In need of an Oxford degree; in miracles

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NashBigginss

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After my laptop ruined my All aboard the Concord save, I will be starting a new save. Exactly the same, trying to get a team from the 6th tier of English football into the promise land of the Premier League, the team I will be using this time is...


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We were founded in 1882 however have only 2 trophies to show for our entire existence, an English Isthmian League First Division title and an English Spartan South Midlands Premier Division. I will look to steer this club to its best ever league finish as we climb the leagues.

We play our home games at Court Place Farm also known as Marsh Lane..
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Lets have a look with what I have to work with to start with then...
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Just like Concord, I have a ridiculously small squad, so small that I cannot field 5 substitutes currently. Therefore my first focus is to add quality and size to the squad. I recognise a few names. Tshimanga arrived this summer from Boston United and is a handful just like pronouncing his name! Kyran Wilshire came through the youth ranks at MK Dons and I did sign him for Bishops Stortford in FM16. Craig King was at Luton previously and Joe Oastler has played for Aldershot and Torquay so will offer much needed experience to this team.
View attachment 31591Our finances start off in the positive with a healthy £13,000 in the bank, however...
View attachment 31590Our projection is horrific. We are due to be in over £120,000 debt by the end of the season and doubling by the next year! I think most teams in this league struggle for money and look for a FA Cup to help the finances!
View attachment 31589 The bookies don't fancy us one bit, predicting a last place finish. Us and Hungerford look certainties for the drop according to them. Billericay are unsurprisingly favourites to win the league.
 
Pre-season and Transfers

I sacked the whole backroom staff as quite bluntly they weren't very good and appointed my own assistant, goalkeeping coach, fitness coach, chief scout and head physio. I will just show you my assistant as if I showed you all of them, this post would be incredibly long.
View attachment 31541Derek Riordan - A Scottish international with 3 caps to his names so should be handy when needed. Fantastic judging player ability and potential with decent man management. He also has good training stats across the board so could hopefully progress the players this season. Some of you know may recognise him for his time at Celtic and Hibernian which is why he has such good knowledge of Scotland, slightly worrying how he has zero knowledge of England though!View attachment 31553
As you see, we won the majority of our games in pre season however most of which were against lower league opposition. Tshimanga scored regularly which is promising however a lack of clean sheets is worrying as is the fact the only game we played against similar opposition to ourselves we lost.

I said I wanted to add a lot of new signings to add quality and size to the squad and I didn't disappoint...
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I brought in everyone from Cregan down as prior to that I wasn't in charge. Elliot Hodge has left already as his loan contract was just for a month as that was the max I could offer and I hoped I could either offer him a longer contract or keep renewing it however it wasn't to be and he left the club at the end of the month!
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Michael Cregan - A striker that has been without a club for a year following his release from Stevenage. Good mental attributes as well as being a quick nippy finisher makes me think he will be a decent acquisition however at 5ft 6in and weighing 64kg, I worry he may struggle against non league defenders.
View attachment 31551Cameron Esien - A defender with good tackling and heading. He is well rounded with the majority of his attributes being rated at 9 and at 18 years old, the ex-Shrewsbury defender should improve to be a good signing.
View attachment 31550Jayden Corbridge - Another player who has been without a club for a year since leaving Yeovil. With decent heading and fantastic mental and physical stats he should be a good signing for the club. Like Cregan I worry about his height and size at non league level however.
View attachment 31549Jordan Adekunle - If you read my Concord save, you would know about Adekunle already. Ridiculously quick with decent dribbling and a bit of flair, he should worry any non league full back.
View attachment 31548Jay Albini - He has been without a club for 2 years since leaving Coventry! He has good technique and decision making, as well as decent work rate, crossing, dribbling and first touch, he should add good competition for the right hand of midfield.
View attachment 31547Michael Kelly - A Scottish left winger who joins for the season on loan from Bristol Rovers. Very quick and nippy with a decent cross, him and Adekunle will fight to play left midfield.
View attachment 31546Ryan Huckle - A centre half signed from Gillingham on a season long loan, at 6ft 1in and a jumping reach of 14 as well as 13 heading, 12 bravery and 11 aggression, I think Huckle will add much needed size and presence at the back, hopefully will prove to be a handful from corners too.
View attachment 31545Norman Wabo - A striker from Southend for the season, Wabo is hard working with a good turn of pace and decent composure and decision making. He will mostly link up with Tshimanga or occasionally fight for the lone striker role when used.
View attachment 31543Rory Watson - By far the biggest coup this close season. A goalkeeper who signs on a season long loan from Scunthorpe, just look at those stats for this level, I have no idea why he decided to join Oxford City who are favourites to finish bottom, maybe he knows he'll be busy inbetween the sticks this season.
View attachment 31542Jordan Sangha - The last signing so far, Sangha brings a good work ethic and teamwork with him. He has decent passing with high aggression which is needed in the 6th tier of English football, another one here for the season, this time from Walsall.
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August
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Eastbourne Boro - We kickstart the season with a comfortable 3-1 win with Tshimanga grabbing a brace.
Gloucester - Another brace from Tshimanga as we manage to get 3 points on our first away game of the season.
Woking - A very impressive away win against promotion favourites Woking. Man of the moment Tshimanga doing bits again!
Torquay - Another game against promotion contenders and we come away with an impressive point. Norman Wabo scoring his first goal for the club.
St Albans - Wabo scores again whilst Sangha and Huckle score their first goals for the club in an impressive 3-1 win.
Weston Super - Mare - A mare is what we had! 3-2 up at half time before throwing it away in the second half, couldn't defend a long ball.
Wealdstone - Back to winning ways in emphatic style. Wabo hits a brace this time and Tshimanga also scoring another one to end a super month.
View attachment 31533An incredibly good month sees us second, a point behind leaders Bath. Lets hope our strike force can continue their incredible run into September. Somehow Tshimanaga came third in the player of the month!

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September

We start the month with good news. Both Sinclair and Tshimanga have signed a new contract until the following season. Sinclair agreed a new deal on the same terms as his current contract however after a fantastic first month, Tshimanga has bagged himself an extra £25 a week.

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Welling - An impressive 3-2 win against a strong Welling side. Michael Cregan scoring his first professional league goal.
Slough - A clean sheet! Ryan Huckle scoring a header from a corner before obviously Tshimanga scores.
Bath - With 15 minutes to go, we change to a 4-3-3 formation and goals from Wabo and super sub Cregan secure the win.
Aveley - An emphatic 7-0 win in the FA Cup 2nd Qualifying round. Tshimanga hat trick and a brace for Wabo before both were subbed off at the hour mark to prevent the risk of them getting injured.
Hemel Hempstead - Another two goals for Tshimanga and one for Wabo secures a perfect month for us!

View attachment 31397Two months into our managerial job at Oxford City and we have already broken a record, a positive record as well! 6 games on the trot that we have won, not bad for a team that were favourites for the drop prior to our signings.

View attachment 31396A perfect month for us, securing maximum points and progressing in the FA Cup, sees us finish September at the top of the table, 3 points clear of Billericay. If only every month is as good as this month!
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October

Again, we start the month with contract renewals. Centre half and summer signing, Jayden Corbridge, signs until the end of next season on £60 a week. Central midfielder, Jon Ashby, also signs on the dotted line, committing to play for another season, taking a £10 a week wage cut in the process.

View attachment 31389Dorking Wanderers - A comfortable win in the 3rd round of the FA Cup, set up an away game at Maidenhead, a team in the league above!
Concord - Jordan Sangha scored a cracker early on as we grind out a pleasing 1-0 win.
Maidenhead - We went a goal up before Maidenhead then took a 2-1 lead with 20 minutes to go. Big Ryan Huckle scored a header before Tshimanga scored the winner late on!
Dartford - Maybe a few heavy heads from the Maidenhead win, cost us. We never looked like scoring whereas Dartford hit two screamers to seal the 3 points.
Chelmsford - A game we controlled from start to finish, how it was only 1-0 I still don't know!
Chippenham - We weren't at the races at all and struggled to break down a resilient Chippenham side however thank god for Tshimanga as he again stole the show with two goals.

View attachment 31388That impressive cup win at Maidenhead means its a good month financially for the club. With at least one more game in the cup and it being the first proper round of the FA Cup, hopefully, more money will come to keep us afloat this season.

View attachment 31387In the first round of the FA Cup, we face Grimsby Town at Blundell Park. It should prove to be a boost to the finances and test us against league two opposition to see just how good we can be.

View attachment 31386With a near perfect month with only one defeat, we keep our spot at top of the table. Billericay have a game in hand and are still 3 points off us.
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November

Unlike the previous months, we start the month with bad news, many injuries...
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Obviously the biggest miss will be Norman Wabo, who was out for the month. His replacement, would have been Michael Cregan, although he was ruled out for a month a few days later. With 2/3 strikers injured, I decided to go into the loan market..

View attachment 31376Niall Freeman - 18 year old striker signs for the season as back up. Decent finisher with good determination and teamwork. Mentally and physically he looks well rounded.

View attachment 31375Hampton and Richmond - We kick start the month with an impressive 3-0 win including a Tshimanga penalty.
East Thurrock - The injuries set in and without the signing of Niall Freeman, we had to mix it up and go 4-5-1 with only Tshimanga fit. We actually played well and should've got more out of it as we tried to fight back from 2-0 down.
Grimsby - Our FA Cup tie ends in a disappointing 2-0 defeat, we made a good account of ourselves as we revert back to 4-4-2 following the arrival of Freeman.
Dulwich Hamlet - We end the month with a disappointing defeat away from home. We never really got into the game and deserved to lose.

View attachment 31374Injuries took their toll as we fall to 2nd place as Billericay frog leap over us. We have them in December so hopefully we can regain top spot once we begin to get key players back into the team.
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December
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Hampton and Richmond - Tshimanga scores either side of a Jordan Sangha goal as we start the month with a win.
Truro - Brilliant result and performance, another 2 for Tshimanga and a clean sheet!
Billlericay - Back to back clean sheets as we defended brilliantly against a rampant Billericay side.
Weston Super - Mare - Not at our best but Tshimanga saves the day with a hat trick!
Barnet - We scored a last gasp equaliser against the run of play to force the game into extra time and then a replay as Corbridge also scored his first goal for the club.
Barnet - Wabo's first goal for the club since his injury although we never got going against Barnet, who are a league above us.
Wealdstone - Obviously still shocked from the game a few days before as we take the lead before crumbling to a 2-1 away defeat.
View attachment 30508A good away point at Billericay sees us stay 2nd in the table however 4 points off of them now with a game in hand. If Tshimanga carries on this outrageous season and a few more pip in with goals and clean sheets, hopefully come May we will go up!
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January


New month, another contract extension. Left winger, Jordan Adekunle signs on for another season. He has impressed me this season and made that left midfield position his own so far and has been rewarded with a pay rise and is now on £170 pw.

More contract/transfer news...
View attachment 30085Despite being offered a contract at League 2 side Crewe and League 1 side AFC Wimbledon, somehow Michael Cregan chose to stay at Oxford City and be third choice to Tshimanga and Wabo!

View attachment 30084During the second game of the month, Norman Wabo damaged his shoulder and missed the remainder of Januray as a result. Thankfully he should be back for February and more importantly it wasn't Tshimanga getting injured!

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Hungerford - We started the new year with a home game where unsurprisingly Tshimanga bagged a brace! Nice to see a clean sheet aswell!
St Albans - A tricky away game although we looked comfortable throughout. Tshimanga with another brace and Wabo scoring before going off injured.
Hungerford - Only a week and a half between our last meeting however the same outcome as Adekunle and Tshimanga scored in another 2-0 win.
Welling - WOW what an opening 20 minutes! 3-0 up within 20 minutes as we coast past play off hopeful Welling. Tshimanga carries on where he left off with a hat trick.
Gloucester - Despite winning 3-1 we weren't at our best and were more than a bit fortunate to come away with the win.
Torquay - A day to forget! Torquay had 10 men for 65 minutes as their best player, Ryan Dickson, got sent off. Torquay then grabbed a winner with ten minutes to go and managed to hold on despite Cameron Esien missing a sitter in the 88th minute!

View attachment 30080Despite only dropping 3 points in the whole of January, the gap between us and first place, Billericay, is 4 points! If we can carry on with this form Im sure we can catch them though. I just beg Tshimanga stays fit for the season!!
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KIU, I'm sure you can can catch then, looks like the two of you battling it out as 3rd is a good few points off you both
 
Neavie pops 23 - Thanks, I'd like to think we could catch them however after this update you may think otherwise!

February
View attachment 29655Woking - We start the month how we ended the last with a defeat as we fall to a 1-0 loss at home.
Eastbourne Boro - It all looked like we were back to normal as we took the lead through Wabo within 10 minutes before we then went on to ship 3 goals away.
Truro - We went a goal down before Jordan Sangha thankfully saved the day for us with an excellent long ranged strike.
Billericay - The hardest game of the month and the only game we came away with 3 points from! We took the lead twice before being begged pack. Up stepped Wabo in the 91st minute to seal the third and the win. They did have 2 late sending offs as well.

View attachment 29654We still sit second behind Billericay despite our win at home against them, however after a pretty dismal month we now find ourselves 9 points off of them! I hope that our win against them will have a damaging affect on their confidence and form whereas we then go on a mazy run to clinch the title... Its the hope that kills you.

We also have had our youth intake...
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As you see a pretty poor youth intake. Most will probably never play for the first team, the best of a bad bunch is Alan Gleeson.

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A left winger who is fairly quick with good technique and work rate. He has excellent teamwork however his crossing, dribbling, off the ball and passing stats are terrible which will cost him getting into the side in the near future.


Lastly, we have a departure...

View attachment 29651After turning down several football league clubs, Michael Cregan, has now agreed to join League Two Notts County on a one year contract, with an option of a second, starting the 9th June, thankfully it means we have him with us until the end of the current season.

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March

I am delighted to announce that I have signed a new 2 year contract after the board were happy with our performance in the league so far this season!Now for some bad news...View attachment 29520Rob Sinclair picked up an injury in the first game of the month which ruled him out for the duration of March, he has been a vital part to our success in the league so far this season.

View attachment 29519Chippenham - We start the month like we started February, with a defeat. We were second best and the result shows that.
Hampton & Richmond - We bounce back brilliantly! Tshimanga scored a brace but also missed a penalty to prevent him from getting the match ball.
East Thurrock - Two clean sheets on the trot with a convincing performance and result. 2 in 2 for Ryan Huckle.
Dulwich Hamlet - A less than convincing performance which leads to a disappointing 2-0 loss at home.
Chelmsford - For the second time this month we bounce back brilliantly with an emphatic 4-1 win. Tshimanga managed to bag himself a hat trick this time round.

Unfortunately in the Chelmsford win, we picked up an injury...
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View attachment 29517After breaking his foot against Chelmsford, Walsall decided to recall Jordan Sangha from his loan spell to undergo treatment there rather than with us which is for the best as their medical resources will be a whole lot better than ours. Sangha has been fantastic for me and as you see already played 44 times come the end of March, hopefully one day we will see him back here with us.

View attachment 29516We finish the month 10 points off of Billericay who are all but promoted as champions. However we have guaranteed a play off place alongside Slough who are level on points with us. I just hope we have no more injuries and build up a bit of momentum before we tackle the play offs.
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April
View attachment 29515Hemel - A big win with most the goals coming in the last ten minutes of the game. Kyran Wiltshire started following Sangha's departure and he grabbed a brace to try and cement his place in the side.
Concord - Another impressive win however made easier thanks to Concord missing a penalty and then getting a player sent off.
Slough - A big game as both teams are pushing for 2nd place and we come off as winners thanks to Tshimanga and Michael Cregan who scored his 3rd goal in 4 game!
Bath - Simply excellent from Tshimanga as he collects another match ball to add to this seasons collection.
Dartford - A good game of football, both team having lots of chances which surprisingly Tshimanga failed to convert as we fall to a 3-2 defeat.
View attachment 29510The final league table! Gloucester and surprisingly Chelmsford and Hampton&Richmond are relegated. Billericay finish the season with 100 points as we finish second with 87 points. Dulwich and Hamlet, Chippenham, Torquay, Wealdstone and Slough make up the remaining play off places. Second place was crucial to get as now we have home advantage in the play offs!
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Good luck in the playoffs mate! You deserve to go up after such a good season!!
 
TheNotSoSpecialOne - Thanks mate, yeah fingers crossed we can get promoted, we deserve to!

Play Off Semi Final

View attachment 29494WOW! What an incredible performance. Michael Cregan got rewarded for his recent form with a starting 11 spot ahead of Norman Wabo and they really couldn't handle him and Tshimanga up top as we found ourselves 4-0 at half time. After the 5th went in, I subbed Tshimanga off to make sure he didn't pick up an unnecessary injury and also took off Jon Ashby with him on a booking.
View attachment 29493In my first season at the club, we have set a new team record of 29 matches being won in a season although we did have an extra few games to achieve this as we got into the play offs.

View attachment 29492As Slough Town beat Torquay United 1-0 in the other semi final, we face third placed Slough in the final. Wealdstone and Torquay both managed to win on penalties against Chippenham and Dulwich Hamlet in the game prior to the semi final.
We did beat Slough 2-1 in April previously, I just hope we can repeat that scoreline come the 18th of May.
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Play Off Final

View attachment 29458

View attachment 29459Absolutely gutted! We took the lead through Tshimanga and hit the bar and post prior to their equaliser. We then possibly shaded the second half without creating much. I brought on Wabo for Cregan in an attempt to take the lead which in hindsight I shouldn't have done as Cregan is a good penalty taker. Ashby managed to put his penalty wide! Wiltshire missed the decisive one as we will face another season in the Vanarama South.

View attachment 29457No surprise as Tshimanga sweeps up fans player of the season as well as young player of the season. Cameron Esien won signing of the season which surprised me just as much as Kyran Wiltshire's place in our best 11 ahead of Sangha.
View attachment 29456
Again Tshimanga swept most awards with 52 goals!! By far my best ever tally playing FM. He also got highest average rating with an impressive 7.57. Rob Sinclair got an impressive 20 assists. John Ashby got the most red cards with a low tally of 1.

More positive news after play off heartbreak...

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In our first season, we have achieved the clubs highest ever finish! Tshimanaga breaks a league goal scoring record as well as claiming player of the year, thankfully we have him tied down to another season with us!

Here's a look at the squad and their stats for the season...
View attachment 29451
Some impressive stats and average ratings in the side. With most of the substitutes and reserves out of contract, I will be looking to add more strength in depth over the summer as well as hopefully renewing loan contracts for another season.
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Unlucky in the playoffs. Hopefully without billericay you can grab top spot this season
 
any chance of a link for your lower league tactic, it looks to have done really well, and I usually start as Gateshead so would be interested to see another LLM approach, and congrats on what is a fantastic season for Oxford, hopefully next season you can go a step further
 
Absolutely gutted for you mate...reckon you can push for the title next season now though as long as you can hold on to your best players!
 
Football's so unfair sometimes... Better luck next season mate, this time you'll go up.
 
TheNotSoSpecialOne, Ninjaskill, GRDB -Cheers guys, was gutting to lose on penalties as we done so well during the season and considering we were perhaps the better team in the final. Hopefully with a few additions we can go one further next year.

PeterBolam78 - This is the tactic I use the majority of the time...

View attachment 29329I use 4-4-2 with no instructions, I feel less instructions in lower league saves works better however during the game I may select certain instructions based on how the games going. Pressing forward usually works well in lower league saves too as the defenders aren't as composed or comfortable with the ball at their feet.

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