[FM20] - Authority is not given to you to deny the Return of the King!

[SRL88]

Well, well, well, well, well.....Hello FMCU,

It's been a while! I know there will be a few familiar faces still kicking around in here, but I look forward to becoming acquaint with some new folk too. As a former FMCU and the GPTG moderator, it feels nice to be back in familiar surroundings. If you don't know who I am, then here are two of my favourite saves (I apologise for any deleted material due to Photobucket):

FM13 - Békéscsaba 1912 Előre SE - A Youth Project Challenge

FM14 - This isn't Spain. This is Catalonia, and we will be Top Dogs

We won't be going into details, but I've had a rough time of things these last few years, which is why I took A LONG break from the forums, but I think after nearly five years of not posting, it might be worth a return.....

So the save.....we're going to be an American named Rich Stevens, born in Cleveland, Ohio. A former Professional Footballer at the League One level in the American Soccer System, playing his entire career with Greenville Triumph SC before retiring due to a severe knee injury. With only a National C Licence which we picked up following our retirement, we will be entering management with little knowledge.

What does that mean? This is going to be an America's save only with all available countries from North and South America, and we will be starting unemployed. I have opted to start the save in June 2019 (some divisions start in January 2019), as it could give more opportunity for job positions due to Managerial sackings. I intend this to be a Journeyman Save where we will make decisions to move based on what's best for our career.

There are no rules that I am setting myself. Other than a dabble into FM19 from July till now, I honestly haven't played Football Manager since the 2015 version. I just want to get back into the game, have fun, and hopefully enjoy posting my career on the forums again, something I used to really enjoy doing.

IT'S GOOD TO BE BACK!!!

Edited November 25, 2019 by SRL88

[Deisler26]

Welcome back dude!!!

[SRL88]

57 minutes ago, Deisler26 said:

Welcome back dude!!!

Thanks bro 

It's going to take me a while to get back into the swing of things when it comes to posting, but we'll get there.

[Makoto Nakamura]

Best of luck with this @SRL88, it's great to have you back!  

[SRL88]

So just a day into our career and we got offered a job interview. We were offered a couple others, but this one stood out the most, and following a successful interview.....

Excellent news for us! Straight into work with a team currently sitting third in Serie C, Group B

[SRL88]

Just now, Makoto Nakamura said:

Best of luck with this @SRL88, it's great to have you back!  

Thanks
I've seen you have a career thread going. Looking forward to having a read through it

[SRL88]

Santa Cruz FC

Quote

Brazilian Serie C side, Santa Cruz FC have announced that American, Rich Stevens will be making his first steps into management after being handed a contract until December 2020. With Santa Cruz currently sitting third in Serie C, they will be looking to bounce back to Serie B with promotion following a couple of difficult years following back-to-back relegations. Speaking at a press conference today, Stevens said "I am excited and honoured to be given this position. Santa Cruz are a massive club who shouldn't be languishing in the third tier of Brazilian football". Stevens who had a playing career in America, now moves south into South American football, and is looking to give the fans something to cheer about. 

 

[B.W.G]

A legend had returned!!!

Best of luck at Santa Cruz

[SRL88]

Rich Stevens Career - Santa Cruz FC

So our first foray into management comes at a club who has tasted some success, recently playing in Serie A in 2016. Following back-to-back relegations, we find ourselves taking over a side in the third tier of Brazilian football. I feel this is going to be a slow-burner at this club, especially as I'm not too knowledgeable on football in the Americas. 

With expectations set, we do have time on our side. The club only want us to gain a top half finish by the end of our current contract, so we there is no pressure to succeed straight away which is a surprise given where the club was just three years ago. We look to have inherited a fairy decent squad which has some upside, although heavily filled with loan players from Serie A clubs. There are one or two familiar names such as Everton and Augusto. 

Name: Santa Cruz FC

Nickname: - 

Founded: 1914

Stadium: Estadio Do Arruda (60,044 )

Status: Professional

[SRL88]

3 minutes ago, B.W.G said:

A legend had returned!!!

Best of luck at Santa Cruz

G'day good sir 

Good to see you

[SRL88]

Santa Cruz FC - June 2019

Serie C - Group B

Not ideally how I'd have liked to start my reign, but it's still early days as the players get used to my system.

We started off with a tricky game away to Tombense (one day after I took charge of the club which gave me no time to be ready), and we were outclassed. We had a couple of good chances, but they deserved their win. In truth, it could have been one of many so to get away with a 1-0 defeat was a blessing. A week later we put in a much better display at home to Ypiranga. We took the lead from the penalty spot and just a few minutes later we were awarded a second. Unfortunately we couldn't put the second away and that came back to bite us....because on the stroke of 90mins we conceded to deny us a win. The month rounded off with an even, yet boring goalless draw away from home as we took just two points from our opening three games.

Copa Do Nordeste

I'm going to be honest...but I have no idea what this competition is! There's teams from all three divisions, yet none of the bigger clubs so god knows what's going on.

Taking that aside, the fact we got out of this group with 8pts from as many games is an embarrassment. Granted, we were only in charge of two them, but it doesn't bode well....

We played out an even draw with Serie B side CSA which somehow gave us the advantage going into the final game in the group as we held the final qualification spot. We travelled to Sampaio to round the group off and put in not just a fantastic display, but a performance which gave me my first win in charge. An unbelievable start with two goals from Kelvenny inside just two minutes got us off to a fantastic start. From there it was about seeing the game through, and once Kelvenny rounded off his hattrick before half-time the game was practically over!

The Quarter Final will see us travel away for an incredibly tough tie against Bahia.

[bigmattb28]

 

Good to see you back, following this as I do love a good North / South America save

[deltablue]

Good to see you back

[SRL88]

5 hours ago, bigmattb28 said:

Good to see you back, following this as I do love a good North / South America save

2 hours ago, deltablue said:

Good to see you back

Thank you gents 

 

[tyro]

Welcome back. FM12 - Hoffenheim thread. :)

 

[SRL88]

45 minutes ago, tyro said:

Welcome back. FM12 - Hoffenheim thread.

 

Haha, yes indeed. Good memory.

[SRL88]

This came somewhat out of the blue. A new kit sponsorship is a plus, especially with us less than £500k in the black at current times, with a huge debt over our heads for a club in our position.

[SRL88]

Santa Cruz FC - July 2019

As we entered my second month in charge of the club and it saw us make wholesale changes to the backroom team as we started to bring our own guys in. The standout name being former Real Madrid, Chelsea & Middlesbrough midfielder, Geremi, who we brought in as our assistant.

Serie C - Group B

Things have finally started to tick for this team as we manage to finally get some wins on the board.

The month started with a trip away to struggling Volta. The game ended up being trickier than we would have liked, purely down to our own lack of confidence having only won one game from our previous six (which was before I took charge). A first half goal from experienced midfielder Everton following a well-worked team move. We had some really good chances to double our lead, but ended up hanging on in the end as we managed to get up and running in the league with our first win. That was followed up with a very hard-earned win over Confianca. We handed Kelvenny his first league start under us having impressed in the Copa Do Nordeste last month and he rewarded us by handing us the lead. Despite dominating the rest of the first half we went in level after some sloppy defending. The second half remained even and I was settling for a point until a fantastic strike from Daniel Costa in stoppage time gave us a huge victory.

After rotating our side for the trip to struggling Boa Esporte, we put in a professional performance as two goals from Pipico gave us a solid 2-0 victory. The month was rounded off in poor fashion with a disappointing defeat at home, but again, it was following resting a large number of players due to other games (more on that soon).

Copa Do Nordeste Quarter & Semi Finals

Two amazing performances against teams in higher divisions have seen us put together an unlikely cup run to reach a final just six weeks after taking charge.

 Travelling to face Bahia (Serie A) I expected nothing, and after falling behind in the first minute I thought we were in for a long afternoon, but less than ten minutes later the fantastic Kelvenny levelled things for us. We put in a dogged performance, not just to hang on, but give our opponents some frights also as we took the game to penalties. Two excellent saves in the shootout from our cup goalkeeper Ricardo Ernesto saw us pull off a huge shock to reach the Semi's. We faced another road trip once there, this time to CRB (Serie B) where we were easily second best. Despite that, some excellent defensive work saw us take the game to another penalty shootout where we managed to win 5-4, with Kelvenny scoring the winning spot kick.

The final, a two-legged affair see's us face fellow Serie C team Confianca, with the first leg being at home.

[SRL88]

Copa Do Nordeste Final

Route to the Final

Group Stage

I honestly don't even know how we made it out of the group with that record. I don't know if that's bad on us or the other teams who finished below us!

Granted, I was only in charge for two games as the rest were completed before my arrival to the club, but we avoided defeat in both games, claiming a solid win in our final group game to finish in that fourth qualifying position to advance to the Quarter Finals.

Knockout Phase

Two really hard-fought wins, as covered above in the July review saw us battle our way to penalties in both games against Serie A and Serie B clubs. Once there, we managed to hold our nerve in both games to win on penalties and seal an unlikely Final appearance.

Final - First and Second Legs

In a nervy affair, one which neither side really wanted to lose, us more-so with the away goals rule in effect, we battled our way to a first leg advantage. We had the better of the first half and just before half-time we took a deserved lead through Jailson. That made my half-time talk a lot easier and we set out to defend our lead in the second half. We did just that, and although our opponents had the better of second half possession, as well as many efforts at goal, we limited them to just two shots on target as we took a one goal advantage into the second leg.

Holy cow that was hard work, but no matter...we have our first trophy under our belt mere weeks after our first step into management.

This game wasn't pretty at all and we were on the back foot for much of it. A poor start saw us give away an early penalty which was converted, and a little over ten minutes later we found ourselves two goals down and trailing in the tie. We made a few adjustments to try and stem the flow of attacks coming our way as we just looked to get to half-time. Things took a huge twist right on the brink of the interval though, as that man who scored right before the break in the first-leg, did exactly the same here to put us ahead on aggregate. The second half saw a few nervy moments, but once more we limited our opponents to few shots on target as we managed to hang on to seal an unbelievable victory to lift the beautiful Copa Do Nordeste trophy.

[SRL88]

Following our fantastic cup win, we received these great messages from the fans and board, including noticing this little number - not bad for six weeks work.

[B.W.G]

Congrats on the cup victory  

[SRL88]

1 hour ago, B.W.G said:

Congrats on the cup victory  

Thanks man 

[SRL88]

Santa Cruz FC - August 2019

Serie C - Group B

A solid looking month on paper, but there are frustrations there as the team struggles for cohesion.

We started the month off with a necessary victory over Sao Jose, a team we look to be going to the wire with to qualify for those important promotion playoffs. It wasn't the best of performances, but we battled our way to a 1-0 win thanks to an early goal. That was followed up with a very frustrating goalless draw away to struggling Luverdense. We battered them for 90 minutes but just couldn't take our chances, and I was left even more frustrated when we missed a penalty in the 87th minute which would have surely given us all three points. Another frustrating game followed, but it was one which at least brought about maximum points. Like our previous game, we dominated the state of play but we were open to the counter attack, which they hit us on twice. We fell behind twice in the game, forcing ourselves to do things the hard way as we came from behind to equalise with 12 minutes remaining, before an 88th minute winner gave us what could be a vital, vital win.

With just two points separating four teams going into the final two games of the season, we head travel to face Ypiranga (RS) next, before finishing the season facing Juventude at home in our final game of the season. Looking at all fixtures however, if we win our games we should be there as other teams will be taking points off each other. 

[SRL88]

Santa Cruz FC - September 2019

Serie C - Group B

A very frustrating end to the season as we miss out on the play-offs, something which has left me really annoyed with this side.

We were outclassed by Ypiranga (RS) on our travels and it was a massive smash and grab win. Scoring just after half-time gave us something to hang onto and we managed to see the game through to grab a vital three points. That put us in the final play-off spot going into the final day. Knowing a victory would secure us that spot, we were held to a goalless draw despite dominating. We missed countless chances, but what left me most annoyed was the two missed penalties in the final 20 minutes resulted in us dropping out of the play-offs and having to settle for another guaranteed year at this level.

 

[SRL88]

Also, if anyone knows how to get my screenshots bigger for display it would be much appreciated. I know you can drag and drop, but they're the same size they are right now, without the option to open them up to increase the size.

 

Edit: Figured it out

Edited November 26, 2019 by SRL88

[SRL88]

So following the conclusion of the season, it's the time to be seeing the new crop of youngsters brought into the academy system.

Not bad, with a few standouts:

AML/ML - Alexsander Gilberto

AMC/ML/ST - Marcosswell

GK - Laercio

AMC/MC/AML - Renato Filho

[SRL88]

So it seems the club is set for an election. I don't quite know how these things work, but hopefully we can get someone in who can provide a bit of cash.

[SRL88]

Rich Stevens Career - Season Review - 2019 - Santa Cruz FC

Serie C

Results  (Results are since my Arrival)

Competition Performance: 5th

So it turned out to be a disappointing end to the campaign as we just missed out on the promotion playoffs. We managed to improve the team as a whole after taking the post, losing just twice, but a lack of goals and creativity ended up costing us. We put together a couple of decent runs, but going into that last game needing to win and not, really hurt.

Also as a side note, the way this division works, the top four teams from each division go into a round robin style tournament, with the teams reaching the Semi-Finals being promoted. The winner of the Final is declared overall Champion.

Copa Do Nordeste (Results are since my Arrival)

Competition Performance: Winners

A fantastic performance to come out as unlikely winners of the North East Region cup competition. We managed to grab the fourth and final qualifying spot from what was a poor group to reach the Quarter-Final. From there it was all about showing our resilience as we battled past two higher ranked sides in the Quarters and Semi-Finals via a penalty shootout to reach the Final. There, a gutsy first leg performance gave us the advantage, before a backs to the wall display saw us scrape through in the second leg saw us come away as winners.

Squad

A few players have moved on since the conclusion of the season such as loan players leaving. The squad we have currently is okay, but it was filled with loan players, which makes it a big rebuild. That, plus a lot of contracts expiring, especially of experienced players we simply can't afford to bring back could make things difficult.

Finances - Transfers

The finances are in shocking disarray. When we took over we were £500k(ish) in the black, but playing in a 60,000 seater stadium at this level is costing us. We're shelling out almost £300k a month in ground maintenance, and with low attendances we just can't afford to be here.

Nothing transfer wise to shout about. We didn't bring anyone in, but moved a few reserve players out.

My Top 3 Players

Marcelo Mattos  - The club captain, and he wasn't even registered in the squad when I arrived. His performances weren't anything to shout about, but his leadership on the pitch was vital.

Kelvenny - A vital part of our cup winning team, and as a player who hadn't played all season till we arrived, he chipped in with some vital goals.

Everton - I struggled to find a place for him at first, but his performances upped once we moved him to central midfield. He became one of our only creative players.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Season  | Team           | Country    | Division      | League Position | Notes                                   |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 2019    | Santa Cruz FC  | Brazil     | Serie C       | 5th             | Copa Do Nordeste Winners                | 

 

[B.W.G]

A good first season,it gives you something to build upon going into next season.

[SRL88]

A couple of bits of news:

So we bagged a new coaching qualification having been learning our National B Licence for the last 4 month. Should help somewhat with training

 

So we have a new Club President. How I feel will probably be more evident in the coming months. He said he wants to get the club back on a secure financial footing, but isn't going to invest at this stage which is contradictory, but we need it urgently. Our finances are shocking!

Regarding the vision of the club, it remains pretty much the same, with the addition of not signing anyone over the age of 30, which means we can't bring any experience in to get us push for promotion.

 

Edited November 26, 2019 by SRL88

[SRL88]

6 minutes ago, B.W.G said:

A good first season,it gives you something to build upon going into next season.

Thanks man. There's definitely potential, but I don't know how much we'll be restricted due to finances.

[SRL88]

Rich Stevens Career - Season Preview - 2020 - Santa Cruz FC

Board Expectations:

Campeonato Brasileiro Serie C: Avoid a Relegation Battle

Brazilian Pernambuco State Championship: Reach Third Place Play-Off (Minimum)

Copa Perdigao do Brasil: Reach Second Round (Minimum)

Copa Do Nordeste: Not yet Available

 

My Expectations:

Campeonato Brasileiro Serie C: Ideally I'd like to push for the promotion play-offs, but given the horrendous financial situation at the club, we can't afford to bring any players in so the squad will be stretched thin. I expect around mid-table. We've also got a tough division this year with teams who finished around us last season, and all the relegated clubs from Serie B

Brazilian Pernambuco State Championship: This seems to be one of two Brazilian competitions you participate in based on region/state. Achieving the boards expectation will do

Copa Perdigao do Brasil:  The FA Cup equivalent. Again, meet board expectations

Copa Do Nordeste: This hasn't been set yet as the draw hasn't taken place, but if we make it through the groups again I will be happy

 

Budgets:

Transfer: £0

Wage: £21,400 p/w (currently spending £26,502 p/w)

Balance: -£1,131,173

[Constantine]

Welcome back man... I remember reading your Sant Andreu story. And i started using your template for stories i was writing on serbian-fm site. Good to see you back.

[Rikulec]

Wow, I didn't think we'd ever see you back. I'll definitely be following the thread!

[SRL88]

1 hour ago, Constantine said:

Welcome back man... I remember reading your Sant Andreu story. And i started using your template for stories i was writing on serbian-fm site. Good to see you back.

Thanks for the kind words. I appreciate them . Good to see you also

36 minutes ago, Rikulec said:

Wow, I didn't think we'd ever see you back. I'll definitely be following the thread!

Cheers dude. Looking forward to seeing you back in here 

[SRL88]

Rich Stevens Career - Pre-Season 2020 - Santa Cruz FC

Friendlies

Just the two friendlies as next week we're straight into the thick of things with the Pernambuco State Championship. Fortunately, some of those are against lower league opposition so we can use them as friendlies also. As for here, two very comfortable wins as we move towards competitive football.

Transfers - In

Anderson - Loan - He was at the club last season and did very well for us, so I simply extended his loan for another season to give us a solid first choice goalkeeper

Victor Lindenberg - Loan - Much like above. Here last season, did a good job, so brought him back

Jailson - Free - Another player we had on loan last season, but this one we made permanent, bringing him in on a free at the end of his contract

Agustin Canobbio - Free - Easily the standout player of the group. He has definitely dropped down a level to join us and is on big wages for our level. We'll be looking to him for quality

Transfers - Out

There were a few departures from the club (as well as a few released at the end of their contracts). We moved on players who either weren't good enough for the team, or were unhappy due to lack of playing time.

A few sales which brought in a little money was helpful given current finances at the club, but I was disappointed to lose Danny Morais on a free transfer. Despite his ageing years, he was a commanding figure at the back, and an influence on the defence.

[SRL88]

Santa Cruz FC - January 2020

Brazilian Pernambuco State Championship - Group Stage

Given where we are with our preparations for the season and only having time for two friendlies before jumping into things, I'm pretty pleased with two wins from two.

We dominated proceedings against Central (PE) and two goals inside the opening twenty minutes were deserved. We had a number of chances to add to our lead, but with our opponents offering very little it didn't matter as we did a professional job in seeing things through. The trip to Salgueiro was a lot trickier. We made a few changes due, but were forced to play key players who were tired due to a lack of options and I think that had something to do with the performance. We fell behind on the half hour mark and struggled to really make an impression, but once levelling in the 71st minute we took over. We continued to press for a winner, and it eventually arrived in stoppage time. 

The month rounded out with a comprehensive win away to Pasqueira, as a brace apiece from midfielders Charles (strangely shipped out on loan last season prior to my arrival), and 17yo prospect Felipe, with all four goals being 20+ yard belters.

Edited November 26, 2019 by SRL88

[SRL88]

Santa Cruz FC - February 2020

Brazilian Pernambuco State Championship - Group Stage

We got the job done in the month to see us through to the Quarter-Finals of the competition.

Things started off with a hard-earned victory over America (PE) as we were forced to work for our win. They didn't offer much in terms of a threat themselves, but a mixture of poor finishing and good defending meant we had to wait until the final 20 minutes to grab two goals to give us victory. In our only real poor performance so far we lost at home to Nautico (Serie B). We had the better of the opening half hour, but once the game settled down they took control and easily swept us aside.

We travelled to a local rival next in Sport Recife (Serie A) and put in a superb display to pick up all three points. Pipico scored a stunning goal to give us the lead, and despite a period before half time where they dominated and levelled form the penalty spot we didn't let it alter our game. We stuck to the plan, and in the 74th minute we were rewarded (with a lot of luck), through a deflected Jailson goal which gave us a massive victory. The month rounded off with a subpar performance at Belo, but a stunning strike from Everton gave us the win.

Copa Perdigao do Brasil First and Second Rounds

Really solid work from the boys to see us pass the board expectations and make the third round of the competition.

We weren't at our best against Desportiva, but we didn't have to be. A much-changed side went there and goals either side of half-time from Pipico gave us a professional 2-0 win. That set up a home tie against Serie B side America Mineiro where we were fantastic. Everton scored his second goal in as many games (see above) to give us the lead. We conceded in the second half and after 90 minutes the game went to penalties. There, we managed to hold our nerve and knock another higher division side out of a cup competition.

The Third Round is where things get a little bit trickier. Not only do we face Serie A side Fortaleza, but we enter the two leg stage of the competition.

Transfers - In

Carlos Renato - £5.5k - We completed another bit of business in February, bringing in another player who was here on loan last season. We had agreed to bring him in at the end of his contract in May, but a three month injury to Victor Lindenberg meant we needed him in sooner

[SRL88]

Santa Cruz FC - March 2020

Brazilian Pernambuco State Championship - Group Stage

So the group stage is over and we finished off with two wins to finish second, meaning we face seventh place Flamengo in the Quarter-Finals.

In a preview for that tie, we faced Flamengo in our penultimate group game. After a quiet first half we came to life with a stunning ten minute display. Two goals from Guilherme and one from Kelvenny gave us a comfortable 3-0 win. We completed the first stage of the competition with a solid display away to a poor Vitoria (PE) side. We did the job we had to do, and although it was disappointing to concede a goal late on, we picked up the three points to seal second place.

Quarter-Final & Semi-Final First Leg

 

Well things weren't pretty, but we're on course for the Final.

With a lot of changes made for both ties of the Flamengo game we did things the hard way. We were never in trouble in either leg, but we made it difficult for ourselves by failing to take a number of chances. A single goal victory in the first leg, followed by a boring goalless draw in the second saw us through to the Semi-Final. There, we met local rivals, and Serie A side Sport Recife once again, and once more, like in the group stage we put in a fantastic performance. Although we weren't at our best going forward, we were excellent at the back and grabbed two goals late on (our only two efforts AT goal) to give us the advantage heading into the second leg.

Copa Perdigao Do Brasil Third Round First Leg

Sandwiched in between our Pernambuco games, we picked up an excellent win over another Serie A side in Fortaleza to give us a slim advantage going into the second leg. Once again we out-performed ourselves and an unbelievable 30-yard volley from our 36yo captain, Marcelo Mattos gave us a massive victory.

[deltablue]

I hope the new President eventually delivers.

[SRL88]

1 hour ago, deltablue said:

I hope the new President eventually delivers.

Fingers crossed yeah. The money from the Perdigao Do Brasil means he hasn't needed to dip his hands into his pockets so far however.

[ashton321]

Good to see you back mate. Enjoying this so far

[SRL88]

1 hour ago, ashton430 said:

Good to see you back mate. Enjoying this so far

Thanks brother. Glad to have you around 

[SRL88]

Santa Cruz FC - April 2020

Brazilian Pernambuco State Championship Semi-Final Second Leg

A stunning performance once again against Sport Recife means we've won all three games against them this season. We did such a professional job and two second half goals in quick succession saw us pull off a 4-0 aggregate win to see us into the Final.

There we will face a side who have been on fire so far this season, topping the group without conceding, Nautico.

Copa Perdigao Do Brasil Third Round Second Leg & Fourth Round

This team just continues to amaze me with performances against teams in higher divisions. Although we're out, I am so proud of them!

Taking a 1-0 lead into the second leg against Fortaleza we were forced to work very hard against a side who dominated. We kept them to one goal though and a powerful run from Kelvenny with just six minutes remaining saw him tuck the ball home as we pulled off a huge shock to advance. We were given another tough draw in the Fourth Round, this time facing Vasco da Gama. We took the lead in the first leg as Agustin Canobbio finally showed his quality, scoring his first goal for the club. From there though Vasco dominated. A goal in each half gave them a deserved lead heading into the return leg. There, despite struggling early on we started to grow into the game and levelled the tie up in the 21st minute. Either side could have gone on from there to win it but the tie went penalties. This time unfortunately, luck wasn't on our side as we lost the shoot-out 4-3.

News

Just a random bit of news, but that draw with Fortaleza saw us set a new club record for being unbeaten.

 

 

Edited November 27, 2019 by SRL88

[SRL88]

Brazilian Pernambuco State Championship Final

Route to the Final

Group Stage

A very straightforward group for us. There were only two teams we had any sort of concern for and they finished either side of us, with the rest being teams from Serie D or below. Qualification was never in doubt and we used a lot of the games as pre-season matches before the start of the Serie C campaign in May.

Knockout Phase

After easing into the latter stages we did exactly what we needed to do to reach the Final. Two much-changed line-ups saw us edge past Flamengo before a fantastic pair of victories against the much favoured Sport Recife booked our spot in the Final.

Final - First and Second Legs

The first leg brought about a very entertaining game, and our best performance against our opponents in the three outings we've had against them (3-0 defeat in Serie C last season, 2-0 defeat in the group stage of this competition this season).

In a very entertaining game in which both sides went for the win, it was end-to-end stuff with us taking the lead inside twenty minutes. Right on the stroke of half-time we conceded through an own-goal, but we didn't let that deter us as almost immediately after the interval we retook the lead. Just five minutes later however we conceded a second, and despite both teams having chances, the score remained the same.

No lies, I'm a little gutted, but also disappointed at our display because we weren't at our best.

The first hour of the game we were second best and found ourselves deservedly two goals down. At that point I thought the tie was over until Everton pulled a goal back in the final 15 minutes. That gave us hope, in what was our first real attack of the game. Despite pushing for a leveller, we couldn't find it as we fell to a 4-3 aggregate defeat. 

[SRL88]

Santa Cruz FC - May 2020

Serie C - Group B

Well we couldn't have asked for a better start to the season than that. Maximum points, top of the table!

We started away from home and things were very comfortable for us. A penalty in either half from captain Marcelo Mattos were enough to give us an opening day victory. That was followed up with a good win at home to Sao Bento (SP). We got off to a flyer inside five minutes which settled us down immensely. Two further goals from half-time practically ended the game, before adding a fourth in the second half. They pulled one back late on but it was never going to effect the outcome. We faced our trickiest game so far on the road to Tombense. Trailing 1-0 at half-time, the players were given a stern telling after a poor first half display. We were dragged out the mud though by Jailson who scored two goals in ten minutes to turn the tie around, and we saw the game through for another three points.

That was followed up with another victory, this time at home to Volta. One issue we had was guarding against complacency as we took our foot off the pedal to allow them back into the game whilst 2-0 up. We scored a third late on to seal the win. The month rounded out with another good win on the road, as a goal from Kelvenny and a hat-trick of penalties from Mattos saw us run out 4-1 winners.

 

Note: I have no idea why, but we aren't participating in the Copa Do Nordeste this year. I haven't had any message about it, so I'm left unsure. It does however give us a full weeks rest between games.

[SRL88]

Santa Cruz FC - June 2020

Serie C - Group B

A bit of an up and down month, and for the first time this season we suffered setbacks.

We weren't at our best at all against Atletico and had to battle our way past them. A penalty right on half time got us back into the game, and we had to wait till late on, but managed to find a winner. Our performances over time had dipped slightly, and that finally took its toll with a really poor defeat at Brasil de Pelotas. Despite taking the lead we were absolutely shocking. Outclassed all over the pitch, we fell to a poor defeat. It was the exact same story in our next game too. At home to Confianca I expected better, but we suffered back-to-back defeats for the first time in my tenure. On the back of two poor performances, and then travelling to an in-form Ponte Preta side I didn't expect much, but despite being battered in every area of the field, we held on, and with five minutes to go, got a slice of luck through an own-goal to give us a vital win.

[B.W.G]

Looking good in the early stages of Serie C,hopefully you can keep your form up.

[SRL88]

58 minutes ago, B.W.G said:

Looking good in the early stages of Serie C,hopefully you can keep your form up.

Certainly can't complain too much. Fingers crossed we can keep things going.....

[SRL88]

Santa Cruz FC - July 2020

Serie C - Group B

Was it the prettiest? Hell no...but it was a productive month for sure...

After passing the halfway point of the season and entering the return fixtures we put in a solid display, and goals thanks to Jailson helped us to a solid win. The next two games weren't our best, but once more we put in the necessary effort and found ourselves victors in both games 1-0...making it our fourth clean sheet in a row. Prior to our final game of the month we sealed our qualification to the Play-Offs. The players weren't quite at it, but we battled our way to a hard-earned 2-1 win to round out the month.