[FM17] The Long and Winding Road – Keymer and Hassocks/DCK Maidenbower

[sourgrapes11]

DCK Maidenbower 2029/30 Season Summary

Preseason

Absolutely thrashed by Arsenal, but an otherwise reasonable pre-season. 

 

League

With 20 teams and only the winners being promoted, I thought that DCK were in for a tough season. DCK had among the lowest wage bills in the league, so I expected that despite media and boardroom expectations of a league title, DCK would take a few seasons at least to reach the Isthmian divisions. In the end though, DCK romped to the title, finishing over 20 points ahead of their closest competitors. 

 

Cups

Of 4 the cups DCK competed in this season, the only one with no hope of winning was the FA Cup. The board didn't consider the two Southern Combination cups to be a priority, but wanted DCK to reach the semis of the FA Trophy and reach the FA Cup 4th qualifying round. DCK only reached the 2nd qual. round of the FA Cup before being knocked out by St. Neots, but reached the final of the FA Trophy, only to lose the final on penalties after extra time. 

 

DCK II

DCK are managed by AI but Jamie Tabb controls transfer incomings, outgoings and staff appointments, making them a DoF challenge inside a LLM challenge. Managed by AssMan Carl Simmonds due to staff shortages, DCK II won Mid Sussex D4 in 2029/30, earning promotion to D3.

    

Top Performers

David 'Literally Messi' Ashley had another outstanding season, bagging a career high 90 goals in all competitions, ably assisted by some excellent performances from the midfield.

 

Transfers

Hardly any signings this season, with stringent wage limits holding DCK back. Ashley Rivers and Charlie Pheasant were both signed in the search for Ian Lowendes' long term replacement, but neither are truly convincing so the search goes on.

Paul Marchant was the first player that Jamie Tabb ever signed for Keymer and Hassocks, way back on 2nd July 2016, and was signed for £20 p/w to play for DCK II in Mid Sussex D4. Primarily a nostalgia signing, but his ability to play both RB and CB have proved useful.

 

Next Season

Going into the Isthmian D1S, DCK are now only two promotions from the Conference South, traditionally the lowest the FM database goes, and four promotions from the Football League. 

Next season DCK will likely need to make as many signings as the finances allow; Isthmian D1S is a 46-game season, and it would be nice to reach the FA cup 1st round, meaning a lot of games next season. Hopefullt the board doesn't expect another league win, but experience suggests that they will. It would be nice as well to keep as much of the squad together as far as they can go, especially the Sutton-Bell-Wheeler-Hopkinson backline, who will likely stay at the club for the rest of their careers, playing for DCK II once the first team has outgrown them and staying to tutor younger players as well as help DCK II rise up the divisions.

Onwards and Upwards!

 

 

Edited May 6, 2019 by sourgrapes11

[Dev'o]

Haha, had some time on my hands so made you this

[sourgrapes11]

On 04/05/2019 at 00:30, Dev'o said:

Haha, had some time on my hands so made you this

Hahaha I love it! Looks much tastier than the angry chicken badge...

I just wish I could import a club badge into an ongoing save - would love to see that badge pitched up against a prem team down the line - like Spurs vs DCK, the badges would be like a before and after...

[Dan BHTFC]

3 hours ago, sourgrapes11 said:

Hahaha I love it! Looks much tastier than the angry chicken badge...

I just wish I could import a club badge into an ongoing save - would love to see that badge pitched up against a prem team down the line - like Spurs vs DCK, the badges would be like a before and after...

You can

[Dan BHTFC]

On 04/05/2019 at 00:30, Dev'o said:

Haha, had some time on my hands so made you this

Just need to change it to Maidenbower haha

[sourgrapes11]

2 hours ago, Dan BHTFC said:

Just need to change it to Maidenbower haha

To be honest I misread that for a whole season when I was facing them regularly with K&H, easily done! And in fact i hadn't noticed it on the badge until you mentioned it - maybe I should petition Crawley Council to change the name to Maidenblower?

[sourgrapes11]

3 hours ago, Dan BHTFC said:

You can

Really? HMB imma google this

[sourgrapes11]

In The Money

Um, thanks, I guess?

 

 

 

Also: my computer froze (again) when attempting to save, likely due to the sheer weight of 150,000 active players loaded, and I lost progress from Feb 2030 onwards. The rest of the season played out in essentially the same fashion; we won the league and the two Southern Combination Cups, and lost the FA Vase Final. I won't post new screenshots unless requested as essentially nothing substantial changed.

 

[sourgrapes11]

DCK Maidenbower 2030/31 Season Preview

Once again, we're expected to win the league on a shoestring.

As well as the League title, expectations are that DCK will win the Isthmian League Cup, featuring teams from both the Isthmian First Divisions North and South, as well as the Isthmian Premier Division. DCK are also expected to have runs in the FA Trophy and FA Cup qualifying rounds, which will mean another full season if expectations are met.

With a long season ahead (46 game league season this year!) and some departures/retirements expected in the off-season, from about March onwards Jamie Tabb asked his scouts to focus on finding young talents. After months of effort from the scouts finding them and Jamie compiling lists of the most promising, DCK signed a bunch of 17 and 18 year olds in the off-season. The view was that they would integrate the ones that were ready now, and tutor/loan the ones that needed more work, hoping to put the building blocks in place for a team that could conquer the Conference South & National, and win promotion to the Football League.

Of the signed players, the two most promising are Alex Scott and and Scott Wheeler, who both arrive with resolute personalities.

Sam Concannon is hopefully going to take over as our long term no.1, and Robert Shaw and Ollie Gibbs-Wilkin will stay on for squad depth, but the rest have gone out on loan, many with part or all of their wages covered, which helps lessen the wage bill which was starting to creak a little with all the new faces.

As well as the League title, expectations are that DCK will win the Isthmian League Cup, featuring teams from both the Isthmian First Divisions North and South, as well as the Isthmian Premier Division. DCK are also expected to have runs in the FA Trophy and FA Cup qualifying rounds, which will mean another full season if expectations are met.

Tactics

As of yet I haven't included any info on tactics, mainly because I haven't been doing anything fancy. At Keymer and Hassocks it was a simple 442, with defensive full backs and a little and large (quick poacher and target man on support) duo up top, which I expected to be transferred to DCK. When I arrived however, attacking midfielder Callum Gribbin was streets ahead of the rest of the midfield, so rather than attempt to shoehorn him into the midfield I opted to stick with my predecessor's 4411.

The emphasis is simplicity and minimal instructions, relying essentially on David 'Literally Messi' Ashley to get the goals while employing a deeper back line to counter the same threat of balls over the top that K&H and DCK employ. Once in the Football League it would be nice to build an identity of posession football but in the lower leagues the reality is that knocking it long to a pacy striker is just far more effective.

Edited May 7, 2019 by sourgrapes11

[sourgrapes11]

DCK Maidenbower 2030/31 Season

August-October

Despite some initial concerns, DCK have had a (mostly) excellent start to their first Isthmian season. After an unbeaten pre-season, they continued that form into the League campaign and currently sit confortably on top of the pile after 13 matches.

David 'Literally Messi' Ashley continues to bang the goals in for fun, with 28 in 20 so far (plus 8 assists), and the rest of the team continues to do an excellent job supporting him. The new signings, especially Scott Wheeler and Alex Scott, are making solid strides in their growth and the club is also embarking on something of an FA Cup run, reaching the first round for the first time in their history. DCK have been drawn away at Accrington Stanley, the first football league opposition in their history.

Nearly 100% certain to be knocked out, but you never know...

 

On a less positive note, DCK's FA Trophy campaign ended before it even got going, losing in the preliminary round to Windscale. A measure of revenge was extracted a week later however as DCK knocked them out of the FA Cup in the 4th preliminary round.

The FA Trophy loss is frustrating, but the Accrington match should net DCK a financial boost and hopefully allow them to turn a profit this season, after a small £8.5k loss last year.

Overall things look good in terms of club progression this season but there is still plenty of time to screw it up; if the first place spot is squandered then the playoffs are always a roll of the dice. Even at the start of November though, a lead of 7 points and 2 games in hand is fairly commanding.

[sourgrapes11]

Accrington Stanley vs DCK Maidenbower

Having qualified for the FA Cup first round for the first time in the club's history, the match against League Two side Accrington Stanley was surely the club's biggest ever. Being drawn away meant that the club would get maximum revenue from the match, in the likely event that they were knocked out. In the end it was a thrilling match.

First Half

It started badly, with an early 5th minute own goal from centre back Mel Bell after five minutes. Staring at the potential of a hiding, things needed to improve fast. They didn't. Three minutes later, Fulham loanee Perry Garner ran on to a through ball and slotted past Sam Concannon to double Accrington's lead. DCK needed to get it together fast, if only to keep the scoreline respectable.

After going 0-2 down however, DCK seemed to wake up and started to take the game to Accrington. They looked sharper and more dangerous on the break, and halved the deficit in the 16th minute with a poacher's finish from David Ashley. As if the ghost of Barcelona had floated down and taken up residence in The Crown Ground, Accrington suddenly fell apart under the pressure. In the 25th minute, a cross from Scott Wheeler was deflected into his own net by Mark Armstrong, leveling the tie. It was a remarkably similar own goal, in fact, to Mel Bell's 5th minute howler. 

After that, Accrington seemed to stablilise and looked to finish the half well. Those hopes fell apart though when David Ashley drifted to the near post and finished another Scott Wheeler cross smartly on 41 minutes. By now, Accrington were in freefall, DCK were rampant, and it was scarcely even a surprise when Callum Gribbin bent a gorgeous 30 yard free kick into the top corner a few seconds before the half time whistle. When it blew, Accrington were shell shocked, and the sides went into the break with the scoreline reading Accrington Stanley 2-4 DCK Maidenbower.

 

Second Half

Stanley knew that they had to tighten up at the back while at the same time chasing the game if they wanted to avoid a giantkilling, and they turned to Perry Garner, who didn't disappoint. He pulled a goal back seven minutes after the restart, and on 77 minutes completed his hat trick to draw the sides level. DCK's goal was then peppered with shots, but they held firm to keep the draw and take the tie back to their home turf.

Mixed emotions about this one; it was a fabulous effort to go from 0-2 down to be 2-4 up at the break, but then throwing away that lead was frustrating. At least the tie netted a relatively high sum for the club, between 5-10k, and there will be another chance at it when Accrington return for the replay.

Whoever wins the replay faces League One side Rochdale in the second round, and after that the Prem big boys enter the fray. I'd give DCK roughly a 3% chance of making the 3rd round, but whatever happens next to secure a draw away at Football League opposition has to be the achievement of the save so far.

 

Edited May 15, 2019 by sourgrapes11

[sourgrapes11]

DCK Maidenbower vs Accrington Stanley - Replay

After the first leg at Accrington's Crown Ground, DCK fans came away either delighted or disappointed, having secured a draw against Football League opposition but also given up a two goal lead in the second half. Still, it meant that Accrington came to Crawley for the replay, fully expecting that they'd take the tie more seriously and roll DCK over this time.

Accrington started the game well, and in the 10th minute Matthew Buttle drifted off the wing, ghosted through the defence, latched on to a through ball and finished cooly at the near post past debutant keeper Leigh Jenkins. Accrington tried to press the advantage and kill DCK off before the break but at half time the scores still read DCK 0-1 Accrington Stanley.

Whatever Jamie Tabb said to his DCK players at half time worked though, and they came out of the blocks the better team. It told when David Ashley was sent scampering down the left wing after a long ball. He looked up and saw Bradley Bell making a Lampard-esque run into the box. The cross sailed over Bell's head, but Scott Wheeler was waiting on the other side of the penalty area and produced a fantastic first time finish on the half volley that gave keeper Paul O'Neill-Garner no chance.

At 1-1 both sides traded chances but there were no more goals to be found after 90 minutes so the match went to extra time. Accrington's players seemed stunned that a team four divisions below them had held them level after 180 minutes, and the capacity crowd of 750 was roaring on DCK.

The support seemed to give them extra legs in extra time, and DCK punished Accrington's failure to finish them off.  On 111 minutes a goalmouth scramble ended with Olie Gibbs-Wilkin finishing cooly to give DCK the advantage, and as Accrington threw bodies forward in search of the goal to earn them a penalty shootout, DCK scored in a similar fashion to their first; Ashley chased a long ball down the left. This time his cross found the late-arriving Bradley Bell perfectly and he finished with amplob from six yards.

With only five minutes of extra time to go, Accrington knew that the two goal deficit was insurmountable, and their heads clearly dropped. The final five minutes passed without incident, and when the final whistle was blown the DCK bench ran onto the pitch, celebrating as if they had just won the FA Cup final rather than the first round. The win means that they face Rochdale in the second round, and will surely be targeting another shock result.

 

It might only be November but Rochdale are looking like the favourites to be promoted to the Championship this season, so another giant-killing will be a tough ask. Still, as FA Cup runs go this is among the most special I've experienced on FM.

 

Edited May 15, 2019 by sourgrapes11

[sourgrapes11]

DCK Maidenbower vs Rochdale

Despite DCK's heroics against Accrington Stanley, few expected another giantkilling hosting League One promotion candidates Rochdale.

Rochdale lined up with an attacking 4-3-3 and looked to take the game to DCK from the start. They came close on several occasions, with Neville Wheeler producing several goal-saving clearances. The pressure told, however. Neil Mars floated a freekick from just inside DCK's half into the box, and William Hutchinson rose the highest to put Rochdale ahead after 22 minutes. The DCK fans were fearing a drubbbing by this point, but the defence held firm after going behind and just before half time they pulled level, Scott Wheeler scoring a piledriver from the edge of the area that keeper Casper Kristiansen was able to get a hand on but couldn't keep out. Level at half time, could DCK get another and complete a second shock result?

DCK's optimism didn't survive long however. Four minutes into the second half, Oliver Black latched onto a through ball and fired low and hard into the bottom corner, the kind of shot that keepers just don't save. DCK were level for only seven minutes, and Rochdale were looking the more likely to score again. DCK though still looked dangerous on the break though, and on 60 minutes Elliot Smith fizzed the ball across the box for Bradley Bell to tap home from 6 yards out.

That goal in the end was enough to secure another replay, as despite Rochdale continuing to knock on the door they were unable to find a way through for a third time. DCK will play the replay at Rochdale's 10,000 seater Spotland stadium, a match that will surely smash their record for gate receipts. It remains to be seen though, can lightning strike again and see DCK knock out another Football League side on a replay?

 

Edited May 14, 2019 by sourgrapes11

[sourgrapes11]

FA Cup 3rd round draw

If DCK can pull off the impossible in the FA Cup 2nd round replay against Rochdale then they will earn a tie against Premier League side Crystal Palace.

Fingers crossed!

[sourgrapes11]

Rochdale vs DCK Maidenbower - Replay

With a potential tie against Crystal Palace on the cards, manager Jamie Tabb needed to do little to motivate his players against Rochdale. Having come back from behind twice in the first match, there was certainlyt a level of confidence that DCK could surprise a lot of pepole again and knock another Football Legue team out of the FA Cup.

The match, however did not start well. After five minutes, Kieran Edwards crossed the ball into the box. Jack Fitzwater was unable to get out of the way; the ball hit him on the arse and beat Charlie Pheasant. Determined not to go the way of Accrington, the opener only served to galvanise Rochdale further and they doubled their lead 20 minutes later. Neil Mars swung a corner in, and Oliver Black struck a perfect volley from just inside the area to give Pheasant no chance. The half finished 2-0, leaving DCK with a mountain to climb in the second half.

The mountain became Olympus Mons not long after the restart. Mars took the ball to the touchline and lifted a cutback over Charlie Pheasant to the far post, and Daniel Stokes finished comfortably.  At 3-0 it was clearly game over, and though DCK stayed solid after that and prevented an absolute rout they were unable to claw back so much as a consolation goal.

If DCK had lost the first tie against Accrington 3-0 there would have been no shame; having got this far and taken a likely Championship side next season to a replay DCK's fans will fell nothing but pride at how the FA Cup campaign has gone.

However not all is positive

Seems harsh...

The gate receipts from the two away cup games mean that this season will likely be a record profit for DCK, and could mean that next season there is more cash to play with in terms of wages.

[sourgrapes11]

DCK Maidenbower vs Rochdale attempt 2

Not for the first time, my rickety old computer failed on me and I lost progress. Thankfully the game had been saved shortly after we won the Accrington match so only the two Rochdale matches and a few league games were lost.

When replaying the Rochdale games I was determined to not let the data loss affect the results, which meant that I had to savescum both legs, much to my discomfort; the first match because we lost 2-0 on the first attempt and the replay because we actually took Rochdale all the way to penalties, and then went and won the shootout! Reloading to make sure we lost the replay as it originally played out was one of the toughest things I've had to do on FM. 

With that in mind, this is what happened in the replayed FA Cup matches.

Home Leg: DCK 1-1 Rochdale

After an exciting but scoreless first half, Rochdale took the lead when Dan Pring curled in an absolute beauty of a free kick shortly after the break. The lead didn't last though, as 12 minutes later Callum Gribbin played in David Ashley who finished low into the bottom corner.

The match seemed to be headed for the desired replay before Bradley Bell gave away a silly penalty fifteen minutes from time. It looked like getting the required draw would take a third attempt but Jack Payne's lame effort from the spot was easily save by Leigh Jenkins, meaning that we would travel to Rochdale's Spotland as the universe intended.

 

Away Leg: Rochdale 2-1 DCK

Having been forced to reload to overwrite a brilliant shootout victory in the replay I was not in the best of moods and was really not looking forward to FM inevitably serving us up a 10-0 loss. The DCK players clearly sensed my frustration though as they put in an excellent performance to go out narrowly with their heads held high.

Rochdale held a 2-0 lead as the clock ticked towards the final whistle, courtesy of two goals either side of the break (and also another missed Rochdale penalty) but David Ashley raced clear on 83 minutes to give a glimmer of hope to the fans, and a sense of dread to myself that I might have to overwrite another incredible victory. But it was not to be, and the 2-1 loss sent the DCK fans home proud and left me very grateful to be done with savescumming .

 

Hopefully I've now finally learned my lesson about making sure I've saved all progress before posting about it online.

 

Several seasons later edit: No I didn't learn my lesson

 

Edited September 26, 2019 by sourgrapes11

[sourgrapes11]

DCK Maidewnbower 2030/31

November-January

Although only the end of January, DCK appear to pretty much have the league sewn up.

At this point it would surely take a monumental loss of form to screw this up, 16 points ahead with 2 games in hand.

 

Having gone out of both the FA Cup and the FA Trophy, and with the league effectively in the bag, the only competition still on the line is the Isthmian League Cup, which the board expect to win. 

Having lost progress from the end of the 29/30 season, David 'Literally Messi' Ashley's top scoring season remains 87 goals in 2023/24 with K&H; it would be nice to see him beat it this year. He is currently on 70 goals having played 39 games, and has 19 more League games and potentially 4 Isthmian League cup games to go.

Scott Wheeler and Alex Scott have continued to grow into their roles at the club, and several players have been signed on amateur contracts to help DCK II, including old K&H faces Kyriakos Antoniou, Alfie Barrett and Adie Higginson.

DCK II had been run fairly close by Scaynes Hill and Lindfield II for the MSD3 crown but have now begun to pull away with 1/3 of the campaign remaining, and are also still in the hunt for the Somerville Challenge Cup and Edgar German Challenge Cup having made the semis. Rio 'Ferdy' Bryan-Edwards won the SCC three times and the EGCC once with K&H, now he is managing DCK II in the semis.

Fingers crossed for the SCC, EGCC and the Isthmian League Cup to come home at the end of the season!

Edited June 4, 2019 by sourgrapes11

[sourgrapes11]

DCK Maidenbower 2030/31 Season Summary

February-April

Coasted to the end of the season, although slightly annoyed by the final day loss. DCK won the Isthmian Cup this year, so all board expectations were fulfilled.

Season Summary

League

With the League sewn up, the new league goal was to break the record Isthmian D1S points total,  118 points set by Corintian in 2018/19. With 121 points, our season is a new record that is unlikely to be beaten any time soon.

Cups

The Isthmain league Cup Finall was won with a dramatic late goal in extra time, but the major cup success was the extraordinary run to the FA Cup 2nd round replay, Beating Accrington Stanley and drawing with Rochdale.

DCK II

DCK II ended up winning Mid Sussex D3 comfortably, the extra signings on amateur contracts in the second half really helped them to push on. They won the Somerville Challenge Cup, but lost the Edgar German Challenge Cup semi final and the Mid Sussex Senior Cup & Stubbins Challenge Cup 1st rounds. 

Top Performers

David 'Literally Messi' outdid himself yet again, with 103 goals and 21 assists in 60 appearances, winning POTM in roughly half his games.

Other players also had excellent season, including Callum Gribbin, Scott Wheeler and Alfie Barrett, but Ashley was head and shoulders above the rest as usual.

 

Transfers

A lot of signings this season, a mix of first team, DCK II and young prospect signings. Of the bunch, the ones who are likely to play a major part going forwards are Leigh Jenkins in goal, RW Scott Wheeler and CM/AM Alex Scott. Gavin Dyer will also be a promising addition at CM for next season but he arrived injured so played no part in this season. He also has a Tempremental attitude so will definitely require some intensive tutoring.

DCK is starting to take on a distinctly K&H flavour, with Robert Stenning, Alfie Barrett, Adie Higginson, Kyriakos Antoniou & Oliver Finney all arriving this season with K&H experience under their belts, joining Paul Marchant, Elliot Smith, David Ashley, Scot Hopkinson, Warren Sutton, Mel Bell & Neville Wheeler on the training ground. I guess when your scouts are crap your only option is to sign the players you already know...

Next season

Most likely the expectation will be another league win next year, but after that once we face the big bad world of the Conference South who knows what will happen. Looking at previous winners, most teams who win the Isthmian D1S finish the next season in or around the top of the Isthmian Premier but after that they tend to stall at the Conference before slipping back down. That's not a problem for now though, the next step for now is to see how well we can do next year and where it can take us.

 

Onwards and upwards!

[sourgrapes11]

DCK Maidenbower 2031/32 Season Preview

The usual in terms of league expectations, another title is what the board are gunning for.

Last season's Isthmian D1N champions Coney Hall will likely provide the strongest challenge. They have been on a promotion streak even more impressive than DCK's.

In the cups, the expectations are:

FA Cup: Reach 1st round

FA Trophy: Reach 2nd Round

Isthmian League Cup: Win again

Transfer wise very few players have come in; at the start of the season only CB Romaine Lewis on loan from AFC Wimbledon, and AM Adrian Russell who Coney Hall unwisely had on an amateur contract. In one swoop we weakened our major rival and gained an extremely promising attacking midfielder. He will get some tutoring to hopefully get his determination stat up but he's ready to immediately contribute to the first team squad.

This is the last division before we reach  the conference, the league the career would have started in were it not for Dan's L22 mod (I was considering doing dafuge before I discovered it was possible to go lower). As previously noted, AI clubs promoted, even if they've been on a streak of several promotions, almost always tend to struggle once they reach the Conference. I suppose if this is going to be our last season of dominating every team then we face then we might as well enjoy it.

Edited August 13, 2019 by sourgrapes11

[sourgrapes11]

DCK Maidenbower 2031/32 Season Summary

Preseason

An excellent pre-season set us up well for the coming year.

 

League

With the prize of Conference South football awaiting promoted teams, the DCK squad were highly motivated to continue their form from last season and secure another promotion. Sure enough, few could stand in their way as DCK powered to the title, finishing 16 points above their closest rivals Hythe. Coney Hall, expected to provide stiff competition to DCK, were only able to finish 6th.

 

 

Cups

Whereas DCK's League campaign was another success, there was no silverware to be found in the Cups, despite a fantastic money-spinnning run to the FA Cup 3rd round where they were vanquished by Premier League side Crystal Palace. Of particular disappointment was the failiure to retain the Isthmian League Cup crown, being knocked out in the QF by D1S side Kennington.

 

 

Top Performers

Another top season from David Ashley, while new signing Adrian Russell also aquitted himself extremely well.

 

DCK II

Under the guidance of K&H legend Rio 'Ferdy' Bryan-Edwards DCK II had an outstanding season, going unbeaten in the league and winning two out of four possible cups.

 

Transfers

There was relatively little action on the transfer front, with Adrian Russell and loan CB Romaine Lewis the only significant incoming, and no important players leaving the club.

 

Next Season

It's difficult to predict how DCK will fare in the Conference, if it will be an initial season of consolidation or another promotion on the bounce. Time will tell.

 

Onwards and Upwards!

Edited August 14, 2019 by sourgrapes11

[sourgrapes11]

Big changes afoot

DCK have today announced big news regarding their stadium. Despite rarely exceeding 200 specators at their 750 capacity ground, it no longer meets the minimum requirements for the league, presumably as it has no seated capacity. A new stadium has been announced, with construction estimated to be completed in time for the 2034/35 season. If DCk are somehow able to maintain tyheir impressive promotion streak then they could be as high as League 2 by that point.

A capacity of only 3,000 won't keep DCK going for long if the run continues, so fingers crossed there is room for significant expansion. 

While the stadium is under construction DCK will groundshare with local behemoths and hopeful future rivals, League 1's Crawley Town.

Broadfield Park has a capacity of 6,134 and was built in 1997.

The board have taken on a bank loan to help pay for construction. Payments have already started.

We will have to wait and see if this is money well spent!

[sourgrapes11]

DCK Maidenbower 2032/33 Season Preview

It has been a solid preseason for DCK Maidenbower, with lots of transfer activity as they prepare for their maiden season in the Conference.

Once again, the media predict DCK to continue their form and finish top of the pile.

All of the players signed will be playing important roles in the squad this season - there is particular excitement about ST Stephen Leather, on loan from Arsenal, who will compete with David 'Literally Messi' Ashley for who can score the most outrageous number of goals this season. Also of note is IRL former Liverpool hot prospect Jordan Rossiter, who joins for a final swansong season at the age of 35 as he winds down his career. The ever useful amateur side Niton continues to prove a fruitful source of talent, as does old side K&H.

With long-serving AM Callum Gribbin departing to warm the bench for Mansfield, and AM Gareth Wilshere generating the first transfer fee of this so far 16 season long career, bringing in a princely £13,000, the dearth of AMs has led to the re-adoption of the classic 4-4-2 used to great success by Keymer and Hassocks. Leather, Laurie Laney and Thomas Sutton have all been brought in to beef up the frontline alongside Ashley as a result.

The usual set of wins in preseason have helped to raise fitness levels, and the squad is now poised to kick off the season proper.

And this is the assembled squad. The transfer window stays open throughout the season, but barring any departures, further arrivals are unlikely.

 

Edited August 23, 2019 by sourgrapes11

[sourgrapes11]

DCK Maidenbower 2032/33 Season (Conference South)

August-September

A good set of results to kick things off, so far unbeaten in the league.

The results are enough to currently have DCK top of the league but several other sides are also in the mix. It's still early days though so it's difficult to know right now which sides will better establish themselves as time goes on. The surprise package of the season so far has to be Woking & Horsell - they were predicted to finish in 20th place but instead are sitting pretty in the playoffs. As said before though, early days

Gotta feel sorry for Folkestone - they went into administration during the off season and started with -10 points, although they're doing a good job of making that up and on current form should be safe(ish) from relegation.

Coming up in the first match of October, DCK will play fellow Conference South side Canvey Island in the FA Cup 3rd Qual round, with hopes to emulate last season's performance and earn a money-spinning trip to a Premier League ground in the later stages.

[sourgrapes11]

DCK Maidenbower 2032/33 Season (Conference South)

October-November

The unbeaten run continues, and will now stretch at least to December.

The FA Cup run ended in the first round proper, against League 1 side Walsall, but DCK are still in with a shot of winning the FA Trophy. Minimum boards expectations of a second round exit suggest that winning the competition is unlikely, but you never know.

DCK sit top of the table, but still are unable to open up a significant gap to second place due to some frustrating draws. The fact that this season is proving to be anything but a walk in the park is a refreshing change from the previous 16 years of this save.

Two signings during the Oct/Nov period, both CBs. Ted Boddey is an excellent prospect for this level, and Ryan Lager strengthens the first team immediately alongside Romaine Lewis.

Neville Wheeler, Jamie Tabb's longserving CB, has now dropped into the DCK II squad, where he is likely to remain, and indeed be joined at the end of the season by Scot Hopkinson and even Mel Bell. The old guard, brought over to DCK from K&H, is slowly starting to fade away.

Edited August 25, 2019 by sourgrapes11

[sourgrapes11]

DCK Maidenbower 2032/33 Season (Conference South)

December-January

The unbeaten run ended on the New Years Day, but by the end of January DCK have now opened up a more significant lead over second place Torquay. The race for the automatic promotion places looks incredibly tight this year so it will be interesting to see who makes it and who misses out. Folkestone's early season promise of looking like they would overcome the 10 point penalty and stay up looks to have evaporated - they are now in dire trouble. Cirencester are long since gone.

The defeat to Conference North side Cheltenham means that DCK are now fully focused on securing the Conference South title - this may be why they have now opened up such a sizeable lead, although it looks to be more down to Torquay and Dorchester dropping off a little.

For DCK II, meanwhile, things are extremely tight at the top of the table as they bid to win promotion to the Mid Sussex Championship. They have been eliminated from 2/4 cup competitions as things stand.

 

[sourgrapes11]

DCK Maidenbower 2032/33 Season (Conference South)

February-March

March was a fantastic month for DCK, as they wrapped up the Conference South title at the end of the month with five games to go.

In an eventful month, the most entertaining game was the 5-5 draw with Motspur Park. GK Leigh Jenkins went off with a broken finger early on, and without a substitute GK on the bench, RB Warren Sutton was forced to fill in between the sticks.

The final 5 games of the season will effectively be a victory parade. Planning for next season in the Conference Premier starts now.

In other news, DCK II won the Mid Sussex League 1 by beating closest rivals Upper Beeding 3-0 away, with help from a raft of DCK first team players. DCK II are still in the hunt for the Montgomery Challenge Cup, playing the final on the last day of their season.

v

[sourgrapes11]

DCK Maidenbower 2032/33 Season Summary

League

With the title race looking close for the first few months of the season, hopes were high that DCK were going to be given a genuine title challenge this season. Alas, by January the lead had opened up to 10+ points, and DCK never looked like relinquishing their lead. Torquay were the closest thing that DCK had to challengers, finishing 18 points behind.  Torquay also went on to win the playoff final, meaning that they will be joining DCK in the Conference Premier next season.

 

Cups

A slightly disappointing cup season, meeting the board's expectations of reaching the FA Cup 1st round before going out to League 1 Walsall, but being knocked out of the FA Trophy 1st round to Conference North side Cheltenham.

 

Top Performers

DCK's four strikers were the top four players of the season, with David Ashley once again bagging the most goals. All of the loanees have been secured for another season, with the exception of Arsenal's Stephen Leather, who declined every loan offer made.

 

 

DCK II

A much closer season than the last one for DCK II, with the title being decided during a showdown betwwen the two competitors on the penultimate game of the season. In addition to the League title, DCK II also won the Montgomery (Burns) Challenge Cup.

 

Transfers

Of the transfers in this season, the top performers, judged by average rating, were target men Thomas Sutton and Laurie Laney. The pick of the bunch however may be CB Ted Boddey, who has a mix of potential and a strong personality that could see him a mainstay in the team up to League Two or even League One level.

 

Next Season

At some point the run of title wins has to end, right? DCK are certainly growing rapidly, and will move into their shiny new 3,000 seater stadium in 12 months time, but it would certainly be more fun to have some excitement, maybe a dramatic Playoff final? We will see how the media and the board predict DCK to do in the Conference Premier next season, if they want another league win or will be happy with mid table mediocrity.

 

Onwards and Upwards!

[sourgrapes11]

DCK Maidenbower 2033/34 Season Preview - The Challenge Begins

With the pre-season fixtures out of the way, DCK are ready to start their first campaign in the Conference Premier with a refreshed squad and an optimistic outlook.

After 17 seasons of title wins, this could be the first season that manager Jamie Tabb doesn't collect domestic silverware. In their maiden Conference Premier season the board expectation is that DCK manage a mid table finish, although Tabb and his players are said to be privately targeting the playoffs.

The board's cup expectations are similarly modest.

Having previously retained 35% of transfer income, the financial pressures of the new stadium mean that figure has dropped to 0%. In an attempt to keep the club's wage bill as low as possible, DCK are now relying on loans more than ever, with loanees making up 40% their squad. The wage bill has been helped by the fact that several players contracted to DCK have signed new contracts on lower wages (first time I've ever seen this on FM for players not on the decline, at a newly promoted club), such as Elliot Smith whose wages have dropped from £275 p/w to £180 p/w, and Ryan Lager who has dropped from £250 p/w to £120 p/w, to name a few. The lower wage bill, plus increased gate reciepts from playing in a higher division, should help DCK to pay the ~£10k p/m loan repayments on the new stadium, which they move into in 12 months.

DCK are one of the few teams in the division who are semi-pro. The hope had been that last year's promotion would precipitate the club turning professional, but the news never came and DCK will start the season at a disadvantage against their professional rivals. Presumably next season, assuming DCK can at a minimum stay in the division, professional status will follow.

Along with retaining all of last year's loanees with the exception of Stephen Leather and bringing in a fresh wave of loanees to supplement them, DCK's scounts have found a small handful of free agent players who can augment the squad on affordable wages. As it stands DCK almost certainly have both the smallest squad and the lowest paid squad in the division, although there is the advantage of having a number of Conference South level players available to call up when needed from DCK II.

Of the players who have dropped down into DCK II, longstanding CB/RB/CM Mel Bell is perhaps the most likely to be called upon, but other players dropped in the last 12 months have included Neville Wheeler and Scot Hopkinson, who along with Bell and Warren Sutton formed that back four that took K&H through the Mid Sussex leagues and then DCK through the Southern Combination and Isthmian leagues. Their job now is to help DCK II through the Mid Sussex leagues; they start their Mid Sussex Championship campaign at the end of August.

All in all, the prospect of a highly competitive league campaign rather than a walk in the park is highly exciting, and manager jamie Tabb has confirmed in press conferences that he is looking forward to this season more than any previous campaign.

[sourgrapes11]

DCK Maidenbower 2033/34 Season (Conference National)

August-September

Having been predicted a midtable finish, it was difficult to predict how DCK would begin the season. An initial win brought plenty of optimism, but that quickly gave way as manager Jamie Tabb saw the worst run of results of his career so far.

A run of one point from seven games saw DCK drop as low as 23rd, before a couple of wins were enough to barely drag them out of the relegation zone. Preseason hopes of maybe even reaching the playoffs have quickly vanished, as DCK focus on simply surviving this season.

 

Also of note - I refuse to refer to the division as the 'Vanarama' anything, but what should I be calling it? My mind says Conference Premier, but the internet seems to suggest either the Conference National or the National League. Which is it?

Edited August 23, 2019 by sourgrapes11

[sourgrapes11]

DCK Maidenbower 2033/34 Season (Conference National)

October-November

DCK looked to use the 4-1 win over Stalybridge as a springboard for an upturn in form, and that's exactly what happened. October was much better, and although November saw them knocked out of the FA Cup 1st round to League 2 side Mansfield on replay and also saw a frustrating sequence of draws, by the start of December DCK were comfortably midtable. 

DCK also re-signed LM Oliver Harris, who had spent last season on loan at the club from Southampton before being released. His low determination and low self belief personality will hinder him, but he is working with Mel Bell, himself a beneficiary of Rio 'Ferdy' Bryan Edwards' (who is now his manager at DCK II) tutoring way back at K&H. In a way, is Harris being tutored by Ferdy?

 

Edited September 1, 2019 by sourgrapes11

[bigmattb28]

Wow. How have I never seen this thread until today?!? Fellow FM17 player too! Just binge read the whole thing mate, good luck with the new season in the conference. You should easily stay up!

[sourgrapes11]

22 hours ago, bigmattb28 said:

Wow. How have I never seen this thread until today?!? Fellow FM17 player too! Just binge read the whole thing mate, good luck with the new season in the conference. You should easily stay up!

Yeah I'm surprised there aren't more FM17 players, its not like the titles change dramatically year to year to justify another £30 each time.

Without any spoilers, there's going to be a number of posts in the next few hours, and we're doing a lot better than staying up... 

[sourgrapes11]

DCK Maidenbower 2033/34 Season (Conference National)

December-January

December-January was a fantastic period for DCK, as the club went unbeaten to finally put the threat of relegation behind them.

With DCK close to the playoffs, the Football League draws ever closer.

DCK also signed a number of young prospects, and broke the club's transfer record in the process. Given that the record was £0 this wasn't especially hard, and the £3.5k spent on Nicholas Ince from Dartford looks like money well spent. Ince also becomes the highest paid player in the club's history, on a mouthwatering £425 per week.

Several other players also signed on free transfers and lower wages, most of them going to DCK II for the rest of the season before being assessed properly in the summer. All but 20 year old RM Alex Smith, another player signed from Niton, are 18 or younger.

DCK also secured all loan players currently at the club for another season until Summer 2035, with the exception of ST Laurie Laney and CM Connor Triffitt, whose contracts with their parent clubs expire at the end of the season. Laney has had an exceptional season so if he is willing to discuss terms when he becomes a free agent then DCK will be willing to break the bank for him.

[sourgrapes11]

DCK Maidenbower 2033/34 Season (Conference National)

February-March

With DCK just outside the playoffs at the end of January, the goal was clear. Continued good form was enough to lift DCK into the playoff places by the end of March, with just 4 games to go. DCK were eliminated in the FA Trophy 3rd round by Maidstone, but achieved a measure of revenge against them in the League in the next game.

The final 4 games of the season will be the next post, with the playoff games each being their own post, assuming DCK can secure the playoff spot.

Edited August 28, 2019 by sourgrapes11

[sourgrapes11]

DCK Maidenbower 2033/34 Season (Conference National)

April

DCK secured their Playoff place in April on the penultimate match of the regular season, although their form going into the playoffs is worrying.

 

DCK will face Stevenage over two legs, with the winner facing either Eastleigh or Altrincham. The battle for the Football League is on.

Edited August 28, 2019 by sourgrapes11

[sourgrapes11]

Stevenage vs DCK Maidenbower - Conference National Playoff

First Leg

Perhaps the most important tie of DCK's history. Two legs, winner goes through to the final for a single tie shootout for a place in the Football League.

Suffice to say the first leg was a disappointment. DCK went two goals down, with both goals a few minutes either side of half time. Elliot Smith's goal to reduce the deficit was an absolute stunner, struck from 30 yards into the far top corner. Smith is unlikely to have the quality to compete at League 2 level if/when DCK reach the Football League, but it is incredible that he is still making such vital contributions having first teamed up with Jamie Tabb in the Mid Sussex Division Two (the 15th tier) back in 2023.

Only one goal down, and the second leg is played at home, so DCK are far from out of it yet.

[sourgrapes11]

DCK Maidenbower vs Stevenage - Conference National Playoff

Second Leg

1-2 down from the first leg, DCK needed a strong performance to reach the playoff final. At half time DCK were 3-1 up, and looking a good bet to reach the final. The second half was pretty uneventful, until Strevenage scored in the 89th minute to make it 4-4 on aggregate, and force extra time. At this point the worst fears come out - they'll grtab another to knock DCK out, or it'll go to penalties and then who knows what will happen. DCK however won a penalty halfway through extra time, and with manager Jamie Tabb was unable to watch, David Udoh smashed the ball home to restore DCK's one goal aggregate lead. They held on for the remainder of extra time, and booked their place in the most important game in the clubs history, the playoff final against Altrincham.

We're going to Wembley!

Edited August 28, 2019 by sourgrapes11

[sourgrapes11]

Altrincham vs DCK Maidenbower - Conference National Playoff Final

The stage is set. 39,000 fans is a relatively low turnout by Wembley standards, but it is by far the most people to ever turn up for a competitive DCK match.

The match starts disastrously, as Ted Boddey gives away a penalty in the 8th minute for a foul on Dominic Robinson, and is lucky to escape a booking. Allen Stephens steps up to take the penalty for Altrincham, and...

Leigh Jenkins dives to his right to turn the penalty away!

DCK escape early on, but favourites Altrincham still look the most likely team to score. Half time comes and goes, with the match still without a goal.

Whatever manager Jamie Tabb says at half time clearly works however, as straight from kickoff Elliot Smith plays a long ball down the right side for Ray Haworth to chase. He gets there first and fires a low ball across the goal, which Laurie Laney gratefully tucks away to make it 1-0 - it's his first goal in over 10 hours of football.

DCK slowly retreat to defend their lead, as Altrincham pile on the pressure. Leigh Jenkins is forced to make some excellent saves, and his post is struck on more than one occasion, including in extra time, after DCK had sacrificed ST Haworth for another CB. In the end though, Altrincham were unable to find a way through, and the match finished 1-0 to DCK.

 

[sourgrapes11]

DCK Maidenbower 2033/34 Season Summary

League

At the start of the season, the board expectations were a top half finish. Poor early form saw DCK second from bottom, before they recovered and spent most of the season like a team posessed, gunning for the playoffs which they eventually achieved. Privately, manager Jamie Tabb was not expecting his side to triumph in the playoffs, hoping that after a season in which expectations were exceeded the board would agree to turn the club professional, and then DCK could mount an assault on the Conference National title the following season (2034/35).

DCK's habit of exceeding expectations continued through the playoffs however, as they overcame a one goal deficit in the second leg of the playoff semi final before achieving a smash and grab 1-0 win in the final to secure promotion to the Football League.

 

Cups

With DCK unexpectedly winning promotion to the Football League, this turned out to be the last chance they would have to win the FA Trophy. Sadly Jamie Tabb was unable to add it to his trophy cabinet with DCK being eliminated by Maidstone in the third round. They were also eliminated in the FA Cup first round by Mansfield, who will compete with DCK in League Two next season.

 

Top Performers

The season's outstanding player was CM Adrian Russell, who also won the League's Player of the Season award, with 8 goals and 12 assists from 41 apps in all comps. Laurie Laney was also excellent once again, but his contract with Watford is expiring and it will be a struggle to get him to sign for DCK permanently.

 

 

DCK II

DCK II were bolstered this season with a number of players from the first team deemed to be no longer good enough for the club now that it had risen to the Conference National, several of whom had experience at the Mid Sussex League level with K&H. As such, DCK II were expected to steamroller the division and they didn't disappoint, finishing a full 9 points over 2nd place (this would be equivalent to roughly 17 points clear in a 38 game season).

They also won 3/4 cups, only losing out in the Mid Sussex Senior Cup.

Next season will be of particular interest, as DCK II move into the Mid Sussex Prem, won by Keymer and Hassocks every season since Jamie Tabb left, without ever being promoted. DCK II will only need to finish second behind K&H to win promotion, but it will be fascinating to see if they are able to topple the league giants, with additional intrigue added by the fact that K&H's all time league apperance record is held by their club legend and current DCK II manager Rio 'Ferdy' Bryan-Edwards.

 

Transfers

More and more of DCK's playing squad is made up of loanees, as a majority of each season's loans are extended for the following season and more are brought in each summer. Renewed loanees don't show up in the season's transfer history.

Of the permanent signings this year, only club record signing Nicholas Ince will be a nailed on starter next season. A lot of young players were brought in who will mostly play with DCK II. Their progression would benefit from being given full time contracts for the upcoming season, but the minimum wage in League 2 is £160 p/w and it's difficult to financially justify it for any but the best prospects at the moment.

 

Next Season

The goal for next season has to be to stay up. DCK are bound to turn pro in the off season and hopefully this will also help the budget in terms of transfers and wages. DCK are also due to move into their new 3,000 seater stadium in time for the new season so it will be interesting to see how long it takes for the new home to become a fortress.

 

 

 

Edited August 28, 2019 by sourgrapes11

[bigmattb28]

11 hours ago, sourgrapes11 said:

Altrincham vs DCK Maidenbower - Conference National Playoff Final

The stage is set. 39,000 fans is a relatively low turnout by Wembley standards, but it is by far the most people to ever turn up for a competitive DCK match.

The match starts disastrously, as Ted Boddey gives away a penalty in the 8th minute for a foul on Dominic Robinson, and is lucky to escape a booking. Allen Stephens steps up to take the penalty for Altrincham, and...

Leigh Jenkins dives to his right to turn the penalty away!

DCK escape early on, but favourites Altrincham still look the most likely team to score. Half time comes and goes, with the match still without a goal.

Whatever manager Jamie Tabb says at half time clearly works however, as straight from kickoff Elliot Smith plays a long ball down the right side for Ray Haworth to chase. He gets there first and fires a low ball across the goal, which Laurie Laney gratefully tucks away to make it 1-0 - it's his first goal in over 10 hours of football.

DCK slowly retreat to defend their lead, as Altrincham pile on the pressure. Leigh Jenkins is forced to make some excellent saves, and his post is struck on more than one occasion, including in extra time, after DCK had sacrificed ST Haworth for another CB. In the end though, Altrincham were unable to find a way through, and the match finished 1-0 to DCK.

 

Well done man!

[sourgrapes11]

14 hours ago, bigmattb28 said:

Well done man!

Cheers, it's kinda messed up my plans tbh tho...

Young players like CB Ted Boddey, CM Adrian Russell and ST Shane Scott are currently not at the level required for League 2 football - the plan was that at the end of the season DCK would turn professional, and training full time for a year would help them improve to a level where they could be competitive at League 2. As it stands they will obviously improve faster than they would in the Conference, but it may be a nailbiting season to avoid relegation...

[sourgrapes11]

DCK Maidenbower 2034/35 Season Preview - A New Dawn in the Football League

With DCK unexpectedly achieving promotion last season, there was a huge pressure on Jamie Tabb to bolster the squad to avoid immediate relegation. Unfortunately, like an idiot he forgot that unlike in the Conference, in League Two there are limits on the number of loan players allowed in the matchday squad, and now at the start of the league season he faces a choice on which loans to terminate to be replaced by permanent signings.

The preseason friendlies went well, with DCK pushing Arsenal much closer than usual in their annual pre-season fixture. 

Last season's overachievement seems to be influencing the board's expectations, with an unlikely mid-table finish the goal. With this being the first season that DCK compete in the League Cup and the Checkatrade Trophy it's difficult to know how far the side can go, but the board don't seem to have high hopes with the side expected to fall at the first hurdle in all three cup competitions. It would be nice to exceed expectations in at least one, but it's exciting to just be involved in them regardless.

Financially the transfer and wage budget is abysmal, having bartely changed from the last season in the Conference. Currently the club retains 25% of incoming transfer fees for reinvestment, a terrible figure but not a huge issue as most transfers both in and out are free. The current list of incomings is far short of what it will look like by the end of the window (there will be a small update for the final list of incomings and the final first team squad) as Jamie Tabb looks to rectify his error with the loan rules. All of those signed on permanent deals are teenagers, although some experienced heads will be coming in.

In other news, DCK's new stadium has been delayed by several months, necessitating a prolonged stay in Ctawley Town's 6,000 seater Broadfield Stadium. Crawley play in league Two with DCK this year, but barring further delays DCK will be in their new home before the two sides meet, so there won't be a San Siro style derby. Crawley would certainly the club's major rivals, but the game doesn't reflect that so I downloaded FMRTE to add them as major rivals. 

And on a final note, K&H legends Kyriakos Antoniou and Robert Stenning retired at the end of last season. Jamie Tabb said that he wishes them well in their future careers, and that if they choose to stay in football then there will always be a place for them in his backroom staff.

Edited August 31, 2019 by sourgrapes11

[sourgrapes11]

Warning: The last post referenced a small update with the final list of incomings and the first team squad for the season. This has since balooned into a breakdown of the entire squad player by player, and is growing so large that  it may need to be split into two posts. If you don't want to read an update the length of a short novel then feel free to skip the next update(s).

[sourgrapes11]

DCK Maidenbower 2034/35 Summer Transfers & Squad

Having put all his eggs into the loan basket, and realising his error shortly before the start of the season (the rule is that there can only be five loanees in the match day squad), manager Jamie Tabb knew that he had made something of a colossal screw up. Tabb was forced to find far more players to fill out his squad on permanent deals than he had previously anticipated, in just a few weeks fot the start of the season. Fortunately there was a fair bit of money left to play with in the wage kitty, but even so Tabb ended up slightly exceeding his wage budget, something he was loth to do. In the end though he ended up happy with his squad, with enough of the squad being of League Two standard to help to keep the club up.

All of the players signed were free transfers, and despite initially planning to bring in significant experience, the age of the signings tended to skew younger. In part this was because the older players tended to ask for more money than DCK could afford.

Of the signings the greatest coup is undoubtedly goalkeeper Woodward, who incredibly despite playing amateur football for Harolds Hill is Northern Ireland's number 1 goalkeeper.

Most of the loans out are to correct another error - despite having no youth system to speak of, once a year DCK still recieves a crop of players so terrible that they'd be beaten by a combined XI of a childern's Leukaemia ward. Manager Tabb just accepted the recommmendations of contracts to offer, not noticing that the standard youth contract had jumped from £5 a week to £100 a week - a lot of money to spend when the wage budget is about £10k and several first team squad members are on less than £200 a week. The loans dump the responsibility of their wages on other clubs to lessen the load, which took the club back down to just under the wage budget rather than over it.

Full squad details incoming.

Edited September 1, 2019 by sourgrapes11

[sourgrapes11]

DCK Maidenbower 2034/35 Squad Breakdown - Goalkeepers and Defence

GOALKEEPERS

Leigh Jenkins, 23
Joined: November 2030
Ability: Leading Conference National

23 year old Leigh Jenkins has been DCK's first choice goalkeeper for the past four seasons. Joining as a 19 year old from Keymer and Hassocks, Leigh went straight into the first team in the Isthmian D1S and helped the club to rise through the two Isthmian leagues and then the two Conference leagues with successive promotions. With the signing of Dave Woodward he is expected to find himself playing second fiddle next season while also contributing to DCK II's campaign to unseat his old club K&H at the top of the Mid Sussex Premier Division.

 

 

Dave Woodward, 27
Joined: August 2034
Ability: Leading League One

Dave Woodward, the current number 1 goalkeeper for Northern Ireland with 46 caps, joined the club on a free transfer from Essex amateur side Harold Hill on a free transfer for the start of the 2034/35 season. Quite why the first choice goalkeeper for a mid-range international side chose to drop down to amateur football after his release from Bristol City in 2033 remains a mystery, but it was undoubtedly good news for DCK as he otherwise would have been unlikely to accept DCK's wage offer.

Woodward is considered by DCK's most accurate Judging Player Ability coach (HOYD Steve Porter, JPA 17) to be leading League One level, putting him far ahead of DCK's next best player. With a goalkeeper of this quality in the ranks DCK can hope to consolidate this season before launching an assault on promotion next season (2035/36).  

 

 

RIGHT BACKS

Connal O'Connor, 19
Joined: July 2034
Ability: Well suited to League Two

England u19 international Connal O'Connor, who was poached by Aston Villa after starting out in Coventry's youth system, is on a season long loan at DCK hoping to get his first true taste of first team action, having made a handful of substitute appearances for Villa last season in the Championship. As well as competing for a starting berth at right-back, O'Connor may also appear sporadically as a ball winning midfielder in the case of a long term injury to Jermaine Debayo or Ben Ellis.

 

Liam Waters, 18
Joined: June 2034
Ability: Well suited to League Two

Like O'Connor, Liam Waters will be competing for a right back berth, on loan at DCK from Premier League side Crystal Palace. Capable of filling in awkwardly at centre-back in the event of an extreme injury crisis, the Welsh u21 international joined Palace two years ago from Cardiff for £1m and has since made one first team start and three substitute appearances.

 

CENTRE BACKS

Romaine Lewis, 20
Joined: July 2031
Ability: Well suited to League Two

Centre Back Lewis, now entering his fourth season at DCK, has been a mainstay at the centre of defence since joining on loan from AFC Wimbledon. The 20 year old, soon to turn 21, has made 113 appearances for DCK over his first three seasons including 94 starts. In that time he has helped DCK to successive promotions.

With his contract at AFC Wimbledon expiring at the end of the season, it remains to be seen what his long term future holds but DCK fans will be hoping that he either renews with his parent club and agrees to another loan for next season or is released and agrees to join DCK permanently.  

 

 

Ted Boddey, 20
Joined: October 2032
Ability: Well suited to League Two

Big things were expected of strong centre back Ted Boddey when he joined DCK as a fresh faced 18 year old from semi-pro side Biggleswade Town in 2032. Since then, he has established himself as a key part of manager Jamie Tabb's plans, and at 20 years old has plenty of room to grow further.

Boddey is also capable of playing as a ball winning midfielder, but as DCK are currently a little light in the centre of defence it is expected that he will play the season exclusively in his more natural centre back position.

 

Kevin Bloor, 19
Joined: December 2033
Ability: Well suited to Conference National

Rounding out DCK's three main centre backs, Bloor joined from Keymer and Hassocks on a free transfer the day after Boxing Day in 2033. At 19 years old he is the youngest of the centre backs, and also the weakest in terms of ability, only ranked as a Conference National level defender.    

 

 

LEFT BACKS

David Udoh, 20
Joined: April 2031  
Ability: Well suited to League Two

DCK's longest serving loanee, Udoh joined the club from Fulham at the end of the 2030/31 season, when DCK had just secured the Isthmian D1S title. He has been the club's best left back since joining ousting Scot Hopkinson at the start of the 2032/33 season, having shared left back duties with him for the 2031/32 campaign.
Like Romaine Lewis, his future is clouded by the fact that his parent contract will expire at the end of the season.

 

Leon Griffin, 19
Joined: December 2033
Ability: Well suited to Conference National

Most naturally a centre back, Leon Griffin was signed from Harold Hill on Christmas Day 2033 with the intention of converting him to play as a left back in the defensive full back role. Like Kevin Bloor, who joined two days later, 19 year old Griffin is a weak spot in the DCK defence at present with only a Conference National ability level. He is young enough though that playing semi-regularly in the Football League should help him to grow quickly, and could take the place of David Udoh next season should he fail to agree a new contract with either Fulham or DCK.

Edited September 1, 2019 by sourgrapes11

[sourgrapes11]

DCK Maidenbower 2034/35 Squad Breakdown - Midfield and Attack

CENTRAL MIDFIELD

Nicholas Ince, 19
Joined: December 2033
Ability: Well suited to League 2  

DCK's record signing at a staggering £3,500, Ince joined from Dartford on Christmas Eve 2033, part of a raft of young players signed that month. When he signed he was both DCK's record signing and best paid player ever, although his weekly wage has since been dwarfed by new signing Dave Woodward.  

Ince has had a promising start to his DCK career, making 21 appearances in the second half of last season and continuing as a first choice in the midfield this year. Like the other teenagers in the squad on permanent contracts, Ince is expected to see accelerated growth now that he is training full time and playing in the Football League.

 

Paul Fisher, 18
Joined: July 2034
Ability: Well suited to League 2

18 year old midfielder Paul Fisher joined the club in July, fresh from his release by Manchester United. Last season he had spent the final three months at Conference National side Stalybridge and made 8 appearances. With Stalybridge he suffered relegation and didn't face DCK, joining after Stalybridge had played their second league match against them.

Fisher joins DCK to provide competition for Nicholas Ince in the centre midfield (support) role and will be expected to rotate with him unless Ince suffers an injury.

 

Jermaine Debayo, 22
Joined: August 2034
Ability: Good player for Conference  National

Combative central midfielder Jermaine Debayo Joined DCK in 2034. He came through the youth system at Ipswich and spent three season on loan, most recently at Gillingham in League 2. Last season at a first glance appeared to be something of a breakout year, making 21 appearances for the Championship side. However, of those 21 appearances 20 were off the bench and having failed to truly impress in his cameos he was released and now has the opportunity to restart his career with DCK.

 

Ben Ellis, 18
Joined: July 2034
Ability: Well suited to Conference National

After his release by Premier league side Burnley, 18 year old Ben Ellis spent a month with amateur side Rylands before DCK brought him back to the Football League. Like Debayo, Ellis is a combative player who will compete for the ball winning midfield role at the base of DCK's new 4-2-3-1 (more on that in the next post).

 

 

 

RIGHT WING

Sunday Anyamele, 18
Joined: July 2034
Ability: Well suited to Conference National

Right winger Sunday Anyamele, who grew up in England but was born in Nigeria, spent last season on loan at Conference South side Wealdstone with whom he won the league title. The joy of the title win was swiftly replaced by despair however when he was released by his parent club Watford.  

Quick, naturally fit and possessing an excellent free kick, Anyamele should have a bright future ahead of him with DCK.

 

Will Allen-Williams, 21
Joined: August 2034
Ability: Well suited to Conference National

Pacy and versatile winger Will Allen-Williams is expected to help DCK tremendously with his ability to play on both wings - he is primarily expected to compete with Anyamele on the right flank, but his two-footedness makes him almost as comfortable on the left.

Will joins DCK having spent his whole career to date at Rochdale, mostly as a bit part player.

 

 

 

ATTACKING MIDFIELD

Adrian Russell, 20
Joined: August 2031
Ability: Well suited to League Two

Equally comfortable in central midfield or behind the striker, as long as it is as an advanced playmaker, Russell is a DCK stalwart having joined for the start of the 2031/32 season. Last season He won the Conference National player of the season award, with 8 goals and 10 assists from 32 appearances, all from a deeper central midfield berth.

Russell has grown fast enough to keep up with DCK's rapid rise, even when only training part time. Now in his first full time season, big things are expected from the 20 year old as the fans look for him to provide the ammunition that the strikers need to fire DCK to survival this year.

 

Jason Hawkins, 19
Joined: August 2034
Ability: Well suited to Conference National

Shadow striker Jason Hawkins was signed this summer to compete with Adrian Russell for the no 10 berth. He will require some training to make him more comfortable playing an advanced playmaker role but manager Jamie Tabb has expressed confidence in his ability to adapt. He can also fill in on the right wing when required.

Last season Hawkins was a first choice pick for Oxford City in the Conference North (by what earthly measure is Oxford in the North?!), scoring 10 goals and making 9 assists in 43 appearances in all competitions, being awarded Oxford's player of the season trophy.

 

 

Mitch Ashmore, 19
Joined: July 2034
Ability: Well suited to League Two

Not first choice in any position, Ashmore survived the loanee cull mostly due to his versatility. A natural attacking midfielder who prefers to play as a shadow striker, Ashmore is also comfortable playing the advanced playmaker 10 role, further back as the ball winning midfielder (although his tackling stat leaves a lot to be desired for that role) or as a striker, provided the team plays with a defensive forward.
This is his second loan to League Two, having spent the second half of last season away from parent club Barnsley on loan at Accrington Stanley (who?).

 

 

LEFT WING

Anthony Jones, 19
Joined: July 2033
Ability: Well suited to League Two

Now in his second season on loan at DCK from Tottenham, left winger Anthony Jones is the club's undisputed first choice on the left flank. Comfortable with either foot, Jones was considered to be DCK's best player prior to the signing of goalkeeper Woodward. With his contract at Spurs expiring in 2036, the fans will hope that DCK can secure him for the 2035/36 season as well up to the end of his current contract.

 

Oliver Harris, 20
Joined: July 2032 (initially), October 2033 (permanently)
Ability: Well suited to Conference National

Winger Harris joined DCK on loan initially for the 2032/33 season in the Conference South and was the club's first choice on the flanks. Released at the end of that season, he rejoined the club in October as competition for Spurs loanee Jones. Having never made a competitive first team appearance for Southampton, this season will be his first taste of professional first team football.  

 

 

STRIKERS

Billy Nicholls, 19
Joined: July 2034
Ability: Well suited to League Two

Billy Nicholls joined the club on loan from Tottenham in the summer, having spent last season on loan at two different clubs - the first half of the season was a productive spell in League Two with Yeovil, before he spent the second half of the season warming the bench in the Championship for Luton, who's impressive rise was curtailed at the end of the season as they were relegated back to League One.

There were several strikers on loan at DCK before the great cull, but Nicholls' pace and ability to play the advanced forward role leading the line on his own meant that he was spared over others, including last season's top goalscorer Ray Haworth.

 

 

Shane Scott, 19
Joined: August 2033
Ability: Well suited to Conference National

Signed as a young prospect last summer after his release from Reading, Scott was sent on loan to Conference North side Irlam to gain experience. The striker scored 20 goals and registered 7 assists in 42 appearances in a successful spell at the Manchester based side. It was enough to earn him a place in the DCK squad for their first season in the Football League, pushing club legend David 'Literally Messi' down to the Mid Sussex Prem with DCK II, although he will undoubtedly be called upon when needed as the clubs third choice advanced forward.

 

The next post will outline DCK's new tactics and formation, as well as summarising the players who departed during the Great Loan Cull of 2034 and the handful of recently demoted DCK II players who are still able to fill in for the first team in the event of an injury crisis.

Edited September 1, 2019 by sourgrapes11

[sourgrapes11]

DCK Maidenbower 2034/35 Tactics, Loan Cull & DCK II depth 

Tactics

For the last couple of seasons, DCK have played a simple 4-4-2 with direct counter-attacking passing and little & large up top - a target man on support and a poacher.

Before that DCK had played a 4-4-1-1, as the squad that Jamie Tabb inherited included former Manchester United prospect Callum Gribbin, a no 10 who was too good not to play and who wasn't comfortable enough being shoe-horned into another position.

This season though DCK are moving to a more modern looking and slightly more adventurous 4-2-3-1, which both better fits the players available and is a small step towards the eventual attacking, posession football that Tabb intends to play when they one day are an established Premier League side.

 

 

 

Loan Cull

With the need to bring in a raft of permanent signings, There was a reciprocal need to trim some of the loanees, who even though they were not contributing to the wage bill would have resulted in a bloated and unhappy squad. The players cut are as follows:

Matthew Summers

Ray Haworth

Alan Smith

Paul Butler

 

DCK II Depth

There are a number of players available to pick from at DCK II who are capable of filling in when required. These are the ones who are at least good Conference N/S level players, and the positions they are competent at covering.

Elliot Smith - RW

Scott Wheeler - RW

Alex Scott - AM, CM

Sam Clarke - AM, CM

Warren Sutton - RB

Sam Concannon - GK

David Ashley - ST

Mel Bell - BWM, RB, CB

 

None of these players are quite good enough to play regularly in League Two, even David Ashley who provided 21G 9A in 35 apps in all comps last season. They are plenty good enough though to function as squad fodder for injury insurance, especially as they will be kept match fit and ready to go by DCK II fixtures.

Edited September 2, 2019 by sourgrapes11

[sourgrapes11]

DCK Maidenbower 2034/35 Season (League Two)

August-September

August and September blew hot and cold, with DCK either looking like title challengers or like a Conference side, depending on the day. DCK are currently in the playoff spots on goal difference, but it's early days in the season so it doesn't mean much - they are expected to drop back down to lower-mid table later in the season.

What is particularly incredible though is the stark difference between Home and Away fixtures in terms of crowd sizes. It's not that DCK have a tiny ground - The new stadium is a 3,000 seater so it doesn't explain attendances under 1,000. Anyway, for the August home fixtures DCK were still groundsharing at Crawley's Broadfield stadium. The 887 fans who turned up against Peterborough must have felt kinda lonely in the 6,100 seater stadium.

Speaking of the new stadium, DCK moved into their beautiful new stadium on the 29th August. The 3,000 seater has the potential to double in size to 6,000 with improvements so it should see DCK through to the Championship. The loan payments will continue until the end of the 2041/42 season, so DCK could end up needing to build a new stadium before they've paid off their last one. At 10k per month though the financial burden should get easier every year.

With attendances so poor in the Home games the phrase 'the club anticipate the new stadium to cause a surge in local support' is of particular interest. Manager Jamie Tabb said he was 'looking forward to seeing a bumper crowd for the first game in our new home', against Scunthorpe.

FFS.

 

In other news, DCK have found a young prospect who is causing significant buzz between the club's scouts. Although DCK have yet to submit a bid, manager Jamie Tabb has Ok'd me to use him as an example of how the scouting process works with the transfer window shut, when they have all the time in the world.

 

One of the scouts, in this case Jon Frith, alerted manager Tabb to a young centre back in the Scottish third tier called Kevin Graham.

According to Frith, 17 year old Graham is already better than our current star centre back Romaine Lewis. However his Judging ability is only 8/20.

  Unsure if he can trust this report, Tabb asks for a report card from his HOYD Steve Porter who has a judging ability rating of 17/20. Porter comes back confirming what Frith said - this kid is pretty special.

There is still some uncertainty however about his potential. Tabb now turns to coach and FM lower leagues legend Terry McPhillips, who has DCK's best judging potential rating (16). He will scout Graham for as long as it takes until those pesky black stars turn either gold or grey. It seems likely though that, based on leading League One player Dave Woodward being a 4 star player, Graham is at least a potentially leading Championship player, perhaps even Premier League level.  

 

This is an interest that could rumble on for some time - after all its only the start of October and the window won't reopen until January, but he looks to be well worth smashing the current £3,500 transfer record to pay the compensation cost. With nothing left in the transfer kitty though, Tabb was forced to go begging to the board for enough money for when he makes his move. Thankfully the board were able to come up with the goods.

Not a huge sum, but would cover the compensation fee and hopefully the wages - he may ask to become the clubs best paid player, over Woodward.

 

Edited September 2, 2019 by sourgrapes11

[sourgrapes11]

DCK Maidenbower 2034/35 Season (League Two)

October-November

A lot of draws in Oct/Nov, but clubs around DCK failed to capitalise and they remain in the playoff spots.

The excellent win against Luton in mid-November was enough to see DCK progress to the Checkatrade knockout stages, where they will face Watford u23.

And in other news, DCK took the plunge and secured the future signing of Kevin Graham. His wage demands ended up being a bit cheaper than the scouts estimated, with his contract due to pay £750 p/w. Unfortunately, Tabb was surprised to learn that Graham will not be joining in January, and will have to wait until the window after he turns 18 to join. He will be available from the start of next season though and will go straight into the first team squad.

 

Edited September 4, 2019 by sourgrapes11

[sourgrapes11]

DCK Maidenbower 2034/35 Season (League Two)

December-January

DCK continue to draw far too many games. Their form has finally caught up with them and the playoffs are now a distant memory, languishing in 18th place, albeit relatively safe from relegation.

The final match of January also saw DCK knocked out of the Checkatrade Trophy by West Ham, with all three of West Ham's goals being scored by a Brazilian international on £110k a week. Seems fair, right?

DCK have also continued to set attendance records this year.

 

The January transfer window saw two signings, including DCK's first non-British player. Australian former Leeds youth player Adam Berry has become a scout, and upon DCK signing him he recommended a few seemingly very talented youngsters from his home nation (albeit without the board allowing me to scout them further). Based on only his initial assessment, DCK moved to sign free agent Ryan Pratezina who was willing to sign for extremely cheap wages, albeit without a work permit. Manager Tabb had been hoping to loan him out for a year or two, taking his wages off the books and giving him time to feature for the Australian NT and earn a work permit, but with only English leagues loaded sadly there were no takers so he will be stuck at DCK for the rest of the season at least, unable to play. 

DCK also re-signed Arsenal forward Stephen Leather on loan, who was previously had a successful period at the club in the 2032/33 season. Tottenham striker Billy Nicholls had a disappointing first half of the season and was sent back to his parent club.

In other news, it appears that DCK II are also infected with the 'Keymer and Hassocks curse', which should now be renamed the 'Mid Sussex Prem Human Manager curse'. Despite occupying a position in the league that would result in promotion for any other club, it is the third placed team who look like they will be promoted.

The dream was that DCK would one day be a Premier League team, with DCK II somewhere around League 1/2 level with a squad consisting of a mix of ageing players with too much sentimental value to allow to leave, and young talents from the youth system who wouldn't need to go out on loan to get 'first team' experience. Now this dream appears to be over, but the DCK first team can still make it to the Premier League.

Jamie Tabb signed two more young Australian prospects who will join in the summer on Berry's recommendations before the inability to loan them out became clear, so if DCK II definitively cannot be promoted further then all Leagues below Conference level will be removed, replaced by a selection of European Leagues where DCK could loan players or even set up a work permit affiliate.

Edited September 4, 2019 by sourgrapes11