ChaosClive

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou April 2026 What a topsy turvy month. First thing that came through Clive's inbox after the new month began was an article from the Cypriot Football Messenger about the title race, Clive skimmed over it until he realised that ,according to the media, Geroskipou were still in the hunt, something that he had come to terms with them not being able to do. Although looking at the fact that 10 out of 16 teams in the league were on the list, he assumed that the media didn't know what they were talking about as per usual. The first game was against Pafos, were a Zalikas brace helped Geroskipou to another win against Pafos and actually putting them back into the title race, was this a mystical prediction from the media or just sheer dumb luck?? Obviously dumb luck, as the next game against Xylotybou was lost 2-0 despite the fact that the opposition were already relegated from the Second Division and Geroskipou dominated the game. Title race over. In Clive's frustration, he took to the touchline against Doxa without taking his usual snippings so would have to include it in this update They lost 2-0. May 2026 Two tough games to finish off the season, Othellos and Olymp. Nicosia, who were the only two sides still in with a shot of promotion. Clive expected nothing to come from these games apart from heavy losses. Youth Intake Nothing to see here.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou March 2026 And just like that, Clive's ambitions of promotion were gone. Another 4 points dropped against teams in and around them in the table effectively shut the door on promotion. Now Geroskipou were 8 points from 2nd place with 5 games to go. Clive thought about the maths, and if his side had not dropped 8 points in the last 4 games, they would be sitting in 2nd, admittedly by the slimmest of margins, but the top 5 were dropping points like they were going out of fashion. The one bright spot for the month was Katsantonis scoring 2 goals in 2 games to continue his hot streak for his new side. April Fixtures Pafos was obviously the harder fixture of the 2, with Xylotybou basically already relegated. But like Xylotybou, Geroskipou had almost no hope of getting what they wanted from the season either.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou February 2026 A very disappointing February for Clive, and in his eyes, it was 4 points dropped rather than 2 points collected. Ypsonas went 2-0 up in the first game, only for the point to be salvaged in the second half, with the game ending 2-2. The following league game got off to a better start against APEA, but Geroskipou were pegged back just before HT and could not find a second breakthrough, with that game finishing 1-1. Both teams were below Geroskipou by a long way, and if they had managed to get the full 6 points on offer, they would be sitting in 4th place, just 3 points behind the 3 way tie for 1st and 2nd. March Fixtures This would be make or break time for Geroskipou, 6 points were expected against teams in and around them to hopefully build some momentum going into more challenging games. Transfers After Zailkas' injury ruling him out for 2 months, Adamou was bought by Aris, meaning his loan was cancelled, leaving Clive with 2 fit strikers. He went out into the free agent market looking for a new striker, even if this new player would just be coming in as a stopgap. But what he found was almost a gift sent from heaven. Andreas Katsantonis, with a good record in internationals (3 goals in 7 caps) instantly being able to move into the first team and lead the line. Bernardo also came in at the back end of the window, but only for injury cover in the middle of the park.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou January 2026 An important point was taken in the first match of the new year, a 0-0 draw with Agia Napa, but this was then followed by an important 3 points dropped in a 4-3 collapse against ASIL, who had climbed up the table over the month. The 6 points that were targeted by Clive were achieved though, a 3-0 win against Omonoia Psevda and a 1-0 win against PAEEK moving Geroskipou 16 points from relegation with 9 games left, effectively ensuring survival. February Fixtures Only 2 league games for Geroskipou coming up, and Clive sensed this was a good opportunity to try and play catch up to achieve an unrealistic promotion with 2 games against 'weaker' opposition. Other News The league's top scorer Zalikas was ruled out for the best part of 2 months, fortunately, Geroskipou had hit the point in the season where there are only 2 games a month, so he would only be missing around 4 games.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou December 2025 4 points from 4 games was not what Clive had set out for, but maybe he was getting way ahead of himself. He was reminded in the papers that this time last year, Geroskipou were on 6 points, and now they were 3 points from the promotion spots and had a total of 25 points. They were lucky to draw with Doxa, needing a Georgiou goal in the 89th minute to save them, and even luckier in the Achna game, where super sub Efstathiou scored the winner with the last kick of the game. The two losses were unfortunate, but Geroskipou's efforts saw them finish the year off in 6th place. January Fixtures Agia Napa was obviously the most challenging game in the January fixture list, ASIL could also be tricky opponents, but Omonoia and PAEEK were must wins in the promotion hunt. Other News Clive had finally finished his studying once again. This time for his Continental B Licence, only 2 more until he was finally done with burying his nose into books!

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou November 2025 Another perfect month in terms of league performances for Geroskipou. Clive was over the moon as his side beat their cross-town rivals Pafos 3-1 away from home, and managed 6 points against the teams that he had targeted at the end of October. 2 more than respectable performances against Onisilos and Omonoia Aradippou helped bump Geroskipou to within 3 points of the promotion spots! A far cry from the struggles of last season. In the cup, Clive backtracked on his plans to play a rotated squad, and Apol. Limassol's class shone through, beating Geroskipou 5-3 on the night despite being 2-0 down after 16 minutes, the first shootout loss of Clive's career and Geroskipou were knocked out of the Cypriot Cup. December Fixtures A massive month was on the cards, Geroskipou faced 1st, then 5th, then 2nd and finally 3rd. This run would potentially be make or break time for their promotion push, but at least they had a 10 point cushion on the relegation spots. Other News Nikolaou was seen to be leaving the T T Bar in the early hours on a game day. Unfortunately for him, he did not possess the skills of world class drunks like George Best or Maradona to be able to pull off such a stunt, so Clive sent him packing to the U19s to cool off for a bit. In lighter news, Clive had now reached the impressive milestone of 200 games in management, all for his now beloved APOP Geroskipou. In another shock twist, he was also named manager of the Nigeria U20s, updates on this will be sporadic, as this job was only taken to broaden player knowledge.

Cheers mate, appreciate.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou October 2025 An unbeaten month! Clive sat back in his chair after the massive shock win against Apollon Limassol and reflected that his side had done more than enough during the month. Despite being pegged back in the 88th minute during the PAEEK game and in the 91st minute of the Omonoia Psevda match, his side were now a whole 5 points clear from relegation and sitting comfortably in mid table. All he could hope for was more of the same going into November. November Fixtures The return leg in the cup was coming up, and Clive thought that he would rest some fringe players as they were 3-1 up on aggregate, and the league was a much more pressing issue at this point in the season. He knew that at least 2 wins were necessary, namely against Xylotybou and Othellos. Other News In a massive shock, and presumably a joke, Clive put his name into the hat for the open position as Nigeria U20s manager. He did this mainly to extent scouting knowledge for possible future transfers.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou September 2025 Clive was pleasantly surprised with his teams wins in both legs in the cup, but this gave him false hope going into the league fixtures, although a respectable 0-0 draw with Achna sat well within the camp. A 2-0 loss to Deryneia was then compounded with a 1-0 loss against Agia Napa, in a game that form suggested should have gone the other way. In the final game of the month, Geroskipou finally got on the scoresheet and looked to be making up for missed time, scoring 5 in a more than comfortable win against recently relegated ASIL, with Efstathiou scoring a hattrick. The results saw Geroskipou 1 point above the relegation zone, with everyone starting off the season relatively well. October Fixtures 4 winnable games in the league, all in and around Geroskipou's position, although it was still early days to be making any conclusions. In the cup, Apollon Limassol were drawn as the away team in the first leg. Clive did not expect much from this though, as they were an established team in the First Division.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou 2025/26 Pre-Season After what felt like an eternity back home in England, Clive slowly settled back into life at Geroskipou, and the idea of staying in the Second Division. Unfortunately upon his arrival, he realised that his AssMan was nowhere to be seen, it was then that the players told him that during the summer break, AEZ had managed to secure his services as their new manager without Clive's knowledge, something that deeply insulted him with a promise to never lose to him if they meet. Also unfortunately for Clive, while he was looking for his new AssMan, nobody that sent in their CV looked quite as good on paper, and given the fact that Geroskipou were still a 'small' club, the greatest applicants were not remotely interested in signing. He sorted through the CVs on his desk, and chose to appoint the best possible fit for the job, on the lowest wage possible. As stated, Geroskipou's miracle last season seemed not to even hit the back pages of the papers in Paphos, as their reputation was still that of a lower Third Division club, at least it was now above the STOK Elite Division. Transfers Clive knew that he needed a big rebuild to keep his side from out of the mess that they found themselves in the previous season, he scoured player lists for hours upon end to bring in a shortlist of players for as cheaply as possible, as money was still a massive issue facing the club. GK During his regular consultations with club scouts, they mentioned in passing that a GK from Ecuador had his agent send in a highlight video. And upon watching this, Clive knew that this was the player that he could bring in to be the first line of defence going into the new season. He tried speaking in very broken Spanish to the agent, who agreed on playing time and promises, but then when it came to wage demands, it was revealed that Pafos were also in the bidding process. Clive matched the £130p/w that Pafos had offered, but a week later, Bravo had made his decision, to go and be a backup across the road in the U19s instead of at Geroskipou, where he would have been a tacked on starter. Clive then took this opportunity to get back at Pafos, and put in an audacious loan offer for Igor Bastos, a player that somehow was not getting in the Pafos team, showing how much talent that they have in their squad. Thinking nothing of it, as there was no way that a player that good would come to Geroskipou, Clive nearly fell off his chair when he saw Bastos arrive at training 2 weeks later. Defence Clive now had a reliable goalkeeper, it was time to rebuild his back four. The first 3 signings of the new look Geroskipou side looked solid to say the least! A Greek U21 international in Katsogiannis coming in on a free. Stelios Christou came in on loan from Xylotybou, and already a nailed on starter. Marios Andreou also came in on loan from Aris Limassol, who will be a mainstay for the season at DL. Midfield Some notable players came in to help assist the goal scoring options, 4 new notable wingers came in under Clive's strict supervision. Georgiou came in for both his pace and crossing abilities, on a free, and for very cheap. Dimitris Malefitsakis also came in for even less money, Clive thought although he didn't have the out and out pace that Georgiou, his final cross and flair was good enough to be a creative outlet on the team. On the other wing, Giannis Fylaktou came running through the door, showing Clive that he had the pace to beat most if not all opposing fullbacks in the country, let alone league. As did Lysandrou, who would be a quality rotational player for the first team. The best was saved for last in the midfield signings, Kyriakou came out of nowhere to be, in Clive's eyes, the best outfield signing of the window. Forwards Adamou was secured on loan from AEK Larnakas in the First Division for the season, and would play an important role in the teams strike partnership. Finally, Efstathiou came in as a backup, despite the fact that he was also able to play as a centre half (apparently) Released Players Some old players to leave had no value to Clive, and therefore, he didn't even give them a call out as they left. After all of the comings and goings for the transfer window, Clive's new AssMan managed to sneak behind the curtain and pull some interesting facts for him. Namely, the player comparisons for the upcoming season, and to Clive's delight, Geroskipou were no longer the bottom of the rung at everything! GK DEF MID ATT Some money came into the club before the start of the season, notably TV money and some new sponsors. Results A really good showing in pre-season, only against lower opposition, but with an aggregate score of 30-1 over 7 games was hopeful. Pre-Season odds Despite the massive rebuild, Geroskipou were still predicted to go down, but this time not in last! Fixtures Clive's heart sank when he saw the cup had not been kind and drawn his side against Agia Napa, but then again, every draw would be difficult for Geroskipou. In the league, Clive wanted the best start possible to give some breathing space from the bottom of the table, although all 4 matches looked tough on paper.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou 2024/25 Season Review After a few days not even thinking about football management following on from his side's great escape, Clive finally opened up his emails, coming across both good and very good news. Good news out of the way first, Brito has decided to retire. He only played in a handful of matches and took £400p/w from the club for the pleasure of his teammates nicknaming him 'Splinters'. This was followed by some more good news, maybe because the board had finally seen enough struggle at Geroskipou, they had decided to give Clive the new budget of £7,750p/w. Although this did not look at lot of paper, it gave Clive the wiggle room not to heavily rely on loans and build a base of a squad that could be together for a few seasons, although at this stage, Clive knew that without loans, Geroskipou would see themselves swiftly back in the Third Division. Continuing onto his next email, Clive had received the confirmation email that he was starting on his course for his Continental B Licence, hopefully boosting his reputation in some way or another to help with player recruitment, even though he didn't actually knew if that was a thing or not. After all of this good news, Clive opened up the one remaining email in his inbox, which contained blueprints for a stadium that the council had decided to build specifically for APOP Geroskipou! A massive capacity upgrade from the 250 that his side was used to, all the way up to basically 2,900. Clive's Cuttings New star striker Zalikas leading the way with 16 goals, but unsurprisingly the lowest tally of the save so far. Finances looking precarious to say the least, and with only 250 through the gates a game, this is unlikely to improve.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou May 2025 An impossible task lay ahead for Geroskipou, 7 points away from survival with 3 games left to play. Clive needed a tactical reshuffle, it was true that he loved the 4-4-2, and was prepared to die with it. He changed the passing down to standard, along with the tempo. He instructed his keepers to take short kicks to build from the back instead of hoofing it up and hoping for the best as the case previously was. Position-wise, he changed it so his left winger would stay deeper, all his back 4 was now strictly on defensive duties, along with the introduction of a BWM in the middle to cut out any opposition midfielders making runs in between the lines. Game 28 - vs Doxa Katokopias Going into the game, Doxa were looking to cement their place as best of the rest in the league, but when Geroskipou got off the team bus, they looked as determined as Clive had ever seen them. The game got off to a shaky start, with Doxa dominating the ball but not managing to carve any real chances off due to the new defensive structure put in place. Then in the 30th minute, after soaking pressure, Geroskipou hit on the break and Kyriakou was there to score to make it 1-0 Geroskipou. HT Doxa 0 - 1 APOP Geroskipou Doxa came out the blocks flying, having a goal disallowed in the 46th minute before creating some real chances while the momentum was going their way. This was cut short however, after Vitor popped up as he usually does making a run through the midfield, exploiting space where the strikers ran into the channels to cooly slide a second goal for Geroskipou. Doxa, clearly riled by this, thought they had got a goal back, but Castelo had not beaten the offside trap just like on his first disallowed goal and the score remained 2-0 Geroskipou. From a corner, Kezos lumbered in the air, beating both his marker and the keeper to head home for 3-0 Geroskipou, the game was over before the 70th minute. In a moment of desperation, Vitor got himself a 2nd yellow and was sent for an early bath on 84 mins, and even with the man disadvantage, Geroskipou and Alexeev raced past a tired defender from a corner counter attack to round off the scoring. FT Doxa 0 - 4 APOP Geroskipou An unbelievable result for Geroskipou, who were now off the foot of the table again after Akritas failed to register a point in their game. More importantly, so did AEZ, meaning the gap was now 5 points. Omonoia Aradippou did however win, meaning they were safe and this was now a 3 horse race. Game 29 - Karmiotissa The penultimate game of the season was definitely a more challenging game with Karmiotissa locked in a shootout with Paralimni for top spot, both on 60 points. The match could not have got off to a worse start, with Piquionne scoring for Karmiotissa after just 9 minutes. The game was level though after 17 minutes after Alexeev slotted home after a nice pass from the midfield tore the defence a hole they thought they never had. For the rest of the 1st half, both sides created good opportunities to score, and both played in somewhat desperation, but no more scores came in the first half HT APOP Geroskipou 1 - 1 Karmiotissa The second half started dully, but suddenly sprang into life, when on 54 mins, Zalikas was bought down in the area for a Geroskipou penalty. He coolly stepped up, sending the keeper the wrong way and wheeled off in jubilation as he made the score 2-1 in Geroskipou's favour. Now it was Karmiotissa on the back foot, and they tried everything to get through the toughened Geroskipou defence. Clive was so nervous that he had his AssMan take the wheel for the next 15 minutes while he sat in the dugout. This was only stopped when he jumped and hit his head celebrating a strike from Zalikas, only for it to be ruled offside by the linesman. For the rest of the match, he was on his feet urging his players to focus and not to make any silly mistakes. And in the 91st minute, after a botched pass from the Karmiotissa centre half, Nikolaou was put through on goal. He scored, and the ground went ballistic, surely Karmiotissa could not get back now. A few nervous minutes later, the referee blew his whistle for the last time, and Geroskipou's players fell onto the floor from a mixture of relief and exhaustion. FT APOP Geroskipou 3 - 1 Karmiotissa The celebrations were short-lived however. As soon as Clive got everyone into the dressing room, he checked the scores in the other games. Somehow, AEZ had just pulled off a miracle of their own, scoring in the 86th and 91st minute to pull off a come from behind victory against Doxa, who were still in shock over their loss against Geroskipou the week before. This meant that the game against AEZ was a must win in order to pull off the great escape. Not only that, but they could not concede more than 2 goals and win by at least 1 due to league sorting rules. Game 30 - AEZ There was an obvious tension around the ground and within the changing room as boys started filtering into the ground for what was the biggest game in the short history of the club. Players were not looking at each other, and staring at the ground. Clive was hoping that this was helping them to focus on the game at hand. The warm-ups proved this to be true, as Clive had never seen such a good one before, and it was AEZ who were melting under the pressure. KO APOP Geroskipou 0 - 0 AEZ From the off, Geroskipou attacked AEZ quite literally like their survival was counting on it, and AEZ could not get out of their half. In the 9th minute, Geroskipou were awarded a free kick just outside the area and Kezos, as he usually did, leap like a salmon to head in to make it 1-0 Geroskipou. 6 minutes later, Sokratous, the BWM, launched a cross into the box from a throw in, and Konstantinou got a head onto it. Somehow this crept under the hands of the AEZ goalkeeper, the score was now 2-0. Obviously, this shocked the AEZ players, as straight from kick off, they blindly sent a long ball forward which was intercepted, and sent straight back into the danger area where Zalikas took a shot, this bounced off the centre half, and fell to Vitor, who launched an audacious 25 yard volley into the top corner to make it 3-0. 3 minutes later, Kyriakou dribbled the length of the pitch, dropped the ball back to the MR Papa, who took a chance and scored a first time shot into the corner that Vitor did not manage to hit. Geroskipou were 4-0 up and cruising. Clive told them from the sides not to let up, thinking back to all of the leads that they had given away to get them into this situation. On 32 minutes, Vitor won possession high up the field and hit a long ball to Kyriakou, who beat his man and fired Geroskipou's 5th goal past the AEZ keeper, who looked ready to head home. HT APOP Geroskipou 5 - 0 AEZ In the second half, the AEZ keeper suddenly woke up from his catatonic state, managing to save 5 shots, the 6th shot however, there was no chance. Tripy Makonda fired a free kick into the bottom right hand corner to make it 6-0. Everyone on the sideline was celebrating, apart from Clive, who was slouched in his chair, tired from a long and frustrating season, just waiting the game out so that they could all go to the T T Bar after the game. He even missed AEZ's consolation goal in the 91st minute, but nobody in the ground seemed to mind, as the home fans even cheered this goal as it went in. The referee blew up without playing any additional time after the goal, and Geroskipou had pulled off the great escape. FT APOP Geroskipou 6 - 1 AEZ After the game, Clive told himself he will never put himself or his side in that sort of situation again, as he nearly considered quitting at multiple points during the season. But in the end it was all worth it, and a night that they all forgot took place shortly after.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou April 2025 The first game of the run in was against PAEEK, the game that Clive thought could be winnable. Geroskipou did not show up on the day, and were edged out 2-1, Paris Nikolaou performing like last season, and keeping the score lower than it probably should have been. The official run in for the Second Division came through the news sites the next day. Geroskipou were 7 points from safety with just 4 games remaining. Clive and his side looked at the run in with horror, by far the most difficult out of the 4 sides considered to be candidates for relegation. Some more friendlies were organised to try and boost morale and team cohesion. In the game against Achna, Geroskipou played well enough to warrant at least a draw, but the form that Nikolaou had showed in the previous game had disappeared once again, and Geroskipou came off the pitch at full time 2-0 losers. 3 games left and 7 points from safety. If Clive could pull this off, surely it would be up there with some of the great escapes in history? May Fixtures The last 3 games of the season started against Doxa Katokopias, who were looking to secure 3rd place in the league, but who could not be promoted. Then Geroskipou were back at home for their last 2 matches, the first against promoted side Karmiotissa, and the final game against AEZ who themselves were struggling near the bottom of the table.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou March 2025 In a bid to turn his side's spirits around, Clive organised his usual tune up games in between gamedays, and at first it seemed to work! A 5-0 win in the CAAK friendly seemed to instil some belief into the boys, who the week after turned over Omonoia Psevda, with a 91st min goal making the score look tighter than the game was to finish it at 3-2. Another big win in the next friendly did not work as well as the first time around though, this time Geroskipou added to their impressive loss count, taking their new total to 16 with a 3-1 defeat away against Onisilos. The last friendly was a disaster, drawing 1-1 against Geroskipou FC, in a game that summed up the season, not good enough. At least come the end of the month, that 3rd win bought Geroskipou off the foot of the table thanks to a better head to head record against Akritas. Clive was still staring down the barrel though, and the gap was now 7 points from safety with 5 games left. At this point, Pafos had offered Clive an interview for the vacant manager role, he thought to himself "Why in the name of all that is holy would a top division side want me, a man who is struggling in the Second Division, to take the reigns?" Surely this was just an early April Fools joke. The youth intake for the season looked equally like a joke, only 1 player signed from this year, which brings the total from the last 5 seasons up to 2. April Fixtures Looking at the table, Clive thought that a win against PAEEK, who were currently in 12th would be an achievable result. Achna were struggling for form also, so a draw in that game could also help with Geroskipou's points total, and possibly make things interesting for the final 3 fixtures in May.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou February 2025 2 losses in the first 2 games of the month compounded issues for Clive and his side. They were now sitting on 9 points from 22 games, a full 12 points from safety with only 8 games remaining. Then, out of nowhere, a second win was secured for Clive's boys in a 3-1 win vs Othellos, where Geroskipou were the much better side. They were now 9 points from safety but Omonoia Aradippou still had a game in hand. Clive pulled his players into a meeting, and no was speaking in no uncertain terms, told them to prepare their cv's as they would need to be sold in the summer window or go back to part time contracts, as any slip ups would cost their place in the Second Division. March Fixtures March's games will be against 2 sides who are comfortably mid table, maybe with nothing to prove, but nevertheless sides with real quality.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou January 2025 The first leg of the QF of the cup was very eventful, going up 1-0 after 2 minutes, then going 2-1 down before Kostas Ioannou pegged Geroskipou back to 2-2 all before the 20th minute. A Zalikas goal but Clive's team 3-2 up before the pace of APOEL shone, scoring 2 goals in quick succession to bring the score to 4-3. Clive was convinced that his side had managed to stay in the fight well enough, and 4-3 was a massively respectful result, when from out of nowhere Zalikas bagged his second to make the score 4-4. APOEL had to throw the whole kitchen at Geroskipou, but 2 mins later, they made their breakthrough and scored their 5th and final goal just before the full time whistle. In the reverse fixture, for whatever reason, Clive thought that his side had a chance to get at least a penalty shootout, and with Nikolaou in goal, could might have been able to pull off a stunning win. This was not to be. APOEL got nearly 8,000 people through the gates with the side needed to prove something to their supporters. Even with an unchanged side, Geroskipou were powerless to fall to a 6-0 defeat to the giants of the Cypriot game. In the league, however, Geroskipou pulled off a minor miracle, picking up their first WIN of the season! 19 games in and they finally had a W to put against their name. The natters from the home crowd were dismissive of their own side though, with Clive being told in no uncertain terms that the win had come far too late, and the team should start preparing for next season in the Third Division. Clive agreed and replied "If we are going down, it'll be fighting"

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou December 2024 A very surprising draw against top of the table Karmiotissa slightly lifted team spirits before the big game against AEZ, where it was then subsequently popped like a balloon after losing 3-2, but the scoreline should have been more. 2 more sub-standard performances and 2 more losses later, Clive thought to himself "Is this really what I signed up for? Is this how the rest of the season is going to be? I could go back to England and try and get a job over there for next season." No prizes for guessing that Geroskipou were still rooted to the bottom of the table, with 6 measly points to show from 17 games. January Fixtures APOEL could not have picked a better time to play Clive's desperate team, the worst run of form in the club's history, while they had just been involved in the Champions League playing in front of 70,000 people at the San Siro and were flying high at the top of the First Division. On the league front for Geroskipou, every game was now a cup final, and they also had to hope that other teams would slip up.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou November 2024 Another shock win in the cup, especially as the team had no right to win, and because away goals don't count in the competition, we went through to another penalty shootout. Again, Paris Nikolaou was the hero, saving 3 of the Omonoia Aradippou penalties, and despite a bit of a sweat, Geroskipou made it through to the Quarter Final of the Cypriot Cup! In the league, Geroskipou completely dominated the next 3 games, but could only grab 3 a point from each game. Clive could not hold in the rage for much longer. He went absolutely ballistic at his players after the Achna game, berating them on how they couldn't bury some easy chances over the last month, and if they got relegated, he would be forced to sell everyone off and start again from scratch, it was a scene very similar to the half time team talk given by Mike Bassett in the England vs Mexico match. The draw for the QF could not have been any more difficult, the best team in Cyprus was about to give a struggling Geroskipou side a visit. Clive broke out in cold sweats just thinking about the possible aggregate scoreline. Still rooted to the bottom, 6 points adrift. December Fixtures Games against table toppers and second place filled the teams heart with dread. There was also a palpable smell of fear in the air when they saw they had to play 15th placed side AEZ, in a game that if they lost, could see their season go up in smoke.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou October 2025 As Clive took a seat in his office at the end of October, he looked back on the results from the last 30 days, and all he had to show from it was 1 point and a probable exit from the Cypriot Cup. As in the previous month, the thing that cost Geroskipou was an inability to finish off chances, out-shooting their opponents in the majority of the October games apart from the 2-2 draw with Onisilos. The 3-2 defeat in the cup and the 4-2 loss against Othellos were especially tough to take, but all anyone could do was to pick themselves up, dust down, and get on with the remaining 2/3rds of the season. November Fixtures As a minimum, Clive urged his boys to get at least 1 win in the league, and this was a month full of opportunities, as Omonoia Psevda were out of the relegation zone on goal difference, and PAEEK and Achna were only 2 points ahead. The cup didn't matter a jot to Clive, no wins from 9 was a new low for him, and he did not want a repeat of Derby's 07/08 season on his resume.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou August/September 2024 Somewhat of a shock came in the first leg of Geroskipou's first round cup tie against recently relegated Paralimni, with Clive's men somehow beating down on them for 90 minutes and thinking they were going to go into the second leg 4-0 up thanks to braces from Konstantinou and Kyriakou until they conceeded a late goal to finish the game at 4-1. Although in the second leg, the roles were reversed, and a distraught Clive was really put back in his box, especially after such a massive win the week before. Going into the first penalty shootout of Clive's career, he was more nervous than all of his players combined, pacing up and down the touchline a few times before crumpling down in his seat in the dugout in a stress-induced mess. Luckily for him, he only needed to watch 9 penalties, after Nikolaou saved the first 2 Paralimni penalties and their must score 5th was sent to the moon to send Geroskipou through to the second round. The league was also a massive circus, losing heavily to newly promoted Omonoia Aradippou, before losses against Paralimni (Again) after Kezos booted the ball at the back of Nikolaou's head in the 95th minute after a muffed corner clearance, and a loss against Agia Napa despite going 2-1 up in the 87th minute thanks to a defensive lapse in the 88th and 91st minute, the final score was 3-2 and Geroskipou were pointless after 3 games. The game against Akritas was even more frustrating, with Geroskipou finally being a dominant side, but not able to put any chances away. Looking back, Clive saw a total of 6 points needlessly dropped. The own goal Akritas Game stats Clive forgot to take a photo of the league table after September's games, but 1 point would never be anything better than bottom of the table. October's fixtures Some winnable games here for sure, namely Ypsonas and Deryneia, with possible points for Geroskipou in the other 3 games. Clive held a team meeting to keep morale up amongst the squad and to tell them that they know what this division is all about so they need to start finishing their chances when presented. The cup really was not important as the prize money even until the semi-finals in negligible.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou 2024/25 Pre-Season Going into the pre-season transfer window, Clive thought that his sides survival would increase the reputation of the club massively. He couldn't be more wrong. In a list posted online by the CFA, it looked like almost nobody in Cyprus knew who Geroskipou were, apart from their own supporters and die hard football statisticians. This may make player recruitment difficult for Clive. Looking over the spreadsheet that Clive had made to try and recruit players, the reputation issue that Geroskipou had became more than evident. 122 players were released from Second Division clubs after the 23/24 season, of which, only 32 players would be remotely interested in signing for the upcoming season. Despite the lack of numbers in Clive's spreadsheet on released players from the Second Division, he managed to bring in what he thought was an improved squad compared to last season, some important players in were Graham Newton as a new starter at DC, Brito, who despite being old becomes our highest paid player on £400 p/w, hopefully he will be able to perform according to his high wages. The latest player to come in would be Zalikas, who again, comes in on a high wage, but also comes with a lot of pace up front. Some more loans coming in, not as many as the previous season, but all of these players will have a part to play in the season unlike previous years. A loan that Clive bought in last season was star goalkeeper, and in his opinion, the player that kept them up with his performances in between the sticks, Paris Nikolaou. A very positive set of friendlies for Clive, minus the 0-0 draw against CAAK. But it looked like Geroskipou were fully ready for another long season ahead. Clive was quietly confident that a lower mid half finish was achievable. Some good TV money coming in to supplement wages. And just like that, Clive's heart sank yet again. 450-1 to win the league, but also rooted with absolutely no hope of surviving according to the bookies. September Fixtures A month where 6 points could be achievable, given that Omonoia Aradippou and Akritas have both just come up from the Third Division. Admittedly, Paralimni would be a tough ask having just been relegated, and Agia Napa being one team that are very difficult to break down. Missing on this list is the Cypriot Cup first round, where the draw was not kind to Geroskipou, who drew Paralimni.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou 2023/24 Season Review Looking back on the season, Clive was relieved that his team had managed to stay up. Going down back into the Third Division would have meant reverting back to semi-pro status, meaning he would have to rebuild the squad from the ground up. Another reason that he was delighted to be staying full professional, was that he would not have to go back to the shopping centre and be the junior to the person who took over his role when he sensationally quit at the beginning of the pre-season. As he was scrolling through the Cypriot Football Daily, he saw this article pop up, naming his APOP Geroskipou side as the biggest overachievers of the season: A few days later, while looking over his emails, sitting in the baking sun, the chairman popped him over an email with next season's budgets. Clive nearly fell off his chair when he saw £6,000p/w as the playing budget. This would be his chance to sign some of the bigger names released from the First Division that off season, as most of them laughed in his face when he told them his maximum offer earlier in the year. He then swiftly got back on his chair after the promised stadium plan was 'shelved'. After this and all of the rejections for youth improvements and getting a senior affiliate, Clive was getting really annoyed by this chairman and wondered if his heart was in the right place. Clive's Cuttings

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou May 2024 A 6-2 loss was not what Clive was hoping for during the first match of May, although admittedly with APEA and Xylotybou both losing securing Geroskipou's survival, resulted in a team talk mainly taken up by quiet words with the players and then another infamous trip to the T T Bar. The Olymp. Nicosia game was also another loss, but a tighter one, also resulting in no hairdryer treatment. Then at home, in front of a capacity crowd, Geroskipou managed a 2-1 win over Achna to leapfrog both AEZ to finish their first season in the Second Division in a more than respectable 12th place.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou April 2024 An undeserved 1-0 win against Ypsonas thanks to another Stylianou goal, coupled with losses by APEA and Xylotybou, all but guaranteed survival from the Second Division. The loss against Pafos was more than expected, and this also won them the title. With survival all but guaranteed, Clive knew that he could take training easier, and start planning for next season. May Fixtures With nothing else now to play for apart from pride, Geroskipou had 3 games against 7th, 8th, and 9th. Clive thought that his side could get at least one win, could it be possible that Geroskipou could end up finishing in the top half of the table?

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou March 2024 A perfect month! Clive knew that 60% were friendlies, but the 2 wins in the league proved invaluable in the relegation battle. A fortunate 2-1 win against Deryneia was followed up by another 2-1 win against PAEEK (Although this should have been more). The friendlies were all walkovers and Clive knew at this point that they would be a regular feature of his late season plans, given the results they have gardened. The form table saw Geroskipou in 2nd place. If only they played the whole season in this form, Clive thought. 5 games left, 8 points clear of the relegation zone, mathematically, Geroskipou now needed 7 points from the final stretch, although realistically, Clive knew that barring a turn of form gifted by Zeus himself, his team were safe. APEA would need to win 4 or their final 5 and Geroskipou to lose all 5 in order to stay up. Another youth intake disappointment for Geroskipou, all were released upon arrival. April Fixtures Two tough games coming up, one against an upper table Ypsonas side, and a second against champions elect Pafos. Clive expected 2 losses and hope for the best with other results.