Giggs - The Road to Managerial Greatness

[dawesy94]

Giggs - The Road to Managerial Greatness

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So i have done a Giggs story before with FM 16 and it was good fun, so thought i'd give it a go again on '17 as the legend is still not a manager. Starting the season unemployed and given him the coaching badges that he currently has as well as the experience. Haven't done one of these in a while so will be interesting how I try and avoid getting sacked.​

17 November 2016

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Took a few months but as the sackings started coming and a few opportunities started rolling through, Luton Town has become the challenge. Currently sitting at 21st in the League 2 table and only 4 wins to their name, a lot of work looks to be in order. Thankfully I have a transfer window coming, so time to evaluate and look at where this team is failing.

it didn't take long to realise where it's been going wrong...the top goalscorer only has 3 goals to his name...

Squad in general, could be better, definitely need to strengthen all over the park, January can't come soon enough...​

19 November '16
L2 - Luton vs Exeter - Home

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After going 2-0 down i was expecting the worst, striker Mackail-Smith just was playing **** along with my wingers, a few changes and we managed to get the game back to 2-2. Nice to see we had more chances from the game, meaning going in the right direction but we can have all the chances in the world, without a goalscorer it won't mean a thing. Still a solid comeback and I can't complain.​

23 November '16
L2 - Grimsby vs Luton - Away

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And after 5 games without a win, we managed to ****** one away at Grimsby. If it wasn't for a dodgy penalty that thankfully Lloyd Saxton caught with ease this result would of been completely different. Again a leaky defence early on making us have to come back from behind, this is definitely something that needs sorting

New Signing

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Andoh is a hatter
Enoch Andoh signs on a free, hoping to give more support on the wings and a bit more youth and pace into the squad.

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Mauri Signs
Mauri signs for the Hatters on a free, hoping to give a bit more creativity in the middle of the park and back up for Cameron McGeehan who is the only real creative player we have to sit behind the striker.

26 November '16
L2 - Luton vs Morecambe - Home

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Well the plan was to take the pressure off McGeehan a bit with the signing of Mauri but this proves why he is one of the better players in the squad, we managed to keep Morecambe at bay with only 1 attempt on target. Two wins on the bounce is a nice way to get Luton back on track.

Month in Review

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So far have only taken charge for 3 games but it's all been positive since taking over Luton, with some fresh faces joining to bring depth to the squad. It's going to be an interesting few months and it's too early to see where this will end but there are many games yet to play.

Player of the Month

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Cameron McGeehan
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[dawesy94]

December '16 - Seasons Changing

10 December '16

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L2 - Luton Town vs Forest Green - Home

Most dominant performance so far, proving that we don't deserve to be as low on the table as we are, we didn't allow them to get a single shot on target at our goal and Cameron McGeehan put in a man of the match performance carrying on last months form with supplying an assist. Solid game all round. Shout out to Mauri with his first goal for the club.

17 December '16

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L2 - Notts County vs Luton Town - Away

Good lord, well that I didn't expect, with Notts County currently sitting at second and us down the bottom I expected a lot more difficult game. Mauri absolutely ran the show, with 3 assists and a goal to his name, probably one of the best free signings i've found in the game. This marks 5 games unbeaten in the league so hopefully the target of at least mid-table will be feasible.

26 December '16

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L2 - Chesterfield vs Luton Town - Away

What even is defending? Absolutely ridiculous game, my newest winger Andoh had a cracking game as well as striker Mackail-Smith but unfortunately my defence and goalkeeper were shocking at the end, we let a 5-2 lead slip to draw 5-5. Pelly Ruddock receiving a red was disappointing as he normally keeps the midfield under control but stupidly received a second yellow. Still the unbeaten run continues.

​31 December '16

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L2 - Luton vs Cambridge - Home

Good win, Cameron Mackail-Smith scored an absolute worldy and kept on running till the last minute even after starting and finishing the match before. Game may have been a bit different thanks to sloppy finishing from Cambridge not being able to put the ball away, allowing us to keep a clean sheet.

Month in Review
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Well everything is starting to look a lot better since taking over in November. 3 wins and a draw is a good turn around and hopefully will continue on, the 5-0 win over Notts County has to be a particular highlight from the month. Next up is the winter transfer window which will hopefully see just a few changes and bring greater depth to my defence.

Player of the Month

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Craig Mackail-Smith
6 goals in 4 games - Makes me question whether I really do need to shop for a striker​

 

[BallyC7]

Nice one mate...a good month and good to see you shooting up that table! Even puts a playoff place within reach now for the 2nd half of the season!

 

[dawesy94]

Nice one mate...a good month and good to see you shooting up that table! Even puts a playoff place within reach now for the 2nd half of the season!

Hopefully playoffs will be an option, still a long way to go though...

 

[Ryan Owens]

Those are some very good results!

 

[dawesy94]

January 2017 - New Year, New Luton

Preview of the Month

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Well to kick off the month I won Manager of the Month and Craig Mackail-Smith won Player of the Month award for December which backs up me picking him in my last post. Looks like this month will be tough, most of the games are against teams above me in the table, to be fair that was most teams when taking over as manager of Luton, but still, a tough month to come.

2nd January '17

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L2 - Barnet vs Luton Town - Away

Solid win, made the most changes to the team since i discovered my first team due to playing just 2 days before but we played strong and didn't allow Barnet a sniff at goal. Marriott put in a good shift in place for Mackail-Smith but unfortunately picked up a small injury during the game.

Luton announce three new arrivals

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Tom Thorpe has now joined Luton on loan, a solid talent in an area of the squad that needed reinforcing as there wasn't many options to fill the role before. Sean Kavanagh now joins Luton to reinforce the Left wing back position. David Goldar joins on a permanent basis on a free transfer.

Green joins Tranmere

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After 2 years at the Hatters, Danny Green moves to Tranmere on a permanent basis for around 30K

7 January '17

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L2 - Luton vs Cheltenham
Mauri the saviour! 17 shots only 5 on target, surprisingly finishing today was a problem which after our 5-5 draw is a surprise. Goldar put in a man of the match performance which helped the result not going the wrong way.

14 January '17

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L2 - Coventry vs Luton - Away
Sometimes I really dislike this game and the stats above is proof why. Just when i thought Mauri had won us the game against a side that currently sat at 3rd in the table and less than a minute later, a 20 yard worldy goes in and all is square again. Mackail-Smith was shocking up front in the first half which is a real shame after the month he scored 6 in 4 games and Marriott is struggling to show any evidence to why he should be picked either, maybe I spoke too soon about shopping for a new striker.

21 January '17

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L2 - Luton vs Crewe - Home
Solid home display, commanding most of the game once we started exploiting the wings, Jordan Cook just constantly found space and was a constant way to get a ball into the box. After the game sat at 1-0 for so long and having missed many chances I had a feeling i was about to witness a reply of stats from the Coventry game but thankfully Marriott got past his goal drought.

28 January '17

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L2 - Newport County vs Luton - Away
Well, this game was a lot closer than i would of liked, just looking at the stats alone you would think the score would of been at least 8-0. Finishing this month is becoming a massive issue, although we managed to score 3 this game, it should of been a lot more against a team that is sitting in the relegation places.

New Signing

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Alvaro Rivero Signs
Rivero joins the Hatters on a free transfer to back up my strikers Marriott and Mackail-Smith and hopefully will help with the finishing problem we have been having lately.

Departures

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Lawson D'ath joins Pompey
Lawson D'ath leaves the Hatters to join Portsmouth Football Club

Month in Review

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4 wins and 1 draw in what i thought was going to be a difficult month is a pretty good result. A little worry has to be our finishing this month, none of my strikers hit a rate that Mackail-Smith hit in December which is disappointing, especially after the amount of shots we had in a few games which failed to go in. We made positive waves in the transfer market, with all producing positive displays in the bid to reignite the team. Our league position is fantastic though, still got a few games until the end of the season but play-offs seem a solid possibility.

Player of the Month

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Mauri
Whilst our strikers were struggling to hit the mark, Mauri was making sure the team stayed competitive and keeping the unbeaten streak alive since me taking over.
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[dawesy94]

February 2017 - Battle for play-offs

Preview of the month
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After a pretty good month last month and the chance for play-offs in the balance, we have to keep grinding out good results. Well there is some pretty difficult matches going on this month, Starting off against Port Vale who have consistently been around the top spots all season and are currently sitting in 3rd. After that we have Carlisle who are 2nd in the league and at the end of the month we have Swindon at the end of the month sitting at 1st. This month will test our chances at play-offs.

4th Feb '17
L2 - Luton vs Port Vale - Home

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Dominated the game, Andoh was fantastic down the left wing and bagged a goal for his efforts. Marriott was on target and with the shots we had on target, could of easily won by a bigger margin. Quality start to the month.

11th Feb '17
L2 - Carlisle vs Luton - Away

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When the penalty went in, flash backs of the Chesterfield game was starting to emerge but thankfully we saw the game out. Enoch Andoh absolutely tore up the left wing yet again, defenders struggled to get anywhere near him and the hat-trick was proof that Carlisle didn't know what to do with him. Marriott once again got on the score sheet, making it really difficult to drop him.

15th Feb '17
L2 - Luton vs Yeovil - Home

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Shocking...absolutely shocking, the undefeated streak comes to an end from an own ****** goal, there was no pressure on him, Cuthbert seemed like he thought it would be funny to just head it in our own net. Pelly Ruddock getting a second yellow was infuriating as well, the only red cards i have suffered so far have come from Ruddock, ****** off to say the least.
Also this game had the cheek to say Cuthbert also put in the best performance...with an own goal costing us the game...yep, quality performance there.

18th Feb '17
L2 - Mansfield vs Luton - Away

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So that was just a masterclass in how to throw away a comfortable lead. After the previous game i was expecting to bounce back and come out swinging, especially against a side that were sat 18th at the table. It was yet another case of many shots on, but barely anything coming off. It feels i'm starting to repeat myself with saying we should of been leading by more, and what makes it worse is that we just dropped out of the play-off positions.

25th Feb '17
L2 - Luton vs Swindon - Home

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I can't really complain too much after the two games we had previous to this, Swindon are currently sat at the top of the table and were coming off the back off two loses i was expecting the worst, again an own goal putting them ahead, but thankfully my personal favourite player Mauri put us back in it. What is a bitter pill is that they only got 5 shots off and 1 on target compared to our 17 shots and 9 on target.

Month in Review

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Well the shortest calender month just felt like the longest, 2 wins, 2 loses and then a draw, all games statistically speaking we should have won with ease. Finishing has been a major headache lately, our new striker is still yet to get off the mark, and Marriott came into a little bit of form but yet, not good enough. Mauri and Andoh were the few bright spots of the month, we are now 3 games without a win but hopefully the next game will see a change.

Player of the Month
Enoch Andoh
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[BallyC7]

Looks like that battle for the playoffs is going to go right down to the wire. Good luck though mate, have a good March and it could put you in a stong position!I'll be surprised if the likes of Yeovil and Cheltenham can sustain their form and still be up there at the end of the season.

 

[dawesy94]

March 2017 - Gunning for the play-offs

No monthly review this month, just jumping straight into the business of the season

1st March '17
L2 - Stevenage vs Luton - Away

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Back to winning ways after 3 games without a win, Andoh keeping his good form going and Rivero finally got off the mark and should of gotten two but it went down as an own goal. Happy with the performance the black spot only coming from the goal we conceded hitting us on the break and making us pay, but we didn't let the game slip and claimed the 3 points.

4th March '17
L2 - Luton vs Colchester - Home

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Well this game was a little closer than I would of liked, Marriott had a solid game up front and was close to getting a hat-trick and Goldar got his first goal for the team from a corner. Unfortunately our defence is still conceding one which hit us hard on the break and another from a well hit free kick.

11th March '17
L2 - Wycombe vs Luton - Away

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Relatively boring game, we could of finished more chances but Andoh scored a cracking goal and we kept a clean sheet, which means we get all 3 points.

18th March '17
L2 - Luton vs Accrington - Home

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Bore draw, Accrington are on a good run but again finishing is becoming a problem, happy to avoid the loss though.

22nd March '17
L2 - Lincoln vs Luton - Away

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Finishing wasn't such a problem this time, although Lincoln caught us napping at the beginning of the game it didn't take long until Rivero brought us level and then loanee Tom Thorpe making his presence felt before Ruddock put his name back on the score sheet.

26th March '17
L2 - Luton vs Crawley - Home

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Rivero back on the score sheet and Tom Thorpe both making out previous finishing issues a thing of the past, cracking end to the month, big turn around from the start of the month.

Month in review

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This team has come on leaps and bounds, 5 victories in 6 games is amazing and with some very convincing victories at that.

Player of the Month

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Alvaro Rivero

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[dawesy94]

This thread may have appeared dead but i'm going to revive it a little bit whilst I have time off to enjoy playing a bit of FM​

 

[dawesy94]

April 2017 - Time to secure things

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Looking at the month ahead these should be all pretty winnable games, the hardest game being Exeter at the start of the month but with the form we are in, it should be a strong month. Nearly at the end of the season so time to finish this thing!​

8th April 2017
L2 - Exeter vs Luton - Away

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We just didn't turn up for this one, the team switched off and allowed Exeter to score an easy goal and it could of been a lot worse than just 1-0, frustrating as things are getting close at the top of the table and now is not the time to let things slip.​

15th April '17
L2 - Luton vs Grimsby - Home

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​We dominated and although the score shows that, the way we won this game was a frustrating endeavour. We started the game extremely well, Rivero putting one away in the 5th minute, my hopes were up for an epic rebound after the **** show from last match, and then they pulled it level, and it looked like it would stay that way, we dominated, but just couldn't finish it. Enter Rivero with 2 quick fire goals in the last few minutes of the game sealing a hat-trick and a 3-1 win, that was worth the wait.

A quick glance at the table

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Well this is going to be an interesting final run of games...

17th April '17
L2 - Morecambe vs Luton - Away

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Easy win, didn't give Morecambe a sniff with Marriott; who has been lately benched due to Rivero dominating the strikers spot; put in a man of the match performance getting his name on the score sheet as well as assisting one. Now secured a play-off spot, but can we go further?

22nd April '17
L2 - Luton vs Barnet - Home

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God **** I hate this game sometimes, 25 shots, 9 on target for Luton compared with Barnet's 5 shots, and 2 on target and the game ends 1-1, it's not a loss, but it's not good enough. We got lucky with Swindon, who are in 2nd and were on equal points at the start of the game, lost, so we are now a single point clear in the top spot of the league with only two games to go.

29th April '17
L2 - Cambridge vs Luton - Away

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Good result, it was a close match but thankfully the result went our way and Swindon are choking to the point now they have slipped down to 4th with Accrington moving into 2nd sitting two points behind. The last match of the season will decide how well this season went.

Month in Review

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3 wins, a draw and a lose made this month a tad more interesting than expected but with results fortunately going our way we have secured promotion to League 1. The league has stayed close and it all comes down to the last match so it will be an interesting final game of the season.

Player of the Month

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[dawesy94]

May 2017 - The season finale

One game to decide where we place in the league, we have secured promotion so the last match decided who wins the league, the league is in our hands so it's up to us.

5th May 2017
Season finale - Luton vs Chesterfield - Home

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Massive win! We started the game without Alvaro Rivero due to him going off on international duty, Marriott stepped in to his shoes perfectly scoring a brace and Thorpe and Mauri topped things off, cracking match that couldn't of gone better!

Man of the Match

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Jake Gray



Well that concludes this season, ended more successfully then I could imagine it's now on to preparing for League one so updates will be back with a look over pre-season and the ins and outs of the summer transfer window.
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[dawesy94]

Pre-Season preparations

In's and Out's

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Plenty of action in the transfer market to get the team ready for the new league, the likes of Mullins and Potts who had big parts in the season before have moved on, and I have reinforced the squad with options in most positions, with all coming off the free transfer market due to tight funds, but some solid players have come in like Joe Riley and Lee Evans.

Pre Season friendlies

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Solid pre season, all getting the players gelling together and Marriott in particular showed some solid finishing throughout on each game he played in, will be interesting to see how much of a leap League 1 will be in comparison to league 2, although pre-season was against lesser teams, it's solid training to work on our finishing. The game against Hitchin in particular was a good showcase for Marriott scoring all 4 goals of the game.

Looking ahead to August

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So this is how the month ahead is looking, not expecting any more additions to the squad but we will soon see how the team fairs, the EFL cup also kicks off with a game against Bristol City, will be a tough game to start our EFL campaign.​

 

[kolas79]

Doing great so far mate keep it up ! Very interesting save !

 

[dawesy94]

New League, New Season

5th August 2017
L1 - Walsall vs Luton - Away

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A solid start to the season, Andoh linked up with Cook well to exploit the wings effectively but unfortunately couldn't see out the rest of the half, allowing Bakayoko in to slot away an easy goal, the hero of the match however came off from the bench as Ze Gomes showed his class to score a cracking goal. It's a shame Rivero didn't turn up but Ze Gomes seemed happy enough to take advantage

9th August 2017
EFL 1st Round - Bristol City vs Luton - Away

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Well that was special, Ze Gomes again showing off why he is such a sought after wonder kid, got a goal early on and from there we dominated, they may have near equalled us on chances and shots but we were the more clinical side with Mauri grabbing a brace with two cracking goals.

12th August 2017
L1 - Luton vs Plymouth - Home

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Solid effort from the squad, ideally I would of liked the game wrapped up and killed off a lot quicker but Marriott proved my decision right to put him up front by getting a a goal and an assist along with McQuoid taking up the role on the right.

16th August 2017
L1 - Doncaster vs Luton - Away

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Cracking game, statistically Doncaster should of ran away with it but Ze Gomes' finishing proved the difference and won the 3 points, keeping up the perfect start to the season.

19th August 2017
L1 - Luton vs Bradford - Home

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Tough game, we should of secured this with a more comfortable victory but we just struggled to find the finish when it counted, hopefully a return to form for Rivero though who once again found the back of the net.

22nd August 2017
EFL 2nd Round - Luton vs Leicester - Home

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Can't complain with that result, it was always going to be a tough game, conceding early wasn't ideal but McQuoid came off the bench and scored to take the game to penalties, it didn't work out but we done a lot better against them then I was expecting.

26th August 2017
L1 - Burton vs Luton - Away

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Tough game this one despite the score, for the best part of the match Burton came close on plenty of occasions to draw level but Ze Gomes made sure the game was killed off in the 88th minute to ensure no last minute upsets. Ze Gomes just keeps on showing how class he is.

29th August 2017
Checkatrade Trophy - AFC Wimbledon vs Luton - Away

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Tough away day that if our finishing was better, should have been an easy one. This month has been tough on the team and it's exploited the depth, but this last game this month we had the most shots out of all the games but it was just a struggle to find the back of the net.

Month in review

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So for all intense of purposes this month was an overwhelming success, aside from losing to Leicester which was admittedly an expected loss, we couldn't of asked for a better start to taking on a new league, i'm not going to get carried away looking at the table just yet as it's far too soon and there are plenty of games between now and the end of the season.

Player of the Month

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Renzo Zambrano


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