'Teaching is a Profession That Creates Other Professions'

[gibbo11]

“Honestly, you have better English than some people I meet in my local bar.”

It was refreshing to be speaking to someone which wasn’t about football. It may also have been the fact that it was with a beautiful, blonde-haired woman sitting at the Henry’s Pub bar. Whatever it was, my trip to Kuopio had, up until this moment, been quite dull.

A specially organised coaching tour of Finland was supposedly meant to be the highlight of my summer in 2031. Something that could invigorate and excite my life. A scheme run by grassroots clubs and schools in Doncaster and the surrounding areas, allowed coaches and students to learn more about coaching and training. It was a three day intense course followed by some hands on sessions with local Finnish teams, guided by experienced and reputable local coaches. It was never going to be as exciting as they had billed it to be but it was a necessity. At the age of 31, I had hoped to have been within a managerial role at one of the grassroots teams in Doncaster. Some coaching experience hadn’t gotten me far, so to learn from more experienced coaches, as well as getting a differing point of view on training style, was the sort of thing I needed to get me out of the classroom and onto a training pitch.

As a teacher at Henshall Secondary School and Higher Education, I found myself wishing for that break in life more than it was probably healthy to. The past two years had been as close to hell as I could imagine it to be. The kids coming through the school system in this day and age have it easy and that makes your ability to influence that much harder. It wasn’t the students’ fault that they played up or didn’t want to study. It was yours. Parents could complain and the hammer fell on your door. Worse still, senior management of these academies would side with the parent. My dear mate, John, had been at Henshall for twenty-eight years - a legend to some alumni who had moved on in years previous, suffered from this. A man who had only the student’s interest at heart. A complaint from one student, accusing him of verbal abuse, was the beginning of the end for Mr. Dore, as he was more commonly known. No evidence was brought forward, nor were his colleagues questioned. Management sided with the student and John was suspended without pay, eventually laid off. A man whose passion to educate far exceeded mine, was out of work, name tarnished by false accusations. This happened in ’27. Just two years later, we heard through his son, Peter, that John Dore had passed.

It was a wake-up call for me. I needed out.

“I’m an Events Manager based here in Kuopio. I get to travel to Helsinki sometimes – it takes 55 minutes by plane. It’s completely different to what the rest of my family do, but I find that exciting.”

Ah, yes, the blonde. I was amazed that she had kept an interest in our conversation. She certainly wasn’t showing boredom anyway. It turned out she lived about 20 minutes from the bar and had only popped in for a quick drink with two of her mates. On the other hand, I was there to study notes I had taken from the second day of the intense coaching course. It needed a drink to help power through them and my hotel room lacked any sort of refreshment.

“So, you’re studying at the same time as teaching? That must be exhausting?”

She was right. It was exhausting. But as I mentioned, it was a necessity. I had taken an interest in football coaching from my early twenties and I was privileged enough to get some work at both Rossington Main and Armthorpe Welfare, two clubs in the National League Pyramid. I coached the Henshall Higher Ed football team too which featured in the DSFA District Schools Football League. We finished 2^nd in the 2030/31 season, whilst exiting the cup in the semi-finals. It was the best year the school had since I joined in 2025. These activities away from the day-to-day teaching gave me a passion, the passion to want to coach and manage football players. When I learned of the opportunity to travel to Finland, it was something that I had to do. If it meant sitting in a bar speaking to this lady then I’d welcome more trips all day long.

“I’ve been to London three times, mainly to be a tourist but I did go on holiday once with an old partner. I’d love to go to England again someday, explore other cities, maybe even visit Donchester.”

Nope. Don’t even think about correcting her.

It may have had something to do with the smile she gave when she said it. It may have also been the fact I hadn’t had a relationship of any sort for two years, so to correct her at that point, not knowing if she’d take offence, was something I wasn’t going to risk. I was more infatuated with her smile. It was prettier than any I had seen in recent years. Her teeth were a shiny white which accentuated her big blue eyes and her long blonde hair which curled at the tip. It was a far-cry from the regulars that were propped up against the Red Lion pub in Bessacarr on a Friday night. I was going to make the most of her just being there, distracting me from note-reading. It was the first time in three days I had been able to speak about something other than football.

“Football runs in my family. Me and my mother have nothing to do with it but my father helps teams find players and my brother plays. He is very good, we hope he will be like Forssell.”

Nope. Don’t even think about changing subject either.

She clearly took an interest in football. She knew Forssell for starters. Or maybe he is to them how Beckham is to us in England. There were moments of broken English, but I could gather that her father worked as a scouting consultant at various clubs within the Finnish league structure. Her brother, Mika, was 17 and had an amateur contract at Finnish Third Division side Pallo-Kerho 37, in a town called Iisalmi, which was an hour and half train journey away. I wanted to find out more but she was tapped on the shoulder by one of her friends.

“I’m sorry, my friend has to go.”

It was short lived but I had fun, it was good to procrastinate with someone interesting, someone so gorgeous. Then it hit me. I hadn’t even asked what her name was. What a d*ck!

“Kristiina..”

“I’m Daniel, it’s been a pleasure talking to you, enjoy the rest of your night.”

I offered my hand as a parting gesture. She shook back.

“Thank you Daniel, you too. I hope coaching goes well.”

She put on a small leather jacket, picked up her clutch and I caught a glimpse of that wonderful smile as she left with her two friends. I ordered another Koff from tap and connected to the bar’s wi-fi on my phone.. Those notes could wait a little longer.

[gibbo11]

I had been keeping a keen interest on my local teams during the summer period. I didn’t support a team when I was younger, I just enjoyed playing and watching. South Yorkshire in the noughties didn’t light up the football world. I was a bit too young to watch Neil Warnock lead his Sheffield United side to the Premiership. I barely remember watching Neil Warnock lead his Sheffield United side back to the Championship. Both professional Sheffield teams saw stints in League One towards the end of the decade whereas my local, Doncaster Rovers, who, when I was born were sitting in the English fourth tier, ended the decade in the Championship. Rotherham United had a single season in the second tier before a sharp fall back into League Two.

As I said, the football world in South Yorkshire was a bit drab and picking a team to support was like choosing about which 1900’s disease you’d want to contract – it wasn’t very appealing.

Growing up in Doncaster and coming from a family whose males all supported The Rovers, meant that if push came to shove, I probably swayed towards Donny. During my teens, the town saw two spells in the Championship. The first in 2013/14 which saw instant relegation and the second in 2017/18, which once again led to instant relegation. The manner of the two differed so much though. As my thumb flicked through the latest news on my phone, there was an interview with Doncaster Rovers icon Billy Sharp on BBC Sport. I reached into my bag and pulled out my wireless earphones. He had his say on what went gone wrong with the club and why they hadn’t recovered from that fateful relegation in 2018. It also explained the severity of the clubs current position.

“On the 19^th April, Doncaster Rovers drew at home to Royston. The draw meant the club had suffered back-to-back relegations. This coming season, Doncaster Rovers will play their football in England’s seventh tier for the first time, in the Northern Premier Division.” – Narrator, The Fall of The Rovers - BBC Sport, 28^th July 2031.

Just two years previous, Doncaster had hopes of returning to the Football League. By the end of that season, they were relegated to the National League North, for the first time in their history. One season at that level and Rovers fell a tier further, to the Northern Premier Division. Why was that season in the Championship so fateful?

“The club let go of the players who earned them promotion. Key players. All three goalscorers at Wembley a few months prior were told to find new clubs. Whether that was down to (Stuart) Pearce or the board, mistakes were made that summer. Mistakes that still linger at the club today.” – Billy Sharp, The Fall of The Rovers - BBC Sport, 28^th July 2031.

It wasn’t just the players who went, it was the players who came in. A flood of youth loaned in from other clubs were meant to replace well-established, experienced professionals. They weren’t world beaters by any means, but the view of the local fan base was consistent among all – the team moved forward a step with promotion, but back two steps with the player movements that summer.

For me personally, it wasn’t something I paid any particular interest to. To my father and grandfather, both die-hard Doncaster Rovers fans, it was painful to watch. They watched religiously from the stands. They moaned, yet adjusted, when the Keepmoat Stadium was built in 2006. They moaned, yet adjusted, when relegation from the Championship in 2014 became a reality – at least the team gave it a go. Season tickets had once again been purchased, setting aside a good £700 between them when the early-bird renewal window was open in early June 2017. They felt scammed, ripped off, that the club got rid of their best players and replaced them with unknowns in the weeks after. By November, the club was sold to Terry Bramall, who did nothing to stop the falling ship nor win the fans back.

“For a team, in that day and age, even now, to make a jump from League One to the Championship, where teams regularly perform well after promotion, and only manage 1 win in 46 games.. It was disgraceful. Worse still, at board level, the feeling you got was that they weren’t bothered about how the fans felt. They increased the ticket prices the following year!” – Billy Sharp, The Fall of The Rovers - BBC Sport, 28^th July 2031.

Billy was right. We have seen teams come up from League One and hit the ground running. It was very rare for a club to go straight back down back then. You’d have thought lessons would have been learnt following their relegation just 4 years prior.

Oh, and that one win thing? Yeah, that happened. Whether decisions were being made above his head or not, Stuart Pearce was partly at fault for the diabolical performances on the pitch. Not that changing managers made any difference mind. The club saw three managers that season. Two of them saw their tenures through with a 0% win rate in that season (Pearce and Jason Tindall). Rovers picked up their solitary win on the 14^th April 2018 against local rivals Sheffield United. It was already too little, too late, as Doncaster suffered relegation as early as March. The final points total? Eleven. Or 11, just to make sure.

“The eleven points that the club picked up that season ensured a place in the record books - the unwanted records of fewest points in a single season (where three points are achieved for a win) and the fewest wins in a single season, neither of which have been matched since.” – Narrator, The Fall of The Rovers - BBC Sport, 28^th July 2031.

Things went from bad to worse. By the summer of 2019, Doncaster were preparing for life in League Two. Manager, Glenn Murray, who replaced Craig Hignett early in 2018, was the club’s fourth manager excluding caretakers, since Pearce won promotion in 2017. He was soon disposed of at the end of September that season. The rot slowed when Chris Wilder was placed in charge at the beginning of October and resurgence in the league provided a mid-table finish and a much improved outlook on the future of the club. That was until once again, the club was sold. Ross Jordan, a wealthy local businessman, took control of the club in May 2020 but freezing some ticket prices and offering deals for concessions ensured he won the fans over before the season ahead.

[gibbo11]

The fans were given more reasons to be happy. Chris Wilder assembled a decent team, including signings Nathan Smith from Port Vale, and Jasper Gillett and Jack Hendry in a double swoop from Wigan Athletic. A total of £100k was spent in the summer which enabled Wilder to make a charge for promotion. Whilst they didn’t go up as champions, they did scrape the third and final automatic promotion spot. Wilder relied on loans from Premier League clubs the following season and staved off relegation quite comfortably, finishing 18^th.

Fans called on the owners to splash the cash for 2022/23 in order to improve on the previous season’s position. The opposite happened. Similarities to their fateful Championship season in 2017/18, a series of loans and frees came in, not of the standard that the fans were expecting. Worse still, Jack Hendry, arguably the clubs best player for the past two seasons, was offloaded to St. Johnstone for £185k. Eight wins in 46 games was not enough to keep their League One status and League Two football beckoned again.

Over the next four years, Doncaster became a lower mid-table League Two club, finishing no higher than 14^th and no lower than 18^th. Chris Wilder was sacked in 2024 when another takeover was completed. New Chairman Tim Bickel installed Billy Sharp as manager but only lasted 162 days.

“I felt for Chris that he had to lose his job, but I was asked by the new board to take on the role. I wanted to do my best to get the club back into League One and further but I felt I wasn’t given a chance. We were sitting in 11^th in December and I found out I had been sacked via one of the Directors, not from Tim himself. It was disappointing, it needed more time to improve the squad.” – Billy Sharp, The Fall of The Rovers - BBC Sport, 28^th July 2031.

Sam Baldock, Timo Rost and Darren Cattermole all failed to achieve promotion with Doncaster and the latter oversaw The Rovers’ relegation to the National League, England’s 5^th tier. George Saunders only lasted 157 days in the role and with Doncaster in 16^th, it would take a great comeback for the team to achieve promotion at the first time of asking. Mike Ford was placed in charge for the rest of the season but Doncaster could only achieve 6^th, just missing out on the playoffs.

The club went into their sixth straight season of not spending a penny in transfers and Mike Ford was eventually pushed in September 2029. His replacement Stefan Rowley lasted 170 days, which was beginning to look like a long tenure at the club. However the reason for his dismissal was simple, they had a few games to save themselves. Those games passed without note and Doncaster had been relegated into the National League North. They finished 24^th with just 23 points, some 17 points off 23^rd and 25 points off 20^th.

Chairman Tim Bickel placed the club up for sale in May and by July, Doncaster’s fifth new owner in thirteen years, German Malte Köhler, was the man to try and oversee the charge back up to the National League. Josh Cook was sacked in September 2030 and his replacement, Lee Blackburn, was gone after 88 days. Bolton Under 21’s manager Curtis Teague was placed in charge for the rest of the season, but the damage was done. Doncaster Rovers finished 10 points from safety, relegation from the National League North with 36 points. Teague kept hold of his job to re-build the club this summer.

“We are looking to re-build. There have been some player movements already. 14 players have been let go and 10 have been brought in from all over the country. Being a professional club at this level, we are hoping that we can attract the quality for an immediate return to the National League North. The fans deserve so much better, the local community needs better from us and we’re determined to give it to them.” – Curtis Teague, The Fall of The Rovers - BBC Sport, 28^th July 2031.

[mark wilson27]

A very interesting start their gibbo, looking forward to reading more. Always intriguing to see a story that is set quite a distance in the future

[gibbo11]

Thanks Mark, appreciate it. To give a bit of background I went on 'holiday' for quite a number of years (won't tell you exactly when, as the story will eventually tell you), with more than 30/40-odd leagues running. I then evaluated the environment, weighed-up my options and started the game. A couple of months into the 'playing' save, I came up with the backstory for the manager!

FM16 with France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Scotland, Belgium, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Russia, Norway, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Hong Kong, Australia, USA, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Chile all to the lowest playable division. England down to level 9 thanks to the EEE updates. Yes, it took a while to holiday but it added some realism and history, whilst giving me a bigger list of potential saves.

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“Great session all. I hope you have learnt a lot. It’s been fascinating getting to know you all as coaches and as people. You are a talented group and I certainly hope that I get to either see you again or hear your name in years to come. Whatever you go on to do, good luck and I hope success finds you.”

It was a good parting speech from Markku Kanerva, the two-time caretaker manager of the Finland National team, no-less. It was great to get his insight over the past few days and also to learn from some of the coaches who had taken the trip with me. Charlie Taylor, a fellow participant on the tour, and I, got onto the bus and set off for our hotel. With neither of us in too much of a rush to leave this beautiful country, we decided to stop off at Henry’s. This time, no notes were needing to be ignored. Just some good conversation and a few beers to top the trip off.

Whilst I was pessimistic at the beginning, what with the 8 hour classroom sessions, it turned into a fun, insightful trip. I had learnt a lot. What I had gained most, though, was the extra desire to quit my teaching job and take up coaching. I wouldn’t be able to do it so soon. Unless someone took a punt, I was only realistically going to get a coaching job at a step 9 or step 10 club. That meant I needed a full time job aside from coaching. I wasn’t prepared to find a new industry to fall into, so sticking with the teaching was my only option. At least the kids hadn’t accused me of any verbal abuse, yet.

“Kaksi olutta, kiitos.”

I tried out my best Finnish to order two beers, much to the delight of the barman. He could speak English so I needn’t have tried, but I’m the sort of bloke who needs to try to fit in with my surroundings. Turns out please isn’t translated very well and what I said was ‘two beers, thank you’. Google translate still has its faults so many years after its creation.

Charlie and I evaluated our time in Finland, both agreeing that we would do this all again and could possibly look at other countries the following summer. Denmark or Sweden both topping our wishlist. It would all depend on how the next year would turn out. My plans were to get some decent coaching experience. For Charlie, he still hadn’t called time on his playing career.

He began his footballing life in the West Ham academy as a striker, but a series of unsuccessful loans meant he was released at the end of the 2021/22 season. He was picked up by Dartford and played predominantly as a right winger, making use of his left foot as he cut inside the full back. A resurgence in form was hampered by his ‘bad-boy’ attitude. Growing up in the East End of London, Charlie was a regular at the Boleyn Ground, home of West Ham. You may remember their famous last game at the ground against Manchester United, where the United team coach was attacked with bottles on the way in. CCTV caught his face as one of the offenders and Charlie was found guilty. Whilst his youth contract stayed intact, it gave him an unwanted reputation.

By the time he was 27, he had picked up seven red cards and had been suspended for a total 25 games. It was no surprise that October last season he was released by Sheffield, whom he joined from Dartford in 2025, for poor attitude. He blamed his personal life and marital problems on his issues and decided to get on the straight and narrow. If I hadn’t have found all this out, I wouldn’t have been any of the wiser – he seemed like a decent lad. At 29, time wasn’t on his side so finding a club in the coming season was his main focus, above the coaching.

The bar was a little noisier than it was 4 days previous, with much of the noise emanating from a group of girls in one corner. I hadn’t taken much notice of them but Charlie, the recent divorcee, was like a dog on heat.

“Much better talent here than back home, I’ll tell you that.”

It was hard to disagree. He continued..

“Don’t look right away but there’s a nice blonde sort behind you.”

Now, first of all, when someone says don’t look, you have a bigger urge to look, so it was hard not to turn around straight away. Secondly, I didn’t agree with his term ‘sort’. Charlie, showing his cockney roots, did have a way with words.

“Daniel?”

“Kristiina! Hello!”

Well if that weren’t the perfect way to complete the trip. Before I could ask her how she was, she had already leant over and gave me a friendly peck on the cheek. I was taken aback so my peck was more of a noise in her ear. I was hoping her tipsiness would brush over the fact I was clearly dying of embarrassment.

“You leave tomorrow, right?”

I guess she wasn’t freaked out by my beaming smile. Not only had she remembered what I looked like and my name, she remembered that I was leaving the following day.

“You and your friend, come over..!”

She invited me and Charlie to join her group for a few drinks. Charlie wasn’t one to turn down an opportunity. I could hear his thoughts through the look on his face – something like ‘you lucky b*stard, how have you managed this?!’

The drinks flowed and with a relatively short trip back to the hotel ahead, Charlie and I could afford to throw a few more down the gullet than I could have done on previous nights. It wasn’t long before the shots appeared and not far behind, Charlie was getting over his failed marriage with Kristiina’s friend Ana. She was considerably taller than him, a combination of her long legs with his much shorter ones. Standing at 5’9”, Charlie didn’t have the biggest presence in the room. His full arm sleeve tattoos, much the symbol of a modern-day ‘baller’, was probably the attraction to Ana, who had several herself.

“It’s a shame I leave tomorrow. You seem fun, I’d love to get to know you a little better.”

I went for it. Confidence when the drink is flowing is a funny thing.

“I’d like that. You should come back soon, Daniel. I can introduce you to my father.”

Steady girl…

“I’m sure you two can talk about football!”

I’m assuming she meant introduce just for football and nothing more. Wishful thinking. I didn’t think that at the age of 31 I’d be on the cusp of a holiday fling, but boy, she was good looking, and boy there was definitely a bit of rust to shake off.

[tenthreeleader]

Thank you for taking such time for backstory. Does a traditional writer's heart proud. Let's have more, please!

[gibbo11]

Thanks 10-3, appreciate your words. I kept finding myself starting a story away from the forum but trying to make an 'interesting-ish' intro/backstory and finding it quite difficult. Was always resorting to things that had been overused on the forum (long time reader). I've had fun with this one and have managed to get quite a few storylines to go on, as you'll soon see.

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The ringing sound of an alarm echoed in my hotel room. I lent over to the bedside table to turn it off but found that it wasn’t where I thought I’d left it. The banging of my head, added to the sharp sound of the alarm, made the anticipated hangover kick in with aplomb. I reached on the floor by the bottom of the bed where my jeans lay, removed my phone and snoozed it. Today was one day I couldn’t afford to miss alarms.

“Hey.”

I jumped. I could also reset that ‘no relationship of any sort’ clock to zero. I wanted to say hi back but I just chuckled. Thankfully, Kristiina chuckled back.

“You Finns sure know how to party!”

I had two flights to get back home. The first from was from Kuopio to Helsinki, then the second, onto Doncaster Sheffield from there. The bus was picking us up in an hour. I had to decline Kristiina’s offer of breakfast but I was keen to make sure we stayed in touch. We exchanged emails and promised to Skype. I can be quite pessimistic, especially around women, so I wasn’t going to hold my breath if she didn’t want to stay in touch. Surely I’d be low down on her list of potential men, after all, how could it ever work? Our small talk was interrupted by my third snooze alarm, quickly followed by a call from Charlie.

“Charlie. How you feeling?”

“Like a mess. Hopefully the hangover doesn’t last too long. I’ve got a trial at Stocksbridge tomorrow.”

“Nice one, you’ll be fine. Get some coffee down you and find some decent pub grub when you’re back.”

Hopefully it was the break Charlie needed. He’d been contacted on a free agent website, where you write your ‘football CV’. Stocksbridge Park Steels were sitting at tier 9, in the Toolstation Northern Counties East Football League Premier Division. After dropping into tier 10 at the end of the 2024/25 season, they’ve been making steady process on establishing themselves at tier 9. Four mid-table finishes, followed by a 3^rd place finish. The potential was there for Charlie to make an impact, providing his trial went well. There was just one more thing I needed to do before setting off and that was to give Kristiina a proper good bye.

[gibbo11]

First day at back to work was as sh*t as I imagined. New class, same sh*t. Just sh*t. Only thing that could cheer me up would be a Skype message from Kristiina but nothing had been sent. That’s sh*t. It had been just over month since we hooked up in Kuopio and we still spoke. It didn’t feel like we were going to be more than friends but I at least hoped that she could visit ‘Donchester’. I left work and headed home before setting off to see Stocksbridge play Staveley Miners Welfare. Primarily, I was there to watch Charlie hopefully put in a better performance than his last match. He only lasted 38 minutes before the red mist descended and he lashed out during the FA Cup Extra Prelim round match against Sutton Coldfield. Luckily for the player on the receiving end, no damage was done, and as for Charlie, well, he was lucky to escape with a three match ban, I read that the elbow looked nasty. I was a bit worried about how the fans would welcome him back into the side. At such a low level of football, the one-on-one hostility you can get from the fans in the terraces can play with your emotions and Charlie was an emotional guy.

Whilst on my way to Stocksbridge, I had 5live on where they were discussing the Premier League season so far ahead of the international break. Reigning champions Manchester City were trailing West Ham who had made a winning start to the season, winning 3 out of out 3. West Ham were hopeful of going one better this season, following a second placed finish in 2030/31. Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea had made solid starts whilst Manchester United and Liverpool found themselves near the bottom of the table. Newly promoted Sheffield United were bottom, whilst other promoted sides Watford and Championship winners Swansea had both won one, drawn one and lost one. Burnley and Hull had decent starts and found themselves in the top half.

They also touched on the Football League, firstly the Championship, where all eyes were on Fleetwood, who narrowly missed the playoffs last season. They were currently in the top half. Newly promoted Barnet had struggled with life back in the Championship, following a poor transfer window. They would do well to stay up. Leeds were hoping to make their mark after two seasons in League One, whilst Bolton were trying to shake off their yo-yo status between the Championship and League One. Both were mid-table. Reading, looking to get instant promotion back to the Premier League were leading the way and faring much better than both Brentford and Sunderland, who were also relegated the season prior.

In League One, Fulham were at their fifth attempt to return to the Championship. A series of failed ownerships had stagnated their progress and seemed to have become rooted to League One. Their start to the season was indifferent, but the potential in their team was huge. It was an even longer wait for Birmingham who were in their twelfth straight season in the third tier. The Brazilian consortium that took over in 2030 had spent big to fire themselves up the table. It was a case of so far, not so good, languishing around the relegation zone after the first month of games. Fans of an underdog were rooting for two teams in League One. The first was Ebbsfleet United who had made steady progress over the past 18 years. Suffering no relegations, they have been able to stabilise and earn promotion after promotion. Mid-table finishes had given them a platform to build on and they had made a decent start, sitting in 5^th. The other team were AFC Telford, who narrowly missed the playoffs in League One in 2028/29. Their best players departed and this season was about steadying the ship to make a charge in the coming seasons. Unfortunately for them, it was bottom of the league.

In League Two, Swindon and Leyton Orient led the way, whilst near the bottom, Eastleigh, Cheltenham and Charlton needed much improved performances to ease their fans worries. Blackburn were hoping to go one better, following defeat in the playoff final in 2030/31 whereas Wigan would be hoping for playoffs, following a disappointing mid-table finish the season prior. Both teams were sitting comfortably near the top of the table.

I took my seat in the solitary seating stand to give myself a better view of the game. The teams came out and I noticed Charlie had to settle for the bench. It’s not surprising, the team had won the last two games – don’t fix what’s not broken. My phone buzzed as the whistle blew for kick off and it was the message I had been waiting for.

“Hey Dan,

Sorry, long day! Meeting after meeting.

My English class went well, thank you. Feel very confident speaking now. I will need to practice later if you are home early.

I’ve decided I want to come and visit you. I like talking to you and you are more interesting than the men who live here. It will be good to see DonCASTER.

I hope Charlie plays well. I forgot to mention that Mika scored three on Sunday. Pa is hoping to get him a club in the second or first division. I hope so, it will keep his thoughts off of making trouble :-)

I am looking forward to your reply much more than turning 27 next week.

K xx”

Sh*t hot! Who’d have thought I’d find a girl that actually wanted to see me… who lived in Finland. I broke up for half term in October so I was going to propose those dates. I would need to make sure to show her Doncaster quickly, before moving on to somewhere nicer, as much as I love Doncaster. It’s home after all.

A small cheer from the far side of the ground grabbed my attention and although I missed it, Staveley had gone 1-0 up. Nothing for me to evaluate since my thoughts were elsewhere. It was good to hear that her brother, Mika, was doing well. She had explained in our first conversations that he was starting to cause a few problems and that her father had been trying hard to get his head straight.

Apparently, the boy had potential but he needed to start showing it before it was too late. He was due to start an apprenticeship in September but he failed to turn up. He loved football, providing things were going right. If he or the team hit a bad run of form, he’d lose interest. Both my coaching mind and teaching mind were kicking in. It’s an exciting challenge to coach someone at that age to try and have an influence on their life, as much as they allow. It got me looking forward to coaching Henshall’s Higher Education team in this years’ DSFA District Schools Football League. Some of the boys entering sixth form this coming year had really good potential and with Doncaster being so low down in the football pyramid, it was a great time for local talent to break into a professional club, after the board decided against turning semi-pro.

On the pitch, the game was quite dull and in all honesty, needed someone like Charlie to come on and instill some fire into his team. Half time couldn’t come quick enough but I decided to beat the rush and get a quarter-pounder from the burger bar. No on-the-go superfood salad for me. As the whistle went for half-time and the muddied players came off for a quick break, I took the opportunity to grab Charlie for a chat as he had a kick about with his fellow subs.

“She wants to come over.. It’s happening!”

“She’s pulling your leg mate, she won’t go through with it!”

Whether it was jealousy or his true belief, I still had that doubt that she would want to see me. I wouldn’t blame her. Still, it was more real than anything Charlie had on the go.

“What about you pal? Off to the Lion after, for a bit of tonsil tennis with bar-prop Tina?”

“You’re a wrongen mate.”

Tina, aka Terrifying Tina – you could count the number of intact teeth on one hand. Rumour has it that good ol’ C.T. got so bladdered a few weeks back that Tina had her way with him. He hadn’t shown his face in there since but tried saying he’d not been there for over a month. We had gotten quite close since the Finland trip. I had some good mates but none that were particularly close. I guess we shared a passion for football, despite coming at it from different avenues. I liked Charlie, he was a good guy at heart.

The second half was as drab as the first and even more disappointing was the fact Charlie only got 5 minutes at the end, no real time to make an impact at all. Well, that was until his booking in injury time – standard Charles Taylor. Off to the bar..!

[gibbo11]

“So, Charlie boy says I should give you an opportunity to get some coaching experience with us, what’s your history? Any involvement with other clubs?”

Toby Rasulo, manager of Stocksbridge, popped into the clubhouse after the game. He sipped from his double Glenfiddich 12 year and stared intently at me, waiting for an answer – turns out Charlie had been on at him to give me some coaching experience. Guess that’s the main reason he wanted me there.

“I’ve had some experience at Rossington Main and Armthorpe Welfare. I’m going to assume Charlie told you about our recent Finland trip – learnt a lot out there. Good to learn from experienced coaches.”

“You’re a teacher right? Primary or Secondary?”

“Secondary – well, more higher ed actually. Sixth form, you know.”

“Where at?"

“Henshall, Doncaster”

“Oh right!”

He took a mouthful of his drink as he pondered his thoughts.

“Right.. Yeah.. I think I came to watch a game last year. I like to survey the scene, see what the talent is like a schoolboy level – try and get some of these youngsters in before the bigger clubs come in for them.”

“I think that’s wise, something I’d do too. There are some talented kids round these parts, I heard rumours that Donny were trying to put some apprenticeship scheme in place so it might start to become a bit harder to do.”

“I wasn’t aware of that, that’s useful to know. I’ll tell you what..”

He downed the rest of his ice-cold whisky.

“I’ve got to shoot but it’s been good to have a quick chat. We have training on Thursday night before Saturday’s game. Bring your boots along and we’ll see what you can pass onto our lads.”

And like that, it seemed like I had been given a coaching trial. Thursday’s weren’t particularly the best of nights for me, as Henshall's games usually kicked off around half 4 or 5 o'clock but I wasn’t going to pass on the opportunity. I stayed for one drink and thanked Charlie as I left.

Yeah, he’s a good lad that Charlie.

[JayR2003]

Great start! The backstory (without getting into the on-field product yet) has me hooked!

[gibbo11]

Thanks Jay, great to hear - appreciate it.

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“Finnair Flight number A831, HELSINKI to DONCASTER SHEFFIELD is expected to arrive at 09:37”

Today was the day. Two and half months since I sat in a bar in Kuopio, talking to this amazing woman, and today was the day she was going through on her promise that she would come and see me. I was nervous. I hadn’t slept much. I hoped that we still clicked in person like we did back in Finland. I mean, we still do via Skype but there is always that little worry isn’t there? I wouldn’t know, I’m new to this long distance friendship/relationship kinda thing.

It’s not even a relationship.

Yet.

Ahh, I’m just a nervous wreck.

I had planned to take her to the Lake District and spend some time away from Doncaster but whilst I have the time off from school, my coaching role at Stocksbridge had flourished. I was now in the thick of it after impressing the powers that be. I had a great relationship with the players – the banter flying around was great. That meant that I was unable to take too many days away from the area. Still, it was better than nothing.

The boys had a great 4-1 win the day previous, jumped us up to 6^th place. Charlie got two from left wing and ensured the minibus back to Stocksbridge was a happy place to be. What wasn’t, was my bathroom after the state Charlie left it in after staying the night. I had to be up extra early to tidy and chuck him out. That wasn’t what I had planned on a day like today.

Whilst waiting for Kristiina, I had a browse through Twitter, which led me to some interesting trends. World Player of the Year Ido Turgeman had apparently come out and said he was interested in a move to the Premier League. Apparently he had a falling out with Tobias Schweinsteiger, his manager at Bayern Munich, and Premier League leaders and current holders, Manchester City, was his most likely destination.

Unfortunately, the biggest news was also the saddest. Former Doncaster Rovers chairman John Ryan had passed at the ripe old age of 84. I know that my Dad was a huge fan of his and would be particularly hit by the news.

As for on the pitch, their league form in their first season in the Northern Premier Division was going well, though they weren’t dominating like they thought. Seven wins from 15 games left them in 4th position. They were, however, out of the FA Cup 1^st qualifying round – their worst FA Cup performance in their history.

“Soz about the vom in the bog. Hope it goes well today, mate.”

Charlie was being particularly nice in his text. Yes that goes for the first part too. It was unlike him to apologise. Whilst his jovial antics and words give him a certain demeanour, he was quite a softy at heart. He’d also finally conceded that ‘the blonde sort’ was actually interested in me. His text briefly put my mind at rest as I stood at the arrivals hall, both hands and legs shaking. I knew that she would appear at any moment.

Minutes felt like hours.

There was a flood of people coming through but she still hadn’t appeared.

She definitely boarded, didn’t she?

What if she didn’t?

But an opening between people appeared and there she was.. Is it weird to be feeling like this over someone I had barely been around in person? No words were needed. Just arms round each other and lips locking.

It felt right.

[Blykul]

Good stuff so far. Just a minor issue that it most definitely is Kuopio not Kuipio. Since I pretty much live there I couldn't help but notice it.

[gibbo11]

Good stuff so far. Just a minor issue that it most definitely is Kuopio not Kuipio. Since I pretty much live there I couldn't help but notice it.

Apologies mate, all amended now!

[gibbo11]

The week couldn’t have gone any better. From seeing Kristiina appear through the crowd at the airport, to big ‘Tobes’ giving me Thursday off to get some decent time up in the Lake District. The typical British weather wasn’t enough to dampen our spirits in the gorgeous green mountainous hills. It felt like we’d known each other for years but we’d act like we were 16 again, excitable, joyful.

It was her last night before she went back to Finland so when we got back to my house, we got a couple of bottles of wine, ordered a take away and reviewed the list of films that Netflix had to offer. I found that she had a particular taste for black bean sauce, Chinese food in general, really. I ordered in a mixture of dishes from Yeungs and settled in to watch Saw: Resurrected, which was the 19^th installment in the Saw range..

I wonder if they’ll ever stop making these films, how many more ‘Jigsaw’s’ will there be?

Still, we shared another thing in common - horror films. Our food arrived, wine was going down nicely and the company was even better.

“So I’ve been thinking..”

A particularly tense moment on screen was equaled off it when Kristiina broke the silence. My heart dropped a little bit. Pessimistic with women, remember.

“What’s that?”

“I want to be with you but it is hard living so far away.”

Letting me down gently, I could sense it.

“I know what you mean, it’s hard but I’ve loved you being over here.”

“I’ve enjoyed it so much.”

“But you can’t do this anymore, is that what you’re saying?”

“I have just been thinking about it a lot. Since you were in Kuopio.”

This wasn’t the best time for that clown-faced Saw doll to begin its hysterical laugh. Not the time nor the place.

“Thinking about not talking anymore?”

“No… No.”

She paused. Then she smiled a little bit.

“I want to move to England. I want to be with you.”

Not only had her English improved, but she knew how to keep me on edge with her words. It was a roundabout way of telling me but I wasn’t complaining. I can only remember feeling this way towards someone once before back when I was 19. University. Lass named Nicole.

She was in my halls and it felt like we spent more time in them than out socialising. We made a crack at the relationship game, which I thought was going well. Haven’t been back to an Oceana since the night I saw her snogging a bloke in a far-flung corner of the club. The bloke and I are actually decent mates now – Paulo. He had Italian on his mothers’ side and tried to play off that fact to win-over the opposite sex. He and Nicole dated for two months before she cheated on him too. I guess that’s why I’ve been hesitant in finding ‘love’. Several failed relationships in my twenties made me realise it took a lot longer to bounce back from early heartbreak.

It felt bloody good to be back in the game.

[gibbo11]

Apologies all, been on holiday and no access to FM, which I needed to fill in some details for the next couple of entries.

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She’d agreed that the middle of January was the best time to start her new job at Winneco Events Management, based in Sheffield. They’d taken into consideration her position and that she’d be re-locating to a new country. It also worked out for me. Christmas and New Year time was a particularly busy period for football, even at semi-professional level and whilst school was out, I still had to plan for the new term. Teaching hadn’t been too bad in the first term though that could have been an outcome of my dwindled interest in being there. I wanted to help the students improve their young lives and to give them a platform to build on, but the stresses of the job had taken its toll.

Status update – I still wanted out.

My mind was off Henshall for now though, as Stocksbridge had a game in Garforth. The lads had been up and down in the last couple of months. Injuries to top scorer Dragan Tosic and our Razor Ruddock lookalike Michael Scott, meant we were a danger to ourselves both up top and in defence. ‘My old mukka’ Charlie had been one of our shining lights this season, despite his disciplinary record. Nine goals and eleven assists placed him high on the list in the leagues average rating charts. If clubs weren’t sniffing around then I’d have been surprised. He could still do a job a tier or two higher and he certainly deserved another crack but until then, we were very pleased he was still at the club.

“Miss Kristiina Mäkelä

7 Wyndeham Road

Doncaster

DN8 4PT”

Great, here comes her post. She’s not due here for another 4 weeks – she’s eager. I like that.

In the car on the way to Garforth, 5live had England legend Wayne Rooney in the studio to discuss England’s chances in Euro 2032. The group draw wasn’t particularly kind considering the teams involved in the summer. We would find ourselves up against Serbia, Slovenia and the big game would be against Holland. They casted their minds back to previous major tournaments and whether the squad could be capable what some one or two of those squads had achieved.

It started with Euro 2016 and Roy Hodsgon was going into his 3^rd major tournament as England boss. The premise was simple, Hodgson needed the team to perform much better than the 2014 World Cup in Brazil where they were shamelessly knocked out in the group stages. Hodgson’s job was on the line if the group he took didn’t reach at least the quarter finals. The group consisted of Turkey, Ukraine and Croatia, games that the nation expected to win at least two of the three. Their opening game against Turkey led to some journalists back home to write of England’s chances. A 3-2 defeat at the Stade Velodrome saw England’s hopes of finishing top in the group suffer a huge blow. A hat-trick from Hakan Calhanoglu cancelled out efforts from Liverpool duo Daniel Sturridge and Jordan Henderson. Their second game against Ukraine was a much improved performance. They were helped on their way after just 6 minutes when Yaroslav Rakitskyi was sent off. Three goals in four minutes saw England victorious in a 3-0 win – Danny Welbeck, Harry Kane and Jordan Henderson, his second of the tournament, with the goals. They needed a point against Croatia to qualify for the next round and they got off to a bright start with Harry Kane’s headed effort in the second minute. Mario Mandzukic and Ivan Perisic put Croatia into a 2-1 lead going into the break but Harry Kane got his second of the game and equalised mid-way through the second half. The game ended 2-2 and England finished second in the group.

Their opponents in the second round were Italy, who also finished runners-up in their group, following a dominant Germany side winning all three group matches. It was a rare, but comfortable win for England, with Raheem Sterling opening the scoring after three minutes. In the second half, Arsenal striker Danny Welbeck got a quick-fire double to put England 3-0 up and out of sight. The Italians defeated, Antonio Conte soon found himself with the sack. A quarter final match against Greece would be up next for England. Not to be written off, Greece come into the game following a penalty shoot-out win against Romania. They were dangerous – they topped a group which contained hosts France and home nations Wales and Scotland. 5live studio guest Wayne Rooney got England’s only goal of the game as ten-man Greece suffered exit at the quarter-final stage.

“We felt confident following that match. We had played well, bar the Turkey game. It was the furthest we had got in international competition for 20 years and we watched the game between Austria and Holland intently.”

Austria, who had taken Spain into extra time in the second round before disposing of them, also took Holland into extra time. Their top scorer at the tournament Marko Arnautovic got a ninety-fifth minute winner as Austria claimed their second scalp of the tournament to set-up a semi-final clash against England. The game, held at the Stade des Lumieres in Lyon, wasn’t too exciting and the game finished 0-0 at the end of ninety minutes. With it being Austria’s third game to go to extra time, pundits and fans alike felt England should have enough in the tank to see the game through and nick a winner. Their luck was in as Zlatko Junuzovic was sent off for a second bookable offence before Adam Lallana struck following a poorly defended corner. The teams were level in terms of men just five minutes into the second half of extra time when Fabian Delph also saw his marching orders when he appeared to elbow Marko Arnautovic. It didn’t hamper England though as Jordan Henderson hit a twenty-five yard volley in the 115^th minute before Phil Jones completed the scoring and put England into their first major final since winning the World Cup in 1966.

[gibbo11]

“We knew the game would be tough. The pressure was immense, walking out at the Stade de France to face the hosts in the final of a European Championships is something I’ll never forget.”

Rooney and his boss Roy Hodgson led their team out onto the pitch to face France, who were unbeaten in the tournament. They had disposed of Portugal, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Turkey in the knockout stages, with some impressive scorelines. Antione Griezmann and Olivier Giroud were two of the tournament’s top scorers and both shook off late fitness tests to be available for the game. For England, they were missing Fabian Delph and defender Chris Smalling. The hosts started the brighter with Paul Pogba hitting the post after just six minutes. The pressure was relentless and a mistake from Adam Lallana cost his team dear. His poor back pass towards Joe Hart was swept up by Antoine Griezmann who needed no second chance, placing the ball past Hart and after half hour, France led England by a goal to nil in the Euro 2016 final. The response by Hodgson’s men was almost instant, as Danny Welbeck headed just over and Harry Kane’s free kick was tipped round the post by Hugo Lloris.

The second half seemed to begin the way the first half ended, with England the dominant team. France earned themselves a corner following some good play down the left by Patrice Evra and from the resulting corner, France’s lead was doubled. Olivier Giroud rose highest to head home in the 61^st minute. England’s hearts sinking by the minute. Despite calls for a penalty from captain Rooney, England were unable to catch a break and when the final whistle was blown, the French public roared in adulation for their heroes, England’s players sunk to their knees, fans in tears.

Roy Hodgson stayed on as England boss until January 2017, when he decided to call it a day from football. Despite some early failures as England manager, he was pleasantly looked back on as bringing England very close to a second major tournament win. Young Bournemouth manager earned the call to become the new England boss in late January and would be hoping to continue Hodgson’s good start to the World Cup 2018 qualifying. A blow to Eddie Howe was that in the summer of 2017, Wayne Rooney called time on his international playing career. This saw the likes of Dele Alli, Ross Barkley and Callum Wilson given more of a run-out at international level.

Eddie Howe’s men qualified for the Russian World Cup in 2018 relatively easily and were faced with a group consisting of China, Switzerland and Ghana. Whilst there were games of football to be played on the pitch, the opening stages of the tournament will always be remembered due to off the field controversies. Whilst the lead up for years had been the questioning of giving Russia the World Cup rights, the actions of rival fans overshadowed what had been a great start to the tournament. Similar to that of Euro 2016, rival nation fans were caught up in animosity and Russia were fined by FIFA, along with England, Argentina and Columbia fans.

On the pitch England’s group games went as well as expected. John Stones and Harry Kane scored in a 2-0 victory over China in their first game, despite Ross Barkley earning a sending off. In our second game against Switzerland, we enjoyed dominance nearly all game. Recalled Theo Walcott did his club chances no harm following a double either side of Nathaniel Clyne’s wonder strike. A solid 3-0 win put England into the next round with a game to spare. Walcott was once again the start man in our final group game. Despite going a goal down to a Majeed Waris goal for Ghana, Walcott struck twice before half time before his trickery down the right allowed Clyne to cross in for Chris Smalling to head home for England’s third. A 3-1 win saw England win all group matches – a much needed change from previous tournaments.

Our second round opponents Columbia had beaten both South Korea and hosts Russia in the group stages. Their only blip was a 4-0 defeat to Spain. Top scorer James Rodriguez was unable to stamp his mark on the game as their top scorer, as England left it late to win. Danny Welbeck got England’s two goals in the 72^nd and 75^th minutes as we progressed into another World Cup quarter final. Following victories of 4-1 and 5-0 over Australia and Egypt in the group stages, Belgium suffered defeat to Argentina in their final group game. It meant they had to settle for second place in the group and come up against a spirited Austria side, whose performance at Euro 2016 had given the nation a much needed boost. Belgium did knock Marcel Koller’s team out relatively easy however, following goals from Vincent Kompany, Divock Origi and Romelu Lukaku in a 3-0 win. Much had been said in the build-up to the World Cup and indeed tournaments before, about Belgium’s potential to win at major tournaments. Individually brilliant but lacked the teamwork needed for a major win. They came against Eddie Howe’s in-form England at the Mordovia Arena in Saransk.

“Whether it was because we had a young side and the experience in their side was far greater, or whether it was down to Eddie Howe’s lack of tournament experience, it was a poor performance and fans were devastated we were unable to get further in the competition.”

Belgium broke through England’s defence with relative ease and went into the break 3-1 ahead. Thomas Vermaelen scored a thirty yard free-kick before Harry Kane equalised for the Three Lions. The level terms lasted three minutes before Thomas Foket and Romelu Lukaku gave Belgium that much deserved lead at the break. In the second half, Luke Shaw brought down Lukaku in the box and Chelsea’s Eden Hazard stepped up to make it 4-1. Belgium saw out the game comfortably and Howe’s first tournament as England manager ended at the quarter-final stage. For Belgium, they saw past an Alexis Sanchez led Chile in the semi-final, with a Lukaku double in a 2-1 victory to set up a final tie against Germany, seeking to win back to back World Cups. Unfortunately for Belgium, young star Dirk Fuchs struck twice in the first half at the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow to see Germany lift the World Cup for the 5^th time.

[gibbo11]

Howe was to keep his job as England boss to oversee England’s qualification for the Euro 2020, which was to be hosted around Europe. A 100% win record saw England go into the tournament as top seeds once again.

Their group was Ukraine, Portugal and Bulgaria. Their opening game against Ukraine at the National Arena in Bucharest, Romania, was the perfect start England needed. Goals from Dele Alli, Saido Berahino and Harry Kane gave us a deserved 3-0 win. Two goals in the opening two minutes from Bernardo Silva and Andre Silva gave Portugal an early lead in our second group game. Jordan Henderson got a goal back after a quarter of an hour but the game petered out with not much action in the second half as Portugal defeated England 2-1. That meant we needed a win from our final group game against Bulgaria and the game almost didn’t go to plan. Another early goal was conceded, this time from Georgi Milanov. Thankfully, the players responded quickly, and recalled Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain equalised within four minutes before Ross Barkley put England in front. A Saido Berahino goal late in the game secure victory and a second round place.

Their opponents were marked as one of the favourites – Spain. After seeing some big names retire in recent years, the likes of Iniesta, Ramos and Casillas, a rejuvenated Spanish side took their group by storm, winning all three games – two 3-0 wins against Czech Republic and Republic of Ireland, along with a 1-0 against Bosnia & Herzegovina gave them the opportunity to play a fellow youthful side in England. Whilst England’s attentions were on top scorer Alvaro Morata, they probably weren’t expecting to concede to two Hector Bellerin goals. The Arsenal full-backs two goals either side of half time were enough to see England fail to progress past the second round. To make matters worse, Jordan Henderson was sent off for a reckless challenge on Koke late on.

“It was right that Eddie got another chance. Yes, we didn’t put in the performance we expected against Spain. But it was a very good Spanish side who also felt they exited early.”

Spain found themselves going home just a week later as they came up against an in-form Anthony Martial. The PSG striker got two either side of half time to add to the early Thomas Lemar strike which saw France beat Spain 3-0 to go through to the semi-finals. France would rely on two penalty shoot-outs in the remainder of the tournament to seal back to back European Championships. A 1-1 draw in 120 minutes against Ukraine saw Griezmann send the keeper the wrong way with his decisive spot-kick and send France to the final at Wembley. Their opponents were England’s group rivals Portugal. Tottenham’s Diogo Jota put Portugal ahead but a Karim Benzema header put France level. The game went to extra time and penalties where it was that Real Madrid man Benzema who scored the decisive spot kick and earn France their fourth European Championship.

As Rooney mentioned, Eddie Howe was given another chance to make history with England. There were no surprises in qualifying, England topped their group and were in the draw for the World Cup 2022, hosted in Canada, a change from the original country of Qatar. Howe’s team included Tottenham duo Brendan Galloway and striker Josh Berry, Manchester United’s Callum Gribbin and Southampton’s Duncan Greenwood. Most seeded teams would have liked to have been drawn in the same group as Canada and first timers Gabon. England however got neither, and would need to be on top form to get past Uruguay, USA and Sweden.

Our first game was against European rivals Sweden who were expecting to battle bravely in the group and hope to squeeze into a runner-up position. England’s start was just what they needed as Spurs striker Josh Berry, in his first tournament with his nation, struck from eighteen yards after just 13 minutes. Whilst the game was comfortable for the Three Lions, their failure to double their lead proved to be their downfall as with eight minutes remaining, Mattias Svanberg equalised to earn Sweden a 1-1 draw. England’s second game was against those from across the pond. USA came in to the tournament with high hopes. Soccer had been thriving in recent years and the Americans felt they could finally be in with a real shot of coming home with the trophy, especially in nearby Canada. In Calgary however, it was Spurs’ other striker Harry Kane who got us off to a flyer. A free-kick got us on our way before a cheeky flick at the near post following a Raheem Sterling cross doubled the lead. A poor challenge from John Stones allowed Devante Parker a chance from the spot to reduce the deficit – and he duly did so. England were once again unable to make their dominance count and Wayne Garcia equalised for the Americans with just nine minutes remaining. Eddie Howe faced some difficult questions both in Canada and back home, their game against Uruguay was set to be a must win.

[gibbo11]

The stage was set in Quebec at the Community Arena, where over 42,000 tickets had been sold or given to the local community. Uruguay came into the match also needing a win to go through. Their win against Sweden counteracted their loss against USA, which meant currently, England were 3^rd and needed all three points. It was a cagey start but youngster Josh Berry kick-started a masterclass performance when, in the 31^st minute, his dummy allowed Harry Kane to thread a ball back to Berry, who slotted home. Two minutes later, Jordan Henderson’s over the top ball allowed Berry to return the favour, squaring the ball to Kane who smashed it home and doubled our lead. The half time break came at the wrong time but England went in at the break 2-0 up and in the driving seat.

The mood dropped in the England fans section within minutes of the restart. Edinson Cavani headed home to grab a goal back for the South American team. England settled and didn’t allow Uruguay space, then pounced on the counter attack. Substitute Jordon Ibe ran down the line and the cut inside and found Berry for his second of the game. Ten minutes later, Berry completed his hat-trick and put England 4-1 up. It was the result they needed and the result that put their previous two performances to the back of the fans minds.

The result meant that England had to face their fiercest of rivals, reigning World Cup champions Germany in the second round. The Germans were facing their own questions. Despite a 4-0 win over South Korea, it was the 0-0 draw with South Korea and the 1-0 defeat to Chile which put some doubts on whether they are past their best. England fancied their chances.

“We, the fans, smelt blood. They hadn’t looked great in qualifying, they hadn’t looked great in the Euros just two years previous. We felt this was the fall of Germany, their transition period.”

Their top scorer at the tournament, Jan Kern, who got a hat-trick against South Korea, was the man to watch. It didn’t help that John Stones, who gave away a penalty against USA, gave away a second within just ten minutes against Germany. Kern stepped up and smashed it past Jack Butland. The response from England was good. Nice, slick passing led to numerous chances, none of which we could put away. When Josh Berry was brought down on the edge of the box, the referee from Switzerland waved away protests for a penalty but gave a free-kick instead. Harry Kane stepped up and curled it past the wall and inside the post for the equaliser. Game on. Things got better for England. Southampton’s midfielder Duncan Greenwood latched on to a corner to put England in front. We needed to be resolute in the second half, it was clear the German’s still had the talent. Just thirty-three seconds into the second half, Kern found himself in space and equalised for Germany. It was a blow that affected the confidence of the eleven on the pitch for England. 65 minutes on the clock, it was another youngster, Danny Buckhart, who put Germany in the lead for the second time in the game. Despite changes from Howe, England’s efforts were reduced to long shots and the full time whistle went.

England out at the second round stage again.

[gibbo11]

“Everyone had been calling for the appointment since he left Chelsea the first time around. Now was the right time. Now was the time we needed an experienced, talented manager. We needed to go foreign.”

Jose Mourinho was announced as the new England manager at the end of July 2022. It was a period of English football where the mentality seemed that have changed. Qualification for the Euro 2024 in Spain was a place where Mourinho gave opportunities to some more upcoming, hungry and talented players. It wasn’t a surprise Mourinho looked at Chelsea for players. Midfield duo Todd Fernandez and Tony Thurgood shone throughout qualifying and the season leading up to Euro 2022 whilst Manchester United’s Billy Murray and Manchester City’s Joe Gomez earned call-ups. Newcastle’s Lewis Cook was also likely to take over from Jordan Henderson in central midfield this tournament.

Our group featured the side who had previously knocked us out in the European Championships, Belgium. Also in the group were Austria and Georgia. Belgium were up first at the Estadio Olimpico de Sevilla. Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku struck first with a cute header at the near post but PSG winger Raheem Sterling equalised for England. It wasn’t the greatest of spectacles but a draw against one of the favourites was a good start to the campaign. Harry Kane got off the mark against Austria, scoring after just three minutes. Jordon Ibe scored his 7^th international goal late on to secure Jose Mourinho’s first major tournament win for England. His third game was when his decisions to call up Chelsea duo Fernandez and Thurgood proved important. Both struck for England, either side of a Harry Kane free-kick to earn England a 3-1 win and entry into the knock-out stages of the competition.

Their opponents in the second round were Holland, who had scraped through following a late equaliser against France in their final group game. Todd Fernandez showed his credentials early on, following some neat work by Lewis Cook. As the ball found its way to Fernandez, he let fly from 20 yards and put England in front after just three minutes. Raheem Sterling, who had been playing very well in the tournament, doubled our lead just before half time. Kenny Tete, who had just secured a £26.5million move to Barcelona from A.C. Milan, put on a display in the second half and got his reward when his 57^th minute goal put pressure on Mourinho’s men. England secured victory in the 87^th minute through Sterling again and despite new Chelsea signing Donny van de Beek’s injury time strike, England were through, winning 3-2 against Holland.

Hosts Spain had so far not been challenged in the tournament. Their group matches against Romania and Republic of Ireland were expected wins, with their only blip coming against Switzerland, as they lost 1-0, however they did make 8 changes to the side. Their second round match was against Albania, where Real Madrid’s midfield star Joaquin Berodia struck twice in a 2-1 win to send Albania home. Coming up against an England side full of confidence would be the hosts first tough test and the Nuevo Mestalla in Valencia. Despite a dull first half where the hosts slightly edged it, it was the second half where things got tasty. Raheem Sterling’s fantastic run going into the final third of the match was a highlight and despite his first effort being saved, the rebound fell kindly for the PSG man, and he put England in front. The fans were excited at the prospect of semi-final place but the nerves on the players were clear, despite Mourinho’s attempts at calm. Spain’s Alvaro Morata got a break in the box with five minutes remaining and he took it with ease – an equaliser. The game went into extra time and a nervy first half of extra time ensued but with seven minutes remaining, Todd Fernandez’s through ball found Jordon Ibe’s path and when he struck with his left foot, you just knew it was heading into the top corner. England 2-1 up, saw the game through and knocked the hosts out of their tournament.

It was to be Eddie Howe’s last game as England boss in the World Cup 2022 but Mourinho was hoping the same fate wouldn’t find him. The semi-final tie at the Bernabeu, Madrid, saw England face off against Germany. England were dealt a double blow before the game with the loss of Harry Kane and Jordon Ibe. It was an edgy affair, with a few challenges flying in but one caught the eye of the referee in the first half. As England’s shining light Raheem Sterling got on the ball in his own half, German striker Dirk Fuchs went in with two feet, earning him an early bath on one of the biggest stages. Sterling was unable to recover and was substituted off. Germany down to 10 men and with England lacking the attacking threat that had got them into the semi-finals, the game was quite a drab affair. At the end of ninety minutes, the teams went in goalless. Extra time continued much in the same vain and despite calls for a penalty, England would have no luck in front of goal. That meant penalties against one of their biggest foes. Memories of Euro 96 were in England’s minds. Could they get revenge for that semi-final defeat at the hands of the Germans?

With the shootout at 3-3, one miss each, the fifth and final penalties meant sudden death. Mario Gotze stepped up for Germany and calmly slotted home. Josh Berry, who lacked the goals in this tournament, stepped up for England but in true English fashion, rocketed his penalty over the bar. England out in the semi-finals against Germany on penalties in the European Championships.

Again.

“It’s just the mentality. I don’t think anything else can be attributed to it. We, as a nation, crumbled at penalty shoot-outs.”

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Jose Mourinho made it clear that he was keen to stay on as England boss. The performances were much improved than the tournaments we had seen over the past few decades, bar Euro 2016. Post Euro 2024, England made a great start to the European International League which had been in place since 2018, as a way of making international games in between competitions and qualifying interesting. Going into the summer of 2025, Mourinho had led his England team to victory in the semi-finals of the European International League, beating Spain 3-1 thanks to a Harry Kane double and a Todd Fernandez strike. Whilst not considered a major tournament, England won the cup, their first since 1966, by beating Portugal in the final 2-1. Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane cancelled out an Andre Silva strike to bring home the trophy.

It gave England a much needed boost going into the World Cup 2026 in Mexico. They needed to overcome Sweden again, as well as South Korea and Ghana. Pundits were quite rightly saying that we should easily make it out of the group stages. Chelsea’s Asa Rolph and Arsenal’s Dan Parker were two tournament debutants that were called up but blows to Chelsea stars Tony Thurgood and Todd Fernandez meant that neither were able to make the side. Callum Gribbin, who had been one of Manchester United’s star men in the past season, was tipped to be a starter in the England side.

“A lot had been placed on Fernandez’s shoulders. Chelsea had a star on their hands and we hoped England could benefit from his Spanish roots.”

We got off to the best start in our opening game against Sweden at the Estadio Morelos in Morella. Raheem Sterling, England’s star man in the previous major tournament, put England in front within forty-seven seconds. It was to stay like that so England were off to a winning start. Their game against South Korea was one of the worst of the group stages. It was a bore draw, 0-0 at full time. England had already done enough to go into the next round but they faced a downhearted Ghana side who were already eliminated from the tournament. England wanted top spot though and put on a thoroughly enjoyable display. Harry Kane had a hat-trick within the first fifteen minutes. Asa Rolph, who assisted two of Kane’s early goals, got himself on the scoresheet to put England 4-0 up. They weren’t done there. Raheem Sterling added a 5^th just before half time. Ghana were keen to put up a challenge in the second half, but showed more defensive frailties. Duncan Greenwood, who had just completed his £21million transfer from Southampton to West Ham United, got England’s sixth and his first of the game after 57 minutes. Four minutes later, his second and England’s seventh. And just as the 70^th minute struck, Greenwood celebrated his transfer with his first hat-trick for England. The full time score – England 8 (eight) Ghana 0.

That set up a decent tie in the second round against Romania. A win against Uruguay in their final group game put them through behind Portugal. Josh Berry, who had found goals lacking in recent years, put England in front early in the first half. Defender John Stones, currently playing his football at Chelsea, headed home to double England’s lead with minutes remaining. Mourinho had guided England into the quarter-finals of the World Cup. Their opponents, Croatia, had made light work of Switzerland in the previous round, but had yet to be challenged by previous nations in the tournament. In what was a tight affair, we had to wait until the 83^rd minute for the breakthrough. Raheem Sterling dribbled his way into the box before being pulled back, England earning themselves a penalty. Defender John Stones stepped up and got his second of the tournament. He also put in an important challenge in injury time to stop Ante Rebic from equalising. England squeezed through into the last four of the World Cup 2026.

Coming up next for the Three Lions were the resolute Italians. Despite a 4-1 loss to Holland in the group stage, they found their route through by beating Iran and Chile. It meant their path to the final would be facing some of the teams who finished top in their group. First up was Belgium and thanks to goals from Marco Grillo and Domenico Berardi, the Italians were through to the quarter-finals. Up next came Germany, the winners to face England. English fans were hoping that it wouldn’t be Germany for the third tournament in a row and it had been quite some time since they faced Italy in a major tournament. FC Bayern’s new signing Gianluca Torrisi got Italy off to good start before Andrea Pinamonti doubled their advantage. Some reliable Italian defending earned victory for Andrea Stramaccioni’s side.

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The Italians were confident. England had only reached one final since their World Cup win in 1966. It was ‘the English way’ to falter in the knock-out stages, according to the Italian media. The Daily Mirror called for a ban on all pasta and pizza foods in the lead up to the game, as a way of psyching out the opponents. The Estadio Olimpico Universitario in Mexico City was set, almost 90,000 fans were packed in, ready to watch the first of the World Cup semi-finals.

It was early pressure from England which earned a corner in the second minute. Winger Jordon Ibe took the corner and whilst the initial ball was cleared, his second was drilled into the box where Josh Berry got his toe on the ball, diverting it into the corner, putting England ahead. It got better for us. Callum Gribbin, who had performed admirably in midfield, doubled our lead in the 13^th minute with a fine strike from twenty-five yards. The Italian side couldn’t handle some of the attacking play from England, something that we hadn’t really seen as a nation for some decades. Mourinho had got his side playing very attractive football and had installed confidence in the side. Or was it the pizza ban? Either way, Jordon Ibe’s performance deserved a goal and he got it in the 41^st minute, following Berry’s cutback. Going into first half injury time, a mistake at the back allowed Ibe in again and he kept his calm and slotted home for his second and England’s fourth. It was a huge goal. The Italian fans looked devastated in the stands but it was to only get worse in the second half.

Not satisfied with one high score in the tournament, they added another to their scoresheet when Asa Rolph was pushed in the box. Jordon Ibe stepped up and smashed it in off the underside of the bar for his hat-trick. England controlled the rest of the game and set up their first final in 10 years, with a fantastic 5-0 victory.

“It was the best performance we had seen from an England side for as long as I remember. Better than those I had been a part in. To put five past an Italian side known for their strong defensive performances, in a semi-final of a World Cup. It gave us massive confidence going into the final. We just had to get past the nation that Mourinho had already suffered tournament defeat against, Spain.”

Spain had yet to lose, just like England. They had beaten Morocco 2-0 but drawn against Switzerland and Brazil 1-1 in the group stages. It meant they finished second in their group and would need to face some tougher sides. First up was Japan where Barcelona wonderkid Sergi Orriols hit two for his third and fourth goals in the tournament. It was technically his fifth, but the own goal against Brazil in the 92^nd minute in the game previous wouldn’t count towards his golden boot total. He wasn’t able to get on the scoresheet in their next game, the quarter-final against rivals Portugal. Tottenham’s £41million defensive midfielder Marcos Martin opened the scoring in the first half and the game and result was sealed when Rafa Mir, who had been linked with a move to Arsenal, got Spain’s second in their 2-0 win. Their semi-final opponents were France, completing a European semi-final sweep. It took a solitary goal from FC Bayern legend Isco in the 72^nd minute to send France home and Spain into the final to face England.

Mourinho’s line up for the final was as expected. It was his strongest and most relied on team in the tournament.

Jack Butland (Liverpool)

Joe Gomez (Manchester City)

John Stones (Chelsea)

Billy Murray (Manchester United)

Luke Shaw (Manchester United)

Asa Rolph (Chelsea)

Callum Gribbin (Manchester United)

Jordon Ibe (Liverpool)

Ross Barkley (Manchester City)

Raheem Sterling (Paris St Germain)

Josh Berry (Tottenham Hotspur)

Unai Emery’s Spanish side was equally his most used side in the tournament which featured four Premier League players.

David De Gea (Manchester United)

Mohamed Morales (Manchester City)

Jesus Vallejo (Real Madrid)

Jorge Mere (Chelsea)

Sergi Palencia (FC Barcelona)

Isco (FC Bayern)

Joaquin Berodia (Real Madrid)

Marco Asensio (Schalke)

Miguel Cruz (Inter Milan)

Marcos Martin (Tottenham Hotspur)

Sergi Orriols (FC Barcelona)

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95,000 tickets were sold for the final at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on Sunday July 12^th 2026. The teams were led out by their respective managers and the national anthems sung. A countdown opened the proceedings and the game was underway.

The early stages were dominated by Spain, whose quick movement and passing in midfield showed that the English forward line would need to sacrifice forward positioning to gain a foothold in the match. Isco’s tricky play earned the Spanish the first corner of the game in the 7^th minute. Asensio’s cross was met by the head of Mere but the Chelsea defender couldn’t keep his effort down. It was a worry that he hadn’t been picked up by his Chelsea teammate John Stones.

Mourinho’s plan was to stifle the Spain front line and hit them on the break and their first chance came in the 11^th minute. A great tackle from Luke Shaw on Isco begun an attack which Asa Rolph led. His ball to the right to Raheem Sterling was perfect, and the PSG winger took on Sergi Palencia, nicking it past him and delivering a cross. The ball in was hooked away by Mere, who was making an impact in both boxes. The clearance fell kindly to Ross Barkley, but the attacking midfielder could only drag the ball wide.

From the goal kick, David De Gea’s ball up-field was met by the head of Billy Murray. Callum Gribbin got the ball down and sent the ball left to Shaw. The Manchester United left-back charged down the wing, exchanging passes with Jordon Ibe before sending the ball to the edge of the box. Joaquin Berodia missed his interception and the ball squirmed to Rolph on the edge of the box. The young midfielder controlled well and struck towards goal. The ball took a slight deflection off of Mere and found its way past De Gea in the Spanish goal. The English fans went crazy. The players followed Rolph to the corner flag as they slid on their knees. Mourinho was off the bench doing the classic fist-pump we had been accustomed to.

England 1 Spain 0

England stayed resolute for the next few minutes, nullifying the Spanish attacks. The atmosphere in the stadium was electric, at least in the English sections. Rolph and Gribbin were dominating central midfield where Asensio had hardly been on the ball as his form for Schalke had yet to be replicated in the game. Going into the 23^rd minute and England were almost two up with Ibe, once again, a thorn in Mohamed Morales’ side. Ibe’s step-overs confused the Manchester City defender, leaving him on the floor and whilst Ibe’s cross wasn’t the best, Josh Berry managed to get the ball and send it goal-wards. De Gea on this occasion got the better of the Spurs striker and gathered the ball with ease.

Spain were on the front-foot for the remainder of the half but never really created too many chances. Their best chance fell to Marcos Martin, whose volley from twenty-five yards flew just over Jack Butland’s bar. A minute into first half injury time saw a late challenge from Billy Murray on Sergi Orriols, and the defender was given a yellow card. The half time whistle was blown and England went into the break in the lead.

“It was a great first half performance by the team, dominant and reduced Spain to very little. Everyone knew they would get a chance or two in the second half, so it was about keeping shape and ensuring risks weren’t taken.”

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There was a change at half time for Spain. Isco moved into the centre of the park whilst Marco Asensio was withdrawn for Rafa Mir, whose on-going transfer to Arsenal was finally completed earlier in the week.

The change had the desired effect. Spain’s play in the early stages was difficult for England to handle and they found themselves level in the 50^th minute. Berodia’s through ball to Sergi Orriols gave the Barcelona striker some free space. He was able to round Butland and slot into the empty net, much to Mourinho’s dismay.

England 1 Spain 1

Three minutes later and Spain once again broke free. Isco, playing much better in central midfield, linked up with Miguel Cruz, whose cross was met once again by Orriols. This time, Butland was forced to make a good save, clawing the ball away from the bottom corner. From the resulting corner, Mere lost Stones once again but his header was blocked by Stones’ central defensive partner Murray.

England needed something to steady the ship unless they were going to concede again. Ross Barkley made way for Harry Kane, who moved up front alongside Berry whilst Dan Parker replaced Billy Murray in the centre of defence. The changes helped England get back onto possession. Gribbin won a tackle in midfield and played the ball right to Ibe, who had been switching wings with Sterling all game. Ibe took on Palencia, got past him and delivered a cross for Harry Kane, whose header glanced just past the post – a let off for Spain.

Going into the 72^nd minute, Spain made a second change with Sergi Palencia being replaced by Valencia’s Jose Gaya.

Another change, another impactful sub. Gaya found himself with some space down the left and he run at Joe Gomez. He skipped past Gomez, who lacked strength, and made his way into the box. Gaya’s drag-back found Isco, whose shot cannoned off both Stones and Rolph, but landed at the feet of Orriols who fired home from close range in the 78^th minute. English players slumped to the ground, Mourinho directing orders from the bench but Spanish players huddling, jumping and celebrating in their dugout.

England 1 Spain 2

It was a time for calm heads and we couldn’t panic just because we had gone behind. Rolph spread play to the left where Shaw overlapped Sterling. Sterling found Shaw who was able to win a corner. It was played quickly by Shaw and Sterling, with the latter finding a cross. Jesus Vallejo cleared but the ball was sent back in by Rolph. Kane went down under the challenge of Cruz but the referee waved away English protests. Mourinho was incensed, arguing with the fourth official, but the ball had yet to go out of play. Shaw hit a long ball up into the box and Spain failed to clear again, with the ball falling to Rolph on the edge of the box. He thought about striking it but played it sideways to Gribbin who did strike it. The ball flew into the net like a rocket and Mourinho, who had just been berating the officials, was on his knees in front of the dugout. Callum Gribbin’s strike in the 81^st minute saw England back on level terms.

England 2 Spain 2

Both teams were cagey in the last ten minutes, with neither side willing to risk conceding so late on. The ninety minutes were complete and the World Cup 2026 final went to an extra thirty minutes.

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Apologies for the ridiculous bump, I had thought I lost the save but after needing to go through a backup hard-drive, I found my FM14/15/16 saved games sitting nicely in there. Also had some pre-written notes for this very story so will be picking this back up. Hope that's alright?!

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No changes were made after ninety minutes in England's biggest game since 1966. The possible final change for England was either West Ham’s Duncan Greenwood or Tottenham’s Dele Alli whilst Spain could rely on Real Madrid’s Alvaro Morata or PSG’s Inigo Garai.

The cageyness continued early on in extra time. The first chance fell to Spain in the 98^th minute. Isco once again played a delightful ball forward, this time for Mir to run onto. He jinked past Shaw before delivering a cross but Martin’s header drifted wide. It was to be his last chance as Alvaro Morata came on as Spain’s final substitute. Morata got his first chance in the 103^rd minute but his strike was easily saved by Butland.

For England, their first chance of extra time came in the second half. With 108 minutes on the clock, Kane and Berry worked a play well and the latter struck low, forcing De Gea to tip the ball wide. The resulting corner led to nothing, with De Gea claiming the ball with ease. England made their third and final change just a minute later when Raheem Sterling was replaced by Dele Alli. It was clear that there were tired legs on the pitch and neither side were able to find a breakthrough before the end of extra time. England’s World Cup fate was down to a penalty shoot-out. If there was ever a time to break the hoodoo, it was now. Will Jose Mourinho’s England side finally exorcise their demons?

The coin toss meant Spain were to take the first penalty towards the north end of the stadium, the end filled with the majority of England fans. ‘Football’s coming home’ rung through as Jack Butland made his way towards the goal.

Spain’s first spot-kick taker was the man who had already struck twice, Sergi Orriols. He placed the ball confidently and whilst the boo’s behind the goal were deafening, Orriols placed the ball to the left of Butland, Spanish advantage.

England 2 Spain 2 (Penalties: 0-1)

Up first for England was Jordon Ibe. The Liverpool winger was confident when he stepped up and didn’t take notice of David De Gea’s gestures on the line. Ibe took three steps before firing towards goal. De Gea moved to the left and tipped the ball wide. The Spanish roar from the opposite ground was all you could hear.

England 2 Spain 2 (Penalties: 0-1)

Alvaro Morata, Real Madrid icon, was next to try and put Spain further ahead in the shoot-out. The experienced striker kept his head down, refusing to be drawn in to Butland’s antics, and began his run-up. He struck low but Butland was equal to it and kept it out. Morata’s head was in his hands and Butland fist-pumped a la Mourinho, towards the English fans behind the goal.

England 2 Spain 2 (Penalties: 0-1)

Chelsea’s Asa Rolph, England's opening goalscorer, had performed admirably in the tournament. For a young man, the pressure didn’t seem to faze him and it showed. A powerful penalty into the top right hand corner levelled the score on penalties. Mourinho was shown to be refusing to watch the action unfold.

England 2 Spain 2 (Penalties: 1-1)

Up next for Spain was Isco. He had been on top form in this game and was favoured to provide Spain with the advantage. His spot-kick was weak but squeezed under Butland, who was clearly frustrated with himself. A let-off for Isco, a let-off for Spain.

England 2 Spain 2 (Penalties: 1-2)

Harry Kane, one of England’s more experienced players, and first choice penalty taker, was next to shoot from twelve yards. The Spurs striker was confident, as was his strike - low, hard and into the bottom corner, sending De Gea the wrong way.

England 2 Spain 2 (Penalties: 2-2)

Arsenal’s new £32million signing Rafa Mir was Spain’s fourth penalty taker, who kissed the ball before he placed it on the spot. Butland inquired with the referee on whether the ball was fully on the spot. The referee disagreed but Butland had, if anything, just put a little doubt in the mind of the winger. Mir struck low but in the middle and Butland stretched with his left hand to palm the ball away. England’s keeper provided the advantage, Mir covered his head with his shirt. It was a long walk back to the half-way line.

England 2 Spain 2 (Penalties: 2-2)

As Mir walked back, he was passed by the second Spurs player to take a penalty for England, Josh Berry. He had missed in their previous shoot-out against Germany and a repeat of Stuart Pearce’s penalty against Spain in Euro 96 were being wished for by the English fans. Berry took a short run-up but his placement was perfect – out of reach and into the side of the net. Perfect penalty, advantage kept by England.

England 2 Spain 2 (Penalties: 3-2)

Inter Milan’s Miguel Cruz stepped up to take Spain’s sudden death fifth penalty. His face was full of concentration which was needed, otherwise a costly mistake at this point would hand England their second World Cup. Cruz, left-footed, bottom corner. Butland didn’t move and Spain hung on.

England 2 Spain 2 (Penalties: 3-3)

England’s captain John Stones hadn’t had a great game but his tournament overall should give him a spot in the World Cup XI. The Chelsea defender looked unfazed as he grabbed the ball and set it up on the spot. Whistles could be heard from the Spanish end whilst English fans could barely watch. The England squad huddled on the half way line, with Dele Alli and Luke Shaw, noticeably looking away. Jose Mourinho looked calm as he sat in the dugout, looking at the floor. John Stones v David De Gea. Stones struck hard, De Gea’s fingertips were not enough – England’s 60 years of hurt were no more. John Stones’ spot-kick sent the English into a frenzy.

England 2 Spain 2 (Penalties: 4-2) - England win the 2026 World Cup.

Players dropped to their knees on both sides. Jack Butland ran back to some of the players who met him half-way. Joy and elation etched on every single English fans face both at the ground and at home. Jose Mourinho, often a controversial figure who split opinions in England, had brought our country together and will forever be remembered as an England legend.

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It was to be Jose Mourinho’s final act as England boss, having achieved what he set out to. He left for the vacant Portugal job to repeat the act with his home country. For England, the next boss came in the form of AC Milan’s Frank De Boer. In his time in charge of the Rossoneri, they had won the Serie A twice, the Italian Cup once, Italian Super Cup twice and in 2022, won the Europa League. His credentials were good but not all English fans were happy. 2 defeats out of 4 games in the European League further damaged his reputation with the English fans as he went into 2027 knowing a whole year without competitive internationals may do him more harm than good. They were to be hosts in 2028, so De Boer would get the chance, barring complete embarrassment in their years’ worth of friendlies, to manage England in a major tournament.

Drawn in the same group as Serbia, Austria and Croatia, the fans and FA alike were expecting easy qualification, considering their stature and being hosts. However, in their first group game against Serbia, De Boer’s men suffered defeat thanks to a solitary Aleksandar Mitrovic goal. A Harry Kane strike in their second game against Austria ensured England went into their final game against Croatia still in with a chance of qualification into the knockout stages. Croatia got off to a flyer, with an excellent volley from distance from Olimpija’s Andrija Budimir. They doubled their lead just before half time following a neat move and finish by Real Madrid’s £48million man Ferdinand Peraic. England in all sorts of trouble at the City of Manchester stadium. De Boer made a change at half-time and brought on Manchester United’s Raheem Sterling, many of whom in the stadium thought he should have been starting. The change paid off almost instantly. Sterling picked the ball up sixty yards out and finished with aplomb following a mazy, solo run. England had to wait until the 80^th minute before their equaliser came. Harry Kane’s free kick flew past Tomislav Milina. Croatia’s task to hold on to a draw was made harder a minute later when Dominik Perkovic, Manchester United’s centre back, picked up a second yellow. Finally, in injury time, Kane notched his second and put England into the next round.

De Boer’s men would face Portugal for the first time since Jose Mourinho’s heroics in the World Cup. Coming up against their former manager meant their was a lot of admiration inside the Stadium of Light for the man who brought the World Cup home. Any love was lost after 3 minutes though, when Joao Carvalho, who plies his trade with PSG, struck from the edge of the box. It was a long wait before England found their feet in the game and managed to get an equaliser late in the second half. Tottenham’s Josh Berry, who had replaced an injured Harry Kane, headed home from close range. The celebrations were big, perhaps too big. In the aftermath of the goal, midfielder Todd Hernandez, was judged to have over-celebrated in front of the crowd and picked up a second yellow card, reducing England to 10 men. England held on for the remaining 16 minutes and then found it tough in extra time. A rare attack for England in the 115^th minute saw Asa Rolph hit the post, with Frank De Boer collapsing to his knees in despair. The game went to penalties, ironically what happened in Jose Mourinho’s final game. The same outcome for England wasn’t to be and with Josh Berry’s spotkick miss, England crashed out in the 2^nd round of Euro 2028.

Less than 24 hours later, news broke that Frank De Boer had been sacked – a popular decision all round.

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The FA once again turned their attentions to the Serie A for their next boss. This time, the man’s credentials were much more what was expected of an England manager. Antonio Conte had enjoyed a 12 year spell at Juventus, winning the league 8 times, the Italian Cup 5 times and the Champions League twice. His first tournament as England manager was the Confederations Cup, hosted in his home country, Italy. In what was a decent showing, beating Italy, Nigeria and Mexico in the group, they crashed out to Brazil in the semi-final, losing 2-0, following a quick-fire double from Schalke’s Gilberto Carlos. They finished in 3^rd place after an entertaining 2-1 win over Italy, with goals from Duncan Greenwood and Chelsea youngster Nick Carney. The defeat to Brazil would be Conte’s only defeat in 2029, securing qualification for the 2030 World Cup, also in Italy.

England were handed an easy group on paper – Morocco, Greece and Japan. Retaining the cup would require Conte’s men to play with that determination, passion and grit that their boss shows on the sidelines. Their group performances showed none of it. A terrible 0-0 draw against Morocco made the English media fear that we had returned to England of old. Their next game against Greece was slightly improved, but it still needed a late, late goal from Josh Berry to secure all three points. Conte agreed that his team were not performing like they had in 2029 and that pre-tournament injuries to Greenwood and Asa Rolph were affecting the team greatly. In their final group game against Japan, England just about secured qualification to the knockout stages with a 2-2 draw against Japan. Hamburg’s £10million signing from Burnley, Daisuke Ishizaki, notched two in quick succession late on following goals from Josh Berry and a penalty from Todd Fernandez. The draw was enough for England but finishing second in the group meant they had to face a strong French side in the second round.

It was clear early on that England still hadn’t learnt from their previous games in the tournament and were on the back foot for most of the first half. Their resilliance was tested on a number of occasions but following a mistake from Crystal Palace goalkeeper, Mike Noakes, France took the lead through Tristan Ndikumana. The second half was an improvement but England suffered a further setback when Jeff Reine-Adelaide, playing his domestic football at West Ham, slotted home from 8 yards and sent England crashing out early, again.

Antonio Conte’s job was rumoured to be safe and his tenure even saw the tournament through, but following Argentina’s final win against Brazil on penalties, the FA announced that Conte’s time as England boss had come to an end.

England would be going into Euro 2032 with a Spaniard at the helm. Paco Jémez, former Athletico Madrid boss, had seen his England team reach the semi-finals of the International League in 2029 and had qualified in style for the Euros, typical of England throughout the years.

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“Just pump it to Charlie and let him do the rest. We cannot perform like that in the second half. They are there for the taking and you’re blowing it. Gazza, f****** get stuck in. You’re just wallowing in midfield. Get out there and do something!”

It had been while since Toby lost his cool with the players. He’s the sort of bloke that would have it out with someone at half time given the chance. I guess its testament to the lads that we hadn’t seen this side of him very much this season. We had entered March in 12^th place, higher than media predictions but lower than our expectations. We had managed to keep hold of Charlie, despite consistently performing, no matter where we played him. The blow was losing Jonny Peacham in January. A young, playmaking, midfielder who had a great left foot on him. Players used to call him Jack after former Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere. The two main differences being one played in the non-league and spent considerably less time in the physio room. His move to Tamworth meant a chance to play in the National League, something he deserved and we wouldn’t stand in his way.

The players were sent out for the second half, trailing 1-0 to Buxton, as us coaching staff stayed behind for a quick chat. The backroom staff had grown in recent weeks, with Toby hiring former Retford coach, Jake Doswell and former Sunderland trainee, Christopher Allan.

“Gaz is a f****** liability. You’d have thought he would step up since Jonny has f***** off. Dan, work with Jake to get someone else in. The lack of depth in centre mid is killing us.”

I’d been teaching a talented footballer at Henshall’s this past 6 months, Arran Oloko his name. Tall, sleight lad but very quick footed and able to pick a pass. He’d been an integral part to our unbeaten run in the District League. I knew he was playing some Sunday league football but I wasn’t overly sure he wanted to play Saturday’s. I knew that if he had the chance he would take it, it was just about convincing him to play. First thing Monday, I was going to have a chat with him, get him down for training on Tuesday.

Second half was much better. Passes went to their destination and tackles weren’t half-hearted. Even the boss’ favourite player of the moment, Gaz Anderson, played a sublime ball to Charlie who fired wide. 62^nd minute and Nick Albans scored his 13th of the season following great work by full back Darren Bramley. 1-1. Five minutes later, his second, 2-1. A piece of individual brilliance to get past the last defender and a finish that wouldn’t look out of place in the football league. At 23, Albans could still go places. Never rule anything out with strikers playing at Stocksbridge Park Steels. Jamie Vardy and all that. Toby’s team-talk had worked, had got the fires going in their bellies. I rarely lose it. In fact I rarely shout. But this taught me that sometimes you need to make yourself known, scare those lads in the dressing room and make yourself look like a hard b****** whilst you’re at it. You never know, the fear could drag those players over the line.

When the full-time whistle went, Toby put his arm round each one of the players and had a word with them, even Gaz. I also learnt that man management is key. He may not be the best manager in the world but he did a fine job of making the players feel like he cared, even if he was trying to replace them.

I got home at just gone 8, with dinner being dished up. I usually cooked on nights when I wasn’t at football but when Kristiina cooked, it was always something special. Kalakukko is a national delicacy in Finland and became something of a favoured dish of mine. Finnish fish pastry, filled with more fish, pork and bacon. I had been laying off the beer for a few weeks but after today’s rollercoaster, I cracked open a bottle of Amstel from the fridge and tucked into dinner.

My phone rang. It was Marie, club secretary at Stocksbridge.

“Hello Marie, you ok?”

“Hi Daniel, well, I’m alright but I’ve just received some bad news.”

What on Earth could this be about?!

“We’ve just heard that Toby has been in a car accident on the way home from the match today. Airlifted to hospital, signs aren’t good.”

F***. What the f***?

“Don’t know what’s happening but I’m just telling everyone who needs to know. I’m sure Anders will contact you.”

F***!

I looked at Kristiina, down at the half eaten Kalakukko and back up at her.

“I’m sorry babe, Toby’s been rushed to hospital. Car crash. It’s serious.”

“Oh no! Go, go, go! I’ll just reheat it when you get in. Go!”

With no chance to change, I headed back out in my coaching gear and headed to Northern General Hospital.

[gibbo11]

As I pulled into training on Tuesday and exited the car, there was a sombre mood in the car park. Players and staff quietly discussing Toby’s situation. Doctors had confirmed that he had broken his right leg and crushed his pelvis. Surgery was needed to ensure that there was no rupture of an artery through breaking his pelvis, and pins were put in place to give Toby the best chance of walking again. We heard he was awake but we gave his family some time to be alone with him as he recuperated from surgery.

Turns out someone had skipped a red light and the Toby’s car got t-boned. Dangerous game to be skipping red lights.

We walked into the changing room before we headed out onto the pitch and were joined by Anders Solheim, our Chairman and club’s owner.

“Now, this is obviously very tough news to take for us all. I am sure you will join me in getting a whip round for Toby and his nearest and dearest. The good news is that he is alive, he is awake and he will now be on the mend. Knowing him, the first opportunity he will get to be back in that dugout, on that training pitch, he will take, so don’t get too comfortable without him being around!”

The room chuckled – something I think some of the lads needed to hear.

“Going forward, Dan will be taking charge of first team affairs for the foreseeable future, to be assisted by Jake. Please give him your respect. Let’s not be down about this, it’s just an obstacle we need to overcome. Let’s really kick on for the rest of the season and raise Tobe’s spirits whilst he is laid up. Have a good session tonight boys and I’ll let you know any news when I hear it.”

We all clapped and there were a few shouts of ‘come on lads’. Charlie walked over and shook my hand as some sort of congratulation that I’d been given a caretaker managerial role. I’d been contacted by Anders on Sunday evening, so I knew the announcement was coming. I couldn’t see it as something to celebrate - a colleague and more importantly, a good friend, was laid up in a hospital bed with pins in his body. I just wanted to do the best I could to cheer him up. And that is by winning football matches.

I’d brought along Arran to training after he agreed to give it a shot. He was still learning to drive so the trip to and from Doncaster was a tad difficult for him. When we got the warm-ups and stretches out of the way, we focused on our tactics we wanted to play against Brigg, our next game which thankfully was at home. We finished with a couple of 5 v 5 games, headers and volleys only to start with, then 3-touch. Goalkeepers were with Chris Allan focusing on some reflex work. It was clear that Gaz had understood why the young man was there - to take his position. In one of the 5 v 5 games, they lined up against each other. Gaz was somewhat stalkerish – a good positional and marking display to be fair - but he went in quite hard on the young lad, ignoring the ‘no going to ground’ rule we had in place during the session.

“Oi, what the f*** was that about?”

It riled Charlie.

2 minutes later, Charlie went in studs up on Gaz. The first fight on the training pitch under my guidance and it was only 50 minutes into my tenure as caretaker boss. The other lads separated the two but you could tell Charlie wanted more. It was something I’d need to watch so instantly swapped Gaz for Simon Stevenson, who was in the simultaneous game. At least Arran knew Charlie had his back. No words were needed with the two, I’m all for passion and willingness to be in the team. In any case, Charlie did my bit for me, I’m sure Gaz would think twice about doing that to the young lad again – I just hope his first introduction to men’s football hadn’t put him off.

After the session, I reviewed the performance with Jake and Chris. It was a big decision whether we stuck with the same eleven that required a response from Toby on Saturday. One major decision was at the heart of midfield. Gaz obviously didn’t shine in the last game and his tempers flared a bit at training. It showed his desire to not want to lose his place and whilst he showed some good play, it showed immaturity and unprofessionalism. Arran got some good feedback from the other coaches, who agreed with me that he could do a job and was someone to look out for as he progressed. The bad news was that the knock he took made his ankle swell up quite a bit. Even if that did go down, his match fitness would have been low – something we may not be able to risk. We had one more session on Thursday, with a reduced list to choose from due to work commitments, before deciding the line-up for Saturday.

[gibbo11]

I had a restless night, anticipating my first game as caretaker boss. I had too many thoughts running through my head. Stick with the same eleven or change? Had the team played well for ninety minutes last week it would have been an easier decision, but Toby wasn’t happy with that first half performance, neither was I. Tuesday’s training saw Gaz lose his cool, Arran played well and Charlie was all guns blazing, with most of his animosity aimed towards Gaz. Thursday’s session was a much calmer affair. Neither central midfield rivals were there, Arran was suffering a little from the knock he took on the ankle whilst Gaz had work commitments. The other decision that crept into my mind was whether to drop left back Alex Cotterill. I had noticed some complacency in the past few weeks and it wasn’t until Thursday that, when I saw him putting in barely any effort at all, I felt like I wanted to give him a kick up the a***. Upon checking my phone, I had 2 unread texts.

From Anders: “Hi Dan. Will speak later regards Toby. Blood tests have come back.”

From Jake “Nick has pulled out of today’s game, illness.”

The hospital took blood tests following Toby’s crash, as they do with any road traffic collision, to check for alcohol. I didn’t want to speculate what the outcome was but I wasn’t sure I’d receive a non-descriptive text if Toby was getting away scot-free. Still, I’ll wait for the chat. As for Nick, that’s a blow. Losing our top scorer going into my first match put me into a bit of a downer. His replacement would no doubt be Mason Slater, however a strike rate of 3 in 25 games didn’t fill me with great confidence. His saving grace was that he scored against Brigg in the reverse fixture back in October, when we lost 2-1.

“Did you get some bad news babe?”

“Ugh.. Well.. Nick Albans is sick so won’t be featuring today.”

“That sucks. Still, don’t worry about it too much, the others will want to step up. They will want to play for you and for Toby.”

“That’s the other thing.. Toby’s blood results have come back. I don’t think it’s good news.”

“What? What was said?”

“That’s all I know, I’m going to speak to Anders today. If it’s not good news then that could have serious implications on what happens in the future. Not only for him, but for the club.. for me.”

I arrived at Bracken Moor Lane earlier than I usually would, mainly to meet Chairman and Owner Anders Solheim before pre-match got underway. I couldn’t stop thinking the worst about Toby. We know he was the one that was hit, the other driver ran the red light – the driver himself had already admitted it according to Toby’s family. But driving when you’re over the safe, legal alcohol limit, is a criminal offence – the implications could be severe.

“Dan! How are you mate? Looking forward to today?”

“Anders, I’m good thank you, bit different from Henshall’s but ready for it all the same. We had a good couple of sessions in the week and the feedback from the lads has been great.”

“Good to hear – though it is a shame that Nick has pulled out through illness. Unless he’s pulling a fast one!”

“Shouldn’t think so, he was more than up for it on Thursday, at least he seemed so. Good actor otherwise!”

“Too right. So.. Toby..”

“Is it bad? I’ve presumed a lot of things in my head from your text.”

“Well, he was over the limit, which isn’t great news at all. Not over by much but it’s not done by that, you’re either over or not.”

“Not good.”

“No. Well, I mean, no it’s not good news, but he wasn’t the cause of the crash. It’s going to be some time before anything goes through anyway. I have no idea why he’d put himself in that situation.”

I instantly thought back to the first time I met him in the clubhouse back in September. He downed a double whisky and shot off. That’s enough to put him over the limit so he probably drove that night too.

“It could have been so much worse, we all agree with that. He’s alive, he didn’t cause the accident and I’d like to think it won’t be anything more than a driving ban and a fine, but I’d assume they will take special interest in the case.”

“That’s true. Have you been to visit him since Tuesday?”

“No, not as of yet. Marie contacted him to give me the update on the blood tests. She said that some visitors should be allowed within the coming days, obviously this will be a shock to the family as well I presume.”

“Yeah, no doubt. Can’t imagine Paula being happy with that news at all, despite his injuries.”

“No, of course. It would be tough on her and the kids. Look..”

Anders proceeded to shake my hand.

“Good luck today, I have faith in you and the team. Obviously heads might be a little over the place so we’ll keep this quiet until absolutely necessary to avoid anything further affecting them. I’ll speak to you after the match. Good luck again Dan.”

“Thanks Anders, appreciate the opportunity again.”

As I went back outside, I saw that Arran had turned up with a few of the other lads at Henshall’s.

“Alright sir? Going to win today then?”

“Hopefully lads. How’s the ankle Arran?”

“Yeah, better thanks. Should be good for Tuesday.”

“Good. Good. At least it hasn’t put you off. I’m sure Gaz didn’t mean to intentionally hurt you but that was a welcome to semi-pro!”

He laughed.

“That’s alright sir, it’s all good. Need to get used to it, would love to play here!”

At just 17, he had a good head on his shoulders and played down the incident from Tuesday as well. He was just happy he had a chance of getting a footballing career going. Hopefully the team would get a win to make him want to be here that little bit more.

[gibbo11]

“Please welcome the teams, Brigg Town and the Steeeeeeels!”

 

There were two changes to the previous starting eleven, one forced, the other I had been debating anyway. Out of the team came Nick Albans and Alex Cotterill and in were Mason Slater and Louis Pickering. That meant Gary Anderson started but unfortunately Arran Oloko was unable to take his place on the bench due the injury he suffered on Tuesday. Since he was attending the game today, I’d be sure that Gaz gave him an apology, if he wasn’t already thinking about it. It did mean Charlie Taylor would be starting on the left wing. We would be playing a 4-4-2:

Paul Taylor (19), GK

Paul had been picked up at the start of the season following his release by Sunderland. He failed to make the grade there but had shown some promise on a trial in the summer. He had so far been first choice for Toby, despite having a more experienced keeper in Gordon Hartas in reserve.

Darren Bramley (22), DR

22 year old Bramley had been at Stocksbridge since he was 16. He was fortunate to find himself in the side recently due to an injury to club captain Simon Tracey.

Michael Scott (22), DC

Michael had been enjoying a good run in the side following an early season injury. He had been on top form in the previous two seasons, picking up 10 goals from centre-back. He begun his career at Mansfield before stints at Carlton and Maidenhead. He was in his fourth season at the club.

Kevin Whatmough (19), DC

Kevin had only one full season on his CV, a loan to Leighton from then-parent club Luton. Kevin joined us on a free in the summer and had been Toby's first choice centre-back. 

Louis Pickering (24), DL

Louis was in his 8th season at the club since progressing through the youth and under-23's team. He was replacing Alex Cotterill at left back.

Yaw Mensah (25), RW

Ghanaian Mensah had been at the club since 2025, when the club were in the 10th tier of English football. He had been a mainstay in the side following the two promotions, netting 17 goals during those 7 years. He was released as a youngster from Manchester United before spending a season at Biggleswade United.

Noel Reynolds (25), CM

Noel was another one who had been at the Steels for his entire career. A ball-winning midfielder, Reynolds was one of Toby’s favourites.

Gary Anderson (32), CM

Gaz, as was clear, was not a favourite of Toby’s but his undoubted experience and technical ability, along with the fans backing, was what kept him in the side this whole time. He had made 412 appearances for the Steels since signing for them back in 2018. He joined from Port Vale on a free transfer.

Charlie Taylor (29), LW

Adept at playing on the wings or in the centre, Charlie had a wand of a left foot.

Paul Storrie (17), ST

The youngest in our squad, Paul, was on loan from Morecambe. He had already scored 2 in 4 games for the National League North outfit, along with notching a goal in his short loan to Stourport earlier in the season. We had only just last month signed him on loan and he already had 2 in 2.

Mason Slater (20), ST

Replacement for Nick Albans, Mason had a great season last year, scoring 16 in 30 but had dropped off the boil this season. Started his career at Leicester, the youngster from Redditch would need to find form to stay in the team.

 

Gordon Hartas (27), GK – Bench

Gordon was in his fourth season at Stocksbridge, following signing on a free in 2028 from Team Northumbria, where he had played in the fifth tier. He began his career at North Ferriby back in 2021.

Alex Cotterill (25), LB – Bench

Poor peformances have taken a toll on Alex, who has been at Stocksbridge his whole career.

Osita Udoh (18), CB – Bench

Osita broke into the Stocksbridge first team just 2 seasons ago. Despite only 6 appearances, he Osita had done enough to make the bench.

John Wain (18), CM – Bench

John was on a season-long loan from FC Halifax in the National League.

Dragan Tosic (20), ST – Bench

The young Serbian, Tosic, still had a lot to learn. He joined us on a free following his release from Newcastle in 2029. He scored 9 goals in his previous season but hadn’t hit the heights thus far this year.

 

We were also missing a few players from the squad.

Simon Tracey (25), RB – Injured

Club captain Simon had been with us since our stint at tier 10, back in 2025. The right-back unfortunately injured his thigh earlier in the campaign and was therefore unable to feature.

Simon Stevenson (28), CM – Reserve

Stevenson was a capable player in the centre of the park but injuries has really played havoc all his career. A one-club man, Simon was really one that Toby and the rest of us would need to make a decision on come the end of the season.

Graham Walsh (20), LW – Reserve

Graham was a young winger who found getting into the side tough, due to Charlie’s form.

Nick Albans (23), ST – Injured

Nick had great potential early on in his career whilst he was in the Hull City academy. A serious injury robbed him of a chance of featuring in their first team squad and soon found himself dropping down the leagues. Following spells at Gainsborough and Weymouth, Nick signed on a free at Stocksbridge in the summer.

[gibbo11]

The information we had gathered about Brigg Town was that they, whilst known for being a slick passing team, had been dealt with a few injuries themselves in recent weeks, which led them to playing a more direct style. Our full backs in particular were to be on the watch out for runs behind them and long diagonal balls.

Nothing had changed in our pre-match build up, even the walkout was the same. Us coaches lagging behind the players before taking our place in the dugout – just the one noticeable change in that Toby wasn’t with us. It had been in the local papers all week about the crash so I’d be surprised if no-one knew about it before the match programme went on sale. We even sat on the same seats, leaving Toby’s unseated. He was still alive, Christ! Kenny Sinfield came over from the other dugout to shake hands and to offer support to Toby and his family, which was a nice touch. Kenny was a cult hero in Brigg. His appearance firstly - long hair, big beard and tattoos. Secondly because he also spent time touring with his rock band, LOUD, where he was the drummer.

I’d been looking for the lads to get into a rhythm early to settle our crowd and to let Brigg know they were in for a game. Quick passing, intelligent runs and covering the grass to assert our dominance was key to this but we were unable to retrieve the ball, Kenny, it seemed, had started with the same game plan, not the expected hit and hope football we had been given from David Ashton, our part-time scout.

Whilst our start wasn't great, Brigg rarely threatened and we held our own. We tried to focus our attacks down the flanks, knowing we had the pace and skill to cause trouble. We got our first corner of the game late in the first half when Yaw Mensah tricked his way past their left back, Luke Brothers, then played it off him. Charlie curled the corner in where centre-back Michael Scott rose highest then headed the ball into the back of the net. My celebration was quite muted, just a fist pump along with a few hugs on the sideline. It was a great time to score as the referee's whistle went soon after and we went into the break one-nil up.

"Hey! We grew into that game! We knew it would be tough what with all the news and commotion that's gone on recently. But there's a reason why we've won 7 of the last 8 boys and them closing 10 minutes is more like it!"

I gave them more praise than what their performance probably deserved, but they didn't need any more negativity than they've had in the past week. Jake Doswell said a few words and how we would approach the second half tactically.

We sent the players out for the second half and stayed behind for a quick chat. Jake spoke first.

"Mason's looking a little tired, think he took a knock early on."

"Yeah, I noticed that he held back on the chasing as the game went on. I think we need to look at getting both Dragan and John on early this half."

As we waited for the referee's whistle to start the half, we noticed that Brigg had adjusted formation-wise. They had two up front with an attacking midfielder just behind and with our two in midfield. I instructed Noel Reynolds to drop off and play more defensively whilst asking Paul Storrie to drop back into midfield since Mason looked a little out of sorts up front. It was probably due to my hesitation on making a switch so early in the half but we were pegged back on the 50th minute mark. Brigg's left winger Henry Brazer got past Darren Bramley too easily and his cross was met by young Brian Hurst, scoring his second goal of the season. It sprung me into action and I quickly replaced Slater with John Wain.

Inspired substitution? Maybe.

With his second and third touch, Wain controlled a long punt upfield, then squared to Paul Storrie, whose shot squirmed under the Brigg Town goalkeeper, and we were back in front. Five minutes later and we had a free kick in a dangerous area after Storrie was pushed in the back whilst controlling a long ball. Charlie Taylor set the ball and stepped back, eyeing where he was going to direct the ball towards. Whilst he struck the ball well, it cannoned off the wall and fell nicely for Wain to strike from twenty-five yards - top corner.

Inspired substitution? Definitely.

We killed the game off by soaking up the Brigg Town pressure and replaced Gary Anderson with Osita Udoh to go 5 at the back. We also gave Storrie a rest and brought on Dragan Tosic. As the clock wound down, our fans sung Toby's name, as well as mine. It was a great feeling and something we enjoyed in the dugout. The referee blew the final whistle and we picked up the three points. 

First game, first win. That one was for you Tobes.

[Black and Yellow]

I'm glad this is back - really enjoyed the backstory when I read it months ago!

 

[gibbo11]

Thanks Black and Yellow, appreciate it! Enjoyed writing that!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After the day at work I had, I could have done with a stiff drink. The temptation can be quashed when you don’t have an addiction. I don’t, therefore, I didn’t need to get myself a drink. Unfortunately for whatever reason, Toby seemed like he needed to resort to drink, to give in to that temptation. Addiction? Possibly. Without knowing his side of why he resorted to drinking, or how he could cope without alcohol, then I won’t know.

Toby, therefore, was another reason why alcohol after the stressful day I had was a bad idea. We’d finally been given to green light to visit him and I had arranged to see him on this Wednesday evening. I made sure that no-one else had arranged for the same time, I wanted him to know I was there for him and wanted him to be himself, which I know he was around me, albeit in the short time we’ve known each other.

When I got to his ward, I saw his wife Paula and his two boys, Christian and Frankie.

“Hi Paula.”

I presented her with some flowers.

“From me and Kristiina, I hope you and the boys are well.”

“Thank you Dan, pass on my thanks to Kristiina too. He’s just through there.”

Paula was putting on a brave face, testament to her what with the shocks of both the crash and the blood test that she has had to process. As for Toby, he was in bed, leg in plaster and a bit battered and bruised. I hadn’t caught his attention yet, he was too engrossed in the North London Derby on Sky.

“We’ll have to get you a live feed of our games so you can keep a watchful eye on us!”

“Dan! You f***er!”

He smiled.. Chuckled, in fact.

“Toby! How are you feeling my friend?”

I grabbed his hand and ruffled the hair that he had left on his head whilst he grabbed my arm in return.

“F****** fantastic pal. Never better. Apart from the f***** up legs and pelvis!”

“Got a nice gash on your head too – the boys will have a laugh with that I’m sure!”

“You know it mate.”

“Did bring some flowers for the family - boys are growing quick by the way. Been a while since I’ve seen them!”

“Cheers mate. Yeah they are, think they’re missing their Dad letting them win at FIFA though.”

“’Letting them win? I can’t imagine that, Christian’s at the age now he’ll probably be able to beat you.”

“Technology, never been all that good at it, me! And I grew up with it!”

“You dinosaur! So, what’s going on? How long are you in here? Recuperation and all that?”

“Around 4 to 5 weeks in here they reckon. Physio for a good couple of months but in terms of getting back to work and getting back to Stocksbridge, I’d like to think 7 to 8 weeks before I can really make an impact. So likely to miss the rest of this season.”

“That’s better than expected mate. The boys would love to have you back as quickly as possible. Well some of them of course!”

“Yeah I bet, how have they been? Good result on Saturday, well done pal. Will Nick be back for Saturday?”

“They’ve been good, obviously last week was a bit muted, just the shock and everything but good performance Saturday. Last night they seemed to be buzzing in training. As for Nick, he was at training last night but the illness has taken it out of him. Hopefully he puts some extra work in at the gym this week to be ready for the game. Will look at getting a new guy some minutes – remember you telling me to look for a midfielder because Gaz was having a shocker?”

Toby laughed.

“Course, yeah! Someone signed on already then and I’m not there to cast an eye?!”

“He’s currently only on trial. He’s a lad from Henshall’s, been playing brilliant this year in the Districts, Tobe.. He’s 17, but got a level head and the other guys agree. Gaz tried kicking him into next week though.”

“Typical. The guys a danger to himself as well as others. We should look to get rid, I just don’t like him at all.”

“I’ll be honest, he played well at the weekend and, despite putting Arran out of that game, he seems to have listened to your rant last week - got his head down.”

“We’ll see how long it takes for him to p*** you off too.”

I wasn’t going to bring up the drinking issue unless he brought it up. Obviously it was going to be a touchy subject but thankfully, he was the one that raised it.

“What’s been mentioned about the whole drink-driving situation?”

“Well only those that need to know, know. The lads aren’t aware of it, least we don’t think so. But obviously it will come out sooner or later, probably best from you.”

“Yeah, I suppose.”

“Have you always done that or was it a one off?”

“You sound like Paula mate, she sent you on a mission?”

Thankfully, he could have a laugh too.

“Nah, I’m just a div mate. F***** up. She ain’t happy. Anders ain’t happy. Hopefully there won’t be too much fall out from it. Fine and a ban or points, accept and move on.”

“Yeah, hope for the best obviously but even with the admittance from the other driver, they’d still be inquiring or trying to find a way you could have been at fault.”

“I know that. Don’t need you telling me that an’ all.”

“Sorry Tobes, I’m sure you’ve had people in your ear about it this whole time. Still, I’m sure everything will be fine. Anders seems like he’s supporting you.”

“Yeah, he's angry at me and his demeanour has changed since finding out about the blood tests but he seems to be giving me as much support as possible. Now just need my boss at work to do the same thing. Doesn’t help that he lost his daughter to a driving accident caused by a drink driver five years ago."

“S***. That’s not good mate.”

“No. Definitely not. I'll probably lose my job.”

I could sense Toby was welling up and struggling to come to terms with what had happened. For such a big, burly man to be laid up in his state and to seemingly have lost some respect from his employers and his own wife, it was quite tough to see. We spoke Stocksbridge for a while before I left him to watch the rest of the match, with Arsenal leading Spurs by 2 to goals to 1. My visit was left on a serious note, making you appreciate how your decisions can affect other people’s lives. People you don’t know. Hopefully it was the kick up the a*** Toby needed to curb the drinking. He needed the club to continue to stick by him at least – his family needed him to be in work to provide.