Thanks very much mate. Updates have been quite slow over the last couple of weeks as work and kids have dominated all my spare time, but I should be able to find some time to fit in a few FM hours over the next few weeks!
The weather throughout April was wet and miserable, and the football wasn't much better as we kicked off the month with 3 straight defeats which saw us fall back into the relegation battle and would leave us fighting for survival again, after we'd started to pull away. However, we finished the month strongly with a couple of wins, which leaves us 5 points clear of relegation with only 1 game to go....Yes, we'd done it. I'd kept this mediocre squad in the league and could now look to put my own stamp on the team, ready for next season!
Swindon were crowned champions this month and there is only 1 playoff spot left up for grabs on the final day of the season, with Portsmouth looking the most likely to secure it. Carlisle and Grimsby were confirmed as relegated and will be playing National League football next season.
Following the bad start to the month, we'd dropped to 22nd before this game, meaning this one had become a must win against a 23rd placed Grimsby Town. But within 20 minutes, we found ourselves in real trouble at 2-0 down and for the remainder of the first half we just wern't in the game. A firm bollocking at half time sparked the lads into action in the 2nd half, but we could only manage a late consolation goal as we fell to a terrible defeat which sees us drop into the relegation places.
After beginning the month with 3 straight defeats, I wasn't exactly coming into the game with Swindon brimming with confidence. They were top of the league and had won 4 of their last 5. However, to mine and every fan inside Vale Park's surprise, we started really brightly and were 2-0 up inside the first 25 minutes, through two Dan Turner goals.
I was really hoping we could carry some momentum into this match following the win against top of the league Swindon. But despite having more of the ball, our play in the final third was pretty poor against a solid Wycombe defence and we struggled to create chances, as we went down to another defeat. Not out of trouble yet!
We end the month with a huge 1-0 win against mid table Notts County, which is enough to cement our place in the division next year as it puts us 5 points clear of the relegation places with only 1 game left next month. The boys did me proud today in a close fought game and came through to ensure we're not in a final game battle to stay up.
When your team loses 4 games in a month, its tough to find a player who really stood out. But I have to give this award to Turner this month simply for his man of the match performance against Swindon in a game that was huge for us.
Other News
Peterborough lifted the Checkatrade Trophy after defeating Blackpool in the final on penalties.
We didn't really have anything to play for, having already secured safety in the division. But Luton needed a win to potentially secure an automatic promotion place. Despite our opponents having a lot more on the line, it was us who came out on top and we finish the season on a high with a good away win. The 3 points actually propelled us a couple of places up the table and meant we finished 19th in the end.
Despite missing out on the automatic promotion places after their loss to us on the final day of the season, Luton still managed to go up after winning the playoffs.
Despite the board injecting a fair amount of money into the club and us receiving our payment for participating in the league, our bank balance remains in the negative.
I thought I'd provide a bit of an update from around Europe as most of the major competitions have now come to a close for the 2020/21 season...
English Premiership Winners: Manchester United
English Premiership Runners Up: Tottenham
FA Cup Winners: Everton
Carabao Cup Winners: Arsenal
Spanish La Liga Winners: Real Madrid
Spanish La Liga Runners Up: Barcelona
Copa del Rey Winners: Barcelona
German Bundesliga Winners: Bayern Munich
German Bundesliga Runners Up: Borussia Dortmund
DFB-Pokal Winners: Bayern Munich
French Ligue 1 Winners: Paris Saint Germain
French Ligue 1 Runners Up: AS Monaco
Coupe de France Winners: Paris Saint Germain
Coupe de la Ligue Winners: Paris Saint Germain
Italian Serie A Winners: AC Milan
Italian Serie A Runners Up: Juventus
TIM Cup Winners: Juventus
Holland Eredivisie Winners: Feyenoord
Holland Eredivisie Runners Up: Ajax
KNVB Beker Winners: FC Utrecht
Portuguese Premier League Winners: Benfica
Portuguese Premier League Runners Up: FC Porto
Taca de Portugal Winners: FC Porto
Taca da Liga CTT Winners: Sporting Lisbon
Scotland Premiership Winners: Celtic
Scotland Premiership Runners Up: Aberdeen
Scottish Cup Winners: Celtic
Scottish League Cup: Celtic
Champions League Winners: Manchester United
Champions League Runners Up: Atletico Madrid
Europa League Winners: Roma
Europa League Runners Up: Sevilla
