DNZY - Comments

@KEZ_7 - You never get anywhere by playing it safe! Love me an obscure league.









You know you've done your business right when the selected signing of the season Stephen Reed doesn't even make it into the top six on the leaderboard. Reed's CV may stand out among them all and we thank him for his services as he sails into the sunset, calling time on his playing career.

The fans 'greeted' Tom Potts with major skepticism to the point where they slated me on social media, all I can say is who's laughing now? Man was a consistent aerial commander with a launchpad of a left foot to go route one. Abu Bah also chipped in to create this centre back camaraderie to add layers to an ironclad defence. Only 16 goals conceded in 22 league games? Bargain.

Chris Reski was Reski business that easily paid off. He was the master key to unlock Hinkson's potent goalscoring form to make that late promotion push. My managerial wingman when it comes to analysing the squad was a massive relief off my shoulders too. Probably my personal favourite signing.

Austrie and Ward, the midfield crimefighting duo. I signed both on a whim, no scouting just a stab in the dark and boy did they both turn out phenomenally. To be harshly ultra critical I expected more from Ward given his playmaking qualities at face value, so with low returns I don't think I've quite found the right role for him yet. While Austrie jockeys off his partner to be that second outlet for attacks, the lad finishes well too. Penalty merchant with 6/6 - a trusted choice.

Ash Oliver didn't get a huge amount of exposure during the round robin rotation between him and Glenn Davies but showcased a safe pair of hands during his appearances for what will soon be an inevitable departure to our number one.





I find it somewhat ironic how Reed was voted as signing of the season, yet failed to get involved in the best XI but with only 10 appearances makes a bit more sense. Regardless it highlights we need better fullbacks, the return of Adam Wilson from injury will be key on the right but left needs some work. Brad Prior was the unsung hero behind the scenes with 12 assists from right wing, while the lion share of goals went to the lone striker Ricky Hinky breaking 20 but just shy of that quarter century.





Ricky stood out among the rest to claim the personal accolade of player of the season for the year with his lust for goal but fell short of finishing as top scorer to Sticker's McGivern.



As for me I also fell second best in the manager of the year award, slightly harsh considering the winner almost bottled the easiest job of the entire league.



I did make my way onto the coaching ladder to tap in a standard National C.

@Skinner_ - If you think refs are bad in the Premier League, imagine how tough they have it in the non league!



TRANSFERS

IN



Not only did we tie down more players, we went a step further and acquired a player/assman to finally grace my eyes with star ratings and a proxy to evaluate the litter of youth we have decomposing in the underage squads. If that wasn't juicy enough I hired a decent director of football to trawl through the local regions around level 9/10 and cast net...with the final decision in my control as he tried to con me making offers for about four goalkeepers. Six new faces in total.

Chris Reski - Assistant Manager/AM(RLC) - free transfer from St Blazey



The classic non-league swiss army knife every club strives for. Six months of painfully finding a single candidate for the assman role, Chris is our man. Doubles up as a versatile winger or number 10 behind our striker. Adds that touch of experience a young side like ours needs to grow and yearn to improve. Those attributes don't jump off the page, but a handy option to either start or bring off the bench.



!!STAR RATINGS, THIS IS NOT A DRILL!!

Ash Oliver - GK - free transfer from Plymouth Parkway



The countdown timer for Glenn Davies' imminent exit is well in motion with numerous clubs trying to pull the rug from under us. This is where Ash comes in. Sure there are a few disparities in some key areas; Ash is quicker, more agile, more reliable closing down a ball and has years on his side whereas Glenn is taller, stockier, quick reflexes and coming into his prime years. Might have to round robin our goalkeepers for a bit.

Adam Wilson - D(R)/WB(R) - free transfer from Barnstaple Town



Football has evolved into this lust for attacking wing backs and I'm not gonna lie it tickled my interest too. DoF lodged a bid for this guy and was an instant win in my book. Excellent pace for this division with crossing, dribbling and technique to boot - I don't even care if this lad is 17 driving around in a Honda Civic and can't tackle a toddler. Suits our wide play philosophy to the ground to be on the overlap if needed.

Stephen Reed - D(L)/WB(L) - free agent



No LLM save would be complete without a journeyman figure. Remembered him from his Yeovil Town days before stinking out of Huish Park to jump to a new club every season. Staring down the wrong side of forty, Stephen has that wealth of intelligence around these divisions to more arrows to our bow. Set piece merchant to tidy away some dead ball situations.

David Mills - M(L) - free transfer from Wellington



My DoF doesn't exactly have the best instincts when it comes to signing players. Ignoring his star rating all I see is a bog standard left winger with pace and leadership. Regardless it adds depth to the wide areas.

Rhodri John - ST(C) - three month loan from Taunton



On the eleventh hour of transfer deadline day, I decided to pursue another striking option on the off chance we climb up the league table or should we progress further in the SWP league cup. Not sure if his finishing stat will be a false dawn like many statpadded strikers have been down the years playing this game but whats life without taking risk-free risks.

YOUTH INTAKE



I'll level with you guys...it was a pretty underwhelming litter - not one worth showing. Excellent intake my backside.

SOUTH WEST PENINSULA LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION WEST

KEY GAMES

MATCHDAY 19



No repeat of our heroics in Priory Park as Bodmin's iron grip of the first half was the tale of the game. If we managed an unscathed first half I'd have argued we could turn over a new leaf and catch them by surprise, that turned out to be wishful thinking as we clumsily conceded a penalty duly converted, followed by a soft near post finish by Cleal to add security to the lead. Spirit wasn't there, fight wasn't there. Amazing what happens when the best team in the league have 11 men on the pitch!

MATCHDAY 21



It was a Reski rendezvous as he saw his former employers St Blazey combust (in more than one way) in a blaze of glory for us. In fact not only did one former Blazer get involved, two landed on the scoresheet as Reski remorselessly stuck two daggers in with Tom Potts heading in to complete a rout. Dave Austin also weighed in against the then nine men, however Brad Prior stole the show with three lush assists from the right hand side. Sometimes I love watching the world burn.

MATCHDAY 26





We're absolutely cruising right now. This victory was testament to how evolved this team was become compared to when I first adopted them; Hinkson in the goalscoring form of his life with two ice cold finishes, midfield liquidous when moving the ball, playmaking outstanding even from set pieces where a bit of head tennis lead to Harry Pierce finding the net and Brad Prior nearly netted a free kick of the year contender. Little miffed we switched off in added time to lose a clean sheet but in the grand scheme of things it meant microscopic difference to the outcome.





It completed an A1 month. Hinkson claiming POTM with MOTM accolades going to yours truly.

MATCHDAY 30



All our efforts would go in vain. Leaders Falmouth knew they'd grab an upper hand in the race for the crown with victory here, in the most cliché of FM clichés the slimy bastards won it with their only shot on target - but you know what? It was my fault. Brian Kizza's powerful header from a corner nodded the ambers in front with the first half concluding. A second half penalty for us would change the landscape of the game...for all the wrong reasons. Matt Ward was geared up to take it until I elected Hinkson to take it instead, this turned out to be the greatest mistake of the save so far as he struck it straight at the keeper. The confidence disappeared, no end product, a sore lesson in superstition.

MATCHDAY 34



Curtain closer failed to deliver thrills nor spills, but a positive way to cap off the first season. Hinkson firing on all cylinders again taking his final goal tally to 23 with a fumbled gift from Godolphin's keeper Lewis Clark. In fairness he redeemed himself with excellent stops to deny Hinkson and Pierce from extending the advantage. The high xG was just about ratioed in the end when Rhodri John scored his only goal of his loan spell to double the spoils...yes, it was his only goal. Burned again.



It also left a sour end to proceedings with Wilson needing most of the summer break to recover from injury. Timing couldn't be more perfect.

SOUTH WEST PENINSULA LEAGUE CUP

THIRD ROUND



I've never been more disappointed at a performance at Penzance up to this point. Good God, this was infuriating to watch. Whatever about going 2-0 down in the opening ten minutes through criminal defending, we could at least find time to fight back with Hinkson and get into half time with a fresher, more switched on approach to the second half. Not a chance. This lad Rhys Tucker paraded around Penlee Park like his own back garden with some of the worst displays of defending I've witnessed (and I've watched United this season). Trailing by three defending was no longer a concern, we had to splurge on direct attacks and to our credit responded quickly...until we shat the bed again, lethargically giving Brixham a penalty ruin our chances. Chris Reski's baptism of fire debut clawed some dignity back before Matt Ward left things on a knife edge 5-4 scoreline. Disappointingly we failed to complete an unthinkable comeback to knock us out of the cup. I could honestly scream.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



2022 greeted us like a slap from a wet fish, failing to get the better of Launceston & Bodmin. The Bodmin defeat really injected character into the camp with much improved league outings with clean sheets to bag away at St. Austell and St. Blazey, some might say it was a 'holy epiphany'.

February was the month of Rickson Hinkson; 9 goals in 5 games, the lad trailblazed us to a perfect green month. Newquay, Sticker, Liskeard, Callington and Wendron all falling to the wayside. The signing of experienced Chris Reski doubling up as player/assman has proven sensational too, showing how dangerous we are now going forward.

March followed the same theme, stretching our winning streak in the league to nine as Dobwalls & Porthleven bent the knee to our superiority. Suddenly we looked like a team on an unthinkable mission to gatecrash the title race. But with Newton's third law simplified "what goes up, must eventually come back down". Face down in the mud. St. Dennis shocked us all to deny our consecutive win tally breaching double figures and put the damp finger on our candlewick. Falmouth also piled on afterwards.

April turned out to be a dead rubber run in, however the defeats did us the world of good to take the pressure off and replenish our winning lust. Although the goals dried up for Hinkson, others began to contribute with six different scorers in another perfect 100% month. Narrower scorelines against Penryn, Camelford, Wadebridge and Godolphin but were in cruise control for the majority. Credit to our defence not shipping a single goal in the process.

FINAL LEAGUE TABLE



I'm not going to lie, subconsciously I felt we could've gone toe to toe with Bodmin for the title. Fourth position is definitely a sign of overachievement and heading in the right direction. Bodmin ended up running away as champions towards the end as Falmouth's early pace had them running out of steam. Feels somewhat ironic that Launceston who also offered me their managerial post ended up snatching third from us, but thats football I guess. Overall a good first spell, we go again next season.

@tongey - I'd rather Glenn setting down cones than having him run! Thanks again bud, glad you're enjoying the writing style.

@bigmattb28 - I did consider that, however it might make things more interesting and build a portfolio before stepping to Level 9. Thanks for the feedback!

@Skinner_ - Well they're known for pirates but nicknamed the Magpies if you read the description!



TRANSFERS

OUT













To the surprise of nobody, lower league clubs can easily get cleaned out of players on amateur level contracts. Our two starting centre backs Newman & Price were the bigger losses. Ashby & Radcliffe's departures left us without a midfield spinal cord and on top of that divisional rivals. Nicky Scott was a second choice forward so no great loss, while Rowlands caused a right stink due to the lack of gametime so I happily waved him off to Axminister.

IN



Fear not as reinforcements arrived despite the absence of a scouting network, but trusted myself to bring them in on face value or how they performed against us.

Kurtney Austrie - M(C)/AM(C) - free transfer from Dobwalls



Signed moments after our battle with Dobwalls in the league, I was highly impressed with his midfield movement and getting the ball forward. Strong bravery decent flair to help in attacking phases. Eligible for Dominica too, perhaps a call up in the wings if he improves?

Matt Ward - M(C)/AM(C) - free agent



A signing sealed with a chef's kiss. Very exciting prospect who'll undoubtedly give us an elevated creative dimension to our game. Technically very well rounded, excellent mental stats all round for his age at this level. I do fear this will be a short term signing as I'd be shocked if larger stature clubs don't sniff around this season or next.

Tom Potts - D(C)/D(L) - free transfer from St. Blazey



I know nothing jumps off the screen and the fans hammered me on social media for what on paper looks a shambles, but hear me out. With no centre backs I had to rush somebody in, a tall figure with leadership qualities to take the position by the scruff of the neck. Nothing fancy, no bells no whistles, just your average lank to win direct and route one aerials. Tom Potts to me seems like the answer.

Abu Bah - D(LC) - free transfer from St. Dennis



Tit for tat in poaching a player from St. Dennis, another left sided centre back with similar properties as Potts. Slightly better tackling, marking and even heading but will be responsible as the second line behind him if all goes wrong. If lower league football has taught me anything, they'll always float one long so to have two capable CBs to extinguish any long ball threats. Lack of pace does concern me.

Bradley Coutts - D(C) - free transfer from Liskeard Athletic



But if all else fails, we have a third option at centre back who is also tall but physically and technically more potent who can actually play on his right foot. That's our centre back issue sorted, right? RIGHT?



Not quite. My smooth brained self overlooked a basic pitfall. I can already hear the Curb Your Enthusiasm theme tune.

SOUTH WEST PENINSULA LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION WEST

KEY GAMES

MATCHDAY 4



Polar opposite form guides as Camelford came in with a 100% record to our three defeats so we knew the odds were stacked against us. That said we started with confidence and applied early pressure to their goal, Hinkson coming closest with a low shot inches from breaking skin. Cardoso's screamer from the edge of the box undid our solid work to which we caved in ourselves, Alistair Allen doubling the lead towards the end of the half. A fresh perspective failed to turn the tide, Hinkson missed a glorious one on one and conceded a penalty moments after for a third. The ill-disciplined affair wasn't over when Camelford gave away their own penalty to which Euan Liddell made no mistake. The visitors began to crumble as the third pen of the afternoon fell our way again, Scott's spot kick was saved but thankfully Hinkson sunk the rebound. Too little too late, falling to a horrible fourth defeat on the bounce.

MATCHDAY 8



With form making a massive U-turn, so did taking massive scalps. I'll admit we were blessed that Reuben Collum's rash red card 50 seconds in left Bodmin extremely rattled and vulnerable, but to take full control of the match without a whisper from the home fans was testament to how well we handled the circumstances. Nothing went right for the overwhelming favourites when they sacrificed a clumsy penalty with Austrie stabbing home. While there were few clear cut chances created, it was all worthwhile when substitute Dave Austin unleashed one of the goals of the season, a goal that would go viral on social media. A stunning goal to cap off a stunning victory.



Without question. (Thanks SI for removing the export highlight feature, I'll have to look into screen capturing).

MATCHDAY 11





Don't you just love a last minute winner? League leaders Falmouth only lost once before bursting onto the scene, Kurtney Austrie kept up his strong penalty record after a handball in the box. Harry Pierce somehow couldn't double our lead with his header from three yards denied by the crossbar. Falmouth's pressure would eventually pay off as Andre Whiteman headed in from an inswinging free kick. It only spurred us on to dust ourselves off and fight back, Hinkson latched onto Ward's through ball and beat the offside trap to restore our advantage. The home side delivered another wave of pressure and despite having a goal chalked off for offside, another set piece caught us out with their top scorer Brian Kizza heading in with keeper completely out of position. Settling for a draw would be nice, but retaliating quickly for all three points tasted all the sweeter; straight down the other end with 16 year old midfielder Chris Tyler etching his name in the Penzance record books. Another fantastic win on the road.

MATCHDAY 17



Ended the calendar year strongly with a tight win at home to Godolphin Atlantic. Rickson Hinkson started getting more comfortable in front of goal to coolly finish under their keeper in a 1v1, however should have finished more as the game progressed. The visitors were no slouches and Glenn Davies saved us with vital fingertips onto the post from a free kick and save our skin from an equaliser. Instead we made use of the momentum to fire into a two goal lead, Hinkson doing the hard work to set up Matt Ward at the near post for his first Penzance goal. Praise suddenly turned to criticism when Davies ended up spilling the ball to Godolphin who fought back to 2-1. Thankfully it was in vain even with another effort denied by the crossbar, we saw the match out with points intact.

FA VASE

FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND





Drawn to a side in the SWPL East equivalent, Ivybridge didn't have too far to travel (86 miles) to Penlee Park but sadly they weren't arriving for a memorable game. Scrappy game, keepers rarely threatened. The goal however was met with excellent technique, Hinkson deftly catching a long through ball off his boot on the volley before the keeper rushed out, off the underside of the bar and in. Second qualifying round locked in.

SECOND QUALIFYING ROUND





While we outfoxed them in the league, penalties were our foe as Falmouth advanced to the next round. Pinned down in the first half, we looked helpless with Glenn Davies being our saviour until Bastick deflated us heading into half time. That was until a bolt from the blue as Harry Pierce smashed home a cross from the edge of the box to leave Falmouth on unsteady legs. Typical us we have a habit of giving away soft penalties and with 20 minutes left Falmouth converted to nudge back ahead. On comes debutant Kurtney Austrie for his first whack in a Penzance shirt and made immediate impact with a lovely weighted pass and a fine finish from Hinkson to boot, ensuring a penalty shootout. Hinkson may have goalscoring abilities but his penalty was left bouncing in the car park. On the cusp of heading out Glenn Davies saved Troy French's effort to take the shootout to sudden death, however when it got to the stages of defenders taking spot kicks - it was inevitable Euan Liddell's confidence was low, gave away the penalty and failed to put away his own to crash out.

SOUTH WEST PENINSULA LEAGUE CUP

FIRST ROUND





Attention turns to the SWP League Cup and overcame the first hurdle away to St. Austell, having lost to them in the league revenge was on the cards. Much like the Ivybridge game it was far from a classic, the odd half chance here and there with mostly pot shots forcing keepers into routine saves. The difference was supplied by Brad Prior's curling free kick from the edge of the box, evading Austell's keeper and sending us forward to the second round.

SECOND ROUND





Job done in the second round courtesy of two late goals. Largely in control we struggled to break the door down, Harry Pierce came closest twice but failed to nail the target. With time dissipating we knew it would only take one mistake to unbalance Liskeard's rearguard, and on cue their goalkeeper fluffed a routine aerial catch falling to the feet of Dave Austin whose effort ricocheted off Hinkson who cheekily took the credit. The domino effect took place and Brad Prior's daisy cutter put our minds at ease. Rare chance of silverware first season?

THIRD ROUND DRAW



Fate is in hands of Brixham from the Eastern division.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



So the save didn't start as anticipated with a trio of defeats in August and quite convincing ones at that, showing little fight in the Newquay, St. Austell and Porthleven games. It was clear that controlling possession in a 4-2-3-1 formation wasn't going to cut it.

Fresh perspective come September; despite losing to Camelford our 'width spreader' philosophy we knew we were onto something, using the pace of our wide players to stretch the opposition and open up the subsequent central areas as buffers. Although it was a penalty that sealed the Dobwalls game, Penryn, Callington and of course Bodmin* fell in the same manner once October hit. The four game winning streak was abruptly ended in shameful circumstances by winless Wendron before concluding the month drawing blanks to Launceston.

November started seeing the best of us; two injury time winners to sink Falmouth and St. Dennis, comfortably seeing off Liskeard betwixt the league cup affair taking us to four straight wins, until St. Blazey quite literally sent us up in flames with a poor home display.

Our players obviously stressed about Christmas shopping during December as we completely took our eye off the ball in the league, having to fight from 2-0 down to rescue a draw with a team named Sticker - which is a new low even for me. Complacency consumed us in the Wadebridge game, switching off in the 88th minute after looking comfortable to drop two more points. The Godolphin win added much needed sheen to leave the year behind on a high.

LEAGUE TABLE



Falmouth setting a strong pace to give them a headstart over a hiccupping Bodmin Town who as odds on favourites should have trailblazed the league at this stage. We're well out of reach of going up this year, fourteen points to make up doesn't seem feasible unless we have a monstrous 2022. Cup run may have to be the focus.

Haha never in doubt, as I predicted!

Haha at least I get some credit! Cracking job so far, should achieve success with Shakhter for sure!

SEASON EXPECTATIONS:





Understandably the chairperson doesn't consider me a miracle worker given my skillsets, or lack thereof. Going in blind on basing off the bookiematics, mid to top half finish is well within our sights. Would it be fair to say we have no chance in challenging Bodmin Town, one of only a handful of sides who can offer wage packages to former forgotten football leaguers? FA Vase I'm hoping can rake in a bit of dough, if all else fails the South West Peninsula League Cup might be the only way to go.

SQUAD:



With the lack of an assistant manager, I've to go purely on instinctive evaluations of what level this squad is like compared to others. Spoilers, they're not the most gifted bunch I've inherited. With help of the key player widget on the club overview, I can narrow it down to our goalkeeper.

KEY PLAYER: Glenn Davies (GK)



Tall presence to win the aerial battles from corners, relatively agile and solid on the reflexes, there are certainly a lot worse players I could pick from. Let's just say I wouldn't favour him in a sprint race - would rather him staying well inside the six yard box.

SCHEDULE:



First few fixtures on paper seem like winnable games however tactics will be tested, tweaked, establishing our best XI - we can consider them throwaways. End of October into November will likely be our rough patch with away trips to Bodmin & Falmouth either side of a home fixture to Launceston (the team I turned down). Not sure what to expect if this experiment will be a success or a complete dud.

By tongey 19 December 2021 - 13:55 PM UTC

Absolutely insane challenge ahead! Love reading your stories, and they inspire me massively! Let's get on with it!!

Cheers bud, hopefully it can take off the ground like my previous story!

The First Job:

Offers:

Two offers on the table to consider, one's expectations greater than the other yet tendered with the same odds by the bookies. Both at amateur level with squads lacking senior numbers, although that is to be regular at this level. A lot to ponder heading into the first season.

First post has been updated. First update soon to come!

Almost five years to the day I began the ambitious journey known as ‘Climbing Jacob’s Ladder (Part Deux) in attempts to work my way through the lowest and most obscure Europe nations all the way to the greatest of great powers. Over half a century of thrills & spills, glories & relegations, cinderella stories and ravenous rivalries til the very end. While it has been one of my most successive and engaging stories I’ve produced for Sortitoutsi, there were times where the story became exhaustive and content grew stale – we would have never envisaged the world as it is now in 2021. As time progresses, we long for something newer, fresher and more inticing.

The third chapter is set to be written.

You can read through my previous Climbing Jacob’s Ladder (Part Deux) here: https://sortitoutsi.net/content/30294/climbing-jacobs-ladder-part-deux

Just as the British Empire conquered the four corners of the world, I attempt to conquer the English pyramid with my depleted skillset, rising through the ranks from grassroots to moneyballing across ten tiers, fifty-two divisions, fourty-eight ceremonial counties.

What’s on offer?

TIER 1:

Premier League

TIER 2:

EFL Championship

TIER 3:

EFL League One

TIER 4:

EFL League Two

TIER 5 (Non-league Step 1):

Vanarama National League

TIER 6 (Non-league Step 2):

Vanarama National League North
Vanarama National League South


TIER 7 (Non-league Step 3):

Northern Premier League Premier Division
Southern League Central Division
Southern League South Division
Isthmian League Premier Division


TIER 8 (Non-league Step 4):

Northern Premier League Division One East
Northern Premier League Division One Midlands
Northern Premier League Division One West
Southern League Division One Central
Southern League Division One South
Isthmian League Division One South Central
Isthmian League Division One North
Isthmian League Division One South East


TIER 9 (Non-league Step 5):

Combined Counties League Premier Division North
Combined Counties League Premier Division South
Eastern Counties League Premier Division
Essex Senior League
Hellenic League Premier Division
Midland League Premier Division
North West Counties League Premier Division
Northern Counties East League Premier Division
Northern League Division One
Southern Combination League Premier Division
Southern Counties East League Premier Division
Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division
United Counties League Premier Division North
United Counties League Premier Division South
Wessex League Premier Division
Western League Premier Division

TIER 10: (Non-league Step 6)

Combined Counties League Division One
Eastern Counties League Division One North
Eastern Counties League Division One South
Hellenic League Division One
Midland League Division One
North West Counties League Division One North
North West Counties League Division One South
Northern Counties East League Division One
Northern League Division Two
South West Peninsula League Premier Division East
South West Peninsula League Premier Division West
Southern Combination League Division One
Southern Counties East League Division One
Spartan South Midlands League Division One
United Counties League Division One
Wessex League Division One
Western League Division One

DOMESTIC CUPS (National):

FA Cup
EFL Cup
Community Shield
FA Trophy
FA Vase

DOMESTIC CUPS (Regional):

Isthmian League Cup
Northern Premier League Challenge Cup
Southern League Cup
Combined Counties League Cup
Eastern Counties League Cup
Essex Senior League Cup
Hellenic League Cup
Midland League Cup
North West Counties League Cup
Northern Counties East League Cup
Northern League Cup
Southern Combination League Cup
Southern Counties East League Cup
Spartan South Midlands League Cup
United Counties League Cup
Wessex League Cup
Western League Cup
South West Peninsula League Cup

Ceremonial Counties List:

Bedfordshire
Berkshire
Bristol
Buckinghamshire
Cambridgeshire
Cheshire
City of London
Cornwall
Cumbria
Derbyshire
Devon
Dorset
County Durham
East Riding of Yorkshire
East Sussex
Essex
Gloucestershire
Greater London
Greater Manchester
Hampshire
Herefordshire
Hertfordshire
Isle of Wight
Kent
Lancashire
Leicestershire
Lincolnshire
Merseyside
Norfolk
North Yorkshire
Northamptonshire
Northumberland
Nottinghamshire
Oxfordshire
Rutland
Shropshire
Somerset
South Yorkshire
Staffordshire
Suffolk
Surrey
Tyne and Wear
Warwickshire
West Midlands
West Sussex
West Yorkshire
Wiltshire
Worcestershire
Isle of Man *
Channel Islands (Guernsey, Jersey) *

* - not official ceremonial counties but have clubs within the English domestic football league pyramid.

Rules for this challenge:

- Must start at a club in the tenth tier of English pyramid.

- You cannot manage in the next tier until a minimum of half the leagues (or subsequent county cups available) have been won (e.g. you must win 10 out of 20 leagues in tier 10 before proceeding to tier 9).

- Must win an honour with a club located in each ceremonial county (including Isle of Man, Channel Islands).

- All national domestic cups must be won at least once in the career (FA Cup, EFL Cup, Community Shield, EFL Trophy, FA Trophy, FA Vase).

- Regional domestic cups are optional but qualify as an honour to move up to next tier.

- Can only move to a club located in the same county as current club or in a county that shares a border (exceptions to this are Isle of Man, Channel Islands).

- Cannot manage a team listed as preseason favourites.


This will be an insanely difficult challenge to complete, but is one I’m willing to pursue for years to come. There’ll no doubt be major obstacles to overcome.

Credits must go to ‘lionel messi’ from the SI forums who put in an amazing amount of effort into providing this Level 10 database for said challenge.

Make sure you support him here where you’ll also find the download of the database: https://community.sigames.com/forums/topic/559279-fm22-england-down-to-level-10-now-available-for-download/


So, let’s start at the beginning shall we?

A team full of either semi-pros who had trials at West Ham (supposedly), or in most cases amateurs rounded up from the local five-a-side astroturfs. Training under the floodflights on cold Tuesday nights.

The piss soaked, delapatated away dressing rooms full of broken tiles and no hot water for the showers.

The deluged, mudbathed or rock-hard frozen pitches during the winter periods.

The season ticket holders and the local characters, knowing each on a first name basis; travelling to each outing with their soft caps full of pinned crests, a can of Carlsberg in one hand, a lukewarm steak & kidney pie in the other shouting “you’re f***** s***” when the opposition lump a ball into the car park.

The unbelievable sitters squandered, the outrageous screamers, the crunching slide tackles, the two footers, the half time Jaffa cakes.

We wouldn’t have it any other way. Never forget where you came from.

This is the final chapter of Climbing Jacob’s Ladder.

Sounds like a rebuilding job for next season, hoping next season goes well for you!

I think he's done enough to earn a new contract now. Love that getting a last gasp winner to seal the league! Congrats on conquering Somalia!

KEY GAMES

UMAGLESI LIGA

MATCHDAY 24



Weathered a monsoon against runaway leaders Zugdidi whose gameplan simply consisted of kicking lumps out of the opposition. Three injuries didn’t stop us from frustrating the visitors, although being the home side you’re expected not to get completely outweighed in the amount of shots. Spoilers, it was just long shot fodder.




Sure the injuries may have been self-inflicted but I still blame Zugdidi.

MATCHDAY 26




Nice to see my Dinamo Tbilisi understudy already made a meal of his tenure, sacked after just 77 days in charge. Clear to see why for their defensive organisation for the first goal, almost inviting 19 year old hot prospect Beka Melikidze to score his first senior goal. Onopko’s deflected effort from range killed any hope of reprisal and a horrendous cross field ball from the back paved way for Tkachenko. Sadistic pleasure to a former team.

MATCHDAY 29



Lifeline in our bid for European qualification. A tremendous first half perhaps overshadowed by a sloppy flipside but with the goalscoring form Yury Orlov has been in, it was almost inevitable. A stonewall pen, a quick counter attack and an unfortunate own goal were on the menu for us, reeling Chikhura back into our field of vision with games in hand.

DAVIT KIPRIANI CUP

THIRD ROUND



Took a long time breaking down the door of our brave opponents Sulori from the second tier but the floodgates opened heading into the final quarter. Volodymyr Kovtun beat the keeper to head into an empty net before Zhdanov polished it off with a brace.

QUARTER FINAL



A late header from Dopilka deservedly nodded us into the semi finals to right the wrongs of Algeti’s harsh penalty. In fact every goal originated from a set piece, Denis Zhdanov curled in a sumptuous free kick only until the ref left his glasses in the dressing room to award Algeti a ridiculously soft penalty. Mattered not with Dopilka’s towering header to finish on a high.

SEMI FINAL



A painful experience to reach another cup final, second tier hopefuls Samegrelo made it very difficult for us. 37 shots, 18 on target, Samegrelo’s number one gets injured after 22 minutes and SOMEHOW we get dragged into the trenches of extra time. Zhdanov decisively managed to slip behind the Samegrelo defence and finish past their courageous backup keeper.

FINAL DRAW



If the semi final was anything to go by, I can only predict this final going one way. Zugdidi are in flying form and easily the pre-bookie favourites.



UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE

GROUP E

MATCHDAY 1



Respectable start to the Europa League group stages with Joseph Nlend taking centre stage. The villain becometh a redeemed hero; conceding a penalty in the first 15 minutes but heading in from a corner moments into the second half. Both sides had decent spells of pressure, Zhdanov nearly pulling out a winner but an equal result was the right outcome.

MATCHDAY 2



Ah Besiktas, I never missed you while you were gone. Their counter attacking style absolutely perforated us to the point where it could’ve become a cricket score. Down and out in 35 minutes with Matheus, Sevindir & Klyukin all scoring similar one on one style finishes to devastating effect. Khachidze in goal stopped it from getting worse and did have a shot of reducing the damage but Tkachenko ballooned a clear effort over.

MATCHDAY 3



I hate to admit it guys, but I don't think we're going through. Yet another glaring gulf in quality with the French side dominating throughout. Tactics or style didn't even come into the equation, we were just bad overall. Looked extremely shaky from crosses where the first and third goals came from, the second was just poor marking and a soft finish. Despite our four shots, two of them were clear cut with Gaga Tsulaia and Nikita Volodin working the keeper to an extent. Don't think I expected any more to be honest.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



Taking the cup victories away, September wasn't the greatest month domestically. Scalped a draw with Chikhura in a game we really should have lost, the visitors missing a penalty. Galkin our saviour before his long term injury. The tale of the Europa League hangover influenced an unwelcoming gutless 2-0 defeat to former club Batumi.

October marginally improved but the draws are hurting our progress. An end to end affair with Dila, pressure ebbing and flowing between the two sides with Kovtun rescuing a point. The return fixture didn't go to plan three days after our triumphant 3-0 win over now managerless Dinamo Tbilisi, shooting ourselves in both feet and needing a defensive error from former signing Alan Kovalenko to gift us a late equaliser. Following the Saint Etienne defeat we drew yet another league game, this time to Martvili - both sides failing to make an impact.

Steadies the boat heading into the last portion of the season but league form is so disjointed at present, plenty of goals but plenty of frailties at the back. Cup run has been the only major plus reaching the final and the Europa League group stage form is, well, as expected for a club of our stature.

LEAGUE TABLE



While at face value it looks like a mountain to climb, fourth is still in reach especially after the crucial 3-2 win over Chikhura. Factoring in our three games in hand and Chikhura's wobbly form, it is entirely possible to scrape into Europe should the cup final end in disaster. Zugdidi are coasting to success while my two former clubs are poised for a double relegation.

@HockeyBhoy - Thanks bud, I really need to catch up on your story too! My time has been scarce lately.

@Shedender - Should definitely get back into the story writing, your saves are always fun to read.





TRANSFERS


IN





Wasted no time to grab two newcomers under my wing before the window shut. One focused on improving our central core of defence, while the other is a plan B option should we mix things up and go full 'tactical tinkerer'. Both building our Ukrainian contingency.





Volodymyr Kovtun - D(C) - unattached free agent


Packing a pile of experience in the Ukrainian second tier, this sturdy centre back fills me with a lot of assuredness with his 91kg build and 15 jumping reach in the aim to win aerial battles. Physically well capable, mentally not too bad and has all the defensive technical tools at a respectable 12 each. Entering into this final primal years will no doubt create a beautiful partnership with either Nlend or Dopilka.





Andrey Martynov - M(R)/AM(R) - 4 month loan from Zorya


Rudimentary young winger to add some depth to the width. Although we're going for a 4-3-3 formation, having a few wingers to change the shape of the team can come in handy. Not expecting immediate fireworks from Andrey if I'm perfectly honest but its a low risk move to experiment with. Not bad on the set pieces either to perhaps punt in a late free kick.


UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE


THIRD QUALIFYING ROUND






Delirium in the stands as Tskhinvali stun the Romanians FCSB with a last gasp injury time strike! If our keeper retracted his mare of a performance in the first leg, we’d have sat comfortably on an away win in Bucharest. Two cataclysmic mistakes in two minutes relieved us of our advantage via Volodin's first half penalty. The cool headed Russian fought back with poacher instincts to wrap up the match at 2-2 heading into a tightly poised second leg.


Keeper certainly redeemed himself with a rock solid display for the home tie, making some key stops to maintain our status on aggregate. Chirilă decided to rain on the parade with a neat finish from a set play and leaving us to scramble for a goal. When hope was lost, the substitute striker Giorgi Janadze answered our prayers to stab home the decisive goal and send the Romanians packing.


PLAYOFF DRAW





To the land of waffles next, some might say a Standard Champions League draw for Liège. All whom stand between us and the group stages.





Lightning didn’t strike twice and were well beaten by the superior Belgians. Fairly competitive only trailing 2-0 by the 79th minute, however a late goal glut shifted the paradigm of the tie from close fought to a drubbing, despite an away goal scored by Onopko for pity’s sakes.

The damage couldn’t be undone in the second leg, yet again conceding three in quick succession to one another and all three coming from Standard counters. Denis Zhandov’s deflected free kick rattled their second half confidence, Volodin reducing the arrears to 3-2 and on the cusp of 3-3 with Anchabadze missing an open header from a corner.

Gracious in defeat, now let's bring on the Europa League group stage draw.

GROUP STAGE DRAW



UMAGLESI LIGA

MATCHDAY 19





Well…quite the way of introducing yourself domestically in a 4-1 drubbing. Rubbish throughout, Dila had us on toast on the short and narrow square pitch of ours. Every time they bobbed forward they looked like scoring, racking up nearly 30 shots on goal. Five without a win and lot of issues to iron out.

MATCHDAY 20





Things however improved with a bittersweet narrow win over Martvili. Baffling how we only came away with a single goal, end product lacked conviction apart from Volodin’s lovely drilled strike from the edge of the box. Visitors nearly smashed and grabbed us twice to our relief their finishing was as sharp as a butter knife.

MATCHDAY 21



Came from behind against brave Algeti who nearly put us in the ground, that was until Tsulaia’s equaliser to put their stem out. Business as usual in the second half with our strikers Tkachenko and Zhdanov getting on board and breaking us out of the funk we’ve been in.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



Encouraging opening month and a bit, domestically settling in and smeared the underdog status in Europe to advance to the Europa League group stages.
I do fear the Europa League will be an unneeded distraction but with money at stake its a good incentive.

LEAGUE TABLE



Another reason we might push on in Europe, chances of qualifying next season are looking bleak even with a game in hand. Suppose dangling six points above safety is the other side of the coin, however I don’t forecast it happening. If we do, I’ll end this save immediately.

Hello fellow gamers, long time no chat eh? Let me take this opportunity to apologise for the lack of updates in regards to my story, I know some still follow it religiously or sit down to read it with a morning cup of coffee.

The truth is 2020 really did a number on me with my focus mainly being on my working career over my managerial career. I've not been as active on Football Manager over the last couple of months. Furthermore with my mental health being in complete limbo during these endless lockdowns, lack of energy and inspirations, I've been in a state of writer's block for quite a while. Almost to the point where the story is losing interest, going stale and even on it's deathbed.

To clarify, the story is not dead - not by a long shot.

With an extended break over the Christmas period, I've been working on updates in the background and will be shortly gush with new posts over the coming days. Lots of exciting new revelations and plot twists will be on the horizon (as much as a soap opera can bring...). Although progress has been glacial, I will not give up my dedication to keep you all entertained for what it's been worth.

Keep your eyes peeled for a new post in the next few days. Sorry to keep you all waiting.

Much love.

FM ERA





With their depressing outlook and financial woes on the field, their Football Manager credentials sure are a sight for sore eyes. Not only have they secured silverware, they’ve been crowned league champions twice in 2061 and 2065, both by a four point margin over Torpedo Kutaisi and Dinamo Batumi respectively. A surprise to many they also shocked the world with a Davit Kipriani cup back in 2023, outsmarting Dinamo Tbilisi in the final. Forty years later they reached a second cup final, cruelly penalised in a shootout defeat to Batumi following a 1-1 draw. This season also saw their first time lifting the Georgian super cup against...you guessed it, my previous club. These are exciting times ahead for Tskhinvali and will hope to bring them to further glory and once and for all cross Georgia off the list for good!

Money doesn't look to bad either!

CURRENT SEASON



Truthfully speaking, they've no better consistency than us this season (minus the six straight losses) but with stronger front three in scoring goals from Sergey Tkachenko, Denis Zhdanov and Nikita Volodin. I'm surprised the job became vacant even if they are the league champions, predictions estimated it was unlikely to repeat it and their set of results haven't been as awful as ours. Mind you lately they've dipped sharply, chipping six unanswered goals to Zugdidi and Lokomotivi Tbilisi respectively. The Champions League aspect was too tempting to reject, comfortably breezing past Tre Penne to advance to 3QR and one step closer to guaranteed group stages with a tie against FCSB (Steaua Bucharest).

SQUAD



Without question the squad is offensively and creatively manufactured with the exception of a hotly tipped left back and DC/MC hybrid. Upgrades to defense are at the top of my shopping list once the end of the season rolls around without upsetting the chemistry of whats already available to us. Even better news is our top centre back withdrew his transfer request, failing to attract offers from larger clubs so all carte blanche onwards. Lots of players in their primal ages of mid twenties/early thirties while simultaneously having young players with aspiring potential coming through.

KEY PLAYER - Maxym Onopko - M(C)



Not long in the door from Dnipro Footballing Academy, this Ukrainian playmaker could be the hub to make our attacking threat irresistible. Ignore his shady recent form, its my opportunity to get the best out of him and immediately tinkered with the idea of molding him into a roaming playmaker - which believe me at this level is extremely rare to find any player with that role listed in some shade of green. Passing and dribbling need the greatest attention, unleashing his already solid vision & decision making to pick out a through ball to our three cavaliers. Fun challenge to work with.

SEASON EXPECTATIONS



Champions League expectation already ticked, securing mid table should be no issue (then again this league is notoriously hard to predict) and although I've won the Davit Kipriani cup already, quarter finals is totally realistic. Also note that transfer budget may skyrocket should we progress to the next qualifying round in Europe and deliver that hard earned UEFA mint. Let's begin shall we?

KEY GAMES

UMAGLESI LIGA

MATCHDAY 10



This was some top tier shithousery from Chikhura. Far too casual of an approach both offensively and defensively; going forward Khvadagiani, Dmitriev and Svanadze all missed sitters while having the game by the balls. Catastrophic errors at the back lead to our downfall, failing to track the run of Marchenko at the near post from a low cross, while the second goal was just too shameful to describe - long story short Marchenko won't score an easier goal than what was presented to him. Seldom I get vexed during FM, but was close to having projectiles thrown across the room.

MATCHDAY 13



AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. Zugdidi I despise you with a burning passion. Takes something special to crack a team so organised, but Evgeny Kazakov's exceptional free kick from nearly 30 yards could have been the redemption we craved. Nah mate. Back came the unbeaten leaders with ferocity, Romanian pairing Stoica & Puiu broke our spirits before half time. No fight at all thereafter, Zugdidi controlled it until the last kick and nearly adding more weight on the victory.

MATCHDAY 14




Following the bludgeoning 6-1 win a month ago, Loko were out for revenge and couldn't have picked a more timely moment to embarrass us. Easily our worst performance as Dinamo manager, 17 shots on goal - ONE ON TARGET, a goal that came from 25 yards. Zero concentration lead to early goals at the start of either half, while we left the Loko keeper's top completely spotless apart from Berkyta's effort which earned a ripple of applause from those who stayed and watched this dross. Fumin'.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



May is blood red, knee deep in the mud. The sloppy Chikhura game got a rise out of us for the next match away to Tskhinvali, Khvadagiani on hand to come from behind twice but sadly losing overall 4-2. Minor history was made against Batumi in which Shota Svanidze, a 16 year old prospect came on to become our record youngest goalscorer - oversighted considering it was a mere consolation in defeat to Batumi. Two of the same scoreline came along and ended the month as hollow shells, Dila completely tormenting us in a match where 3-1 was fairly kind on us. Absolutely nothing going right, but thankfully a month break might reinvigorate us.

LEAGUE TABLE



European ambitions well and truly in the toilet, hovering now just two points above safety with our Tbilisi rivals on our heels. Not even in the same stratosphere as Zugdidi, barely a threat to the top four - everything has turned to shit.

...or has it?



Nation: Georgia
Media Prediction (Odds): 6th/10 (19-1)
Current Position: 6th
Expectations: Top half finish
Pros: Current league holders. Still competing in the UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds. Nearly £3m in the coffers. Ideal squad options to facilitate a 4-3-3 system. Budgets plentiful to upgrade players in the future. Favourite to take over.
Cons: Underperforming. One win in their last seven league games. Best centre back handed in transfer request.

RESULT:

KEY GAMES

UMAGLESI LIGA

MATCHDAY 2



Mugged off the league champions in the most satisfying manner as one of our former gopniks laid it on a plate for our victory. Selling Yakovlev both benefited us financially and penalised Tskhinvali with a sloppy mistake to Dmitriev who squared it to Khvadagiani for a simple tap in. The favourites were close to drawing if not for a fingertip save onto the post by Kupreishvili to preserve an important win. Best £83k return I've ever made.

MATCHDAY 4



If there's one side I'd abolish from this league, it's this Zugdidi crowd. Their direct style truly too much for our backline to handle, going one down on a counter with Puiu getting in behind and crossed to the unmarked Kakashvili. Despite going down to ten men following a second caution to Ilja Ustinov, our luck did not improve and another floated ball beyond the rearguard allowed the same man to hammer in a second from the edge of the box. Kakashvili for Zugdidi, while our finishing can only be described as proper kaka (and no, I'm not referring to the Brazilian).

MATCHDAY 5



Tbilisi is blue. Our Lokomotiv opponents were anything but locomotive - in fact the train broke down entirely in the first half. The three pronged attack worked wonders; Ngah, Dmitriev and Nazarov all sealing braces past a weary looking Loko defence who we manhandled all game. The reds retrieved a shred of dignity with Marseille loanee Chijioke charitably getting one back but it could've gotten uglier than this if it weren't for certain injuries.




Yes, "certain injuries" indeed. Two massive blows overshadowing an otherwise delightful derby day display.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



Two months of ups and downs with no inbetween. Our opening day started well against Chikhura, but finished in a second half capitulation with three second half goals erasing Dmitriev's debut league goal. Things did improve with back to back wins, the Tskhinvali 1-0 and defeating my former nightmare Batumi 2-0 (hiding the fact we missed two penalties in this one).

April started with that cumbersome Zugdidi display juxtaposed with the demolition of Lokomotivi Tbilisi a week later. Then the aforementioned 'certain injuries' crippled our progress, slumming to consecutive single goal defeats to Dila and Torpedo Kutaisi respectively, both of which we'd have taken something from with a fit and inform Guy Ngah.

At least we crested the wave as April concluded; held onto a Dmitriev penalty win over Martvili and just about overcame the brave newcomers Algeti with Khvadagiani's double and centre back Sukhiashvili restoring our advantage.

LEAGUE TABLE



On glancing at the league table perhaps the Zugdidi result doesn't look as drab as first thought, they're breezing to a five point lead over Torpedo Kutaisi in second and eight ahead of us in third. Four defeats in nine games is a bit of a black mark on our season already, however if we gain some forward momentum and consistency next month we may even nibble away at Zugdidi's lead. Can't help but feel bad for Martvili being left behind at the bottom of the league.

@HockeyBhoy - Thanks man high praise, I need to catch up on your story too!

___________________________________________



TRANSFERS

OUT



Turning in a nice bit of net profit with two sales and releasing two players who didn't fit our wage bill. Yury Yakovlev gathered dust as our third/fourth choice CB who complained about first team football, Tskhinvali decided that was good enough to shell out nearly £100k for him. Nadiradze was under the microscope for Swiss side Lugano who we negotiated some very profitable add-ons to nearly £160k, given that he's a right winger in a 4-3-3, square pegs in round holes - easy decision. Also helped fund our ins for the season.

IN



Defensively focused window, making up two of our five new signings - the others being two playmakers and a striker. And now you're probably asking yourself "did this guy pass GCSE mathematics? I see six signings?".

Well...




Farcical. Rostov's problem now.



Alan Kovalenko - D(R) - £13k from Lokomotiv Moscow

Anticipating the impending Zaalishvili transfer saga, refusing to lock in a new contract and making intentions clear of leaving in the very near future, this guy however was the best alternative. Slightly more technical than Zaa, physically on par with a bit more natural fitness. Mentally a bit raw to get to the same level but the 23 year old has ample time to improve. Better crosser on the overlap which might be the key difference. Bargain price despite taking a sizable chunk of the wage.



Dmytro Berkyta - M(C) - £6.75k from Sioni

A player I had my eye on when stationed at Martvili, stand out individual in a relegated Sioni side with seven assists. Despite pushing his mid-thirties, he's showing no signs of regression with his natural fitness, work rate and flair. Excellent determination almost makes him the perfect role model for our aspiring under 19 squad. The only downside once again lies with a hefty wage demand but I can see healthy returns in this investment.



Dmitry Dmitriev - ST(C) - season long loan from Lokomotiv Moscow

Teaming up with Kovalenko is a striker so prestigious they named him one and a half times. Prior experience in Georgia with Saburtalo and has nine in eleven for Loko's B team, I'm thinking a perfect poacher to click in with Khvadgiani and Ngah in our front three. Offers a good deal of speed which would be ideal for counter attacks. Not the most gifted of players, but a low risk loan deal who can bag us some dubs.



Olexandr Oliynyk - D(L) - unattached free agent

Dismissed by Ukrainian second tier outfit Arsenal-Kyiv, we've given the left back a new home. Another player rife with experience, still has the physicality to get involved in extra phases of play and perhaps our other wing back option with his quickness. Lack of concentration may leave us exposed on counters, hoping his competent positioning counteracts the fear. Still an upgrade on our current choice LB.



Davit Svanadze - M(C)/AM(C) - unattached free agent

Arguably the pick of the bunch. Surprisingly released by Dila, either for the lack of a renewal option or being surplus to requirements but I'm very excited to see him in action. Drawn in by his expert technique, his decision making, flair, vision and passing could make him our ideal playmaker. Didn't exactly set the world alight last season with only two assists and avg rating below 6.7, its an opportunity to reinvent himself either as part of a 4-3-3 or a 4-4-2 diamond option considering he's more suited to the attacking mid. Only required £400p/w to convince him, almost too ideal to say no.

SEASON EXPECTATIONS



Although we're not tipped for mounting a title challenge, we're one of the favourites to qualify for Europe at a respectable 8-1 fourth placed finish. Board looking for top half from me this season which is sort of the level we want to work towards, given our new signings at least.

GEORGIAN SUPER CUP

FINAL DRAW



Raising the traps for another year against league winners Tskhinvali, the ideal mettle test.

FINAL

@bigmattb28 - Thanks man!

@bcsaulJ - Glad to be back, thank you again! Long may it continue.

___________________________________________





Although we may be saying goodbye to him in the future, Zaalishvili is still a community favourite winning player of the season for 2065 with his solid right back displays. Top scorer Khvadagiani was a close second and a rare sight of a goalkeeper completing the top three in the shape of Kupreishvili. Goal of the season was credited to a beautifully delivered Dobryanskyi free kick against my former allies Martvili. Left winger Evgeny Kazakov, although not my signing nor does he fit in with my tactical plans was voted as the signing of the season ironically enough. Roman Kupreishvili earned the coveted young player of the season award, highlighting that you don't need to be an outfielder to make your mark.

Also a big shoutout to Streamable who now delete your uploads after x amount of days, meaning I've resorted to Youtube for my highlights now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57IyKTNbkiQ



Irakli Khvadagiani definitely earned his stripes with dominating displays in front of goal which ultimately kept our heads above water, without him we'd have sunk like a bag of rocks. 17 goals for the long standing Tbilisi man, 7.03 avg rating (which is well below standards) and 6 man of the match awards. Guy Ngah assisted most in the front line of three, 10 assists for the quick and crafty Cameroonian. Midfielder Tedo Chkhaidze was the reliable passer for the campaign with 87% completion, something we need to improve on going forward. As for discipline, Reznyk got himself physically involved throughout with yellow cards reaching double figures, while Dobryanskyi was our sole red card recipient.



Locked in for another tough year at Dinamo, where the only way is up from this point.

@bigmattb28 - Glad to still have you on board! I know, I've already experienced two in this save.

_____________________________________________



KEY GAMES

UMAGLESI LIGA

MATCHDAY 33



This was truly a must win or else we'd have a bigger hole to dig ourselves out of. Luckily Sioni's lethargic attitude paved way for a key victory and surely see them face the drop. Guy Ngah hooked a lovely cross in for Piskunov to head in the opener, then Piskunov returned the favour on the counter to put Ngah through for the Cameroonian to blast home a second before the break. Sioni did trouble us late on in receiving a soft penalty from the referee, however Chepelyuk's kick was read well by Kupreishvili to keep it out. One step closer to safety.




Sadly our useful playmaker Ponomar was caught in the crossfire meaning Zirka recalled him.

MATCHDAY 34



An entertaining scrap which we got the better of. Torpedo ballooned two key efforts in the first five minutes and were duly punished with an unmarked Guy Ngah half volleying and defender Dmytro Reznyk taking advantage of sloppy marking from a corner. Although we were caught on the break for Lavrentjev to pull it back to 2-1, we always had control and exuded confidence on the ball. Second half it was only a matter of time before wrapping it up, Kupreishvili assisting a long pass to Nadiradze who blasted home at their near post. Nearly there lads.

MATCHDAY 35



Aaaand breathe. Quite an impressive victory too given that Zugdidi have always been a bogey side of mine, however their shaky recent form gave way for the underdog. Zugdidi's keeper will not want to rewatch the highlights reel, at fault for both first half goals; Yegor Piskunov rounded him with ease and Sergey Trufanov beat him to an aerial call to head into an open net. Kept the visitors in the pocket throughout and guarantee survival...not that we should have been in this precarious position to begin with.


DAVIT KIPRIANI CUP

FINAL



Can I finally place my greasy mitts around some Georgian silverware?



RESULTS OVERVIEW



A superb ending to a rocky season and perhaps a fresh start going into the next. November began with an acceptable 2-2 draw away to Chikhura, I say acceptable as the goals we conceded were awfully soft and would have battered them in the dressing room if we had surrendered the points altogether.
The curtain closer wasn't much to write home about, deadest of rubber facing Dila in a no pressure stalemate, rotating the lineup for a few of our benchwarmers.

FINAL LEAGUE TABLE




Let's not sugarcoat it, seventh place is far beneath my estimations of the club and should not be encouraged. Couple of extra games we could have snuck into the top four but we'll happily take the cup slot into the Europa League next season. Tskhinvali have come a long way since my last stint in Georgia from being a relegation yo-yo side to league champions. Also warms my heart that Martvili stayed up this season while Sioni and Samtredia faced the drop. Much work ahead for us.



Future is bright at least for Dinamo Tbilisi as they secured the U19 league.

I'm more than happy to test. Been using the site since '08.

Welcome back bud! @Shedender

Solid first season.

@r96Skinner - Glad to still have you on board!

___________________________________________



KEY GAMES

UMAGLESI LIGA

MATCHDAY 24



A massive leap to safety, grabbing the game by the hips from the get go. One of the quickest goals on my FM adventures, 17 seconds is all it took for Khvadagiani to half volley home and put Sioni under severe pressure. Despite missing two sitters, it was only a matter of time before the second; Oleg Bermudes fouled Zaalishvili in the area, sent off, Khvadagiani did the rest. Much needed relief.

MATCHDAY 27



This is like crabs in a bucket; as we try to escape Samtredia drag us right back in. Truly hopeless here, only one side came to play and a cheap header from a free kick was only a taster. Abesadze doubled his tally sneaking goalside onto a through ball, then went on to concede two penalties - Kupreishvili saving the first to his credit but guessed wrong for the second kick by Asatiani. Dobryanskyi probably did the right thing getting sent off before the final whistle to skip the bath and just drive home before I let fly with the hairdryer treatment afterwards. Embarrassment.

MATCHDAY 30




Easily our best performance yet, another cheeky nibble at Batumi. Excellent discipline on the counter attacks, all three of our strikers netting in the first half including a maiden strike from story favourite Yegor Piskunov to end a rotten goal drought, Ngah and Khvadagiani also getting onto the picture. Took the foot off the gas a little bit on the flipside to allow Batumi a soft goal but still had a firm grip of things. If that weren't bad enough for Batumi, they conceded an absolute fluke from Khvada through a cross-cum-shot (stop giggling) that landed in off the post to leave their keeper pretty red faced. Momentum firmly with us.

DAVIT KIPRIANI CUP

QUARTER FINAL



One step closer to a long overdue piece of silverware. Had faith of going with a second string again, but with one or two more seniors to boost our chances but we felt a lot safer during proceedings. Guy Ngah used his power to drive home the opening goal midway through the half, almost getting caught up in excitement as Betlemi went straight down the other end and almost caused us putting a spectacular own goal in - backup GK Maximenko spared blushes with a double stop. Ngah and Chkhaidze combined in a slick move to put the result beyond doubt.

SEMI FINAL DRAW



Of course it is. The "when idols become rivals" cliché. Rest assured it won't be sentiment over the prize.

SEMI FINAL



A semi final consumed by nerves. Martvili will rue a miss by their new loan striker Denis Stepanov who caught on to a whipped cross and missed from less than six yards straight at Kupreishvili, which could have sealed the game. Equally Khvadagiani broke away in a 3 on 2 situ, but denied by experienced Goguadze who of course we signed before my departure. With two rolls of the dice, I brought on Roman Nazarov to clinch it for us and did exactly what it says on the tin as he hammered in Zaashvili's cross top bins and send us to a cup final.

FINAL DRAW



Torpedo Kutaisi are the last hurdle to leap over. Having a wishy washy midtable year but will no doubt be a tough opponent. Let the battle commence.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



September began with fortunate point at home to Chikhura who more or less helped us in conceding a penalty and a red card in a match they largely controlled. Two scoreless draws followed the Sioni win; speaking of Torpedo Kutaisi, we should have buried them six feet under but Khvadagiani had a shocker up top, in contrast we were non existent away to Dila but in truth neither side deserved to win it.
The transition into October was pretty horrendous, three defeats on the bounce to Samtredia, Tskhinvali and Zugdidi respectively and stretching our winless streak to five games. I do have a feeling the cup semi sparked life back into us to overpower Batumi, but didn't quite catch on in a second meeting with Martvili who gained a bit of revenge in holding us all square with Nazarov cancelling out Stepanov's late first half strike.

LEAGUE TABLE



Man, these final five games are so crucial. Sat back in the relegation zone with the luxury of a game in hand over Samtredia, Martvili not entirely safe either. Our final five are as follows: Chikhura (A), Sioni (H), Torpedo Kutaisi (A), Zugdidi (H) & closing curtains with Dila (H). All tied in with a cup final too, how we prioritise each is so vital. As much as I crave silverware, staying in the division is surely of greater value. I love the stress of being a manager.

@bcsaulJ - Thank you my man, they do take a while write up especially since I'm limited on time these days. Glad you're still enjoying it!

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TRANSFERS

IN



Without upsetting the dynamic of the squad too much, only opted to bring in a new centre back and a familiar goal machine on loan.



Yegor Piskunov - ST(C) - end of season loan from Saturn

Reunited and it feels so good. No introduction necessary, absolute goal fiend at Martvili and aiming to offer more in the top flight. Hasn't progressed dramatically attribute wise but being a traditional poacher, all he needs to know is where the goal is. A welcome entrant.



Sergey Trufanov - D(C) - £15k from Rustavi

Scouted him for a while with Martvili after impressive displays for Rustavi, the only drawback were his wage demands being too high for us - not anymore. Defensive rock with his strength and can lock into challenges well while winning the ball. Strong determination means he'll no doubt improve at his young age of 23 and have faith in him to airlock the backline of silly goalworthy mistakes. Not the only reason I bought him.



Because we'll be missing another CB for a while.

KEY GAMES

UMAGLESI LIGA

MATCHDAY 18



Off to a promising start. Dila's first half dominance failed to pay off with two key misses and a point blank header cannoning off the bar. Coordinated ourselves in the second half to upset the balance of play; Sergey Volkov finished like a true striker into the roof of the net, while a blistering counter attack thanks to an unbelievable run from Guy Ngah was squared to Zirka loanee Ponomar to tap in the second. Just gotta ride your luck sometimes to get results.

MATCHDAY 21



Back to the old watering hole and hosing these shower in their own back garden. Simple cut back to Dobryanskyi in a move started by Yegor Piskunov had us well on our way until a clumsy penalty broke down all our good work. Result was never in doubt though, Volkov came back from injury to ping a beautiful header off the back of Ngah's free kick to restore the advantage and the Nigerians work rate did not go unrecognised as he combined with Piskunov to stroll into an empty net. Game recognise game.

MATCHDAY 22



Bittersweet draw against that chucked me to the curb. Poorly exposed down the left blank where we conceded twice from crosses into a fiery Denis Stepanov who was a peculiar nuisance all game - scoring twice and let us off the hook with a potential hat-trick. Dobryanskyi equalised the first time with a superb free kick on the edge of the D but still trailed going into the dressing room. Took us little time to draw level again, lovely threaded balls down the central route, Piskunov laying it on a platter for Khvadgiani to tuck in. So very nearly lost it towards the end, leaving Mikeladze with a free header but luckily straight at Kupreishvili. Fortunate result in my eyes.

DAVIT KIPRIANI CUP

THIRD ROUND DRAW



An hour drive south to second tier Algeti, has the stench of an upset.

THIRD ROUND



Not far off was I? Our second string struggled and if it weren't for the chemistry of our two senior players Ponomar & Khvadagiani, this would have swung the other way. An early lead may have given us a false sense of security as Algeti fired back immediately through Volkov and their confidence soon flowed as Kulikov drilled in a low header to completely dumbfound us. Looked a lot sharper second half, Khvadagiani and Ponomar wove stunning passes to each other and turned it around. A game to question squad depth, ability and who's truly fit to wear the kit.

QUARTER FINAL DRAW



Another away day, another second tier throwaway. Slightly more confident about this one.

UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE

FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND DRAW



Pitted against Icelandic nobodies Knattspyrnufélag Fjallabyggðar, I pray for the commentators ripping their tongues out to pronounce this club name.

FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND




Hardly a contest with the opposition fielding greyed out farmers. Guy Ngah practically finished the tie in half an hour, an own goal the non leaguers would frown upon and a quick second half strike from Dobryanskyi was enough of a performance in leg one, obviously letting the home team have a little pride to score one. Chopped and changed in leg two, same level of dominance. Guy Ngah helped himself to another, set up a worldie for Tedo Chkhaidze who himself assisted to Davit Nadiradze. Job done, next.

SECOND QUALIFYING ROUND DRAW



Sticking to the cold climates, much tougher opposition in Strømsgodset.

SECOND QUALIFYING ROUND




YA BEAUTY! Praise be Khvadagiani and his shithousery to upset the odds and progress. Strømsgodset should have blown us away in the first leg if not for some key Kupreishvili saves and their horrendous end product, however Andreas Ødegaard (no relation to Martin) snuck in the only goal in Norway - although did seem to impede the keeper in doing so. Rallied in a few chances to snatch an away goal, forcing their keeper into some good saves. Flying back home the Norwegians the stage was set to pull it back from a late penalty no less, Khvadagiani held his nerve to balance the tie. From there Strømsgodset melted like the proverbial glacial fjord and a long hoofed ball upfield was the perfect recipe for Khvadagiani to beat the keeper to the ball and flick a header into the empty net. You love to see it.

THIRD QUALIFYING ROUND DRAW



Home to waffles and Marouane Fellaini, Standard Liège come next.

THIRD QUALIFYING ROUND




Sadly a step too far above our weight class. Was almost set up in a carbon copy way to the Strømsgodset game away in Belgium, failed to clear a free kick and the second cross evaded everyone but Kauffmann at the back post unmarked to grab the win in leg one, also hitting the post twice while we could barely craft anything in the opposition half. Back in Tbilisi, it didn't have the same outcome as the previous round - in fact the exact opposite. While we created more, we were too open and far more liable to mistakes, one of which being conceding a penalty for Bouchez to kill the game. Khvadagiani desperately unlucky to hit the bar twice in quick succession and Liège profited on the counter, twice stung by young Belgian prospect Nolan Girardet. A cataclysmic end to our European adventure.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



In among the Europa League and friendlies we've made a promising start to life in Tbilisi. Opening with that win over Dila before being bored to death in a scrap with Samtredia.
The Standard Liège defeat seeped into our league form with a horrendous defeat to Tskhinvali who were 3-0 up before 25 minutes, left it to damage limitation. Then followed up with the Batumi win, the cup win and the Martvili draw.
Team gelling into each other nicely, creatively potent especially from midfield and Khvadagiani's goalscoring threat has been a joy to watch.

LEAGUE TABLE



Okay, we're still in the pig heap but eight points from my first five league games isn't too bad, bridging the gap to safety and ambitiously beyond. The game in hand will be crucial to attempt to leapfrog our way out of danger, only then will be consider the bigger picture.



Factually incorrect I guess if you take the Soviet aspect out, but congrats to Irakli for breaking the all time record goalscorer title with his 90th and no doubt plenty more to come.

@bcsaulJ - I mean, there's absolutely no comparison there!

@Eric Portapotty - You did indeed, but can you call the outcome of this stint?

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FM ERA




Long gone are the days where Dinamo swept up domestically, nowadays its more evenly spread out among others such as Dila, Tskhinvali and the latest holders Zugdidi. Mind you they still remain top dogs for all domestic competitions; lifting a further 24 league trophies, 26 cups and an eye watering 33 super cups. Now thats all well and good as a tale of a fallen giant in hopes of reanimating their past glories, however when it comes to this challenge I rarely have time to rebuild and would be reluctant to staying longer than I anticipated...honestly I’m really starting to dislike the Georgian top flight based on repressed memories *cough Batumi*.

CURRENT SEASON



Everything looked set for liftoff on the back of yet another Super Cup final success beating Zugdidi 2-1, coupled with the opening day victory at home to Samtredia; but suddenly winning became a scarcity with only two wins in their last sixteen games, struggling for goals too. It leaves us bottom of the division with only sixteen points but no cause for concern yet, when have we seen that before? Batumi déjà vu?

SQUAD



Eyeing up the squad, I’m at a loss to why they’re performing so poorly. On the surface this is a strong looking squad, overall professional demeanour and the dressing room isn’t too fractured either (famous last words). Only a handful of teens juxtaposed with only one player over 30, majority hitting primal age. Am I missing a trick here?

KEY PLAYER - Ucha Zaalishvili - D(R)



No nonsense full back with strength to barge light wingers like plastic bags in the wind. Well versed mentally with good solid concentration and positioning, technicals you'd expect from an established international right back and built like a defender with a Subbuteo base. Could offer something on the overlap too if I train up his speed and crossing.

EXPECTATIONS



The board obviously don't trust me with any booty at the early growth of my Tbilisi tenure, nice fat wage budget though to add a couple of extra stars to the mix. Pretty pedestrian expectations, mid-table may be asking for too much, how about we step out of the mud and cleanse ourselves before trying on the tuxedo yeah? Cup quarter finals easily doable. Did they fail to mention we're also in the Europa League qualifying? Anyways lets get to work.

@HockeyBhoy - That's the plan! Shame really, I was really liking the club.

@Eric Portapotty - That's funny how you mentioned Dinamo Tbilisi.

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Nation: North Macedonia
Media Prediction (Odds): 3rd/10 (6-1)
Expectations: Challenge for title
Pros: One of the front runners in North Macedonia. Strong squad in prime age group. Predicted for European football nearly every season.
Cons: Finished 6th last season. No title in four years. No European qualification next season. Rejected my last three managerial vacancy applications. Load of foreign players make it difficult for squad registration rules.

RESULT





Nation: North Macedonia
Media Prediction (Odds): 9th/10 (150-1)
Expectations: Avoid automatic relegation
Pros: Strong 5th placed finish last season, safely avoiding predicted relegation. The name Shkupi is hella fun to say.
Cons: Transfer / wage budget not enough to transform current squad. Simply not strong enough to challenge for the league. Relegation yo-yo club.

RESULT






Nation: Bosnia
Media Prediction (Odds): 2nd/12 (5-1)
Expectations: Challenge for title
Pros: Finished third last season. Qualified for Europa League. Excellent squad depth. Predominantly ambitious and professional dressing room. Club have not finished below 6th in last two decades.
Cons: Failed to make shortlist for manager vacancy last time. No trophy in five years.

RESULT





Nation: Bosnia
Media Prediction (Odds): 1st/12 (15-4F)
Expectations: Challenge for title
Pros: Richest club in Bosnia. Title holders. Bookies favourites to retain title. Champions League football. Professional squad personality.
Cons: Winless in six games. Many key players wanted by bigger clubs. Hyper-focused on central players, no wingers in sight.

RESULT





Nation: Georgia
Media Prediction (Odds): 8th/10 (100-1)
Current Position: 10th
Expectations: Achieve mid-table
Pros: Most successful club in Georgia. Stronger squad than Martvili. Board have accepted my demands should they consider me. Current Georgian cup and super cup holders. Decent wage budget.
Cons: Bottom of the league with 16 points from 17 games. One win in ten. Not a sniff of a league title in six, becoming seven years. Over £600k in the red. £0 transfer budget. Similar circumstances leading to the Batumi relegation.

RESULT

KEY GAMES

UMAGLESI LIGA

MATCHDAY 2



Favourites for the league title? My ass. Game lacked any substance but the only thing that mattered was on the scoreboard. Off the bench came Ionescu to drive home in the midst of a right melee in the Samtredia box. Goguadze barely tested.

MATCHDAY 3



Could've sworn Martvili were tipped for the drop? Not based off this form. Completely dismantled Tskhinvali's tactics within half an hour; Yegor Piskunov stepping up to the plate with both his dangerous left foot and also his head, Sergey Shiryaev also used his head as the visitors really struggled defending set pieces. Goguadze with a third clean sheet in a row, saved a point blank effort from the South Ossetians who didn't offer anything for a consolation. Dominating right now.



It did come at a price though.



Not the only one (during training that is). Two important figures sidelined.

MATCHDAY 9



Everything has gone down the jacks. Our attacks have been fruitless, midfield is looking creatively barren, defending has become cowardly, but this game really did my nut in losing to the bottom club. Nothing could be done about Teleșpan's wonderful curler but the other two were just sheer incompetency. Second goal given away too easily in the middle, Pakhomov unmarked to easily finish under the poorly positioned Maxim Kuznetsov. Third was just as laughable, a cross pinged off our defenders kindly into the path of Lavrentjev to finish what was left of us. The sad part is, the scoreline didn't justify our performance. Yesin and Piskunov missed clear cut opportunities and had Kutaisi on the ropes for large spells. Coulda, woulda, shoulda.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



The striking contrast of how we started March to how we capitulated in April. We welcomed the new season with a bullying 2-0 display over Dila with our midfielders receiving the plaudits; Osei & Shiryaev amongst the goals and an assist from new boy Boris Pisarev coming off the bench. Everything fell into place delightfully picking up a trio of wins and going joint top of the league...then the injuries happened and the bruisings commenced.

Zugdidi's triple pronged attack line too hot for our noob asses to handle. Missed out on revenge against Dinamo Tbilisi as Pisarev scored one of the goals of the season in a 2-2 scrap. Paid an unwelcome visit to my former employers Batumi to ironically choke a lead from Mikeladze to fall flat on our backs, to be fair their second goal was pretty unstoppable. Chikhura completely demoralised us in a first half barrage where the only real chance we had was an Ionescu free kick off the crossbar. Crossed swords with our Pirveli Liga rivals Sioni, both goals sourced from corners but if it weren't for a stalwart Goguadze performance we'd be dead in the water. Concluded with the spanking to Torpedo Kutaisi.

LEAGUE TABLE



To my surprise we haven't been left behind yet. Only ten points separating top from bottom we lie in the middle of the park and not too far off the top four after a quarter of the season. The only caveat is our worrying lack of form.

But lets not lose perspective, maybe finding a senior affiliate to help us grow financially and/or have a few loan players lined up from a superior club to elevate our club image. I'm sure the board won't disagree.



Oh. Well, uh, yeah, hmmm. It turns out I'm working for a board of clowns.



I didn't mean for this to happen, but if you get a club up to the top flight and are still not gaining any respect from the board - it's time to leave.

TRANSFERS

OUT



Difficult decisions to make for some, easy decisions for those overstaying their welcome. Arquimedes, Khundadze and to an extent Sălăjan and Denisov served a great purpose in the promotion battle, but personally I don't think they'd cut the mustard at a higher level therefore refraining from offering a new deal. Made a light profit in Gigatadze's move to Mertskhali as he didn't suit my philosophy and the Varduashvili loan move I'll explain in a moment.

IN



Upgrades for the new season ahead, failing to mention that we extended Piskunov's loan deal for an extra three months which was a mighty relief. More or less every general area covered, new keeper, full backs, a primary playmaker and two additional strikers to vanguard along with our Russian friend.



Giorgi Varduashvili – D(R) – unattached free agent

Best to clear up the confusion about signing this guy and immediately loaning him out. Why? Greed I guess. Offloaded by Lokomotivi Tbilisi I decided to strengthen our right back department...until someone better came across my radar. Rather than letting him slouch on the bench, Sioni decided "he'll have him for 6 months". Sort of no fail situation when you think about it; we're not paying his wages for the majority of the season, he's getting game time elsewhere to improve his stats. Everybody wins.



Giorgi Tsikarishvili – M(L)/AM(L) – £6.75k from Lokomotivi Tbilisi

Previously on loan last season, the left winger impressed and decided to make this his permanent residence for a nominal fee. Everything to look for in a generic winger, takes on opponents with his quickness, stays tight to the byline. So-so crossing but we can't expect players to 'Bend it like Beckham' in the Georgian divisions. He was adamant to leave too, making contract negotiations that bit more digestible.



Dmitry Axionov – D(L) – £12.5k from Rustavi

Another player anxious to leave from the below division. Hitting his prime, this was the best possible time to retrieve him for another financially efficient deal. Rock solid mental stats drew me into this guy and had been scouting him towards the conclusion of last season. Technically not the most gifted I'll admit, but if he doesn't attempt anything too fancy we'll be just gravy.



Iulian Ionescu – ST(C) – unattached free agent

The man playing second chair to Piskunov. Just hitting into his thirties, Iulian looks like the perfect super sub to change games. Excellent flair, outstanding determination, perfect free kick taker and over 100 caps for Moldova. Didn't exactly excel in the Turkish 1.Liga but can easily look beyond that. A bit pricey on the wages but being a short term deal, I can't exactly see a flaw in this purchase.



Andro Kvekveskiri – D(R) – unattached free agent

Our primary right back and perhaps the reason why Sioni were sniffing out Varduashvili. Mentally sound and filled out that little bit extra than his competition, more balanced and pacy to take on challenges. Another player entering into his prime, again not the most technically equipped but if he's not doing rabona passes across the 18 line, we should get along fine. If not, can always recall your man.



Boris Pisarev – M(C) – £21k from Saburtalo, potentially rising to £23k

Our marquee signing of the window if you want to call it that. A little tug of war on pricing but I believe this guy will be worth the purchase fee, even if he were involved in a recently relegated Saburtalo side. Ticks all the boxes from a technical standpoint, strong determination and in excellent physical shape. A beautiful partnership alongside Osei?



Aleksandre Goguadze – GK – unattached free agent

Bringing some experience to the table, 35 year old goalie Goguadze wrestles with Kuznetsov for the number one jersey. A former league & cup winner with Dinamo Tbilisi, no doubt he'll reorient in the Georgian top flight after his release from (former) Turkish side Kayseri Erciyesspor. Assertive in the air with his robust 6'2" build and shows good reflexes for someone in their mid thirties. Well past it when it comes to speed and agility but all in all a very worthy investment.



Magomed-Shapi Yeshin – ST(C) – six month loan from Samtredia

To conclude, we brought in a low risk loan move on deadline day to add some attack to our arsenal. Bit of a one trick pony as a striker with added acceleration to snipe at the right moment. Hasn't exactly made his mark for his current club other than the reserves, but a handy third choice backup if disaster strikes..



..which it did. But more on that later.

SEASON EXPECTATIONS



Board making it quite clear that they're not expecting any fireworks on our return to the Umaglesi Liga. Should have enough fight to at least not get a record low points total. Third round of the cup achievable too.



The media also not fancying us to pull up any trees, only Sioni predicted to do worse at an equal 500-1 shot. Let's do it.

@bigmattb28 - Thank you my man, glad to be back.

@bcsaulJ - Sure did!

@Eric Portapotty - The Georgian gulag is not enjoyable, let me tell you!

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He came, he conquered. Literally from a different world, Saturn's Yegor Piskunov was a superb loan investment for Martvili. Sealed both my approval and the fans' approval to claim player of the season ahead of Osei and Shiryaev and claimed young player of the season. Among all that, his long range floater in the 4-0 triumph over Guria was a deserved goal of the season. Another inspired buy was the purchase of Brazilian centre back Ulisses, despite not knowing how to communicate "chuck it into row Z" in Georgian he galvanized the fort which is all I could have asked from him. On a free too.

https://streamable.com/wsjq6k



30 goals in 37 appearances, 7.5 average rating, nine man of the match awards...even getting injured for a spell of 4 weeks, Yegor Piskunov truly rocked the Pirveli Liga. Moses Osei had a ton of speculation surrounding him being linked to bigger clubs but he didn't get distracted, the Ghanaian midfielder was talismanic to the promotion with his ten important assists. Robert Sălăjan didn't get to feature too much in midfield, but slightly worried that his 85% pass completion inducted him as the best passer - definitely room to improve there. Ulisses did get involved at the backline, perhaps a little bit too firm on his challenges with 8 yellows and 2 reds had the worst discipline but I'm very much looking forward to how he performs at the higher level.



The journey doesn't stop at Martvili, although being linked to more reputable sides, I'll be staying for an extra season.

KEY GAMES

PIRVELI LIGA

MATCHDAY 31



Promotion fight in hot pursuit with a battling victory over relegation condemned Machakhela, but it wasn't without trouble on the way. Twice pegged back after fan favourite Osei and a stunner from Novitskiy granted us the advantage. Machakhela so dangerous on the break but so wasteful in execution and that was their inevitable downfall. A quickfire salvo brought home the bacon; Novitskiy's flicked header capped his brace and Arquimedes played in a smart 1-2 to bury the home side to the Meore Liga.



Elsewhere, this was hardly a surprise but might wind their season down in favour of us.

MATCHDAY 33



What could have been. Tsiklauri two footing the opposition left us at a huge disadvantage for 80 odd minutes and Sioni's fast attacking tempo was too much to deal with. Pavel Mitin took centrestage to bury any hopes of picking up anything from the game, that was until we got our second wind. A late fightback with goals from Piskunov and Khundadze almost brought a dramatic twist to the tale, sadly too far gone. A red day for our boys.

MATCHDAY 35




Objective completed. Inflicted a first half wipeout of Guria to seal the maiden promotion of my long journey. Given an early scare by Toni the response was electrifying; Ulisses with a rare goal to draw us level, Osei from range, two tidy finishes from Piskunov and a hilariously tragic own goal concluded one of our best performances this season at this final stage. The scoreline must have fed into Rustavi's psyche as they bottled a 2-0 lead to Betlemi and conceded an injury time winner to confirm the news. Martvili are going up!

RESULTS OVERVIEW




Excluding the unlucky defeat to Sioni, a fantastic end to the season kicked off with the 4-2 success away at Machakhela. Far from impressive hosting Betlemi but the groundwork in the first half helped us to claw onto a 2-1 win. Fell short of expectations for a fourth and final time against STU, our 23 shots should have equaled a hammering, not a mediocre 1-0. I can pardon it as they saved their fight to rinse Guria to serenade the streets of Martvili. The season closed out with my landmark 1500th game of my save, dominating Shukura but only finishing 1-0. Written in the stars, Yegor Piskunov finished his loan spell on a high in claiming his 30th goal of a scintillating season for the Russian. Without him Rustavi would have left us in the dirt.



FINAL LEAGUE TABLE




There we have it, back to the Umaglesi Liga and vindicating my unforgettable relegation with Dinamo Batumi seven seasons ago. Things could have gone a little smoother but Sioni were worthy champions finishing fourteen clear. Rustavi's team on paper looked too good for this division, in actuality they folded under pressure to finish five adrift (can't see many of them staying around). Machakhela's loudmouth manager criticised my every decision in press conferences, now he can find out where it all went from for side in the pit of oblivion along with the battered and bruised STU who only grabbed their first win on matchday 33.