Now I would walk 500 miles...

Another four game span as the season heads towards an exciting conclusion, right?


The first of back to back home games for us. We took the lead as early as the 8th minute, central midfielder Rémy Boissier latching onto a pass from Oumaré Tounkara to finish with a low first time finish. Grenoble fought back and scored twice in the space of three minutes to go into the interval 2-1 ahead, Lamine Diaby in the 39th minute and Dominique Vincent in the 42th. It was a much better performance from us in the second half, and eventually the dam broke so to speak. With 16 minutes left on the clock, young midfielder Axel Condé (on for Jules Mendy seven minutes earlier) drove home his first goal for the club to make it two apiece. The winner came five minutes from time, Vincent Créhin sent skipper Mamadou Soro.clear and although the first effort crashed against the bar, the second was hammered home. A second successive win for us.


The successive home game in seven days saw us host Boulogne who had rejected me when they had been looking for a new manager, and I was a free agent after leaving Ilves. They needed points to boost their hopes to avoid relegation whilst we were heading in the right direction. Once more we scored early doors, defensive midfielder heading in from close range after just three minutes play. Our hopes were improved no end when Boulogne were reduced to ten men midway through the first half, Gaoussou Traoré dismissed for two yellow cards within nine minutes of each other. It took us late on to seal our third win on the spin. With the rain lashing down, Oumaré Tounkara turned provider once more and Soro smashed the ball into the net after 76 minutes. The game was secure five minutes from time, Créhin with a well flighted free-kick and Tounkara volleyed home unmarked.


A long trip south to Marseilles followed and we made an excellent start with two superbly executed penalties from Tounkara in the opening quarter of an hour. However, our talisman of a left winger left the pitch just before half time in agony. The prognosis came after the game, a hip injury which would end his season and rule him out for 4 months at least. The club thinking a specialist's opinion being needed to cure the aliment. Sensing we were without such an important player, the home side tested us and pulled one back within four minutes of the restart thanks to young striker David Begue. However, we held sway despite constant pressure. Four wins out of four.


Could we make it five out of five with a win in the televised game at home to Laval? It was far from a pretty game with the opponents fouling at every possible opportunity to try and stop us from getting into a rhythm. The only goal came after 23 minutes, Créhin with the corner and right back Abdoulaye Koté heading in from six yards out. The perfect month and our unexpected promotion challenge gains more momentum.

So at the end of March, these are the standings:

A point away from the play-off spot, ten off automatic. Who knows what we can achieve?

Three more games in the penultimate month of the season


April Fool's night and we travelled to Lyon to face the lesser known of the city's football club. The hosts were riding high in the table and knew that a win would secure them a place alongside leaders Red Star in Ligue 2 next season. Could we put a spoke in their wheels and delay their party? They scored the only goal of the game as early as the eighth minute when Algerian Mehdi Merghem found the back of the net. Despite everything we could not force an equaliser, even when they were reduced to ten men in the closing stages when defensive midfielder Cheickné Yaffa was dismissed for two yellow cards. The best now we can hope for is a play-off spot.


Seven days later we hosted mid-table Châteauroux at the MMArena; needing a win to get back on track. It was a game of very few chances and was goalless at the half time interval. Four minutes after the restart, we took the lead. Winger Armand Lauriente with the cross from the right wing, and despite having three visiting defenders in attendance, skipper Mamadou Soro headed home from six yards out. Châteauroux equalised with twenty minutes to go, central defender Senko Conde with a bullet header from a corner. It looked certain that we would drop two points until a dramatic 89th minute winner. Lauriente thundered an effort against the crossbar, but there was Soro to pick up the rebound and send the home support delirious.


A fortnight later we played our final game of the month, away to play-off rival Chambly. It was a tough but entertaining game with both sides creating chance after chance. Just as I thought we had done enough, they hit us with the ultimate sucker punch with a late late winner. It came when Guillaume Heinry passed the ball and Adamaly Bah drove a low shot beyond the grasp of Quentin Beunardeau. Try as we might, we could not find a way past Chambly's teenage keeper Tom Delannoy. A tough loss to take, the boys had given it absolute everything.

So at the end of April, this is how we stand:

So with just a couple of games left we are going to need results to go our way if we are to make the play offs. Still a top six finish will do me for starters, hope the board agree.

The final games of season 2021-22 in Le Championnat National.


A final home game of the season against already relegated Cholet and what a goal fest we ended with. Rémy Boissier gave us a 13th minute with a sumptuous free kick from the left wing which caught out the visiting keeper completely as it whistled past him into the roof of the net. However, the lead last just a shade over three when their top scorer Jérémie Bourdin equalised with a close range range. Yet we bounced back and regained the lead in the 22nd minute when Vincent Créhin latched onto his rebound to score his first goal in 15 attempts. The sheer joy and elation on his face when the ball hit the net was felt by us all. Two minutes later, we were 3-1 ahead when Boissier lashed in his second of the game. Easy street right? Well, not quite.

Eight minutes from half time Teddy Bourland made it a one goal game again when he netted Cholet's second and we were further stunned in the 48th minute when a deflected effort from Kévin Mouanga found the back of our net. We had to get our heads back on it and did so with two late goals to secure a hard fought win. Both came from experienced midfielder Nicolas Suchet, on for the injured Serge Aka. In the 74th minute, Boissier's corner was swept home by Suchet who was unmarked at the far post six yards out. The deal was sealed four minutes from time, Suchet with an exocet of a strike from the edge of the box.


Our season finished at another relegated side. like Cholet a fortnight before - Chartres were determined to finish their season on a high before slipping back into Championnat 2 next year. Armand Lauriente gave us the lead after 19 minutes, snapping home an effort at the second bite of the cherry. Yet we gave them a tad too much respect I felt and some defensive doziness allowed Nathan Bizet to equalise in the 51st minute.

The game had a remarkable ending as Gwenolé Jean put the home side ahead with just two minutes left but just as they appeared to be celebrating a bit prematurely: we equalised in the second minute of time added on to grab a point. Defensive doziness of the home variety saw them switch off, and substitute Ludovic Wacouboué said thank you very much to make it 2-2.

A sixth placed finish to end my first foray in France. Next season will be interesting.

The Club have confirmed the pre-season schedule for the new season.

Le MUC will start their preparations with a home game on 9 July against Chievo Verona of Serie B. "The Flying Donkeys" , who competed in the group stage of the 2007 UEFA Champions League, are now in their third successive Serie B season after spending eleven consecutive campaigns in Serie A. This is the first of three prestigious home friendlies as we gear up for the new campaign.

A week after the Chievo game, we host one of Europe's greatest club side. Visiting the MMArena are none other than Dutch giants Feyenoord Rotterdam. They were the winners of the 1970 European Cup, when they defeated 1967 winners Celtic 2-1 after extra time in Milan. This famous club has produced many talented footballers in its history including Ruud Gullit, Robin Van Persie and Ronald Koeman to name just three. They promise to be a huge test of the new look squad's capabilities as we gear towards the start of the 2022-23 campaign.

A week after the Feyenoord game, pre-season concludes with four games in the space of just eleven days. We begin this with home game against new promotees to Ligue 2, Avranches. Three days after the Avranches game, we travel to Championnat 2 side Union Sportive Granvillaise before returning back to the MMArena five days later. Our opponents are Bundesliga newcomers Hertha Berlin. This is another massive test for the team, and special thanks must go to our assistant manager Sandy Palliot who has managed to make these high profile friendlies become a reality.

We conclude the pre-season campaign at amateur side Entente Sportive Viry-Châtillion on 31 July 2022; ahead of starting the new season at home to newly promoted Bourg En Bresse on the first Friday of August.

2022-23 Pre-Season Round Up

The pre-season started with the first of four home friendlies, against Serie B Chievo Verona. In front of a crowd of 977, we took the lead after just four minutes when skipper Mamadou Soro drove a low shot into the corner from just inside the penalty area after Armand Lauriente had teed him up. It was a lead that we held onto until the hour mark when Antonio Metilka equalised for the Flying Donkeys. Five minutes later, they were ahead when Francesco De Angelis put them 2-1 in front to turn things right around in their favour. However, we ensured a share of the spoils with an equaliser just a couple of minutes after the De Angelis goal. Kévin Rimane with a low cross, and Chievo's Richard Amoo steered the ball into his own net. Honours even.

The visit of Feyenoord a week later saw a superb crowd of almost 6000 in the MMArena. Those there were to see an incredible first half as our bunch of semi-professionals tore into their more illustrious visitors. We were ahead after 11 minutes, Lauriente bombing down the right wing and then sending in a deep far post for Vincent Créhin to arrive unmarked and finish with aplomb. Five minutes later, we went 2-0 ahead. Another deep cross from Lauriente and this time Soro took a touch before placing his shot into the far corner. We continued to terrorise their back line and made it 3-0 after 18 minutes; Créhin with a corner which nobody in a Feyenoord shirt dealt with and Rémy Boissier had the easy task of tapping home unmarked from six yards out. A fourth arrived in the 21st minute, Créhin heading in a cross from right-back Abdoulaye Koté. It got even more unbelievable in the 24th minute, Soro with an unstoppable effort into the roof of the net for 5-0. Absolute scenes!

A minute after that fifth goal of ours, they pulled one back thanks to experienced Russian striker Alexander Korokin. Yet we felt we had more goals in us as their defence looked very shaky indeed. So it proved as we went an amazing 6-1 ahead ten minutes from half time, Créhin with the cross and Lauriente blasted it in at the far post. If we had had the best of that opening half, they had the best of the second but maybe that was because we changed our starting eleven and it upset the team's momentum. Defender Jeroen Heerkens made it 6-2 two minutes after the restart and it stayed that way as we entered the final minute. They scored twice in that time through Ayoub Hajji and an own goal from our young defender Bastien Olivier to make the final score 6-4 which I felt flattered them considering how well we had played; especially in the opening 45.

The third friendly was another home game, this time against newly promoted Avranches who will be in Ligue 2 this new season coming. One goal decided it, and it came with just 11 minutes left to play and for us as well. Substitutes Benoit Leroy and Wassim Mechmache combined for the latter to score the winner with an excellently placed effort into the corner of the net. The on-loan Angers midfielder really enjoyed that strike as did all of us.

A much changed team took to the field in the fourth friendly against Championnat 2 side Union Sportive Granvillaise. We took a 16th minute lead when midfielder Enzo Berreau scored with a deflected shot that wrong footed the home keeper. It became 2-0 after 34 minutes, target man Grégory Aubert with a fine finish from just inside the D after Mechmache had found him in a pocket of space. Five minutes later striker Christopher Ibayi scored his first of the contest to reduce the arrears by half. We restored our two goal lead in the 54th minute, Olivier with a superbly curled free-kick which reminded me a lot of what Craig Thomson used to do for me at Edinburgh City. With 21 minutes to go, Ibayi scored his and his team's second to again make it a one goal game. Yet we saw it home for a 3-2 win.

Just over 4000 fans were in the MMArena for our penultimate friendly as we hosted Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin. Once more we showed that we can be a match for anyone despite our standard compared to theirs. We took the lead after 18 minutes, Boissier with the corner and it was powerfully headed into the far corner by his central midfield partner Serge Aka. Just before the half hour, we doubled the lead when Zoran Bassong provided the cross and a scuffed effort from Aka deflected into the path of skipper Soro who just had the simple task of tucking it away. To be honest, we had scored both goals against the run of play as Hertha were clearly in the ascendancy. Julius Kade made it 2-1 with a strike two minutes after half time and as we tired, they hit us with two late goals. First of all, Chris Benning scored after 86 and then in time added on Spanish midfielder Lucas Torrò won it for them with an unstoppable effort from the edge of the area.

The preparations were completed with a trip to amateur side Entente Sportive Viry-Châtillion. After working hard to get back to full fitness after a hip injury that sidelined him for three months, winger Oumaré Tounkara enjoyed this game immensely. He gave us the lead in the 7th minute with perfectly taken penalty given for a reckless challenge on Bassong by Athmane Sahraoui. The winger doubled his, and our, tally in the 29th minute. A corner from Boissier was headed goalwards by Berreau and as the keeper couldn't hold on, Tounkara swept the rebound home. Ten minutes from the break, we made it 3-0 when Bassong headed in a Boissier free-kick before Tounkara completed a first half hat-trick two minutes later when Aubert had an effort blocked but saw it land at the feet of the winger who scored with a low shot that wrong footed the keeper at the near post. The nap hand was complete 14 minutes from time when Leroy headed in a Sharly Mabussi cross from the left.

Now time for the real thing, the new season....

2022-23: August Fixtures

Four games in the opening month of a new season where we hope to improve on last season's 6th place finish.

The new season starts with a home game against newly promoted Bourg En-Bresse. After losing four out of four against them, we have won the last two games. The last encounter saw a 2-0 home win for us thanks to goals from PSG loanee Kays Ruiz, and then the win was secured with a 88th minute clincher from Pierre Lemonnier who we will face this season in the colours of Rodez.

We next face Tours, who back in Le Championniat, after three seasons in Ligue 2. They are many people's thoughts for an immediate return too. However, we shared the spoils with them in the last meeting. Mamadou Soro gave us a 68th minute lead but Béni Nkololo garnered a point for the home side with an equaliser six minutes from time.

Game three sees us host Dunkerque, who were the first opponents for us when Mark was appointed. As you recall, it was a winning debut for our Head Coach as we recorded a stunning 3-0 away win. All the goals came in the first half as Armand Coulibaly, Serge Aka and a penalty from Oumané Tounkara did the trick for us.

The opening month ends with an away trip to Quevilly-Rouen. Our last game against them was not a good one as a double from Valére Pollet saw our opponent take the win with a 2-0 success. It was also the last game for previous Head Coach Richard Déziré who departed the MMArena the following day to take up the reins at Entente SSG after over six years here.

Wales Under-21 manager Mark Duell has named his squad for their next European Under-21 Championship qualifiers against their counterparts from Malta and Norway. The young Dragons go into these games level on points with group leaders Denmark with both teams having four games left.


The game against Malta will be played at the Hibernians Ground in Valletta on 1 September 2022, with the Norway encounter to follow four days later at Aker Stadion in Molde. Central defender Ryan Astley will miss the Malta game having picked up his second yellow card in the competition when Wales defeated Bosnia and Herzeogvina 3-2 last November.

The opening games of season 2022-23 in Le Championnat National.


We opened the new season with a home game against newly promoted Bourg En Bresse, and made the most perfect start with a goal after just 3 minutes. Skipper Mamadou Soro fired in a shot on goal which was diverted past his own goalie by visiting striker Adama Diamé back defending a corner. A second arrived in the 18th minute; Amadou Coulibaly's right wing cross being headed in at the near post by Soro. Three goals in very quick succession put us in real command after the interval and all came from one source; that source being Oumaré Tounkara. Tounkara made it 3-0 in the 48th minute when he picked himself up to score from the spot after he had been initially fouled by Ndiaye. Two minutes later, he scored his second and our fourth with a powerful finish after Rémy Boissier teed up.

The winger made it 5-0 in the 59th minute with his hat-trick goal. This time he picked up a loose ball just outside the six yard box and finished with all the confidence of a player having a game of his life. Duval pulled one back for the visitors after 67 minutes but that was about as good as it got for them, we had made a start that even I could have only dreamed of at kick-off.


Game two was an away trip to Tours, one of the favourites for promotion considering they were in Ligue 2 last season. We stunned them by taking a 12th minute lead thanks to an arrowed finish by right winger Coulibaly. It was no more than what we deserved after making such a bright start to the game, and we held onto it as the half time whistle shrilled. Yet Tours came out smarting and scored twice in four minutes to lead 2-1 after an hour's play, both strikes from Damien Denis. Yet a masterstroke of a substitution saw us level. In the 65th minute, I took off an ineffective (by my admission) Tounkara and replaced him with the experience of Vincent Créhin. A minute later, Créhin drilled in the equaliser. That goal gave us renewed confidence and we could have won if Coulibaly had taken a gilt edged chance in the final minutes.


Our third game was a live TV game against Dunkerque, and a chance for me to continue a remarkable run in front of the cameras: that is, another win. Once more we opened the scoring early, this time after just a couple of minutes. Tounkara with a low drilled finish from the edge of the penalty area which gave the opposing keeper no chance of getting anywhere near it. Three minutes after the restart, they levelled matters. Cheick Timite with a powerful finish that was too hot for Quentin Beunardeau to keep out of his net. Yet we know how to bounce back, and regained the lead in the 55th minute. Boissier flighted in a free-kick and Tounkara powered home a header at the far post. The points were secured in the 69th minute; Zoran Bassong with the cross and Grégory Aubert headed it down for skipper Soro to make no mistake whatsoever.


We went into that final game of the month in second place behind a Boulogne side that had won three out of three. Our chances of coming away with something were dealt a massive blow after just eight minutes play when referee Guillaume Paradis sent our highly rated 16 year old defensive midfielder Amin Bennani for what he adjudged a reckless challenge. We felt it was harsh considering the conditions; young Bennani was in tears as he passed me on his way back to the dressing room and you can understand why. Two goals just after the half hour mark made our task even harder, Arnaud Janot scoring after 32 and 39 minutes respectively. Winger Jérémy Brunet scored a third after 56 minutes and we were in danger of being seriously routed but we dug in and limited their chances after that. A consolation did come with four minutes to go, Créhin scoring from the spot after a handball in the penalty area.

So we finished the opening month like this:

Fourth with seven points from that start, I'll take that but it could have been more. Still if we keep at it then there's every chance we can improve on last season's 6th place but it'll be tough...very tough indeed!

BOISSIER DEPARTS FOR AVRANCHES IN DOUBLE DEAL


The Club can confirm that deals have been completed with Avranches for two of our players.

The newly promoted Ligue 2 side have secured the services of playmaker Rémy Boissier and winger Armand Lauriente. Boissier, 28, who signed a new deal in the summer: has signed on a deal until the summer of 2024 for an initial fee of £125,000 which will rise to £160,000 with add-ons included. The former Rodez midfielder made over 100 appearances in the red and yellow since joining us on a free transfer in the summer of 2018.

Also joining Avranches is winger Armand Lauriente. Lauriente, 23, joined us from Rennes last summer but has been unable to hold down a regular spot under Head Coach Mark Duell. He joins the Ligue 2 side on a deal until the end of this season, and Avranches have paid us £85,000 (increasing to a possible £105,000 with add-ons included) for him.

Both players leave the MMArena with our warmest wishes and are more than welcome back anytime should they want to return.

In the meantime, we have acquired Matthias Lavenant who made five appearances for Avranches last season.

2022-23: Transfer Window One Round-Up

The club has been very active in this first transfer window with numerous incomings and outgoings.

Let's start with the incoming arrivals.

Five players have joined us on permanent deals since last season ended, with a further four coming in on loan deals. The biggest capture of the permanent deals is of experienced central defender Roderic Filppi. Filppi comes to us with almost 300 games at Ligue 2 level and is a proper beast of a central defender. He is going to take no prisoners so to speak with opposing strikers and should really beef up our back line. We were also pleased to attract young midfielder Enzo Barreau to the club following his release from Nantes. Enzo has the potential to become of the best midfielders in Le Championniat National and at 20, his best years are probably ahead of him.

Powerful striker Grégory Aubert comes in on loan to give us an extra dimension in attack. He's a proper target man which we have seriously lacked. Both Wassim Mecmache and Zoran Bassong are quality players who will improve the attacking roles in the positions they play in whilst 16 year old Amin Bennani looks a tremendous prospect already.

Leaving the club then. On deadline day we bade farewell to Rémy Boissier who joined Avranches. Rémy was a fantastic footballer whose set pieces deliveries will be sorely missed by us all. Selling him was not what we wanted to do but when his new club met our demands and the fact we needed to trim the wage bill then we had to sell. Yeah, before that double deal with Avranches, we had a bit of a cash flow issue. We were simply paying out more in wages than we wanted, probably as a consequence of the nine new faces, so the books had to be balanced somehow. We also released former Sheffield Wednesday defender Claude Dielna and experienced midfielder Nicolas Suchet on free transfers in the summer when their contracts expired.

Don't get us started on Axel Condé though. Quite why he wanted to drop a level, we don't know. He could have forced his way into the first team this season if he stayed, after all he did well in his nine appearances last season.

Still we're happy with what we have.

AWAY DAY IN LE COUPE DE FRANCE


Today we saw the draw for the Fifth Round of this season's Le Coupe De France.

Le MUC will face amateur side AS Bayard Saumur at this stage, which we will be of course looking to win and progress to the next round.

This game will be played on Sunday 9 October 2022.

Wales Under-21 manager Mark Duell has named his squad for their final European Under-21 Championship qualifiers against their counterparts from Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.


The build up to these games sees the young Dragons level on points with leaders Denmark. However the Danes have a superior goal difference of five more to that of Mark's side. All Welsh hopes will be riding and hoping that Denmark slip up against Bosnia and Herzegovina or Nordic neighbours Norway. Wales will play Macedonia at the Cardiff City Stadium on Thursday 6 October before travelling to Sarajevo in what might prove to be a crunch game just four days later.

The second month of season 2022-23 in Le Championnat National.


After picking up seven points in the opening month, we headed into a five game stretch in September. This is how we fared.

The first game in September saw us take on Rodez, another team who were expected to make an immediate return to Ligue 2 after relegation at the end of the last campaign. We took the points despite being heavily outshot in terms of chances created. Rodez were made to pay for their proligfacy in front of our goal. That only game after just eight minutes play when Oumané Tounkara latched onto a through ball by central defender Roderic Filppi and finished with absolute aplomb in front of the television cameras. The perfect way to respond after the 3-1 loss in Rouen just seven days before.

Game number two was a game at unexpected early season pacesetters Grenoble. As expected, both sides gave it their all with an astonishing 41 chances between them both throughout the ninety minutes. The hosts took the lead just after the half time interval when attacking midfielder Mohamed El Kadiri powered home a header from a well flighted free-kick by Youssouf M'Changama. But we deserved something out it and gained our point with an equaliser 14 minutes from the end. Substitute Vincent Créhin had only been on the pitch a minute when he teed up skipper Mamadou Soro to beat the home custodian at the near post. The 21 away fans and myself went crazy. One point gained rather than two points dropped.

Middle game was another game at home, this time we entertained struggling Bastia. Despite their lowly position, they made it awkward for us. The opening goal came almost midway through the first half when Nskala baulked Soro as they challenged for a cross from Amadou Coulibaly. Tounkara stepped up with the responsibility and made no mistake from twelve yards. The same player sealed the points and continued his goalscoring form with the clincher three minutes from time. Serge Aka charged up on the pitch on a counter attack and then had his cross headed on by Grégory Aubert into the path of Tounkara who finished again with style and panache. Job well and truly done.

Our penultimate game in September saw us travel to newly promoted Pau. It was a hard game and a real test for us. The only goal of the game came just shy of the half hour mark when Aka dispossessed a home midfielder before feeding the ball onto skipper Soro. The captain then pinged the ball into the area where who else but Tounkara, who else but, and he slammed the ball into the roof of the net at the far post. It was the inside forward's ninth goal of the season and in as many games. Talk about a consistent performer.

We concluded the month with another game at the MMArena, this time entertaining Saint-Malo. Having gone top with that win at Pau, we were determined to stay there and scored after 22 minutes play. Central defender Kévin Rimane flighted in the free-kick and teenage defensive midfielder Amin Bennani headed in via the post. It proved to be the sole goal in the game and extended our unbeaten run to five games. I'm sure I could hear the home support chanting "Un zéro à Le Mans!" at the end. Arsenal supporters will know what I mean by that.

So this is the end of September standings:


Top of the table, albeit on goal difference, but we've made an excellent start to my first full season in charge. My contract is up at the end of this campaign, and if I get promotion at the end of it then I can see me staying on for a bit longer. Unless another club makes me an offer that I simply can't turn down.

AUBERT ON FORM AS WE MAKE THE SIXTH ROUND


Grégory Aubert was the star of the show as we advanced to the sixth round stage of this season's Coupe de France.

The on loan Entente striker hit a hat-trick in 11 minutes either side of the half time interval to ensure Les Manceaux would not be the victims of a giant killing at the hands of the amateurs. But it wasn't all plain sailing beforehand.

We had dominated proceedings from the off as expected but it took the first minute of time added on at the end of the opening half for us to open the scoring. Wassim Mechmache was the creator with a through ball that split open the home defence and Aubert took it on before blasting the ball into the roof of the net. Four minutes after the restart we, and the front man, had our second which broke the home side's resistance. Once more Mechmache was the architect with an inch perfect pass into Aubert who finished confidently with his left foot.

In the 56th minute, the striker completed an impressive hat-trick. This time the creation came from right-back Abdoulaye Koté and Aubert swept home a low finish with his right foot. The rout was completed seven minutes from time when Aubert scampered away down the right, fed winger Amadou Coulibaly who in turn set up substitute Ludovic Wacouboué to drill a shot into the corner of the net.

The sixth round draw was made shortly afterwards and as you can see we are on our travels again:


The tie will be played on Sunday 23 October 2022.

A round up of the qualifiers in Group 9 of the UEFA Under 21 Championships.


The first of the four qualifiers took place in Malta on the first Thursday in September. Predictably it was very one sided from the start as we created chance after chance. It took us just eight minutes to get off the mark, Elliott Tipton heading home from an Ian Harrington corner kick. Two minutes later it became 2-0, winger Brennan Johnson latching onto a loose ball twelve yards out to rifle it into the net. We made it three in the 13th minute, another Harrington corner and this time Trystan Jones lashed the ball into the net. Moments after the restart, we added the fourth when Harrington diverted a Sam Edwards cross past a stranded Maltese keeper. The goals kept on coming and it became 5-0 in the 17th minute, Harrington scoring his second of the game when he reacted first after a Matty Argent-Barnes header crashed against the bar and out to the midfielder's feet.

Rangers winger Rabbi Matondo got in on the act when he drilled home our sixth, and we had only been playing just 19 minutes! After that we didn't have another goal until the 48th minute when Matondo pouched his second of the match after the keeper failed to hold the winger's initial effort. Goal number eight came after 69 minutes, a wonderfully placed header into the far corner by Harrington to complete a well deserved hat-trick. The goal fest was completed in the 73rd minute when Oliver Carbonaro diverted an Issak Davies cross past his own bemused keeper.


Our next assignment was an away game in Norway, knowing full well that we needed to win to keep the pressure on at the top where the only the winners of the group would automatically qualify for the finals. We took the lead in the 36th minute when Argent-Barnes tucked home a Lloyd Holden cross from six yards out. The Bolton striker would score the second one too after 48 minutes; firing home after the Norwegians failed to clear the lines following a Holden free-kick. A thoroughly professional away performance would be capped with a third goal in the 89th minute, Argent-Barnes turning provider this time and this time Davies provided the finish.


Our penultimate qualifier was a crazy game at the Cardiff City Stadium against Macedonia. The match started in dramatic fashion when central defender Brandon Cooper put the ball into his own net after just 19 seconds; quite simply not the beginning I planned and certainly not in the script whatsoever. We equalised in the 23rd minute when a long punt forward from Ryan Astley saw the visiting defence hesitate and Argent-Barnes poached it in for 1-1. We were ahead seven minutes from the interval when Harrington hammered in an unstoppable effort from 20 yards out. A third came after 56 minutes, Tipton with a header that was palmed into his own net by the visiting custodian.

The third own goal of the match came on the hour, our own Scott Reed dropping the ball into his own net. However, we got back on the horse and sealed the win in the 73rd minute when Tipton fired in a penalty awarded for a push by David Barton on Johnson. With Denmark winning comfortably against Malta, it was down to a final day decider.


Sarajevo, would we sink or swim in the Bosnian capital? Well we made a good start indeed after just quarter of hour when left-back Edwards volleyed home from around the penalty spot. What made it more amazing, he did it with his right foot which is his weaker one! A second arrived in the 32nd minute, Argent-Barnes with a powerful header that crashed in off the underside of the crossbar. Three minutes later, they pulled one back to make it a one goal game. At half time, we were in the driving seat as Denmark were locked at 1-1 with Norway and also down to ten men.

Joe Adams put us 3-1 to the good after 52 minutes when he headed in a Jonathan Letheren cross. But then, despite the numerical disadvantage, Denmark took control of their game with goals in the 67th and 72nd minutes. It was a lead that they would never relinquish, so we had to settle for second despite accumulating an astonshing 27 points out of a possible 30.



So it's the play-off semi final now:


Spain face Turkey in the other semi-final. The semi-final first leg will be played at Cardiff City Stadium on 11 November 2022, with the return in Prague four days later at the Eden Arena (home of Slavia).