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#37065 Travelling across Europe - proving I'm better than Dan!
BOWC
#289444 Conquering Britain (British Steel 2013)
BOWC
Dan: Yeah Dan, league form was a b**ch but managed to pull through to the finals!
Major overhaul of the squad, bringing in fresh players ranging from age 18-25, so should be a team for the next few years, to tackle the BSB North and the Premier, hopefully some will develop well and follow me beyond that!
Not too sure how to feel about the friendlies, on one hand we are scoring, but on the other, we are leaking crazy amounts of goals.
My first friendly in charge was against semi-rivals Sheffield (not utd or wednesday, just sheffield). A solitary goal from Liversedge was enough to see them off, giving me a good start to the friendlies.
However when we received Chester, although we scored the first goal again through Liversedge, we could not hold on to the lead as they knocked goal after goal after goal against us, and the consolation goal by Mick Stanford couldn't save us from the 3 goal defeat.
Winning in extra time was a huge relief for me as Nicky Fox sunk minnows Holywell with a 95th minute strike after Liversedge equalised for us in the 79th minute. Unbelievable that they managed to come up and score against us, but the boys hit back hard and ended up with a well deserved win.
However, when we received Kidderminster, there was no doubt who were the better team. 5 goals to nil is not a very flattering display but our performance deserved it altogether.
Liversedge is one of those on all of the games we scored's scoresheet, definitely will be an integral part of the team on the right wing and hopefully the goalscoring doesn't stop here!
A big loss is definitely not a game you would like to end the pre-season with, but we have to make do.
I am still thinking of a safe mid-table position, though it seems I may spend a while languishing in the lower part of the league before the team get used to the style of play.
#289443 Conquering Britain (British Steel 2013)
BOWC
So I've taken over Witton Albion, a former Conference side who have just been promoted to the Blue Square Bet North.
They are predicted 20th in the league and I will be hoping to exceed that and produce a safe mid-table run for this team which should be achieveable given the wage budget and the transfer kitty!
#289442 Conquering Britain (British Steel 2013)
BOWC
A goal glut kicked off the month, though we managed to get on the scoresheet a total of 4 times through Biansumba, Kieran Brennan and Chris Brown, we still couldn't win the game as Bray Wanderers equalised 4 times to deny us the win.
The Munster Cup Semi Final was a boring one as Fernoy took a defensive stance to deny us many goals, though we finally took the lead and defended it after a Louis Stevens strike on the 60th minute, taking us to the finals of the Munster Senior Cup!
Finally ticking off Ireland as we venture back into the job centre!
#289441 Conquering Britain (British Steel 2013)
BOWC
The month of May isn't as hectic as April but we still played 7 games which is still a lot. 5 games in the Premier and 2 in different cups I have won before with Athlone!
Abysmal performance against an impressive Drogheda allowed them to come away with a 2-0 win which really showed why Cork have been languishing in the lower half of the table all these years.
Goalless for the second game this month against Shelbourne was disappointing considering the number of shots we had on target, but nonetheless it is 1 point well earned thanks to the defensive display, keeping us just on top of relly zone by a point.
Another 1-2 defeat against Shamrock Rovers incurred the wrath of the fans as they lost to their bitter rivals again. The game looked like it was heading for a draw after a Shamrock strike cancelled out Ives' opener, but they scored late to stop the game from going into extra time and I have to say I was thankful for that.
Another local derby lost at Limerick F.C. was an unbearable sight as we were largely even except for a defensive lapse that cost us the game.
It continued against Longford as they knocked 3 past the goallee to extend their unbeaten run at the expense of our team. Dropping into relly playoffs, its surprising that the board has not been too unhappy with me!
Redemption began at SD Galway as a must win match was won, though unconvincingly in the 91st minute of play. Louis Stevens was my hero as he got the win without stretchin the game into extra time which would've been detrimental for us.
Biansumba decided to find his scoring boots but even his 2 goals could not grant us the win at Mervue Utd as they equalised twice to deny us the win we thoroughly deserved.
17 games played and we're still in 11th place, 2 points from safety and 4 points ahead of the automatic drop with 11 points. 10 defeats is definitely unacceptable. However, looking at the fixture list I may only be staying for another month before I leave the post here! That's if I win the Munster Senior Cup, and the only notable opponent is Limerick now.
#289440 Conquering Britain (British Steel 2013)
BOWC
A busy month of April saw us play no less than 9 games back to back with 3 out of 5 of the Munster Senior Cup rounds played in April. I, naturally, rotated my players such that they would be fresh for the Munster Cup matches
Mervue Utd visited us and were expecting to get all 3 points to open the month of April, however an early goal by Mervue was cancelled out by a stoppage time strike by Ciaran Kelly, splitting the honours in a tight game.
The first win of my tenure here was recorded at Fairview Rangers as we netted 2 virtue of Biansumba and Stevens before half time to ensure we progressed to the next round with a clean sheet. It was a good game as we finally dominated somewhat.
I returned to Athlone Town hoping to record a victory over my former employers, however the first half killed the competition as Athlone netted 2 in 10 minutes leaving us playing catch up. Andy O'Connell gave us a lifeline at the 64th minute but it was ultimately our inability to create chances that cost us and Athlone destroyed us with a late goal, leaving us with no chance of victory.
Shamrock Rovers were a team I expected to lose heavily to considering the quality of the squad. However we managed to pull through and leave quite content with our performance after a Hutchinson goal!
Going behind at Bohemians was the last wake up call required as we finally recorded our first league victory this season, with a big contribution from Louis Stevens who recorded a brace on either side of a Steven Black header, skipping 3 points ahead of the relegation zone.
Definitely a great achievement as we recorded 2 wins on the bounce with another Munster Cup win as Leeds AFC - Cork fell. Owen Humphrey opened the scoring and O'Connor followed up with another goal 5 minutes later and 6 minutes after that, a sweet strike by Biansumba fired home and gave us the confidence needed to hold on to the 3 goal advantage and proceed to the next round of the Munster, still going strong.
A hard-fought 1-0 win against Dundalk courtesy of a winger strike kept us going on our finally solid run and we managed to get out of the relly zone for the first time.
Munster Senior Cup saw us meet non-league side Ringmahon in another one-sided affair. Biansumba finally showing his worth with a brilliant brace and Kelly topped it off with a goal of his own.
The result was mirrored in the opposite direction at Sligo Rovers as we were as productive as our goals showed. a 0-3 defeat was a bad defeat and would take some time to get over.
All in all this month has been pretty solid for our team and hopefully this form will carry us into May and June!
#289439 Conquering Britain (British Steel 2013)
BOWC
The end of February marks the start of a brand new season in the Irish Premier Division, with 3 wins on the bounce, we went into the first game with high hopes and heads high. I managed to sign Owen Humphrey, a previous player at Athlone at his second spell at Athlone.
Suffice to say we didn't appreciate it when we shipped 3 goals through the leaky defense against Sligo Rovers. Consolation goal from Owen Humphrey didn't make the defeat any better, though it sort of justified my re-signing!
A goalless draw against Shelbourne at home was pretty alright as our defensive work was impressive for defenders of that caliber. There wasn't much action though, as we again failed to find that final pass to make the team work for us.
A defeat at an impressive Drogheda that sat 4th on the Premier League seemed fair as we played poorly and shipped in 2 early goals with practically no response from our team. Disappointing but the worst was yet to come.
A sad defeat against local rivals Limerick F.C. was definitely a sore defeat as they scored 2 before half time before we seemed to summon a comeback in the form of Stevens' goal on the 50th minute mark. Despite us outplaying Limerick towards the end of the game, we could not find it in ourselves to score another goal or 2 and earn us more points than we should have gotten.
Another goalless draw sums up our inability to score goals though there were positives from that play. A clean sheet despite a Longford barrage shows our defensive capabilities on their day means that we would need to just focus on the creativity and lethality of our team.
Cork City slumped to our 4th defeat out of 6 games against Bray Wanderers. Both teams fought hard and kept each other on their toes but ultimately, it was one solitary lapse in the Cork City defense that cost us the point that day.
An abysmal month lodges us into 11th place, only above last place Bohemians on goal difference and 1 point away from safety. Form better pick up soon or I may be sacked even before the Munster Senior Cup Final.
#36471 Travelling across Europe - proving I'm better than Dan!
BOWC
#36470 Turning Merseyside Blue
BOWC
Well done on the big win! KIU
#289438 Conquering Britain (British Steel 2013)
BOWC
Dan: Thanks Dan
I have to say, nothing much in terms of transfers due to the small transfer window and barely any of the players that I could actually scout and were upgrades wanting to join me, so there was really nothing I could do.
February Pre-season went decently!
We started off with a money-spinning tie, inviting Lech to arrive to play at Turner's Cross. The gulf in class was visible and the game was insanely one-sided as our leaky defense allowed Lech to net 4 goals to put a dent in our confidence.
Fortunately the other 3 games were against weaker sides, arriving at feeder club Ballymun with an own goal and an impressive late striker from Hutchinson clinching the win.
Amos Taiwo gave us the lead in the 39th minute at rivals Waterford, as we dominated but really could not find that final pass to score.
The narrow victories continued at Everton (IRL) our second feeder club as prolific striker Biansumba netted at the 38th minute mark to ensure no upsets in terms of friendlies.
The narrow victories worries me a little though as it shows our inability to score even against weak defenses! Only time will tell how we will do in the Munster Senior Cup.
#36277 Travelling across Europe - proving I'm better than Dan!
BOWC
Big plays to remain on top!!
#36276 Getting Around Europe Quicker Than Shedender
BOWC
#36220 The conquest of Britain
BOWC
#36211 From zero to hero
BOWC
#289437 Conquering Britain (British Steel 2013)
BOWC
In a surprise move, I joined Cork City from Knockbreda, having to tear myself away from the legacy of my blood sweat and tears.
Cork City is one of the teams that take part in the Munster Senior Cup which I am missing from completing Republic of Ireland once and for all. Since I'd have to join a new club to compete in Ireland for the Mid-Ulster Club, it made sense to snap up the opening when the long-term manager of this team retired.
The team looks crap in midfield and we are lacking in defense. Apart from the first choice, the strikers are average at best and my old players have no interest in joining me. If I can just keep myself in the job till I win the Munster Cup, this will be a short tenure and I'll be on my way in no time.
#36207 Getting Around Europe Quicker Than Shedender
BOWC
#289436 Conquering Britain (British Steel 2013)
BOWC
Mixed bag of results again in the festive season, 2 wins 2 draws and 1 defeat rounds off our inconsistency in the game.
A tight match against PSNI kicked off December. 3 goals from Maybin, Buchanan and Lewis looked to have killed the game, but defensive lapses in the second half allowed the Police Service to come back into the game though we held on to our slim lead at the end of the game.
Another stalemate in these 2 months as we failed to find any openings against Dungannon and it proved to be an extremely boring match with no chances from each side.
Cliftonville proved to be a tougher challenge as we saw them score 2 in the first 10 minutes and that killed the game for us. Despite our Scott Hill netting a rare goal, there were barely any positives to take from the game after they put the last goal into our net in the 70th minute.
Glentoran was a surprisingly even match considering our difference in ability. Boyd in place of Maybin because of suspension scored in the 9th minute, but after a few chances missed, Glentoran equalised later on in the game, robbing us of our 2 points.
A 2-0 win was overdue and we managed to beat Glenavon easily just past christmas. A goal apiece on either side of half time from my striking options that match was all it needed to ease past our opponents this time.
This run of form with 8 points from 5 games does not look like champions, but fortunately Linfield has been picking up the same number of points and we still sit 4 points behind them in second place.
The All-Ireland Cup sets us up with my first return to Athlone Town my first Club. With club captain Stephen Last and a few other of my players still there, it should end up an interesting run..
#35936 Getting Around Europe Quicker Than Shedender
BOWC
#35933 Travelling across Europe - proving I'm better than Dan!
BOWC
#289435 Conquering Britain (British Steel 2013)
BOWC
Zan: Thanks zan! Glad to see you're still following
Bigbillzy: Welcome onboard! Thanks! Still a long way more to go though!
Month of November started with a home game against Donegal Celtic, again we dominated these lower teams with semi-rotated teams. A 2-0 win was no less than we deserved, Captain Lewis kicking off the scoring near the end of the half time and after a few decent chances, Boyd scored from a tight angle at the 82nd minute to kill the competition.
Glenavon held us to a stalemate at our home, as no goals were scored even with the 5 great chances we had to win the game. Their goalkeeper put up a man of the match performance to deny us the win.
Coleraine ended their losing streak on us by hitting 2 against us by the half time mark after the lead was established by veteran striker Buchanan. This loss caused us to fall out of striking range of Linfield and let them go 4 points above us.
The crunch tie against Linfield was an exciting one as 8 goals were scored setting the season record of goals scored. Linfield kicked off the scoring by scoring 2 in the first 15 minutes and strikes from Brennan and Maybin equalised the match for us. Sam McWilliams, backup right back put us in the driving seat of the game 5 minutes from half time. After half time, 2 goals again from Linfield caused them to control the game but a good stroke of counterattacking from Ian Boyd helped to equalise the game and we came away with a deserved point.
4 points behind leaders Linfield, but still the rest of the season to play. Overall a bad month for title contenders but we did not slip too far off the pace. A good run of results is still required to put us in for the title though.
#289434 Conquering Britain (British Steel 2013)
BOWC
A pretty mixed run in October started with a 2-1 win over Glentoran with super sub Sheridan and legend Burns netting the 2 goals on either side of a Glentoran goal.
We then received Ballymena Utd at home and expectedly after controlling the game, Maybin and Brennan scored to give us the precious win that launched us to the top again.
The league cup run was meant to be an easy game where I fielded a 2nd string, they put up a good fight and pulled it all the way to the penalties but ultimately, misses from Lewis and Burns cost our place in the 4th round and we're out of the competition without a decent fight, just a season after winning the cup.
The last game of the month saw us receive nemesis Carrick where we failed to pick up any points taking our wins against Carrick to 5 in a row besides the penalty win in the League Cup last season. That allowed Linfield to leapfrog us again back into 1st place.
Linfield is still top going into November as hardly anyone is stopping them from winning, big wins at that!
#289433 Conquering Britain (British Steel 2013)
BOWC
September saw us meet Linfield in the Co Antrim Shield in our defense. Suffice to say it wasn't one of our priorities and a 0-2 defeat against the league champions fielding a reserve team wasn't too bad though I was hoping to show our quality.
We consigned Coleraine who was third placed last season to a 2-0 defeat with goals from Maybin and Buchanan, sounding all familiar once again. The win proved to be just what we needed to launch ourselves in prime position to challenge Linfield.
The league cup tie against Banbridge was one we expected to win comfortably. Sheridan our 4th choice striker got on the scoresheet and in the second half, Barry Coyle scored from a tight angle in the box. A goal from Banbridge challenged our position, but the result was secured as a corner from Maybin was deflected into the goal.
Buchanan and Maybin was on the scoresheet again in the 3-0 thumping of Dungannon, with midfield lynchpin Scott Hill knocking in the third goal and the icing on the cake for our launch into first place, 1 point above Linfield.
Stuart Brennan continued his delightful form to knock in a goal at Cliftonville before assisting Ian Boyd for the second of the match after a goal from Cliftonville threatened to take 2 points away from us.
However our good form could not last that long surely, and Portadown held us to a draw to allow Linfield to leapfrog us. Portadown scored first in the first half, but when it looked like we were consigned to defeat, Brennan saved the day by knocking in a goal after a bullet run from the centre of the pitch to the goal front.
Besides 1 lapse, Linfield matched us point for point and our last match of the month killed our hopes of going into the start of October on top of the league table. Slightly closer to Linfield than last season, but the situation is pretty delicate because it takes a lot to knock a League champion off their perch, even more so when they've won 12 of their last 16 Premier Leagues.
#35175 The conquest of Britain
BOWC
It is pretty pissing that there are only 3 playable teams and all those teams don't sack their manager all that often.. The manager at Cork has been there for 7-8 years in mine despite bad results and Limerick's manager isn't too far behind that
But good work! How much did you change from the original team!
#34846 Travelling across Europe - proving I'm better than Dan!
BOWC
Great going unbeaten, only 10 games and 6 points left to catch!!
#34656 Turning Merseyside Blue
BOWC
Definitely great results against Arsenal and well done on manager of the month!
#289432 Conquering Britain (British Steel 2013)
BOWC
The season kicked off with a match against Carrick, League Cup runners up. A draw was on the cards as we havent had 3 points against them since September last year. They took first blood and we equalised 3 times in the game, with goals coming from heavyweights Maybin and Buchanan, looking to rediscover their unbelievable partnership the past 2 seasons.
A second draw from 2 came against recently promoted P.S.N.I. with Captain Lewis netting a corner before they equalised in the dying minutes of the game.
Our poor form continued to our 3rd game against Donegal Celtic, them netting 2 against us without response, causing us to dip our toes into the relegation playoff zone for a week.
Fortunately our redemption started against Glenavon, 2 fringe players Boyd and Maguire scoring to prove their worth in the team, allowing us to rest certain key players without compromising our immense N.Irish quality.
A crunch tie against Linfield was unnerving but we came out winners as mistakes from their defenders cause the first penalty, which allowed us to take control of the game and confidence flowed through our consistent goalscorer Maybin as he netted a cool finish 10 minutes past the break. This brought us back within striking range of our title rivals Linfield.
We continued our defense of the Co. Antrim Sheild as we comfortably beat Ards 2-0 for the 3rd 2-0 in a row. Key players rested again, a goal from Boyd and a fortituous own goal would see us through to the second round, drawn against none other than title rivals Linfield.
Surprisingly, after our poor start, our 2 wins puts us in 4th, 2 points from the summit, which puts us in a very good position at this point of the season. Goals are flowing and we are not conceding many goals towards the end of the month, i just hope that the slow start will not affect us at the end of the season!
#289431 Conquering Britain (British Steel 2013)
BOWC
A season that has my wage budget cut by about 15% from 3200pw to 2700pw can only spell trouble. I had to let a few of those running out of contracts go including some promising talents that were demanding too much. After that I couldn't even bring anyone in, but I think the first string as well as some good fatigue management and the fact that we only have 1 competition to compete for will probably do it for us so we can edge Linfield this season!
Our second outing in the Euro Cup started off with a draw against Slovakians Trnava. We travelled to Slovakia only for the inexperience in European outings to hit us as they scored 3 early goals against us. We managed to score a precious away goal through Buchanan but the Slovakians proved too strong for us on the day.
A week later they visited for the second leg. The same number of goals, but in favour of us. 3 second half goals with 2 from Buchanan and one from club legend Burns sealed the match, though their 2 goals meant that they would be through to the next round.
5 friendlies were played before the season proper started and a decent run in those games albeit the teams being lower league teams. But morale is up! Only thing though, is Trevor Maybin hasnt scored in all those games... and that presents a worry for me.
#34626 Europe, from A to Z (or W, actually)
BOWC
8.5million transfer is just wow for that league!
#34625 Getting Around Europe Quicker Than Shedender
BOWC
A good run of form, unlucky for your milestone to be tainted like that!
#34624 Travelling across Europe - proving I'm better than Dan!
BOWC
Interesting to read both you and Dan's careers! I might start this once I beat Brittania