Keep it Real! The Mick Connolly Story

Early Life

Michael Connolly (known as Mick Connolly) was born in Thornton Heath, Croydon in South London on the 3rd of March 1986. His parents had emigrated from County Donegal in Ireland at the beginning of the decade, with his father finding work in the railway service, while his mother worked as a bank teller. Connolly's parents encouraged him to participate in sports at school, and it was while playing for his school team in a local tournament aged 10 that Kingstonian Football Club offered him the chance to join the club's youth system. During his time in Kingston-Upon-Thames, the young Connolly was converted from an average striker into a highly promising fullback, and at the turn of the millennium, his performances for Kingstonian's u-15 side would earn him a move to Crystal Palace's academy. Connolly quickly became one of the brightest sparks in the Eagle's youth system along with the likes of Wayne Routledge and Tom Soares. In 2002, aged 16, he would win the club's academy player of the season award, as well as receiving a call up to England's u-16 side for the Victory Shield. 

First Professional Contract and League Debut

Having impressed for club and country at youth level, Connolly would be rewarded with his first professional contract at Selhurst Park on the 7th June 2003. A couple of months later, he made his debut off the bench against Torquay United in the League Cup. This was followed by his full league debut at Selhurst Park a couple of weeks later against Rotherham United. 

Over the course of the 2003/04 English First Division season, Connolly established himself as a mainstay in the Palace side that went on to reach the Premier League via the playoffs. His performances led to him receiving a call up to the English u-19 side. 

Premier League and Move to Spurs

Aged just 18, Connolly would retain his place in the Palace side that competed in the 2004/05 Barclay's Premiership season. Despite the Eagles ultimately suffering relegation from the competition, the young right-back would be nominated for young player of the season, losing in the end to Manchester United's Wayne Rooney. His impressive performances caught the attention of several Premiership clubs, with Chelsea and Arsenal both credited with interest, but Connolly opted to join Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2005 for a fee of around £5m. 

His first season at White Hart Lane was disrupted by injuries, with his debut for the club coming as late as October against Wigan Athletic. But he soon put aside his fitness problems to become a regular in the starting 11 throughout the club's winter schedule. Another injury in the spring led to him only making five appearances between March and May. This prompted the club to sign Pascal Chimbonda in the summer of 2006 for a fee of £4.5m. 

Chimbonda's arrival reduced the amount of playing time Connolly enjoyed throughout the 06/07 campaign. After a total of fifteen starts all season, the club opted to place him on the loan list. 

Queens Park Rangers

In the 2007 summer transfer window, Connolly moved to west London side Queens Park Rangers on a season long loan deal. Spurs manager Martin Jol insisted that the young defender still had a future with the club, but would have to prove his fitness with QPR in the Championship. 

Over the course of the 2007/08 season, Connolly impressed on the right hand side of the QPR defence alongside another loanee, Michael Mancienne of Chelsea. Despite suffering a hamstring injury in the middle of the campaign, he made a total of 22 starts throughout the club's Championship season. 

Connolly returned to White Hart Lane at the end of the season to find the club under the stewardship of Spanish manager Juande Ramos. The Spaniard decided not to take a look at Connolly over preseason and instructed him to find a new club. With only one year left on his Spurs contract, QPR were able to bring him back to Loftus Road for a fee of around £2m. Connolly's return to west London coincided with the arrival of his former manager at Crystal Palace, Ian Dowie. 

Connolly enjoyed a solid first full season at Loftus Road, despite the club having an up and down campaign. The right-back would score 2 goals in 23 starts for the club, as well as winning the fans' player of the season award. The following season would also prove to be topsy turvy for QPR, but Connolly excelled once again for the side. His 33 appearances and 3 goals throughout the campaign caught the attention of the competition's surprise package, Blackpool FC, who had just been promoted to the Premier League via the playoffs. 

Brief Return to the Premier League and Move to Celtic

Newly promoted Blackpool signed Connolly for a fee of £4m ahead of the new Premier League campaign. His arrival on the west coast coincided with his first call up to the Irish international setup, having switched over from England after failing to win a senior cap for the country. Connolly became an important player for Holloway's exciting Blackpool team, but ultimately failed to help them stave off relegation in their first season in the top flight. He would go on to make his Ireland debut during the Autumn international break, but remained an understudy to first-choice Stephen Kelly.

Despite Premier League interest in him post-relegation, Connolly opted to remain at Bloomfield Road to try and help the club return to the Premier League at the first time of asking. His consistency made him one of the standouts in the team that season, with seven assists to his name, but the club ultimately fell short of promotion after losing to West Ham United in the playoffs. 

In the summer transfer window of 2012, Blackpool decided to cash in on Connolly, selling him to Scottish champions Celtic for a fee of around £4.5m. His first season in Glasgow is perhaps most notable for his involvement in Celtic's 2-1 win over FC Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League group stage. The club would go on to reach the round of sixteen that year, a feat. they hadn't achieved since Gordon Strachan's time at the club. Connolly would also pick up winner's medals in the Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup. 

Over the next three seasons, Connolly would win another three Premiership titles along with a Scottish League Cup title, but it was with the arrival of Brendan Rodgers in his final season at the club that Connolly enjoyed the greatest level of success in Glasgow. The Irish international would become part of the club's ‘invincibles' team that would go the entirety of the Scottish domestic season unbeaten, winning the club's first treble since Martin O'Neill's side in 2000/01. Despite playing an important role in the team that season, Connolly would fail to agree a contract extension with club and left on a free transfer in the summer of 2017. 

Millwall and Retirement at AFC Croydon Atheltic

After leaving Glasgow as an ‘invincible', Connolly had a number of suitors from home and abroad. Reports had linked him with a move to the MLS, Spain, and Germany, but he opted to remain in the UK, and on July 14th he penned a two year deal with Millwall with the option of an additional year. 

His first season in east London proved to be very successful, as Millwall finished 8th in the Championship, their highest finish in the EFL since 2001/02. Connolly was named in the competition's team of the season, as well as picking up Millwall's fans' player of the season award. His second year at the Den was less impressive, as though the club reached the Quarter Finals of the FA Cup, they narrowly survived relegation from the Championship with two games to spare. Despite having an inconsistent season, Millwall opted to trigger the extension in 33 year old Connolly's contract. 

Connolly's third season at Millwall was overshadowed by the Covid-19 pandemic, which shut down the league from early March until play resumed in late June. Despite the disruption, the club would secure another 8th placed finish in the Championship, missing out on the playoffs by only two points. At the end of the 2019/20 campaign, Connolly was released by the club. 

At 34 years old, Connolly had the option to remain in the EFL with offers from clubs in League Two, as well as the National League. But he opted instead to return to Croydon with AFC Croydon Athletic. During his three seasons with the non-league club, Connolly started work on his coaching education. Between 2020 and 2023, he would turn out 65 times for Croydon Athletic, playing mostly as a central defender. 

On June 1st 2023, Mick Connolly announced his retirement from football. In a club statement on the Croydon Athletic website it was revealed that the former Ireland international would remain at the club as the new head coach for the 2023/24 season. 

Club Statement: June 1st 2023

Croydon Athletic is delighted to announce the appointment of Mick Connolly to the position of Head Coach at the club for the beginning of the 2023/24 season. Mick recently announced his retirement from the game, having represented The Rams on sixty-five occasions over the last three years. In a statement given to the club's official website, he stated: “I'm honoured to have been asked to stay on at the club in the capacity of head coach. I've thoroughly enjoyed playing for the club in the final years of my career, and I look forward to working together with the players, staff, club committee, and, of course, the supporters, to help bring success to the club over the next season and beyond.” 

Club Chairman Danny Young also expressed delight at the news: “When the club signed Mick back in 2020, we had hoped his wealth of experience at the very top of the sport would benefit the club in multiple ways. I believe that's proven to be true, and I look forward to working with him to help him deliver in his new role as head coach. Mick's experience and connections in the game will be of enormous benefit to us as we look to grow our club and improve our standards in every respect. I know I speak for everyone associated with Croydon Athletic when I say I'm delighted Mick has chosen to stay on with us.” 

Having been appointed the new head coach at Croydon Athletic, Mick Connolly postponed his summer plans to get straight to work. The first item on his lengthy agenda was to put together a crack team of coaches, talent spotters, and physiotherapists. Happily, he didn't have to look too far to make his first appointment. 

Michael Kamara had come through Crystal Palace's youth system with Connolly in the early noughties, and had spent the majority of his career kicking around the non-league scene in Greater London. At 36 years old, he continued to offer his services as an outfield player, but had gladly accepted the offer from Connolly to perform the player/assistant manager dual function at the club. 

Connolly and Kamara quickly got to work making phone calls to their various contacts within the game in an attempt to assemble a small coaching team. The first name to sign up to the cause was Rick Passmoor. He had been recommended to Connolly by his former Celtic teammate Gary Hooper. 

Passmoor was soon joined by Paul Reynolds and Matt Tubbs, thanks to Michael Kamara's contacts within non-league football. Both arrived with glowing references. 

The process for bringing the coaching team together took little under two weeks. It was now up to Connolly and his staff to bring a couple of scouts to the club to help with recruitment. 

Shortly before the players were due to return for preseason training, Connolly was presented with a list of names compiled from all of the contacts of his coaching staff. Phone calls were made, discussions were had, and within a few days the club had managed to sign up Robbie Blake, former Burnley striker, and Steve Boon who had most recently scouted for AFC Wimbledon. Andrew Knight, previously of Aldershot Town, had been retained in a consultancy capacity, making the recruitment department three men strong. A meeting was held, via Zoom, to discuss the club's priorities for the transfer window, and around ten names were compiled on a shortlist for immediate consideration. Connolly had intimate knowledge of the needs of the squad, so a decision was made then and there to reach out to all ten of the players put forward and offer them trials over the summer months. 

With potential new arrivals pending, the players returned to training in late June. The club committee had been tasked with bringing in a couple of part-time physios, allowing Connolly and his coaching staff to focus solely on training their players. 

The club would face five friendly games over the off-season, before kicking off the competitive football with a game in the extra-preliminary round of the FA Cup. 

With the club more or less fully staffed, and the players back out on the grass for preseason training, Connolly had to begin putting his ideas across to everyone. A week or so prior to the beginning of training, he had organised a meeting in the upstairs room of a local pub for his coaching staff. Here, he laid out his vision for the season ahead. In terms of the club's ambitions, he wanted the team to compete for promotion from the Combined Counties Premier South. This meant that he and his staff had to inculcate a winning mentality in the players. The key to this would be in the standards they set in every training session. Using his experience from his time at Celtic, Connolly explained that the players should always feel that they are experiencing an important week of football. There should be no drop off in the intensity of an average week of training versus a week where the club was competing in a big league game or a cup final. The responsibility for making this a reality would stem from the coaching staff and the team leaders, especially the club captain. 

After the season objectives had been clarified, Connolly expounded his tactical preferences. Having worked under a wide cast of managers in his career, all with different ideas about how football should be played, he refused to be overly ideological about things. There were different ways to succeed in the game, and some ways suited particular teams and leagues more than others. The first thing he wanted to do was to keep the 4-3-3 shape in place, believing it to be familiar with the players already, as well as reasonably suited to what he had available to him in terms of personnel. However, he didn't find the possession-focus from the previous regime to be conducive to success at this level of football. Connolly explained to his staff that width and speed were key to how he wanted Croydon Athletic to play next season. He didn't care about possession stats and positional play, he simply wanted the club's best attacking players to get on the ball often and quickly. 

With a basic outline of his tactical principles, Connolly then envisaged how to utilise the better players at his disposal. There would undoubtedly be some turnover of players within the squad, as there usually is at this level, but he needed to think about how to get the best out of the players who could make a real difference next season. Because most of the coaching staff were unfamiliar with the group, Connolly highlighted four players who had considered to be key for his plans. 

Whether the club could hold on to these players remained an open question, but they made up a solid spine to the team. Centre-back Ben Wynter played alongside Connolly last season, so he knew how much he could depend on him. Luke Dreher was primed for the deeper playmaking role in the team, ensuring that key attacking players would be brought into play as quickly as possible. Nya Kirby would be asked to try and contribute goals from central midfield, while Harvey Kedwell would support him in a slightly more conservative role in the middle. 

Kedwell's father had been the previous manager at the club, so there was some doubt about the youngster's future now that his dad had moved on. He had come through the ranks at Charlton Athletic before being released twelve months ago, so he had a decent footballing education. Connolly was keen to do everything he could to convince him to stick around. 

Just as the preseason games were starting to roll around, Croydon Athletic found out who they'd be facing in the extra-preliminary round of the FA Cup. 

The road to Wembley would begin against Wembley FC on August 5th. 

They say that all good endings are contained within the beginning. Croydon Athletic would certainly be hoping there's some truth in that. 

As the players went through their paces at Mayfield Stadium, Mick Connolly and his recruitment team worked tirelessly to bolster the ranks of the squad. Over the course of the first week of preseason training, no less than eight trialists joined the club. Among them were centre-forward Theo Flanagan, left-back Ben Sheaf, central midfielder Brook Myers, and wingers Dennis Kelmendi and Jonas Mukuna. The fresh blood helped give the training sessions a competitive edge and this proved to be of great benefit come matchday. 

The Rams had clearly adapted quickly to the methods of the new coaching team, with sixteen goals and three clean sheets across five friendly fixtures standing them in good stead for the FA Cup clash at home to Wembley. 

Theo Flanagan netted five goals across the games against Risborough Rangers, Basildon Town, and Hullbridge Sports. This prompted Connolly to offer the young striker a contract for the season. Unfortunately, the 16 year old forward was already on the radar of several EFL clubs, and Middlesborough came out on top in the battle for his signature. A similar fate befell the club's pursuit of Ben Sheaf, who joined Millwall's academy, and Brook Myers, who opted to join St Pat's Athletic in the League of Ireland. Several other deals were derailed by stronger competitors, but Connolly was delighted to get the signatures of Kelmendi and Mukuna. The former had just been released from Peterborough's academy, while the latter had arrived at Croydon via Sutton United and Walsall. 

Ahead of the FA Cup extra preliminary round clash against Wembley FC, the Rams had signed no less than five players. 

Satisfied with their work to-date, Connolly started to turn his attention to the cup tie. 

Wembley FC weren't too familiar for Connelly or his staff, but having asked around and reviewed bits and pieces from the club's social media channels, they gathered that their opponents would likely flood the midfield and look to grind out a result, or perhaps play for penalties. Wembley's player/manager, Ian Bates, had played over 600 games for the club, and still put in the odd appearance at the age of 49. He controlled every aspect of the club, having built everything around himself over the previous years. So Connolly could expect a well-drilled opponent who understood their game plan to the letter. 

In the days leading up to the fixture, the players worked on patiently breaking down low-blocks. The wingers were asked to stay wide, and deep runs from midfield were encouraged to help break the lines. The execution on the training ground was good, but could it be replicated when the big kick off came around?

The smell of freshly cut grass infused with pies and Bovril filled the air in Thornton Heath for the first time in weeks. That could mean only one thing: the football was back. The sun beat down on the old shed, as supporters of both clubs tried to shield their eyes with matchday programmes. There was over 600 people flanking the vibrant green carpet that would have its integrity tested with every slide tackle. By the end of the afternoon, only one of Croydon Athletic or Wembley FC would proceed beyond the first hurdle of this famous old tournament. 

Mick Connolly had played in the latter stages of the FA Cup on multiple occasions, but speaking to the local press ahead of kick off, he remarked that there was nothing quite like the magic of the extra preliminary round. Every club involved at this stage knew that they'd never get close to the national stadium across town, but with every hurdle overcome, the prospect of playing a much bigger team and raking in a substantial matchday income increased. Before Croydon Athletic could dream about a trip to Stamford Bridge or Anfield, however, they had to deal with what was immediately in front of them. 

In the weeks before the game, the Rams had lost talented young midfielder Harvey Kedwell to Fleetwood Town. This forced Connolly to turn to veteran midfielder James Dunne, who had been transfer listed at the beginning of the window. With progress on new signings slowing down, Dunne's future at the club seemed to have brighter prospects. He was one of the top earners, hence why Connolly wished to move him on, but there was no doubt that he would be needed until further reinforcements arrived. 

The team was set up in its 4-3-3 shape, but with Wembley likely to sit in a low block, Connolly had asked the players to take a more patient approach than usual. 

The early goal from forward David Bremang helped to settle the hosts down in the match, allowing them to play the game on their own terms. But it took until the 86th minute for midfielder Nya Kirby to break the lines with an intelligent run and smash home the decider. Wembley offered very little as an attacking threat, although they did have plenty of set-piece opportunities to put Croydon under pressure. But it was as comfortable a first game as Mick Connolly could have hoped for. 

Speaking after the match, Connolly said “These games are always difficult to navigate, because at this stage of the season, no one really knows where they're at. To see so many of the things we've been working on over preseason come to fruition today is particularly pleasing, so I have to tip my hat to the players for what they've given me this afternoon." 

Wembley manager Ian Bates was gracious in defeat, saying “I don't think we can have any arguments with the outcome today. It's never easy playing away at higher level opposition on the first day of the season, but we showed enough spirit to suggest we'll be fine this season. We'll dust ourselves down and focus on getting off to a better start in the league next weekend.” 

The following Monday afternoon saw Croydon Athletic go into the hat for the preliminary round of the FA Cup. 

The draw pitted them against fellow south Londoners Metropolitan Police. A tricky tie, no doubt, but one that gave both sides a chance of progressing. 

In other words: a good ol' fashioned FA Cup tie! 

Before Croydon Athletic could turn their focus to their FA Cup clash at Metropolitan Police, they had the matter of a league opener at home to Abbey Rangers to attend to. While the FA Cup provided a heavy dose of magic to the Rams' season, it would be in the Combined Counties Premier South that Connolly would ultimately be judged. While coy with the local newspaper reporter, the ambitious Irishman was targeting promotion this season. For that to become a reality, a strong start to the campaign was paramount. 

A few days before the Rangers were due to visit Thornton Heath, Croydon central defender Ben Wynter left the club to join Crewe Alexandra. This dealt a bitter blow to the club's plans, with Wynter being the key figure in the team's back four. Connolly had been finding it difficult to complete deals for new players over the window to-date, so he knew it would be a tall order to acquire a new centre-back in time for the club's visit to Metropolitan Police. There was also the simple fact that a player of Wynter's calibre was irreplaceable at this level of football. Anyone the club could convince to sign up at Mayfield Stadium would ultimately be a downgrade. 

Despite the departure of Wynter, Croydon Athletic pressed ahead with their preparations for the new league season. Abbey Rangers were a club who liked to play a reasonably expansive brand of football, so Connolly was happy to implement the system that his players had been working on throughout preseason. This would ultimately rest on the ability of the wide players to stretch the play, opening up spaces for the central players to exploit. 17 year old winger Dennis Kelmendi was already high in the thoughts of the coaching staff at the club, and it was his ingenuity from the right-flank that proved to be the key on the opening day of the season. 

Kelmendi got Croydon off to the best possible start by sneaking in at the back post to nudge home the game's opening goal in the second minute. He would then contribute a couple of key passes that led to David Bremang's quickfire brace. Bremang would get his hattrick early in the second half with a terrific curling strike from the edge of the penalty area, but even such a well taken goal was overshadowed by Kelmendi's mazy run which started just inside the Abbey Rangers half, and finished with a thunderous strike across the goalkeeper and into the far corner. If Croydon Athletic wanted to send out a message to the rest of the league, then they clearly had succeeded. 

The week's training building up to the FA Cup preliminary round tie was electric. The players, oozing with confidence from the team's excellent start to the season, performed to the kind of standard that Connolly had dreamt of when he took over at the club. His experience taught him that these were the moments that managers should step back from and let the momentum carry the players. The less he got involved with them this week, the better. The only exception to this rule was the involvement of first-team coach Matt Tubbs with centre-forward David Bremang. Tubbs had been a prolific goal scorer with Salisbury and Crawley Town, and his work with Bremang had been showing clear results in the early weeks of the season. 

When the Rams crossed south London to take on the Met Police on a warm summer's day in mid-August, they could never have dreamt of the kind of game they were about to experience. 

Met Police's decision to play a 5-3-2 system could not have backfired any more violently, as Croydon's wingers tormented their wingbacks and supplied red-hot David Bremang with chance after chance after chance. By the 25th minute of the game, Bremang had already bagged himself four goals, killing the tie dead before the home side could even register a notable attack. 

Dennis Kelmendi claimed another couple of goals and a barrel load of assists in a MoM display, while opposite winger Mukuna got his season up and running as well. Central midfielders Kirby and Dreher added the other goals in a record-breaking display of attacking football at Imber Courts Sports Club. Some might even say that the Met Police's defending was criminal on the day. 

This is what Mick Connolly had to say on the match: “It's difficult to put today into words, really. We've been looking forward to the game all week and I think everything just clicked for us as soon as the referee started the match. I know from my own time as a player that confidence is so much more important than tactics and all the stuff that a manager brings to the team. These guys have good footballing brains and I think they've shown today what they are capable of when they don't feel any fear or inhibitions.”

The Met Police declined to comment. 

AFC Croydon Athletic's reward for their impressive preliminary round victory? 

Not long after the Rams had progressed in the FA Cup, another key player left the club. Right-back David Boateng, who assisted two goals against Wembley FC, joined Altrincham on a free transfer, leaving Connolly and his recruitment team scrambling for a replacement late in the window. 

In the mean time, the team had three league games to focus on before they headed for the seaside town of Margate for the next round of the cup. Connolly was keen to continue with his hands off approach, allowing the players to play with the freedom that had served them well in the opening weeks of the campaign. But a couple of tweaks became necessary to counter specific threats from their opponents. 

The Knaphill game largely took care of itself. Despite going a goal behind, the Rams dominated the game and could have scored countless more goals than the three they registered. The game was notable for the continued red hot form of David Bremang who added another hattrick to his account. 

The Guildford City game was different in the sense that Croydon's opponents did cause them a few problems, despite the score line suggesting otherwise. The visitors created several decent opportunities early in the game, as their midfield diamond helped them establish a foothold at the Mayfield Stadium. Connolly acted promptly to try and turn the tide of the game. Withdrawing his deep-lying playmaker Luke Dreher and throwing on anchorman Kevant Serbonij helped to bring more solidity to the Rams' core, but it was his decision to send his fullbacks much higher up the field that really caused Guildford all kinds of problems. With a lack of bodies in the wide areas, the visitors were unable to cope with the overlaps from Papa Souare and Michael Kamara. Croydon were then clinical in front of goal, scoring four times from as many good opportunities. 

The game away at Spelthorne Sports was another routine win for Connolly's side, giving them twelve points from twelve. A Nya Kirby brace from central midfield and a late David Bremang header sealed the deal in Staines-Upon-Thames. They would, therefore, head to Margate in the best possible form. 

Ahead of Croydon's trip to the sunny east coast, the club managed to secure the services of a young right back. 

Ola Okeowo came through the ranks at Norwich City, but was released at the end of the previous season. Robbie Blake had watched him in a game organised for young out of contract players to showcase their skills. His pace was particularly impressive, and he demonstrated a willingness to get up and down the flank all game. While he wouldn't be match-fit for the Margate game, it was a relief for Connolly to know that the club now had an option from the bench should the 36 year old Kamara need to come off. 

With Ola Okeowo on the team bus heading for Margate, Croydon looked to upset the odds in the first qualifying round of the Emirates FA Cup. Connolly kept his pre-match words brief, preferring to let the players head out on the pitch with a clear head. All he told them was to believe in themselves and to relish the magic of the competition they were playing in. Such words hardly proved necessary. 

In one of the shocks of the round, AFC Croydon Athletic found themselves 0-4 up before half time after a blistering display of attacking football. Nya Kirby again demonstrated his centrality in the team's early form, scoring another two goals from central midfield. The 17 year old winger Kelmendi, who had just received a call up to the Albania u-19 squad, got himself among the goals again, and Reece Grant, deputising for the injured Mukuna, scored the goal of the game with a beautiful curling effort from 20 metres out. Margate did pull two goals back early in the second half, but any threat of a spectacular comeback was quelled once Connolly re-jigged his team's setup to help take the sting out the game. 

The result made some noise in the world of non-league football, with Croydon Athletic being singled out as a ‘team to watch’ on podcasts and blogs that covered this level of the sport. Kirby and Bremang, in particular, were being mooted for future moves into EFL football, but Connolly hoped that wouldn't be for some time yet. 

The team's heroics on the east coast had put them back in the draw for the next round of the competition. 

There was more good news for Connolly come the beginning of September:

Finally, AFC Croydon Athletic would learn their fate in another of the cup competitions they'd be competing in this season:

Mick Connolly understood that his team was in a period of positive momentum. This meant that his job was to delicately keep the wheels turning and let the players do their thing. At some point, complacency could become a danger, so he had to keep a look out for the signs of it. But for now everything just needed to keep moving in a straight line. 

Thankfully the games kept coming thick and fast, meaning the players had little time to think too much about their good start. Prior to the next round of the FA Cup there were two league games to handle, and the Rams made light work of them. 

With the magic elixir of confidence still coursing through the veins of his players, Mick Connolly felt assured that home advantage would see them over the line against Bognor Regis in the FA Cup. The away side were slight favourites for the tie, but they had only to look at the previous round to see that Croydon Athletic were not to be taken lightly. 

Bognor Regis took the lead in the game after dominating the opening encounters. But a flurry of goals in the first 20 minutes of the second half totally turned the game on its head and sent AFC Croydon Athletic sailing through yet another round of the cup. Nya Kirby was once again the hero, continuing his excellent goal-scoring season from central midfield. 

Croydon Athletic followed up their win against Bognor Regis Town with an impressive 1-5 win away at Horley Town. The key to this victory was in the details. While Mick Connolly trusted his players to keep the good form going, he understood that Horley's approach could prove to be the antidote to Croydon's swashbuckling attacking style. So a few adjustments were made to the team. First was the switching out of Dreher in the single pivot of Croydon's midfield. Kevant Serbonij came into the side to play as an anchorman, with Michael Kamara playing as a defensive fullback on the right hand side. This was to help ensure that Croydon had numbers back in the event of a turnover of possession. Horley Town were a side that had developed a reputation for direct-counter-attacking football, so over-committing players forward would play right into their hands. The solid foundations of their tactical approach allowed them to go on and secure an easy victory in the end. 

They would follow their win over Horley up with a last minute goal away at Tilbury in the FA Vase Trophy. This was perhaps the first time in the season that Connolly had been unhappy with his side, with the signs of complacency starting to seep in. 

In the last game of September, Croydon headed to Faversham Town in the 3rd Qualifying Round of the FA Cup. Within half an hour they were 2-0 down and heading out of the tournament. Faversham had started the game strongly and caught the Rams sleeping. But the shock to the system seemed to finally wake Connolly's side up as they rallied in the second half to pepper the Faversham goal for the full duration of the 45 minutes. Goals from Dennis Kelmendi (73rd minute) and Nya Kirby (86th minute) put Croydon on level terms, but they couldn't complete the comeback job, leading to a midweek replay at Mayfield Stadium in South London. 

Picking up where they left off in the second half in Faversham, Connolly's team thrashed their opponents in a devastating display fuelled by the frustration of the weekend's meeting. David Bremang found himself with another hattrick to his name, continuing his strong goal-scoring season. There was a real sense of catharsis about this game, with the previous two matches showing a poorer side of this Croydon Athletic team. To get right back to the standards that had brought them this far in the tournament was a relief, and they'd need to keep those standards going if they wished to have any chance of progressing further. 

The 4th Qualifying Round of the FA Cup pitted AFC Croydon Athletic against National League side St. Albans City. This would be the biggest test yet. 

When the Rams travelled to Alton for their Combined Counties Premier South meeting, Alton were sitting on top of the table having played a couple more games than Croydon. The confidence was high in the home dressing room and Mick Connolly knew his players would be in for a difficult afternoon. In preparation for the host's attacking prowess, Connolly turned once more to Serbonij and Kamara, the more defensive-minded options in midfield and at fullback respectively. Despite the more conservative approach, Alton still found the back of the net 3 times in a thrilling encounter, but the Rams outgunned them, winning the game late on in the 93rd minute thanks to a header from David Bremang. The win sent AFC Croydon Athletic to the top of the table, joint with another side with a 100% record so far, Farnham Town. 

The win in Alton was followed by a much more routine victory away at Camberley Town in the midweek game before the FA Cup clash at St. Albans. Playmaker Dreher was reintroduced to the team, as was the more attacking fullback Ola Okeowo. Goals from James Dunne, Jonas Mukuna (x2), and David Bremang sealed the points for the away side. 

Next up was the final qualifying round of the FA Cup. AFC Croydon Athletic would be heading to National League outfit St Albans with more hope than expectation. In the fortnight or so leading up to the game, Mick Connolly had asked his players to start working on a different shape with the St. Albans match in mind. 

Speaking to the local press ahead of the game, Connolly expressed his belief that pragmatism was more important than ideology for him, and that he'd adjust his team's approach ahead of playing an opponent that were technically and physically superior. The double pivot was intended to give a bit more protection to the back four, while the entire approach from the team would be geared towards hitting St. Albans on the break. Perhaps the biggest surprise in the way Connolly set his team up was in the high defensive line he employed. His thinking here was inspired by Jose Bordalas' Getafe team; an approach he encountered during his coaching education. The idea was to squeeze the game and try to keep their opponents away from their own defensive third. There was risk involved, but also the prospect of a serious reward. 

Everything went pretty much according to plan. Despite giving up the bulk of possession, the Rams never really allowed St. Albans too many clear cut opportunities. And when they had the chance to spring forward on the break, they managed to score two well-worked goals. Nya Kirby continued his incredible start to the season by netting the first, and Jonas Mukuna, only recently back from an injury, hit the goal trail for the second consecutive game. 

After their heroics in the cup, Croydon had to prepare for a midweek top of the table clash against Farnham Town. Their opponents had lost their 100% record in the previous round of fixtures after drawing with Alton, but they looked to make amends when they travelled to the Mayfield Stadium in South London. 

In what proved to be a cagey affair, Mick Connolly's side emerged victorious thanks to Nya Kirby's long range effort five minutes after the half-time break. Farnham didn't threaten often, but they had a couple of decent opportunities to draw level; however, they failed to capitalise on them and Croydon claimed a deserved three points, sending them clear at the top. 

The spooky season lacked any major frights for Connolly and his players as they navigated a pretty packed schedule mostly unscathed. The dropped points at Epsom and Ewell were annoying, but hardly derailed the team's seemingly unstoppable momentum. 

That's not to say that there weren't any frights off the pitch for the club. 

Top scorer David Bremang was approached by Weston-super-Mare, prompting an emergency response from the AFC Croydon hierarchy. In a series of panicked phone calls, Connolly and the club chair tried to hash out a financial package that could tempt their star man to stay at the club. With money tight, it would be difficult. The first round of talks with Bremang didn't go particularly well, and it looked as though for all the will in the world, he'd be heading out of the club in the next week or so. 

Thankfully, he remained in place for the Morecambe game in the First Round of the FA Cup. Connolly prepared his side to play much the same way as they did away at St. Albans, with a view to hitting Morecambe on the break with speed. 

For the first 45 minutes, everything went according to plan for the Rams. They were on the verge of a major cup upset at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium. But despite being 0-2 up at the break, Morecambe rallied in the second half and equalised with 10 minutes of the game remaining. The match finished 2-2 and there would be a replay to come in South London. 

Mick Connolly was frustrated that his side had thrown away a huge chance of upsetting the odds. But his anguish was somewhat alleviated when it was announced that the replay had been chosen for television. 

The club were due to receive £50k as a result, meaning their bank balance would double overnight. This extra income proved to be significant in more ways than one! 

With the additional money in the bank, the club was able to offer David Bremang superior terms to circling rivals. The club's top scorer now looked certain to see out the season at Mayfield Stadium; a huge boost to Connolly and the team. 

Unfortunately, as Bremang put pen to paper on a new deal, one of his colleagues shocked the club by agreeing a deal to leave immediately. 

Liam Coates had been a stalwart at the centre of the Croydon defence, and his departure would leave a gaping hole in the team. The club would now be relying on 37 year old Michael Kamara, also the club's assistant manager, to fill in at centre back while they tried to sort out a replacement for Coates on a seriously limited budget. 

Connolly was privately furious with Coates, believing he had ultimately sold his team mates down the river at such a crucial point in the season. With a huge FA Cup First Round replay looming, Coates had left Croydon in the lurch with no time to sort out any alternatives. If Coates had been so set on moving away, he could at least have waited until January, but Didcot Town moved early to secure his services. 

The Rams were now one injury away from a total personnel crisis, and with an untested centre-back partnership now in place, Morecambe would surely fancy their chances of leaving South London with the result they needed to progress in the FA Cup. 

And that's precisely what happened. In a low-quality affair between the teams, Morecambe scraped through thanks to a poorly defended header in the 52nd minute of the game. Having come through six rounds to get this far, a cup run that would be enough to win the trophy in many tournaments, AFC Croydon Athletic would go crashing out at the First Round. All Mick Connolly could think was what if? 

The Croydon Athletic players were heartbroken after their FA Cup First Round exit, but Mick Connolly understood the psychology of the dressing room well having been a part of it as a player for the previous three seasons. He knew that what the players needed was the opportunity to make amends straight away, with as little time as possible to dwell on their cup exit. Thankfully the fixture list presented them with an important league game a few days later away at Colliers Wood United on the other side of South London. This would begin a run of weekend-midweek-weekend games that would take the team into the festive period. 

The Rams picked up six points from six in the CCPS, while narrowly scraping past Reading City in the League Cup. They then went on to smash Milton United 2-6 to progress to the 3rd round of the aforementioned tournament. 

With the club sitting pretty at the top of the table, the AFC Croydon Committee decided that Mick Connolly had proven himself a reliable steward of the team, and offered him a new contract at the beginning of December. 

Connolly would celebrate his new deal in the best possible way. With Farnham Town losing for only the second time this season against Colliers Wood United, the Rams had an opportunity to open up a six point lead at the top. 

In one of the games of the season, Connolly's side overcame promotion chasers Fleet Town in a tense encounter that nearly seen the away side relinquish a 3 goal lead! 

All is well that ends well, however, and AFC Croydon Athletic entered the festive period with an extended lead at the top of the CCPS, while still fighting in two cup competitions: the Combined Counties League Cup and the FA Vase.