An Attempt at taking over the British isles

Didn't take me long to get back into management with a job coming up at Carrick in Championship 1. They got relegated the year before and failing to get into the playoffs this season caused there manager to be sacked, i applied and got the interview and the only philosophy they wanted was to sign young players for the first team what i gladly accepted. Playoffs is there aim for this season and the media are predicting us 3rd.

So this has just happened a surprise in Norway winning the Euro Championship this summer.

Back to Carrick, so i sat down and looked at the team they had enough quality in most areas to get out of this division. We needed two starting centre backs a central midfielder and a striker those where the key areas i looked to address during the off season. Already i knew who what players i was going to be bring in since scouting them with Portstewart knowing they will never come when i was there.

So 5 players in, we have Nelson and Duggan our CB and Kane our CM O'connor took a little longer to get and i had signed a pre agreement but they wanted 10k and we didn't have that because he was 16. I cancelled that and went in with a 500 pound offer to buy him straight away and they accepted. Not a bad discount that.

Lavery came highly recommended by the scouts so a loan and he can play anywhere down the left hand side.

(note all screenshots are from the next season)
Nelson


Duggan


Kane


O'Connor


Lavery

What is it with duggans hair?

@sankalan not sure hadn't really notice until now, but it does go well with his 15 in aggression attribute.

Not a bad pre season we did incur a couple of long term injuries to the two main strikers in Sean McCarron and Dale Noble.

in the next few posts i am going to break it down into cup competitions etc.

First up the league.



We started off the league campaign very strongly and it only went from strength to strength, there was a small slip with back to back losses in october but apart from that it was all straight forward. So before the league spilt up we are looking in a good position to get promoted to the Premier Division in Northern Ireland.

Co. Antrim Shield 1st Round.

We couldn't have gotten a worse draw for the first round. Linfield.

Irish Cup

I was slightly disappointed about this competition i really thought we could have gotten slightly further in, and when realising the draw for next round it was easily could of been a semi final.

Steel & Sons Cup

A good run in this competition the draw was kind to us until the quarter finals i didn't feel we had any trouble but you never know in these matches.

Quarter Final and semi final was the trickiest of ties i thought, with both reserves squads looking good and some first team players might have been thrown in too, we progressed to the final where we would face Crusaders Reserves.

We started off superbly with a goal from Noble on 26th minute but we got pegged back 3 minutes later. But a quick fire in the second half made the last 30 minutes a little less nerve wrecking and we was on course to the first trophy of this challenge.

Intermediate Cup

We got knocked out by Dollingstown, i played a weakened team due to the runs of matches in the league and the final coming up. On hindsight i should have chanced it and played a few more regular first team players.

League Cup

We got drawn against Cliftonville in the 2nd Round of the cup, not the easiest of ties and after we was taken apart from Linfield earlier in the season i wasn't looking too hopeful.



I switched to a more defensive formation for this game after what i learnt against Linfield and i was happy how we played, we kept it tight and wasn't allowing Cliftonville any real chances. we grab a couple of counter attacking goals to set up a famous win in front of 182 people.



Next two games where a little more straight forward beating Albert Foundry and then Dergview in the Quarter final setting up Glenavon in the Semi's.

Another big game against another big club in northern Ireland after the game against Cliftonville i went back to the same tactic and was hoping for the best.

What i wasn't expecting was this result and seeing ourselves in the final of the League Cup against Coleraine. Whom at the moment are riding high in the Premier.



This was certainly a smash and grab win.

1817 people where in attendance for our big scalp and our second trophy of the season.



This game i thought Coleraine was going to come at us being the bigger team, we kept there shot to long range and walked out with a comfortable win 3-0

Back to the closing stages of the league.

A couple of wins was needed earlier on to wrap up the title so we didn't have to drag it out to the last game of the season, but unfortunately that wasn't the case and i think the team was already of thinking of there holidays rather than winning the title. We was 7 points clear before the last game of the season but that lead was down to one going into the final game.

We face Loughgall and if we don't win we need to hope Annagh Utd slip up for us to win the league. Yes we have already qualified for the playoffs but being this much in the lead to lose the league would be soul destroying.

This had to be the most tense match of the season, it was an even match to be fair and it was our star man of the season Ian Parkhill to get the only goal of the game and that brought us the league title and our third trophy of the season UNBELIEVABLE!

Star player of the season was Ian Parkhill he was only meant to be a backup striker but after injuries to both starters in the pre season he had to start and i never looked back.



Success came with a strong backline a few strikers who knew how to score and a good central partnership. Not sure why Lavery is at left back as i never played him there only came on as a sub, he's a left winger normal position.

Problem is a few contracts are coming up for expiring and Nelson and Duggan both are not wanting to talk just yet. So even with a promotion and playing in the top division is still maybe not enough for them.

One thing that is quite annoying is i have been searching for these pair of strikers for the past couple of seasons and with gaining promotion thinking they just might come now, they both go and retire. I hate seeing players that have the potential just sitting on free transfers for a season or two and then retire at a young age. Especially when i have tried numerous of times to offer a contract and them not wanting to talk.

There was good and bad in pre season, i couldn't get the contracts signed for a couple of our key players so i changed the option to let the chairman doing the contract negotiating in doing so we kept Carlin, Nelson, Duggan our 3 main young starlets and spine of the team but sadly in doing so i didn't see Willie Faulkner contract come up for release and another youngster Eddie Bell. Faulkner was getting on at 33 thought maybe just maybe that was the right decision. So i was in reckoning we needed to strength every position if we was going to make it in the top flight even though we have some success in cup competitions against most.

Over course of the season 14 players arrived.



A few strikers were brought in that have played and scored at this top flight in football as Ian Parkhill our player of the season dropped to 1 star in the off season. This could be a step to far for the 31 year old.

Pre season went as well as it could some good performances and not many players disappointing so it was looking hopeful going into the season.

2 losses to start the season off wasn't all that great but it was expected (especially since it was Linfield and Glentoran) as we are fighting for survival in the first year.

A win against Knockbreda gave us the confidence in the Co. Antrim Shield. Next 6 league games brought 4 wins and 2 draws to take us up into 3rd position.

But then it happened not sure why or after a change of personal and then tactic to find the formula to stop the rut, the run the inevitable happening. A LOSS to Larne started the spiral happening we stopped taking our chances and just started to leak goals for fun. 15 games without a win in all comps. took us from 3rd to second from bottom a win against Linfield showed some promise but that was short lived. Newington knocked us out of the cup after a replay and then the form just kept going we did manage a few draws at least but that wasn't going to be enough. We was enough above last place to not go down and with the relegation playoff i was confident that if we got there we should be able to beat the team.

When the league spilt it looked like this.



4 points was the gap we had to make up in 5 games. 2 losses 2 draws and a win wasn't enough to crawl that back. So off to the relegation playoff it was to save our top flight status.

First leg could have gone better but we stayed in the tie and should of maybe found the equaliser after a terrible first half.

Second Leg no words could describe it....

Final Legue Table



RELEGATED. 8 points from safety, we deserve to go down in the season as our form was dreadful. The team was capable of so much more and proved it in matches during the season but once the slide started to happen i couldn't find the right formula and a few players that haven't perform and fallen out will be on there way out. Hopefully i can keep the job and get the last lower league cup trophy. The team is good enough to come straight back and be better than before lets hope i can keep the squad together.

Towards the end of the season i did receive job offers from Rhyl, Limerick and Ballymena who also got relegated with us. But i never wanted to move because i really was optimistic in staying in the top flight. But i've kept my job and know anything but promotion will see me getting sacked, no players during the first month wanted to leave it was only towards the beginning of the friendlies that they started to want to move to further the careers, they wanted to play top flight. I wasn't too surprise that it was going to happen but it was mainly my first 11, the team is young and there backups who also had good potential was good enough to win the league i every player that wanted to go i loaned out to the premier clubs to keep them happy and the development going. Knowing that IF we get promoted i will have them coming back to the squad with a second year in the top flight experience.

To say the squad was now thin was an understatement but it wasn't much smaller than the squad i got promoted so maybe that will be better and not a lot of option for rotation.

Player of the last two seasons Ian Parkhill left on a free transfer and Curtis Dempster who moaned at lack of first team football was shown the door due to only average 6, 6.1, 6.2, 6.4 when he had the chance of ten games. Our back line in Keegan, Nelson, Duggan and West went to institute. Our highly potential right back Martin went out again on loan he struggled in the games i did play him last season so hopefully another season will do him good to be on loan.

3 Players came in a Backup LB in Hughes, A backup CB as i let 3 go. and a backup striker since Parkhill left.

A mix bag of results to start the season, it was a little frustrating and i was thinking of possible moving away from Carrick. I knew the squad was capable of doing well but the earlier up and down form was making me have a couple of different mind sets, a few jobs was popping up. Since we got knocked out of Co. Antrim meaning i would have to find a club in the future that would be in that to get that achievement. Is it easier to move on or should i stay?