From Rags To Riches: A True Underdog Story

[MitchT94]

The Journey Starts Here
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So here my journey begins. A young 21 year old lad trying to find his feet in the turbulent world of football and more importantly football management. Having been a fan of the beautiful game for my entire life on this earth I feel that football is engrained in my blood. With my love of the game in my heart I find myself on the doorstep of my dream but also a universe away from the top. With nothing but high hopes and good intentions I find myself with the arduous and unenviable task of finding my first platform into the darkness of management. What's more with my lack of experience and my naivety of the behind the scenes politics that is the dressing room, is this a endless pursuit of chasing shadows and nothingness or is this the start of my new career. Only time will tell but it's time to get my name out there and show everyone from the chairmen, to the fans to even my own family that this is what I was born to do and I WILL make this work for me and climb my way to the top....Even if it kills me!

 

[MitchT94]

The Journey Continues...

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After several weeks spent applying for managerial jobs and facing rejection after rejection I had finally got the call I was waiting for. It was only an invitation to an interview but still I finally had a toe in the door. The interview process was fairly simple and the questions they asked I was prepared for. I left feeling that I was in with a good shout. My instincts were right I got the call two days later offering me the managers position at...Stirling in the Scottish League Two. I had done it. I had finally landed my first role in club management and I was ready to seize the opportunity with both hands and not disappoint. The boards expectations of me were fairly high with the club expecting me to reach the play-offs. But I was ready. I was prepared. With the pre season over already my first game in charge was a competitive one. It was a Betfred Cup game where we had been drawn into Group E alongside St. Johnstone, Dunfermline, Brechin and St. Mirren. Having already fallen to a 2-1 defeat against St. Mirren before I joined the club my reign got off to a great start with a 2-0 win over Dunfermline which lifted us off the bottom of the group. However we were bought straight back down to reality suffering a loss on penalties after a 1-1 draw with Brechin. We were unable to bounce back in our final group game against St. Johnstone which we lost 2-0. Overall Not a great start to my reign crashing out of the Betfred Cup in last place in our group. However it did feel good to register a win in my first match in charge and it is a moment that I will most certainly never forget.

After putting the pain of our Betfred Cup campaign behind us we were back in the mix in another cup competition against Celtic's u20's side. After falling 2-0 down in the first half we fought back and made it 2-2 to take it to extra time. However our left back picked up a second yellow card and then our striker went off injured and with us having already made all 3 subs we were down to 9 men and crumbled eventually being beaten 4-2 to crash out of our second cup competition of the season.

With the cup competitions out of the way it was finally time for our first match in the Ladbroke's league 2 against Annan Athletic a team which were expected to pile the misery on us. However we managed to labour to a 3-3 draw to pick up our first league point of my career. It was disappointing that we couldn't do enough to win but getting on the board is a great start to the campaign. We then followed that result up with a 0-0 draw with Clyde a team we were expected to beat. So two games down and 2 points on the board not a bad start but in my mind I was craving that first league win. Unfortunately for us we had to wait at least one more game as we fell to a 1-0 defeat to Montrose.

Finally we had earned it. Our first league win of the campaign. A hard fought 3-2 victory over Arbroath to pick up all 3 points. Another win occurred in our next game at home to Edinburgh City where we picked up a 2-0 victory to gives us back to back wins and end the month on a high note.

It was done. My first two months as a football manager had passed. How was it you ask? It was every bit as nail-biting and nerve wrecking as I had imagined and yet strangely it was the most satisfying feeling I had ever experienced. I was content with life and with every passing moment my hunger and appetite for victory was growing. I was relishing the challenge of the Ladbroke's League 2 and my anticipation for the next match was unwavering.

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[MitchT94]

So it continues....

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So my journey continues on this wildly unpredictable adventure in football management. Now allow me to skip ahead here. My first season at Stirling has passed. After 1 year at the helm we did not achieve our goal of reaching the play-off falling to a defeat on the final day of the season. Having failed to deliver on the targets laid out for me at the start of the season I decided to take the big step and resign from the managerial post. That's right my first venture into football management has ended in me walking away. Jumping ship before I was pushed. Having spent the summer unemployed and with me beginning to doubt my decision to leave. Thinking had I tarnished my reputation before I had even got one. Those thoughts disappeared quickly however with our second club of our career getting in touch and inserting me as the new manager at....Alfreton Town F.C.

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