[FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)

TRANSFERS

OUT



I'm as shocked as you are by the betrayal at the top of the screen, I'll get into that shortly. Two others have left the club with a further two youth prospects are out on loan; Licari to Żebbuġ Rangers and Borg to Balzan for the remainder of the season.

Steve Borg - D(C) - free transfer to Senglea Atheltic


Jake Muscat - ST(C) - free transfer to Żebbuġ Rangers


Roderick Pace - ST(C) - free transfer to Sliema Wanderers


IN



As you might have guessed, a new striker entered into the Valletta fray, and not just because he absolutely dicked our team in a certain match.



Shaun Cini - ST(C) - free transfer from Sliema Wanderers

A little bit more well rounded to players like Pace, even though Pace is only a poacher but Cini could offer that extra pzazz up front as we're missing a third link. Far better composure and all round better mentally shaped with exception to his poor decision making. Is it harsh to say that we've gained an upgrade?

BOV SUPER CUP

FINAL



...and this was the reason we signed Cini. He simply dropped our shorts between our ankles with the way he played, energised and ready to go after just 31 seconds to give the sky blues the lead. Roderick Pace scored what could prove to be his final goal in a Valletta shirt to equalise swiftly. Then came a major selling point to Sliema's victory, Ayrton seeing the red mist to unleash a two footed leg breaker and forcing us to play 74 minutes with ten men. We survived until half time, but disintegrated afterwards; Cini getting in all the right areas to grab his second, third and fourth goals to truly knock the stuffing out of us to lift the Super Cup. Not a happy start to the year.



A joke of prize money.



May be the end of Camilleri's season, breaking his foot in training before the league matches.

BOV PREMIER LEAGUE



Ten days after the disappointment in the super cup, we faced Sliema again and this time we were robbed. Cini and Pace swapped colours in this game, both making debuts. Sliema didn't record a shot on target in the game, but still took the lead as Julian Galea was in the wrong place at the wrong time to score an own goal from Jack Burgoyne's cross. Cini felt the pressure of the fixture and rarely made an impact, his closest effort went arseways from 25 yards. We needed a saviour to change the game, or indeed an Ángel and there was only Juan man for the job (see what I did there?). The Colombian on hand once again to squeeze in from a tight angle with 20 minutes to go. We were lucky to escape consecutive red cards, seven players of ours received yellows but we got stuck in and earned a point where Pace thankfully had a bad day at the office.



Farcical defeat, we should have had this game wrapped up before Żebbuġ gained their second wind. Shaun Cini is off the mark at least, drilling a low shot into the bottom right corner via a defensive sliding tackle gone wrong that put Cini through on goal. Everything went a little bit too casual being 1-0 ahead and we were stung with almost 15 minutes to go, combination of a weak clearance by Gauci to put them in possession and poor defensive organisation to leave Brady Spiteri open to convert Chris Spiteri's cross/pass. If that weren't bad enough, we threw away the game in injury time; conceding a penalty due to Steve Borg's incompetence, Miguel Ciantar did the rest of the work and calmly won the game for the lemon and lime kits of Żebbuġ Rangers.



A six pointer against Hibernians was a must win to stabilise the anxiousness in the camp lately. Despite Hibernians being the more threatening, it was us who hit the front as Jason Attard came up for a corner and drove a low shot through a tight gap between goalkeeper and post to lead at the break. Shaun Cini packs a punch and ringfenced three points with a solo effort and finish from 25 yards which the keeper made a hash of. Ingmar Degiorgio unmarked at the back stick gave us some late collywobbles but hung on for our first league win in 2031.

FA TROPHY

FOURTH ROUND



Yet another unconvincing display in the FA Trophy, this time to Għajnsielem. No sugarcoating, this game was absolute garbage with not a single noteworthy highlight in the first half. The quality didn't improve on the flipside, Darren Spiteri did however test their keeper but safe hands kept the game scoreless. The first division side were happy to force the game to extra time but I wasn't having it, Juan Ángel came on with twenty minutes to go and made the difference but placing a first time effort into the bottom right corner and seeing us through with more than a sigh of relief.

QUARTER FINAL DRAW



The draw is kind to us again, another first division side in Gudja United await us in the quarter finals.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



From one defeat in the first half of the season to two defeats since the beginning of 2031, very disappointed with our performances. I won't say that we're missing Pace just yet, but I do feel it's having a negative effect. Żebbuġ defeat is inexcusable and the Sliema hammering was terribly disappointing but it looks like we may have got back on track with back to back wins to close out January.

LEAGUE TABLE



Amazingly it didn't impact too much on the league, gaining one point over Birkirkara who've now drawn six on the bounce in the league. It may also put Hibernians out of the equation following our win over them, leaving a six point gap. Nine games to go, can we hold our nerve?



A wild takeover appears out of nowhere. I've been through enough of these during my FM16 career, but this'll be the first of this career. Will I survive the chop?

NEXT UPDATE: February 2031

BOV PREMIER LEAGUE




Not a bad way to celebrate 400 matches in management, tearing Gżira United to ribbons for the second time this season. Rudi and Ángel opening their account before seven minutes elapsed and setting the scene for the game. Gżira had a bit of fight in them for a change, cautiously coming forward with Ian Schembri nearly breaking the net to pull one back. Patched that up within five minutes as a meleé in the box provoked the referee to point to the spot, Ángel sending the keeper back to the training ground. It all went wrong in the second half for the home side; Ben Coyle's effort scuppered by Nicky Xuereb and went down as an own goal, Jurgen Falzon conceded another penalty and inevitably sent off (Ángel missed this one but we'll quickly forget about that) and Rudi finished with the best of the bunch, curling one into the top corner from the left hand side of the box. It could have got embarrassing for Gżira who are on a one way ticket back to the second tier.



Blitzing the league with our fours, fives and sixes. Smashing the record number of goals scored and only in February.



Bad news is we have no natural left back for our next game, Redeemer Borg redeeming him a suspension.





Ayrton really needs to see a professional, another reckless challenge only weeks after his red in the Super Cup final. Sort of dampened over a rather high octane clash against Ħamrun Spartans. Ben Coyle scored his first goal since October to start us off on the right foot early on. Coyle looked ever dangerous on the day, hitting the crossbar before setting up Juan Ángel for his 14th goal of the season. Suddenly went end to end as Ħamrun broke on a 3 on 2 attack, only for a well timed challenge from Buhagiar before launching it up the other end where Cini skewed his effort wide when he should have hit the target. Ayrton once again at the centre of attention but for the wrong reasons and saw a straight red for a studs up tackle. Ryan Grima made things interesting going into the dying embers but contained ourselves to victory.



Two week fine for Ayrton, stupid silly boy.



Deflating derby day as we suffered a major setback at the hands of rivals, Floriana. Simon Magri put the emeralds in front, two bites with Gauci saving the first but wasn't quick enough to stop the second. Straight from kick-off, a lovely move to get level as Gauci's kick out found the head of Cremona, weaved into Rudi who picked out a perfect weighted pass to Shaun Cini to equalise. Matthew Brincat was at fault for the Floriana second, mistiming a challenge and allowing Keith Mallia to tuck home, as for the third, Jason Attard never saw the run of Charlie Muscat on the left hand side who delivered a cross for Mallia's second in a minute and gave us a mountain to climb. Rudi gave us a bit of false hope before the game was done and dusted, Magri turning provider for Muscat who literally walked it into the net. Defensively woeful and with the crunch game against Birkirkara next, we need all the preparation we can get.



Honours even in a game that probably should have gone to the side in yellow, Birkirkara unbeaten this season and aiming to rain on our parade. A nervy first half was followed up by an entertaining second half. Darren Buhagiar came close early on from a corner but Bugeja saved his effort from six yards out. Controversy surrounded the Ta' Qali stadium in the 69th minute as Neil Agius on his return to the squad was brought down in the box by Nigel Farrugia who was on a yellow card. Penalty was given to the anger of the Birkirkara players who protested that it was not a penalty, where we protested that Farrugia should walk with a second yellow. Juan Ángel took the responsibility and....MISSES! The strong minded Chris Bugeja guesses right to keep the game scoreless! Maverick Farrugia should have won the game for the visitors, put through on goal but Gauci brought a superb save, neither side able to break through. Rudi had the last opportunity of the game with five minutes to go, everything about the strike was perfect but the post got in his way and yet again we settle for a 0-0 with Birkirkara. This continues to go right down to the wire. Will we regret that penalty miss?



Attard misses our next game, picking up his eighth yellow of the season.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



Only picked up one point from those last two games we knew were going to be tough. A win over Birkirkara could well have put us on course to seal the deal but we make do. At least wins over Gżira and Ħamrun were vital.

LEAGUE TABLE



One slip up could make all the difference with five games left. We lead by one, but with Birkirkara still unbeaten this season, we may not be able to rely on them to slip up. Hibernians had a horror month and now makes it a two horse race.



Last but not least, we've the possibility of getting new owner(s). Keeping my job is important plus potentially willing to empty some of his wallet to invest in the club's well-being.

NEXT UPDATE: March 2031

BOV PREMIER LEAGUE



A major blow, failing to topple Fgura United in what seemed to be a one sided affair. The quantity of our efforts were goose eggs, in fact Fgura had the best chance in the first half where Mark Cutajar through on goal awkwardly skewed his shot wide; grimace on the home fans' faces after that miss. At last a breakthrough came on the hour, putting an end to back and forth tennis between halves and actually work something in the Fgura half, sequencing passes to the goalscorer Neil Agius who lobbed the keeper for 1-0. The important thing was not to lose our heads and unsteady the momentum for the last half an hour - Rudi clearly didn't get the memo; on a yellow and committed a cynical foul to send him off with seventeen minutes to go. The man advantage paid off for Fgura and Cutajar made up for his earlier miss to get on the end of the cross and cleverly aimed for the corner away from Gauci in goal. It wasn't done there, Fgura also had Warren Fenech dismissed but too late to make an impact. Meanwhile, Birkirkara won meaning we drop to second.



Two more matches without Rudi, terrific.



He can moan all he wants, he cost us the game.



Wasn't an end to the nightmare, Ángel misses our next game following a calf strain. Not ideal for your top goalscorer to get injured at this stage of the season.



The good news keeps coming, two more added to the suspension list. Are we even going to field a team for the next game?



On another day, we'd beat the club rooted to the bottom of the league easily, but not today. Lija Athletic were happy to shut up shop while we failed to break their defensive stance. Lot of efforts, very few properly testing. Neil Agius should have scored with an effort inside their six yard box only for Edward Camilleri to block it out. Juan Ángel was fit enough to come off the bench and came oh so close to being our saviour again, but hit the inside of the post before it was scrambled out. Two more points dropped, we're all over the place.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



Two must win games, two faux pas against sides aiming to avoid the drop. Also signals our longest spell without a win, four games.

LEAGUE TABLE



Have we just relinquished the league? Three games to go, Birkirkara STILL haven't lost a game. What is the likelihood that they'll choke this?



Meanwhile we're still in the fog in regards to this takeover business. Will I even survive the rest of the season?

NEXT UPDATE: April 2031

Doing a good job of bottling the league title @DNZY sort it out!

@Dan - Can always count on you for encouragement in sticky situations!

___________________________________________






Before any results, we've been officially taken over and I keep my job! Furthermore, the lad is voluntarily upgrading our youth facilities plus investing a further £1.3M into our balance.



Puts us close to the three mill mark.



If that weren't tasty enough, he's trebled our budget. What a lad.



Damn, I'm liking this guy a lot. Going professional next season!



Not all great news, Shaun Cini is out for the most part of the season.

BOV PREMIER LEAGUE



Perhaps it isn't all over yet, smashing Pietà Hotspurs for four. Took the initiative in the first half to bombard them, Matthew Cremona with steel nerves curling in a free kick on the edge of the D before Neil Agius doubled our lead with a low curling effort to regain any lost confidence. Corners were our strong point in the second half, Darren Buhagiar muscled and towered his way to head in the third, while Agius struck again following a loose ball from a despondent clearance. Straight forward, in your face win to keep a title race on.



Clinched our sphincters to see off Balzan in an end to end slugfest. The home side effectively handed us the lead, dispossessed too easily in the centre following an attacking move to which Ángel burst down the right channel on the counter to find Neil Agius again for his seventh on the season. Agius is on fire lately and so nearly made it two, rounding the keeper but left him a tight angle to finish and hit an unbalanced effort into the side netting. Balzan knocked on the door and opened for substitute Alan Fenech left completely unmarked and aimed his shot away from Gauci and in for a cheap equaliser. If Balzan can do impact subs, so can I, Ben Coyle replaced Spiteri and resulted in playing 4-3-3 again and his first touch was devastating - a goal within 30 seconds of coming on to nudge us back in front to which the youths had no response. It goes to the final day of the season!



Bugger! The lad in form will now miss the final day with injury.

FA TROPHY

QUARTER FINAL



If all else fails, we still have the cup and booked our place in the semis with a rather nonchalant win over First Division side Gudja United. Rotated the squad heavily and one of the youngsters had a hand in the first goal, right winger Steve Cilia crossing for Ben Coyle to head home from close range - standard but proud moment for the lad. Gudja applied some pressure with an effort from Malcolm Scerri but too tame to trouble Bartolo in net, but straight from his kickout we went up the other end, Coyle turned provider to our Thai intern Boonmee Wangchan with a rather sloppy 25 yard effort along the turf but still troubled the keeper to keep it out. A walk in the park.

SEMI FINAL DRAW



After smashing them in the league, Pietà Hotspurs will have another go to take us down for a place in the FA Trophy final.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



A much better string of results in league and cup, have we left it too late in the league though?

LEAGUE TABLE



Perhaps we have, Birkirkara are coasting right now with four straight wins following that scoreless draw with us at the end of February. Yet if they lose their final game to Sliema Wanderers, ending a 25 match unbeaten run, it plays into our hands perfectly. However, we still need to win against Naxxar Lions to guarantee any chance of that. At least European football is secured come next season.

NEXT UPDATE: May 2031

BOV PREMIER LEAGUE





I don't want to say we bottled it, but we seriously bottled it. The nerves were jangling from minute one and Naxxar made us look like fools. Agius was a threat throughout, but not our Agius - John Agius for Naxxar had several chances to break the deadlock in the first half but shortly into the second he made us pay. A brilliant run from Michael Zammit (formerly of Pembroke too) to the right hand byline to square it into Agius who couldn't miss from close range. The match was dreary, never looked close to scoring and we officially threw in the towel when Buhagiar foolishly earned a second yellow to end the season on a sour note.



It wouldn't have made much of a difference anyways as Birkirkara won 3-0 on the final day against Sliema Wanderers, completing a 100% record in their last five games of the season.



Buhagiar will miss both the semi final of the FA Trophy and the final should we get there.



Rudi had a remarkable season when he didn't get suspensions.



Also drawing in decent crowds every game, averaging nearly 1,800 per home game and smashing our own held record.

FINAL LEAGUE TABLE





An absolute shocker in the second half of the season and costing us dearly, finishing six points (SIX) behind Birkirkara in the end. Europa League is a given anyways if we fail to win the FA Trophy. Sliema finishing third this time around while Lija, Gżira and Fgura were all relegated to the First Division.

FA TROPHY

SEMI FINAL



Focus quickly turned to the cup and calmly returned to our peak performances with a cushioned win over Pietà Hotspurs. Ayrton doesn't score too many, but when he does it matters a lot as he fired a 25 yard shot through a crowded penalty area, taking one or two deflections on it's way to the back of the net to lead on the stroke of half time. It propelled us into life; Rudi nearly doubled the advantage moments later but clinked off the bar before we were awarded a penalty deep into first half stoppage time. With Ángel on the bench, the task was left to Matthew Cremona and duly delivered despite the keeper diving the right way. The game fizzled out into a drab second half where we were happy to keep the ball and book our place at Ta' Qali for back to back FA Trophy finals.



No place for Rudi in the final, another suspension leaves him watching from the stands.

FINAL DRAW



A duplicate of the BOV Super Cup final, the sky blues of Sliema do battle once again. Roderick Pace scored in last year's final, will he lift the trophy again as a Sliema player or will we put him in his place?



No goal conceded in the cup since that 5-4 thriller in last year's semi final to Swieqi United. Can use it to our advantage.

FA TROPHY FINAL





The board get started on developing our youth facilities just in time for the next youth intake. Could be the start of a beautiful friendship.



And speaking of which, he's offered me a new contract too. Tempted to stay but also tempted to leave due to my rotten luck over here. I may need a coffee and a long walk to give it thought.

NEXT UPDATE: Postseason 2030/31

Rudi Farrugia swept the competition aside to claim the Valletta player of the season award for the second year running with a whopping 78% of the vote, well clear of Matthew Cremona and Ayrton Farrugia. Despite no mention of Juan Ángel following a terrific debut season, he won both signing of the season plus the young player of the season awards. Matthew Cremona's trademark freekick against Floriana was seen as the goal of the season according to our fans. In fairness, he struck it damn well.

https://streamable.com/o6mw0



Rudi and Ángel stole the show this season, the Colombian striker hitting the back of the net 14 times and setting up a further 9, not bad at all. Rudi meanwhile assisted 9, 5 man of the match awards and with his average rating surpassing 7.5 this season, it's no wonder he was our player of the season. Mark Camilleri didn't start much and hence why he was our best passer at 87%. Discipline really was an issue for us this season, Jason Attard accumulating 10 yellows while Ayrton's 2 red cards perhaps dented our season a little.



Exciting times for Valletta as they've officially announced their professional status, enables more staff, far more coverage for scouting and a lot more valuable players could be attracted to the package we're now able to offer.



Meant only one conclusion, another year at Valletta to hopefully get it right this time around!

NEXT UPDATE: Preseason 2031/32

TRANSFERS

OUT



Shedding our team for another season, making the controversial executive decision to let Ayrton's contract run out which didn't exactly go down too well with the fans. Bartolo also leaves as we need a proper full strength goalkeeper to make a statement this season. Few others were networked to our feeder club to gain some experience plus one or two other loan deals on top of that.

IN



Similar to last season, recruited one player for each general area (i.e. goalkeeper, defence, midfield and an attacking option), with a familiar face popping in again because I'm a sentimental softy. Plus I think he was the void we couldn't fill in the second half of last season. Some serious bucks were thrown in terms of wages for some players.



Roderick Pace - ST(C) - free transfer from Sliema Wanderers

No introduction necessary, capable poacher with 15 finishing. He may not get the start in every game but I'm hopeful he'll deliver the 'Plan B' should the shit hit the fan.



Nahuel Castellano - M(R) - free transfer from Tiro Federal (Rosario)

Streets ahead of any available right winger in this division which'll mean we're abandoning the 4-3-3 movement temporarily because Nahuel is far too good to leave on the bench. Ideally, I'd prefer him to be a little bit quicker but 15 in technique and a proper set piece taker he'll do a right job. First of three mouthwatering signings.



Leonardo Zanel - D(C) - free transfer from Atlético Carcarañá

One of the more expensive ones concerning wage demands, but well worth it. Mentally structured at only 18 years of age, the 'defender holy trinity' as I like to call it (heading, marking, tackling) all solid, lacks a bit of physicality but will improve with a bit of game time. For £500p/w it is a gamble but he is a proper coup for the club.



Fabiano Coimbra - GK - £75 from Democrata GV

Feast your eyes on this Brazilian wonder, need to pinch myself that's he's actually our player. Green attributes in all the right places, apart from agility, anticipation and first touch. 6'4", 87 kg and 5* all at 18, Lord knows how well this guy could be in two or three years time. One of my best signings on this save thus far and Gauci will definitely be relegated to the bench.



Financial forecast is really encouraging at the moment, recording almost 60% profit of turnover measuring £1.3M. After European football we're projected to surpass the black £3M mark on our balance sheets.





RE/MAX Malta unveiled themselves as the next sponsor for Valletta's 2031/32 kit reveal for the next two years.



In other news, Shaun Cini returned from injury and got his first call up and cap to the Malta national team, playing in a 1-0 defeat to FYR Macedonia.

FRIENDLIES



Piece of pish.


EUROPA LEAGUE

FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND DRAW



A throwback to my Ordino days, returning to face Swiss/Liechtensteiner club FC Vaduz for the first time in 15 years.

FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND, FIRST LEG (HOME)



An uphill task in the second leg, Vaduz popping three away goals past us in Malta. First moment of note came our way, Castellano on his full debut linked in with Juan Ángel who was denied by the post. Markus Degen was to be a torment for us down the line, soft defending allowed the ball to be threaded into the lightweight striker to finish it off. Only one down at the break, still in the game, only for 35 seconds after resuming we fell 2-0 behind; Degen again on hand while we didn't even get to touch the ball in the process. A lifeline was thrown to us as Castellano marked his debut with the setup of a goal, crossing to the head of Rudi to reduce arrears. No sooner had Vaduz kicked off before they reclaimed their two goal advantage, Degen taking the match ball home following an all too easy hat-trick for him. Vaduz had opportunities to stretch the lead further but the scoreline was left at 3-1 going over to Liechtenstein.





The fans only come out when it matters. But I'll kindly take their dosh.

FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND, SECOND LEG (AWAY)



Tussled well in the second leg, but bowed out on aggregate. We took the lead under fortunate circumstances, Darren Spiteri on the left had his cross blocked off the back of the Vaduz defender and laid on a plate for Neil Agius to sidefoot home to ignite some spark of belief. All hope was extinguished when Degen aka 'The Torment' returned to deliver two more well executed finishes to fire Vaduz into a commanding aggregate lead. The least we managed was to make a game out of it, Rudi superbly darted his way into the Vaduz area to finish a sterling solo effort. Nearly won the game but for a stop from Christian Baldinger to deny Neil Agius, but we go out not disgraced 5-3 on aggregate.





Got to love the Europa League payouts.



Our youth facilities upgrade is complete, getting that well deserved face-lift.

EXPECTATIONS



Emphasis goes on the league this year, otherwise I'm definitely out the door. I dare say we should sacrifice a potential FA Trophy three-peat. Super cup I may consider going for.



Once again tipped to take the spoils, Birkirkara surprisingly only fancied at 11-2 in 5th but it's very fine margins with other sides including Sliema, Floriana and Hibernians all in the mixture.

BOV SUPER CUP



And this is why the super cup matters, locking horns with the stripes of Birkirkara again. Revenge on the cards I'm hoping on NYE. They are also our first game of the league season too.

NEXT UPDATE: August/September 2031

BOV PREMIER LEAGUE



Howzdat? Emphatic win to kick our season off against the side who denied us a few months back. Neil Agius opened up the scoring after just 7 minutes, but a howler from Fabiano Coimbra allowed the visitors draw level, sprinting off his line to chase a ball with Maverick Farrugia but failing miserably to give Maverick the audacity to loop around him and tap into an empty net. The momentum changed when Birkirkara went down to ten men, Chris Spiteri lunging in frustration after losing the ball and earned a straight red. Juan Ángel bagged his first of the season to lead at the break. Nahuel Castellano had a debut to remember, setting up two second half goals; one for Buhagiar and then one for Agius to complete a brace and wipe away last season's misery with a superb opening win.



Cini misses out on our next game.



Demolition job at home to Mosta, just too good for them. New signing Zanel got on the scoresheet with help from a disastrous mistake by Calleja Cremona, who is now in net for Mosta. Darren Spiteri also achieved his first senior goal for the club and just moments later Juan Ángel made it three before half time. Mercilessly we continued to score in the second half, Agius bagging back to back braces before a welcome return to Roddy Pace who stabbed home a sixth. Alex Borg got the consolatory goal for Mosta, but they were well out of the game by then. Steamrolling it so far.



With a midweek game against Tarxien Rainbows and Pembroke on the Saturday, made a call to rotate the squad to stay fresh. Retrospectively it was a bad call as neither Cini nor Pace could break past resulting in a drab stalemate. Nahuel Castellano clipping the bar from a cross was about as exciting as it got in the first half but showed signs of improvement in the second. Shaun Cini was perhaps put into the squad too hastily, failing to hit his shots with power and making it easy for their goalkeeper. Tarxien didn't test Gauci in goal, while we failed to live up to our name, taking an unconvincing 0-0.



Pace also out with a knock but have plenty of strikers to fill in for him.



Flattering scoreline to us, Pembroke were no pushovers this time around and were lucky to come away with a win. The South American influence was definitely the X factor; Castellano struck home for his first Valletta goal, also setting up Juan Ángel to make it 2-0. Rudi finished the job from a corner with a venomous hit from the edge of the area. Pembroke didn't deserve to be behind but for their troubles did pull one back through one of my former players Karl Ciantar. Julian Briffa came over to say hello too, but missed an absolute sitter to keep the game at 3-1. Brave effort but the points belong to us.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



Rock steady start, despite a rather disappointing draw in between. Neil Agius is on fire at the moment, 4 goals and 3 assists in three games. Castellano already looking like a bargain too, 1 goal and 4 assists for the Argentinian.

LEAGUE TABLE



Second best only to Hibernians who've a 100% start to the season. Birkirkara also recovering from that heavy blow at the start of the season and lie just a point behind us.

NEXT UPDATE: October 2031

BOV PREMIER LEAGUE



The side who denied us on the final day of last season got a good seeing to, strolling to victory on a chilly, drizzly day in the capital. A spot kick sent us on our way, Juan Ángel held his nerve to put power behind his kick and avoid missing a third penalty in a row. Confidence in passing led to the second, threading the ball finely from the halfway line to the net; Neil Agius played a 1-2 with Rudi to finish with finesse. Frankly, Naxxar had nothing to offer and we nearly put them to sleep with Matthew Cremona hitting the post in the last ten minutes. We continue to march on.



Another side who defeated us in the last meeting fell apart, Żebbuġ Rangers were no match for our superiority. More keep away with the ball, passing with a flow to take the lead, however Rudi needed a second hit after the post denied his first effort. Teenage sensation Neil Agius was at it again, scoring his sixth in six from Rudi's through ball to guard a handsome lead at the break. Żebbuġ made it too easy for the third, but credit to Rudi and Agius with two direct balls to each other and then crossed to Juan Ángel to tuck away. Rudi dominated the midfield on the day and assisted for the second time to Agius who upped his tally to seven in six. The home side were glad to hear the final whistle in the end.



The top of the table clash was a game of chess as Hibernians played out for the draw. First ten minutes were end to end, Coimbra stopping Jurgen Farrugia's effort dead in it's tracks while an even better save from David Cilia kept Neil Agius out. The game died down until two second half chances came our way, Ángel used his head this time but the post denied him after a wonderful whipped cross from Jason Attard while Roddy Pace came off the bench but Cilia saved his 12 yard effort. Can't be happy to come away with only a point, but our unbeaten streak remains in tact.



Classic Rudi, another one match suspension for the captain.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



Three games without conceding a goal, gaining seven points along the way. Hibernians will be breathing a huge sigh of relief that we didn't make it a perfect month. The efforts from Rudi and Agius this month were top notch.

LEAGUE TABLE



The draw means we still haven't shaken Hibs off yet, but Birkirkara's champions label is starting to peel and lie four points adrift now. Who will be the first to lose their unbeaten run?

NEXT UPDATE: November 2031

BOV PREMIER LEAGUE



Għaxaq made a meteoric rise up the Maltese ranks with back to back promotions, seven years ago being a non league club. We sent them falling to Earth again; Roderick Pace recorded his 50th and 51st career goals and perhaps overshadowed a rare goal for the Thai regen Boonmee Wangchan, but a comfortable win is the key importance. Għaxaq put up a decent fight, but Coimbra was too good to be beaten.



Well this was unexpected, a one sided derby match to put Floriana in the dirt. Pace is making a case for keeping Ángel out of the team with his latest performances, three in two for Roddy and the fans may want to reconsider the skepticism of re-signing him. Corners were the kryptonite to Floriana's gameplan, scoring our other two goals courtesy of Neil Agius and a strong header from the Argentine defender Leonardo Zanel. Expected more from the emeralds, finishing with their tail between their legs.



Agius is a doubt for the next encounter after taking a knock in the Malta U21's game against Romania.



Meltdown in the second half handed us our first defeat of the season to the ever dangerous Ħamrun Spartans. Leonardo Zanel provided one of the misses of the season just a quarter of the game in, keeper out of position, unmarked with a free header no more than six yards out but somehow heads it onto the crossbar. Rudi picked the lock deep into first half injury time to take the lead. The manager at the opposite end must have enlightened his team, none more so than Gianluca Cassar who got in all the right areas to calmly finish three goals to turn the game on it's head. Ángel was subbed on to kindle a fightback but the minutes rapidly vanished by the time we could create something left.



3-0 seems to be our favourite scoreline currently, dishing out our frustration from last week on Balzan. Neil Agius made it to double figures for goals scored, his 10th being one of his best with a ferocious hit from 25 yards, the only goal in a half completely controlled by us. Scoring outside the box seemed to be a theme of this game, Rudi contributed to that to double the score before Roddy Pace broke free of three defenders and had all the time in the world to reap what we sowed. A strong finish to the month.

FA TROPHY

THIRD ROUND DRAW



First line of defence of the FA Trophy comes against Victoria Hotspurs in Gozo. Am I willing to throw the game for the sake of other trophies this season?

RESULTS OVERVIEW



The first red dot of the league is an unpleasant surprise, considering how well we did this month. Roderick Pace still has the magic touch for Valletta with four goals this month.

LEAGUE TABLE



Oh God, is this where we blow it again? Hibernians still unbeaten and now taking pole position by a point. Birkirkara also not giving up the fight, just three points behind us.

NEXT UPDATE: December 2031

BOV PREMIER LEAGUE



I feel rather bad about this win as it triggered Pietà's manager getting the sack afterwards. Juan Ángel got the nod over Pace for the start and duly delivered as he got on the end of Agius' cross for the opener. Pietà were a shadow of last year's side that finished 4th in the league, they were sinking right to the bottom with our second goal as Ángel turned supplier to Rudi. Conjured up 14 shots on target, the hotspurs were blessed that only two went past them on this occasion.



Despite temporarily sending us back to the top, I'm still second favourite for getting the chop. Are the board not telling me something here?



How did this team win the league two years ago? Sliema were a dog's chew toy for most of the game, in fact it was a no contest by half time. Their keeper Andreas Vella had an absolute mare, at fault for each of the goals; Rudi chipped him after just two minutes, failed to beat Brincat to the ball from a corner and headed in for two, sloppy defending plus a weak hand failed to keep out Cremona for the third, the fourth was a poor clearance plus miserably attempting to come out on the one on one for Agius and lastly Spiteri bringing the tent down on this circus by slotting past Vella at his near post. Couldn't have been made any simpler for us.



Bad news for Pace, he'll miss the super cup final against Birkirkara plus our next league match which is also against Birkirkara.



Even more bad news, the stripes got one over us after taking the lead. Neil Agius is becoming ol' reliable at the moment, 12 goals this season by virtue of a scrappy clearance from their defence. Didn't take long for them to respond, cut open too easily at the back as David Bugeja safely guided home the equaliser. We feared the worst and eventually shot ourselves in the foot with 20 minutes left, giving too much room for Refalo to cut inside and slide a through ball to Michael Micallef for the winner. A tense game overall, dropping massive points.

FA TROPHY

THIRD ROUND



I wanted an exit, but not like this. Second, third and fourth choice debutants came into the squad but turned into an unmitigated disaster by the 18th minute. Ben Coyle thought he spared blushes for Steve Borg's opener but that was only the beginning. Borg swiped a second while Jurgen Zammit failed to be closed down from a corner to make it an embarrassing end to the first half. My thought process changed and wanted to make the comeback; Shaun Cini has done sweet FA since arriving here but did pull one back. Second half involved Victoria parking the bus and kept us out with repose to send us crashing out at the first hurdle.

BOV SUPER CUP




Super cup unlocked! Coimbra the penalty hero in what was a surprisingly entertaining 0-0. Tale of two halves really as Birkirkara started brightly for the first half of the game, we came to life in the second and had ample amount of chances to win the game only for Pierre Grech to be on top of his game to keep them out. The game couldn't be separated by ninety minutes nor extra time so the remaining alternative was penalties. Four well executed penalties by us, while Birkirkara's weren't a patch on us; Shawn Sant had his saved by Coimbra while Jurgen Barbara fired wide. The Lilywhites lift the Super Cup!





Decided to lock down Neil Agius earlier this month, keeping him at Valletta until the end of 2033.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



I'd summarise this month as mediocre by our standards, despite the 5-0 thrashing of Sliema we did fall flat on our faces against Victoria and Birkirkara.

LEAGUE TABLE



Despite the defeat to Birkirkara, we stay top and build a gap of five points to third and fourth. Hibernians are still gripping onto us, still undefeated after 14 games. I hope this won't be recurrent.

NEXT UPDATE: January 2032

BOV PREMIER LEAGUE



Goodness gracious did we leave this late on what we thought would be another frustrating draw with Tarxien. On an afternoon where Rudi failed to hit shots with power, Castellano missed an open goal and Ángel couldn't hit a barn door with a banjo, it was left to one man and one man alone. Roderick Pace recuperated from his brief injury to come off the bench and, like the second coming of Jesus, he brought Valletta fans to their knees, weeping tears of joy and worship. How important could that one goal be to our season?



Couldn't believe what I was watching as Mosta nearly caused a major rift in the title race. Mosta came to play while we were shadow boxing in the first half, Alex Borg nipped in from a corner then going further behind by giving away a penalty converted with ease by Miguel Caruana. With Mosta cornering us, they did loosen our leash after Daniel Micallef saw a straight red before the interval to make for an interesting second period. Hands on deck for Mosta as we commanded the second half and reduced arrears from Ben Coyle bundling it home from close range. Piling the pressure on with a 3-4-3 late doors, our prayers were answered, a guardian Ángel came down from the sky and brought us level with three minutes remaining. The next moment I cannot fathom how frustrated I was, picture being in injury time and you've the opportunity to perform an incredible second half comeback...then this happens (we're in white).

https://streamable.com/0wqtc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOgaCSPK1IY



Flashbacks to when we bottled the league last season, what made it worse were my former employers doing this. Was our own fault to be honest, so disorganized at the back from an attacking corner that it led to a 3 on 1 situation; Joe Parnis chose the left option of Christian Thomas who made no mistake. Shockingly poor up front, Roddy Pace and Ben Coyle both missing clear cut chances which on another day you'd bet your bottom dollar they'd ripple the back of the net. Third defeat in the league, please don't let this happen again.



Reverted back to the 4-3-3 philosophy and it worked a treat. Neil Agius opened his account early on to settle the early nerves, and then doubled it moments before the break with a stupendous cut inside from the left and curled one into the top corner. Absolutely delightful from the young lad. Darren Buhagiar vacuum sealed the win at the back stick, leaping highest to head the ball home. Played like the days of old, can we do that until the end of the season please?

RESULTS OVERVIEW



Despite an occlusion at the early stages, we ended on a high away to Naxxar Lions. Few players chipping in on the goals this month.

LEAGUE TABLE



The wheels on Hibernians' season are coming loose, suffering back to back defeats to Floriana and Ħamrun Spartans. Now we have to contest with Birkirkara's resurgence, lying two points behind. Eight games left, eight cup finals to us.

NEXT UPDATE: February 2032

BOV PREMIER LEAGUE



Did the double over Żebbuġ with a double from Roddy Pace. Visitors were conservative, so in other words "strong and stable" in the first half and did have a clear cut effort that should've put them in front but Daniel Aquilina put it well wide when he only had Coimbra to beat. Five minutes was all it took in the second half to break them down with Pace's first, with a helping hand from Neil Agius. The duo combined for the second too to kill the game. The other good news was Birkirkara dropping points to Ħamrun Spartans this weekend to widen the gap.



In other news, water is wet.



Fabiano Coimbra having a season to remember with his 13th clean sheet. I'd expect nothing less for the money we're paying him.



Season defining win over third placed Hibernians, but it wasn't without controversy. Game should have been over by half time with only with one goal to show for our dominance. Neil Agius baited the Hibs defender to tackle him in the box, winning us a penalty; Juan Ángel went straight down the middle but did find the back of the net though a few hearts almost stopped in the process. Hibs restored parity out of nowhere from a corner, Ingmar Degiorgio made a run from deep and powered it in to perhaps earn them a share of the points. Then came the controversy, I'm unbiased in saying that Juan Ángel definitely looked offside in real time from Roddy Pace's pullback for the winning goal, the replay definitely shows he's offside but it comes down to the referee who allowed this to stand with five minutes to go. Just 'one of those goals' but I'd be fuming if I were the Hibs manager. I'll take this with open arms thank you very much!





Sad day this could be for one of our youth prospects, may be a career ending injury at only 17.



Għaxaq are waiting for the relegation hole to swallow them back to the First Division, paving the way to a routine victory. Ángel is back to the goalscoring form of old with back to back braces. Roddy Pace applied the third to ensure no funny business in the second half. To give them credit, Malcolm Scerri finished off a lovely move for the visitors to make the game competitive but unless a miracle happens for them, they're doomed to go down. Eyes definitely on the prize now.



This lad is seriously tearing up the league not only with goals, but assists too. Breaks a league record for assists.



For what it's worth, I'll take this. Floriana were hungry and barely contained them for large portions of the game. Keith Mallia was the danger man for the emeralds and lived up to his name by deservedly giving them the lead, but we made it look so easy for them due to sloppy defending. A stroke of luck handed us a way back into the game, Coimbra had to make a brave stop to concede a corner, and from their corner is where we made our advance; Ángel sprinted down the right flank in acres of time and space to pick out Pace for a close range equaliser. Darren Buhagiar headed wide in the last few seconds of the match which could've profited on our performance, but the point will do given that Floriana are always tough to break down away from home.

YOUTH INTAKE



Rather disappointed at our first youth intake as a professional club, only one standout in the abundance of Maltese footballing prospects. Hopefully this'll only be the precursor to greater things at the club...should I be around next season...



Pierre Debattista - D(C) - youth intake

He's got the height, he's got the leap, he certainly will grow over time. Needs to hit the gym more and maybe work on his cardio as well before making a real stab at the big time.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



The Pembroke result last month has whet the appetite for success in our recent performances. Taking four points off Hibernians and Floriana were significant.

LEAGUE TABLE



Four games to go, four point lead over Birkirkara. Déjà vu to this stage last season. Surely it can't happen again?

NEXT UPDATE: March/April 2032

Hopefully it can be done this time round.

@Matthew C, fingers crossed, nothing worse than a good season going to waste.
___________________________________________


BOV PREMIER LEAGUE



Took a huge leap towards glory with a resolute performance against a tricky Ħamrun Spartans side. Juan Ángel's form in the second half the season has been nothing short of exceptional and continued that trend with the opener while shrugging off the last defender in the process. Darren Buhagiar loves a corner and headed in the second, but Ħamrun responded quickly thanks to an error from Coimbra as he was well beaten to the ball by Matthew Grech in off the underside of the bar. Justin Cardona's red made the task that little bit easier and capitalized with goals from Pace and a stunner from Ángel. Confidence and swagger of proper champions.

With a while before our next game, quite a lot happened.



19 year old Darren Spiteri got his first senior call up for Malta.



On top of that, he also was locked down on a professional 1 year deal. Not a bad week for the lad.



Big news as well for Zanel; although Coimbra and Castellano aren't interested in staying at Valletta next season, Zanel will. Rinsed a bit of the wage budget during talks.



Our U21 team also picked up a piece of silverware this season too.




AT LONG LAST! Valletta hold their nerve to become champions for the first time in four years! Despite Balzan and Alex Abela going against the script early on, we fulfilled our task at hand in the second half. Two efforts in the space of eight minutes from Roderick Pace swung the game in our favour to which the troubled youths had no response. You can expect a statue erected for Pace in the next few months, everyone doubted whether he'd come back to Valletta and deliver again, well 13 goals for the season should vindicate him. A big shoutout to Pietà who held Birkirkara 2-2 to confirm the success.



First taste of Champions League football for me in nearly six years.



Matching the greats of Cork City's John Caulfield and St. Pat's Athletic's Liam Buckley.



#RecordBreaker.



Brincat out for the season, hopefully recovers before the start of the Champions League campaign.



Unlike ourselves, Pietà Hotspurs were fighting for survival in the league and we just about let them off the hook to secure a big point for them. Rotated quite a bit so we were definitely rusty in the first half, Pietà came closest to opening the score but rebounded off the post to the relief of Matthew Gauci who should have collected it. The game had a dead rubber feel to it, but despite our half-hearted attempts we snuck in front through sub Ángel in the last ten minutes. Pietà came to the realization that the pressure was on them to stay up and Clive Zammit squeezed one in at the near post to hand them a point and breathe just that little bit easier.



Curtain closed with a happy ending, which could've ended in a twist but held on to what will be my final league win with Valletta. Fifth minute penalty converted by Juan Ángel who caps off at 16 for the season, followed up by a rather 'schadenfreude' moment seeing our former left back Mario Pace put through his own net for two and the job was complete through the temporary Sliema player Roddy Pace scoring against his intern team. Took the foot off the pedal in the second half and almost cost us the game; Melvin Camilleri and Alan Mercieca looking to rain on the parade but the day belongs to us and we can now bask in the glory.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



End of season done right, nine game unbeaten run consisting of seven wins and two draws to the end of the season. Ángel and Pace took the baton from Neil Agius who excelled in the first half of the season with their quality performances in the second half.



With 9 goals in his last 10 games, Juan Ángel becomes the record goalscorer for the club in a single season.

FINAL LEAGUE TABLE







Bossed it towards the end and win the league by seven points over Birkirkara who recovered after a shaky start to the season. Hibernians completely deflated in the end by finishing fifteen behind and level on points with Floriana. Għaxaq weren't able to handle the heat of the top flight and head straight back down and dragging Balzan with them, which comes as a bit of a surprise. Pietà did enough to stay up, winning in the promotion/relegation playoff with Lija Atheltic.





Smashing the BOV Premier League records points total, just missing out on 60 but 59 is still enough to beat our own record of 58.

NEXT UPDATE: Postseason 2031/32

Glad you didn't bottle it this time Congratz @DNZY

@Dan - I wouldn't hear the last of it if I did.

____________________________________________





Third time in a row Rudi wins Valletta player of the season with his gleaming midfield performances plus the fans' admiration of him, should be borderline icon soon. Neil Agius missed out on top spot, but the teenager didn't go empty handed, landing goal of the season and the young player of the season awards; the guy was an absolute gem for us this campaign. Brazilian goalkeeper Fabiano Coimbra only conceded 18 goals in 24 games, keeping 11 clean sheets in the process, deservedly making him the signing of the season as he was a huge factor in winning the league.

GOTS
https://streamable.com/ghyyg



Notable mention to Juan Ángel, proving that he wasn't a one season wonder to go on a rampage in the second half of the season to end the season with 16 goals. Rudi of course taking the ratings by storm, 7.63 average rating with 5 man of the match awards, all this having been suspended on three separate occasions. Neil Agius was absolutely brilliant, 13 goals and 14 assists for the 18 year old and is hotly tipped to get better and better with age. Mark Camilleri played a lot more this season and by his pass completion stat of 89%, it was hard to drop him. Discipline still a worry, but behaved ourselves a lot more by not earning a single red the entire season.



Think the message got across to fans, coming to see quality football under my management and weren't disappointed.



Ángel, Agius and Rudi all topping the important categories this season. It sure does feel nice to see our name as the winners of the league for a change.



Meanwhile in the FA Trophy, we were slammed as the underachievers for the season after being disgraced by Victoria Hotspurs, who by the way were the overachievers by making it all the way to the semis. Pietà Hotspurs made history by winning their first ever FA Trophy in their debut final appearance by beating Sliema Wanderers 1-0.



Despite us winning the league, Birkirkara have now barged their way into being the most reputable team in Malta ahead of us; despite them not winning a single trophy this season!



Finally, a feelgood story as Shaun Cini who may not get a lot of gametime with us never mind goals, well he netted his first over the summer against San Marino. Shame he'll probably be a free agent soon.

NEXT UPDATE: Preseason 2032/33

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND DRAW



Thrown into the ring with the Gibraltarian champions, Lynx. Not an easy game, but one I'm sneakily confident we'll do well in.



The bad news is Rudi won't take part in the first leg, hopefully fit by the second.

FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND, FIRST LEG (AWAY)



Taking that all the way to the bank, Lynx might feel robbed after the scoreline in a match they dominated. Neil Agius' early goal was crucial, escaping with an away goal to take back to Malta. It was only a matter of time before the felines would sink their claws into us after missing several good chances coming to half time. Substitute Hachim Falatt outmuscled Mark Camilleri too easily to win a header from a Lynx corner and restore balance to the tie. Despite being under the cosh, we were a whisker away from leaving with another away goal, Neil Agius through on goal in injury time, got everything right but the post denying him. All square heading back to Valletta.

FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND, SECOND LEG (HOME)



Not the prettiest of games, but blockaded the way for Lynx trying to nab an away goal. For all their dominance in the first leg, Lynx were extremely quiet in the second leg while we dominated. Brazilian keeper Wallace was a stalwart for Lynx, firstly bringing off a superb double save to deny Neil Agius, fingertipping Rudi's effort past the post and after a very dodgy clearance, redeemed himself quickly by saving from Juan Ángel. Matthew Gauci had virtually nothing to do all game as we make our way to the next phase.



That'll do very nicely indeed.

SECOND QUALIFYING ROUND DRAW



An eight and a half hour flight via Istanbul awaits as we travel 3,127 kilometres east to the Azerbaijani capital to face Qarabağ FK.

SECOND QUALIFYING ROUND, FIRST LEG (AWAY)



No sign of jetlag here, despite being on the wrong side of the scoreline. Very rusty in the first half, conceding cheap goals from Abbasov and Mämmädov where it could've ended up being more to put them out of sight. All hope wasn't lost as we came into the second half a lot sharper, Agius picking out Pace to take a vital away goal. Räșad Mämmädov dampened things again to restore their two goal cushion, but put my faith in sub Shaun Cini to rescue another back for us and did just that. Very encouraging result going into the second leg.

SECOND QUALIFYING ROUND, SECOND LEG (HOME)



We were just 15 minutes away from doing the unthinkable but crashed into cinders late on to be denied. A goalless first half brought some action into the second, Qarabağ striking first with a free kick by Elnur Namazov. The response was positive and equalised within moments, Juan Ángel tried his luck from outside the area and hit a stunning goal into the top corner. With the clock ticking Justin Galea floated a ball onto the head of wonderboy Agius to take a surprise lead and meant as things stood we'd be into the hat for the third qualifying round. Going defensive was not effective, though there was no stopping Mämmädov's equaliser from 25 yards to make it 2-2. Sänan Abbasov rounded the keeper to put the game beyond reach. Valiant efforts in both legs, but alas it wasn't meant to be. Is it my final game in charge of Valletta?





Nearly breaking 15,000 for the first time, plus a very nice sum to tot up the numbers.

JOB OFFERS




Despite the fans loving me, the board loving me, the finances in great nick and perhaps building an empire here it may be for the best to move on. I've won all that needs to be ticked off in Malta and therefore decline Valletta's contract offer.




Nation: Kosovo
Media Prediction (Odds): 1st/14 (9/4 F)
Expectations: Winners
Pros: Six titles in the last seven seasons. Far better squad. Best chance of ticking off Kosovo.
Cons: No Champions League = no big payouts. Financially only okay.

RESULT:





Nation: Wales
Media Prediction (Odds): 2nd/12 (5/2 2F)
Expectations: Winners
Pros: Qualified for the Champions League Third Qualifying Round. Coming back to dominance in the Welsh Premier League. Top quality squad.
Cons: Financially quite poor with 200k in the red. Serious lack of defensive depth on the right and left. Very poor budgets for forthcoming season. @Dan will complain if I don't win everything.

RESULT:


NEXT UPDATE: July/August 2032 (Where am I going next?)

Tough choice, both top sides who as you say are champions in their rightful divisions therefore only likely to come up once in a while.

@Dan - Certainly is, but you'll understand why I've gone for the team I've chosen.

____________________________________________



After long contemplation about where to go to, a return to Wales and the Welsh Premier League weighed up a more worthwhile position. The New Saints is a job I couldn't say no to, given their glittering history since their reformation. Did you know that the club are technically not based in Wales? They are based in the Shropshire town of Oswestry, around 8km east of the Welsh border. The connection to Wales though is a small rural village of Llansantffraid, where the original club were formed in 1959 and played their home games at the Recreation Ground up until 2007. The club were formerly known as 'Total Network Solutions' to found the TNS acronym, this was changed to 'The New Saints' in 2003 due to merging with another club Oswestry Town (as seen in their official club logo), thus birthing The New Saints football club. Their colours consist of white shirts with green horizontal hoops.



Roughly 17,000 inhabitants live in Oswestry and is known to being one of UK's oldest border settlements, going back as early as 800 BC with it's preserved Iron Age hill forts. The town gains recognition of it's markets plus scads of festivals ranging from music, film and food and drink. The name of Oswestry is believed to origin from a tale of Oswald the Christian King of Northumbria; killed by Penda, King of Mercia and had his dismembered limbs hung onto branches of a tree. Simply known as 'Oswalds Tree', where the name derives from.



Park Hall stadium is where the Saints play their home games, despite their dominant nature only has a capacity of 3,000 with two thirds of them being seated. The stadium was renovated in 2007 at a cost of £3 million to accommodate the arrival of The New Saints, with the surface being artificial turf to survive adverse weather. The stadium does not meet UEFA standards and therefore TNS play their European games nearby at Shrewsbury Town's home stadium of Greenhous Meadow.



As mentioned previously, The New Saints are probably the most decorated club in the Welsh leagues. 11 times league champions in real life, wrapping up the latest edition of the league a few months back to seal their eighth title in a row. Of course in game, they've recently had a wobble of late with Bala Town on the case, plus the likes of Connah's Quay and even Carmarthen put a shock the Saints' system and disrupt their winning streak. Even though they are the current holders, a return to dominance may have to wait with Bala armed to the gills with heavy artillery to put TNS to the sword. With 12 Welsh cups and 14 Welsh league cups to their name as well, seldom a season goes by where TNS fail to win a single trophy.

SQUAD



Speaking of heavy artillery, it seems we're packed like 'Murica right now. Strong strikeforce with the likes of Wayne Wilson who of course was a terror during my time at Connah's Quay, Matt Blackburn who recently came in plus Matt Molyneaux. Defenders are a significant scarcity, only one established right back (who is injured for another month or two) and no left backs. Three at the back may be the only alternative if I fail to attract decent full backs before the transfer window shuts.

KEY PLAYER: George Sandford - M(L)/AM(L)



Quite a specimen on the wing, intelligent for his age with the mental game on point. Few tricks of the trade to make him into a potential wide playmaker which I seldom use or perhaps a wide midfielder. Professional and proficient, let's hope he'll do that on the field.

HOT PROSPECT: Mark Holmes - M(C)/AM(C) (on loan at Airbus UK)



Gaining the first team experience elsewhere, won't be long before this 17 year old will earn a pass into the main team. Bits and pieces of each radial category will get there with maturity and Airbus UK might be a top place to learn.

EXPECTATIONS



The board mean business when it comes to the basics, no overhead on league nor Welsh cup apart from theWord Nathaniel MG cup. The Champions League performances are already exceeding beliefs with wins over Lusitans and Dinamo Tblisi thus far. Third qualifying round? Fenerbahce. At least the Europa League playoff will be a safety net once we're bludgeoned by the Turks.

NEXT UPDATE: July/August 2032

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

THIRD QUALIFYING ROUND, FIRST LEG (HOME)



Nothing says "welcome to The New Saints" like a good fisting by Fenerbahce. Didn't come as a surprise to behind after 18 odd minutes but to equalise from Matt Molyneaux showed we were right in the game. One emphatic effort and an unmarked corner later left us 3-1 down at the break and needing some inspiration. My words of wisdom washed over Molyneaux who reduced the deficit and put us back in contention. Alexander D'Ath's red card changed all that; Sari Kanaryalar had a free for all in our final third to leave us battered and bruised for the second leg. Can't say we didn't expect it.

THIRD QUALIFYING ROUND, SECOND LEG (AWAY)



Going to Turkey was all about damage limitation, withstanding an onslaught to hold our heads high in a narrow defeat. Backs were firmly against the wall with three goals in the opening quarter of the game, luckily one was chalked off due to an offside. Despite their dominance, they had a complacent back line and Wayne Wilson found his way through to round off the keeper and give the 17 Welsh travelling fans something to cheer about. Didn't have the muchachos to push for a result, the journey comes to an end with a 9-3 aggregate defeat. Down to the Europa League playoffs.



Come to Papa.

EUROPA LEAGUE

PLAYOFF DRAW



It was between Mainz, Bilbao, Basel and the French side we've ultimately drawn. Sure, they're doing well in real life but are they as good fifteen years later?

PLAYOFF, FIRST LEG (HOME)



Apparently, yes. Shocker of a first half put us in a proper bind, complete disarray at the back led to almost a blooper-reel own goal before two miserably defended corners allowed Popov and Kosiorek to end all hopes of reaching the group stages. The only real player in the team, Bart Ramselaar tied up the game with a Nice little bow (I had to) in a game we were just not up for. There's always next year.

PLAYOFF, SECOND LEG (AWAY)



Soaking in a little bit of Southern French sunshine before getting creamed for a second time. Showed a little bit more resistance and fight this time around, but holding my hands up, we were completely out of our depth against multi-millionaires (sort of). Gameiro, Popov and Didier confirming Nice's spot in the Europa League group stages with CSKA Moscow, Villareal and Hapoel Be'er Sheva. I guess the moral of the story is: playing three at the back in Europe, be prepared for pain.



Well and truly takes us out of the red zone now.

DAFABET WELSH PREMIER LEAGUE



A tug of war predicted between ourselves and Bala for the crown according to BoyleSports. TNS would be odds on winners in theory, now only 11-4 to win the league; how the mighty have fallen.



Starting the season off right, dispatching Porthmadog for five. James Godbold, Matt Molyneaux gathering his first of what could be a collection of match balls and substitute Wayne Wilson all chipping in for a proper one sided affair. 16 of the 19 shots were on target, the visitors can count themselves lucky it didn't exceed double digits.

theWord NATHANIEL MG CUP

SECOND ROUND DRAW



Away trip to the seaside, facing another team in green.

SECOND ROUND



Experimented with a 3-4-3, eight minutes in I immediately regretted it as Tony Bitchell struck twice to put the Seasiders in a good spot - Tony obviously missed scoring against me. Instead of a tactical U-turn we rode it out, but briefly began to panic as midway through the half, we still hadn't struck oil - were our blue shirts confusing us? After a spell of fracking, the goals started to flow; Aberystwyth were far too fragile in dealing with counter attacks to allow Molyneaux and a Stuart Lee double to shift the game completely into the break. Normal service resumed into the second half, Matt Blackburn grabbing a brace to go on top of his two assists whilst a rather fortunate deflected effort from James Godbold ensured no way back for the home side. Eleven goals in two games, I can get behind this team.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



Ignoring the tragic events in Europe, a superb opening month in charge. Serious firepower up front that's for sure with Matt Molyneaux bagging five. Wayne Wilson, Matt Blackburn and Stuart Lee also contributing a couple to the pot.

LEAGUE TABLE



Lot of fixture reshuffling due to the European run means we've only played one so far, but already have a healthy goal difference. Bala dropped points to Llangefni, while our old club Connah's Quay look like they're doing well without me. Enjoy your suffering x x.

NEXT UPDATE: September 2032

TRANSFERS

IN



With budgets carved down to the bone we could barely afford someone of note, hence only one comes in along with Blackburn who had signed before my arrival.



Daniel Tanti - D(C)/D(L) - £4.5k from Bala

Someone who'll come in on the left should we decide to resort to a conventional back four or five. The Maltese defender possesses height and strength but with very little in the way of speed, will probably only be a backup now that I think of it. Not my brightest purchase, but provide some depth to defence if anything.

DAFABET WELSH PREMIER LEAGUE



Back to back wins over Aberystwyth in our traditional green strip again. Molyneaux on a roll again, quick to pounce on getting the first following a fortunate deflection off the post put everyone out of position. After that, the goals flooded with Stuart Lee rifling home the second, Molyneaux scoring back to back braces and the cherry on top from James Godbold. Almost an unfair match up, complete control from start to finish.



Barry were the first team to pressure us but fell flat on their faces. Ron Lemar opened his account with a tight left footed curler in the top corner after 73 seconds to set the tone for the game. Both keepers Sam Yates and Jimmy Ulrich were at full stretch to deny their counterparts from clear cut opportunities before Ulrich was beaten for the second time through a Matt Blackburn header that looped over him. Centre back Paul Gould piled on the misery before Garry Dodd reduced arrears from a flicked header via corner. Our three goal lead returned through the obligatory Matt Molyneaux goal to cease the scoring and make it three wins from three.



Returning to the familiar spot of Belle Vue as the lowest common denominator Rhyl were stampeded. Not the most convincing win, but Rhyl were hardly out of their half all game; the deadly 3-4-3 worked it's charm against a timid back four, leading to Stuart Lee tapping in unmarked followed by Molyneaux's contribution through aid of the post. Rhyl pretty much thanked their 12th man in the woodwork as it twice denied Lee who would've been on for a hat-trick. Sam Yates had a rare save to make from Brian Parry but it Rhyl-ly wasn't a contest.



Five from five, scoring five in the process against the Connah's Quay vermin who dumped me on the street corner. We went behind against the run of play, Darren Bonnell's header sending Yates in the opposite direction for a cheap opener. Amateurishly, CQ choked a minute later as Lee's cross had two defenders safely guarding the area, yet somehow Wayne Hall turns it into his own net. Took us a while to fully unlock our true potential and it came with four goals in the final twenty; Molyneaux already reached ten goals before September even concluded, Matt Blackburn scored one of the strangest I've seen on FM as the ball hit one post and rolled over the line before hitting the other post, and substitute Wayne Wilson earned a brace - one via a penalty. Delicious tears rolling down the faces of the Connah's Quay faithful, makes me smile.

https://streamable.com/hgm6r





Only took six league games for us to be undone as we were stunned by Llangefni. Some say we were robbed, some say Llangefni defended heroically but it was solely down to us having a dismal day up front and being poorly organized at the back. Exhibit A as four defenders crowded around Ywain Ditchburn, leaving Levi Duckett fully exposed when the ball fell to him to hand Llangefni a serendipitous lead. For the 18 chances we created, none were highlight worthy and pushing too many men up front led to the Dazzlers' second deep into injury time through Duckett again. 6.3s all over the shop, shamefully falling to our first league defeat as early as September.

theWord NATHANIEL MG CUP

THIRD ROUND DRAW



To the docks in the last eight.

THIRD ROUND



I'm honestly lost for words. The fans certainly got their money's worth as defending was on neither team's agenda in an eleven goal thriller. Porthmadog led twice from Gwion Loveridge but twice pegged back in what was merely an overture for what was about to happen. Man of the moment, Matt Molyneaux poked our noses in front for the first time just the ref called time on the opening half, scoring in his seventh consecutive match. Molyneaux completed his hat-trick for 4-2 to surely kill them off, but back came Port with Mike Roberts and Mark Richards to bravely fight back to four each. Molyneaux had other ideas, popping one in the top corner for his fourth of the game. Wilson and Sandford finished off a rout to book our place in the semi finals.




What makes it sad is that only 34 people turned up to the game.

SEMI FINAL DRAW



Barry lie between us and our first cup final.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



A perfect month stopped dead in it's tracks by Llangefni, denying us a sixth win on the bounce this season. Matt Molyneaux is absolutely tearing this league a new one.

LEAGUE TABLE



Top despite our little fracas with Llangefni and it means every team in the league has lost at least one game. Bala, Airbus and Bangor are the chasing group while Rhyl bring up the rear.

NEXT UPDATE: October 2032

Sandford and Shenton were picked into the WPL Team of the Month. Not even one of our strikers made it?

DAFABET WELSH PREMIER LEAGUE



Picking up the pieces with a rivalry victory at home to Bangor City. Ken Palmer had the acceleration of Usain Bolt to counter attack and open the scoring for the visitors with their only shot on target during the match. Bangor's keeper Rob Hayes pulled off top drawer saves to deny Molyneaux and Wilson from restoring parity to the game before the half time whistle sounded. Took something special to leak through Bangor's goal and Ron Lemar's 20 yard free kick was just what the doctor ordered, curling one into the top corner. Eventually the adrenaline kicked in from there; Stuart Lee finished from an extremely tight angle to hand us the lead before half a minute later James Godbold nearly put a hole in the back of the net to put it beyond doubt. Straight back to winning ways.



Second half bombardment was the key to victory in Carmarthenshire, which is almost a regular occurrence. Another keeper on form was Jákup Samuelsen, determined not to be beaten in the first half until he made a hash of the opener, miscalculating the trajectory of George Sandford's cross and failed to catch the ball properly. From there on in it was a piece of cake; Matt Molyneaux continues to score goals for fun while Stuart Lee proved that he can take a mean free kick. Very very comfortable.



Struggling Port Talbot failed to handle us either, two goals a minute either side of the break from Matt Blackburn and James Godbold did just about enough to win our eighth game from nine. Sam Yates untested during the ninety.



Jammy, Bala will be fuming that they didn't get all three points. Not to our usual standard by any means with The Lakesiders cruising in the first half, bearing in mind that the goal we conceded was of our own doing; Matt Reeves in an abundance of space to drill one low past Yates. We hoped for an improvement in the second half and the ref's whistle to award us a penalty (to my surprise) was music to our ears - Matt Blackburn took the responsibility and didn't blow it. Two key chances for either side heading into the final ten minutes but both Alan Jones and Matt Molyneaux failed to hit the target with their shots dragged wide. Honours even in a match we deserved to lose. Only managed to carve one shot on target...and it came from a damn penalty.



Porthmadog are utter trash, completely out of their depth in a cakewalk. Not sure which surprised me more, the fact we scored eight or that Matt Molyneaux didn't even score once. Matt Blackburn atoned for his absence, by bagging a first half hat-trick with a fourth for good measure, Wayne Wilson chipped in with a hat-trick himself and he'll be sickened not to take a match ball with him either and James Godbold nailed the coffin shut for an eighth in injury time. Scored 20 goals against this team in only 3 games, they should just hand in their resignation from the Welsh league altogether.



Be hard to top that scoreline in this journeyman save.

JD FAW WELSH CUP

THIRD ROUND DRAW



Great draw, can inflict more hurt on the team that deserted me.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



A far better month, especially avoiding defeat to Bala. After a quiet spell, Matt Blackburn is finally contributing to the front three with six goals in his last three games.

LEAGUE TABLE



Ourselves and Bala definitely run this division, only two points still separate us while Airbus slowly losing a bit of steam in third. The rest of them are left in the dust.

NEXT UPDATE: November 2032

Seems the press don't value our strikers, yet two of our centre backs and three midfielders make it in. Well, credit where credit is due.



James Godbold has been an unsung mastermind with his riveting midfield displays, scooping up the Player of the Month award for October.



Speaking of masterminds, yours truly earned his first personal award. Manager of the month, baby!



Still wondering why we signed Tanti, he's also now injured.

DAFABET WELSH PREMIER LEAGUE



Sometimes I wonder if we ever turn up in first halves, once again bailing ourselves out in the final third of the game. Barry actually deserved their lead, putting the pressure on and Sean Banks' effort was too hot to handle for Sam Yates, establishing a 1-0 lead at the break for the visitors. Took us long enough to find goalscoring rhythm when Matt Blackburn finally beat Jimmy Ulrich to equalise. It's rare that we settle with one goal in a game, a swift moving counter supplied by excellent ball control by both Wilson and Molyneaux to help Blackburn apply the second, Ron Lemar jumped in on the action to lock down yet another victory for the Saints.




A game embroiled in late drama. Aberystwyth were on course for a smash and grab with their only shot on target in the last five minutes but justice prevailed in what was a match dominated by us. Straight from the kick off, Wayne Wilson who was subbed on for the off-colour Molyneaux latched onto Lemar's free cross for the leveler but we didn't settle it there. Matt Blackburn's burst of pace and cool finish silenced the home crowd in a complete turnaround in the space of three minutes. No less than we deserved but boy did we almost get smothered.



Rhyl are sinking like a stone back down to the lower tier, though we sure made hard work of putting them away. Figured that the league goals were going to dry up for Matt Molyneaux but returned at the right moment by scoring a brace, taking his tally to 20 goals before November had even finished. Nathan Rees had a free header from a corner to halve the deficit for the bottom feeders before the game became quite subdued, not that we were in any danger of conceding again. We crawl over the line with three points.



Well, this hurts. Buckled in the second half from a former player in Jared Knight to provide CQ with a surprising win. George Sandford composed himself to curl a delicious effort into the top left corner to open the scoring. Sam Yates was ruled out with a bruised shin and let Greg Wardle take place between the sticks, sadly I don't think either could keep out the goals that followed; firstly Lee Lowndes struck with venom and poor defending led to the collapse with Jared Knight coming back to haunt me with thirteen minutes left. Should have been avoided.

theWord NATHANIEL MG CUP

SEMI FINAL



Barry packed little punch as we vamoose into the first cup final under my tenure. The occasion never got to the boys, Matt Molyneaux doing what he does best and Stuart Lee heading in a second from Max Neal's cross. Nervy ending to the half as Wardle brought a double save to deny Sean Banks, only delaying him nabbing one back early in the second and putting Barry on the front foot. Panic averted once centre back Greengrass timely headed in his first Saints goal and Molyneaux extended the lead minutes later. Garry Dodd kept it competitive but had no effect on the final result.

FINAL DRAW



A surprising draw as non league Prestatyn knocked out Airbus UK on penalties in the other semi. I will formally resign with immediate effect if we somehow balls it up.





Sorry Prestatyn, you're right up against it.

JD FAW WELSH CUP

THIRD ROUND



No bananaskins here, professional job at Connah's Quay to make the fourth round. Had the Nomads right under our thumb for the entirety with goals from a Stuart Lee double, Molyneaux and another stinker of an o.g., this time from Lee Banks getting in the way of Sandford's effort from the edge of the box. Nathan Fox provided a cheap thrill for the home crowd but the Saints march on to another game in a very busy schedule.

FOURTH ROUND DRAW



More taste of the non league, away to Goytre United to perhaps experiment.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



Unbeaten runs are never a thing I associate with, losing shabbily to my former employer after six wins on the bounce. On the plus side, Molyneaux peaking at twenty goals by the end of November is impeccable.

LEAGUE TABLE



The defeat cuts the gap to just a point ahead of Bala, who dropped points the previous week. Looks to be turning into a two horse race as Airbus start to fade. Rhyl look as good as down.

NEXT UPDATE: December 2032

Straight forward so far @DNZY keep it coming

@Dan - Straight forward but even still it's a risk playing a 3-4-3 system, despite having one of the best strike forces in the division.

____________________________________________





Matt Blackburn surprisingly the only one of our side to squeeze into the monthly XI, still no place for top scorer Molyneaux.

DAFABET WELSH PREMIER LEAGUE



Inverse scoreline from the previous meeting, taking Llangefni down a notch from their overachievements this season. Ron Lemar took the spotlight on the right wing, setting up Molyneaux for the first and delivered his own contribution in the form of a 20 yard free kick before Llangefni even got going. Not even their top scorer Levi Duckett could alleviate the issue, but looked sharp in the second half; forcing a save onto the post by Wardle and headed onto the crossbar minutes later. Straight forward revenge from events at Cae Bob Parry.



Jesus, are we on a slippery slope or what? Two defeats in three games, what hurts more is that they've come against two sides I dislike the most. I won't sugarcoat it, we were awful and Bangor thoroughly deserved it. Sam Yates returned to the squad and made a penalty save from Steve Strong but conceded too easily at his near post from Barry Thomas to put us behind at the start of the second half. Ken Palmer secured it with a screamer from 25 yards straight into the top corner. Despite Molyneaux's best efforts to commence a comeback, we ran out of steam too quick.



Clumsy Carmarthen and a brilliant Blackburn fit together like a jigsaw for an awfully one sided display. The Old Gold conceded two spot kicks with Blackburn's name on them plus another from the edge of the area and just never came out of their shell. Given we had 30 shots, Carmarthen got off very lightly due to Molyneaux's woes in front of goal on the day, missing three key opportunities on another day he'd score in his sleep.



Ah, the joys of playing 3-4-3 on a short and narrow pitch. Both defences were sloppy, but it came down to the quality of the forward line which led us to emphatic victory. Braces all round for Blackburn, Molyneaux, Mark Holmes (whom we recalled from his loan spell at Airbus) and even defender Julian Shenton got in on this donnybrook. Hat-trick of assists for Matt Blackburn who is really making a name for himself currently. Not a bad way to end the calendar year.



This is coming from a guy with 7 finishing. SEVEN.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



Another month with an odd one out score, we're scoring goals like they're going out of fashion but we're not always getting the right results. Molyneaux and Blackburn continue to tear it up.

LEAGUE TABLE



The Bangor defeat now leaves us neck and neck with Bala going into 2033. Need to match their results from here on in and with our goal difference far superior, we've got the upper hand.

NEXT UPDATE: January 2033

Matt Blackburn's trailblazing month earned him player of the month for December.



He also makes consecutive appearances in the team of the month, plus Julian Shenton also appears at centre back.

TRANSFERS

IN



Wayne Wilson handed in a transfer request in search of finding a bigger club and his recent performances were becoming subpar, therefore it was time to cash in on a marquee signing. Yes, that same guy that plays for Liverpool.



Ben Woodburn - ST(C)/AM(RLC) - unattached free agent

Doesn't exactly fit that 'wonderkid' label the media are hyping him up to be with a disjointed career at clubs like Leicester City and barely breaking into the Newcastle United first team. Looks absolutely paramount for this league at 33; finishing, composure, off the ball, all top notch. Takes a huge slab of the wage budget but the fans are waiting with baited breath to see him play in a TNS kit.



Bit of bad news heading into the new year, down a defender for a few weeks in Paul Gould.

DAFABET WELSH PREMIER LEAGUE



Days after dismantling the aircraft men, they refused to let us fly with three points. Matt Molyneaux started a new year from where he left off, tapping in for a quarter century this season. Our skipper Joe Thomas won't want to look back on the highlight reel, misplacing not once but twice in the build up to allow Tony Griffiths a pass in the equaliser straight into the top corner away from Yates. Spurned some good efforts to restore the lead by Blackburn and Molyneaux but their keeper was equal to both. Bala now overtake us in the league.



More bad news in losing Lemar for the next two games, one of which against Bala.



Vanilla win over basement dwellers Port Talbot. Despite them missing a free header from four yards in the opening ten minutes, we had this in the bag. A rather unfair o.g. placement on Lee Harrison denied Ron Lemar the credit for a tight angle finish, George Sandford grabbed a second when everyone missed Lemar's pullback across the area and Stuart Lee got a nod to score on the counter for the third. We'll ignore the fact that Shenton missed a penalty, three nil is just as good.



Major win this, leapfrogging Bala to the top of the pile again with a dominant win. Bala were incredibly unobtrusive in the first half, digging their own grave with the first goal as defender Ryan Blake allowed Blackburn to snatch it with ease to square in Molyneaux for yet another close range finish. Alexander D'Ath doesn't score many as a playmaker but thanks to a fortunate deflection he doubled the tally in first half stoppage time. Blackburn surpassed twenty goals for the season by adding a third and send Bala packing. Sam Yates had very little to do in the entire game.





From that point onwards, injuries started to get frequent. Molyneaux ruled out for the Nathaniel MG Cup final as well as D'Ath. Louis Wheeler who plays second fiddle to Sandford at left wing out for the season too.

theWord NATHANIEL MG CUP

FINAL






Winner winner chicken dinner! No resignation necessary as it was a stroll in the park. Wayne Wilson returned to the goals for the opener after three minutes, a rather humiliating own goal put us further ahead and Stuart Lee brought home the bacon. Small memento for Steven Boyle with Prestatyn's solitary shot on target to give the travelling fans a little cheer. Ben Woodburn had a brief cameo but had little impact on a game that was done and dusted already. First of a possible treble!



Matt Molyneaux almost peaking a 9.0 average rating for the cup, seven goals for him. Blackburn providing six assists.

JD FAW WELSH CUP

FOURTH ROUND



Two goals and two assists for Ben Woodburn on his full Saints debut, dumping Goytre out of the Welsh Cup. Goytre played an unusual 4-2-2-2 narrow formation which left us ample space for Sandford and Lemar to exploit. Stuart Lee, a belter from holding midfielder Russell Gardner and Sandford got in on the act with the mentioned brace from Woodburn to romp to victory. Kalahar's goal back for Goytre is now just somebody we used to know (or hardly knew at all).

QUARTER FINAL DRAW



Good grief, next month we'll have three meetings with this team.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



Again, not a perfect month but we're continuing to rack up the wins. One trophy under our belt, will the other two fall into place? Can Ben Woodburn make the difference?

LEAGUE TABLE



Ten games to go, one point is still the gap but a win over Bala is the only reason we're in this position. Two more games with them home and away, plus Airbus UK, Llangefni, Connah's Quay and Bangor City all thrown into the mixture.

NEXT UPDATE: February 2033

Godbold makes team of the month as the lone Saints player. Bit of a worrying sign.



Second manager of the month award, claiming that vital win over Bala last month did the trick.

DAFABET WELSH PREMIER LEAGUE



Crumbled to a ruthless Airbus barrage in the remaining fifteen minutes to squander big points. Error on my part as I forgot to switch Wardle out for Yates in goal and it cost us the big buck, conceding twice in three minutes (one of which an absolute clanger) to cancel out Woodburn's opener but bless Molyneaux's nylon socks to bail us out before half time. Ben Woodburn raised the curtain on his league debut with a goal followed by Ron Lemar cutting in from the right to put the game out of sight...or so we thought. Airbus went full kamikaze with a 3-4-3 and pressed us right back into our own half for the last fifteen minutes, it got so bad we dropped Sandford to a left back but did no good. Luke Collins in acres of space reduced it to 4-3, and with a superb top corner arrow he did the unthinkable for a dramatic four each draw. These are season changing results, let's hope it won't be the most regretful.



An ill-tempered derby produced seven yellow cards for Bangor City and two crucial injuries for our side, but also produced a comfortable win. Deadlocked in the first half, the second was a lot more vibrant; Molyneaux tapping in from close range before limping off, his replacement Blackburn also turned in an effort before he too was carried off just 13 minutes on the field and Ben Woodburn gloriously condemned Bangor to a rough defeat. Serves them right following the aftermath of our two front men.




Combined strikeforce of 54 goals this season both ruled out for numerous games. Woodburn signing was a blessing in disguise.



Disgusted. Had an hour and a quarter to find the net once with a man advantage and we failed. Wilson and Woodburn were stuck in their back pockets for a lot of the game, not producing any creative flair in the final third. In fact it was hard to distinguish which side went down to ten men as CQ looked far more likely to score. Ron Lemar was denied by the post in injury time to summarise our dreadful day. Doing a great job of cocking up the league at this rate.



Injury central right at the worst possible time. Our creative midfielder ruled out for two weeks.



A bridge too far for Airbus to come back on this occasion, going three up in fifteen minutes to grant us the much needed panacea. The front line were far more in sync with Lee, Woodburn and Wilson all donating to the cause. Defensively as of late we've been like a sieve and leaked two more goals to further illustrate the point, making it a case of déjà vu back to the 4-4. Thankfully, we came out on top to keep our heads firmly in the title race.



Scoring stupid amount of goals, then again we are TNS.

JD FAW WELSH CUP

QUARTER FINAL





Carnage, absolute carnage at the Airfield for our third meeting with Airbus in three and a half weeks. 6-0 up at half time, Ben Woodburn scoring a 15 minute hatrick coupled with a Stuart Lee double and Wayne Wilson scoring his first of two meant no way back for the home side. The goals continued to fly in (not that it's the Airfield or anything) with Wilson and Godbold scoring in between a consolatory goal from Luke Collins to coast 8-1 ahead. Minor capitulation on our side allowed Airbus to seep through with three goals in four minutes to put a cease to this bonkers game. Dire defending, great entertainment and still on course for a domestic treble.



Tempted to roll my players in bubble wrap, turns out Yates broke his finger just as the final whistle went. Wardle has to fill in between the sticks for a number of weeks. *defeated sigh*



It's as if they're queuing up on a conveyor belt, one more to the list. Luckily it's not serious.

SEMI FINAL DRAW



Of course it is.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



A very eventful month in terms of goals, averaging three per game but hiccups to Airbus and Connah's Quay were not what we required. Ben Woodburn settling in nicely to his homeland league, eight in five for the experienced striker. Masterful acquisition.

LEAGUE TABLE



Seems we're not the only ones who tripped up, Bala stumbled to defeat at Airbus to gain a point on them. Nevertheless we finish the month behind them, but do possess a game in hand due to a waterlogged pitch preventing us from playing Llangefni. Six games left, all still to play for.

NEXT UPDATE: March 2033

Did both defences stay at home in that Welsh Cup quarter final tie?