neilhoskins77

This corner of the Forums has seen a huge amount of organisation and background work by you since you became a Mod, and while it's a shame that you're stepping down, it's great that you are still going to be around and entertaining us with your prolific stories. Personally, I just wanted to say a huge thanks for showing me the ropes as well when I took over from Gav a few years back. Yours are big shoes to fill in a role you've raised the bar at. Thank you Mark

Sunday 6th March 2016 Of the First Team Squad, only two are not currently under contract for next season. Ryan Twist has hardly been used, and doesn't appear too keen to stay, and we're not exactly over eager to keep him to be fair either. Centre back Robert Donaghy is expecting an offer though, and this morning he found out that he isn't quite as well thought of as he thought he was. We're in a difficult position. With our finances the way they are, I've no idea how much money is likely to be available to strengthen for next seasons expected move up to the Premier Division. With that in mind, wherever we end up, we'll be going into next season primarily with what we have I expect, while also praying that we have a bit of money in the kitty to bring in a bit of extra quality. Monday 7th March It's unexpected, but it's an absolute bonus, as veteran centre back Declan O'Hara returns to training this morning. The 33 year old has been exceptional in the first season of his second spell at The Showgrounds, and will now look to try and return to match fitness after his pulled hamstring. He has been one of our best players this season, and will want to be involved in the run-in that is looking likely to see him earn a First Division Champions medal. To the shock of nobody, goalkeeper Gerard Doherty is named in the First Division Team of the Week. Friday 11th March We're very heavy favourites for tomorrow's home game against Annagh United. The boys in red from Portadown are overachieving at life in general right now. They're not a second tier club by any criteria or method you would to come up with, but after winning the Second Division Title last season they have settled well in the First Division, and have positioned themselves nicely in mid table, well away from any relegation worries or dramas. It would be very easy to overlook them as easy pickings, a mistake I'm keen not to make as we're edging closer to the finish line in our promotion bid. Saturday 12th March Our Under-18's haven't given up hope of making it a double of League Titles as they continue to try and push our higher reputation rivals in Group 1 of the Under-18's League. They'll have been disappointed to have have coughed up a two goal lead this lunchtime in Drumahoe against Institute. A pair from Joseph Nixon had us in a good position, but Bryan Vauls and Tony Long fired back for the hosts, and Glentoran move a little clear at the top after beating nearest rivals Portadown. Northern Irish First Division The Showgrounds, Coleraine Coleraine v Annagh United Attendance :- 211. Weather :- Dry, 9c. Gavin Whelan and Matty Robson both return to the starting lineup to replace John Robertson and Ryan Twist, with Whelan making his 375th Career League Appearance, while Pat McIlroy is selected up front to partner Gerry Nixon in place of the injured Stuart Shaw. After his early return from injury, Declan O'Hara is included in the matchday squad amongst the substitutes, replacing Robert Donaghy. There was always a feeling that United would have to defend stoutly today to have any hope of a result, and that plan would be made more difficult when Ross Nelson felt the need to bring Pat McIlroy down right on the edge of the penalty box, earning himself a booking, though not punished to the full extent when Gavin Whelan curled the resulting free kick just over the top corner of the goal frame. McIlroy shot across goal a few minutes later and Jason Moore made a smart stop. The visiting keeper had to make an even better stop from our age group International striker after he was played into the box. We were in the middle of a great spell of dominance, and we took advantage of it in the 25th minute when Matty Robson sent over a corner, and Andy Dickinson escaped his marker and planted a downward header into the net to open the scoring. Moments later, McIlroy and Nelson clashed again, this time in the penalty box, Nelson possibly a little fortunate not to be shown a second yellow. But he would be more harshly punished this time, with a penalty awarded, and Tony Jones lethal as ever from the spot, placing this one into the top corner to notch his 10th goal of the campaign. Jones has made a name for himself burying penalties this season, but he didn't cover himself in glory in the 34th minute, Scott Stevenson and Ryan Beattie doing the build up work in midfield, and the latter sent a perfect diagonal pass across field and into the left channel of our penalty box, Jones failing to get his tackle in on Jamie Rice who got around the full back and sent his shot across goal and into the bottom corner to half our advantage. We went right back on the attack to try and get that one back, Robson sending a pass into the box for Gerry Nixon, the striker aiming for the top corner only to see Moore produce an acrobatic tip over the bar to keep the ball out. No changes at the break, and a very early second half booking for Joe Holmes indicated that the pattern of the first half would continue, though Annagh had other ideas, a Beattie strike from long range following a free kick routine whistled well wide of the target. Substitute William Canning went a little closer still when Whelan coughed up the ball in midfield, lucky not to pay a heavy price for that mistake. Another free kick from the midfielder would have made amends nicely, but he couldn't quite get this one to dip and curl enough. With United making some changes, I turned to my own bench, Declan O'Hara coming on in his return from injury, and he went to centre back with Dickinson moving to the left as young Jason Campbell went off. With ten minutes remaining we almost pushed the game out of reach, Chris Johnston twisting and turning to earn his crossing room and then picking out Robson at the far post, his half volley forcing a superb low save out of Moore. That would be around the point in the game where we went a lot more defensive, with McIlroy coming off for Keith Steenson, who would sit in front of the back four, and then a few minutes later, Nixon also departing after taking a bit of a knock, Michael Hassan coming on and going into midfield, Whelan going wide, and Johnston becoming the lone striker. And we would survive the last few minutes, with our biggest scare coming from a pair of Evan Forsythe crosses that couldn't find a team mate. Coleraine (2) 2 - Andy Dickinson (25), Tony Jones (30 pen) Annagh United (1) 1 - Jamie Rice (34) Gerard Doherty; Tony Jones, Ryan Young, Andy Dickinson, Jason Campbell (Declan O'Hara 71); Michael McCartney, Gavin Whelan ©; Chris Johnston, Matty Robson; Gerry Nixon (inj - Michael Hassan 86), Pat McIlroy (Keith Steenson 82). Unused Substitutes :- Lee Mooney, Ryan Twist. Bookings :- None Possession :- 56% - 44%. Man of the Match :- Andy Dickinson (Coleraine). So Annagh United were no pushovers, and caused us some problems today, which really shouldn't be a surprise to anyone, as they have caused problems for everyone this season. They seem like they will continue to punch above their weight, and good luck to them going forward. For us, elsewhere results went our way and our lead at the top of the First Division increases to twelve points with just six games left to play now, courtesy of Limavady United being held to a draw away from home against relegation candidates Armagh City. With a home game against Limavady in early April, we could potentially be as little as two League games away from winning the Title. With it seeming to now surely be a case of 'not if, but when', the focus of the other clubs will surely start to switch to an intriguing battle for the Promotion Playoff spot. But our focus now turns to Tuesday nights Intermediate Cup Semi-Final, and a derby date with Ballymena United. 2015/16 Northern Irish First Division Standings (Top of the Table), Up To & Including Saturday 12th March 2016 | Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | 1st | | Coleraine | | 20 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 35 | 18 | +17 | 47 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 2nd | | Limavady Utd | | 20 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 38 | 27 | +11 | 35 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 3rd | | Carrick | | 20 | 8 | 10 | 2 | 19 | 10 | +9 | 34 | | 4th | | Ballymena Utd | | 20 | 8 | 9 | 3 | 31 | 21 | +10 | 33 | | 5th | | Wakehurst | | 20 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 27 | 21 | +6 | 33 | | 6th | | Distillery | | 20 | 7 | 11 | 2 | 27 | 19 | +8 | 32 | Sunday 13th March Matty Robson's assist yesterday was his 16th of the season, a new club record and topping his own previous best mark of 15 from last season. Monday 14th March That assist didn't manage to help earn Robson a place in this weeks First Division Team of the Week, but we are represented by four of his team mates, Gerard Doherty, Tony Jones, Andy Dickinson and Gavin Whelan. Tomorrow we have a chance to earn ourselves a place in a Cup Final, for a Cup that we won for the only time in the clubs history back in 2013. That year we had to beat Glentoran Seconds in the Final, and this time around a win against Ballymena will earn us a Final date with either Wakehurst or Distillery. The bookies don't fancy us though, and they have made Ballymena the favourites. I don't care if it's a Cup Semi-Final or a Pre-Season kick around, we don't want to lose a derby game. Tuesday 15th March Northern Irish Intermediate Cup, Semi-Final Warden Street, Ballymena Coleraine v Ballymena United Attendance :- 595. Weather :- Strong Winds, Drizzle, 7c. Tuesday nights shouldn't really be Cup Semi-Final night, but here we are. It detracts from the occasion in my opinion. We make the short trip to Ballymena, while our opponents make an even shorter trip, though they're not at home, as they travel across town to Warden Street. This is the home of Wakehurst, who tonight are at our home The Showgrounds to face Distillery in the other Semi-Final. Changes are needed, and Andy Dickinson moves across to left back to replace Jason Campbell allowing Declan O'Hara to start in the centre of defence. Keith Steenson comes into the midfield, with Gavin Whelan moving out to the right wing, and Chris Johnston also moves, as he will join Gerry Nixon up front with Pat McIlroy dropping to the bench, the striker considered not yet far enough along in his return from injury to start twice in a few days. There is a very strong wind blowing right down the centre of the park, and Ballymena have it at their backs in the first half. Chris Johnston picked up a very early booking which is frustrating, and will need to be considered later in the game. With the quarter hour mark approaching, Ballymena had the first chance, and it was a good one, Joe Stitt crossing from the left to Joe Porter who found himself unmarked near the penalty spot, Declan O'Hara throwing himself in front of the shot and deflecting it wide of the target. Barry Kee sent over some crosses from the opposite side that needed to be dealt with, before Porter received the ball to feet again, and once more O'Hara closed him down. Nigel McClelland sent a shot over the bar after another Stitt cross was only partially cleared as the wind continued to cause us problems. We held out through the remainder of the first half though. Would the wind make all the difference to us in the second half, or were we just second best here? Maybe it was just the wind, as we created more chances in the opening five minutes after the restart than we had in the entire first half. The best of those saw a reversal in the intended roles, as Johnston knocked the ball down for Gerry Nixon, but he missed the top corner that he was aiming for. It didn't go any better when Keith Steenson played Johnston in, and the other half of our strike duo blazed his shot way over the bar. You can't blame Steenson for deciding to go for goal himself on the hour, but a shot that was always rising was carried even further by the wind, and cleared the stand and out of the ground. When we did finally keep a shot down, Johnston's effort was held comfortably by keeper Bobby Collins. After Nixon sent another two shots over the cross bar, I had to make a change, Michael McCartney coming off, Gavin Whelan going back into the middle, Johnston out to right wing, and Pat McIlroy came on to partner Nixon. Immediate impact? Not really. Great build up play saw the ball find it's way out to Johnston, and his pinpoint cross from the right was on Nixon's head, but once more the striker couldn't keep his effort down, sending the header over the bar. What this required was some skill, and composure. Enter Whelan. With eleven minutes to play a corner into the box saw McIlroy find the ball at his feet with his back to goal, and he laid the ball off to Whelan who sidefooted a shot inside the near post to finally open the scoring! It would be a lead that would last a little under ninety seconds. Right from kick off sub Gary Henderson made ground down the left, and with a booking to his name already, Johnston was in no position to make the necessary foul to break play up. Instead the ball went to Neil Ashton, who slid a through ball into Gareth Mercer's run, and he slipped his shot under the dive of the advancing Gerard Doherty and pulled the score level before I'd even had time to consider a tactical change. United went right for the winner, Adam Tann's deep cross headed back into the side netting by Kee. For some reason, they then decided to drop back, and were punished for doing so with just two minutes remaining. Whelan's inswinging corner looked set to fly right through the six yard box and past everyone, but there at the far post was Nixon, who finally kept a shot down and finished from four yards out to reinstate our lead. This time I was much quicker to make my changes, quickly subbing first Johnston, and then Whelan to take some more time off the clock, Michael Hassan and John Robertson coming on to help us see out the game, and we would have a Cup Final to look forward to! Coleraine (0) 2 - Gavin Whelan (79), Gerry Nixon (88) Ballymena United (0) 1 - Gareth Mercer (81) Gerard Doherty; Tony Jones, Ryan Young, Declan O'Hara, Andy Dickinson; Keith Steenson ©, Michael McCartney (Pat McIlroy 68); Gavin Whelan (John Robertson 90), Matty Robson; Chris Johnston (Michael Hassan 89), Gerry Nixon. Unused Substitutes :- Jason Campbell, Lee Mooney. Bookings :- Chris Johnston 4 Possession :- 58% - 42%. Man of the Match :- Gavin Whelan (Coleraine). It's always nice to win a derby match, and even better when it's a Cup Semi-Final in their own town, if not quite on their own patch. Okay, it might not be the most prestigious of Cups by any stretch of anyone's imagination, but it's been several years now since my first job in the game when I've won a Title or Cup, and this season there is a chance to win a 'Double', which would be the highest ranking competition wins on my resúme to date. The Final will be held in Belfast at the Seaview ground, former home of Crusaders until they moved into their brand new 4,200 all-seater capacity Grove Park Stadium home in 2011. It will be held in mid-April, by which time our main focus of the First Division Title could be settled. We'll face Distillery in the Final, after they defeated Wakehurst 3-1 at our Showgrounds home this evening in front of another pretty healthy looking attendance. Two shout outs tonight, with the first for Gerry Nixon. The 21 year old Scotsman has found life more difficult this season with increased competition for places, and his form has been patchy to say the least. But after missing several chances during this game, he managed to find the net right at the death to earn us our Cup Final spot, and I give him his dues for keeping his chin up. And what about Gavin Whelan? At the age of 32, the Irishman has been consistently one of our best players this season, but has saved his very best form for Cup games, and tonight was no different as he scored the first, and setup the second. I had time only to give the pair a quick pat of the back of congratulations, as I have a plane waiting to take me out to Syria, while I'll join up with the India Under-23 Squad in the early hours ahead of their Olympic Qualifying game in Aleppo tomorrow.

Sunday 6th March 2016 In a competitive training session, 23 year old midfielder Asif Hossain came out second best in a challenge for a bouncing ball, catching a high boot to his head and suffering a gash that will likely rule him out of the midweek game at home to Saudi Arabia. However, this Squad also covers the game against Syria the following midweek as well, so Hossain will remain with the group. Tuesday 8th March Tomorrow is game day, but the weather is forecast to be very 'Un-Indian', with rain and gusty winds forecast. I don't know if that takes us, or the Saudi Arabian team out of their comfort zone more, but it's a variable, and I'm certainly happy to take it. The Saudi's are at full strength, and have actually paid us a compliment by bringing such a strong squad out to New Dehli. There is plenty of experience in a group that is primarily domestic based, but does include a few players playing their football outside the Kingdom, and a few more that could make the move overseas in the not too distant future. Wednesday 9th March 2016 Olympic Qualifiers, Asian Zone, Third Round, Group B Ambedkar, New Delhi, India India Under-23's v Saudi Arabia Under-23's Attendance :- 192. Weather :- Gusty, Wet, 7c. We've spent a few days training and getting to know a counter attacking 4-1DM-3-1AM-1 formation, which I'm hoping will be enough to prevent us from getting a hiding on the scoreboard today, but also have us in a position to try and cause our visitors some problems to deal with should the chance arise. There are no personnel changes from the starting lineup last time out here against Indonesia. That requires Amit Singh to drop into a holding defensive midfield role, which he is very adept at. Meanwhile, Shafiqul Islam Chowdhury shifts back into an attacking midfield role that he is very unfamiliar with, but is tasked with the job of holding the ball up when we manage to get it up the park this evening. After ten minutes of holding our visitors at arms length, we were then undone with their first real rampage into the final third of the park. Hamed Al-Shareef send the ball curling down their left touchline, and Mansour Fallatah did well just to keep it in, then sending in a cross that picked out the head of Khaleel Al-Janoobi, who glanced a header across goal and into the far bottom corner to open the scoring in the 11th minute. It would have been really easy for my team to fall to pieces after that setback, and Miteb Al-Harbi tried to push us to do that when he stood up a cross to namesake Tariq Al-Harbi, but his header was comfortably caught by Mohammed Barua. Aside from shipping that goal, our plan was actually working out okay, and we were trying to apply some pressure of our own, Sanjay Singh sending over an inswinging cross from the left that bounced right through the penalty box, but there was no one there to apply the touch. When we tried our luck down the other side moments later, Joseph Lal won us a free kick. Sanjay would swing that one in as well, and someone in the Saudi defence shouted to leave it. As far as I'm aware, Ashish Morje doesn't speak Arabic, and he ignored that shout, getting in behind full back Omar Al-Balawi at the far post and bundling the ball home after his initial downward header was blocked by keeper Mohammed Al-Kharashi, his second goal of the Qualifiers and we had a surprise leveller just before half time. Unfortunately, it seemed we had done nothing but kick a wasps nest and made it angry, and the Saudi's immediately upped their game. Ayman Sharaheli forced Barua to tip a shot from 25 yards over his cross bar, before in injury time the same player played a pass into a similar area where he had just shot from, and Tariq Al-Harbi had a go, sending his low shot skidding off the wet turf and beyond Barua's dive into the bottom corner to give the Saudi's the lead back and prevent us from escaping the first half with parity on the scoreboard. That was a real shame we couldn't reach the break level, but the players spirits were still pretty high even before I gave them some half time encouragement. No changes to the personnel or tactics to get back underway, and Sanjay needed some help from Jose Paul to strip possession away from Fayez Al-Salman in our own box without giving away a penalty. Midway through the half and I made a couple of changes, Francisco Reja coming off in straight swap for Gumpe Singh, while Shafiqul Islam Chowdhury's shift as a very deep lying target man was over, and instead the pace and skill of Mohammed Hassan would be utilised in that spot. Tariq Al-Harbi tried to extend the Saudi lead as he got into the right corner of our penalty box and flashed a shot across goal and wide of the far post. They would create a better chance still just over ten minutes from time, Youssuf Al-Shahrani sending a diagonal pass into the box that found Al-Balawi and his shot from point blank range was stopped by Barua, the rebound running loose to sub Aied Al-Zahrani, but he didn't get everything on his shot, and Barua clutched the ball gratefully as we were still hanging on in the game. But we couldn't hold out much longer, and in the 83rd minute a Mohsin Masoud corner was sent in deep, Al-Balawi headed it at goal only to see it headed off the line. But that header went only to Naser Al-Dossari, and he drove his low shot through the crowded goalmouth and into the net to break our resistance and slim hopes of earning a shock result. India Under-23's (1) 1 - Ashish Morje (42) Saudi Arabia Under-23's (2) 3 - Khaleel Al-Janoobi (11), Tariq Al-Harbi (45+2), Naser Al-Dossari (83) Mohammed Barua; Amar Thakur ©, Jose Paul, Francisco Reja (Gumpe Singh 68), Sheikh Singh; Amit Singh; Joseph Lal, Mohammed Nayan, Sanjay Singh; Shafiqul Islam Chowdhury (Mohammed Hassan 68); Ashish Morje (Felix Basheer 87). Unused Substitutes :- Seby Kumar (GK), Paramjit Kumar, Anthony Haque, Mohn Jahangir Islam. Bookings :- None Possession :- 48% - 52%. Man of the Match :- Tariq Al-Harbi (Saudi Arabia Under-23's). I don't want us to be one of those nations that accepts gallant failure. That's the footballing nation we used to be, and we have moved on a huge amount over recent years. But, we do need to realise that we have been very competitive in two Olympic Qualifiers against nations who were predicted to give us a bit of a battering. Our opportunity to be the favourites comes next, as we have away and home games with Syria coming up. They have played Saudi and Indonesia away in their opening two games, and have lost 5-0 and 4-0 respectively. Let's see how we cope next week with a fixture that we are predicted to win ourselves in Aleppo. Before then, I have to return to Northern Ireland for a double header of fixtures. I'll be leaving the Under-23's in the capable hands of my Senior coaching staff, and I'll meet them in Syria on the day of the game next week. 2016 Olympic Football Tournament Qualifiers, Asian Zone, Third Round, Group B. Up To & Including Wednesday 9th March 2016 | Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | 1st | | Saudi Arabia | | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | +7 | 6 | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 2nd | | Indonesia | | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 6 | | 3rd | | India | | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | -3 | 0 | | 4th | | Syria | | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | -9 | 0 | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you Oche. Always appreciate your comments and that you continue to follow my stories. Cheers for that.

Monday 10th January 2011 An attempt to mix it with considerably higher reputation clubs in the transfer market had a predictable outcome, and we miss out on 18 year old once capped Eritrean centre back Oliver Nicholas. The former Arsenal, Manchester City, Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United youngster had been kicking his heels for a little while, so there was no harm in us trying to tempt him down to Cornwall. But he opted for Spain instead, where third tier club Unión Estepona are able to offer him a salary. Friday 14th January -------------------- THE BET nPower Championship Burnley v Scunthorpe United - Home Win - 4/7 nPower League One Southampton v Notts County - Home Win - 2/5 nPower League Two Lincoln City v Burton Albion - Home Win - 1/2 Scottish Third Division Berwick Rangers v East Stirlingshire - Home Win - Evens Accumulator Odds - 5.6/1 Stake - £30,000 Balance After Bet - £252,172 Total Returns (Including Stake) - £198,000 -------------------- After last time out where we tried and failed to become millionaires all in one go, this week it's back to our bread and butter. These are four very safe looking home wins, or at least, that's how they appear on a Friday lunchtime, but we'll see what a Saturday afternoon has in store for us. All are in the top three of their respective Divisions, and all are on decent enough form where they should be expected to dispatch their bottom half of the table visitors. If this accumulators lands, then we'll be nudging up towards the half million amount in the bank account. But it wouldn't be the first time we've been let down if things don't go the way we expect. Saturday 15th January BET RESULT Burnley 3-1 Scunthorpe United Southampton 1-0 Notts County Lincoln City 1-0 Burton Albion Berwick Rangers 2-1 East Stirlingshire WIN Friday 21st January After a fairly quiet week, we are ready to entertain Porthleven at home tomorrow afternoon, and we have revenge on our mind. They are one of the two teams that have rolled us over this season, and we're intent on revenge. It's one of only three wins they have on the board during the campaign, and we are overwhelming favourites to pay them back. And we need to if we're to keep the pressure up on leaders Mousehole. -------------------- THE BET nPower League One AFC Bournemouth v Milton Keynes Dons - Home Win - 4/6 nPower League Two Chesterfield v Crewe Alexandra - Home Win - 2/5 Blue Square Premier Crawley Town v Cambridge United - Home Win - 5/4 Accumulator Odds - 4.25/1 Stake - £50,000 Balance After Bet - £400,457 Total Returns Including Stake - £262,500 -------------------- After last week's nice win, I go looking for a second successive win for what would be only the second time so far in this save. Now much deeper into the season, League Tables and Form Guides are more reliable tools than they were in the early stages of the campaign, and I stick with the UK this week. I also stick with a fairly basic principle from last week. One very good value home game, which last week was Berwick and this week is Crawley, and a few other 'banker bets' around it to push up the potential returns. Once again it's a very solid looking bet, and with a good chunk of stake cash laid out on it, the potential return is over a quarter of a million, and would take the bank account well over the half million pounds level. Saturday 22nd January South West Peninsula League, Division One West Mount Wise Stadium, Newquay AFC Newquay v Porthleven Snow and temperatures hovering around the zero mark mean that our 100% home sell out record goes today. They'll be back I'm sure if we get a win today, and they'll miss the debut of the orange ball. Also getting a debut and his professional bow for this one is Danish striker Atik Askari as we switch to a narrow 4-3-3 formation, going for a good win to ensure the missing fans are back next time around. Ollie Harrison makes way for him as we move Jimmy Harte into an unfamiliar for him centre midfield role. There is another potential debutant on the bench, where Fred Musah is selected in case we do need to change things up. We went out on the front foot, Tom Murray sending a shot over the bar after a cross was only partially cleared to him on the left side of the box. Michael Smyth had two cracks at one on ones, but failed to get a shot away either time, not something that Asik Askari was guilty of when he cut inside from the right, but he buried his shot into the side netting. At the other end, Frank Evans progress down the right was stopped abruptly by a well timed Danny Howard challenge. Unfortunately, in the next phase of play, Sam Harris was too quick for the left back, and he went over from Howard's challenge and the ref pointed to the spot. In front of a jeering terrace, Peter Mutch calmly rolled his penalty kick low into the bottom corner as Elliot Jackson went the wrong way, and we were a goal behind. Our response was quick and decisive, as Murray won the ball in midfield and played Smyth in. The strikers shot was pushed away by Bobby Cole, but only as far as Lee Hales who smashed a low shot against the base of the upright, and it bounced out to hit an unfortunate Mickey Byrne on the shins and creep over the line to level the scores back up. Our guests were targeting our left side of the defence now, hoping for another error from Howard. But he stayed solid and launched a counter attack that saw Steve Magee send the ball across to Askari, his header lacking the power to beat Cole. Still all square at half time, but it was my opposite number who felt the need the make changes, removing penalty winner Harris as they went narrower to try and match us up and prevent us punching holes through the middle of the park. His tactical changes was punished just ten minutes after the interval, loose play in midfield saw the ball find it's way to Magee out on the left, and he sent a low cross into the box again, which a defender was unable to deal with and allowed Smyth to pounce on the ball and slot home our second of the afternoon and give us a lead for the first time. Stick or Twist? Well, it was stick for a while, and we restricted Porthleven's possession and chances, a shot from range by Mutch was comfortably dealt with by Jackson. Meanwhile, Magee flicked a header wide before his blocked effort ran loose to Murray who's low driven shot brought out a superb save from Cole, and an even better tackle from Byrne to prevent Magee tapping home the rebound. Ten minutes or so remaining, and warning shot across our bows taken seriously when a cross into the box was glanced just wide, I decided to close the sweet shop up. All my subs had been used and were like for like, though I did end up pushing back into a more defensive outlook. We still should have added another goal, Askari shooting when Smyth was unmarked in the centre, and Lee Hales dragging an effort well wide. We didn't cave, despite a slew of late bookings for heavy tackles and time wasting. Three more points. AFC Newquay (1) 2 - Mickey Byrne (23 og), Michael Smyth (55) Porthleven (1) 1 - Peter Mutch (19 pen) Attendance :- 3,362 Elliot Jackson; James Ives, Joe Kennedy ©, James Taylor, Danny Howard (Russell Sampson 71); Jimmy Harte (Ollie Harrison 71), Lee Hales, Tom Murray; Michael Smyth, Atik Askari, Steve Magee. Unused Substitutes :- Graham Dowling, Sam Farrell, Fred Musah, Martin Prince. That's a fourth straight win for us, and while the scorelines still don't suggest we are 'dominating' games to any degree, it's nice to report that our threat of dropping points was much lower this time around, though so is Porthleven's league position. At the sharp end, the status quo remains with Mousehole beating Dobwalls 3-0 at home to retain their one point lead at the top of the Division. A defeat, or even a draw for them, would've made our weekend. But actually, our weekend was just getting started......... BET RESULT AFC Bournemouth 1-0 Milton Keynes Dons Chesterfield 3-2 Crewe Alexandra Crawley Town 2-1 Cambridge United WON That's a second successive win at the bookies, and pockets us just over a quarter of a million pounds in one trip. It also leaves our bank balance only the cost of a hefty round of drinks away from standing at £670,000. I head upstairs to the Boardroom, where I accept congratulations on the win, both on the park and at the bookmakers. Spirits are high, this was always a project for the Owner and his Board, and the expectation was only to be competitive as a mid-table outfit. But while I'm here, I have a question in mind, and judging the mood in the room, it's a good time to put it on the table (the button is no longer greyed out). -'We need to think about moving up to the next level now. The finances are good, and we can build on the clubs enhanced reputation to put good foundations in place.' -We agree, the finances are better than we could have ever hoped for, but this is a new project, and I'm not sure that this is the right move for the club. We could be risking the clubs financial future. It's a no for now.' -'I have to say I'm disappointed. I thought that we had the same ambitions here, and I'm concerned that we are going to miss an opportunity to capitalise on the clubs big chance to move up the League's quickly and really create a buzz for football in Newquay for years to come!' -'You know what, you're right! There is a great chance here to really create something amazing. Your request is granted!' That right there was a magical moment! There is no time frame set for when it will be put in place, and right now there is no Transfer or Wage Budget in place, the screen showing that they will not be released until the season expectations have been agreed upon. But that's okay, just knowing it's going to happen is a huge boost, and the focus will redouble now on overhauling Mousehole in the remaining games of the season, including our away game against them, and hope that we have a new level to play at when the money starts to get filtered into the playing squad this summer if we need to wait that long. Normally, I'd be moving on to the next bet and game right now, but I think I need a few minutes to let this news sink in.......

After 75 consecutive years in the Football League, the last almost 20 years have been fairly miserable for York City. In 2004/05, their run as a Football League club was ended, and while they made a return seven years later, they would drop back out of the League four years later, and continue falling through to tier six and the Vanarama National League North. Now it's the start of the 2021/22 season, and as the UK and the rest of the World start to emerge from a pandemic that at times has brought everything to a standstill, City are hoping to turn the corner and start the climb back towards the Football League. They have left their Bootham Crescent home, and at the start of the year moved into the brand new 8,400 seat York Community Stadium. They also have a new Manager......me. This will be my first ever Management job, and with my reputation set to 'Unknown', I've immediately thrown myself into the deep end. Sean Newton has played over 500 career games, and is about to go into his sixth season at the club, while new arrival and veteran striker Clayton Donaldson is only a trio of goals away from 200 for his career. Neither is even remotely impressed that the club has hired an unknown and inexperienced Manager, and have publicly voiced their concerns at the turn of events. This wouldn't normally be a problem, but these two players are both in a social team leader group of three, and they hold a fairly sizeable influence over other members of a pretty small First Team Squad. This is a tough starting problem to deal with, and there are several options to deal with it. I may have a short time to prove to them that I can out perform my reputation both on and off the park, or there is the option to move one or both of them out of the door before their opinion filters through the Squad, and deal with the issue that way. Talk about a baptism of fire! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hello everyone, Happy New Year to you all! For as long as I can remember, I've been promising a faster paced story. But I always get sidetracked and bogged down with the detail. Well, this is my latest plan to keep the detail brief. Use the faster paced and less detailed Mobile version of the game. Less detail in the game, less detail in the story. This is my first attempt at using this version, and it would appear that good performances in the game could mean unlockable features coming up. These will be dealt with as and when they occur, but no unlockables will be 'purchased' by me, they will only appear if they are earned. 30 years is the maximum career allowed in this version. All available Leagues in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales & Republic of Ireland are loaded. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday 5th July 2010 **Sky Sports Breaking News** The FA have today announced some huge changes to the rules around gambling for people involved in the game. In the past, anyone involved in football has been unable to place bets. But with online betting, crypto currency and underground illegal bookmakers all making the job of tracking these breaches more difficult, the ruling body of football in England has today made a sweeping change to the rules. With immediate effect, those involved in the game are only prohibited from placing bets on competitions in which their club are involved in, regardless of whether they have been knocked out of the competition or not. The games governing body expect this change to bring about a reduction is suspensions for betting offences, and encourage more open discussion about the topic. This is undoubtedly a rule change that will be considered controversial by all involved in the game, and will almost certainly cause a lot of debate amongst those involved in the game, as well as those who enjoy a flutter on the football themselves on the weekend. ---------------------------------------------------- Tuesday 6th July 2010 **The Cornish & Devon Post (Late Edition)** AFC Newquay have courted controversy this lunchtime, with the appointment of a new manager at the club. The appointment of 32 year old Neil Hoskins is not the controversial aspect though. Chairman of the club, Marcus Smith, a property developer from the local area, has brought the Welshman to the South West Peninsula Division One West club not only for his managerial and tactical abilities, but to also take advantage of the of yesterday's rule change by the FA. Hoskins has served a suspension after frequent betting activities while managing in lower league football while living in his home nation. At the time he claimed that he wasn't aware that betting on high level and worldwide famous Premier League teams would count as an infraction while managing at such a low level. Now Smith is seemingly prepared to let Hoskins betting skills determine the financial future of the club, who are languishing in the 11th tier of English football. 'I've known him for a few years, I sold him a holiday home down here a few years ago after he got suspended. He's often in the area, and has been coaching some kids. I needed a new manager at the club, and with his acumen at the bookmakers as well as on the touchline, we could put some money into the club, and really kick on and improve it's fortunes both on and off the park' Smith told a sparsely populated press event at the clubs Mount Wise Stadium. 'Football in Cornwall could really use a boost, and if this brings the club into the spotlight a little, and moves us on up the pyramid, it's a good thing as far as I'm concerned.' Smith was asked what kind of money Hoskins will have at his disposal. 'We're not talking mega money in football terms, far from it. We're an amateur club, but if he can use that money improve our financial situation, then we could look at going part time in the near future, improve the ground and some other aspects of the club, and just make Newquay a more viable option for players to come and play in the South West. Who wouldn't want to live here and play football given a chance?' With only just over a month till the domestic season kicks off, and no staff or senior players at the club, Hoskins will have his work cut out to hit the ground running with AFC Newquay, with or without Smith's cash behind him! -------------------------------------------------- I know, I know. You're sick of me. But you might be in lockdown, and I don't want you getting bored. Welcome to my latest new story, and revisiting a concept that I tried several years ago, but was wrapped around my attempt to build an actual storyline. It didn't go well, and I didn't enjoy the creative writing side of it. But the idea has always stuck with me, and always been something I wanted to return to. And here we are. ---------- The Rules (if I've forgotten anything important that crops up along the way I'll edit this section accordingly) *The save is using FM'11, with 35 nations loaded, and a extra database to unlock English Leagues down to the 12th level. *The Real Time Editor is in play, only to be used to adjust the club's finances as needed once a bet is placed and settled. *Maximum bet is 15% of the clubs current available Balance. A larger bet will be permitted twice a season, once before Christmas, and once after. No limit, but it's not allowed to skint the club out either. Cannot bet on a competition we feature in, or that any players of ours out on loan could feature in. *Only in-game odds will be used. *All bets to be posted on the Friday in game, with betting only permitted on Saturday matches. As odds are only given for match results, then that is the only bet available. Singles, Doubles, Trebles or Accumulators are allowed. *Managers discretion on how to use the cash. However, it'd can't be done without permission. For example, I can't just turn the club semi-professional, upgrade the facilities, or expand the stadium without the approval of the Board. *Only Staff that have applied or been recommended can be brought into the club, and only players that have been scouted or offered to the club can be signed. ---------- Let's see how this one goes. Enjoy. Comments and Questions welcomed as always. A Note to keep in mind Gambling on anything above the fun side, a couple of quid here and there for a fun accumulator, is, frankly, a mugs game. Please note, for the purpose of clarity, that no real life money is being spent here. If you have an addictive personality or gambling issues, please don't read on. Help is available, at places such as begambleaware.org and gamblingcommission.gov.uk Thank you.

Tuesday 1st July 2008 As a little known and unproven football manager, I have scored the biggest job of my career to date at the ripe age of just 30 years old. I've been appointed the new man in charge of Scottish Third Division side Dumbarton. They've shown huge faith in my abilities by offering me a one year deal on just £95 per week! The Board are hoping for a season where we finish nicely in mid table. But I'm setting my sights much higher than that! From the outside looking in, Scotland is a country just waiting for a club to conquer it and destroy the annual dominance of the Old Firm clubs. A club that won't sit back and watch them snatch up any half talented player and then leave them to rot in the reserves while they bring in an over-priced, over-paid and over-rated foreign striker. My plan is to make Dumbarton the club to challenge their dominance.....once we win three promotions, maybe a few Cups, build a new ground, attract a billionaire owner, and convince some of the best players in the land that this small town on the west side of Scotland's 'central belt' is the place to play their football...... Obviously we'll need a good season under our belts to earn me a new contract extension before I can start to unleash my full plan to dominate in domestic and continental football. With a bit of money in the transfer kitty, and some room in the wage budget, I plan to start by bringing in veterans with huge experience and exploit the loan market. ------------------------------ DUMBARTON FC Season 1 - 2008/09 Target - Achieve a respectable league position in the Third Division Transfer Budget - £26,000 Wage Budget - £2,200 per week (£1,860 current spend) ------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi. Welcome to my latest offering for your reading, entertainment, and ultimately amusement, as I spectacularly fail. This is the first of at least two new stories I have been planning and lined up for you. The intention has been explained. The idea is a quicker paced and lower detail content read to allow some quicker paced play, designed to keep your attention and allow me to move through the game a bit quicker than normal. This save is using FM'09 once again. Every nation and league available is loaded and playable. Unfaking has been done, but other than that, only cosmetic editing for strips and logos has been applied. My past experience has been set to automatic. Enjoy. Comments, questions, queries etc are all welcome as always.

Monday 1st December 2014 On Tuesday 8th July 2008, I was appointed the new Manager of Northern Irish minnow club, Lurgan Celtic. The task was to change the landscape of football in Ulster. Now, six and a half years later, that minnow club sits top of the Premier Division by four points heading into December, in the process of being taken over by a successful businessman who wants to make the club professional and build them a new stadium. That club is worth five times what it was when I took over, and they could be playing European Football by next summer. I can't take all the credit, but, I'm entitled to a share of it at least. Now, only a few weeks short of four years since I left Knockramer Park, I am back in Northern Ireland, with a new job. A new task. To change that landscape of football in the country back. While clubs such as Lurgan Celtic, Glebe Rangers and Newry City have enhanced their reputation and fortunes, other teams have had to make way. Some of those other teams are the 'old guard' of football in Ulster. They were caught out in the changing times, and have been elbowed aside, somewhat ungraciously, to make room. One of those clubs sit on the banks of the River Bann that runs up to the nations Northern Coast between Castlerock and Portstewart. That club is Coleraine, the once Northern Irish Premier Division Champions, five time Northern Irish Cup Winners, and three time Northern Irish League Cup Winners. This grand old club is 87 years old, and has struggled to keep up with the changing landscape of football in Ulster, sitting right now in mid table in the second tier, the First Division. It was a peculiar time to sack Stephen McConnell. The 37 year old, previously Manager at Larne and Bangor, had only been in charge at The Coleraine Showgrounds for a little over six months. He replaced Neil McLean, who had been in caretaker charge of around three months after Michael Lamont had been sacked, but McLean couldn't keep Coleraine in the Premier Division. And McConnell didn't have a great start, with The Bannsiders winning their opener, but then failing to win any of their next eight. Form has improved significantly over the last month or two though, as they are unbeaten in their last eight in all competitions, though they have been knocked out of the Northern Irish League Cup. There has been progress in the Intermediate League Cup though, a victory over Oxford United Stars almost ten days ago now proved to McConnell's last game in charge. Ultimately, Chairman of the club, Hugh Wade, wanted to make a change before Cliftonville and Donegal Celtic wrapped up the top two places early. In all honesty, it might be too late, as Cliftonville are seventeen points in front of us, winning all bar one of their eleven matches. Donegal Celtic are nine points ahead of us in the Playoff spot, which may also be a tough ask, but we have almost three weeks before our next match. McConnell was sacked at a lunchtime press conference, and within hours they were in touch, and granted permission to speak to me by Maidstone United. By tea time, I was on a flight to Belfast, met at the airport, and driven to the ground that they were hoping I'd soon be calling home. But they would have to improve their opening offer, which would have seen me drop £100 a week. After earning less than £11,000 a year on average over the course of my career, I wasn't prepared to take that kind of a drop, and asked them to have another look at their figures. The Board met up again, and made a counter offer, that was also met with a request to move a little further. As midnight approached, they came up with an offer that was agreeable. It's a two and a half year deal, at a wage of £220 per week. The Transfer Budget is minimal, less than £1,000, but the Wage Budget is better, £2,900 per week to spend and almost half of that still available too. The deal was signed in the early hours of this morning. I have jumped right out of the financial fire with Maidstone United, that FA Cup run put us back in the black. But finances are not healthy at all here in Coleraine. With the cost of firing a Manager, and hiring a new one factored in, my new employers are currently £183,000 in debt. That explains why there is no Transfer Budget then. ------------- Neil Hoskins. 37 years old. Welsh. Uncapped. Reputation :- National. Contract :- Full Time, 2.5 years, £220 per week. Previous Experience :- Sunday League Footballer. Managerial Statistics. Club/Player Loyalty :- 6. Domestic Players Bias :- 19. Financial Control :- 8. Hands On Approach :- 6. Squad Discipline :- 16. Tactical Consistency :- 17. Season Expectations :- Win Promotion to the Premier Division (Not Being Judged On This Objective Right Now). Transfer Budget :- £789. Wage Budget :- £2,860 per week. Currently Spending :- £1,500 per week. ------------- Coleraine FC. Founded :- 1927. Nickname :- The Bannsiders. Status :- Semi-Professional. Reputation :- National. Value :- £325,000. Chairman Status :- Love the club. Finances :- Okay (-£183,021). Club Colours :- Home - Blue and White Stripes. Away - Yellow, with Blue Trim. Club Legends :- Pat McAllister, Paul Gaston, Marty Quinn. Club Icons :- None. Favoured Personnel :- Kyle McVey. Fierce Rivals :- Ballymena United, Limavady United. Other Rivals :- Institute, Coleraine Crusaders. Honours :- *Northern Ireland Premier Division Winners - 1974. *Northern Ireland First Division Winners - 1996,2012. *Northern Ireland Cup Winners - 1965,1972,1975,1977,2003 *Northern Ireland League Cup Winners - 1954,1969,1988 *Northern Ireland Intermediate Cup Winners - 2013 Last Season :- 12th (bottom) of Northern Irish Premier Division. Coleraine Showgrounds, Coleraine, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland Capacity :- 6,500 (1,000 seats). Condition :- Average. Surface :- Grass. Surface Condition :- Very Good. Adequate Corporate Facilities, Fairly Basic Training Facilities, Basic Youth Facilities and Youth Academy. -----------------

The Backstory In the late 1960's a young pair of brothers from the Southern Italian city of Cosenza named Arturo and Luigi Di Cianni, were moved by their family to the West Wales town of Haverfordwest in the county of Pembrokeshire. The brothers saw their parents open a fish and chip shop in the town, which with its attached Italian ice cream parlour, became very popular, and in turn led to the family increasing their business to include an Italian restaurant. The brothers were close, spending time helping in the family business, and indulging in their passion of football around their studies. When school was finished for them, neither pursued higher education, choosing instead to move into the family business. Arturo in particular embraced his Italian heritage, and on a trip back to Southern Italy one summer to visit family, he met the woman who would be his wife. It wasn't an easy move, and an even less comfortable conversation with his family, but Arturo announced that he would be moving to Italy full time. For Luigi, life centred around a small area of West Wales now, and he didn't even particularly enjoy his trips to Italy now as he had done in summers as a boy. A year younger than his brother, he missed him when he made his big move, but not enough to follow him. He threw himself into his work, and before long, he too had met a woman and fallen in love. Luigi beat his brother to the punch, first with the engagement, and then with the marriage. The Di Cianni boys both married within a year of each other, each having his brother as best man. Luigi and his wife announced their pregnancy first, Arturo and spouse waiting a little longer to break the news, but they were actually a little further down the line. Davide was born first, born in the city of his families heritage, Cosenza, Southern Italy, on the 8th August 1996. A little over two weeks later, in a home birth in Haverfordwest, his cousin Danilo was born on the 24th August 1996. Both were huge events of course, and the family could embrace their Italian roots, and also the new heritage line that they were drawing 1,700 miles away in West Wales. The new cousins saw each other every summer, as the families took it in turn to travel to visit each other. Their visits were tied together with a mutual love of the beautiful game as they grew older, and more competitive. Davide didn't speak too much English, it wasn't something that was taught too much in Southern Italy, he picked up words on the visits back and forth, but not much more than that. Danilo wasn't a fluent Italian speaker by any means, but with family of Italian speakers around him, he learned more than enough to make himself understood. The Di Cianni genes had done their work on the boys height, as both would stand well over six foot as they were into their teenage years. It probably had more to do with upbringing than genes that made Davide a very promising centre half. Excelling at all defensive aspects of the game, and capable of stepping back into an old fashioned Libero role as well as playing in a defensive midfielder role. At 16, he stands at 6'2 and is rated highly by Scouts across the country. Danilo was the opposite. Slightly taller, but still quicker and a pure attacker. Strong with either foot, he was comfortable playing down either wing, or as a striker. He was able to effortlessly provide a spark of creativity for his team mates, or himself. A dead ball specialist, his hours of practice at picking out the top and bottom corners from distance were now coming to fruition. At 16, he now stands 6'3, and like his cousin in Italy, he is also highly regarded by just about everyone who has seen him play. Both lads did have one thing in common though when it came to their football. Loyalty. Both had come through the system at their hometown clubs, and both had been urged to ignore the hype around their abilities, and to pay back the clubs who had nurtured their talents. That was exactly what both had chosen to do........at least to start with......