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#510328 The 'Worldwide' Win It All Journeyman
tongey
I've not been out of management that long, but I've been spending my time since enjoying the last of my cottage by the sea in Caernarfon and spending time with the family at the beach. It's been nice to just relax and get away from things for a while. That being said, I spent some time, scouring the job market and one job stood out to me, and I'm now their manager. Limavady United in Northern Ireland offered me the chance to become their manager and guide them to promotion from the Bluefin Sport Premier Intermediate League. (God, that's a mouthful).
So, I'm off to Northern Ireland, to begin my reign and I think this will be a long stint as well, as there are so many cup competitions to wrap my head around, as well as trying to climb the 3 league system here. It'll be fun, and interesting to see how I can get on. I will try and persuade Ethan ap Gareth to come, but it's a massive step down for him so I doubt it. Worth a go eh?
Limavady United are a semi-professional team playing in the Bluefin Sport Premier Intermediate League which is the 3rd tier of Northern Irish football. They play their home games at the Limavady Showground which is a 550 capacity stadium in Limavady itself. It has only 274 seats, but it's a lovely cosy ground. The club has basic training facilities and basic youth facilities which may need improving if we are to have continued success here. It does benefit from having adequate youth recruitment and an average academy system.
The team has won a few trophies since they formed in 1884. They have 5 Northern Irish North West Cups, 6 Northern Irish Craig Memorial Cups, 4 Northern Irish Intermediate Cups & 5 Bluefin Sports Premier Intermediate League titles. The latest being in 2021, so not too long ago. We need to get back to winning ways quickly.
We have a small squad, of players all on non-contracts so anyone could go at any time. I can't sign any of them to a proper professional contract as we need to be professional to do so apparently. Anyway, I'll be looking to add some more depth in during pre-season and will probably keep adding during the season until I'm happy with what we've got.
The current best player at the club is striker Matthew Shaw who finished as the second top goalscorer in the league last season so we will be pinning most of our hopes on him this season I reckon. Can I get him a strike partner maybe? The 23-year-old striker has some insane stats for this level with16 finishing being outstanding. I can't wait to see him 1 on 1.
The team finished bang smack in the middle of the league last season with a 6th place finish. They had 8 wins, 7 draws and 7 losses. We need to turn those draws into wins and we will be challenging easily I reckon. Time to get to work.
Next Post: Pre-Season Update 2027/2028
#510318 The 'Worldwide' Win It All Journeyman
tongey
@Dragocen, tight isn't the word as you'll find out...cheers for commenting man!
It's been one hell of an end of the season for us, and I can't wait to update you on this. I thought I best show you the financial situation we now find ourselves in, thanks to the Euro Cup run. We started off my reign, in the red, and we're now well in the black. In fact, we're now well over £200k and at one point, we were over £300k. It's insane how far we've come in my time in charge. It must be my influence right?
Just look at that set of results. There are only 3 little red icons on that list and only 2 in the league. I'll start off by rounding up the cup competitions. First of all, we progressed all the way to the Semi-Final of the Nathaniel MG Trophy after beating Llandudno in a tight contest that ended with a penalty shootout. We then faced familiar foes Barry in the semis. It was a familiar result as we lost 2-1 and exited the trophy before getting the chance to win it for the 2nd time.
It was definitely much better in the JD Welsh Cup, as we went all the way and won it! A tight win on penalties once again against Camaerthan, before beating Cacrau Ely easily in the 4th round. An extra-time win against Bala in the Qtr Finals, meant that we faced Barry once again in a cup semi-final. We enacted our revenge as we put them to the sword with a 3-1 win courtesy of 2 Aaron Agnew goals. It was a fascinating final and one for the fans as we dominated and battered surprise finalists Gresford 4-1. What a day for the club. It's fair to say we rode our luck with penalty shootouts, extra time wins and a courageous win against Barry.
Let's move onto the league, which now remained as the only trophy I need to tick off in Wales. If you remember, we were sat in 3rd position (I think), and needed things to go our way. Things definitely went our way, as we managed to grab wins against TNS & Barry to keep the pressure on them at the top. Only losing 2 games in the final section of the league, is some form and it's a testament to the squad we've built. I needed to add depth in the pre-season and that's what I did, which is what has helped us I think. Ultimately it all came down to the final game of the season. We needed to beat Connah's Quay, and we needed Barry to lose or draw against Cefn Druids, which was unlikely, but possible. IT HAPPENED!!
WE ARE LEAGUE CHAMPIONS BABY!!
Look at that table, it couldn't have been closer! We finish top of the league as champions, on 69 points. We end the season with 21 wins, 6 draws and 5 losses. Barry finish closely behind us in 2nd place on 68 points, and TNS wrap up the last EC2 place in 3rd on 61 points. What a season for the lads.
A title-winning squad is always going to have played well all season, but we've had a few players that have stood out to me. First of all, is new signing Aaron Agnew who finishes as our top goalscorer with 22 goals from 38 games. That's incredible from the left-wing position. He was pipped to the post on average rating by Ethan ap Gareth who finishes top with 7.31 as Agnew had 7.30. Both of them had terrific seasons and played a key role in the title win.
Rounding off the top goalscorers in the squad, we had Agnew in 1st, Michael Kirk in 2nd with 20 goals, and Luke Hughes in 3rd with 13 goals. 12 players chipped in with at least one goal this season which is good for us. I'm so happy with our goalscoring potential.
Ethan ap Gareth has got to be the player of the season though and has been for the past few seasons. I'll be looking at bringing him to a new club when I move on (if it's around the similar level to the Welsh league.)
Next Post: A new challenge, a new club?
Just a little bonus story for you all, and I've now entered my first hall of fame. I'm in the Welsh Hall of Fame. Something to be proud of eh?
#510142 The 'Worldwide' Win It All Journeyman
tongey
Things are looking good at the club, and it seems like the new owners are impressed with me, as they have offered me a new contract. I accepted of course, as I want to tick Wales off as quickly as possible so it's best I stay until that's done and dusted. I've signed a contract that keeps me at Caernarfon Town until the end of the 2028 season. I'm now earning £300 per week, and I'm slowly ticking my earnings over. I'll be on the big bucks soon surely?
I got excited and accidentally played an extra game. Won't happen again guys
Cup wise, we've entered the Nathaniel MG Trophy, and have progressed to the Qtr Finals once again. We absolutely hammered Rhyl with a 5-1 victory. We're now moving on to face Llandudno who now play their football in the JD Cymru North after falling from grace a couple of seasons ago.
Who knows how this league will turn out, but we are currently in 3rd position, only a point behind TNS, and 4 behind Barry who have a game in hand on the rest of us. We've won 7 games, drawn 2 and lost 3. We have a positive goal difference of +8 and sit on 23 points. Can we possibly challenge for the league title this season?
Mark Edwards is the pick of the players so far this season, having play 19 games, and achieved a rating of 7.37. That's pretty darn impressive and I hope he keeps it up. On his way to this rating, he has scored 5 goals and has picked up 6 assists. I think all his goals have come from the penalty spot but that doesn't matter. It's nice to have a spot kicker who scores them all the time. Ethan ap Gareth has impressed once again, as well as a new boy Aaron Agnew who's chipped in with 6 goals and 1 assist from the left-wing.
In the goalscorer ranks, it's Michael Kirk who once again leads the charge for the golden boot. He has 7 to his name, leaving Aaron Agnew & Elliott Hulse in 2nd place with 6 goals each. We've had a lot of players chip in with goals, with a total of 11 players scoring at least once this season.
Next Post: End of Season / 2026/2027
#510110 Broke to Bank (Journeyman)
tongey
Well done on keeping them in the league last season too!
#510109 The 'Worldwide' Win It All Journeyman
tongey
It's been a busy Summer of change here at Caernarfon Stadium with incomings and outgoings galore. It's not just the playing and coaching staff that's been changing. We've had not one but two takeovers and I'm not sure why. I got an email saying that the Chairman was retiring and would take a more part-time role in the club. This led to us getting two takeover bids, one that would keep me as the manager, and one that would replace me apparently.
Luckily for me, Leighton Day, a local investor, completed the takeover of the club and kept me in charge of managerial duties. He also pumped some cash in to help with the debts. A week later, I had another message to say that a new consortium had taken over the running of the club and that they would be pumping some more cash in to remove some debts. I now have a new chairman called Marc Roberts. Absolute madness at the club this summer but at least it's all settled now.
We've been busy once again, and have brought in a few new players to help bolster the lines and improve the squad's depth. We were severely lacking off the subs bench so needed more depth to help us see games out once players were tired. First through the door was Scott Leonard, a RB from Bala. He's going to be used off the bench and sparingly throughout the season to provide our current RB Lloyd, rest in between key games. I told you previously that I was going to sign a goalkeeper, so I took 3 in on trial. Scott Craughwell was the best of the bunch and looks to be absolutely quality for this level of football. He's our new number one. Aaron Agnew, is our new left-winger. The Northern Irish winger has a high work-rate and has good physical stats. Hopefully, he can slot in nicely and get a good few assists for the team. Luke Hughes comes in from Penybont, and will provide cover for our star right-winger Ricky Freeman. He probably could be the starter but Freeman is that for now. I added one more face in Bill Wilson who is a strong CB who can rotate in and out with our other 2 first-team CB's.
Scott Leonard // RB // Bala // Free Transfer
Jason Craughwell // GK // Institue // Free Transfer
Aaron Agnew // LW // Harland & Wolff Welders // Free Transfer
Luke Hughes // RW // Penybont // Free Transfer
Bill Wilson // CB // Free Transfer
Once again, friendlies were a back seat for us this season, due to the Euro Cup II taking place during them. We did play a lot of friendlies though and won all but one of them. We played a lot of top teams reserve squads and beat them all. We had good wins against Everton U23s, Wolves U23s, Stoke U23s & Wigans U23s. I'm impressed with how well the lads have gelled together, and the way our tactic is performing. We are finally scoring lots of goals, and defending fairly well.
We did one better this year in the Euro Cup II qualifiers, after reaching the Best Placed 3rd Qualifying Round. We had a good draw in the first round, as we faced B36 from the Faroe Islands. A nice 6-3 aggregate win was enough to send us through to face Hearts in the next round. I didn't think we would get a result against them, but we stayed calm after bringing them back to our place with a 0-0 draw. We scored a 72nd-minute winner to send the crowd crazy and set up a tie with KRC Genk. Ultimately it was a step too far, as we crashed out on a 4-1 aggregate score. I'm proud of the lads for getting this far, and it's brought in over £300k and the financial situation looks good now.
Next Post: Mid-Season Update // 2026-2027
#510051 The 'Worldwide' Win It All Journeyman
tongey
@SirWerGaming, I love your inspirational words. They keep me going.
We've reached the end of another season in Wales, and my enjoyment of this league is running out, but I need to complete it quickly. Not much has happened at the club to improve it as we are still paying off the stadium loan, and I've reached the top coaching qualification so I can't update you on that anymore. I have managed over 100 games for Caernarfon now and things have gone well, but not as quick as I'd have liked it.
Our season carried on, pretty much as it had started, as we continued to challenge at the top of the table. You'll be able to see that we did qualify for the Champions Phase this season and not the Relegation Phase which is positive. It meant that we had secured our best ever finish in the league as we couldn't finish below 6th now. We continued our good form against TNS as we beat them a further two times. We seem to struggle against Barry which is worrying as they are the main threat to the title and will be for years to come probably. We enjoyed a comfortable win against Haverfordwest where Ioan Peris-Jones netted all 4 goals which was a new club record. In the regular season, we ended with a record of 12 wins, 5 draws & 5 losses.
We went into the Champions Phase in 3rd position, and started off positively. We were staying close to Barry before we finished things off poorly and the challenge for the title ended. We played a title decider against Barry as the penultimate match and ended up getting battered 4-2 which put an end to things. I'm disappointed we couldn't quite nick the title at the death, but we will be back to win it next season. It will probably be my last in charge of Caernarfon Town as it's now or never with them.
We ended up getting knocked out of the Nathaniel MG Cup by Barry once again as they smashed 6 past us. It was probably our worst performance of the season and we weren't going to defend our crown once again. In the JD Welsh Cup, we made it all the way to the semi-final as we beat Bala, Llandudno Junction, Llanelli Town before getting knocked out by Barry in the semi-finals. It's frustrating to always get drawn against them in every competition. It's been a frustrating season to be honest and it knocked my enjoyment of this save already.
At the end of the Champions Phase we finished in 2nd position which as I said before is Caernarfon's best finish in the league. We have confirmed ourselves a spot in the Euro Cup II for next season too which will help attract some more players into the club. We finished on 61 points, a massive 11 behind Barry. We did have a 5 points gap between ourselves and TNS who finished in 3rd.
Michael Kirk stole the show at the end of season awards, collecting the Best Player, Best Signing, & Top Goalscorer awards. He was immense all season, ending up with a 7.19 rating and 19 goals. He also had 3 assists to his name too showing he is a team player. He should kick on next season and break that 20 goal mark.
Ethan ap Gareth was also a top consistent performer, achieving a 7.15 rating from 38 games. He chipped in with 6 goals and a massive 13 assists. He broke the previous assist record at the club which is awesome.
The whole squad performed pretty well, but hopefully, we can perform even better next season. Cameron Dixon did pretty well in between the sticks, but we will probably be looking for a new keeper during the off-season. It's still not where it needs to be.
Next Post: Pre-Season / 2026/2027
#510007 Broke to Bank (Journeyman)
tongey
#509568 The 'Worldwide' Win It All Journeyman
tongey
Nothing much to update you on regarding the club, besides from having a positive bank balance for once, thanks to the European run. We will probably need to be in Europe next year to be back in the black then as well, but I'm aiming to win the league this season anyway. My new signings have settled in well, and I'm pretty happy with how we are performing.
The first 11 games have been and gone already, and it happened so quickly! We've had a fairly good start to the season, winning 6 out of the 11, and losing 3 of them. That's good in my eyes, as anything over a 50% winning ratio is good. We've actually played really well against the top teams, gaining wins against TNS (twice), Newtown & Cefn Druids. We've struggled against the lower teams, which is something I need to get right if we want to go ahead and challenge for this title. Our three losses came against Penybont, Llandudno & Haverfordwest.
I've changed our tactic to a front two, and Hulse & Kirk are doing the job up there nicely. The three behind them, Peris-Jones, ap Gareth & Chapman are probably the best midfield trio you can get in this league. It's just our defence that needs sorting and tweaking. We've conceded 16 goals in 11 games, and have only kept 1 clean sheet in the league so far.
In the Nathaniel MG Cup, we've progressed nicely, just like the holders should do. We dispatched Cefn Druids in the 2nd round, before beating Llandudno Junction convincingly 5-0 with Hulse netting a hattrick. I won't be too disappointed if we don't win it all, but I'd like to.
After 11 games, we sit in 4th position, but it couldn't be closer. TNS are in top spot but are only 3 points ahead of us. We're only 1 point behind Cardiff Met Uni in 2nd and are on the same points as Barry. We're 13 points ahead of Lladudno who are strangely rock bottom of the league. It's a tight old league.
My squad is performing really well, and it's shown by a vast number of players who are over the magic 7.00 rating. Ethan ap Gareth, Elliott Hulse, Mark Edwards, Leighton Jameson, & Ricky Freeman have all reached this mark after playing more than 10 games each. Nick Harrison also has a rating over 7.00 but has only played the once, since Cameron Dixon has claimed the #1 jersey this season.
Elliott Hulse & Michael Kirk, have both hit a good number of goals so far this season. Hulse has 11, whilst Kirk has 7. That's a good partnership for any team, and it will only get better as they learn to play with each other.
Next Post: End of Season Update / 2025/2026
#509505 The 'Worldwide' Win It All Journeyman
tongey
It's the start of the 2025/2026 season, and after last seasons rollercoaster, I'd like a nice easy season where we just walk the league title and win the JD Welsh Cup. That's wishful thinking eh? During pre-season, we've already travelled more than we did last season, as we've been taking part in the Euro Cup II qualifying rounds. You'll see how we got on later on. I've got a couple of pieces of news regarding the club and myself to update you on first...
The club offered me a new contract, and I gleefully accepted. I'm now going to be in charge of Caernarfon Town until the end of this season at least. I'm also now on £230 a week. I may have to buy that new flat screen telly I've had my eye on for the wall in the lounge. Who said us managers can't treat ourselves from time to time eh?
A couple of seasons ago, the club decided to build a new ground: The Caernarfon Stadium, and this new stadium had potential expansion room. The board have decided to use that, and have started to expand the ground by 500 people. This is more good news for a club on the up.
It's been a busy summer of incomings and outgoings at the club once again. The squad is really coming along nicely, and we're getting more quality in the door every season, and the weaklings are out of her. I've released a number of players you may have recognised such as Julian Williams, Emelyn Ainsworth, Jay Gibbs, Gareth John Owens & Gethin Prydderch. All of them played a huge part in us being promoted but just didn't cut it in the top league, unfortunately.
Incoming wise this season, I signed 4 players on part-time contracts. The first being an absolutely quality striker that will rotate with Elliott Hulse. I may partner them both upfront if a tactic works. His name is Michael Kirk, and he's come in on a free transfer from Carrick in Ireland. I needed a new left-back that could bomb up and down the wing, and Toby Loveridge can do that. He's come in from Penybont and will be my first-team left-back. Mark Edwards also comes in from Penybont and will be played down the middle just behind the striker. He asked to play there in his interview and I accepted. He should create a lot of goals for us. Cynan Edwards came in late but adds another quality centre half to the ranks. We've been lacking there meaning our current CBs have been getting tired quickly from playing a lot of games. We need to be able to rotate.
Michael Kirk // ST // Carrick // Free
Mark Edwards // CM // Penybont // Free
Toby Loveridge // LB // Penybont // Free
Cynan Edwards // CB // Free
Friendlies have sort of taken a back seat due to our involvement in the European Cup II Qualification phase. We still played an awful lot of them but it was needed. We carried on our good form against Everton Under 23s with a 5-0 win. We actually won all 7 of our friendlies conceding only 3 goals and scoring 16 goals ourselves. The important thing is that the players got minutes under their legs and I'm happy with that.
After our lucky inclusion in the Euro Cup II for this season, we were drawn against Teutra from Albania in the 1st round. I didn't think we would get through, but then again I don't know much about the Albanian football system, so I guess it's a lottery. We travelled to them in the first leg and came home with a 2-0 win courtesy of a Leighton Jameson header and a well placed shot from Ethan ap Gareth. 2 away goals could be crucial. At home, we went one better and won 3-1 to send them out and earn us a place in the 2nd round.
We got a crap draw against Slavia Prague who were once a giant of European football. At their place, we got a tanking and I expected it. 5-0 and the tie were effectively over. It's a shame because at home we put on a show for our fans and gained a credible 1-1 draw. A goal for Ethan ap Gareth will stay with him forever.
We can be proud of our run, and hopefully, we may get another crack at it next season! It's a good money-spinner.
Next Post: Mid-Season Update // 2025-2026
#509500 [FM20] Earth Trip
tongey
#509494 Broke to Bank (Journeyman)
tongey
This is going to be fun!!!
#509487 The 'Worldwide' Win It All Journeyman
tongey
It's the end of another thrilling season here in Wales, and I've got lots to update you on! First of all, regarding my managerial career! I've managed to pass my next coaching badge, and I'm now a Continental Pro Licensed coach, which can only bring good things to me and the club. I believe this is the top badge to have, so look at me go. That didn't take too long, did it? I'll post an update of my personal stats after 10 seasons in the game...
I thought we had a chance of qualifying for European places through our league position but if you look at our form, you can probably tell that this wasn't the case. We actually went on a run of 8 games where we couldn't find a win no matter how hard we tried. We had a surprise loss against Penybont, and a really surprising draw against bottom side Cambrian & Clydach which was disappointing considering we absolutely spanked them earlier on in the season. We did have some good wins though, as we beat Newton & Llanelli Town to restore some confidence to the team.
We actually narrowly missed out on the top 6, which meant that when the league split into two, we were locked into the bottom half, so we couldn't rise any further than 7th in the league, and had to play the bottom 6 teams twice more. I had lost interest in the season when this happened as there wasn't any real point as I knew wouldn't be relegated but we couldn't rise anymore. You can see how we got on above.
Cup wise, we had some real success. You can see that we progressed, and progressed all the way to the final of the Nathaniel MG Cup after wins against Connahs Quay & Barry via penalties. We set up a final against TNS, who we had kicked out at the first opportunity last season. It was a tight affair, and the fans were going mental. We went 2-0 up early on and just about managed to hold on, although TNS really piled on the pressure. Although we hadn't performed that well in the league, we had redeemed the season with this lovely cup win! 1 more down!
The other cup, the JD Welsh Cup was fairly successful for us too. In fact we had reached the semi-final stage before getting knocked out by none other than TNS. Our good run against them in cup competitions came crashing down before we could reach another final and fight for another domestic trophy. That's next years job!
We finished the season in 7th position which is no surprise to anyone considering we couldn't rise anymore after the league split into two. Our total points of 48 would've been enough to finish in 4th position just behind Barry, TNS & Connahs Quay. The two teams getting relegated are Cambrian & Clydach & Llanelli Town.
After the season had finished, I was progressing through the game and I got an email saying that I was in the European Place Playoff Semi-Final. This came as a shock to me, and I'm still not sure why we were in it...but anyway...
We were up against Cardiff Met Uni, and sent them home in the semi-final thanks to Elliott Hulse & Ethan ap Gareth. In the final, we faced Penybont, and held on after Hulse had put us 1-0 up! Somehow, we have qualified for the EC2 and will be bringing in the European crowds next season, which should bring in some much-needed wonga!
Another tiring season, but the players committed themselves, and performed excellently, played with desire and did themselves proud. Ethan ap Gareth was once again the best player this season after he achieved a 7.24 rating from 43 games. He scored 11 goals and set up 9 goals too. That's a hell of a performance for a CM. He's also one of the key players in the league now, and it's about time he gets a new contract so we have him for a while.
Elliott Hulse grabbed 22 goals this season which is past the target I set for him. He's done really well in his first season, and hopefully, the young striker can improve once again next season. He ended up with a 7.18 rating from 43 games.
Young goalkeeper Cameron Dixon managed to push our experienced keeper Nick Harrison out of the team half-way through the season and stayed there. He played well, and should kick on next season! Nice to see a youth prospect doing well in the first-team.
Next Post: Pre-Season / 2025/2026
I also won the manager of the year award somehow. Not bad eh?
#509471 VP's Journeyman Career
tongey
Crazy times eh? I'd definitely stay put and get them back to their former glories!
#509424 The Long Haul (Everton FC)
tongey
Best of luck for the new season!
#509420 The 'Worldwide' Win It All Journeyman
tongey
We're halfway through our first season back in the JD Cymru Prem. Well actually, we're halfway through the first section. This section is all about qualifying for the next phase: The Championship Group or the Relegation Group. Obviously I'd rather be in the top group rather than the bottom, and we're working hard to do that.
We're finally in our new ground as well, after the long months of hard work and delays, we've moved into the Caernarfon Stadium (imaginative name eh). It has a smaller capacity but it's all seated, and it's modern. It shows how forward-thinking the club is and shows commitment to the town of Caernarfon. Our crowds have steadily increased too, so it seems to be working slowly.
If you look at that set of results, you wouldn't guess that we were a newly promoted team into the top division, would you? I'm really happy with how we are performing, and we are beating some really strong teams along the way. We've still had some dodgy results, and some batterings but they were to be expected from time to time.
We have 5 wins on the board in the league, against Haverfordwest, Cefn Druids, Cambrian & Clydach, Llanelli Town & Newtown. Our best win by far was the hammering of Cambrian & Clydach on the road. Now they do sit bottom of the league but it's always a good confidence booster to hammer someone. That said, we did go and get battered ourselves in the next match against Connahs Quay which was our worst performance of the season. We managed a good draw against league title favourites Barry, and probably could've won it had we took one of our clear cut chances towards the end.
Cup wise, we've only entered the Nathaniel MG Cup so far, and it's all looking rosy at the moment. We beat last years rival team Bangor City in the 2nd round by a 2-1 scoreline, with new boy Elliott Hulse netting a brace and the winner in the 80th minute. We then went on our travels and beat Llangefni in the 3rd round courtesy of a Ioan Peris Jones wonder strike. I'm targetting this cup to win this season and we're currently on the road to do so.
That is not a bad looking table for a newly promoted team. We are currently in 5th position which is a far sight away from where the media expected us to finish (11th). We're on 18 points, and we're only 1 point off the European qualification place but could be 4 soon due to games in hand. The main thing is that we are 14 points ahead of the relegation places, so with a few more wins, we can confirm our spot in the top league for another season. I'm going to really kick on and try and get Europe for next season, which will provide a much-needed cash injection.
We've been performing really well, and that's down to a good team effort. Everyone has chipped in and had good and bad performances. The midfield trio of ap Gareth, Edwards & Peris-Jones are quality and really control games for us. I want to have these for the foreseeable future. I've got 4 players above the magic 7.00 mark. Ioan Peris-Jones, Elliott Hulse & Ethan ap Gareth all have 7.25 from 13 matches, with Daniel McIlvogue in 4th with 7.05 from 13 matches.
Elliott Hulse leads the goalscoring ranks with 7 goals from 13 matches. Ioan Peris Jones & Ethan ap Gareth both have 4 goals to boot. They also have 3 & 2 assists respectively! Not . a bad season so far for the pair.
Next Post: End of Season / 2024/2025
#509399 The 'Worldwide' Win It All Journeyman
tongey
The players deserved a bit of time off after their heroics at the backend of last season that led us to become JD Cymru North Champions! I gave them a month off, before I wanted them back, so they could all go on holiday with their bonus. Whilst they were all relaxing and enjoying themselves, I locked myself in my office and started to find suitable targets to improve our squad so that we weren't overwhelmed in the league above. I was still completing my Continental Pro License, and there haven't been any updates on that yet, but hopefully, I'll pass soon and I'll be moving onto the next stage of my badges.
We had a bit of bad news regarding the new stadium, in the fact that it was delayed 3 months meaning we were to stay at the 'Oval' for the time being. Hopefully, we will be moving in there soon so we can maximise our fanbase and start afresh in the new league.
As you can imagine, I've been really busy in the transfer market, making sure that we really strengthen the team significantly as I don't think we are strong enough going into the season. I wanted at least 1 striker, 1 winger, a full-back and 1 centre-mid. I think I crossed them all off my list quickly and then got a few bonus players in as well. I've got a feeling, a few of my older players may move on for free, just because I never like having a huge squad and they won't be getting game-time this season, unfortunately. That's just the nature of the game.
My first signing was right-winger, Ricky Freeman, who came in from Holywell on a free. He's pacey and a direct threat for goals. He's an instant upgrade on my makeshift winger Paprynk. Zebb Edwards follows him in through the front-door from Llanelli Town. He's been on my radar for a while, and I finally got him in. He's an energetic midfielder who will be up and down the pitch all match long. Love his name too! I pulled the trigger on another centre-midfield player too in Callum Jenkins. He's more of an attacking player and will be used in rotation. I needed depth and he provides it. My first defensive signing was that of Sion Lloyd, who's naturally a right-back but can play left-back if needed. He's a total utility player but he's quality. I imagine he will be playing a lot of games! Rob Jenkins, also comes in as cover for our defence. He's not amazing, but he's another body and he's an upgrade on what we had. My favourite signing though is striker Elliott Hulse. He has come in from Airbus UK, and comes in with proven goalscoring record from the top league. Hopefully, he can net us 15 goals this season.
Ricky Freeman // RW // Holywell // Free Transfer
Zebb Edwards // CM // Llanelli Town // Free Transfer
Callum Jenkins // CM // Gresford // Free Transfer
Sion Lloyd // RB/LB // Airbus UK // Free Transfer
Rob Jenkins // RB/CB // Gresford // Free Transfer
Elliott Hulse // ST // Airbus UK // Free Transfer
Although the cup competition starts early, I wanted a number of games to get the new lads settled in, and fitness to be at a peak level so we can go straight into the league and battle hard straight away. We had a decent run of games and won most of them. Our hardest and biggest game was against Everton Under 23s, and we showed them some real class after we beat them 5-2. We did, however, lose to our rivals Llandudno in the last pre-season game.
Now, I think we are ready to go and battle hard to achieve a mid-table position, but if we play really really well, then I think we can push for a continental qualification spot...If we are lucky eh?
Next Post: Mid-Season Update // 2024-2025
#509333 The 'Worldwide' Win It All Journeyman
tongey
This is Alfons's career, there is a gap because I didn't load the league up straight away...
#509326 [FM20] Earth Trip
tongey
Best of luck mate!
#509324 The 'Worldwide' Win It All Journeyman
tongey
Hello from the little seaside town of Caernarfon in North Wales. There aren't many clubs wise to chat about, apart from the fact that the board decided to extend my contract which I delightfully accepted straight away! I'm now on a massive £200 per week, up until the 26/05/2025. I have another year to ensure the club wins as many trophies as possible. I'm delighted to stay in this lovely welsh town as I feel so at home. Can I win any trophies quickly though, that is the question?
As we were knocked out early in both of the cup competitions in Wales, I haven't got anything to update you on from those. I'll head straight into rounding up the league action, and it's a thriller. We had 15 games left and we were in 2nd position with a pack of teams hunting us down quickly and ferociously.
We didn't have a great start to the second half of the season, winning only 2 of the first 7 games. That definitely isn't title-winning form in any way or form. We lost once again against Llandudno in a 3-1 battering but gained a credible draw against Porthmadog. We beat both Holywell & Conwy by a 3-1 scoreline which helped keep some points ticking over on that table. Our form took a massive upturn after those 7 games, and we went on an unbeaten run until the end of the season which is crazy. I didn't expect it, but I guess we had played some of the stronger teams earlier.
We went on a 5 match winning streak, beating Guilsford, Chirk, Caersws, Colwyn Bay, & Llangefni, scoring 14 goals, and only conceding 2. What a run of games, where everyone definitely played their part. The defence was fantastic, and the attackers did their job magnificently. A 0-0 draw against Prestatyn nearly undid my bid for the title, but a win against the top side Bangor City meant that it all came down to the final day.
We headed into the final matchday with a game against Aberyswyth, needing a win, and a Bangor City loss, or draw against Caersws. I didn't really hold any hope of Caersws gaining anything but they held firm and snatched a draw, which handed us the league title after we beat Aberyswyth 1-0 after John Owens rocketed a shot in from the edge of the area. CRAZY SCENES FOLLOWED!
WE HAVE WON THE JD CYMRU NORTH, but only by the skin of our teeth! We won the league title by goal-difference. 2 goals was all that separated us and Bangor City. I can't quite believe what happened in the last month or so but I'm absolutely ecstatic. Prestatyn finished in 3rd place, with Guilsford, Buckley & Chirk all being relegated from the league.
We will be playing our football in the JD Cymru Premier division next season, and it's another trophy ticked off my list. 2 down, many many many more to go.
The title-winning squad! We had many players who stood out to me, but the main man Julian Williams was the one for me. He ended up with a 6.99 rating, just below the magic 7.00 mark. His goals this season were vital in the road to the title. He scored a total of 12. That's way below the target I set him of 20, but I don't care. He scored goals in the vital games, and I'm looking forward to seeing how he progresses next season in the top division.
Ethan ap Gareth was the top performed statistically. He finished with a 7.05 from his 34 matches this season. He finished with 7 goals and 3 assists. That's not bad for a CM who plays a bit more defensively than the rest. I'll be looking at locking his contract down for the next couple of years.
Julian Rawlinson & Nick Harrison both finished the season by playing 35 games. That's some achievement, and Nick Harrison was a superb number one. He may not be the number one next season as I have a youngster chomping at the bits to make the first team and his potential is outstanding so I may blood him into the big league straight away.
Next Post: Pre-Season / 2024/2025
#509237 VP's Journeyman Career
tongey
Best decision to bring in Gary Neville as an assistant too, get some Man Utd legends around you.
#509196 The 'Worldwide' Win It All Journeyman
tongey
Good news coming out of North Wales is that I've finally completed my Continental A License badge, and my stats are increasing because of this. I also immediately asked the board if I could start on my next badge, and they said yes, because of the recent form we've been going through which is pleasing to hear. The ambition shown by this club is second to none, and they should be a Welsh Premier League side because of this. I'm hoping I can be the man to take them there again.
Just a little update on where the stadium is at. We seem to be over halfway there, and should be all moved in and ready to play by 28/06/20204. This is an exciting time at the club, and I've got to create a team that can match their ambition on the pitch.
I'll start with the league update, as that's what we want the most. I thought it was going to be a tough campaign when we drew the first 3 games of the season when we should've won at least 2 of them. The only exception here was the match against Porthmadog who outplayed us, and we scraped through with a lucky goal right at the death to claim a point. We managed to grab our first win of the season against Ruthin, and since then it's been good going from us. We've won a total of 7 games in the 15 we've played. Our most impressive wins coming against Colwyn Bay & Prestatyn. We actually went on a run of 8 games where we didn't lose, which comes down to the change of tactic where I wanted to set us up more defensively and play on the counter. This seems to be working a treat.
Bad points in the league, is that massive defeat against Llandudno who blew us away in a 4-1 result. We were atrocious and this is what prompted me to change the tactic. Our only other loss this season was against Bangor City late on in this 1/2 of the season where we lost 1-0. I really can't complain about how we are playing as 2 defeats in 15 games is an awesome record.
Onto the cups, and we have two to talk about. The first being the Nathaniel MG Cup where we did 'OK', but not spectacular. We actually had the result of the tournament, knocking out TNS who are a giant in the Welsh football system in the 2nd round. We then went on to knock out Holywell 3-2 in the next round, before crashing out in the Quarter-Finals at the hands of Cefn Druids. We were the last team in our division to go out and this is something to be proud of.
In the JD Welsh Cup we didn't have as much success, after getting knocked out by Llandudno once again after a 2-0 defeat. I haven't got too much more to say about this one, except that . I will be back next season to win it!
Look at this table! We are riding high in 2nd position even though teams around us have games in hand. They have to win them first though. I'd much rather have the points on the board already. Porthmadog are in the top spot and have a significantly superior goal difference which could be a factor at the crucial end of the season. We are being chased down by Bangor City, Llandudno, Prestatyn, Gresford & Holywell, all who are within 4 points of us. It's going to be a tight, tight finish to the campaign, and hopefully, we can end up above everyone else.
First of all, I've employed a brand new squad view, which combines all the stats together in an easy to look at view, (once you are used to it that is). We've had a couple of standout performers this season so far, the first being Julian Williams, the striker I bought in last season and played well then. He's played in 20 matches and has got a rating of 7.08. He's chipped in with 9 goals so far, so should be on pace to push for 20 at the end of the season if all goes well. He's also notched up 3 assists. He's an all-round team player and is our talisman.
Our young winger John Alex Papirnyk has been outstanding as well, although his stats don't really echo this. He's been a constant threat down the right-hand side and has 3 assists and 4 goals to his name. He only has a rating of 6.82 but should be above 7.00 in my eyes. He's only 18 and has a bright, bright future ahead of him.
Next Post: End of Season Update / 2023/2024
#509150 Newcastle - The Road Back To Success
tongey
It's an even bigger achievement to get Joelinton scoring goals consistently ha!
#509139 The 'Worldwide' Win It All Journeyman
tongey
I've had my first full pre-season in charge of this wonderful club. It's a proper family club and I feel very much at home here. The board sent me an email early on in pre-season saying that they have got the go-ahead to build a brand new stadium to replace the old Oval which was in need of refurbishment. The stadium will have a lower capacity bit will be brand new which will be massive for the club. We will be playing our home games at Caernarfon Park from the 2024/2025 season onwards.
I still haven't managed to complete my 'Continental A License' yet, so I'm still working hard to get that completed so that I can ask the board to start my next one. It's massive that I get to complete my coaching qualifications early on so I can get on with winning everything. Here's hoping they will let me, as money at the club is not in a good situation thanks to the new stadium.
I love transfer season in non-league football. You can pretty much get everyone for free, and for minimal contracts, but the only downside is that people can sneak in and steal them at the last minute by offering them £10 more per game. I did my work early and brought in 4 new players to help improve the squad and challenge for the title.
Ethan ap Gareth is a new CM, and helps strengthen that area that was the weakest last season. He's young, has a cracking free-kick on him, and is a hell of a passer apparently. He joins another new CM in the squad, Julian Rawlinson who is more attacking than Ethan. He has insane fitness for this level, and hopefully, he can grab a few assists and goals this season. I also decided that I needed to strengthen the defence, so managed to persuade LB Ricky Gray to come in from Rhyl to join the journey to the top of the Welsh pyramid. Ricky has a tremendous work rate which makes him the perfect fit for my team. My last signing is CB Callum Coleman who is experienced and comes in from Llandudno. I needed another CB as my old-timer retired at the end of the season.
Ricky Gray // LB // Free Transfer // Rhyl
Julian Rawlinson // CM // Free Transfer // Cardiff Met Uni
Ethan ap Gareth // CM // Free Transfer // Cefn Druids
Callum Coleman // CB // Free Transfer // Llandudno
We played a minimal number of friendlies once again this season, due to the cup competitions starting early. We grabbed 3 wins against lower-ranked teams Llandudno Albion, Rhos & Carno but lost to Tottenham Under 20s who really outplayed us. I'm happy with how pre-season has gone and I'm looking forward to seeing how we get on in the league.
Next Post: Mid-Season Update // 2023-2024
#509127 The 'Worldwide' Win It All Journeyman
tongey
I've settled into my lovely cottage in Caernarfon, within walking distance to the beach, and things have gone well at the club as well. I feel like this has refreshed my love of the game after it had stalled a bit in the Romanian Liga II. For one, I can actually pronounce the names of my players which helps when I'm screaming at them to play harder and put more effort in. I had 10 games left in the season, and 2 days left of the transfer window, so I've been a busy bee.
I've only managed to bring one new boy in though. The lucky guy who gets to play his football for me now is, Julian Williams, a striker from Colwyn Bay. He's been a good signing for us and has gotten the bug for goalscoring straight away. I can't wait to see what he can do next year with a full pre-season and time to adapt to his new tactic.
We've had good and bad moments in my first 10 games in charge. Let's get the bad out of the way first, as we managed to lose against Ruthin, Chirk, Holywell, Bangor City & Gresford. I didn't expect to win against Bangor or Holywell, but I expected a lot more against Ruthin, Chirk & Gresford.. We played fairly well but didn't take our clear cut chances. I think I'll take the 'new tactic' route here and will let the lads off. I expect a bit more though next season and will be looking to beat teams like these in our run to the title.
Good points are we have managed to win some games and stop the losing streak. We had cracking wins against Llangefni, Colwyn Bay, Guilsford, Holyhead & Llanrhhaedr. The most spectacular win was against Colwyn Bay, who is a better team than us. We outplayed them and put on a spectacle for our fans.
5 Wins, and 5 Losses. It's been a so, so start, but we will have to improve next season, and I'm sure we will!
When I took over, we were down in the 9th position. We've managed to move up a few places, after our 5 wins and 5 losses, and ended the season in 7th position. At one point it definitely looked as if we were going to finish as high as 5th, but losing the last two games put an end to the pipedream. I'm happy with how we did though. Lots of positives for next season.
I can't really comment much on the players as I'm still relatively new here. My new signing Julian Williams, performed excellently in his 9 starts, scoring a total of 5 goals, and getting an assist too. He ended on a rating of 7.26 which is a team-high. I'll be looking at him to score 15 goals or more next season.
Our actual top goalscorer on the season was Gareth John-Owens who amassed 9 goals. The CM was excellent in the games I managed in, and he will be key next season if we want to push to the next level.
Next Post: Pre-Season Update / 2023/2024
#509101 The 'Worldwide' Win It All Journeyman
tongey
After resigning from my post in Romania, I quickly hopped on the plane back to the motherland so I could spend some quality time at home with the family. I started to like being back nearer home so I set my job search around the UK. One team came back to me fairly quickly, and that was the mighty Caernarfon Town. I must've impressed them in the interview as I agreed with all their expectations and their visions going forward for the next 5 years, and they offered me the role of first-team manager within the week.
I'm on a £180 a week contract until the end of the 2024 season. I'll hopefully be around a bit longer, but my aim, of course, is to win the JD Cymru North league within 2 seasons and then attack the league above quickly as well. There are a couple of cups to win in Wales as well so hopefully, I can nick those too.
Caernarfon Town is a semi-professional team playing in the JD Cymru North, which is the 2nd level of Welsh football. They go by the name of Cofis, and play their home games at the magnificent 'Oval' which houses a capacity of 3,250 people (500 seated). They have basic training facilities and poor youth facilities so it looks like I'll be using the transfer and loan market to improve the squad. It's an academy and youth recruitment are basic as well.
The club has been around since 1876 and has won a few trophies in this time. 3 Cymru Alliances, 1 Welsh Alliance League 1, 3 FAW Trophys, 1 Caernarfon and District Division 1, and 4 Cymru Alliance League Cups.
The team is actually in better state than I thought it was going to be, to be honest. It's a very young squad with the majority of players being under the age of 23. Most of the better players at the club are also in that bracket too which is nice to see. Of course, there will be some addition to the team when the transfer window opens up again, but for now, I'm happy with what I've got.
Ioan Peris Jones looks to be the best player at the club ability-wise. The attacking midfielder is a local lad having grown up in Caernarfon, so is playing for his boyhood club. He's only 19 so can improve massively too. I'm looking at him to be the main point of attack from the midfield, and to use his creativity to split open defences with his quality passing.
With only 10 games left in the league, I'm not sure what we can do realistically, but mathematically anything is possible so I'll be aiming to get as close to the top spot as I can. We sit in 9th position at the moment and looking at the season preview, that is exactly where we are meant to finish, so anything above that will be a good start for me. Of course from next season I expect us to mount a serious title challenge.
We have been knocked out of both the JD Welsh Cup & Nathaniel MG Cup so no trophy for us this season. We'll be aiming to do as well as we can next season though.
League Table
Fixtures
Next Post: End of Season Update 2022/2023
#509080 The 'Worldwide' Win It All Journeyman
tongey
Just a quick update, to let you all know that I have resigned from my position as manager of FC Metaloglobus Bucuresti and will now be looking for a new job. The form didn't improve and I was about to be pushed out, so I jumped quickly before that happened.
In my 1084 days in charge of the Romanian club, I took charge of 105 games, with 50 WINS, 33 DRAWS and 22 LOSSES.
We got relegated in the first season, which led me to gain my first trophy in my career. The prestigious Romanian Liga III was secured in our 3rd season in charge after narrowly missing out on winning it the year before.
Next Post: A new club, A new country?
#509076 The 'Worldwide' Win It All Journeyman
tongey
I'm still in charge at Metaloglobus Bucuresti, and things are going alright, nothing special, but not bad. The board want me to stay but have said they will lower the compensation amount if a team comes in for me which is good of them. I have had one offer of a job from Welsh League 1 side Taffs Wells, but the board wouldn't lower the amount as much as they wanted them too, so they couldn't afford me. We move on anyway, and I'll concentrate on trying to maybe push us up one more league if we can.
The board have impressed me once more, by allowing me to complete my next coaching badge. This time I'm currently going for the Continental A License so I'm well on my way to completing that now.
Considering we were meant to be the whipping boys of the division, we've done alright, haven't we? I don't know what it is with me and draws, but I always seem to collect them like they are the most common thing in the world. It's so frustrating, especially when you've done enough to win the game, and the opposition scores a late equaliser and boom, another draw. We've had 9 draws out of the 18 league games we've played. That's 50% of our results, have been drawn. Crazy.
We had an impressive draw against top of the table Universitatea Cluj right at the end of this half of the season. We actually should've won the game but failed to take an easy chance in the last 10 minutes so it ended in a draw. The best game of the season, however, was a cracker for the neutral. We defeated Csikszereda in a thriller. 6-4 it ended and it could've gone either way. We seem to be playing well for patches, and then we don't play well for ages.
In the Romanian Cup we did one better than last season, as we reached the 5th round of the competition. In the 4th round, we beat CS Baloesti on penalties, with Dan Tomescu slotting home the winner. We had a tough draw against FC Vitorul who are top of the Super Liga and they put us to the sword in a 2-0 comfortable win. It wasn't to be this year, but I will be back to win this definitely in the future.
We were meant to be finishing down in 18th position, but we are in 13th so we are defying the expectations really. We are only 3 points from the relegation zone, so some of those draws need to be turned into wins. We are also only 11 points off the playoffs/promotion spots, so maybe, just maybe we can challenge for those if everything does go our way. I'm pleased with how we are performing and I think we can survive in this league.
Our new players have settled in well, and although no one is performing out of their skin, everyone is playing fairly well. Valentin Ghenovici has been the best player rating wise, notching up a 6.87 rating from 19 games this season, which isn't bad at all. He's been our creative force in midfield and has been crucial when we have been playing well. There is this stupid rule that I need to play 2 under 19s in the lineup, which means I have to leave some of my bigger names out which is annoying.
Our top goalscorer this season is MIhati Nastase, the new signing from Unirea Slobozia. He's been good but can be better and I expect him to comfortably make it over the 10 goal mark this season. Ideally, I'd like him to make it nearer to 20. A shout out to Robert Petre who has 5 goals this season, alongside his 3 assists.
Youth player-wise, Dan Tomescu continues to rise to a key player, but he may not sign a new contract because he believes he can play higher than where we are at. Marius Mantea has also been promoted from the youth team and has slotted into the middle of the pitch fairly well. He will need more game time though to continue to improve.
Next Post: End of Season Update / 2022/2023 Liga III
#509037 The 'Worldwide' Win It All Journeyman
tongey
After winning the league title in our 3rd season in charge, I've set out to try and build a squad capable of staying in the Liga II next season. It'll be a tough ask, as according to the season preview, we are one of the favourites to go down and finish well in the relegation zone. There are only two teams expected to do worse than us, so that doesn't bode well at all.
I also got a message from the board, saying that a potential takeover rumour is not to be believed. I've had lots of these in FM20, and I'm not sure why we get them, maybe it's just the press trying to stir something up and create some gossip. Anyway, we aren't getting taken over and I think I'm happy about that as the board seem quite supportive, apart from the fact they won't let me start my next coaching badge course which is frustrating me a little bit.
I've actually decided to splash a little bit of cash this off-season, due to the fact the board have backed me in the transfer budget department, has given me over £750k to spend. I haven't spent all of it, as that would be financial stupidity, but I have spent a fair chunk of it, specifically on one well-known player to us. I've brought back Stefan Dobre on a permanent deal this time, as I didn't want to keep loaning him season after season. He did cost a lot, but I thought it was a cracking financial investment. He is currently the Romanian U20 keeper too which is good.
Alongside Dobre, I've brought in 3 midfielders, as we needed more in that area of the pitch. I needed more competition, and more quality so that we can rotate more and give players more of a rest between games. 2 of the 3, are more defensive-minded, and one is a more attacking creative player. Radu Chiriac, Alexandru Mitracu and Danut Opera all come in on free transfers and should all compete for the starting jobs come the start of the season. Our final transfer in is striker Mihata Nastase. He's a poacher and is by far the best striker at the club according to star ratings. He should score for fun, but you never know with FM. Let's hope he lives up to his reports.
Stefan Dobre // GK // £135k // Academica Clinceni
Danut Opera // CM // Free Transfer
Alexandru Mitracu // CM // Free Transfer
Radu Chirac // CM // Free Transfer
Mihati Nastase // ST // £13.5k // Unirea Slobozia
Only four friendlies this season, as we have a bigger number of games in the actual season, so I didn't want to tire the players out before they even got started. We had some decent results, especially against Astra Giurgiu. We did lose against Dacia Unirea Braila, which is annoying, but it's only a friendly. How will we fare this season? Who knows?
Next Post: Mid-Season Update // 2022-2023 Liga III
* I am looking for new jobs now, as I'm not sure we will win this league anytime soon, so my next post may be a new club...
#508969 The 'Worldwide' Win It All Journeyman
tongey
Once again, the board have decided to extend my contract, so I must be doing something right in the Romanian capital. I'm really enjoying my time here, and we are starting to slowly build something. Finances are on the up and we now have an overall balance of over £1million which is a long way from where we started from. We are still waiting for the planning permission to build our new 3,600 capacity stadium, but I really think we will be waiting a long time (European Builders and all that). I've now got a contract until the end of 2023, and I'm earning a whopping £450 a week. I may even upgrade my rental house with the extra cash, and really live a lavish lifestyle in Bucuresti.
The first thing that I see on that fixture list, is the little red result icon, meaning we lost a game. Our only loss of the season and it came against CS Afumati, in a tight 2-1 defeat. We should have won the game as we played against 10 men for most of it and just couldn't take a chance. Anyway, look at that board again, and we have done insanely well. A total of 19 wins out of 30. We had slightly too many draws for my liking too, with a grand total of 10 on the season.
Our end of season form last year was woeful, but we switched it up a level this year, and ended up beating our two main rivals on the last two matchdays. First of all, we beat Progresul Spartac in a 3-1 hammering, before taking down the previously unbeaten for 10 games team Dacia Unirea Braila on the final day of the season. Claudiu Herea nicked the winner in the 82 minutes.
Our overall record for the season then stood at 19 WINS, 10 DRAWS & 1 LOSS. That's title winning form surely?
WE HAVE DONE IT! We have crowned champions of the Romanian Liga III on the last game of the season. It came down to the final match against Dacia Unirea Braila, and all we needed was a draw. We nicked the win in the 82nd minute, which cemented our position on top of the table.
A total of 67 points was enough to beat out the rest of the competition, and give us the trophy. We ended up 4 points ahead of Dacia Unirea Braila, who finished with 63 points. Progresul Spartac finished 3rd with 63 points also, but a lesser goal-difference. The three of us constantly changed positions game after game, before we went on a little run at the end beating both of them to put us in pole position.
What a season it's been for the mighty FC Metaloglobus Bucuresti. Up the Echipa Pantelimonului!!!
The players deserve a massive rest after their efforts this season. They can go into their summer break, knowing they are the newly crowned champions! They will also need to keep fit in order to be ready to compete in the Romanian Liga II next season!
Only 1 player, played in all 31 games this season! A big congratulations to Robert Petre who achieved this amazing feat. He actually didn't perform as well as last season, but I'm pleased with his efforts over the season as he achieved a rating of 6.88.
Robert Vilceanu, once again earnt himself the 'Top Goalscorer' award at the clubs award night with a total of 11 goals on the season. In the second place, was striker Sergiu Arnatau with 9. Both players were amazing all season and did their best to get the club that league title. Now we have to keep on to both of them in the off-season.
Robert Vilceanu also was the best player at the club performance-wise, ending up with a rating of 7.50 over his 29 games. Valentin Ghenovici, Soto Mino, Dan Tomescu & Sergiu Arnatau also played their hearts out and ended up with average ratings over the magic 7.00 mark. An incredible season with some simply outstanding performers.
Next Post: Pre-Season Update / 2022/2023 Liga II
#508793 The 'Worldwide' Win It All Journeyman
tongey
@DNZY, the first season I was definitely up against it, but the second season I did expect us to bounce back immediately. 3rd seasons a charm eh?
It's that time once again, as we head into the mid-season winter break. It gives us time to recharge our batteries, and clear our minds ready for the end of season madness that is undoubtedly about to come. Before we get to the fixtures round up, I've got a little bit of news regarding myself.
Just before the midway point of the season came, an email flew into my inbox regarding a job interview. Romanian Liga II side, Astra Giurgiu (my senior affiliate team) had offered me the chance to interview for their vacant manager position. I ummed and ahhed about it, but decided that I had to turn it down. We are close to winning the title here, and I can't pass up a chance of a trophy in this career.
I also asked the board to allow me to go and complete my next coaching qualification, and to my surprise, they said no. I can't quite believe it as they needed my presence at training, although we aren't playing for a month and a half. It'll have to be put on the back burner until the end of the season I guess.
Last season, we started off with a nervy draw against a newly promoted team. This time around, we couldn't have started any differently. A 4-0 battering of Axiopolis Cernavoda set us up for a decent first half of the season. We're actually unbeaten in the league, with 9 wins and 6 draws out of 15 games. Pretty impressive stuff from the lads. Once again we managed to keep 11 clean sheets out fo the 15 available. This is in no doubt playing a huge part in our form and our position in the league.
Our most impressive victories were the 3-0 win against Sarichlori & the 4-0 win against Metalul Buzau. We outplayed the opposition and we were ruthless in our chances. We also kept a clean sheet in both of these games, so the whole squad played their part. Our two biggest games against our closest competition (Progresul Spartac & Dacia Unirea Braila came right at the end of this phase, and both ended in a stalemate. Don't get me wrong, the results could've been better, but we played really well in both of these games. I'd rather a point than a horrendous defeat.
Moving onto the cup, and it couldn't have been any more different than last season. We had a cracking run last season that ended up a semi-final defeat at the hands of Chindia Targoviste. This year, we were knocked out at the first opportunity against Liga II side Concordia Chiajna! We took them all the way but lost in a dramatic penalty shootout which is never a nice way to exit a cup competition. Will we be back on a good run next year?
At this stage last season, we were in 2nd position. We've gone one better so far this season which bodes well for us going forward. We are top of the league but it is so so close. Anyone of the teams from 1st to 6th could easily be in top spot within a couple of games. We sit on 33 points, with Dacia Unirea Braila in 2nd on 32 points. Progresul Spartac are in 3rd on 31 points. It's actually crazy how close it is. 15 games to go...what will happen? Who knows.
The players have all put in a shift, and it's paying off so far this season. Robert Vilceanu once again leads the way in terms of average rating. He's improved on last season with a 7.40 after 14 games. He's a tricky little winger down the left-wing, and scores and assists for fun. I'm so glad we managed to keep him as a couple more teams were in for him, but I rejected every bid that came in. Other players to note here are Dan Tomescu who had graduated through our academy and has instantly become one of our most consistent players. Valentin Ghenovici has been quality in the middle of the park as well with a rating of 7.06 through his 15 games.
Goalwise, our top scorers have touched the same level as last season yet (but we had played more games I guess). Robert Vilceanu & Sergiu Arnatau share the top spot having both scored 6 goals apiece. Cultured striker Claudiu Herea has scored 4 this campaign, so he's slowly chipping away at the club record which he may achieve this season if he gets a sprint on.
I've promoted a few more players from the youth squad. Obviously I've already spoken about Dan Tomescu, but George Petre Paoloni has started to make a push for the first-team after impressing me and the coaching staff in training in recent months.
Next Post: End of Season Update / 2021/2022 Liga III