Football is the game, Money is how we keep score.

[Seano]

Dover Athletic
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December

Portsmouth vs Dover
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First up this month is an FA Cup trip to League One outfit and former FA Cup holders Portsmouth. A difficult task and we did a good job to keep the scoreline to one goal. We struggled with possession and when we did have the ball we didn't do much with it. We had a decent first half creating one or two chances and limiting Portsmouth to only a few long range efforts but the second half was a different story with Portsmouth coming out all guns blazing and finally scoring the only goal of the match in the 68 minute after rounding Stephens.

Dover vs Accrington Stanley
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Accrington are a good side with some quality players like Windass, Hazeldine and Mingioia. Andrew Brown put us in the league half way through the first half but it didn't last long as Accrington went up from the restart and scored immediately. It was a well fought second half with Accrington taking the lead after 66 minutes and managed to keep us out up until the dying minutes of the game when Brown nodded in a very late equalizer.

Notts Co. vs Dover
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Away from home against Notts County but i still fancied my chances but they proved to be a difficult team to break down. We dominated the game in terms of possession but again, what seems to be a reoccurring theme this season, we found it difficult to create any real chances, so i might need to adopt a more direct approach. Notts County started the second half very well, whereas we were still asleep as they scored 2 goals in the first two minutes and put us on the back foot. Despite the best efforts of Georgiou and Brown we only managed to pull one consolation goal back.

Dover vs Carlisle
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A chance to pick up a win against Carlisle who are just above us in the league but again, we couldn't create anything clinical, whereas Carlisle's direct approach caused us a lot of problems at the back and only from some good defending we could have been in for a bashing. It was a fairly end-to-end match with Carlisle scoring the first goal towards the end of the match. I took a risk which paid off, some of you might notice Ngoo on the scoreline, he was back in training after 4 months out and nowhere near match fitness but the risk paid off as he scored a late equalizer to give us a share of the spoils.

Crewe vs Dover
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We got absolutely demolished here, despite the scoreline. Crewe really should have scored another 2 or 3 goals. Despite taking the lead, we were really poor and couldn't do much in the attacking third. Crewe hit us back immediately, for the second game in a row. It looked like we were going to hold onto the draw but Sean Ragget pulled down Dan Gardner in the penalty area and gave away and injury time penalty which they converted.

Carlisle vs Dover
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Another chance to get a win over Carlisle and bounce back after some poor form but we fell again. It was a poor performance overall. Keeping the ball but doing nothing with it and when we lose it Carlisle looked like scoring every time on the break so i'll have to address that in the next few matches.

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A poor month sees us dumped out of the FA Cup and slip down to 17th and find us back in the relegation battle. This is easily one of worst months we've had in League 2 but we were bound to get one eventually.​

 

[Seano]

Is anyone still interested in this? Feel like i'm talking to myself

If theres anything i can do to get more interest in it then let me know!

 

[Godfish93]

Is anyone still interested in this? Feel like i'm talking to myself

If theres anything i can do to get more interest in it then let me know!

Having experienced the same feeling, the best thing is to power on through mate. Mine has certainly come out much stronger on the other side as a result.

Ofc, if you always get bored of it, you can add drama to it by changing clubs or spicing it up. Worked for me last year.

 

[Seano]

Having experienced the same feeling, the best thing is to power on through mate. Mine has certainly come out much stronger on the other side as a result.

Ofc, if you always get bored of it, you can add drama to it by changing clubs or spicing it up. Worked for me last year.

Thanks man!
I'm enjoying the save and updating this thread as I go along. I'm not going to end it, it just feels im speaking to myself so i'm looking to improve wherever i can.

 

[Seano]

I got a bit carried away and finished the season so i might post the second half of the season in one post if you guys dont mind?

 

[Godfish93]

I got a bit carried away and finished the season so i might post the second half of the season in one post if you guys dont mind?

Sometimes it's easier to do that just to catch it all up and keep it interesting. I've had the same issue, I'll play ahead, look at how much I've got and say sod it, all in one and try again next time. Does also mean you can play the file at a normal pace instead of continually stopping.

 

[Death Ball]

I'm following and still interested, just not commenting much.

 

[athomash]

Looking good, keep it going. I am gona start on too

 

[StevenM92]

Im following and also going to attempt the same sort of thing lol

 

[Seano]

Dover Athletic
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January
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The New Year hangover lasted a bit longer than i had hoped, as we only manage to pick up 2 points out of a possible twelve. The first two games were vital against teams who are in and around ourselves in the league. Barnet fluked a win against us, and we fluked a draw against Notts Co. A thumping from Newport and Plymouth didn't help our goal difference but a well fought draw against Blackpool got us back to scoring goals.

February
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Another poor month sees us only picking up 6 points from 18 possible points. 2 draws against top opposition wasn't a bad start but a loss to Torquay and Port Vale put us into the middle of the relegation battle where Torquay were battling. A draw at struggling Exeter didn't help either as they're in the relegation dog fight as well but i was delighted to get a win away to Crawley to ease the pressure slightly.

March
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The big games this month were against Northampton and Tranmere, both which we performed horrendously. Shipping 4 goals at home to Tranmere at the first fixture of the month was embarrassing, we recovered slightly with an away draw at Wycombe but went back to losing ways against Leyton Orient who were chasing a playoff spot. A point away from home at Table Toppers Rochdale was a great result but a draw against Northampton wasn't good enough. We nearly beat York but conceded a late goal to share the spoils.

April
View attachment 181931
Without a doubt, this would be the most important footballing month of my career. Bigger than the playoffs at Lowestoft and bigger than the playoffs with Dover. We were bang in the middle of the relegation battle and this month we really had to bite down and scrap for our professional status. It started off well with a win against Morecambe, with Stefan Payne breaking the records at Dover to make him the top league goalscorer in Dover's history. The game at Stevenage was huge, they were hopping in and out of the relegation zone along with us so to lose to them was a big big deal and i thought our fate was sealed, especially when we failed to win a single game after that. 2 draws against two decent sides and a loss to Accrington left us in a dire position and it all came down to the last game of the season, and the final relegation spot was either going to be ours or Exeters...

View attachment 181929
Thankfully, it was Exeters! No thanks to us though, we had to rely on Goal Difference to save our skins. So our status in the Football League is safe for another season. The second half of the season was without a doubt, horrendous. Picking up only 2 wins along the way, but in the end it was enough. Here's to a very busy pre-season in the transfer market!
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​

 

[Seano]

Dover Athletic
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Pre-Season
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Ì'm a bit of a pleb and let my Assistant Manager arrange friendlies, so he decided to arrange three.. So it's a short pre-season. Decent performances during pre-season although it's hard to gauge ourselves against smaller opposition.

Transfers
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Quite a bit of activity in terms of players leaving the club. A lot of the player who performed for me over the last two seasons just can't cut it at League Two, which i learned the hard way last season. The likes of Murphy, Thomas and Rafferty who featured heavily for me are shown the door. I didn't bring in a lot, not down to lack of trying, just down to lack of quality wanting to join me.

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Pascanu looks to be a decent defender for this league. Got him on a free but i'm paying him a hefty £1,600 a week which is a lot for this club so hopefully he's worth it. He'll slot into the back 4 instantly.

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This one was a bit of a panic buy. He has great potential and i need someone to challenge Stephens and to cover him when he gets injured. He's still young so has plenty of time to develop.

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Got this fella on loan from Yeovil. He'll be going straight into the right back slot. Looks like a quality player!

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I really needed a backup keeper and didn't feel Bradley House was enough, so incase he doesn't develop i decided to snap up former Arsenal youth Hugo Keto on free transfer. He's more than capable of competing with Stephens for the number 1 spot.

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Michael Ngoo hasn't been the same since his injury last season so i tried to get rid of him and failed. I needed somebody to replace him. I decided to stick by Stefan Payne, he is our top goalscorer after all , and brought in this fella on free to provide some backup and some competition.

View attachment 181727
Another loan signing, this time a regen from Nottingham Forest. He has some great stats and is going to be an important player for me. Goes straight into the left back department.
​

 

[Seano]

Dover Athletic
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August

Notts County vs Dover
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A fantastic start to the season. A great performance all round with both goals coming from our strikers. I started Chiedozie and subbed him for Payne on the 80th minute. Both of them scoring great goals after some nice football.

Dover vs Brighton
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This was always going to be a tough fixture against championship side Brighton. Brighton took and early lead through Tomer Hemed but we hit them back immediately through Harris but Hemed scored another just before the break to give them the lead. We looked fairly dangerous in the second half but a mistake at the back gave them a penalty which they converted to seal the victory for them.

Accrington vs Dover
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Another great performance against a decent side, this time we could only get the draw. Stefan Payne continued his good start to the season with another goal. We had few chances to extend our lead but some good goalkeeping kept Payne out. Another mistake at the back lead to another penalty which they scored to give them a share of the spoils.

Dover vs York
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Another quality performance against one of the teams at the top half of the table last season. Chiedozie gets his second goal of the season as Shodipo scores a great goal cutting inside from the right and banging it into the top left corner of the net. Jake Flannigan had unfortunately put the ball into his own net in a bit of freak event.

Scunthorpe vs Dover
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Not the best way to end the first month. Our first poor performance of the season against a far superior side. Another own goal and another penalty decision certainly didn't help. We've conceded more own goals and penalties than actual goals so far. We didn't look like scoring at all and it took a shot from 18 yards from Payne to get us on the scoresheet. Hopefully this was just a blip on our road to success.

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So our first month in our second season in the Sky Bet League 2 is very pleasing one as we sit 9th. Some great performances from the likes of Harris, Shodipo and Payne have got us off to a good start.
​

 

[Seano]

View attachment 181405

lol​

 

[Death Ball]

Some good signings. Considering they'll be still gelling for now that start looks promising.

 

[Seano]

Dover Athletic
View attachment 1019230

September

Dover vs Crewe
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Big game against a strong opponent and the team, well mainly Shodipo stepped up to the challenge. Despite going down early in the second half we fought back with Shodipo scoring a brace. We certainly didn't deserve to lose and i'm delighted to get all 3 points.

Portsmouth vs Dover
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What a freak of a result. I have no idea how i kept Portsmouth from scoring and i'm completely stumped as to how we managed to win and get through to the next round. Lady luck was definitely on our side.

Dover vs Hartlepool
View attachment 181380
Frustrating match. Despite taking the lead and being the dominant side throughout the match we came out empty handed. Hartlepool hit us back shortly after we took the lead and then took the lead shortly before half time. Second half was fantastic from our team, we just couldn't find the back of the net.

Southport vs Dover
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Totally undeserved win but i'll take it. We really shouldve done a lot better. Southport aren't the best side but they sure did cause us a lot of problems. We were really poor and struggled to create any real chances. Chiedozie nodded in a header from a corner to hand us all 3 points.
Bolton vs Dover
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This was always going to be a difficult task. Bolton are too good of a team to be in League 1, nevermind league 2 so i wasn't hoping for much. The lads played well and were unlucky to be on the losing side. We didn't create many scoring chances but we had some nice play and showed some promising football.

Northampton vs Dover
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Another big game against a team similar too ourselves. We took the lead through Irish Winger Shodipo who's easily been our best player so far this season. We did well to hold onto our lead and had plenty of chances to increase our lead but we failed to find the net. Northampton equalized through a corner which is a real punch in the gut. Sharing the points again.

Barnet vs Dover
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Horrid. Absolutely horrid performance from the lads. Couldn't hit water if they fell out of a boat. The scoreline doesn't really reflect the match entirely. They had a a few good chances but didn't actually score any of the clear cut chances, instead they scored 3 stupid headers from crosses. It's extremely frustrating.

View attachment 181372
12th after 10 games isn't too bad. There are some concerning issues to look at , mainly inconsistency. Away from home we're woeful so i need to address that in the next few games.
​

 

[Seano]

Some good signings. Considering they'll be still gelling for now that start looks promising.

Thanks mate.
It's proving to be a difficult task trying to build the team. Finding players that want to play for a team like Dover that aren't coming towards the end of their career is difficult so i'm happy with what i've managed to get in.

 

[Seano]

Dover Athletic
View attachment 1019335

October

Dover vs Morecambe
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A tough mid-table clash against Morecambe. It was a closely matched affair with Morecambe having more action at our goal, but not necessarily the better team. We held the ball well and created a few chances but our lack of proficiency in front of goal let us down big time. Morecambe had their own misfortunes in front of goal but a lot of their shots had come from long range efforts. We took the lead lead midway through the second half through Chiedozie with a lovely finish. We weren't ahead long though as Morecambe scored through a corner late in the game.

Leyton Orient vs Dover
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Back to the Paint Trophy against promotion contenders Leyton Orient. Leyton Orient were the better team, but i don't we deserved to lose by two goals. We didn't create that much in front of goal but we were unfortunate in defence. They had a lot of pot shots which found their way in to the net and got in behind our defence with some long balls which we struggled to deal with. Chiedozie scored a consolation for us just before half time but we never really built on that.

Crawley vs Dover
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I decided to adapt a more "sit deep and absorb" method away from home and tried to test it here but it only result in Crawley hitting a shot at us every chance they could and a fair percentage of them hitting the target. Carter scored a calamitous own goal to give them the lead almost immediately and things only went down hill from there conceding again in the 23rd minute with Ryan Dickson basically walking through our defence. It looked like we would get back into the game pulling back 2 goals and actually taking the lead just before half time, but the second half was a big let down. Crawley just kept on attacking and scored just before the 70 minute mark and then scored 2 quick goals late on in the 80th and 82nd minute. Some positives for sure but a lot of negatives too, not going to drop as deep.

Dover vs Stevenage
View attachment 181288
Back to winning ways against a decent Stevenage side. We fully deserved the win but the fact we only scored one goal and it was fairly late on is disappointing. We created some decent chances for Chiedozie, Shodipo and Georgiou to convert but with only 4 shots on target we rarely troubled the keeper, that is until Georgiou found himself inside the penalty area on the end of a Shodipo cross. Nice to bounce back from a string of defeats.

Newport Co. vs Dover
View attachment 181287
Not a bad result away from home to Newport. We didn't deserve a point but i'll take it. We got off to horrid start with Adam Barton scoring a screamer from about 30 yards out. After that it was a bit of an onslaught with shots coming from every angle and varying distances, but we managed to keep them out thanks to a good performance from Hugo Keto. We managed to create a few chances but most of the missing the target. Tom Gardiner scored a tidy finish from a corner, a looping header hitting off the far post and dribbling over the line.

Dover vs AFC Wimbledon
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This was an end to end match and one i feel we should've won considering the performance, but Wimbledon are a good side so i'm not too disheartened with a point. We found ourselves on the back foot courtesy of a Lyle Taylor goal just before half time but we came out gunning with Charlie Harris scoring from the kickoff. Wimbledon took the lead again thanks to a mistake from romanian Pascanu at the back which resulted in Ryan Sweeney scored, but we got back in it thanks to same player, Sweeney scored an own goal via a deflected shot from Harris. Stefan Payne handed us the lead with a phenomenal effort from outside the area curling its way into the top right corner of the net. I thought that was the win sealed but sadly we lost the lead again through another corner *sigh*.

View attachment 181285
So we still find ourselves midtable. 13th after 15 games with 9 points separating us from the relegation zone, so thats a nice , but not so comfortable gap.

View attachment 181284View attachment 181283
After years of asking for the board to pay for my coaching course they finally shell out £600 to send me on a course to get my National B License, i'm also waiting for a new contract offer from the board. Stefan Payne also won goal of the month with his effort against Wimbledon.
​

 

[Seano]

Dover Athletic
View attachment 1019442

November

Forest Green vs Dover
View attachment 181198
What a performance! A hattrick from Chiedozie a goal from Payne and an own goal from Jon Maxted helped us to an emphatic win, and to be fair it could have been a lot more if we had a little bit of (more) luck. Great way to start off the month.

Dover vs Mansfield
View attachment 181196
A drab match and a poor performance. We should be beating Mansfield with ease instead of struggling to draw with them. Mansfield took and early lead through Woolery, but we hit them back through Georgiou. We had a few chances at goal after that,but struggled to challenge the keeper.

Mansfield vs Dover
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A brace from Payne secured our spot in the next round of the FA Cup. Mansfield were the better team again, which is concerning, they were very unfortunate not to score another couple of goals, but i'll take the result.

Port Vale vs Dover
View attachment 181194
This was a big game, Port Vale are hovering around us in the league so i was keen to ensure we didn't lose. A win would've been nice but i'll take a draw. Port Vale had plenty of chances to score and we were lucky that they didn't. A lucky point but i'll take it.

Dover vs Southend
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Another big game against Southend who are just below us in the league so i was looking forward to a big performance and a win but all i got was another poor performance. We created very little in terms of chances, whereas we basically left the front door open for Southend as they pounded at our defence but some great saves from Hugo Keto kept us in the game. Another point and an unbeaten month, we don't get many of them!

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A decent month sees us climb up to 12th in the league with 18 games played with a total of 25 points. Not a great return mind you but i'm delighted to be 11 points clear of the relegation zone. The chairman offered me and new 2 year deal aswell, but I still haven't quite hit the £1000 a week mark!

View attachment 181180
We've got a tough month ahead of us. I'll be look to beat Bury and Yeovil and hopefully a draw or two against Tranmere, Notts or Leyton. I'm not expecting much from the FA Cup tie against Middlesborough.​

 

[Seano]

Dover Athletic
View attachment 1019680

December

Bury vs Dover
View attachment 180976
Not the result or performance i was looking for. We took an early lead through Inside Forward Georgiou latching onto a half volley and slotting it nicely in between the sticks. We had a fair few chances to extend our lead but we couldn't hit the target. It looked like we were going to hold onto the lead after some onslaught from Bury, but they scored very late on through... another corner!

Middlesborough vs Dover
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Back to the FA Cup, which i didn't expect much from and i got exactly that, not much. Despite taking an early lead we were on the back foot from the kickoff. We did well to keep them out during the first half but the second half was a different storing altogether. David Nugent capitalizing on a missed interception from Gardiner, Tom Cairney through a corner and a late one from Danny Thomas who headed in just inside the 6 yard box.

Tranmere vs Dover
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I expected to lose this match against Tranmere who find themselves in the top 3 so i wasn't too disheartened at the result or the performance. We tried to play the counter but couldnt get on the end of any of our through balls or crosses. They defended very deep so it limited us to a lot of long shots and without the presence of Charlie Harris they didn't amount to much.

Notts County vs Dover
View attachment 180967
What a game and what a performance from the lads! Our defending wasn't great but we made up for it at the other end of the pitch with Chiedozie netting a hattrick and Anthony Georgiou and Stefen Payne contributing aswell. It was a frantic first half, with each team netting 3 goals each. The second half was ours though as we bossed the game, with Chiedozie scoring from the kick off and then 20 minutes later to solidify our lead and ensure all 3 points.

Dover vs Yeovil
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This was a game that i was looking to win fairly comfortably but Yeovil sure did give us a good battle. They got relegated from League 1 and started off the season fairly poorly hitting the bottom two almost immediately, but they were starting to pick themselves up and were on a winning streak when i faced them so it was probably a bad time to play them but we did it in the end courtesy of Chiedozie who continues to score for us. We dominated possession but didn't create much as Yeovil defended very well. We kept them out aswell, limiting them too a few pot shots. I made sure to go in hard on Mason Bennet whenever i could, because he's a dangerous player. 2 wins in a row, this is great.

Dover vs Leyton Orient
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Despite being at home, i expected to lose this game. It can be argued that we didn't deserve to win as we were given a dubious penalty and given the amount of shots Leyton Orient had on target, but thanks to some lovely saves from Jamie Stephens he kept us in it and probably won us the game. Joe Morrell scored a thunderous attempt from outside the area and Charlie Harris converted from the penalty spot. Leyton Orient looked to get back into in the second half when they scored through another corner but we managed to keep them at bay.

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So after a big sure toward the end of the month and some crucial wins we find ourselves in 11th with 35 points and with 18 points separating us from the bottom two and only points off the magic number of 50 points so i think it's safe to say we're staying up, but then again, after last years performance after the new year i'm taking nothing for granted.

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The new year will be a tough one as we come up against 3 of the top 4 along mixed in with 2 of the bottom 4. I'll be delighted if i can win both home games and the away game at York and maybe a draw or two against Carlisle and Crewe.
​

 

[Death Ball]

Not bad at all. It's my opinion that in these leagues the important thing is to win at home. Then a few points away will get you up.