mrdanbartlett Posted March 6, 2017 Share Posted March 6, 2017 What are the budgets looking like this year? Anyone available to sign? Maybe try and get an English side as senior affiliate? Also check who is being released say around English Conf level as they might sign for you given the similar league rep? Would be great to see you push for a title run, although will be very hard vs TNS. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulHartman71 Posted March 6, 2017 Author Share Posted March 6, 2017 I don't have the money to bring anyone else in unfortunately. Board isn't interested in a parent club at all either. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulHartman71 Posted March 6, 2017 Author Share Posted March 6, 2017 Added a few guys in on loan and a new striker on a free in Joel Barnes-Nicholson. A horrific start to the season. We absolutely dominated Barry, within 5 minutes we'd pulled their pants down and slapped them all over the place. The game was in the bag. We had numerous chances throughout the first half to kill them off but we just didn't take them. It was embarrassing watching them equalise in the 2nd half and it felt like a loss not a draw. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulHartman71 Posted March 6, 2017 Author Share Posted March 6, 2017 September A 2-1 win against Aber saw us through in the 2nd round of the Nathaniel MG Cup. It didn't come without it's hiccups as they equalised after we'd taken an early lead and dominated, but thankfully Dean Sherman made sure late on. Goytre United gave us another good game in the next round, but Chris Pennock's late goal prevented extra-time or a replay. Pretty weird set of results this month as we comfortably won both of our away games, but failed to score and generally played poorly in both of our home games. We looked terrible against Connah's Quay and lost, whilst we struggled to create anything of note against Prestatyn even in-spite of them not threatening us at all. Despite the slow start to the season we surprisingly still find ourselves in 2nd place, although obviously 2nd-6th are on the same amount of points. TNS 5 points clear after 5 games Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted March 6, 2017 Share Posted March 6, 2017 To be fair, the Welsh Premier League is probably the equivalent of the fifth or sixth tier in England so it's not that big of a step up. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulHartman71 Posted March 7, 2017 Author Share Posted March 7, 2017 Forgot to mention but we sold Andre Davies in the summer for £30K to 2nd tier side Llangefni. He was a decent squad player for us but when they started bidding £10/15K for him I thought I'd see if they'd pay silly money for him, they did so I sold him. I didn't get to reinvest any of that cash due to the club's bad financial status, but it will at least prop us up a bit for a while. No idea where a Welsh 2nd tier side is getting £30K for a CB though, maybe one of their youth players has gone on to be a PL or Championship player and they've milked it in from sell on clauses. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrdanbartlett Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 I guess one cool avenue would be that you do well this season, then maybe the TNS manager gets poached and you get the job there! You could then get some titles/cups in the bag and maybe even boost your reputation in Europe. I've sent you a quick PM as I have a question but didn't want to hijack the thread. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 It's always nice getting that first taste of Europe. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulHartman71 Posted March 8, 2017 Author Share Posted March 8, 2017 20 hours ago, mrdanbartlett said: I guess one cool avenue would be that you do well this season, then maybe the TNS manager gets poached and you get the job there! You could then get some titles/cups in the bag and maybe even boost your reputation in Europe. I've sent you a quick PM as I have a question but didn't want to hijack the thread. The TNS job would be quite cool, especially as id probably get a little Champions League run. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
noikeee Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 This little stint in Wales must be doing wonders to your reputation, no? I reckon the level might not be much higher than you were managing in England, but the simple fact you're playing in Europe might just push you up to better jobs once you go back. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulHartman71 Posted March 8, 2017 Author Share Posted March 8, 2017 9 minutes ago, noikeee said: This little stint in Wales must be doing wonders to your reputation, no? I reckon the level might not be much higher than you were managing in England, but the simple fact you're playing in Europe might just push you up to better jobs once you go back. I certainly hope so. Not been linked with any other jobs just yet, when I'd occasionally get linked before when at English clubs, fingers crossed my next job is in the Conference North/South though as would be frustrating to go back to the 7th tier again after a Europa League spell Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulHartman71 Posted March 8, 2017 Author Share Posted March 8, 2017 October A really strong month, with 4 wins from 5, with the only loss being a narrow away 1-0 at TNS. We looked pretty good at Carmarthen, but it wasn't until the 83rd minute when Pennock made sure of victory, he grabbed another in injury time to get his hat-trick. Despite being 2-0 up at half-time we quite easily could've blown it at Newtown, but thankfully we held strong and stopped them getting a 2nd. Haverfordwest didn't really trouble as once we went ahead, whilst Aber had a man sent off early in the 2nd half of that win, so they never really had a chance and we should really have got 1 or 2 more. TNS are 6 points ahead and unbeaten, it won't be easy to catch them, but we're at least 5 points clear of Prestatyn in 3rd. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulHartman71 Posted March 8, 2017 Author Share Posted March 8, 2017 November Carmarthen put up a fight to try and progress in the Welsh Cup, but overall we just had too much for them, with Chris Cornell's goal putting us through. We should really have won this game more convincing than 1-0, but we were never in too much danger of losing to 2nd tier Llandudno. We've made the Nathaniel MC Cup Final after a pretty easy run - Afan Lido will be a test in the final though. A mixed month which started off reasonably well with a 2-1 win against Barry, albeit the winner only coming from a penalty, but 3 points is 3 points. We had an off day at home to Airbus who comfortably beat us 2-0, before we could only scrape a point at Connah's Quay who are becoming a bit of a bogey team for us. Thankfully after 2 league games without a goal, we got two through Joel Barnes-Nicholson which helped us beat Bala 2-0. Unfortunately Joel Barnes-Nicholson was actually injured in the Bala match and will now miss 8 weeks or so which is a bit of a blow. Despite a shaky month in the league we've actually made gains on both TNS and the teams behind us. TNS are now just 3 points behind us and almost within touching distance, whilst Prestatyn and Afan Lido are now 6 points off of us. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrdanbartlett Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 Great season so far! Be awesome if you could win that cup too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulHartman71 Posted March 9, 2017 Author Share Posted March 9, 2017 (edited) Just seen that Port Talbot is now my longest stint at a club. Who knows how long it may continue for, but I'm enjoying it so far. Edited March 9, 2017 by PaulHartman71 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulHartman71 Posted March 9, 2017 Author Share Posted March 9, 2017 December The month started off pretty well with a comprehensive 3-0 win away to Prestatyn, who at the time were in 3rd place and the closest side to us. Since then it's not really been plain sailing, as we drew against Carmarthen and Newtown which on paper are both games we'd like to win. We then had a fairly tough double header of away games against Haverfordwest and Afan Lido, but even so, losing both was a real disappointment. We have been without Joel-Barnes Nicholson who is a big player for us, but we should be able to do without him as Carl Pockett is still a decent player too and we won games with him involved. This poor run of form has basically handed TNS the title as I don't see us coming back from a 9 point deficit. We've got to watch out too as Afan Lido and the others in the pack are coming for us. There's only 3 games left before the split though and barring something crazy happening we'll for sure be in the top half. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrdanbartlett Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 Gosh its all got a little tight! Shame really that the league really comes down to that last final split section, as you could easily drop well out of the top 3 spots with those tricky games. Still a good season so far, look forward to the next update. Be good if you can build something here for another year or 2. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 TNS running away again. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulHartman71 Posted March 9, 2017 Author Share Posted March 9, 2017 46 minutes ago, Nobby_McDonald said: TNS running away again. There's No Stopping them Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makoto Nakamura Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 Tried No Strikers? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim owen Posted March 10, 2017 Share Posted March 10, 2017 18 hours ago, Nobby_McDonald said: TNS running away again. How long has their manager been there? Are they regularly changing due to the manager getting better offers, or is one guy camped in position Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulHartman71 Posted March 11, 2017 Author Share Posted March 11, 2017 On 3/10/2017 at 16:20, jim owen said: How long has their manager been there? Are they regularly changing due to the manager getting better offers, or is one guy camped in position They've had the same guy for about 3 years now. Chris Maxwell, who left Conference South side Bromley to join them. Their previous manager, Wayne Jones, was there for 9 years before that, until he left for League 2 side Burton Albion. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulHartman71 Posted March 11, 2017 Author Share Posted March 11, 2017 January (pre-split) A tough start to 203 saw us lose our first two games of the season, against Afan Lido and TNS. We restored some pride by beating Aberystwyth 3-1, in what will be our last easy league game of the season. We're down to 4th and tbh our form against the better sides recently has me a bit worried. The main positive to take is that unless you get 2nd you're not really guaranteed a European slot anyway, so we've probably got just as good a chance at Europe by winning the Welsh Cup - although that's easier said than done too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulHartman71 Posted March 11, 2017 Author Share Posted March 11, 2017 January (post-split) A horrific end to our Nathanial MG Cup run. We had a really bad day and Afan Lido took advantage, admittedly 1 was a wonder goal and another a fluke from a free-kick, but we were really poor and to lose 4-1 in a cup final against anyone is embarrassing. We at least ended the month with a win against Connah's Quay, with Chris Cornell coming off the bench to score a late winner after we had blown our early lead. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulHartman71 Posted March 11, 2017 Author Share Posted March 11, 2017 February Our poor form continued this month, as we barely scraped past 2nd tier side Pen-y-Bont to reach the Welsh Cup Quarter Finals. A very late goal from Rory Cusack saved our blushes. We did have a tough run of games this month, with 3 away games and a home tie against TNS, but still not great to get 1 point from 12 whatever the circumstances. I think we have missed Joel Barnes-Nicholson who missed all of February as well due to a setback, but he will be back next month so hopefully his return can kick us up a gear as we go into the last stages of the season. Afan Lido have pulled away in 2nd place now so we're looking at 3rd place at the absolute highest, with finishing 5th or even 6th a real danger if this form carries on. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulHartman71 Posted March 11, 2017 Author Share Posted March 11, 2017 My Assistant is getting linked with more jobs than me ffs! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjaferrie Posted March 11, 2017 Share Posted March 11, 2017 Haha! How has the Welsh stint affected your reputation? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulHartman71 Posted March 11, 2017 Author Share Posted March 11, 2017 2 minutes ago, mjaferrie said: Haha! How has the Welsh stint affected your reputation? It doesn't seem to have damaged it, but I'm not sure if maybe being outside of England makes me less noticeable/visible to English clubs. Guess it's kind of realistic as I suppose a non-league manager going to Wales would kind of be like going off the radar unless they were winning trophies or noticeably over-performing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulHartman71 Posted March 11, 2017 Author Share Posted March 11, 2017 Getting quite jealous of him now tbf Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulHartman71 Posted March 11, 2017 Author Share Posted March 11, 2017 He's only gone and bagged the top job at Chester, who are currently sitting pretty in the Conference North Playoff places. I'll take some of that please! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulHartman71 Posted March 11, 2017 Author Share Posted March 11, 2017 March A huge win against Prestatyn sees us through to the Welsh Cup Semis. Richard Walker equalised for us in the 77th minute and tbh I didn't think that leveller would ever come. It looked like it was gonna go to penalties or a late Prestatyn winner, but Walker scored again in extra-time to get us through. A real MOTM performance from him. Prestatyn got some revenge later in the month when they beat us at our place 2-1, after we'd already lost at Connah's Quay a fortnight prior. Dire stuff in the league as we just can't buy a win or some good results at the moment. We've slipped down to 5th and with our final 3 games being TNS away and Haverfordwest and Afan Lido at home, I really wouldn't be surprised to see us end up in 6th. It's been woeful. We're obviously guaranteed a spot in that end of season Playoff for Euros places, but I wouldn't be confident at all with their form we're going into it with. Our one last hope is the Welsh Cup, as we've got Newtown in the Semi Final and as you can see in the table they're struggling right down the bottom. It's a golden chance to get into the final but in our current form I wouldn't bet on us doing it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim owen Posted March 11, 2017 Share Posted March 11, 2017 Time to rest players in the league to concentrate on the cup i think Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjaferrie Posted March 11, 2017 Share Posted March 11, 2017 Yeah... a trophy and the resulting European place would be huge. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulHartman71 Posted March 11, 2017 Author Share Posted March 11, 2017 A bit of a setback in the run up to the Semi Final as the guy who was instrumental in getting us there will miss it, after he picked up his 10th booking of the season in an away tie at TNS. It's not ideal but we'll have to make do. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulHartman71 Posted March 11, 2017 Author Share Posted March 11, 2017 April We got a decent point at TNS after parking the bus, but then followed that up with a really poor performance at home to Haverfordwest. We at least won't finish 6th which is one positive, but even Prestatyn in 4th our out of sight from us now. The Welsh Cup was where it was at this month though and thankfully we pulled through with a 2-1 win against Newtown, with Chris Pennock and Jonathan Robinson scoring the all important goals to send us through to the final. I'm not sure how they've got to the final but we will actually play bottom of the table Barry Town in the final, which at least on paper seems like a dream draw. I've just looked through to see how they got to the final and they've totally lucked out and every single team they've played on the path to the final has been a team outside of the Welsh Premier League. It really feels like the Welsh Cup is there for the taking but I'm scared shitless we'll bottle it Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulHartman71 Posted March 11, 2017 Author Share Posted March 11, 2017 Rested a few players where we had the depth/players fit for the last game of the season at home to Afan Lido, went a bit more defensive and direct than the usual "counter" I'd play in games I'd expect to possibly lose and this happens... Rob Bowen the 21 year old 4th choice striker who hasn't played a minute all season pops up with a brace ffs We end the season in 5th place. Barry Town to come in the Welsh Cup final. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim owen Posted March 11, 2017 Share Posted March 11, 2017 1 minute ago, PaulHartman71 said: Rob Bowen the 21 year old 4th choice striker who hasn't played a minute all season pops up with a brace ffs Start him in the final Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulHartman71 Posted March 11, 2017 Author Share Posted March 11, 2017 He's definitely given me a bit of a selection headache which I didn't expect to have. I'll have to put him on the bench at the very least after a performance like that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulHartman71 Posted March 12, 2017 Author Share Posted March 12, 2017 They made a game of it, but thanks to a James Gardiner brace we have been crowned Welsh Cup champions! Quite a relief to have won as despite the fairly easy run in aside from the Prestatyn Quarter Final, we've been in woeful form the last few months or so, so it wasn't set in stone that we'd do it. Of course this qualifies us for Europa again next season, which will help us financially too, that's ignoring the fact that this is a long overdue trophy win for us which is like the icing on the cake really. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulHartman71 Posted March 12, 2017 Author Share Posted March 12, 2017 A few days after the Welsh Cup win I was offered a new deal to the end of next season. I was pleased to see they've actually given me a pay rise, only 25 p/w, but you can't knock it! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim owen Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 Longest time at a club. Europa League winners next year? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjaferrie Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 Nice one! Bring it on Europe! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DazRTaylor Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 Well done on the cup win. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulHartman71 Posted March 12, 2017 Author Share Posted March 12, 2017 Season 19: Port Talbot Town Our league form dropped off massively after Christmas and for us to finish 5th is definitely a step backwards from last year, but we reached both cup finals and thankfully won the Welsh Cup to ensure European qualification without a Playoff. We gave it a good go in Europe this year but got a bit outclassed by a bigger side. I have to put this season as a success mainly due to the cup win, if we'd blown that final too then it would've been a bit of a bad year unless we won the European Playoff again, which given our form I don't think we would have. Squad Chris Pennock was top scorer again, this time with 17 goals and 7 assists, he was 1 goal off being top scorer in the Welsh League, but tbh he could have got more and went a few games without scoring quite often. Jonathan Robinson was fairly influential on the left wing and was more of an asset than his 10 assists and 3 goals stats would suggest. Richard Walker joined in the summer and was a real solid addition to our central midfield. Career History --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Season Club Division Position Achievements/Other --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2016/17 Ipswich Wanderers Eastern Counties Premier League 8th Eastern Counties League Cup winners 2017/18 Ipswich Wanderers Eastern Counties Premier League 11th Left in November --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2017/18 Coventry Sphinx Midland Football Premier League 13th N/A 2018/19 Coventry Sphinx Midland Football Premier League 10th Left in December --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2018/19 Carlton Town United Counties Premier League 8th United Counties League Cup runners-up. Sacked. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2019/20 Basildon United Essex Senior League 3rd Gordan Brasted Memorial Trophy winners 2020/21 Basildon United Essex Senior League 17th Left in November --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2020/21 Lincoln United Northern Counties East Premier League 11th N/A 2021/22 Lincoln United Northern Counties East Premier League 17th Left in December --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2021/22 Swindon Supermarine Southern League 1st Division S/W 13th N/A 2022/23 Swindon Supermarine Southern League 1st Division S/W 18th Left in January --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2022/23 Trafford FC Northern Premier League 1st Division N 7th N/A 2023/24 Trafford FC Northern Premier League 1st Division N 11th Sacked in November --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2023/24 Hythe Town Isthmian League 1st Division S 12th Joined in January 2024/25 Hythe Town Isthmian League 1st Division S 3rd Left in March --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2024/25 Canvey Island Isthmian League Premier Division 23rd Relegated 2025/26 Canvey Island Isthmian League 1st Division N 23rd Sacked in November --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2025/26 Farsley Celtic Northern Premier League 1st Division N 11th Joined in January 2026/27 Farsley Celtic Northern Premier League 1st Division N 5th Left in March --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2026/27 Stourbridge Northern League Premier Division 21st Relegated 2027/28 Stourbridge Southern League 1st Division C 5th Promoted via Playoffs 2028/29 Stourbridge Southern League Premier Division 15th Left in November --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2028/29 Lancaster City Northern League Premier Division 21st Relegeted. Sacked. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2029/30 Southport Northern League Premier Division 14th N/A 2030/31 Southport Northern League Premier Division 5th Left in April --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2030/31 Port Vale Northern League Premier Division 3rd Lost in Playoff Final 2031/32 Port Vale Northern League Premier Division 2nd Lost in Playoff Final 2032/33 Port Vale Northern League Premier Division 6th Left in January --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2032/33 Port Talbot Town Welsh Premier League 8th N/A 2033/34 Port Talbot Town Welsh Premier League 3rd Qualified for Europa League via Playoff 2034/35 Port Talbot Town Welsh Premier League 5th Welsh Cup winners --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Trophy Cabinet Eastern Counties League Cup x1 - 2016/17 (Ipswich Wanderers) Gordan Brasted Memorial Trophy x1 - 2019/20 (Basildon United) Welsh Cup x1 - 2034/35 (Port Talbot Town) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulHartman71 Posted March 12, 2017 Author Share Posted March 12, 2017 72 year old Jose Mourinho led Man United to their first Premier League in 8 years, as he beat Arsenal at Old Trafford on the last day of the season to prevent Allegri's side from winning the title themselves. Man City and Chelsea completed the top four, with Jardim's Man City falling short in the Champions League final to Zidane's Real Madrid, as Madrid became the first non-English side to win the competition in 7 years. Doncaster Rovers once again went down from the Premier League at the first time of asking, whilst Colchester United came a Playoff final away from making the Premier League - elsewhere in Essex, Southend United returned to League 1 for the first time in 15 years. Blackpool, led by Ashley Williams, also returned to League 1 after 12 year stint in League 2. Forest Green Rovers won the Conference Playoffs and will join the football league, after they beat Dulwich Hamlet on penalties. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulHartman71 Posted March 12, 2017 Author Share Posted March 12, 2017 I've made the tough decision to not re-sign Joel Barnes-Nicholson to a new deal. He was a very good striker and had a good record of 9 goals and 11 assists in 25 games, but unfortunately he was too injury prone for a guy I'm paying £1,100 p/w to, I checked his injury record and he's torn his groin muscle 3 times before which for a 23 year old is very worrying. Quite brutal to have to get rid but that's still big money for us and I can hopefully get someone as good with a clean injury record for those wages. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulHartman71 Posted March 12, 2017 Author Share Posted March 12, 2017 (edited) Bleak times for the Welsh League as we've dropped down to 47th in the Coefficients table. It doesn't affect us too much and it's more TNS who will suffer as they'll now start in the 1st Qualifying Phase rather than the 2nd, but I imagine if they're starting in the 1st that will give them an extra couple of easy games, so they should hopefully sort out our coefficient back out by having 2 easy wins each year. Edited March 12, 2017 by PaulHartman71 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulHartman71 Posted March 12, 2017 Author Share Posted March 12, 2017 The draw has been made and this July we will be heading to Iceland! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulHartman71 Posted March 12, 2017 Author Share Posted March 12, 2017 (edited) Been making sure to double check injury records of players before signing them now, just came across this: Never seen anyone injured through blisters before Says he received them in training and was out for 4 days. What he do? Wear boots that were too tight for him? Edited March 12, 2017 by PaulHartman71 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehazeofspades Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 35 minutes ago, PaulHartman71 said: Been making sure to double check injury records of players before signing them now, just came across this: Never seen anyone injured through blisters before Says he received them in training and was out for 4 days. What he do? Wear boots that were too tight for him? It never indicated that they were blisters on his feet.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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