King Costly Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 Weston-Super-Mare AFC Welcome, one and all, to my FM17 career update thread where I will be keeping you up to date with all that's happening at Weston-super-Mare and the Woodspring Stadium. It's my first career thread since FM14 so I may be a bit rusty... Weston-super-Mare begin life in the National League South with one of the smallest budgets. Reformed in 1948 after disbanding twice, the Seagulls (that run the town and attack any silly human that would dare eat outside) have never been relegated. Let's hope that doesn't change! They play at the 3,740 capacity Woodspring Stadium (after a slight expansion), shown above, with very basic facilities and not much cash to speak of. This will be a real challenge but one I'm looking forward to as my first save on FM17. Why Weston-super-Mare? Because they're the only ones that would give me a job! This was initially going to be a journeyman save but, having started unemployed, the Seagulls were the first to give me chance. I've been to Weston quite few times on holiday and have some fond memories so hopefully we can make some more. Where will updates start from? As I said, I initially set out to do a journeyman save but have really enjoyed Weston so far. I am actually already in the second season but really wanted to share my progress with you guys. Hopefully you don't mind and I'll recap the first season as a whole shortly. What did you start with? I started unemployed with Sunday League rep and National C Licence as I actually hold an FA Level 1 certificate in real life. I have only loaded the English leagues (I may add a few more as I climb up the leagues) and started with a large database. That's pretty much it! What are the aims? To take Weston to the top. I've never taken a club from the bottom to the top on FM - I normally get bored and want to jump ship but I'm determined to stick around this time and create a real dynasty. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holdii Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 Good luck with Weston Super-Mare, I'm really looking forward to following this . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Costly Posted October 29, 2016 Author Share Posted October 29, 2016 Weston-super-Mare AFC National League South 2016-17 As I said in the opening post, I've already played the first season and it was an absolutely terrific campaign. We were among the favourites for relegation with the fifth lowest budget in the league. This is my first save on FM17 and I've often frustrated myself in earlier games by not being able to get my sides to defend properly. Well, this lot certainly know how to defend! We didn't have the best squad although we had a couple of rough diamonds. We had a bit of a rough patch in the New Year as we lost our two strikers as they had been on loan and their deals ran out. With both refusing to sign extensions, I was forced to use a midfielder upfront until I got another striker in from league rivals Maidenhead who helped us over the line. The team is full of physical beasts - all of the back four are above 6ft tall and we defend deep, challenging teams to break us down which they failed to do a lot of the time. We also score quite a few which surprised me as the system is quite conservative, focusing on keeping things tight. I've already started the second season in the National League so I'll post another update later with our progress and a more in-depth look at some of our players and our pretty terrible finances. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Costly Posted October 29, 2016 Author Share Posted October 29, 2016 Weston-super-Mare AFC National League 2017-18 (August/September update) Well this start has taken me by surprise! The media predicted us to finish rock bottom of the league and who can blame them? We have the second lowest budget so I knew it would be a tough ask but the boys have risen to the task. We kicked off with three really impressive victories before somehow losing to Sutton, they scored with their only shot of the game and it was a rude awakening of how clinical the clubs at this level can be. We then had a tough run of fixtures, losing to relegated sides Morecambe and Mansfield at home but the 4-0 drubbing at the hands of the latter was possibly the wake up call we needed. The boys have responded superbly since that game, securing four victories and four clean sheets - I'm not sure how we're doing it! Key Players My weekly wage budget of just over £6k a week didn't give me a whole lot of wiggle room. I needed to secure Elliot Richards, our best player and star right-midfielder on a permanent deal. He spent the whole of last season on non-contract but with clubs sniffing around, I accepted his demands and he's our biggest earner, taking home £750 a week. I was also desperate to keep Dayle Grubb at the club. He and Richards got 30 assists between them in our title winning season and Grubb is also our captain and main creative outlet in the AMC position. Thankfully he agreed to stick around although demanded a huge wage increase to £450 per week. I wanted to keep most of the team together after such a good first campaign and securing keeper Luke Purnell was a no brainer. His eccentricity scares me but he has been unbelievably solid for me so there's no complaints here. He missed a few games last term and we really felt it. With veteran Clayton Fortune's lack of pace becoming more of an issue in the higher division, I needed to bring in another centre-half. Connor Johnson spent the whole of the first season on loan with us from Wolves. He was released at the end of the season but was reluctant to sign a deal with us. Fortunately, a few weeks into the season I managed to persuade him to put pen to paper. He has just about got his match sharpness back and will be making his second debut for the club soon. I've used the loan market to our advantage this season too, picking up two loan signings from Football League clubs. They both have experience and aren't the usual 17-year-old rookies that are normally available to you. James Brophy has become our first choice left-back and although he has picked up an injury, he has looked really solid (and is 6ft!). Up front, Dayle Southwell has done really well. I was desperate for another striker with young Jonathan Nixon, signed towards the end of last season from Maidenhead, struggling to make the step up. Finances Not good. Not good at all. Almost £70k in the red and that's only set to increase. For a small club, it's always tough but we are really struggling and would absolutely love some fresh investment. We did terribly in the cup competitions last season and have been given a tough FA Cup draw this term which we desperately need to win. A big League One club on TV in the first round would almost completely wipe out the debt. We can but dream... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Costly Posted October 30, 2016 Author Share Posted October 30, 2016 Well that certainly hasn't helped the finances Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
noikeee Posted October 30, 2016 Share Posted October 30, 2016 Well this has just been silly easy so far. Back-to-back promotions on the near future? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadCatPT Posted October 30, 2016 Share Posted October 30, 2016 Seagulls flying high nicking points left and right. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Costly Posted October 30, 2016 Author Share Posted October 30, 2016 1 hour ago, noikeee said: Well this has just been silly easy so far. Back-to-back promotions on the near future? Ha, thanks! I wouldn't think so as surely teams will start treating us a bit more seriously soon - I don't expect results to remain as good as they are at the moment. 1 hour ago, MadCatPT said: Seagulls flying high nicking points left and right. We do seem to be winging it a tad though! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Costly Posted October 30, 2016 Author Share Posted October 30, 2016 Weston-super-Mare AFC National League 2017-18 (October update) We started the month in the worst way possible, conceding inside a minute against fellow promoted side AFC Fylde before Richards brought us level. Not our finest performance but we could have nicked the win at the end. We then played Aldershot THREE times in a row (twice in the FA Cup), again having to come from behind thanks to a terribly unlucky own goal. We went two up top in the second half, completely battered them and got our rewards in the last seven minutes as Southwell and Jonathan Nixon gave us the win. I was chuffed for Nixon as he had been on a long run without a goal (11 hours to be precise...) so that should really help him. Bromley at home was our next fixture and we had to bide our time but finally breaking through and in the end made it very comfortable with three well taken goals. We then welcomed big spending Eastleigh and unfortunately picked up our fourth loss of the season (all at home, worryingly). To be fair, they deserved to win and were just too clinical for us but we managed to end the month on a high, fighting back again from a goal down, which has been an unwelcome trend, to take three points at Chester. A sloppy goal from a free kick saw us go into the break a goal down but an own goal and Richards rescued us and, somehow, saw us return to the top! FA Cup This could be massive for the finances. We just about squeezed past Aldershot after a replay. A 92nd minute screamer from Wrexham loanee Rob Evans earned us a replay despite the fact we were lacklustre and deserved to go out. Aldershot had a man sent off after seven minutes in the replay and we eventually got a goal again through a long-range Evans effort although we should have made it more comfortable. We have been given a very winnable first round game at Southern Premier side Weymouth. They are two divisions below us so we will be expected to win. An added bonus is that the TV cameras will be in attendance, netting us a cool £70,000. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deisler26 Posted October 30, 2016 Share Posted October 30, 2016 Congratulations. What a good start for you! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjaferrie Posted October 30, 2016 Share Posted October 30, 2016 Nice start mate! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Costly Posted October 30, 2016 Author Share Posted October 30, 2016 3 hours ago, Deisler26 said: Congratulations. What a good start for you! 3 hours ago, mjaferrie said: Nice start mate! Thanks guys! We have done much better than I anticipated. Hopefully we can avoid injuries and keep the good run going! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
arranlester12 Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 Nice going Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Costly Posted October 31, 2016 Author Share Posted October 31, 2016 Weston-super-Mare AFC National League 2017-18 (November update) We kicked off a demanding month in the National League with a poor performance at York and we deservedly lost the game. Fortunately, we responded with four great wins although some sloppy defending made for some stressful endings! We were brilliant against Tranmere and managed to hang on towards the end before we took our only decent chances to grab all three points down at Dover. We attacked really well against Boreham Wood but two poor goals allowed them back into the game and we were a tad lucky to avoid a draw before a late Southwell goal at Braintree somehow kept us top of the league! Our ultra utility man Ladjie Soukouna was fantastic for us this month on the left-hand side, chipping in with a few great assists. FA Cup/FA Trophy The biggest game of this save so far, in my opinion, was the FA Cup trip to Weymouth. We treated the watching TV crowd by completely boring them to tears. It was a rubbish game, we were poor but we just about managed to sneak through against lower league opposition. We have been given a really daunting trip to League One outfit Wigan in the second round, which will kick off December, and even though we have missed out on TV coverage, the gate receipts alone will be very welcomed. The TV revenue from the Weymouth game has now put us £30k in the black! We will also kick off our FA Trophy campaign in December, and we have been drawn away at National League South side Chelmsford who we had a good couple of battles with last season. With December always being a busy month in Non-League, I'll probably take the opportunity to rotate the side heavily in that game as we look to keep up our form in the other competitions. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Costly Posted October 31, 2016 Author Share Posted October 31, 2016 Weston-super-Mare AFC FA Cup Second Round Special As outlined in my last post, we just about saw off lower league Weymouth to earn an away tie at League One side Wigan Athletic, formerly of the Premier League. Unfortunately we weren't picked for TV coverage and I was hoping for a bumper crowd but alas, only 3,533 turned up to witness Weston's biggest game in their history and only the second time they had reached the second round of the world's oldest cup competition. Wigan paid us the ultimate compliment of putting out a full strength side at the DW Stadium, surely expecting star striker Will Grigg to net a few. Fortunately for us, the Northern Irishman was most definitely not on fire as our defence did what it does best: keep things extremely tight. While we kept the ball well, we never really troubled Wigan until late in the first half when we broke from a home corner, Dayle Southwell did really well down the left before putting a low cross in that was met by Callum O'Sullivan who finished well from eight yards. We were 1-0 up! We held on to almost the hour mark when Wigan got back on level terms. Some slow pressing down our left-hand side allowed a cross to come in, Connor Johnson was left marking two attackers and Sam Gallagher rose highest to head home. Surely the stuffing had been knocked out of the plucky Seagulls? Think again! The goal didn't really affect our style of play as a replay would have been fine for us - the onus was on Wigan to win it in their own back yard. We brought a couple of fresh faces on and, amazingly, one of them grabbed a goal. Kane Ingram, normally deployed as a defensive central midfielder, replaced O'Sullivan and was tasked with bombing up the pitch and supporting Southwell when he could. With eight minutes to go, the unthinkable happened and we took the lead again! After some lovely passing around a ragged Wigan defence as they desperately tried to regain the ball and attack, Southwell was again the provider as he received the ball on the edge of the box and laid off to Ingram who hit a vicious first-time effort from a tight angle that whistled into the back of the net at the near post. Queue some desperate defending and a barrage of long balls... but we survived! Weston-super-Mare had beaten Wigan Athletic on their own patch! The third round draw was a little underwhelming as we missed out on a trip to a Premier League giant, instead we will host League Two strugglers Yeovil Town at home in a Somerset derby. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadCatPT Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 Nice one. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LATB Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 Woah, someone has got FM17 sussed already! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deisler26 Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 WOW! What a result! Well done! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 Jesus! How'd you manage that! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcconnell1 Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 Absolutely brilliant result and amazing year and a half so far, well done! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Costly Posted October 31, 2016 Author Share Posted October 31, 2016 5 hours ago, MadCatPT said: Nice one. 4 hours ago, LATB said: Woah, someone has got FM17 sussed already! 3 hours ago, Deisler26 said: WOW! What a result! Well done! 3 hours ago, BoxToBox said: Jesus! How'd you manage that! 2 hours ago, danmcconnell1 said: Absolutely brilliant result and amazing year and a half so far, well done! Ha, thanks guys. I wouldn't say I have it sussed, just got lucky with the players that were already at the club when I took over. We've found a system and style of play that suits all of the players and it's clearly working at the minute. Football has a funny way of kicking you where it hurts when you least expect it though... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenzar Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 I can picture the scene... The boys from Weston are in fine spirits after beating Wigan, on their own turf to boot. The draw comes out...Weston will play Yeovil. Cue the Beeb having to cut away to avoid the swearing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Costly Posted November 1, 2016 Author Share Posted November 1, 2016 8 hours ago, Lenzar said: I can picture the scene... The boys from Weston are in fine spirits after beating Wigan, on their own turf to boot. The draw comes out...Weston will play Yeovil. Cue the Beeb having to cut away to avoid the swearing. I think you've got that spot on! At least it's a derby of some kind and is winnable. In other news, we somehow have THREE GAMES IN THREE DAYS. Yes, my part-time players are expected to play a game in three straight days, which surely must be a bug. Our keeper Luke Purnell has gone and dislocated his shoulder so the end of the month should be... interesting. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Costly Posted November 1, 2016 Author Share Posted November 1, 2016 Weston-super-Mare AFC National League 2017-18 (December update) All in all, a very pleasing month even if we have conceded a few more goals than I would have liked. There have been a few unusual mistakes creeping in but that may be just because we've got a small squad and the players are being asked to play a hell of a lot of games - still, we finished the month unbeaten. Southport was a fairly straightforward win before we came from behind twice to grab a point at Lincoln. The only disappointment was that we scored a great third goal with five minutes to go that was ruled out for offside despite the player in question being nowhere near the play. We also lost goalkeeper Luke Purnell following the game after he suffered a dislocated shoulder in injury time - he'll be out for two to three months. We then had to settle for another draw, only our fourth of the season, against a strong Barrow side. We battered them in all honesty but they got an early goal and were more than happy to sit back - we had to wait but finally got our equaliser with seven minutes left. The busy Christmas period followed and we managed to get three impressive wins. We were very good against Woking but two sloppy goals let them back into the game. That was our second match without Purnell and with sub keeper Jas Singh not really filling me with confidence, I brought in youngster Charlie Burns from MK Dons and he has done well so far. He conceded two against Sutton but both were near the end and to be fair, both were cracking strikes. Sutton's defending was absolutely woeful, the worst I've ever seen on FM, and we profited to the tune of five goals. Dayle Southwell, on loan from Wycombe, has been brilliant this month, netting eight times. We had to play 24 hours after the Sutton game (thanks, schedulers!) and put in a hardworking display to overcome Wrexham 2-0. We somehow still lead the way heading into 2018! FA Cup/FA Trophy As you can see, we host Yeovil in the third round of the FA Cup in our second game of the New Year. They're struggling in League Two so it's a real chance for us to show what we can do against a Football League side. I was planning to heavily rotate (well, we've got a very small squad so that means maybe four changes!) in the FA Trophy but we had a week break after the Chelmsford game so we only changed a couple of players and we put in a really good showing, dominating the game and coming away with a 2-0 win. We've been given another Somerset derby in a cup competition as we'll host National League South side Bath City in the second round. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcconnell1 Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 Fantastic month again, well done. I'm presuming you're still semi-pro, any rumblings about that changing given you're good form in the National League? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Costly Posted November 1, 2016 Author Share Posted November 1, 2016 2 hours ago, danmcconnell1 said: Fantastic month again, well done. I'm presuming you're still semi-pro, any rumblings about that changing given you're good form in the National League? On paper, it wasn't the toughest run of games but with so many to play, it was still pleasing to do so well. Yep, we're still semi-pro. I haven't really thought about going professional yet as I don't think it really matters too much in FM. It's something I might ask the board about in the summer although I think they'd probably say no due to costs. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deisler26 Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 5 hours ago, King Costly said: I think you've got that spot on! At least it's a derby of some kind and is winnable. In other news, we somehow have THREE GAMES IN THREE DAYS. Yes, my part-time players are expected to play a game in three straight days, which surely must be a bug. Our keeper Luke Purnell has gone and dislocated his shoulder so the end of the month should be... interesting. Report that one, definitely Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 That should be reported, I'm fairly sure the FA wouldn't even allow that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Costly Posted November 1, 2016 Author Share Posted November 1, 2016 52 minutes ago, BoxToBox said: That should be reported, I'm fairly sure the FA wouldn't even allow that. 1 hour ago, Deisler26 said: Report that one, definitely I've just looked at the bugs section and SI have apparently fixed it in the latest update but it only works if you start a new game. The only saving grace was that every other team has to do the same so there's no real advantage/disadvantage. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 Making it look very easy. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Costly Posted November 1, 2016 Author Share Posted November 1, 2016 48 minutes ago, Nobby_McDonald said: Making it look very easy. I've just worked out that 12 of our 19 league wins have been by one goal so it certainly doesn't feel easy! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
oliverdykes Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 Would you be able to show your tactics page and transfers, just to get a further insight into your amazing start? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Costly Posted November 1, 2016 Author Share Posted November 1, 2016 Weston-super-Mare AFC National League 2017-18 (January update) A bit of a strange month for us with two Cup games breaking up the National League action. We kicked off with the trip to Morecambe on New Year’s Day - our third game in three days. The lack of fitness showed in both teams and it was a pretty dire game for those watching. A key block of three games then saw us up against two fellow promotion hopefuls (I’m still not sure we should be in that category!) and a struggling team on the road. We passed the first test against Gateshead, who were second at the time. In all honesty, they were probably the better side but we defended really well and won thanks to a Soukouna screamer from 25 yards. Another game against Mansfield and another pretty heavy defeat. This was a lot more even than the home match against them and we spurned quite a few chances before they took the lead. They then picked us off on the counter to make the scoreline extremely flattering. We needed to bounce back from that result and thankfully we did despite going behind after a terrible bit of goalkeeping from our loanee Charlie Burns. We were left hanging on towards the end at Halifax but it was a big three points considering Mansfield and Gateshead slipped up. FA Cup/FA Trophy Not great. Two games and two defeats to our Somerset rivals and without scoring - I’m kind of glad we’ve kept our worst form for the Cups though. Against Yeovil we were actually very good, hitting the post and wasting a few good opportunities before they took the lead from a corner in the second half. We pushed for an equaliser but got caught out on the break and our Cup run was ended. Still, a run to the third round has really, really boosted the finances and ensured we’ll go into the summer without any debt. Plus, Yeovil got Huddersfield in the next round anyway… We played a pretty strong team against Bath in the FA Trophy but just never got going. We dominated possession wise but to be fair to them, they defended well and we never really created any clear cut chances. Some sloppy defending from a long ball allowed them in for the winner. I know it’s a clichè but it will now allow us to concentrate completely on the league. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Costly Posted November 1, 2016 Author Share Posted November 1, 2016 20 minutes ago, oliverdykes said: Would you be able to show your tactics page and transfers, just to get a further insight into your amazing start? Of course, although the tactic is very, very basic. This is what we normally start off with. I watch games on comprehensive and make adjustments that I think will help. I'll change the LM to a WM (A) sometimes or bump the mentality up to standard if we're struggling to get a foothold. If we're chasing a goal late on, I sacrifice the AMC for another striker and change the wide men to W (A), favouring more direct buildup. In terms of transfers, this is what we did in the first season. The starting team was relatively strong with little depth so I mainly added players as we went through the campaign and picked up suspensions/injuries. Of those listed, Sundman, Rutherford and Wilson hardly made an impact on loan while Hippolyte-Patrick and Nixon were brought in to give us a boost for the run-in. Season Two has shaped up like this. Roskelly is only young and is definitely one for the future whie Singh only played two games and will most likely be leaving when Purnell returns soon. Callum Grogan has just signed as a backup centre-half on non-contract basis. He has potential but we'll see how he pans out in terms of his long-term future. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 Good work getting 7 points from those 3 matches on consecutive days. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
oliverdykes Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 13 hours ago, King Costly said: Of course, although the tactic is very, very basic. This is what we normally start off with. I watch games on comprehensive and make adjustments that I think will help. I'll change the LM to a WM (A) sometimes or bump the mentality up to standard if we're struggling to get a foothold. If we're chasing a goal late on, I sacrifice the AMC for another striker and change the wide men to W (A), favouring more direct buildup. In terms of transfers, this is what we did in the first season. The starting team was relatively strong with little depth so I mainly added players as we went through the campaign and picked up suspensions/injuries. Of those listed, Sundman, Rutherford and Wilson hardly made an impact on loan while Hippolyte-Patrick and Nixon were brought in to give us a boost for the run-in. Season Two has shaped up like this. Roskelly is only young and is definitely one for the future whie Singh only played two games and will most likely be leaving when Purnell returns soon. Callum Grogan has just signed as a backup centre-half on non-contract basis. He has potential but we'll see how he pans out in terms of his long-term future. Cheers mate, much appreciated. Good luck in the title run in. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crispypaul Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 15 hours ago, King Costly said: Of course, although the tactic is very, very basic. This is what we normally start off with. I watch games on comprehensive and make adjustments that I think will help. I'll change the LM to a WM (A) sometimes or bump the mentality up to standard if we're struggling to get a foothold. If we're chasing a goal late on, I sacrifice the AMC for another striker and change the wide men to W (A), favouring more direct buildup. Counter attacking is a really effective system if done right - I like your formation, although I prefer two-striker formations myself you've got a great balance there Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Costly Posted November 2, 2016 Author Share Posted November 2, 2016 5 hours ago, deltablue said: Good work getting 7 points from those 3 matches on consecutive days. Thanks, I was pleased with it. Every other club had to do the same so we weren't really at a disadvantage but the low fitness levels from both sides really showed in that third game. 2 hours ago, oliverdykes said: Cheers mate, much appreciated. Good luck in the title run in. No problem, cheers! 1 hour ago, Crispypaul said: Counter attacking is a really effective system if done right - I like your formation, although I prefer two-striker formations myself you've got a great balance there Yeah the balance is something I wanted to achieve and it seems to have worked pretty well. I do like two up top but I just feel a standard 4-4-2 would leave us too open against teams with superior players which is most of the league! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Costly Posted November 2, 2016 Author Share Posted November 2, 2016 Weston-super-Mare AFC National League 2017-18 (February update) A month that started so very well and ended relatively poorly. The performance at Ebbsfleet was one of our best, it was a typical Weston away display. We defended well and took our chances when they came - it was good to see Southwell back on the scoresheet and in emphatic form. We then picked up nervy home wins against strugglers Macclesfield and North Ferriby. Neither were particularly convincing but at this stage of the season, points are all that matters. Hippolyte-Patrick scored his first for the club against Ferriby and he may feature a but more now that Soukouna has picked up an injury and will be out for a few weeks. Jonathan Nixon is also out for a few weeks so if Southwell gets injured, we may be a little bit screwed! We took the lead at Aldershot, in a game that was always going to be tough, but they completely battered us after that and deservedly picked up three points - we just couldn't handle their tricky wingers. We ended the month with a trip to second bottom Bromley and just about came away with a point. We defended really poorly and gave away two sloppy goals but to be fair to us, the players fought back once again. We hit the woodwork twice late on before Southwell won a penalty. Club captain Dayle Grubb, who has found it difficult to get ahead of O'Sullivan in the pecking order at AMC, stepped up to nick a point. It feels a little like we're running out of gas but hopefully we can find a second wind in March. Youth Intake A pretty poor intake all told which is to be expected with our awful facilities. The only two really worth talking about are defender Jack Robertson and left winger Kevin Sammons. Neither will set the world alight but they could potentially break into the first team squad, especially Sammons. Attacking midfielder Tom Roskelly is our brightest youngster. We signed him on a free from Brackley in the summer but even he isn't on the verge of breaking through just yet. Hopefully I can get him out on loan next season as he desperately needs some first team experience which should bring his development on. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Costly Posted November 2, 2016 Author Share Posted November 2, 2016 It took me 18 months but the board finally caved Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deisler26 Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 Title is yours! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Costly Posted November 3, 2016 Author Share Posted November 3, 2016 12 hours ago, Deisler26 said: Title is yours! I like your confidence! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Costly Posted November 3, 2016 Author Share Posted November 3, 2016 Weston-super-Mare AFC National League 2017-18 (March update) Some nervy performances, which is to be expected at this stage of the season, but we've churned out a series of really good results to put us on the verge of back-to-back titles. Fylde and Chester were key games to lower the pressure on the remaining three matches in the month and we just about squeezed past both thanks to some dogged defending. The Tranmere and York games were absolutely crazy. We took the lead late on at Tranmere before they equalised straight away with a goal that was clearly offside (I'm not bitter though!). We then got pegged back by York in the 85th minute and it looked as if we would have to settle for a point. Then Southwell broke down the right-hand channel, Richards showed more desire and determination than the York defence and he smashed home a perfect cross from close range. Our final big test of the season, in my opinion, was at Eastleigh and we passed with flying colours thanks to a really impressive performance from the whole team. We do actually have one game remaining in March, on the 30th, as we host Dover Athletic. We can win the league with a victory so thought I would keep it back for the final update. The other three remaining matches are at Boreham Wood (22nd) and Southport (12th) while we also welcome Braintree (21st) to the Woodspring Stadium. If we bottle this, it could go down as one of the biggest collapses in history! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcconnell1 Posted November 3, 2016 Share Posted November 3, 2016 In the bag!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
oliverdykes Posted November 3, 2016 Share Posted November 3, 2016 Easy mate Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Costly Posted November 3, 2016 Author Share Posted November 3, 2016 Weston-super-Mare AFC National League Champions 2017-18 For the first time in the club's history, Weston-super-Mare will be a Football League side! We won it in style (well, kind of!). We played really well against Dover, missed a couple of sitters and hit the post before late sub O'Sullivan nicked us a goal in the 81st minute. Mansfield and Gateshead both lost at home so even a defeat would have seen us lift the title but it was nice to do it with a victory! We've now got three games left and despite us already having promotion in the bag, I'd like to win all three. I'll give a couple of the bench players a start just to see if they can impress and I may even give a first team debut to a youngster or two. Talk about a WAR CHEST! Ok, maybe not... We're currently spending £6k a week, the lowest in the division, so it's a 50 per cent increase. It still won't be anywhere near the average League Two budget, though, so we're going to need to be very smart in our summer recruitment. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deisler26 Posted November 3, 2016 Share Posted November 3, 2016 Yessss. Congratulations! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
arranlester12 Posted November 3, 2016 Share Posted November 3, 2016 Well done cocker Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadCatPT Posted November 3, 2016 Share Posted November 3, 2016 @King Costly Congrats, Seagull FTW! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crispypaul Posted November 3, 2016 Share Posted November 3, 2016 Great work! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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