It's All A Load of Balls...Back With A New European Journeyman Story

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May 2020



May 2020

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Excellent stuff! We found our scoring boots again this month and picked up two crucial wins which see us survive relegation with a game left to play next month! And not only that, we actually guarantee ourselves a minimum of a 9th placed finish with the possibility of finishing 8th.


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The Games

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May was going to be a massive month for us and we needed a couple of wins I felt to guarantee survival in this league. I'll admit I didn't hold out much hope for our first game though as we took on top of the table Ferencvarosi away from home. When the score was 1-1 at half time though, I had a glimmer of hope we might just sneak a point out of this game. But it wasn't to be as they stepped up their game in the second half and were just too good for us!



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Nyiregyhaza were 4th in the table coming into this one, so I was expecting a tough game. I was not expecting to be 2-0 up at half time and in a pretty comfortable position! And the lads continued their dominance into the 2nd half and quickly raced into a 4-0 lead and the game was safely won! Another goal from either side in the last 20 minutes and it finished 5-1. An amazing result for us at this stage of the season when we so badly needed it!



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We gave a good account of ourselves in this one and the game was a very entertaining one for both sets of fans. Either team could have come away with the win today, and unfortunately for us it was them in a ding dong 4-3 battle.



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Despite being dominated for large parts of this game, we very nearly came away with an unlikely draw and what would have been a massive point towards avoiding relegation. However, it wasn't to be as the best team on the day won the game.



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What a huge game this was for both sides as we played the team sitting in 11th place. In a nervous affair, it was us who came out on top and secure the 3 points that put us clear of the relegation place and we will maintain our status in this league next year. Well done lads!

Player of the Month

Levente Winkler
Striker

Appearances: 5
Goals: 4
Assists: 2
Shots/Shots on Target: 14/7
Average Rating: 7.68


The 19 year old was given a run of games this month and boy did he take his opportunity to shine.

Other News

I reached my 100th game in charge of Mosonmagyarovar.View attachment 69069


A job comes up in Holland which catches my eye and I'm invited to interview.

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Looking Ahead; June

Only our final game of the season to play. Hopefully we can end the season with a decent result after meeting our expectations already.

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June 2020




June 2020
End of Season: Survival!

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Our final game of the season ended in a 4-4 draw which was quite fitting of our entire season to be fair. We'd conceded a **** load of goals all year, but we had by far the best attack in the league too. So this was a pretty apt way to sign off the campaign. It confirms a 9th placed finish for us in the league and we survive the relegation we were so hotly tipped for at the start of the competition. All in all, it has to be seen as a successful season for us!

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Other News

Go Ahead Eagles rejected me following my interview, opting to go in another direction.

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It was a record high finish in the club's history as we completed our first ever campaign in the top flight.

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As our stature in Hungary increased this season, new sponsorship opportunities became available which gave a healthy boost to the club's bank balance.

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Squad dynamics look good after another season of overachievement.

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And I earned the next badge on the qualifications ladder.

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Resignation




Chris Ball Resigns

That's right people....I handed in my resignation at the end of the season after 2 and a half seasons with this wonderful little club. It's been no secret that I've been scouring the job market over the past few months, putting in my application for a number of roles. I'm keen to advance my career and the Hungarian top tier is only listed 43rd on the European competition rankings....even the English League One is ranked higher! It's clear I'm not going to work my way directly to the top from here and I'm going to need to prove myself in a more reputable country where I can get my name known around Europe.

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I felt it was best to resign from my role at Mosonmagyarovari before the pre season for 2020/21 started. I did it out of respect for the club, so that they could appoint a new manager and prepare in the best possible way for the new season.

I will be looking for a new job. I have no doubt that it will again be at a low ranked club, but I will be aiming for a higher ranked league, a bigger stadium, higher club value and hopefully slightly higher budgets to work with.

As I leave Mosonmagyarovari, I can be proud of what I've achieved with this small Hungarian outfit. I won a league title, when relegation was expected, taking the club into the top flight, where I survived the first season and kept them in the league despite being massive favourites for the job!

My achievements have lifted the club's reputation in Hungary significantly!

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Not only that, but I am now officially listed as one of the club's favoured personnel.

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I walk away with my head held high and wish the club all the best. I'll always follow and keep and eye on what they do from now on. For me, I'm excited to see what the future holds as the job search begins.
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Job Hunting Is Tough!

This Isn't Going To Be As Easy As I Thought

As I'd handed in my resignation at Mosonmagyarovar, I thought I'd be a man in demand. I thought I'd walk into another job with no problems at all. After all, I'm the man that performed a miracle winning a league title with a relegation candidate club!

How wrong was I? As I file applications for a number of roles over the coming 2 months, I'm offered plenty of interviews and I'm hopeful a new role will be in the bag soon enough. But one by one they all rejected me. Apparently satisfied with my interview but deciding I'm not the right man for the job! I've now been rejected for roles in England's League One, Belgium's top tier, Holland's second tier and Greece's top tier!


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Do I smell or something?! With a new can of Lynx Africa on the shelf, I continue searching the job market, but the realism that I might actually have to take an initial step down to move forward is setting in....I just can't believe that's going to be the case!


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New Job

New Job

So it got all the way around to the end of October before I bagged my new job. A few positions had come up as teams started their respective campaigns poorly and managers were let go early on in the season. However, most of these jobs were above my level (at the moment) or well below it. I might be desperate but I'm not dropping down to non league level!

However, on the morning of Thursday 29th October 2020, my name was on the front page of The Stoke Sentinel newspaper.




VALIANTS HIRE BALL AS MANAGER




Yep, that's right, I've come home to England and have been hired as the new manager of Port Vale, currently struggling in the English League Two.


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An £800 pay rise from my last role :)

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Port Vale

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Port Vale

Nickname: The Valiants
Year Founded: 1876
Value: £1.69 million
Country: England
City: Stoke on Trent

Professional Status: Professional
Training Facilities: Adequate
Youth Facilities: Below Average
Corporate Facilities: Adequate
Reputation: Regional (2 Stars)

Stadium: Vale Park
Owned By: Club
Year Built: 1950
Capacity: 19,148 All Seater

Current Division: League Two (English 4th Tier)
Fierce Rivals: Stoke (Local), Crewe (Local)
Other Rivals: Shrewsbury (Local), Walsall (Historic), Wolves (Local)
Derbies: Potteries Derby (vs Stoke)


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Previous Honours:
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For a club with a history of nearly 150 years, there isn't much in the trophy cabinet.



The Stadium

Just a slight upgrade on the 3000 capacity 'field' I was used to...


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What's the situation?

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What's The Situation?

Well, I'm into my 4th season in my career and over the past 3 seasons, The Valiants have been up and down! They made the playoffs in League Two, failing to gain promotion in 2017/18. The following year, they gained automatic promotion to make up for it, only to be relegated immediately back to League Two last year, finishing 21st in the league above.

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Now 17 games into the new season, Vale find themselves struggling in 22nd position in the table and becoming entangled in a potential relegation battle. They only have 4 wins to their name this season, which is not good enough for a team that was predicted by the media to be making a good go at making the playoffs and pushing for a potential promotion spot back to League One.


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The board have set me their expectations for the rest of the season. They're looking for me to get the team away from those relegation spots and secure a mid table finish. We're expected to make the 2nd round of the FA Cup, with a first round tie against Bury upcoming. The team have already been knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Hull, and are struggling in last place in their Checkatrade Trophy group.


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interesting move this, looking forward to seeing where you'll take them!
 
Could be a interesting move, maybe a climb up the English leagues rather than around Europe
 
Ralph2211 said:
Could be a interesting move, maybe a climb up the English leagues rather than around Europe
Click to expand...

It will be an interesting journey either way. For now I've got a massive job on my hands getting Vale out of the **** situation they're in. If I can do that, who knows what the future holds mate.
 
Squad Evaluation

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Squad Evaluation

- I have a very good foundation of English players in the side, with Wales, Holland, Ireland and Colombia also represented
- I have good height in all areas of the pitch with 12 players over 6ft
- For a side that was only relegated last season, we have a severe lack of quality players at the club for this level
- I have a good core of central midfielders to base the rest of the team around
- I have a lot of centre backs but most of them are only average players for this level
- I have a lack of quality out wide to work with
- My strikers don't seem to be able to score goals - my highest goalscorer this season has 2 goals!
- Morale is OK and I expected it to be worse considering the club's dire league position
- Majority of the squad have a good level of match sharpness and fitness levels are good with a small amount of injuries


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Best Players


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Lawrie Wilson is possibly one of the best defensive full backs in the league. He has excellent mental attributes combined with with decent tackling and marking ability too. He's not the fastest at getting forward but when he does, he has a decent cross on him. He does however want to leave the club, so I need to try convince him to stay.



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Harry Middleton is right at the core of that central midfield base of good players I have. An excellent passer of the ball with very good vision too. Good positioning and decision making also give him the required attributes to be a decent centre mid. Ideally suited to a Deep Lying Playmaker role which is not something I usually favour, so I might have to adapt my tactics slightly.



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Mike Calveley is another very good central midfielder for this level. More defence minded with strong tackling, marking, heading and determination stats. He's a leader in the squad and could most likely be my captain or vice captain moving forward. Again, he is most suited to a role as Ball Winning Midfielder that I am not entirely comfortable playing with, so one of us will need to do some adapting.

Dynamics

Good to see that my reputation does mean something at this club and the players are not immediately displeased with my appointment as manager. Match cohesion is very high and some good results can soon change the atmosphere in the dressing room.


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Finances

The club are in a pretty bad place when it comes to finances. The bank balance is in the red by nearly £200k. Despite that, I do have some money to spend on improving the squad in the January window which is going to be badly needed, looking at my current crop of players.


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Looking Ahead: November

Looking forward, I have a quick game in only 2 days against Crawley Town. The next month we'll have a busy schedule so I'll have to settle in quick.


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November 2020

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November 2020

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It's not been the easiest of introductions to life at Port Vale. Only one win picked up in my opening 7 games in charge. We crashed out of the FA Cup and lost our final group game in the Checkatrade Trophy too. I'm still finding my feet with this club and having to adapt my tactical play to formations and instructions I am not comfortable with to suit the players I have here. And a lot of those players need to do some serious improving over the coming months if they expect to be in my long term plans. The dire start leaves us sitting in the bottom 4 and in the middle of a relegation battle. Over the next couple of months, it will be my aim to pull the team away from the bottom 2 and into safer ground.


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The Games


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Considering I'd only been at the club for a couple of days, this wasn't the worst performance. We fell to a 1-0 defeat, but created some good chances throughout the game and on another day I felt this could of been a very different result.



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My first taste of FA Cup action was not a good one unfortunately. We took on Bury from League One and although we held our own on the balance of play, they were just too strong for us in attack and powered through to the next round with a 3-2 victory.



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More League One opposition in Rochdale next as we played the final group game of the Checkatrade Trophy. With us already out of the competition, I didn't put too much emphasis on this game and instead used it as an opportunity to tinker with the tactics and starting lineup to see if I could get anything or anyone in particular working well in a role. For the third game in a row we fell to defeat despite not playing too badly again.



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This was a very open, end to end game with both sides creating lots of chances. The difference on the day was clear to see though - it was in the finishing. We struggled to take chances where as Yeovil were lethal in front of goal as they smashed 4 past us and ensure that I start my career with 4 straight defeats at Port Vale. This was not going to be an easy job!



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Five games into life as Vale manager and I finally get my first win on the board. It was very satisfying to get the 3 points but also because it was our best performance since I took over. We looked solid at the back and our strikers both took their best chances when they presented themselves. Well done lads....onwards and upwards from here!



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Disappointing that we followed up our best performance so far, with our worst. Wycombe walked all over us here and we were lucky to walk away on the end of only a 1-0 defeat. It could easily have been 4 or 5.



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We ended the month with a good point at home to Notts County. When you're fighting for your lives at the bottom end of the table, every point counts and this was a big one to keep us out of the bottom 2.

Player of the Month

Dan Turner
Advanced Forward

Appearances: 6
Goals: 4
Assists: 1
Shots/Shots on Target: 20/10
Average Rating: 7.20


Dan Turner hasn't had a bad month for me. He'd only scored 2 goals and was so low on confidence when I arrived here, but he's come back into goalscoring form this month with 4 goals in 6 games.


Other News

I raided my old club for their backroom staff. The Assistant Manager, Head of Youth Development and one of the Scouts have joined me at Port Vale. I brought all three of these guys in at Mosonmagyarovar too.

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Looking Ahead; December

Four games coming up in December and we really need to get some points on the board before the New Year. If we can keep ourselves out of the relegation zone, I'll then have the January transfer window to bolster my squad, bring in some of my own players and hopefully kick on for the 2nd half of the season.

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December 2020

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December 2020

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A **** poor December sees us drop down into the final 2 in the league and the dreaded relegation places at Christmas. We only managed to pick up 1 point this month against Stevenage and finished the month with heavy losses to Mansfield and Lincoln. I can't wait until January when the window opens and I can add some of my own players to this squad - they're badly needed!


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The Games
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We kicked off December with a home defeat to Luton. We didn't show up and I'm left with nothing to do but apologise to the home fans for our dismal showing. Luton could and probably should have had more than the 1 goal, but it was enough to get them the 3 points on the day.


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We were a lot better in this one and nobody could deny that we deserved all 3 points. We created more chances, had more possession and all the best chances in the game fell to us. But it wasn't to be and we have to settle for a disappointing point.


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Mansfield are flying high in the league and were the pre season favourites to win the League Two title, so it's probably no surprise that we were played off the park and hammered 3-0.


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An unbelievable scoreline as the teams share 13 goals! Unfortunately, my lads didn't kick into life until we were already 5-0 down inside the first half. We then found ourselves 7-2 down at one point. So at least the 8-5 scoreline isn't as bad as it could of been when that was the score! But 8-5 is still pretty dreadful and puts the pressure on me going into the new year. The only highlight for us today was Dan Turner banging in 4 goals.

Player of the Month



Joe Davis
Central Defender

Appearances: 4
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
Key Tackles: 7
Average Rating: 7.00

Joe was the best of a bad bunch this month.

Other News

We set up a couple of new affiliates this month. Salford City and Manchester United.

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Looking Ahead; January

We really need to pick up some points wherever possible next month to ease the pressure. But I think January is going to be all about the transfer market for me as I look to add some quality additions to the squad. Hopefully, that Manchester United link is going to come in handy for some good loan signings.

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January Transfers

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So we hit the January transfer window.....finally! How badly this window was needed. I'd been looking forward to this window opening almost as soon as I took over the Port Vale job. It was clear from day one that I needed reinforcements to help us climb up the league table, as the current crop of players I inherited were just not good enough to do it alone.

Some serious tactical tinkering had gone on over the first couple of months in charge with virtually nothing working. So now it was my chance to bring in some players and adapt this struggling team into MY way of playing football, with a tactic that I think could work for us.

Now as you'll all know, my side Port Vale, are in a bit of a financial bind at the moment, with the bank balance reading a worrying -£600,000. So the permanent transfer market was pretty much off limits. My aim was to scout the premiership clubs and see what young talent I could bring in on loan. So here's who I got...


Dylan Levitt
Signed From: Manchester United
Fee: Season Long Loan

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I immediately took advantage of my new senior affiliate partnership with Manchester United, bringing in 20 year old Welsh attacking midfielder Dylan Levitt. A great team player, with good passing and vision, he could be the man to create a lot of goals for us in the second half of the season.


Nathan Tormey
Signed From: Arsenal
Fee: Season Long Loan

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Another 20 year old from a top Premiership club. Tormey is a talented wide midfielder that can play down either side as a winger or inside forward. Very good pace and acceleration means he'll be tough for opposing defenders to cope with. He's a good dribbler of the ball, can whip in a decent cross and has an excellent work rate.


Owen Gallacher
Signed From: Newcastle
Fee: Season Long Loan

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We struggled for goals so far this season, so a new striker was an essential, and I think I've found myself a little gem in Gallacher. He's an excellent dribbler of the ball and has a tidy finish on him too. Another really good team player. I think Owen can certainly grab a few goals for us between now and the end of the campaign.


Ethan Ampadu
Signed From: Chelsea
Fee: Season Long Loan

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Another area I was keen to strengthen was the defence and I feel I've got a really good centre back partner now for Joe Davis, in Ethan Ampadu. The 20 year old Welsh defender joins us from Chelsea and has some really good stats to solidify the back four.


As we have a look around Europe, the January window wasn't an exceptionally busy one, with only eight deals tipping over the £20 million mark. Barcelona were at the forefront of the window with the two biggest transfers, bringing in Paulo Dybala from Juventus and Bernardo from Dortmund for a combined £119 million. Arsenal were the only English club to make a significant signing, bringing in Alvaro Odriozola from Real Sociedad for £26.5 million.

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January 2021

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January 2021

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We kicked off 2021 in decent form, picking 3 important wins and a brilliant 10 points overall, which has seen us rise to 21st in the league and a good 5 points clear of the relegation places. 11 goals in 4 games has given me some confidence that the new attacking players brought in on loan this month have added a new dynamic going forward.


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The Games

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What a way to kick off the year with an excellent result, but more importantly, a fantastic performance from the lads. We were dominant, restricting Dagenham to only 3 shots all game. Not only that, but we were on point going forward too, converting 4 of our 12 shots into goals. Perfect way to start the new year!


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Disappointing that we couldn't follow up the win at Dag & Red with more points. This was a poor performance from us as we were steamrollered at home by Newport. We just wasn't at the races and looked 2nd best throughout.


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A well fought victory for us. We really had to be at our best against a Portsmouth side still pushing for a playoff place at least this season. It was a very even game, but we dug in and walked away with all 3 points. Owen Gallacher grabbed a goal on his debut for the club.


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Again, we fail to make it back to back wins as we only manage a draw at home to Oxford. We controlled more of the possession but didn't turn it into that many chances and on the quality of chances created, a 1-1 draw was probably a fair result for both sides.


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We finish the month as we started it....with a good solid win. Barnet were only a few places above us in the league and certainly one of the sides we'll be looking to catch and overtake in the 2nd half of the season. So this was an important win for us away from home. It was thoroughly deserved too as we were easily the better side on the day. Dan Turner continued his fine goalscoring form with a hat trick.

Player of the Month



Dan Turner
Inside Forward

Appearances: 5
Goals: 7
Assists: 2
Shots/Shots on Target: 14/10
Average Rating: 8.06


Since I joined the club, Dan had been playing as an advanced forward in a front 2. However, with some new signings and a tactical change from me, he was switched out wide to an inside forward role this month and it's had an amazing effect as he contributed to 9 goals in the 5 games this month.

Dan's excellent form has also seen him pick up the League Two Player of the Month award.

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Looking Ahead; February

Hopefully we can continue our good run of form into next month. Looking at the fixture list, there's certainly games where we can pick up points, as we start the month with games against Forest Green Rovers and Morecambe who are just ahead of us in the table.

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February 2021

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February 2021

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We followed up a good January with a February that was just as good! However, you'd have thought 3 wins from 5 games would have propelled us well away from the relegation places but in fact we only remain 5 points away as some of the other sides at the bottom also had a good month. Still, if we can maintain this level of form we'll definitely have nothing to worry about come the end of the season.


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The Games

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The game against Forest Green Rovers would see 21st vs 20th in the league and was a perfect opportunity for us to pick up where we left off in January and continue our good form with another win. Especially as Rovers came into this one bottom of the form table with five straight defeats. Following a tight first half, we went into the break with a 1-0 lead following a cracking strike from young Arsenal loanee Nathan Tormey with his first goal for the club. Rovers came out with a much more attacking formation for the 2nd half and were all over us until they got the inevitable equalizer on 59 minutes. The scores weren't level for long though as 8 minutes later, centre back Joe Davis put us back in front with a fine headed effort from a Tormey free kick. Rovers continued to press though and we struggled to cope with their increased numbers thrown forward for every attack and they equalized again with only 4 minutes remaining. Both teams take a point which helps neither of us really!


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A solid performance away at a Morecambe side that started this game only 7 points ahead of us in the table. We created lots of chances, dominated the possession and scored a couple of goals to secure the win. But it was the performance of young Chelsea loanee Ethan Ampadu that caught the eye as he picked up a man of the match award at centre back. The victory also means we extend our unbeaten run to 5 games now.


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Cambridge United would offer a much sterner test than our previous two opponents, as they found themselves flying high in 4th position and looking to climb into the automatic promotion places. Despite this, we were brilliant in the first half and took a 1-0 lead into the break, following Owen Gallacher's second goal for the club since joining on loan last month. Cambridge came out for the 2nd half with a more attacking mentality and piled on the pressure which was expected. However, we coped with them very well and limited them to only half chances. Late on, we had a rare second half attack of our own which resulted in an own goal and we found ourselves 2-0 up with only 10 minutes to go. Cambridge did get one back, which made for few nervey minutes at the end, but we held firm and recorded a brilliant win against one of the better sides in the division.


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Crewe were tinkering with the idea of a playoff spot and would be looking to secure victory against us here to keep themselves in contention. We made a fast start to the game with Anton Forrester presented with a golden opportunity to put us in front inside 3 minutes as he shot from about 8 yards out, only for the Crewe goalkeeper to pull off an outstanding save. It was the only real chance until right at the end of the half when Crewe forward Folami got on the end of a good cross, shot from only 4 yards, but directly at our keeper who stood his ground and saved the powerful shot. Folami did put Crewe in front only 2 minutes into the second half though, heading home from close range. But the lead lasted all of 3 minutes as we levelled up through Gallacher with a headed effort of his own. Both sides went on to create a few more chances but it was Crewe who scored the decisive second goal which secured them the victory.


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We followed up the game with Crewe against another side toying with the Playoffs in Gillingham. Despite the Gills coming into this on a run of 4 games without a win, it was the Kent side that took the lead half way through the first half. We pegged them back before half time it was 1-1 at the break. Gillingham took the lead again through Bradley Garmston's second goal of the game, but again we levelled things up, this time through a great Ampadu free kick. We made another free kick count when Tormey crossed in for Joe Davis to rise and head home to give us a 3-2 win and finish the month on a high.
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Player of the Month



Ethan Ampadu
Central Defender

Appearances: 4
Goals: 1
Assists: 1
Key Tackles: 2
Average Rating: 7.65


The young Chelsea loanee has been in inspired form at the back this month.

Other News

It was a North London derby in the final of the Carabao Cup. And it was a tight affair as the game went to extra time and penalties, but it was the Gunners who came out on top against their closest rivals.

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Looking Ahead; March

Next month should be interesting as we take on both of the top two, and both of the bottom two. If we can pick up wins against both the bottom sides, it will be seen as a successful month as we'll pull further clear of the relegation spots.

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Couple of decent signings and they look to be making a difference.
 
March 2021

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March 2021

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After the game with Swindon was postponed, we only ended up playing 3 games this month. A win, a draw and a loss leaves us 20th and still a little bit to do in the final 7 games of the season if we're going to avoid the drop. I reckon another 2 wins from our remaining games should do it.


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The Games

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We kicked off March with an away game at bottom of the league Carlisle. Considering they were well off the pace and looked destined for relegation, this was an uncomfortably close game. I'm glad that we came out on top in the end, but we were really made to work hard for this one by a Carlisle side that it's hard to believe are struggling as much as they are.


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Cheltenham would be tough opposition. They were 2nd in the league coming into this one and on a run of good form. However, the odds were evened up when they had a man sent off in the first half. It looked like we were going to steal the win when we took the lead in the 2nd half, only to conceded a late equalizer. However, if you'd offered me a point at the start of this game, I'd have snapped your hand off for it!


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We were nothing short of awful in this one. This is a game that was a must win really against the side in 23rd in the table. It would of put us 8 points clear of the relegation places, but instead we find ourselves drawn right back into the battle.

Player of the Month




Nathan Tormey
Inside Forward

Appearances: 3
Goals: 1
Assists: 1
Key Passes: 7
Average Rating: 7.40


Another one of the new loanees picks up the player of the month for March. Arsenal youngster Tormey has been in great form in the inside forward role this month.

Looking Ahead; April

April will be a very busy month with 6 games schedules. We've got some big games coming up too against the likes of Yeovil (18th), Grimsby (23rd) and Notts County (15th), of which all are winnable fixtures.

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Just finishing reading your story my friend loving it so far ! I am still dazled from the badge of the first team you took over ha ha ha!
 
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