Hey, Nineteen (The Saga of FMS FC)

[mistahc]

unlucky edgar555, Dubb gets his first run out then gets injured. The footballing Gods want Clarke to do well obviously.

[edgar555]

unlucky edgar555, Dubb gets his first run out then gets injured. The footballing Gods want Clarke to do well obviously.

Damn the footballing gods!

Teams doing well though and that's what counts. That's what I've been told to say anyway.

[Matt_no_7]

Boreham manager Ian Allenson said he wished he had a player like Warner...

Doesn't everyone?

[BenArsenal]

Not played yet.

[tenthreeleader]

This is the post where I remembered to subscribe to your nations so I could check on your international careers. Ooops. I'm learning too.

___

Oh, yeah. The callups.

Marks earned two caps for Wales u-21s, starting against Chinese Taipei in a 1-0 win and playing the full 90 minutes in a 5-0 defeat against Croatia in the Euro u-21 qualifers on 10^th September.

Mathieson played more for Belgium u-21s than he did for FMS, playing as a substitute in a 1-0 win at Azerbaijan, starting in a 0-1 loss to Poland in the Euro qualifiers, and coming on as a sub in a 6-0 crushing of Kazakhstan.

Nygma had played twice for Scotland u-19s, in friendly wins over Montenegro and Liechtenstein, which unfortunately did not include the native of Lichtenstein, von Lichtenstein. This was the source of no small amount of ‘neener neener’, and a brief fistfight, upon Nygma’s return to training.

Perhaps the biggest news of all was Baroni’s selection for Italy u-19s. He started matches against Portugal and Slovakia but didn’t factor.

The biggest success came from Jose Bo Jose, who played three times for Norway u-21s as a 16-year old, including a substitute appearance against Liechtenstein, which again unfortunately did not include the native of Lichtenstein, von Lichtenstein. Bo Jose was smart enough to avoid the midfielder upon his return to training.

Clarke made three appearances for the Republic of Ireland u-19s and rocked the house in a substitute performance against Romania.

Hochstetter had found his way onto the pitch for the u-21 Socceroos as well, playing not so well against Austria and Germany but quite well indeed against rival New Zealand.

And the tower of strength, Kowalski, had played thrice for Scotland u-19s as well. A late cameo against Albania was augmented by two commanding performances against Montenegro and Lichtenstein, for whom .. well, you know the rest.

# # #

[mistahc]

Clarke made three appearances for the Republic of Ireland u-19s and rocked the house in a substitute performance against Romania.

That's my boy, brings a tear to my eye to watch play for his country.

Loving the story.

Now just need to shift the urge to watch a Knight's tale every time I read it.

[Offspring8]

The team is doing well and personally my character has 2 man of the match performances, a bunch of starts and a few goals - not bad going so far!!

[Spav]

Mathieson played more for Belgium u-21s than he did for FMS, playing as a substitute in a 1-0 win at Azerbaijan, starting in a 0-1 loss to Poland in the Euro qualifiers, and coming on as a sub in a 6-0 crushing of Kazakhstan.

I signed up as Dutch with Belgian as my second nationality, so the Belgies are obviously getting in early on my silky skills. International football can only help my eventual dominance of the left side of defence.

KUTGW 10-3.

[BenArsenal]

At least I'm playing...for Norway.

Them Norwegians are in for a ball of a time with Bo Jose.

[mark wilson27]

Italian U19's not a bad way to start my International career, lets hope I can improve and get some first time action pleaseee

[Spav]

lets hope I can improve and get some first time action pleaseee

Let's stick to football and leave your virginity out of this, Mark.

[mark wilson27]

Let's stick to football and leave your virginity out of this, Mark.

Damn the truth is out

[tenthreeleader]

Don't worry, Mark. Some of us are still waiting.

___

They were the hottest team in the Blue Square. Some said that meant North, South and Premier.

The Poison Pens were expected to walk the BSS even though a couple of them weren’t old enough to shave. They were good, they were reasonably tough, and for them, the sky was the limit.

FMS 5-0 Bromley – 15^th September 2012 – BSS #8

Fuller, Clarke, Nygma, Adie Whitbread, Kowalski, Hochstetter, Fantu, Preece, Rudyard, Baroni, McCracken. Subs: Bo Jose, Conleith Corcoran, Jon-Paul Pittman, Warner, Marks.

Goals:

FMS – Baroni 1, Preece 13, McCracken 25, Fantu 31, 34

Bromley – are you kidding?

Man of the Match - Kowalski

It was fitting that on Mike Kowalski Poster Day – a special promotion where the first 500 fans had to bring in a poster for FMS defender Mike Kowalski – the defender loomed large again.

Towering over the others with his shaved pate shining like a beacon in the sun, the defender ruled the roost while his mates buried Bromley with five goals in the first 34 minutes.

The 2,998 fans at the Love Shack barely had time to don their Ally McCoist Fright Masks before Kowalski’s thunderous punt up Route One found Baroni’s boot, and from thence to the back of the Bromley net to start the fun.

The goal came nine seconds into the match, setting the record for the fastest goal in league history.

Yet it was the defender who impressed the most.

Bromley forward Pierre-Joseph Dubois was scared out of his socks on several occasions and the defender calmly collected his posters and went home.

It wasn’t a match, it was a massacre. 68 percent possession and 17 attempts at goal meant the Fightin’ Writers never looked like losing.

Meanwhile, von Lichtenstein, banished to the reserves despite scoring the winner in the previous match, found the range against Hull Reserves to remind one and all that he was still around.

The FA Cup was next, and the opposition was league rival, and recently relegated, Bath City at home.

FMS 2-0 Bath City – 22^nd September 2012, FA Cup Second Qualifying Round

Fuller, Clarke, Nygma, Adie Whitbread, Kowalski, Marks, Fantu, Preece, Rudyard, Warner, McCracken. Subs: Bo Jose, Conleith Corcoran, Alex Burke, Baroni, Hochstetter, Mathieson, Kieran Lawal.

Goals

FMS – Marks 6, Warner 35

Bath City – negatory

Man of the Match – Kowalski

“Maybe we need more posters,” Blankley deadpanned after another commanding performance from Kowalski led FMS to the victory.

An average rating of 8.43 looked to make him an ever-present at the back, alongside club captain Whitbread.

Bath manager Lee Howells answered media questions regarding Kowalski’s performance by genuflecting.

Preece celebrated the victory by getting his neck caught in a revolving door heading out of the Mark Wilson Sports Complex changing room the next day, putting himself out of consideration for two weeks with a strain. Having appeared in eight matches to that point, the injury came at quite an inopportune time indeed.

Unfortunately, Preece’s reaction to being injured was to throw his hands in the air, injuring Rothery by poking him in the eye. He will miss two weeks.

Chelmsford City 1-2 FMS – 25^th September 2012 – BSS #9

Fuller, Clarke, Nygma, Adie Whitbread, Kowalski, Hochstetter, Fantu, Rudyard, Alex Burke, Warner, McCracken. Subs: Bo Jose, Conleith Corcoran, Jon-Paul Pittman, Baroni, Marks.

Goals

Chelmsford City – David Rainford 71

FMS – McCracken 34, Alex Burke 56

Man of the Match – Kowalski (again)

For the third consecutive match, Kowalski continued to dominate the back line as the Pens increased their unbeaten string to nine in the league and ten in all competitions.

His rich vein of form continued, as his teammates survived a late charge from the home team at Chelmsford Sport and Athletic Centre.

The match also featured the professional debut of Jose Bo Jose, who entered the match as a 65^th minute substitute for the crocked Fuller.

The first-choice keeper had played every moment of the regular season to that point but Bo Jose, who entered the pitch running backwards after the incident with Whitbread and his jersey, bailed out the club with several key saves down the stretch.

The Fightin’ Writers increased their win streak to five matches, setting a new record.

September record: 5-0-0 (15 points)

Blue Square South: 6-3-0 (21 points, first place)

# # #

[mark wilson27]

Top spot and looking good. good to Baroni got on the team sheet, I see the gaffer likes to rotate alot

[Lawlore]

Damn you, Kowalski- I have been playing "Wake Me Up When September Ends" non-stop since getting crocked, I don't need you becoming the team's hero in my absence!

Summer has come and passed, the innocent can never laaaaaaast...

[BenArsenal]

Woohoo! Debut!

[chesterfan2]

Dear Sir,

Re: FMS 5-0 Bromley report.

I get two goals and NOT A SINGLE MENTION. What is wrong with you ???????????????

Yours,

Chester Fantu (Aged 16 and Three Quarters)

[tenthreeleader]

Dear Mr. Fantu:

Mr. Kowalski was man of the match so you could take it up with him for stealing your ink. With regard to your other complaint, I suppose I could always ask Mr. Blankly to drop you.

Sincerely,

tenthreeleader (aged 47 minus 38 years)

[tenthreeleader]

As October began, the Player of the Month award was virtually a foregone conclusion. Kowalski had been dominant in every aspect.

So naturally, Rudyard won it.

Kowalski wasn’t even second. Or third. Warner was second and Salisbury’s Stuart Sinclair was third. Blankley won the boss award as the Fightin’ Writers outscored their five opponents by 16 goals to three for the month.

Kowalski blamed Walter Smith for his plight. It was something to do.

And next up …a league rematch with Bath City, as the top two teams in the table collided at The Love Shack.

FMS 0-1 Bath City – 2^nd October 2012 - BSS #10

Bo Jose, Clarke, Nygma, Conleith Corcoran, Adie Whitbread, Marks, Fantu, Hochstetter, Rudyard, Warner, Baroni. Subs: van Liefthuizen, Jon-Paul Pittman, Mathieson, McCracken, von Lichtenstein.

Goals:

FMS – none

Bath City – Mark Preece 52

Man of the Match – Marks

It had to end sooner or later, but Blankly underwent some serious second-guessing for his squad rotation policy in this match.

Kowalski was left completely out of the sixteen for the match, which was won on Mark Preece’s goal in the 52^nd minute.

The pairing of Corcoran and Whitbread, neither of whom where Nineteen members, in central defence led to blistering questioning of the manager and Twitter comments hashtagged to #Blankleyisamoron.

That said, Marks was the best player on the park by a wide margin but it wasn’t enough.

Bo Jose deputized for the injured Fuller, and nicks and injuries to members of The Nineteen had held a few of them out of the lineup.

The Pens had 69 percent possession and 12 shots to their visitors’ eight … but that mattered not at all.

The first defeat of the season was not good. Neither was second place.

Two days later, Baroni got a nice consolation prize with an Italy u-21 callup, while Nygma and Kowalski got calls to play for Scotland u-19s against Slovakia, Belarus and Italy. Not all at the same time.

Marks received a Wales u-21 callup to play Iran, while Clarke made the Republic’s u-19s to play Kazakhstan, Greece and Wales. Bo Jose got his Norway u-21 callup to face Lithuania as well.

Hochstetter got an Australia u-21 call to play Portugal.

Next up for the Pens, though, an FA Cup Third Qualifying Round matchup against Hastings United.

Hastings Utd 0-3 FMS – 6^th October 2012 – FA Cup Third Qualifying Round

Fuller, Conleith Corcoran, Nygma, Adie Whitbread, Kowalski, Marks, Fantu, Hochstetter, Burke, Baroni, McCracken. Subs: Bo Jose, Clarke, Dubb, Warner, von Lichtenstein, Mathieson, Leigh Elliott

Goals:

Hastings – none

FMS – Baroni 24, 41; Fantu 70

Man of the Match – Baroni

Maybe Blankly wasn’t so stupid to hold out Kowalski after all.

Bowing to pressure to play the boy, FMS lost the services of their defender for up to two months with a broken collarbone in an otherwise convincing win over Hastings.

The Pens sewed up the issue with a brace from Baroni before halftime with Fantu adding a window dressing goal late on to sew up the club’s advancement. The visitors had 71 percent of the possession on the road, and obviously that was more than enough.

After the game, though, everyone wanted to talk about the £150,000-rated defender.

Except Blankly.

He seemed to downplay Kowalski’s influence, simply telling media “We’ll get on with things and adjust accordingly. We’ll be fine.”

Kowalski was seen honing the studs on his boots into sharp points in preparation to stomp on the manager’s toes after the match. The injury also shelved him from the Scotland squad. Kowalski, not Blankly.

The news that the Fourth Qualifying Round would see the Pens face either Brackley or Grantham mattered not at all.

To make matters worse, Fuller recovered from his injury and celebrated by promptly re-injuring himself in training by falling on a ball during a drill and injuring his chest. Bo Jose was seen giggling quietly to himself.

# # #

[chesterfan2]

with Fantu adding a window dressing goal late on to sew up the club’s advancement.

That's more like it....... The Fantu is pleased.

[mark wilson27]

Two goals and an under 21 call up can't complain about that. Really enjoying this tenthree, looking forward to more

[salkster2102]

Hope no one will be singing "Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead" if we face Grantham.....

[Offspring8]

Player of the month? Of course I deserved it, I am the Special One.

[LEEMOD]

what is Rothery doing? I'm not even been picked!

[BenArsenal]

I am giggling.

[tenthreeleader]

what is Rothery doing? I'm not even been picked!

At the moment, Rothery is playing his face back into shape after being injured

[tenthreeleader]

Clarke was doing well for himself.

Named man of the match in Ireland’s u-19 1-0 Euro qualifying win over Wales, he returned to London in good spirits.

Yet his thunder was stolen by Baroni, who became the youngest player ever to feature for Italy’s u-19s – and scored the only goal in their 1-0 Euro qualifying win over Belarus.

Nygma featured late in Scotland’s 4-1 win over Slovakia, but Mathieson had the best night of his young career in Belgium’s 4-0 rout of Bulgaria. The wing back was not only named man of the match, he even got forward to score in the 33^rd minute.

Marks got on late in Wales u-21’s 2-2 draw with Iran and Hochstetter was decent in a dire Australia u-21 side that crashed 2-0 at Portugal.

Bo Jose allowed a 20^th minute penalty against Lithuania but nothing else in Norway u-21’s 5-1 thrashing of the Baltic nation.

Clarke didn’t feature two nights later in the Republic’s 2-0 win over Kazakhstan but on that day it was Nygma’s turn to shine. The defender scored from the spot and won the man of the match award in Scotland’s 3-0 win over Belarus at Rugby Park.

Scotland, Italy and Ireland all qualified for the second round of the Euro u-19 event along the way, with Baroni scoring the decider in a 2-1 win over Slovakia that put his country through.

That said, those Fightin’ Writers who remained still had a match to play while their comrades were slogging through the fields of Europe:

FMS 3-0 Dover – 13^th October 2012 – BSS #11

Bo Jose, Dubb, Alex Burke, Conleith Corcoran, Adie Whitbread, Marks, Fantu, Preece, Rudyard, Warner, McCracken. Subs: Paul Hider, Joe Broad, Jon-Paul Pittman, Rothery, Hochstetter.

Goals:

FMS – Fantu 1, McCracken 4, Warner pen 43

Dover – nil

Man of the Match- Warner

There were still seven of the Nineteen in the FMS lineup for the Dover match, and it took them less than five minutes to put their opponents away with Fantu and McCracken both finding the range before Warner administered the coup de grace from the spot just before halftime.

The squad was weakened by the absence of all the youth internationals, but Bo Jose’s return from a one match stint with Norway helped in goals while Marks and Hochstetter shook off jet lag to both play.

With Fuller still on the shelf, Bo Jose played it straight to the delight of Whitbread, and earned another clean sheet as the Pens easily did the business.

Meanwhile, Warner had quietly sprung to the team goal scoring lead with eight and hoped that Baroni would find it difficult to reclaim a place when he returned from Italy duty.

On the 14^th October, Clarke put on another show for Ireland, winning man of the match honors in a surprising 2-0 win over Greece to help his country run the table in its group.

And for the first time, two of the Nineteen opposed each other as Baroni’s Italy defeated Nygma’s Scotland 2-0 at Rugby Park. Baroni scored for the third straight match for Italy, but with both countries already qualified for the next round the match was a dead rubber.

The next round of u-19 Euro qualifying saw Scotland drawn with England, Latvia and Turkey; Ireland with Cyprus, France and Serbia, and Italy with Bosnia, Russia and Wales. But with no matches until May, it was time to bring the tired internationals of the Nineteen home for a rest.

# # #

[mistahc]

Who have thought we were all so egotistical that we would check in and see how our boys were doing? Not gonna lie, nothing but pride at my mini-me shining for Ireland. Future international like I said from day one.

Enjoying this, great read.

[mark wilson27]

Booossshhhhhh a goal for my nation.. I predict great things for Baroni, aslong as he doesn't get too big for his boots

[Celtic_1967]

2 months? B*llocks!

I'll play through it.

Loving this 10-3, especially the little The Rangers jibes.

[soccer.joel]

What formation are they playing

[tenthreeleader]

2 months? B*llocks!

I'll play through it.

Loving this 10-3, especially the little The Rangers jibes.

I will say this, Mikey .. your player is a seriously bad dude. And that's good. And if I can't laugh at my own club who can I laugh at?

What formation are they playing

Blankley has played 4-4-2 almost exclusively throughout his tenure.

[tenthreeleader]

Brackley Town 1-3 FMS – 20^th October 2012 – FA Cup 4^th Qualifying Round

Bo Jose, Clarke, Nygma, Adie Whitbread, Conleith Corcoran, Hochstetter, Fantu, Preece, Rudyard, Warner, McCracken. Subs: van Liefthuizen, Leigh Elliot, Alex Burke, Rothery, Marks, Mathieson, Dubb

Goals

Brackley Town – Eddie Odhiambo 71

FMS – Rudyard 41, Warner 58, McCracken 69, Warner s/o 63

Man of the Match – Nygma

Ten-man FMS saw off the challenge of Brackley Town in a Fourth Qualifying Round FA Cup match on the 20^th October.

Warner became the first of the Nineteen to get himself sent off in a match but it almost didn’t matter. Five minutes after scoring a goal, Warner was shown a straight red card – and the club increased its lead through McCracken six minutes later.

The scoresheet reading “Phil McCracken 69” also caused sophomoric giggles amongst the Nineteen.

The club dominated anyway, holding 56 percent of the possession even after being reduced to ten men.

Nygma put in a wonderful shift at the back and earned the rare distinction of earning praise from both managers, including Brackley’s Jon Brady, after the contest.

Staines Town 0-2 FMS – 23^rd October 2012 – BSS #12

van Liefthuizen, Dubb, Nygma, Clarke, Conleith Corcoran, Marks, Jon-Paul Pittman, Hochstetter, Preece, McCracken, Baroni. Subs: Bo Jose, Mathieson, Alex Burke, Rothery, Fantu.

Goals

Staines – newp, Kyman Issac s/o 25

FMS – Rothery 28, 35

Man of the Match – Clarke

The return to favor of substitute Lee Rothery highlighted FMS’ win over the ten-man part-timers from Staines Town.

Blankley was forced into two substitutions in the first forty minutes, with Rothery entering upon the crocking of McCracken eighteen minutes in, and Burks arriving after Hochstetter sprained his ankle just before half – a scary injury that will sideline the Australian for up to two months.

Kyman Isaac was carded twice in three minutes and sent off for the home team, setting the stage for Rothery’s heroics.

In the meantime, Clarke continued to play well as the FMS backline appears to have distinguished itself from the rest of the squad, at least as far as form goes. The match also marked the return to the side of Baroni, fresh off his heroics for Italy u-19s.

It also meant the first professional appearance for van Liefthuizen, who celebrated by keeping a clean sheet.

On another occasion, Bo Jose might have led the youngster to the sticks in case he had forgotten where they might be located, but the Norwegian, being dropped, instead sat on the bench. Calmly. We think.

# # #

[edgar555]

Back from injury and back in the first team. Happy days. FMS are a pretty formidable side, this league should be a cakewalk.

[Matt_no_7]

What exactly did i do to get sent off? I'd hate to become the Lee Cattermole of the team...

[salkster2102]

69 would have been my chosen squad number

[Lawlore]

*disappears into the ether*

[swagat sinha]

That's what I'm talking about

[LEEMOD]

Rothery needs to be starting games!

[tenthreeleader]

What exactly did i do to get sent off? I'd hate to become the Lee Cattermole of the team...

When you're holidaying as I am, certain items of the game, such as the match report, are hidden. The summary screen showed a straight red so I can embellish in my writing (not that I'd EVER do that, mind you) or let it go. Eventually the save should get to 12-14 seasons in length and that point the reason for a sending off won't matter so much.

[Spav]

Eventually the save should get to 12-14 seasons in length and that point the reason for a sending off won't matter so much.

10-3, if you're planning on following everyone to the end of their careers then I'd estimate that this would be a 20-season save at least. Some players being 15-16 years of age at the start would be expected to play until their mid-30's at least.

I'm really enjoying this, btw.

[tenthreeleader]

Spav, my friend, I'm just hoping my computer lasts that long. LOL

Anyhow, I'm sure your estimate is more accurate than mine. Glad you are having fun. This is a blast to write and possibly my favorite effort yet (Rat Pack excluded).

___

FMS 3-1 Sutton United – 27^th October 2012 – BSS #13

Bo Jose, Clarke, Nygma, Adie Whitbread, Conleith Corcoran, Marks, Fantu, Preece, Rudyard, Warner, Baroni. Subs: van Liefthuizen, Mathieson, Dubb, McCracken, von Lichtenstein.

Goals

FMS – Warner 18, Baroni 42, McCracken 81, Whitbread s/o 64

Sutton – Dermot Oliver 50

Man of the Match – Clarke (again)

Captain Whitbread got himself sent off with the team clinging to a one-goal lead in the second half, but McCracken’s goal nine minutes from time helped power the ten-man Fightin’ Writers to another victory.

Bo Jose, returned to favor between the sticks, played well but again it was Clarke who ran the show at the back.

With fourteen performances and an average rating of 7.69, the Irishman has impressed every time he has played.

The match was contentious, with Marks going down to a gashed shin only nine minutes into the match, an injury which will hold him out for a week.

Three of the club’s four strikers found the range in the match, with substitute McCracken finishing off the visitors before a crowd of 3,064 onlookers at The Love Shack.

The match also marked Blankley’s 48^th birthday, which meant those in the Nineteen who were playing forking over their hard earned for a cake, while those who were not were trying to take photos of the gaffer in a compromising position for publication in the papers.

However, the birthday boy created his own controversy in the press after the match – when he predicted a league championship and promotion for FMS FC.

No pressure there.

Farnbrough 1-3 FMS – 30^th October 2012 – BSS #14

van Liefthuizen, Dubb, Nygma, Martin, Conleith Corcoran, Preece, Jon-Paul Pittman, Rudyard, Burke, Warner, McCracken. Subs: Bo Jose, Clarke, Joe Broad, Baroni, von Lichtenstein.

Goals

Farnbrough – Marcus Moody 64

FMS – Warner 8, Jon-Paul Pittman 44, McCracken 57

Man of the Match – Warner

Blankly continued his occasionally perplexing substitution patterns by dropping Clarke for this match, but bringing him on as a substitute later on.

The injury parade continued, with Warner first scoring eight minutes into the match and then leaving clutching a bag of ice to his newly fractured cheekbone in the second half. The gruesome injury will mar his youthful complexion and keep him out at least six weeks.

Statistically, this was a much closer match than some in recent weeks, with van Liefthuizen again alternating matches with Bo Jose in goals.

Whitbread’s red card suspension opened a place at the back for the out-of-favor Law Martin, who returned and played his way through ninety minutes without incident.

October record: 4-0-1 (13 points)

Blue Square South: 10-3-1, 33 points, first place, +24 GD)

# # #

[Matt_no_7]

NOOOOOOOO, my face, my epic epic face!

[BenArsenal]

You've got to let the others play sometimes...

[Lawlore]

YES! Take that, Old Man Whitbread, that's how you play "without incident". Now you'll never get back in the side!

*twists beard like some kind of evil genius*

[mark wilson27]

Another start and another goal, that Baroni is damn good.

Pure Italian genius is all that I can say

[tenthreeleader]

Clarke came second in the Player of the Month voting for October, while Blankley was runner up for the boss gong, and Hochstetter got news that if he recovered quickly enough, he might eventually rejoin Australia u-19s after they advanced in the Asian Championships. Same for Marks with Wales u-21s.

There was only one issue among the Nineteen as it related to international play: none of the club’s English-born players had yet earned a callup.

But more importantly: the Fightin’ Writers had reached the First Round proper of the FA Cup, and they started their journey against Lincoln City, as the Pens played a club a league up.

Lincoln City 3-1 FMS – 3^rd November 2012 – FA Cup First Round

Bo Jose, Clarke, Nygma, Adie Whitbread, Conleith Corcoran, Rothery, Fantu, Dubb, Rudyard, McCracken, Baroni. Subs: van Liefthuizen, Martin, Alex Burke, Barry Hayles, von Lichtenstein, Mathieson, Joe Broad.

Goals

Lincoln City – Jamie Taylor 11, 20; Colin Larkin 30

FMS – Fantu 66

Man of the Match – Jamie Taylor, Lincoln City

FMS missed Warner, as the club was eliminated from the FA Cup by Lincoln at Sincil Bank.

Blankley’s decision to play Rothery out of position in midfield meant von Lichtenstein was itching to play, and even after the club fell behind 3-0 half an hour into the match, the Lichtenstein native still was nailed to the bench.

To make matters worse, Blankley preferred 40-year old Jamaican Barry Hayles to von Lichtenstein when the time came to put a new forward into the match. Sitting for a player old enough to be his dad was galling for the youngster, but sit he did.

This time, the Poison Pens got a taste of what they had been dishing out to BSS opponents, as their hosts dominated them from start to finish.

Bo Jose was a busy boy in goals and Jamie Taylor victimized him twice before the defense was able to settle down in front of him – and having Kowalski still out of the lineup didn’t help either. The pairing of Whitbread and Corcoran gave the Norwegian no help at all in front of goal.

Still, though, it was a pleasing performance overall in the Cup, reaching the First Round proper, and there was much to smile about over the club’s run in that competition.

…Aaaaand so much for Hochstetter.

With their midfield prodigy still nursing that sprained ankle, the u-19 Socceroos fell 1-0 to Uzbekistan in the Asian Championship quarterfinals. His experience had been good internationally, though, and with time to heal now on the cards, the ribbing he endured from teammates wasn’t too bad.

With friendlies coming up, more FMS players headed back for international duty:

Clarke (Ireland u-19, v New Zealand)

Nygma (Scotland u-19, v Iceland)

Marks (Wales u-21, v Latvia)

Baroni (Italy u-19, v Croatia)

Mathieson (Belgium u-21, Cyprus)

van Liefthuizen (Holland u-21, Iran)

But then:

Chris Fuller (England u-19, v Saudi Arabia)

Stuart Dubb (England u-19, v Saudi Arabia)

Law Martin (England u-19 v Saudi Arabia)

David Preece (England u-19 v Saudi Arabia)

Well done, gentlemen.

# # #

[swagat sinha]

Regular starter

[chesterfan2]

No mention despite getting the side's only goal ? the only bright spot on the horizon ? do you call yourself a journalist ? do you ? the fact of my fabulous goalscoring performance is there.. Report on It !

Kind Regards,

C Fantu.

[tenthreeleader]

It takes a special player indeed to demand individual publicity when his team loses.