AM23

April 2028 So, these are our two fixtures for the deciding matchdays. We need to win both and get a lot of help from other fields to become champions. It is probably too much of an ask, but we can't give up hope just yet. I will be trying something new given the importance of these matches. I'll do some commentary as I play these matches (the second depending on earlier results of course). Caersws - Llanidloes (Matchday 29) We play last placed Caersws, who have only accumulated 13 points so far and are relegated already. Should be an easy win, but you never now. These are the other fixtures important to us: A difficult away match for the league leaders. Flint Town have not been in the greatest form as of late though, falling to 5th place in the process. Aberystwyth Town is only 1 point above us at the moment, so we can afford them to win once. Their opponents Ruthin are in a relegation battle at the moment, being in 13th place. This is how we start. We play in our 4-3-3 as usual. Kick-off 00:00 - A highlight immediately as we start with the ball. We move forward swiftly and Seamus Famer dribbles into the box. His shot goes just wide of the far post. 03:44 - We're on the attack again with a throw in from the right wing. We throw it directly into the box to Sonny Lewis. He tries to control the ball but gets fouled, it's an early penalty! Lewis steps up himself and slots it into the top left corner. Perfect start! 05:51- Another highlight starts with a goal kick for us. We build up patiently and regularly get the ball back to our defenders to avoid the crowded midfield. The ball eventually comes to striker Daniel Ola who dropped back to receive it, he makes a forward run down the right side and finds Sonny Lewis in the middle an odd 25 meters away from goal. The latter finds full-back Ben Davies on his left and goes for a one-two with him. This ends with Lewis in a free shooting position just inside the box, and this time he finds the top right corner! We're 2-0 up inside 10 minutes! 13:57 - Again a throw in for us on the right wing. Both teams exchange possession a few times as Caersws are desperately trying to get the ball away. Finally the ball falls to our right back Wayne Staines who plays it over the top to Seamus Famer. Our right winger wins the sprinting battle to their left back and arrives on the edge of the right side of the box where the ball has just bounced. Then a hand emerges to pull his shirt back and he falls down. The ref blows his whistle, it's another penalty! No chance at a hattrick for Sonny Lewis yet, as left wingr Jack McCourt steps up to the spot. He shoots it to the right corner, which is the same way as the goalkeeper is headed. The shot is good enough though, it's 3-0! 27:47 - Now Caersws have a throw in on their right wing. A quick one-two leads to a cross which Wayne Staines heads away. The ball falls to one of their midfielders at the edge of the box though, and he goes for glory with a left-footed volley. It's in! Straight into the top right corner, a tremendous goal! A piece of magic really. 35:22 - Ben Davies with the ball at left back and we go for the slow build up again. The ball comes to left winger Jack McCourt in the end, who finds Sonny Lewis with a short pass. Lewis shoots but a defender throws himself in front of the shot and blocks it. Finally a highlight without a goal. Halftime - A perfect first 15 minutes have us with a comfortable lead at halftime. At both Airbus UK's and Aberystwyth Town's matches there have been no goals yet. The virtual standings are left looking like this: 45:00 - Just like in the first half, we immediately have a highlight going. This time it's Caersws with the kick-off. Some build up from them now, but we quickly win the ball as Seamus Famer intercepts a pass to their left winger. He plays it back to our defence from where we quickly search midfield for a counter. Famer has returned to his position at the right time and receives the ball there, immediately playing a through ball to striker Daniel Ola. The ball is perfect and suddenly sees Ola in a one-on-one with their goalkeeper. He decides to shoot early from the edge of the box, and it flies past the left side of the keeper into the net! 49:07 - Caersws have the ball at the back and although we looked to have intercepted it twice, they get it back immediately both times. A trivela pass finds their right winger, who cuts inside and easily dribbles past Ben Davies. He's into the box and shoots it perfectly into the near top right corner. A second goal for Caersws with only their third shot of the game. 55:13 - Again Caersws are going forward with the ball. This time though, Billy Osborn intercepts it in midfield and quickly moves up the field with the ball. Their midfield is nowhere to be seen, and suddenly he finds Daniel Ola free just inside the box. A good pass and perfect finish in the bottom right corner! What a spectacle this is turning out to be! Goal alert - While we were celebrating our fifth goal of the day, a notification comes in from the Memorial Playing Fields in Ruthin. The home team have unexpectedly taken the lead against Aberystwyth Town! 59:00 - A substitution for us as fan favourite Kristian Pierce comes on for Seamus Famer. This might be his last match ever as he will retire and go on as our assistant-manager from next season onwards. 65:29 - Caersws with a throw in at left back. They move up the field where Malachi Ogunleye puts in a tackle to win the ball, but it falls back to a Caersws midfielder who unexpectedly shoots from 30 meters out. Ryan Forde tips it wide. The following corner results in nothing as it is headed away. 72:00 - Some more substitutions as ball winning midfielder Malachi Ogunleye leaves the pitch with Amirul Abd Razak taking his place, while Wayne Staines goes off for left back Danny Williams, which means Ben Davies moves to the right side of defence. Goal alert - A late goal has been scored in Ruthin! In the 85th minutes the scores are level again through an own goal. Aberystwyth Town still need another goal to stay above us in the table though. And more importantly for them, to stay in the title race given the fact that Airbus UK are still drawing. Goal alert - We move to Ruthin again! Aberystwyth Town have managed to turn it around late! An 88th minute goal does it for them. But wait, Ruthin have pegged them back immediately. It's 2-2! 91:51 - Only three minutes of extra time here, but we do have a highlight starting with a throw in for us at left back. We lose the ball in midfield, and a long pass finds their right winger who goes into the box and shoots! Just wide. Full time - So that's how the day ends. A convincing win for us with in a real spectacle. We did the damage in the first 15 minutes and never had to worry after that. Daniel Ola got the MOTM award with his 2 goals, he now has 11 in the league this season. More importantly, Flint Town have held Airbus UK to a draw, which means it will come down to the final matchday. Aberystwyth Town are out due to their late draw against Ruthin. We need a win and need Airbus UK to lose. One more game to go. Well, you know what, I think this post is already pretty long, so I'll make a special post for the last matchday. Will be a nice post of disappointment and misery to look back on.

March 2028 6 games to go this season and I honestly just want to get it over with now. I do hope we get some wins though, to give us at least some confidence going into next season. Three home games this month should be helpful for that. Llanidloes - Airbus UK Broughton xG: 1.21 - 0.64; Shots: 10(6) - 6(0); Possession: 47% - 53% I can't believe it. Incredible really. FM just getting my hopes up again now to disappoint me somewhere in the next few games. A win against the league leaders to get the gap back to 5 points with 5 matches to go. We got of to the best of starts when David Roberts scored an absolute screamer. A volley from 20 metres straight into the top corner. He also was a rock in defence, where we gave nothing away in the first half. On the verge of halftime we were made even happier, when veteran and assistant-manager Kristian Pierce, only in the starting XI due to Famer's suspension, scored from a great solo. He was the man of the day really, as he got two assists too. An early goal in the second half meant we actually cruised towards victory here. Unreal. Holyhead - Llanidloes xG: 0.97 - 1.91; Shots: 8(3) - 11(4); Possession: 41% - 59% Oh man, what a game! A late winner to keep us in the hunt for the title, it doesn't get any better than that really. This was our last difficult fixture on paper and it showed in the first half. Holyhead were just better and took a deserved lead. After the break we switched to a very attacking 4-2-4 formation and it actually worked out well. First we got the equaliser through a short-corner routine ending at David Roberts, who got a goal for the third game in a row from center back. We kept creating chances, but eventually needed the same corner routine to get us the win, with substitute Archie Hatcher scoring his first goal in a long time. Obviously we have the best schedule now, but we still need a lot of help to be able to get that first place. The only thing we can do is just try and win all of our own games. Llanidloes - Llangefni xG: 1.54 - 0.31; Shots: 12(4) - 4(1); Possession: 59% - 41% A good win and it was all about one man today. A man who made his debut to be precise. We tried signing Sonny Lewis in January already, but his wage demands were too high back then. Those dropped so I signed him on a free transfer now, and the midfielder got his Llanidloes career of to an amazing start with a MOTM performance. Not only did he get two goals, but he also created the third. Guilsfield lose, but the other teams around us all win. Still 5 points away from first place. Llanidloes - Rhyl 1879 xG: 1.79 - 0.79; Shots: 8(7) - 10(3); Possession: 70% - 30% A dominant win to end a perfect month. Good first half were two headers got as a comfortable lead. David Roberts scored his 7th goal in the league as a center back, which is quite something. He is a real weapon from set pieces. For the rest Seamus Famer was our man today, as he got two assists and created loads. Unfortunately Airbus UK bounced back well from their defeat from us and are still 5 points ahead. We need to keep belief though. It ain't over 'till its over! I would exchange every individual award I've won for the league title. One of our players with the most goals somehow

February 2028 I feel like no matter who we would have played this month, three wins would always have been necessary to stay anywhere near a title race. Of course the match against Aberystwyth Town is huge, as they are one of our direct rivals now. Gresford - Llanidloes xG: 1.01 - 1.15; Shots: 8(2) - 9(5); Possession: 27% - 73% A win and a clean sheet. A little bit of relief too after not winning three matches in a row. We were dominant in the first half and did well to show that in the score too, with Daniel Ola getting the first breakthrough. After the break we suddenly got some nerves and were mostly holding back. We managed to just about do that, also thanks to some very good saves by Ryan Forde. Llanidloes - Mumbles xG: 1.66 - 1.91; Shots: 12(3) - 11(5); Possession: 60% - 40% No consistency whatsoever at the moment. Our veteran Kristian Pierce helps us escape here, where we didn't really deserve it. We got outplayed by a mid table side for most of the game, which is really worrisome. I think I have to change tactics again. We have now got two big games coming up against Aberystwyth and Airbus. We need to win both of them to have a real shot at the title still. Aberystwyth Town - Llanidloes xG: 2.78 - 0.22; Shots: 24(8) - 2(2); Possession: 51% - 49% Our season is over. We just can't manage to keep up form throughout all 30 games of a season it seems. We were lucky to even get the lead as David Roberts headed home a corner. Then Seamus Famer made things even harder by not only getting us down to 10 men, but also making sure he misses the crucial next match against Airbus UK. Somehow we held on to the lead for a long time, but when we had to defend a set piece with 9 men due to an injury, the equaliser came. They got the win too in the end, and I honestly have no right to complain about that. All other teams last points this month too, meaning we would have been back in the race with a win last game. Now we have even dropped to 5th place, as Guilsfield pass us.

January 2028 Two tough fixtures to start the month. Especially Porthmadog away as we always have a hard time against them. I've only won one of 9 matches against them. The last two games we should win, although we did lose to Guilsfield earlier in the season. In other news, the board have already offered me a new contract. This is the earliest in the season they have done so, which really shows how much they love me at the moment. I have declined for no, as I don't plan on staying if we win the league. That is a big if for now though. Porthmadog - Llanidloes xG: 1.01 - 2.71; Shots: 10(3) - 13(7); Possession: 37% - 63% A perfect start to the year for us here on New Year's Day as we beat Porthmadog for the first time in 3 years. The result is made even better by both teams above us in the table losing points today. Early on it looked as if some players had taken their New Year's celebrations a bit too far, as mistakes on both sides made for two early goals. After that we took control and deservedly got the lead back within the first half. Seamus Famer was at the base of that goal, after having already scored one himself before that. In the second half we kept them away from our goal and even scored another ourselves late. Llanidloes - Bala Town xG: 1.26 - 1.56; Shots: 11(4) - 13(5); Possession: 37% - 63% A huge blow to our title aspirations as we lose a home game in the league for the first time in 26 matches. We were not good enough in this match and missed our opportunities to avoid defeat. Nothing happened in the first half apart from some long distance shots, but in the second half Bala Town were the better team. They took the lead from an indirect free kick and kept pushing after. It was only in the last 15 minutes when we threw our men forward that we got some chances. We had missed a big one already when we got a golden opportunity to at least get a draw through a penalty in the 88th minute. Things didn't go our way as it was stopped by their goalkeeper. Conwy - Llanidloes xG: 1.40 - 1.75; Shots: 12(5) - 12(3); Possession: 49% - 51% Oh man, it's all going south now. We started this game of furiously and got a deserved early lead after hitting the woodwork twice too. They then immediately pegged us back though, and for some reason we fully lost the plot. We couldn't create anything anymore and were lucky to be saved by another late penalty which we did score this time. Jack McCourt's brace was the only bright spot today. Llanidloes - Guilsfield xG: 1.23 - 0.50; Shots: 12(4) - 2(2); Possession: 69% - 31% Unbelievable. First of all, how do you concede after 16 seconds. Second of all, how do you concede 2 when your opponent has 2 shots all game. Even worse was that we had 2 goals chalked off due to offside. Nothing going in our favour now. Only 5 points from 5 matches and suddenly there is a big gap between us and the league leaders. With that our title chances are looking rather bleak at the moment. We need a big winning streak like we had at the end of last season.

I guess my failure to win the league title earlier is some sort of a blessing in disguise on that front. If I remember correctly the board only gave me permission for my first coaching badge in my third season here.

December 2027 Not a lot of league fixtures in the last month of the year either. First we want to set things straight against Ruthin, as we drew them early in the season in a match we should definitely have won. After that we have a huge match against direct rivals Flint Town. Llanidloes - Ruthin xG: 1.22 - 1.29; Shots: 15(8) - 9(7); Possession: 54% - 46% We get our biggest win of the season through some clinical finishing. Stats suggest it was a close game, but that wasn't really the case, as they only got chances after it was already 3-0. Ryan Forde did do well to keep a clean sheet in the end though, his first in 2 months. Before that Billy Osborn had assisted Riley Lonergan twice to bring their respective season tallies for those stats up to 6. Onto the big one now. Flint Town surprisingly lost their game this week, which means we can open up a real gap over them with a win. Getting on well with these now. Flint Town - Llanidloes xG: 0.86 - 1.00; Shots: 12(4) - 7(3); Possession: 39% - 61% Ouch... This one hurts. An unnecessary loss in a very important game. Only our second loss of the season too. We got an early goal courtesy Seamus Famer, who is starting to score more now while he has always been creating chances already. Their equaliser actually came out of thin air, and the run of play turned after that. Flint Town got the spirit and also the lead. We couldn't really create anything to give us another goal after that. I don't want to be too pessimistic, but that loss can make a big difference at the end of the season. The top 2 now have a bit of a margin over us, and we really need to move up a gear now to stay with them. We play both of them in two months time, with 6 other games before those. We need to do well in those 6 games to keep the pressure on. Awards Third time this season he gets into the top 3.

November 2027 A very quiet month with just the one league fixture for some reason. It is one that we should win, especially as we beat Hay St. Marys 5-1 in the Tier 2 League Cup last month. In that particular competition we meet Gresford this month, while our most difficult match is first up in the Welsh Cup. Gap Connah's Quay - Llanidloes (Welsh Cup) xG: 1.33 - 1.62; Shots: 13(5) - 12(5); Possession: 47% - 53% Heartbreak. We gave it our all and have every right to feel like we deserved more. We should have at least gotten the game to a shootout, but a late penalty threw a spanner in the works. We came flying out of the gates, creating some good chances and hitting the crossbar early doors. They then gave us a lesson in effectiveness, as they scored from their first shot. We got the scores level quickly after a perfect Jack McCourt assist, and were found unlucky in the end. Hay St. Marys - Llanidloes xG: 0.54 - 1.93; Shots: 4(3) - 16(5); Possession: 36% - 64% Disappointing result. We played very well again, but our problem at the moment is that chances for our opponents are flying in too easily. Also giving two leads away isn't great. Next up we have a match in the competition I hate the most. Win this and we are in the semi final already, with suddenly a real good chance of winning something. Gresford - Llanidloes (Tier 2 League Cup) xG: 1.58 - 1.36; Shots: 10(6) - 11(5); Possession: 36% - 64% I just really hate this cup with a passion. The match could've gone either way and I can't complain about the penalties as we got through the first round that way. But I do just really hate this cup. Malachi Ogunleye has been present in the starting XI for almost every match this season and got us on top with a good goal. Just like in the Welsh Cup earlier this month we then stupidly gave away a penalty which cost us. A real gap has now opened up between the top 4 and the rest of the league at the halfway point of the season. We have done well to be up there and now need to show we can keep up the fight until the end.

October 2027 Four away games before we finally play in front of our own fans at the end of this month. In the league we meet the current bottom three, so should get some wins there, although we do have some history losing against teams at the lower end of the table. Llangefni - Llanidloes xG: 0.44 - 2.12; Shots: 9(6) - 18(6); Possession: 34% - 66% Incredible first half! To score four in one half away from home is not something you see often. It's a shame we gave two goals away in the end, but not too bothered by it. We actually had a difficult time in attack at the start. It was one moment of magic from Seamus Famer that broke the game open though, as he dribbled past 3 men and put it on a plate for Billy Osborn, who received his 4th MOTM award of the season today. After that everything went our way for 15 minutes. After him being at the club for more than a season, I finally seem to have found his best position, as Daniel Ola once again delivered as a striker. A Welsh Cup fixture against a top half Cymru South side coming up now. Would be nice to get through to the next round there. Cwmbran Celtic - Llanidloes (Welsh Cup) xG: 1.10 - 1.89; Shots: 12(4) - 11(4); Possession: 43% - 57% An even game but we get the win eventually. Some luck going our way as we got the lead through an easily given penalty. They struck back just before the break, but it was Ben Davies who became the matchwinner with his 3rd goal of the season from right back. We do leave the pitch with some worries sadly, as our best defender David Roberts had to go off late with an injury. We will play Cymru Premier side Gap Connah's Quay at home in the third round. They are currently mid table. Could have been a lot worse. Hay St. Marys - Llanidloes (Tier 2 League Cup) xG: 1.06 - 3.06; Shots: 7(3) - 20(7); Possession: 43% - 57% 5 goals for the second time this month! A very convincing win to bring us to the quarter final. Some competition for the striker position has done Archie Hatcher well, as he scores a brace early in his first start in a month. In the second half we put the difference in quality here today into the score. Most notable player for the rest was Danny Williams, who got two assists from left back. In the quarter final we will travel to 'The Rock' where we meet Gresford. Rhyl 1879 - Llanidloes xG: 0.69 - 1.97; Shots: 8(4) - 16(4); Possession: 38% - 62% We really are in some amazing form right now. Another easy win here. The only thing we haven't been able to do this month is to keep a clean sheet, but if we keep scoring as much as this we don't even need to. Another early penalty got us in the driver's seat, and after Danny Williams got his first goal for the club we never looked in doubt. Llanidloes - Caersws xG: 1.77 - 0.71; Shots: 15(9) - 5(2); Possession: 53% - 47% Another comprehensive victory. Just a shame we keep giving away Agoals so easily, but a win is a win. It was a masterclass by Seamus Famer today, as he got two assists before getting on the scoresheet himself too. Another brace for Daniel Ola up top made sure that we didn't have to worry too much during this game. A perfect month gets us up to second place. We're doing well keeping up our good form so far. Awards Could have gotten it I feel, but Airbus UK did win against Flint Town. Find of the season so far Daniel Ola as a striker is.

September 2027 Another busy month, though a little bit of variety this time with all the cup fixtures. In the league we have some difficult opponents, with all of them being in the top 6 currently. We have had some good draws in the cups though. I don't have any expectations for the Tier 2 Cup anymore, but we do have a good draw there as Conwy are at the lower end of our league table. In the Welsh Cup we meet a non-league side, while in the League Cup we have been very lucky to not be drawn against a top tier side, but against Llanellit Town from the Cymru South instead. Llanidloes - Conwy (Tier 2 League Cup) xG: 1.03 - 0.91; Shots: 11(4) - 4(4); Possession: 48% - 52% Phew... I really do hate this cup with a passion, but this time we manage to sneak through to the second round. For the second time this season Jack McCourt brings us in disadvantage with a red card after half an hour. I do think it was a harsh decision this time though, as he got a second yellow for a minor foul. We had started the game as the better team, but after the red card Conwy went forward and got the lead too on the brink of halftime. Somehow we managed to restrict them to 0 shots in the second half. A well-placed shot by Ben Davies got us the equaliser, and it was Conwy that then tried to hold on to the draw. For the penalty shootout I did something I never did before. I really do love our goalkeeper Ryan Forde, but in more than 2 seasons here, I have never seen him stop a penalty. Someone who I have seen do just that is our reserve goalkeeper Linden Bridge-Wilkinson. I did my best Louis van Gaal impression and brought him on in injury time. It turned out to be a good choice, as he became the hero of the day stopping two penalties. We have been drawn away to Hay St. Marys for the second round, which is probably one of the weaker teams we could've met. Llanidloes - Aberystwyth Town xG: 0.48 - 0.66; Shots: 8(2) - 6(1); Possession: 59% - 41% Boring game, fair result. It was only towards the end of the match that both teams started to get some chances, but nothing spectacular there either. Can't be too unhappy about this as Aberystwyth is a good team. Llanidloes - St Asaph (Welsh Cup) xG: 5.36 - 0.19; Shots: 24(12) - 2(2); Possession: 53% - 47% Not as easy as I would have liked, but we do get the job done eventually. We played a very much rotated XI with two midweek fixtures around this game. Had our back-ups just finished their chances we would have gone through without any trouble. Because they didn't, St Asaph's gave us quite the scare by getting the scores equal with their only two shots of the game. We were lucky to have Daniel Ola today, as he prevented us from having another penalty shootout and even became my first player in this save to score 4 goals in a match. We meet mid table Cymru South side Cwmbran Celtic in the second round. Llanelli Town - Llanidloes (League Cup) xG: 1.63 - 0.55; Shots: 4(2) - 8(2); Possession: 47% - 53% No quarter finals for us as this time we can't win the penalty shootout. Llanelli Town are actually leading the Cymru South at the moment, so there is no shame in losing out on penalties here. It was a very weird game actually, with both teams creating close to nothing. Our problem was that we gave away a penalty after 15 minutes, which was missed just for us to give them another chance from the spot in the second half. Earlier this month I said I never saw Ryan Forde stop a penalty. Well, I might have to take my words back, as he stopped one during the game and two in the shootout here. He was unlucky that we didn't take our penalties well enough, otherwise he would have been the hero. The fixtures keep coming thick and fast at the moment, with only 3 days rest until an important league game against Airbus UK. Airbus UK Broughton - Llanidloes xG: 1.12 - 1.20; Shots: 9(1) - 11(5); Possession: 50% - 50% A very tense game, and just like against Aberystwyth Town, it ends in a fair draw. I was really sweating watching this match with quite a few highlights on both sides. When Billy Osborn got us the lead with only 20 minutes left to go, I was already thinking about how huge a win here would be, but they managed to equalise. A draw away from home against one of the best teams in the league is not really something I can be unhappy about though. Finally a bit of rest now as we take on Holyhead for our last match of September in a week. Would be nice to grab a win there after those two previous draws in the league. Llanidloes - Holyhead xG: 1.35 - 0.37; Shots: 15(6) - 5(1); Possession: 61% - 39% I am honestly chuffed with this win. Holyhead are not an easy opponent by any means, but we managed to keep their offence at bay today. Also, I did fear losing points again here could lead to a little bit of a slump, so it's nice to avoid that. We thought we took the lead early on, but it got called offside. Still we got what we wanted in the first half, as Daniel Ola put one past the keeper. I gave him the nod as a striker today after his clinical finishing in the Welsh Cup earlier this month, and he repayed faith with his goal. We couldn't get another goal, which meant we were never really comfortable. In the 80th minute I thought disaster had struck, as they scored a beautiful goal, but this one was ruled offside too. It was a sign for us however to get an extra man back, which worked out well as they didn't get another chance after that. Special shootout to Craig Edwards, who was the best man on the pitch today. Before the season I thought that he would probably lose his place in the starting XI to Livesey Barkhuizen, as the latter is rated a lot higher by my staff (though their attributes are quite similar). The former has however kept performing well and so far has shown there is no way around him. It is very tight at the top of the table, with the top 6 being within 6 points of one another. We do have the best schedule coming up now, as the only 4 teams we are yet to play are all in the bottom five of the table. Awards Billy Osborn really is performing like one of the best players in the league right now.

August 2027 A big month with no less than 6 league matches. After this we will already be through a quarter of the league season, so important to impress here. The 2 first fixtures are the most difficult on paper. Porthmadog have won their first 2 matches 3-0, while Bala Town were the pre-season favourites to go back up after their relegation last year. Llanidloes - Porthmadog xG: 0.54 - 1.36; Shots: 7(3) - 12(6); Possession: 59% - 41% Porthmadog always seem to give us a hard time, and today was no exception to that. We needed our defence to step up, which is what they did with David Roberts leading the line. When their attack did create chances, we still had Ryan Forde in goal who bailed us out on multiple occasions. We really can't complain about the draw here. We travel to Bala Town next. Like what seems to be the case every year, the side relegated from the Cymru Premier are having an awful start to their season, losing their first 3 matches. Bala Town - Llanidloes xG: 0.96 - 1.10; Shots: 12(4) - 11(1); Possession: 58% - 42% What a match, what a fight! Incredible to keep the gates shut like this even with 10 men. We took the lead very early through a deflected shot after a corner, and where the better team too. This naturally changed after the red card, but we never stopped fighting and actually restricted them to mostly shots from outside the box. Even with a man less on the pitch, Billy Osborn seemed to be able to pass to the right person every time, keeping the pressure away from us. Llanidloes - Conwy xG: 2.07 - 0.70; Shots: 14(6) - 7(3); Possession: 47% - 53% Wow! I can't recall ever seeing this happening in one of my saves. A center back scoring a hattrick, with David Roberts' goals even being the only ones today. Incredible match by him. Unlike the stats and scoreline suggest, this game was actually pretty close. It was only after the 2-0 that we managed to get the upper hand. Before that we had taken the lead with a banger from long range and doubled it through a corner. Roberts was then given the chance to put the cherry on top of his performance with a penalty and did so calmly. Guilsfield - Llanidloes xG: 1.32 - 0.61; Shots: 8(2) - 8(1); Possession: 48% - 52% Meh... Not good at all this, especially because Guilsfield were in last place with only 2 points from their first 5 matches. This game also ends our 13 game unbeaten streak in the league. An indirect free kick saw us concede for the first time this month, and it was decisive immediately, as we couldn't get to real chances in attack. Llanidloes - Gresford xG: 3.34 - 0.15; Shots: 19(5) - 4(1); Possession: 66% - 34% Perfect way to react to a loss! From an impenetrable defence to an entertaining attack, we had it all this match. No stress either, as we took the lead early after some great teamplay in the build up to Riley Lonergan's first goal of the season, he doubled his tally towards the end of the match, when he was assisted by Billy Osborn for the second time. The latter has been quite the sensation this year creating chances effortlessly. He took his second MOTM award of the season back home today. Mumbles - Llanidloes xG: 1.10 - 3.52; Shots: 13(3) - 12(6); Possession: 45% - 55% Another dominating win, and away from home too this time! We did not get a huge number of shots in today, but we did create quite few enormous chances. The big man today was Archie Hatcher, getting an assist on the first goal and putting two in the back of the net himself after that. Another player who I want to praise is David Roberts. I criticised him last season because I expected more, but this year he has stepped up so far. In the 9 matches he played in we only conceded 2 goals, while today Mumbles only started creating chances after he had been subbed off. Good month to give us a good start in the league. Very promising for the rest of the season if we can keep this up. Especially the way we have been dominating games pleases me. Awards First time one of our players win this, and we have even got the full top 3 here! The most special thing is the fact that none of them are attackers either, as most of the time this award is won by attackers. I think the record was 2, maybe 3 players before this.

July 2027 A good draw in the League Cup, where we meet one of the two wild card non-league sides. We beat Mold Alexandra easily in our pre-season, so should be able to do the same here. Flint Town is a big test immediately, and the Ruthin game could go either way. Llanidloes - Mold Alexandra (League Cup) xG: 2.37 - 0.27; Shots: 17(9) - 4(0); Possession: 57% - 43% Great start to the season! I was very confident going in to this match and that confidence got justified. A great allround performance and very nice to see all of our attackers on the scoresheet within the first half even. The best of the bunch were our wingers, who both got a goal and an assist to their name. Especially great to see Jack McCourt open his account at the club just 14 minutes into his first competitive fixture here. We have been drawn at home to Cymru Premier side Haverfordwest in the next round. We knocked them out of the Welsh Cup after penalties two years ago. The schedule this season is a little bit different than before which means we already play them at the end of this month. Llanidloes - Flint Town xG: 2.77 - 0.51; Shots: 16(7) - 5(0); Possession: 55% - 45% Oh yes! What a way to win it! We deserved it so much but it looked like it wouldn't happen. Just when I thought the draw was a certainty, we finally managed to get the scoreboard to change. We started the game of very well and hit the woodwork twice early on. We didn't let that faze us and kept on pushing forward. Then shortly after the break we hit the woodwork again, but still we kept on going. Then 5 minutes of extra time were added and looked to pass by without anything happening. That was until a last minute highlight, where we hit the woodwork for the 4th time in the match. After that I thought we had to settle for a draw, but the highlight kept on going and suddenly substitute John Hughes was put behind their defence with a through ball. He kept his calm and put in a perfect cross for Archie Hatcher to put it into the net. Ruthin - Llanidloes xG: 1.24 - 3.31; Shots: 10(6) - 22(6); Possession: 43% - 57% Despite the result this was another amazing performance. We just kept on going the whole match again, and though we did not get the win we deserved this time, I do think this is a very good sign for the rest of the season. We got the lead after scoring a rebound, but they pegged us back with a header just before halftime. Then a Ben Davies screamer put us in front again, but sadly this lead didn't last either. Another game in which Seamus Famer was the best player on the field, he has been really good for us lately. Today it was just a shame that he also gave away the penalty, which actually led to their only shot after the break. We now take on Haverfordwest in the League Cup to end the month. I feel like we have a real chance the way we're playing at the moment. We do have some tired legs though, as it is our third game in a week. Llanidloes - Haverfordwest (League Cup) xG: 1.40 - 1.88; Shots: 11(7) - 10(7); Possession: 56% - 44% We beat them again! It could have gone either way in this match, but we manage to come out on top. Both sides had lots of chances in an entertaining first half, and eventually we were the ones to go into halftime with the lead. In the second half we even doubled that lead courtesy a perfect Jack McCourt assist, but after that fatigue started to show and we mostly just tried to hold them back. We did that just about enough, helped by some good Ryan Forde saves. We have started the season dominantly and are unlucky not to have won both games. The only worry I have so far is that we haven't been finishing our chances, which is a problem we also had in the first half of last season. Awards No complaints here. Don't think Archie deserved to win this anyway. Yes he scored two, but those were both sitters, while he also missed a few chances. Great to see for both of them.

Pre-season 27/28 This has to be the season. I really want to get the count started here winning my first trophy. If we could become champions here it would be amazing, and then I can finally move on to the next club. We have had a relatively quiet pre-season, as I did not make too many transfers. I think we already have some good quality in the squad, so not too much change is needed. If we can go on the same way we ended last season in, we are in for some very good times. Just the 3 matches this pre-season as I forgot about the League Cup which always gets planned a little bit later. Some good results though, demolishing both Mold Alexandra, who we play in the first round of the League Cup too, and Baglan Dragons, a newly promoted Cymru South side. It looks like we are continuing the way we ended things last season. Finances Not spending close to the wage budget and again not planning on doing so. A little more debt than before as we have started spending more on wages. Another reason not to fully make use of the budget. Transfers As I said, not a lot of transfer business so far. Some players of note that are no longer at the club: Camden Duncan: two seasons in the starting XI as a left back and left winger, but was more of a fringe player last season. Durell Manhertz and Ollie Leggett: both of our left backs last season have left us. I never really decided on my preferrence and eventually they were both unhappy because of playing time. Not managed too well by me... Hari Roberts: a right winger who didn't do much in three seasons here. Was on loan last season too. Then the two new signings: Danny Williams: a new left back. Still pretty young and I hope to sign another player there so he can be the back-up. Jack McCourt: a young left winger with some experience already. He honestly doesn't look like anything special, but has already played 3 seasons in the first team at Llandudno. His stats there were very good, so happy to get him in. The places I am still actively looking for improvements are left back and striker. Up front Archie Hatcher is yet to show his full potential, so would like real goalscorer there. Squad Nothing changed in goal as Ryan Forde has been very good for us. Not a lot of depth here, so might look for an extra player or two. I am happy about the quality of the intended starters though. David Roberts should step up as the leader of our defence this season, while next to him Livesey Barkhuizen and Craig Edwards will be fighting for the second spot in the center. Due to his performances last season Ben Davies gets the nod at right back, while on the left side we will start with Danny Williams. In central midfield another option wouldn't hurt us either. I don't mind the starting trio we found last year though. With Billy Osborn as the deep lying playmaker and Riley Lonergan as the most attacking player both doing well. Behind them Malachi Ogunleye is a great player, though he is currently unhappy as I rejected Cymru Premier sides that came in for him. On the wings we will start Seamus Famer on the right and Jack McCourt on the left. Both good young players with plenty potential. The other two have shown they can be important for us too when called upon, while we also have Daniel Ola who can do fill in on both sides. Another option here would be nice, especially as Archie Hatcher did not score enough last season. Tactic So this is how our tactic eventually ended up last season, and also what we got our 8 game winning streak with. I moved the deep lying playmaker up as we weren't scoring enough and this seems to have helped, while the defence has still been good too. Season preview Predicted in the top half for the first time ever and with some good odds too. Another notable thing is Malachi Ogunleye being in the league's best XI. Board expectation Top half is where the board want us too. They don't care about the cups still.

Season review 26/27 In the end I don't think I can really call this a bad season. We even ended 5 points closer to the top than last year, though that had more to do with the competitive nature of the league this season. The biggest disappointment comes from the fact that we didn't really challenge for the title, and only came close to the top spots due to our impressive run at the end of the season. We were not effective enough in front of goal before that, and had a horrible time away from home too. The positives from this season are that we conceded only 27 goals in the league, which makes us the best defensive side, and also our unbeaten home record. Competitions This graph is always good at showing the story of a season and does its job here once again. We had a great start to the season, with 13 points from 5 matches. During that time in August, we also managed to seriously strengthen the squad, bringing in some amazing new players. This seemed to be a prelude to a fantastic season, but this did not come true at all. In the next 17 games we only won 3. The biggest problem lied in our inability to keep focussed throughout the match, as in this period we lost 3 games extremely late, while giving a 2-0 lead away twice as well. On matchday 22 we hit rock bottom after a late defeat away to Porthmadog, falling to 10th place. Not long before that we had already concluded that our title dreams had to be put away, as the gap had become too big. After this though, suddenly things started clicking, and we went on the best run of form I have seen in my time at Llanidloes. We won our last 8 games while we only conceded 3 goals in the process. It was too little too late, but does show our intentions for next season. Nothing too special in this Welsh Cup campaign. We beat two non-league sides comprehensively before coming out on the wrong side of a penalty shootout. We did give Cymru Premier side Barry Town a good game though, which is something to be happy about. Oh we do hate Ammanford. Second time that we met the Cymru South side in a cup, and for the second time they turned around the match late and scored an injury time winner. This was our worst performance in the League Cup so far. In previous seasons I marked this cup as our best chance to win a trophy, but I didn't even bother this season. We only passed the first round once, and this year had an unlucky draw where we went out on penalties too. Squad Ryan Forde: the main man behind our 10 league clean sheets. He has had another very good season for us. Ben Davies: our versatile man at the back. He managed to get the starting right back spot above Wayne Staines in the second half of the season and we never looked back after. Might have been our best performer in defence. Craig Edwards and David Roberts: Edwards had a very good season. He got named in the team of the month multiple times and never lost his starting spot as our left center back. Roberts wasn't too bad, but definitely didn't live up to expectations. Coming in as our biggest earner, I expected him to provide more assurance at the back. He will have to do better next season. Durell Manhertz: another signing that didn't fully impress me yet. Not bad, but not great either. He might not be here next season as he is unhappy because of his playing time. Malachi Ogunleye: his average rating is nothing special, but I feel he might have been our best signing last summer. He was already one of the best players when he came in, and has shown some incredible progress too during the season. Billy Osborn: after two seasons as a ball winning midfielder he finally got to play in his preferred deep lying playmaker role and he did so well there. Just a very consistent performer for us. My only concern is that I have not yet agreed on a contract for next season with him as he asks for quite a lot of wage. Riley Lonergan: the last man of our midfield trio. They really came together towards the end of the season and Lonergan was the most attacking man there. He contributed to goals regularly making him a good addition to the team. Kristian Pierce: got the best average rating of the bunch once again. Starting to get old now but he is still able to deliver. Towards the end of the season I did give Seamus Famer more playing time at the right wing too. I have not yet made up my mind about Pierce's future at the club. I honestly don't think he will feature much more next season, but an experienced player might be very useful in the squad hierarchy. John Hughes: our own youth product. He had quite the breakthrough season as he featured in the starting XI regularly. My only worry is that he isn't developing a lot. Jamie Breese: what a servant of the club. I thought he would mostly be a supersub this year, but he won back his place in the starting XI even after a horrible injury. I hope to keep him at the club as a coach. Awards Well deserved! To be honest, Durell Manhertz is not one of the players I had expected to be here. Might just be the lack of good left backs at this level. Next season Another increase to the wage budget, allthough I still don't think I will be making full use of it. The board have upped their expectations for next year too, as they want a top half finish now. I'm going to be straightforward about my personal goals: I want to win the title next season. I have had a great time here at Llanidloes, but given the challenge I need to start winning trophies now. I am not leaving here before we have been crowned champions, so this is what we have to do. Progress

April 2027 Last two games of the season and we are just playing for placement. If we win both we will end up in 4th, which is the highest we can probably go now too. Not losing against Caersws would mean a full season unbeaten at home. Llanidloes - Caersws xG: 2.14 - 1.24; Shots: 16(9) - 8(5); Possession: 56% - 44% We have done it! Unbeaten at home throughout the whole season is quite the achievement. Just a shame that we couldn't perform without our fans for most of the season. We were all over Caersws in the first half, and even though we couldn't keep that going in the second half, the damage had already been done. Youth product John Hughes was the standout performer with a goal and an assist, while Jamie Breese made it a great last home game before his retirement with one last goal at Victoria Park. Aberystwyth Town - Llanidloes xG: 0.39 - 2.95; Shots: 7(1) - 13(5); Possession: 36% - 64% Wow! We end our season on a real high with an 8 game winning streak where we only conceded 3 goals too. It started almost from the moment I declared our title dreams to be over and even saw us start winning away games. This match everything came together and in his final match ever Jamie Breese got his 10th league goal of the season, which was the 5th year in a row for him and the 9th time in 9 seasons at Llanidloes. What a player! He doesn't appear on the scoresheet, but Seamus Famer had another great match today getting an assist in the process. Since I moved him to his preferred right wing position he has really flourished and shown he has a big future ahead of him (in relation to our level at least ). The MOTM award went to Riley Lonergan, who not only scored, but also created plenty of chances and dominated in midfield. With that crazy late run of form we have gotten ourselves up to 4th, with only 5 points less than champions Llandudno. Last season's 60 points would have seen us become champions this season, though we were closer to it in points difference this year. In the end I can't speak of a bad season, we just gave it away through the middle part which is a shame. There was some last day drama all around the league, as Airbus UK failed to capitalise on Llandudno losing points, meaning Llandudno will be going up after their dramatic second place on goal difference 2 years ago. Holyhead were in pole position for a long time, but fell apart towards the end partly caused by their loss to us. At the bottom of the table Flint Town have saved themselves with a draw, preventing a second relegation in as many years on goal difference, while Carmarthen Town do go down despite being in the Cymru Premier two seasons ago. Awards Finally! First one in four seasons. Ben Davies has been really good for us lately.

March 2027 Let's keep our good run going through these last two months to end our season on a high! In March we meet Ruthin, who we can overtake with a win, and a relegation fighting Abergavenny. Llanidloes - Ruthin xG: 1.60 - 0.05; Shots: 16(6) - 3(0); Possession: 57% - 43% Our defence has been a wall lately. Only one goal conceded in 5 matches, and today not even a chance given up. Coincidence or not, this streak has started at around the same time Ben Davies got a definite starting XI spot at right back. He put in another very good shift today. Only thing that could have gone better this game was scoring earlier. We eventually needed substitutes Archie Hatcher and John Hughes to link up for the only goal of the match. Abergavenny - Llanidloes xG: 1.52 - 2.22; Shots: 10(3) - 14(5); Possession: 49% - 51% Playing for nothing and then we go on the best winning run under my reign. Something you love to see really A clear man of the match today, as Riley Lonergan got a goal and an assist, before going of injured in the second half. We got a big scare at the end as they looked to score a 97th minute equaliser, but it was miles offside. I'm not leaving until we have won the league! We are somewhat saving our season with this recent run of results. Holyhead on the other hand are throwing their season away. They looked an almost certain champion not too long ago, but have fallen to 2nd place now. Not surprised.

February 2027 With two away games February looks difficult. One of them being against in form league leaders Holyhead doesn't make things better. We should at least play a good game at home against Flint Town, who have only just escaped the relegation spots. Gresford - Llanidloes xG: 0.51 - 1.81; Shots: 6(2) - 12(9); Possession: 29% - 71% It's a miracle, an away win! Injury time goals galore for us as a visit to 'The Rock' gets us since August. This game looked a boring affair in the first half, but we went into the break as the happier side after Seamus Famer had put us on top just before. He has been getting better for us lately and eventually got an assist too in this match, while substitute Daniel Ola got a late brace. Llanidloes - Flint Town xG: 1.25 - 0.56; Shots: 9(3) - 8(2); Possession: 61% - 39% Back-to-back-to-back wins and clean sheets! Not as good a performance this time, but a win nonetheless. We got gifted the lead from a penalty and never looked like giving it away after that. Ryan Forde picked up the MOTM award as he didn't concede for the third time in a row. Next up is the big one against league leaders Holyhead. We won't be challenging for the title, but we can still make a statement of our intentions for next season here. Holyhead - Llanidloes xG: 0.68 - 0.89; Shots: 13(4) - 9(3); Possession: 37% - 63% Well that certainly was a statement! It only lasted 15 minutes really, but that was more than enough to get the win here. For a second time this season Malachi Ogunleye scored a free kick and it put us in the lead here. Everything went our way early on as every attack resulted in a goal. The funniest thing about this game is that our only real big chance was missed. 4 wins and it seems like the tide has turned. It is too late for us to get anything tangible from this season, but it is still good to see. We are still in 8th place, although we have closed the gap to some teams above us, which gives us the chance to play for a higher position in the last 2 months of the season. Awards Even when we win every game I can't get it.

January 2027 So, given that we love our home games, we should at least win those. Then looking at the away games, Rhyl are low on the table, so should be beaten as well. Porthmadog is definitely going to be a tough fixture, as they usually have the better over us. Rhyl 1879 - Llanidloes xG: 1.13 - 1.50; Shots: 14(7) - 15(6); Possession: 40% - 60% If you can't win your away games, you are never ever, never ever going to challenge for any title. If you can't convert your chances, you are never ever, never ever going to win any title. Story of this season really. Just not good enough. I thought we did it again, taking the lead in the first minute, but it was the post we had hit squandering a big chance. A counter and suddenly we were trailing. Then we equalised, twice, and immediately gave them the lead back, twice. Some awful concentration in this game and actually the first time this season we conceded more than 2 goals in a match. I feel like our title dreams end here. Teams at the top lost points, but we couldn't capitalise yet again. Llanidloes - Airbus UK Broughton xG: 1.32 - 1.46; Shots: 6(4) - 8(3); Possession: 48% - 52% Bloody hell this is annoying. We just keep giving away leads too. This match seemed to be whizzing past with nothing happening, but really broke loose in the last quarter of it. That man Jamie Breese was once again the end of two good attacks which were the only two chances up until then. They did something back soon after we doubled the lead, but it was in injury time when disaster struck once again. David Roberts is on an awful lot of money as I expected him to carry our defence this season. He has not lived up to expectations at all and today gave away our win by pulling someone down inside the box for no reason. Porthmadog - Llanidloes xG: 2.53 - 0.65; Shots: 22(4) - 3(1); Possession: 67% - 33% Another very late loss... Seamus Famer was the best player on the pitch in an equal first half, and then he got his second yellow. We held back and it seemed to give us a point in the end, as they had only created one real good chance. It was heartbreak that came though, as another late goal fell against us. We have actually fallen as far back as 10th now, being passed by our next opponent Hay St. Marys in the process. Llanidloes - Hay St. Marys xG: 2.44 - 0.54; Shots: 21(6) - 8(1); Possession: 62% - 38% Good game, a very good game. Might have been our best of the season even. We needed a corner to break it open but with John Hughes immediately doubling our lead we were never in doubt. Billy Osborn had the time of his life distributing passes left, right and centre. Back in the top half after that last win and that is where we need to be at the very least. Somehow we still have the best defence in the league. Transfers Two players have left the club in the winter transfer window. Mac Masters could still do a job for us in midfield but was on the bench for most games and just earned to much for that. Another player that didn't feature much was Callum Humphries, so we let him go too when offers came in.

December 2026 Last month of the year and we need to start winning now to keep our hopes of a title challenge alive. Plenty of opportunity too this December, as Guilsfield are the only team we play that are above us in the table. Llanidloes - Penrhyncoch xG: 2.19 - 0.58; Shots: 12(4) - 6(1); Possession: 57% - 43% A win at last, and a convincing one too. Jamie Breese still does it for us, even after a 6 month injury. I expected him to mostly be a supersub this season, but he has outdone my expectations and won back his place in the starting XI. His assist gave us the perfect start and we never looked back after that. On the left back position Durell Manhertz has not had the best of starts of his time at Llanidloes, but today he played superbly. Guilsfield - Llanidloes xG: 1.54 - 0.65; Shots: 8(3) - 8(3); Possession: 45% - 55% A draw here was a good reflection of play. Not a bad result for us too. Not great to give them the lead through a penalty, especially as they weren't dangerous at all in the first half. What I did like to see was Malachi Ogunleye getting on the scoresheet for the first time. He has been pretty good for us, whilst also developing really well. His partner in midfield Billy Osborn is getting better every season and has really found his groove now that he often plays in his preferred deep lying playmaker role. Llandudno - Llanidloes xG: 1.06 - 0.98; Shots: 10(7) - 11(4); Possession: 47% - 53% When it is not going your way, it is not going your way. We could just as well have gotten away with the win here, but once again our opponents are more effective. Of course it was Jamie Breese who put us on the scoreboard again, but the rest of the team just couldn't back him up today. The difference between home and away games this season has been gigantic. At home we are still unbeaten, while away we have only picked up 7 points in 9 matches. Llanidloes - Carmarthen Town xG: 2.00 - 0.26; Shots: 10(5) - 2(1); Possession: 47% - 53% Maybe experience is what we lack in, as our most consistent performers are the only two guys in the team in their thirties. Again it was Kristian Pierce making the difference for us. He got an assist, won the penalty and put the icing on the cake with a goal himself. A lovely Boxing Day fixture it was against Carmarthen Town who are bottom of the league. We have some history failing to win against the bottom boys but none of that was on display today. An allround very good performance, with Riley Lonergan the best midfielder with a goal and an assist. In defence everyone had a good day out, especially Ben Davies who played at right back today. We keep looking up to see the gap with top spot grew with 1 point. Realistically we don't really have a chance anymore, but the competitive nature of the league this season does leave some hope. We need to start winning some away games fast to keep that hope though.

November 2026 Aberystwyth is the most difficult opponent here, while we should be able to grab a win against the other two. I want at least 7 points from this month. Llanidloes - Abergavenny xG: 1.26 - 0.99; Shots: 8(4) - 9(4); Possession: 43% - 57% Yet another match I feel we like we should have gotten more of. Their xG only got close to 1 due to our big earner David Roberts just gifting them the lead with a big mistake. We managed to equalise through a great assist by John Hughes that got Riley Lonergan already his third goal of the season from midfield. 2 wins needed now to hit the goal I set at the start of the month. Caersws - Llanidloes xG: 1.36 - 1.07; Shots: 12(5) - 7(4); Possession: 31% - 69% Finally a comfortable and easy win, or so I thought. Kristian Pierce had put us in a great spot once again with a goal and an assist, while Caersws got absolutely nowhere. Then in a matter of minutes everything fell apart. Firstly, they scored with their first shot of the game, which looked to be from an offside position too. Soon after young winger John Hughes got a direct red which saw us reduced to 10 men for the second half. We couldn't create much after that while Caersws got better and eventually we might have been lucky to not concede a third. Llanidloes - Aberystwyth Town xG: 1.67 - 1.22; Shots: 10(4) - 14(6); Possession: 54% - 46% This game is not good for my health. Honestly not a bad result though. It was more of the same in the first half, as Aberystwyth scored with their first shot, while we missed an absolute sitter. We gave a much better showing after the break, and when Daniel Ola had gotten his first goal of the season after his long injury, we were the team looking to get the win. Another injury time goal against us seemed to throw the verdict, but another Kristian Pierce goal saved us another draw. Despite our poor form, we are still 'only' 9 points of the league leaders halfway through the season. We do however need an exceptional second season half to be able to get a title challenge in. Our form lately doesn't bode well at all for that, as we haven't won in 6 league matches, though we drew 5 of them.

October 2026 Games against teams on all sides of the table. At the start of the season I'd have marked the Flint Town game as the hardest, but they have had an atrocious season start and are in last place now, so it will probably be Holyhead who are the most difficult to overcome. Halfway through the month we have a nice cup fixture where we can test ourselves against a real good Cymru Premier side. Llanidloes - Gresford xG: 1.77 - 0.56; Shots: 16(6) - 7(2); Possession: 60% - 40% A good game by us and a much needed win in the end too, but it did not come easily. An early goal against us and Gresford looked to have doubled their lead just moments later, only for their goal to be called offside. The same thing happened with a late equaliser by them. We got the scores level when a scrimmage after a corner fell to Craig Edwards, who didn't hesitate and pulled the trigger. It took us a few chances after that, but eventually it was substitute Jamie Breese, who gave Kristian Pierce a big chance to score which the latter capitalised on. Flint Town - Llanidloes xG: 0.74 - 2.04; Shots: 9(3) - 13(3); Possession: 40% - 60% I can't believe we didn't win this game. Where luck is what helped us out a lot last year, it is something we have lacked so far this season. Especially in the first half we fully outplayed them. The only thing we missed was the ability to hit the target, with most notably Seamus Famer having a great game from the right wing and creating chances for himself, but forgetting to finish them. He was the one who assisted Riley Lonergan to finally get us the lead we deserved. There was relieve, then there was pain, as Flint Town immediately stung us back from the kick off. We still should have scored in the second half too, but it was not to be. Barry Town - Llanidloes (Welsh Cup) xG: 0.46 - 0.63; Shots: 8(3) - 9(2); Possession: 50% - 50% Another gutting cup loss. Went out once on the final kick of the game and twice on penalties this season. I just said we are missing some luck this season and it shows again here. We needed some time at the start of the game to the pace of Barry Town, but once we had done that, we actually played really well. We kept the shop closed at the back and if anyone deserved the win in the second half it was us. In the end the draw was justifiable though, and then we were unlucky once more. Llanidloes - Holyhead xG: 0.90 - 1.65; Shots: 6(2) - 14(5); Possession: 53% - 47% An early goal didn't give us the wings I hoped it would, and we were actually very lucky this time to keep it at a draw. We couldn't get anything doing in attack after taking the lead while Holyhead were getting chance after chance. Eventually we did get some opportunities late on when we had switched to the 4-4-2. Best player on our side was Wayne Staines, who put in a great shift at right back. We need to start stringing a few wins together soon if we want to keep up at the top. I will be switching back to the 4-4-2 for now as our current tactic just doesn't give as enough firepower in attack. Ruthin - Llanidloes xG: 1.33 - 2.31; Shots: 16(3) - 17(10); Possession: 57% - 43% Oh come on man. We were all over them but for the umpteenth time forgot how to put the ball in the net, even missing two seemingly impossible-to-miss oportunities. They mostly got dangerous from crosses and eventually got the lead through a corner. We needed Jamie Breese to help us out from the bench once more, and tried to push on after that equaliser. We could not do that though, and got hit with another corner in the dying seconds of the game. How times can change. Last season we ended in second place, but were only in 6th on the xG table. This season we are in 8th but according to xG shoud have been 2nd. Defensively we have been the best team in the league by far, but we just can't finish our chances. A bright spot. Third time of the season for him.

September 2026 Mostly cups to focus on this month. Also, if I'm correct we would play another Welsh Cup fixture at the end of the month if we win against non-league side Tredegar. Llandudno looked to be a difficult draw in the Tier 2 Cup, but they have not had a great start to the season. Llanidloes - Tredegar (Welsh Cup) xG: 4.52 - 0.85; Shots: 38(13) - 2(1); Possession: 59% - 41% Another sign of how far we've come. In the first years I didn't dare to rotate even a little bit for cup games. Now a much rotated XI is able to completely destroy our opponent. Looking at his attributes, John Hughes really shouldn't get that much playing time for us yet, but he is just performing so well. 4 goals in the season already for the youngster. For the rest it was great to see new center back David Roberts get on the scoresheet, although I did fear that he got himself a concussion as he put his head to an absolute bullet cross. Lastly, a big shoutout to 17 year old reserve goalkeeper Linden Bridge-Wilkinson, who got his first start of the season and stopped a penalty. Next round sees us travel to one of the better Cymru Premier sides in Barry Town. It will only take place next month though. Llanidloes - Llandudno (Tier 2 League Cup) xG: 0.54 - 1.16; Shots: 6(2) - 12(5); Possession: 56% - 44% Ugh, this has definitely been our least favourite competition over the years. Third time in four years that we can't progress past the first round. Llandudno were the better team during the game too, and although Jamie Breese got us in the lead, he was also the only one who missed during the penalty shootout. He has now missed 4 penalties in a row in competitive matches. Our focus goes back to the league now, where we will host league leaders Porthmadog. Llanidloes - Porthmadog xG: 0.75 - 0.63; Shots: 8(3) - 6(3); Possession: 49% - 51% This match got the scoreless draw it deserved. Nothing happening for most of the game, with us only getting some chances late on. Craig Edwards keeps performing very well at the back. Hay St. Marys - Llanidloes xG: 0.58 - 1.19; Shots: 3(1) - 11(3); Possession: 32% - 68% One moment of concentration loss at the back and us not finishing our chances makes it a bad month in the end. This time around it seems definite. To be honest I think he has chosen a great moment for it, as this is probably the last season he can still contribute for us. Honestly not where I'd have liked to by right now. Our big problem has been the goalscoring, as we have scored less than one goal per game so far. I might need to look into tweaking the tactic a little bit to solve this.

Transfer Special So... Yeah I didn't fully stick to this. In the end I think I have done the most important part of our transfer business in August, bringing in another 5 players. It is a little bit more than we needed too, but there were suddenly some very good players found by my scouts, and since our squad level has increased already, they even wanted to enter contract negotiations. We are now spending €70k in wages, which is still not close to our full budget, but almost double what we spent last year. It is also the 5th highest in the league, although this might not be a great representation since some other teams have players on ridiculous appearance fees. Anyways, here are the new transfers: Seamus Famer: he came in at the start of August. Only 17 years old and released from the Boston United academy. He has got his first assist for us already, and by ability is one of the best players in our squad. What I like most is his versatility to be able to play in all positions in attack. He does still have some work to do in the mental department mostly. Daniel Ola: another player that can slot in everywhere in attack. This is the guy we had on trial earlier and whose transfer got blocked by the board due to him getting injured. I think he will mostly be a striker for us, though his composure may let him down. David Roberts (see below) and Livesey Barkhuizen: two center backs of which Barkhuizen is going to be loaned out immediately. He is a decent player for our squad already, but for now I prefer the players I have already seen in action. Roberts though is a player I really like a lot. I have gone a bit overboard on his salary though, as his €9.5k make him the biggest earner at the club by far (after me of course ). The reason I have still gone for it is just that he looks like what might be the last missing piece to our defence. Malachi Ogunleye: a 5th player who can play in defensive and central midfield. Came from the Bournemouth youth and just looks like a very good player for us to have. Tactic Didn't show this new tactic yet. We almost had to switch to a system with 3 midfielders with all the new arrivals. So far it has gone pretty well.

Great to see you like the thread! I have been pretty happy about the steady progress myself. I also hope that this gives the club the chance to develop a higher standard even after I'm gone.

August 2026 A few tough league fixtures in August. The Welsh Cup match should be a cakewalk for us, while we should also definitely be winning against Rhyl at home. The month is a tad lighter than usual due to our early League Cup exit. Llanidloes - Llandudno xG: 0.21 - 0.54; Shots: 3(1) - 8(2); Possession: 57% - 43% This match was not a joy to watch at all. We did get the win though, which is of course most important. Our first chance was finished by Archie Hatcher and we did not do that much after that honestly. Llandudno wasn't much better, which meant we kept the lead relatively easily. Carmarthen Town - Llanidloes xG: 1.06 - 2.18; Shots: 13(5) - 19(7); Possession: 57% - 43% Another win and this time with a much better performance! We were helped by an early quick double strike that put us in the driving seat for the rest of the match. The first goal was created by new left back Ollie Leggett, who I have preferred over fellow newcomer Manhertz so far. He played a great game overall and picked up the MOTM award. We looked to be going towards a comfortable victory for most of the match, but after their late goal it still got tight, with them getting some good chances late on in the match. Presteign - Llanidloes (Welsh Cup) xG: 0.13 - 3.91; Shots: 4(1) - 25(7); Possession: 52% - 48% Quite a few changes in the starting XI for this game, but a very comfortable win nonetheless. The only thing we can blame ourselves for is that we didn't score a second goal earlier to be able to relax. Archie Hatcher is in great form currently, scoring for his third match in a row. Besides that also very happy to finally see Isaac Matthews appear on the scoresheet again in a competitive matches. Fully following the good old RvN ketchup-bottle theory he went on to score a second not long after. Llanidloes - Rhyl 1879 xG: 1.60 - 0.83; Shots: 15(3) - 5(3); Possession: 56% - 44% What a story! 34 years old, out with injury for 5 months. He comes back into the matchday squad and into the team at halftime only to score mere minutes after. The big man Jamie Breese can still do it for us. Amazing to see. It was that other old guy who had put us in the lead in the first half, while it was great to see new signing Seamus Famer getting his first assist today. For the rest we have to give some credits to Ryan Forde, who has only conceded 2 goals in our first 5 league games. Airbus UK Broughton - Llanidloes xG: 1.20 - 0.97; Shots: 10(6) - 9(3); Possession: 54% - 46% Hard one to take this. First league loss of the season and just like the League Cup loss it comes very late. I can't say it was undeserved though, as Airbus UK had been the better team this game. We only got one real chance and that was for Jamie Breese in extra time, but sadly for us he misfired. More bad news. Wayne Staines will be out of the starting XI for the first time in two years. Especially disappointing that last league loss as a win would have put us top of the table for the first time this save. Despite that, we are where we want to be though, so no reason to panick. Also notice Flint Town having a horror start. This seems to happen to the side relegated from the Cymru Premier every season somehow. Awards Still not winning it. Second time in a row for Craig Edwards!

July 2026 Three games to start of the season in July. As usual, we have the League Cup as our first competitive fixture. We meet Ammanford there who are one of the best sides in the Cymru South. We played them in the Welsh Cup 2 seasons ago and lost, so a good moment for revenge. After that two league games where at least the second one against newly promoted Penrhyncoch should result in a win. Ammanford - Llanidloes (League Cup) xG: 1.92 - 1.41; Shots: 12(5) - 14(1); Possession: 50% - 50% Well **** me. Exactly the same thing they did to us in the Welsh Cup two years ago, turning around the game and scoring the winner in extra time. Only the first time we lose in the first round of this cup too. We were the better team throughout this match, and seemed to get what we deserved. Camden Duncan, who was having an awful game and was only still on the pitch because of the lack of an alternative, scored a nice header to give up the lead. We were left wondering what happened 20 minutes later, after a rebound and an indirect free kick had turned the game around. Llanidloes - Guilsfield xG: 1.84 - 0.52; Shots: 15(7) - 5(1); Possession: 65% - 35% Great start to the league campaign! First time with a new tactic and it worked out wonderfully for us. It was a special performance from Kristian Pierce, who was creating chances, making dribbles and got the only goal of the game too with a magnificent volley. Our midfield of three men was a sight to behold. Riley Lonergan had the time of his life as a box-to-box midfielder, hitting the crossbar twice and getting an assist with a chip over their defence. Next to him Billy Osborn dealt in passes in his preferred deep lying playmaker role. Behind them it was our defence who kept the shop closed, with especially Craig Edwards being unpassable there. Penrhyncoch - Llanidloes xG: 1.36 - 1.09; Shots: 10(5) - 9(3); Possession: 34% - 66% Not great to be honest. Should win those games against a newly promoted side. In one of his first ever starts, John Hughes was immediately important again in a first half we had the upper hand in. We couldn't keep it going sadly, as they became the better team after the break and got a deserved equaliser. Awards