[FM19] Shedender's British Steel Challenge

Portstewart better set up the barricades, you're going to embarrass them and you're going confirmed as league winners mate!

Although I don't think there's much between the PIL and Championship @syemo, next season is going to be a tough one nonetheless so expect more red circles.

If I bottle this @Dan then the game will be uninstalled immediately.

Portstewart have had a great season @bigmattb28 and the fixture is away from home so it's not going to be easy.

A superb season finishes at the end of this month and what a season it has been as Bangor won the Steel & Sons Cup for the first time since 2011 and now they've also bagged the Premier Intermediate League trophy after an epic nine goal thriller at Seahaven as the visitors won 5-4, club captain Andy Long bagged a brace but it was Mark Cooling that won us the title late on, a poor defensive display though as I believe we had actually led 3-0 at one stage. In our first game since being crowned champions, Newington were beaten 2-0 at Bangor Fuels Arena and then Queens University lost 3-2 again we were at home.

The final away game of the campaign took us to Glen Road Heights to take on Sport & Leisure Swifts who defeated us 3-1 and then in the final league game of the season against Moyola Park we edged a seven goal thriller, winning the game 4-3 to end an excellent season - the only downside is the last three league games we have been so poor defensively, I don't know whether it's been complacency since the title has been won or we've just been poor defensively and now it's coming out.

Season has been done and now the hard work starts for life in the Championship.


And that's all she wrote, Bangor's first season back in the confines of Irish League Football has come to an end and what a season it has been, crowned Premier Intermediate League winners after finishing a staggering 16 points clear of second placed Queens who'll go into the relegation/promotion playoff with whoever finished second bottom of the Championship and also securing the Steel & Sons Cup after a hard fought win over Championship side Knockbreda. Dollingston are relegated out of the Irish League after two season while it was a poor season for Harland & Wolff Welders who finished third bottom.

Brilliant stuff mate, well done! The hard work starts now with survival mission objective number one for next season.

Well done mate, two trophies in one season will really get the hunt to completing the BSC now!

Good title win. Bring on next season.

Oh no doubt @bigmattb28 but I'd rather we didn't win the title in a stressful 5-4 game. Hard work starts now but I've got some players who are more than capable of making the step up.

Two trophies down, only 30 something to go @Dan.

Cheers @syemo.

Promotion back to Northern Ireland's second tier was secured in an epic encounter at Portstewart and now the hard work begins to try and launch back-to-back promotion bids but the pressure is off us as the media predict us to struggle this season and finish at least third bottom but I feel that's insulting and I'm confident I can repeat my success at Dergview and overachieve. Five players arrived up until the end of preseason and one of them is guaranteed to be a starter as Kyle Woods arrived from PIL side Newington.

Central midfielder Sean Douglas and centre back Tarek Arafa arrived this summer as the duo arrived from fellow Championship side Dundela, Josh Lynch has arrived as a rotational option on the left wing and Dan Smith came in from "unattached", No players have departed the club this summer so we've got a big enough squad capable of fighting on all domestic fronts - which means, I'll play the same eleven each and every week depending on injuries/suspensions.


It was a busy preseason but an unbeaten preseason and it was almost perfect bar a scoreless draw at home to Premiership side Coleraine. Preparations for the new campaign began with a 2-0 win over Scottish side Edinburgh City and then three days later we beat Amateur League side Ballywalter Rec at home before back to back away wins at PIL side Newington and Amateur side Ards Rangers before the 0-0 at home to Coleraine. Holywood were defeated 5-1 and Kilrea United 6-2 both away from home. The side beat Sirocco Works 6-2 and then preseason ended with a 4-0 win at Knockramer Park against Lurgan Celtic.


The final piece of business in preseason is that the board are allowing me to go on my latest coaching course and should I be successful, well, I will secure my National A Licence which I'd be delighted with. Yet again it's going to take approx. 4 months worth of study to complete the course and again the board are covering the six hundred pound fee required for the course.

Congrats on the title victory! Good luck in the Championship!

Well done on getting the title so that is one ticked off now.

Cheers for the comment @r96Skinner.

Two trophies have been checked off this season @HawkAussie as we won the Steel & Sons Cup as well this season.

It's been a mixed start to life in the Championship as we've won one, lost one and drew one from our opening three league fixtures while the football club has also progressed in two cup competitions. The campaign began with a 3-2 defeat at home to Knockbreda but the first league win came at Lakeview Park a week later as Bangor secured a well deserved 3-0 success - we then progressed in the Steel & Sons Cup after a 6-1 win at Drumaness Mills.

Just three days later after Steel & Sons Cup progression a trip to The Oval to face Glentoran was up next and advancement happened after a 3-2 victory but that doesn't tell the entire story because we had led 3-0 at one stage before the Glens got two goals back. The opening month ended with a 1-1 draw at home to PSNI, we took the lead but the visitors levelled.


The opening month has been finished and after a mixed start to the season we find ourselves in fifth place and five points behind the unbeaten Ballinamallard who have a one hundred percent record after three games while both Loughgall and Queens University both have a point with the former propping up the table on goal difference.


September sees us play seven competitive fixtures with five of them being in the Championship while we have a Co. Antrim Shield tie away to Crusaders and a Steel & Sons Cup third round home fixture against Knockbreda. In the league we'll entertain Newry City, Limavady United, Distillery, Warrenpoint Town and Institute.

September began with a sensational win at Seaview against Premiership outfit Crusaders as the Championship new boys won 3-2 in North Belfast and then four days later we progressed in the Steel & Sons Cup but needed penalties to see off fellow Championship side Knockbreda at Bangor Fuels Arena. A trip to Premier Intermediate League side Newington in the Co. Antrim Shield quarter final and we progressed to the semi finals after a 2-1 win.

The first league fixture of the month saw us slip to a disappointing 3-1 loss away to Limavady United but then three consecutive wins came in the Championship as Newry City and Distillery were beaten 3-0 and 4-2 respectively at home but then came an excellent 4-1 away win against Warrenpoint Town. Distillery dumped us out of the Steel & Sons Cup as the hosts eased to a 4-0 win at Ballyskeagh and then the month ended with Institute beating us 2-0 at The Brandywell.


It's been a decent start on Bangor's return to the second tier of local football as the club are currently fourth after the opening eight league games with four wins, one draw and three league defeats but a positive goal difference which I'm satisfied with. Ballinamallard no longer have a one hundred percent record as the Fermanagh side suffered two defeats throughout September. Loughgall prop up the table, two points behind Queens University and Warrenpoint Town as the South Down outfit have had a slow start to the campaign.


The third month of my second season at Bangor Football Club is another busy month as there's seven fixtures currently schudeled over three competitions. Five of the games are in the league as we travel to Dundela, Ballinamallard United and Knockbreda and host both Queens University and Loughgall. The League Cup third round tie see us host Premiership's Coleraine and in the Shield semi final we face Carrick Rangers.

Decent enough start mate at least you're at the right end of the league early on.

Definitely a strong start to life after promotion!

Yep it's been a solid start @bigmattb28 but then again, there's very little between the two divisions.

Indeed @Dan.

So a busy month kicked off with back to back defeats in two competitions - Dundela beat us 2-1 at Wilgar Park before Coleraine dumped us out of the League Cup as the Premiership outfit won 4-2 on their travels. We won our first league game as Queens University were beaten 4-3 before a 1-1 draw at Ferney Park against Ballinamallard United.

Just three days after drawing in Fermanagh, we faced Carrick Rangers at a neutral venue and they beat us 1-0 to end our Co. Antrim Shield hopes but four days later we then travelled to Carrick to take on Barn United in the Intermediate Cup first round and eased to a 5-1 victory. The game at Breda Park against Knockbreda ended 3-3 before the final game of the month saw us secure a single goal victory over basement club Loughgall but it should've been more as Bangor dominated at home.


With the month now concluded we remain in fourth place after thirteen league games and eight points behind leaders Ballinamallard - it's tight though because only five points separate seventh placed Distillery and second placed Institute. Loughgall continue to prop up the table, four points adrift of Queens University.


Just the four games are currently scheduled for November although I believe the second round Intermediate Cup tie will be played next month. Two journeys to Newry City and PSNI await us while we host both Warrenpoint Town and Limavady United.

The penultimate month began with a trip to South Down to face Newry City and the hosts secured a 2-1 success as our inconsistency continues but then a week later and a single goal gave us a deserved 1-0 win at home to Warrenpoint. In the Intermediate Cup second round we beat fellow Championship side Dundela 3-2 at Wilgar Park to progress to the third round.

League action resumed three days later and a 0-0 draw at Newforge Lane against the PSNI happened before the final game of the month saw us beat fellow high flyers Limavady United 2-0 at home.


Up to third now after the four league fixtures that were played this month but we're also eleven points behind the league leaders Ballinamallard who have opened up a nine point lead. Loughgall continue to prop up the Championship and are now nine points from safety.


The final month of the calendar year will see us face five fixtures with four of them being in the league and one of them being in the fourth round of the Irish Cup. In the Irish Cup we have been drawn away to Amateur side Mossley Young Men while the four league games will see us travel to Distillery before back to back home games against Dundela and Institute, the final game of the year will see us face struggling Queens.

Still looking strong there mate,hopefully Ballinamallard drop pints and you can close that 9 point gap.

Same @bigmattb28 , I'm sure Ballinamallard will drop points eventually.

December was a month to forget as we didn't win a single league fixture throughout the month which I'm hoping turns out to only be a blip. The month did begin however with progression in the Irish Cup after defeating Mossley 3-1 at Mossley Recreation Ground but then three days later Distillery beat us 3-1 in our first league game of the month and then Dundela easily won 3-0 at Bangor Fuels Arena.

We then had a twelve day break before our next Championship game which was a home game against Institute and that finished 1-1 before the month concluded with a six goal thriller against Queens University Belfast as the points were shared in a 3-3 draw, a game we probably should've won.


A poor month has seen us slip from third to sixth and now we're a staggering twenty one points behind the leaders Ballinamallard who don't seemingly want to slip up but somehow our goal difference is still positive. Loughgall remain bottom and ten points adrift of both PSNI and Warrenpoint and the latter has had a terrible campaign.


Just three games are currently schudeled for January but I believe the first game in the split could be played so it may be four. They're all home games in three different competitions - in the Irish Cup we face Premiership side Larne, Ballinamallard in the Championship and then Amateur side Crewe in the third round of the Intermediate Cup.


Due to the good work that I've been doing at Bangor Football Club, I have received and turned down two job interviews from clubs in England. Sutton United were first to offer me an interview before Hartlepool United soon followed suit. Both rejected though as I've been enjoying managing Bangor and would love to complete Northern Ireland before moving onto a different country.

Poor December but still all isn't lost plenty of time for you to turn this around mate. I'd do the same with those job interviews and stay where you are, no offence but say you went to Hartlepool and then decided to go back to Northern Ireland it would seem like a step down, get Northern Ireland complete then move.

Not the best of months but you were due a bad month somewhere along the line, all about how you bounce back now dude

Always remember @bigmattb28 that we were predicted to struggle in the Championship so the fact we are currently sixth, well, I can't complain too much.

Oh indeed I was @Dan and I'm glad it wasn't when it perhaps could've been disastrous.

On the back of what turned out to be a poor December it was important we bounced back as the new year came around and the first game of twenty twenty one saw us exit the Irish Cup at the fifth round stage as Premiership side Larne beat us 2-1 at Bangor Fuels Arena before we then defeated leaders Ballinamallard United 1-0 at home just the three days later.

We then had an eleven day rest to get the squad refreshed before the third round of the Intermediate Cup as we squeezed past Amateur league side Crewe United, recording a 2-1 success and I thought it might've been a lot more comfortable than it turned out to be - the final game of January saw us make the journey to Derry's Brandywell Stadium to face Institute, the game finished 1-1.


A decent enough month has seen us rise up a position to fifth but we're still well adrift of the Championship leaders Ballinamallard who look like they're going to guarantee the title sooner rather than later while at the basement Loughgall still prop up the table and look a little doomed so far as they're thirteen points from safety but I'm delighted we've secured a top half finish on Bangor's return to the Championship - we can still secure a bare minimum of a playoff spot as it's incredibly tight.


With only one game currently being scheduled for March I have decided to throw the two months together although should we progress in the Intermediate Cup against Portadown Reserves then I believe the next round will be played in March. Apart from the Intermediate Cup game there's four Championship games in February with three of them being at home against Newry City, Ballinamallard United and Distillery while we travel to Knockbreda three days after the Intermediate Cup tie. Our one league fixture in March sees us host Institute.


The final piece of news this January is that the (new?) board are allowing me to go on my latest coaching course which will see us get my Continental C Licence should I be successful in doing so. Just like the other updates, it's going to take approx. four months worth of study to complete the the football club are covering the nine hundred and sixty pound fee for the course.

Big month ahead, get a few wins and you'll be right back in that promotion hunt!

Great story bro. Hopefully you can get to the promotion places. Keep it up!

Oh indeed it's a big month ahead @Dan.

Cheers @Rocco17, it's been a fantastic season regardless of what happens.

Still in the hunt for the playoffs, last month was quite a positive month but it was also important that the form maintained as we have reached the business end of the campaign and the first game in February was one to forget as we suffered an unacceptable 4-0 home defeat to Newry City and we deserved nothing from that game, eleven days later and the side progressed to the quarter finals of the Intermediate Cup but needed penalties to defeat the reserve team of Portadown - back to league action and a trip to Breda Park saw us beat Knockbreda 3-0.

Four days after that win at Knockbreda we then welcomed the league leaders Ballinamallard to Bangor Fuels Arena and a superb performance saw us record a 3-1 success but the final game of February saw us draw 3-3 at home to fellow playoff contenders Distillery. Speaking of fellow playoff contenders, our only league game in March saw us beat Institute 2-1 at home and then we beat the same team 4-0 in the quarter final of the Intermediate Cup again at home.


Heading into the final month of the league season and we still remain in the haunt for the playoffs and it's incredibly tight as there's only seven points between Institute in fifth and Knockbreda in second. We're currently fourth. Ballinamallard United have secured a bare minimum of a playoff spot but they'll win the league barring a complete collapse and to the surprise of no one, Loughgall have been relegated to the Premier Intermediate League while Warrenpoint Town, PSNI and Dundela will fight it out to avoid the relegation/promotion playoff spot.


So there's just the four league games remaining with three of them being away from home against Newry City, Distillery and Ballinamallard while we also host Knockbreda. The semi final of the Intermediate Cup is also scheduled to be played throughout April - should we make the playoffs, I will add the playoffs to the next month so potentially expect both April and May to be added as one.

That's a rough fixture set, playing the teams above you! Hopefully you can do some damage and steal a spot from one of them

Tricky looking month coming up mate, but get a couple of good results here and you could be thinking about promotion! Fingers crossed.

Yep it's a tough final month @KEZ_7 especially with three of the last four games being on the road.

It's completely tough final month of the season @bigmattb28.

The final month of the season began with a tough trip to Newry City and a single goal gave us a 1-0 win and then four days later we travelled to Ballyskeagh and recorded an excellent 3-1 victory on the road but those back to back victories haven't secured a playoff spot yet. In the Intermediate Cup semi final we beat Premier Intermediate League side Harland & Wolff Welders 4-2 after extra time to advance to the final in which we'll face fellow playoff contenders Distillery in the final.

Back to league action and our only home game this month saw our playoff hopes suffer a massive blow as Knockbreda won 2-0 at Bangor Fuels Arena but on the final day of the season we made the playoffs against all the odds after a sensational 4-0 away win at the league champions Ballinamallard United and it was a fantastic end to a tremendous season. The final game of the month was the playoff first leg away to Knockbreda and the game remained in place after a 1-1 draw.

Our first game in May saw us play the playoff second leg at home to Knockbreda and a 4-2 victory saw us progress to the relegation/promotion playoff which happens to be against our fierce rivals Ards and the first leg Bangor Fuels Arena saw us secure an excellent 3-1 victory which has put us in control. We won the Intermediate Cup after beating Distillery 3-0 and then beat Ards 1-0 in the second leg to secure an unlikely promotion to the Premiership and our first time in the top flight since 2008.


And this is how the league table ended up after the playoff games were played - Ballinamallard United were crowned champions with ourselves being promotion despite finishing not only in third place and seven points behind the champions from Fermanagh. As you already knew, Loughgall were relegated to the third tier while Warrenpoint survived a relegation/promotion playoff against the team who finished second in the PIL. I'm not going to class this as a title so I'll need to return to the Championship

Decent season. Congratulations on promotion.

Congratulations on your promotion! A really good achievement with Bangor!

Congratulations on the win in the cup and promotion. Big achievement. Another 2 of the list.

I'm lagging behind now lol

Echo what everyone else has said, well done on the cup win and another promotion1

Decent @Rocco17? It was a fantastic season.

Cheers for the comment @tongey and indeed it is a good achievement.

Just the one added @syemo as I don't know whether to return to the Championship or not as we didn't techically win it.

Cheers @Dan.

Our first season in the Premiership since 2008 is upon us and it's going to be one hell of a tough season as we're predicted to finish rock bottom of the Premiership but I feel we've got enough about us to survive. The first thing I done was to get our quality players onto proper contracts so now no other club can poach them thankfully although I did lose Sean Douglas to Crusaders due to my incompetence.

Seven players ended up joining the club this transfer window as I wanted to replace the ones who had poor star ratings so Mark Cooling was released from the club but I don't have the heart to release club captain Andy Long although he will become a scout in the summer. All the players joined from Championship and Premier Intermediate League clubs - Aaron Jarvis and Noel Healy both joined from Distillery, Liam McKenna and Tiarnan Rushe arrived from Queens, Robbie Norton from Limavady United, Conor Mullen joined from Loughgall and youngster Chris Magee came from Newry.

Brett Widdowson departed to join Dollingstown while youngster Jim Flynn went to Kilmore.


If you ignore the disappointing loss away to Rosario then preseason was quite successful as we had six of our seven games and kept five clean sheets but we didn't play any "massive" sides and all games were away from home before the league opener against Crusaders. Our preparations began with a 3-0 win against Portavogie Rangers before that shock Rosario loss but then the side bounced back with a 2-0 win against Holywood and then edged a seven goal thriller against Loughgall in which we won 4-3 at Lakeview Park.

We then concluded preseason with three clean sheets in the space of six days as Albert Foundry were beaten 4-0, Rathcoole were also beaten 4-0 and then Premier Intermediate League side Harland & Wolff Welders were beaten 2-0 at Tillysburn Park.


The last piece of this preseason update is that I've been allowed to go onto another coaching course which will see me secure my Continental B Licence should I be successful and then I'd only need to go onto two more coaching courses before I've got the full set. This is a longer course as it'll take approx. 6 months worth of study to potentially get the licence and the football club is covering the course which is going to cost them one thousand two hundred pound so I better pass.