-table season. However, an excellent run from December to the end of the season, let to a quick rise up the table and before long we were taking part in a six-way title challenge. Frustratingly we left our good run of form too late and fell just short of the mark in 6th, only 4 points off the league leaders. This meant the playoffs and we faced Barrow who finished one place above ourselves in the first round. With injuries to Louis White and Lois Maynard, his replacement in the same game, coming in the final game of the season it was a tough ask. A huge re-jig in the centre of the park proved to be our downfall and although we pushed Barrow to the final whistle we fell to a 3-2 defeat in a thrilling game. With the best goal difference in league and knowing if the season was few games longer we would have been champions, I have confidence that if we can keep the squad intact and maybe add a couple of more quality players we can be successful again next season.
FA Cup (Results):
Board Expectation: Reach Fourth Qualifying Round.
Finish: Knocked out in Fourth Qualifying Round by Chesterfield.
Eventually overturning Corby on penalties after going to an annoyingly placed replay, before comfortably dispatching of Leiston 3-1 away from home, we reached the Fourth Qualifying Round. Here we faced Chesterfield of the league above who have a decent amount of fans attending for this level so however the tie ended it would provide a decent amount of cash. We managed to scrape a 1-1 draw at home and take them to a replay where we eventually succumbed to a 1-0 defeat in a tight game. Although, it would have been nice to progress for more financial gain, it was always going to be tough and at least we did better than last season.
FA Trophy (Results):
Board Expectation: Reach First Round.
Finish: Knocked out in Fourth Round by Chesterfield.
A great run in this competition, thanks to favourable draws, really helped boost morale and turn round our season. Comfortable wins against Welwyn Garden City, Potters Bar and Workington who were all at a lower level, led us to the Third Round. There we faced a Dulwich Hamlet side who were in a similar top half position in the VNS as we were in the VNN. We managed to find an extra gear in extra time to win 2-0 in a tight match. In the final 8 of the competition we were drawn against Chesterfield who had already knocked us out of the FA Cup earlier in the season. They were too good again and comfortably won 2-0 to end hopes of a semi final.
Club:
Squad (End of Season Awards): I was a lot more pleased with the squad this season and felt we had a lot of players contributing to the success of the team. Defensive midfielder Louis White was superb again and has been nominated for VNN Player of the Season, whilst McClellen and Smith supplied goals up front. Hopefully I can retain the major players of the team and add a couple of quality players to the mix in the summer.
Transfers: We managed to retain a few players from last season who were among the better performers. I was unable to get a few of the loan players back so we looked elsewhere. The large amount of turnover of players could have contributed to the inconsistent start to the season. Hopefully we have more of a core squad now and only have to add a few for next season.
Key Players:
Louis White - Another great season from him in DM and the stand out player again. This time he chipped in with 9 goals and 15 assists which is superb from DM as a DLP. Won VNN Player of the Season!
Niall Heaton - Retained from last season he looked a lot more solid at CB. His long throw was a useful tool and provided him with a few assists.
Harry Smith - Signed in the summer he was the leading goalscorer with 18 goals and 5 assists in all competitions. With height and great jumping reach he was a real threat in the air and scored a lot from set pieces.
Douglas Tharme - Signed on loan from Wrexham he partnered Heaton well at the back, playing the majority of matches this season.
Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain - Signed on loan from Notts County, he struggled at first but really found his form and worked well down the right providing 6 assists.
Best Youth Intake Player: Lewis Brown - Not great but he was the only player who I thought was worth signing.
Overall Best Eleven: This now looks like my most commonly used lineup from this season.
Finances: This is starting to look really bad and we are constantly losing more and more money. Hopefully pre-season friendlies can help, but we might need more injections from the owner. A cup run would be welcomed next season!
Manager Profile: Due to finances I was refused being able to start the next coaching course. A few attribute increases nonetheless. I also won VNN Manager of the Season.
Season Team League Finish FA Cup FA Trophy Top Goalscorer Most Assists Notes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2019/20 Bamber Bridge Vanarama National League North 13th 2nd Qual. Round 1st Round McClellen (12) White (9) Avoided relegation 2020/21 Bamber Bridge Vanarama National League North 6th 4th Qual. Round 4th Round Smith (18) White (15) Lost in Playoff 1st Round0 -
Season 1 (2019/20) - Vanarama National League North
Competitions:
Overview | End of Season Review
Vanarama National League North (Table| Results (part 1, part 2):
Board Expectation: Avoid relegation. Media Prediction: 21st.
Finish: 13th.
We got off to a decent start, winning 5 out of the first 9 games. Things dropped off a bit from here and we were very inconsistent, although managed to find ourselves in 7th place at the turn of the year. We hovered around this last playoff placed position for some time even though we were continuing to be inconsistent. Finally, a massive drop in form including a run of 6 matches without a win saw us plummet down the table and any hopes of a playoff spot were extinguished. At one point I had hoped we could sneak the playoffs but in the end we didn't have the quality and it was probably for the best. We are really struggling against the 4-4-2 and need to find a solution to this next season. We scored our fair share of goals, but our defence was very leaky and we conceded the 4th highest amount in the league. This needs to be rectified before we have a hope of promotion.
FA Cup (Results):
Board Expectation: Reach Third Qualifying Round.
Finish: Knocked out in Second Qualifying Round by St. Ives Town.
Really poor performance at a time when we were going through a spell of very bad form. We lost comfortably 3-1 and our goal was an 88th minute consolation. Very disappointing as we were playing a lower reputation team... Hopefully we can do better in this competition next season!
FA Trophy (Results):
Board Expectation: Reach Third Qualifying Round.
Finish: Knocked out in First Round by FC Halifax Town.
It took a replay to get through the Third Qualifying Round against Marine where we eventually beat them comfortably at home 4-2. In the next round we faced FC Halifax Town which was always going to be tough since they're a division above. It was a close game but we were knocked out 1-0 via a late own goal.
Club:
Squad (End of Season Awards): There's not much stand out quality in the squad and that took it's toll towards the end of the season. Louis White and Sam McClellen were the only two consistent performers and carried us to safety. We need to strengthen in defence and out wide if we want to have success going forward and also we need to hope to use the loan market well again.
Transfers: We brought in quite a few players and I hope to keep a few players at the club for next season with some signed up to new contracts already. Although, it might be tough to get the players we had in on loan back for another season so we may need to look elsewhere.
Key Players:
Louis White - Amazing season from him. 11 league goals and 9 league assists is an excellent return from DM playing as the team's DLP. Signed up for next season on another year contract. Nominated for VNN Player Of The Season.
Sam McClellen - The other stand out star in the team. Although I signed him in the summer he only began to play part way through the season. He came in and started scoring immediately, bagging 12 goals in 18 starts.
Taylor Townsend - In on loan from Shrewsbury, he also only made an impact half way through the season when he was brought into the team. At times inconsistent but he hit 3 goals and 3 assists and usually played well.
Kane Cullen - Started the season as my man up top and was in great form. Although his form dipped and I put McClellen into the team and after that Cullen found it hard to get back into the side. He did finish with 11 league goals though in 20 starts.
Yusifu Ceesay - On loan from Blackpool, the Spanish winger did well. 7 goals and 2 assists was a decent return for him. His contract is due to expire so maybe we can get him in again next season.
Best Youth Intake Player: N/A - we decided not to take any of the Youth Candidates as they were all poor.
Finances: The owner has been injecting cash to keep us afloat. Hopefully, he can continue to do so or we're in trouble!
Manager Profile: Got my National C licence and a few improvements to my attributes.
Season Team League Finish FA Cup FA Trophy Top Goalscorer Most Assists Notes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2019/20 Bamber Bridge Vanarama National League North 13th 2nd Qual. Round 1st Round McClellen (12) White (9) Avoided relegation1 -
Having got myself a new laptop, I'm giving this a go again with Bamber Bridge!
The best I've done with this challenge is making it to League 2, two years ago so hoping to beat that.
0
But your post needs some editing - it says League Two all over 
the Official FM24 Dafuge Challenge
in Challenges, Sign-Ups & Experiments
Posted
Season 1 (2024/25) - Vanarama National League North
Competitions:
Overview
Vanarama National League North (Table| Results):
Board Expectation: Attempt to avoid relegation. Season Preview Odds: 9th (17-2).
Finish: 1st.
A great start to the season had us up near the top of the league and then a flawless October and November allowed us to move top and build a gap between the rest of the teams. We just kept on winning and cruised to the title which was sealed in March.
FA Cup (Results):
Finish: Knocked out in Fourth Qualifying Round by Halifax
Easy wins against Heybridge and King's Lynn set us up with a tough tie away to Halifax who are a league above us. This proved too difficult and we went out in a closely fought tie with a 3-1 defeat.
FA Trophy (Results):
Finish: Knocked out in Third Round by AFC Fylde
Our stay in the FA Trophy was short lived. We managed to get through against Bury Town in the Second Round, but then we were narrowly beaten by AFC Fylde of the National League 3-2.
Club:
Squad | End of Season Awards: The squad remained injury free and I was able to rotate quite well, having quite a solid second XI. I also played my back ups in the cups so that I could really concentrate on promotion.
Transfers: I made a lot of free transfer signings to fill the squad up because the one I inherited was quite bare. A lot of my non-contract players were released when they got injured or when they weren't performing and then replaced with new non-contracts.
Board/Supporter Feedback: Expected to attempt to avoid relegation in the Vanarama National. Was offered a new 1 year extension with another year if we got promoted which could now extend my stay until at least 2027.
Key Players:
Tom Fellows - Signed at the end of October when he finally wanted to join on reasonably wages and also signed a 2 year deal so will be playing again next season. Had 24 assists which was the best in the league.
Udoyen Akpan - He was at the club when I arrived and 30 league goals whilst winning Vanarama National League North Player of the Year.
Leslie Adekoya - Top goalscorer in the league and formed a great partnership with Akpan. Scored 34 league goals to get the Vanarama National League North Golden Boot.
Ayden Garrigan - Signed on loan from Preston who are my parent club so there were no wages. At only 17 he became the club's youngest goalscorer and had a great season, rotating on the right wing once Fellows arrived at the club.
Jack Moorhouse - The 18 year old was snapped up after being released by Man Utd. He scored a huge 16 goals as a box-to-box midfielder with a lot of them being penalties.
Best Youth Intake Player: I signed a few youth players and this was the best one - David Edwards
Overall Best Eleven: Garrigan shown as a central midfielder even though he hardly played there
Finances: It looks ok for now!
Manager Profile: Completed my National C when I was finally allowed to start it by the board. Currently studying towards the National B license.
Season Team League Finish FA Cup FA Trophy Top Goalscorer Most Assists Notes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2024/25 Bamber Bridge Vanarama National League North 1st 4th Qual. Round 3rd Round Adekoya (34) Fellows (24) Promoted as Champions!