Kingstonian FC - SW London's Finest

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April/May

WE ARE GOING UP!

Yes, it's two straight promotions for the Super Duper K's! We weren't able to catch Aldershot for the top spot, pipped by just two points, but the Hoops overcame the Dulwich hipsters and the Wealdstone Raiders (got no fans etc) and will be a Vanarama National team next season! And we're still a semi-pro club not even playing in our home town! Asomugah picked up the final PotM for the division and I was MotM for April, but I think my pick for Player of the Season is Francis Vincent, pictured below in a very fetching Torquay kit. Amazing contributions from Asomugah (21 goals, 12 assists), Luke Hirst (19 goals/7 assists), last season's PotS Fabio Saraiva (16 goals, 18 assists) and Rio Glean (7 goals, 10 assists), but the former Bournemouth youth was instrumental in our rise up the ranks with 6 goals and 10 assists. Well done Kingstonian, I really hope next season isn't where it all starts to come undone but for now, COME ON YOU SUUUUPAHHH!! HOOOOOOOOOPSAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Final VNS table:

 

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PRE-SEASON MOP-UP

Let's be honest, you don't really care about friendlies, do you? Snapped up some tasty looking triallists, including Eddie Carrington, Max Robson and Tarrelle Whittaker, all names I know from my brief spell at Tottenham. Saraiva won the Vanarama South player of the season, and I won Manager of the Season. Notable departures in the summer included Luke Hirst, Rio Glean, Eddie Dsane and Lennell John-Lewis, none of whom were interested in signing a new contract. Here we go then lads, Vanarama National up next - can the Super Hoops survive?

 

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August

A mixed first month in the Vanarama National, a dire initial run of results followed by a good draw against the league leaders and an unlikely home victory against the team predicted to finish 3rd. I'm feeling this might be a running theme in my first season in the VNN; inconsistency is the new consistency. Player of the Month is former Spurs youth Eddie Carrington, but pleased that a 39 year old Bayo Akinfenwa was able to break his long goal drought.

 

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September

What a month! Tapered a little towards the end but the Super K's win two local derbies against Sutton and Woking and put away Halifax in stunning style to climb to the dizzying heights of 7th! Far too early to tell but could the Hoops mount an unlikely playoff challenge? We shall have to see. Player of the Month is my last season's player of the season, Francis Vincent. Amusingly though, when I type his name into Google an image of Francis Benali comes up, so here's your favourite from the "got, got, need" era of football stickers (if you're *of a certain age*)

EDIT: Francis Vincent finished third in the divisional PotM, defender Tom Sams finished second in the divisional YPotM and I finished third in the MotM.

 

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October

Some good results in there; an excellent destruction of Barrow away from home, an FA Cup victory setting up a tie against Doncaster Rovers and a draw against Aldershot, my promotion compatriots and one of the more fancied sides in the league. We now sit in mid-table, play-offs still well within sight, and look forward to a bumper November with 8 games on the docket. Player of the Month for October is Adebayo Akinfenwa, who despite announcing his retirement at the end of the campaign and my coaching staff constantly telling me he's past it, is still banging them in. Here's the beast himself, in all his glory.

 

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November

A rubbish start to the month but a better end. We're sadly out of the FA Cup after a thrill-a-minute tie against Doncaster, but secure good results against Maidenhead and bottom-dwellers Chorley, and an unexpected away draw against league leaders Stockport County. This sort of inconsistency sees us settle further into a mid-table berth - not too worried yet about falling into trouble but looking over the shoulder occasionally. Player of the Month is a second in a row for Adebayo Akinfenwa, but a shout out is needed for Liam Smith, the former Newcastle youth who's been excellent in midfield throughout the campaign.

 

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December

Well, well, well. What a month! The Super Hoops win every single game in December with some smashing performances along the way, and now find themselves at the dizzying heights of second in the Vanarama National! And we're still a semi-pro team with absolutely no money! While it may have helped that we played teams in the lower reaches of the table (one of them twice in 11 days), the thrashings of playoff contenders Morecambe (albeit in the FA Trophy) and Ebbsfleet were very satisfying. Not to toot my own horn but I must be a shoo-in for manager of the month, and distantly dreaming of yet another promotion challenge...the Super Hoops go marching on! Player of the Month for December was a difficult choice, almost gave it to Tarrelle Whittaker who's been fabulous all season but the nod goes to Rhys Hilton, the former Birmingham youth was in especially storming form as we had a very merry festive period in Tolworth. COYKs!

EDIT: Yep, as predicted, I win MotM, and it's a Kingstonian double in YPotM as Hilton finishes first and Whittaker finishes second.

 

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January

After our flawless December, January sees the K's revert more to type with a mixed set of affairs. There's some excitement along the way with rollercoaster fixtures against Chesterfield and Barnet, and perhaps most excitingly of all, we see off Vanarama National table-toppers Grimsby Town to go through in the FA Trophy. With the best side in the competition disposed of, can the Hoops emulate their real life counterparts' back-to-back FA Trophy successes in 2000 & 01? We shall see how we progress against Nuneaton Borough in the next round. Player of the month is Tarrelle Whittaker, who's sitting pretty atop the divisional average ratings and is one of the few players in our possession with actual higher level talent. We've recently taken Harrison Brook on loan from Portsmouth who's rated as a potential leading Championship winger, so watch this space for more from him at King George's Park.

 

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February

A better month, although sadly we crash out of the FA Trophy. Good wins against Hartlepool and Fylde, but could only scrape a draw against Barrowcelona, who are struggling towards the foot of the table mirroring their real life exploits. The playoffs still look within sights with a game in hand, but there's a lot of football still to play with a lot of knackered, underperforming players. One who still is performing is Mr Beast Mode himself Bayo Akinfenwa, who secures this month's PotM award. He's still top scorer in the division at 39 years old, go on my large rambunctious son.

 

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March

After a couple of inconsistent months, March is an absolute flyer bar the Woking result. A win on TV against Halifax, rollercoaster ties against Morecambe and Bromley and a stunning thrashing of Barnet at The Hive sees the Super Hoops firmly back in playoff contention! Our super striker Tarrelle Whittaker, an absolute bargain on a free from our unofficial feeder club Spurs, is the player of the month and will probably be player of the season as well. However, a special mention to Harrison Brook who provided a hat-trick of assists in back-to-back games against Morecambe and Barnet. Stay tuned for a potentially very exciting post in April as the K's try to dream the impossible dream of Vanarama National playoff glory... COYKs!

EDIT: Whittaker wins the divisional PotM and the YPotM, with Rhys Hilton grabbing 2nd in the latter. I also get 2nd in the MotM.

 

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April/May

After a slightly tepid last month, the K's unfortunately fall at the first hurdle in the Vanarama National play-offs, losing to Chesterfield with 10 men after extra time. The lads did brilliantly to get to where they did though, and hopefully we'll be back stronger next season. My player of the season is Tarrelle Whittaker (seen below signing his first contract for Spurs as a literal child) who's been brilliant throughout the campaign with 22 goals and 7 assists, and we will sorely miss the contribution of Big Bayo Akinfenwa next campaign. Stay tuned for my mop-up post as Akinfenwa and Rhys Hilton are in contention for Player of the Season, but sadly 2021/22 doesn't see a third successive promotion for the Super K's.

 

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Pre-Season and August

So here we are in 2022/23 in our second campaign in the Vanarama National, and it's all going pretty swimmingly so far. Pre-season went well and early results are generally going our way, including an impressive thrashing of Torquay and a draw against early league leaders Macclesfield. Star of the show so far is Armando Broja, the former Chelsea youth netting 5 in 5 in a scorching start to the campaign. He wins the YPotM as right-winger Max Robson finishes second, and the pair finish second and third respectively in the divisional PotM. I've included some of our early transfer activity below, which includes our first sale for money of last season's star Tarrelle Whittaker, although Broja may see us missing him a little less. We also see the contracts of two former players of the season in Fabio Saraiva and Francis Vincent expire - sadly not good enough any more. Bayo Akinfenwa won the player of the season in his final campaign, sadly we didn't get the option to keep him on as a coach. Onwards and upwards into a new season though, come on Kingston!

 

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September

Not a great September bar an excellent performance on TV against Barnet (what's the opposite of a bogey team? We always seem to thrash them), but the Super K's stay in playoff contention. Player of the Month is Max Robson, the former Tottenham youth staying on his hot streak from August, although shoutouts required for new signing Harrison Sohna, Championship potential MK Dons loanee full-back Josce Gibson and Kingstonian's first international, Chinese striker He Zhenyu. Seriously weird seeing little old Kingstonian listed below amongst heavyweights like Guangzhou, Athletic Bilbao and... Hull City.

 

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October

Still going pretty strong at King George's Field, although Chesterfield look to be this season's Grimsby and untouchable at the top, so if we are to make a crack at promotion, it may be through the dice throw of the playoffs. In the FA Cup first round we have the chance to exact some revenge on Shrewsbury Town, who quashed our 3rd round dreams back in the Isthmian Premier. Player of the Month this month goes to Harrison Sohna, the former Villan continuing to impress but Armando Broja and He Zhenyu keep banging them in up top.

EDIT: Broja and Zhenyu came 2nd and 3rd in the divisional PotM, and the same two came first and second respectively in the YPotM.

 

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November

A pretty poor month, lightyears away from last November. We took Shrewsbury to a replay and beat them, but get thrashed by Peterborough in R2 of the FA Cup. A very mixed affair in the league, lurching between tight victories and heavy defeats; 2nd placed Ebbsfleet I can understand, but midtable Kidderminster?! Anyway, we still find ourselves fourth in the table, so maybe not quite time to panic just yet. Player of the Month is Armando Broja, a rare reliable performer in an inconsistent side. Can we have as wonderful a Christmastime as we did this time last year? I hope so, non-league is no fun! Come on Super Hoops!

 

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December

A slightly better December, disappointing to lose to low-lying Barrow but pleasing to go through in the FA Trophy, where we meet Burgess Hill in the next round. I'm noticing we're scoring far less goals than last season, the perils of being a semi-pro club and not being able to train properly. Player of the Month is Liam Smith who's been sterling in midfield for a couple of seasons but has somehow never attained this award. Sadly, he wants too much for our board to afford so may be on his way come the end of the season.

EDIT: Armando Broja wins YPotM again.

 

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January

A decent but frustratingly inconsistent entry in 2023. A couple of cracking wins in the league against Hartlepool and Halifax just about preserve our status in the playoffs, but at one point we were down to tenth. I need to find that special something to fire me back towards the top, otherwise it's another season in the Vanarama National on the cards. Player of the Month this time around goes to Rhys Hilton, who's been banging them in on the regular deputising for He Zhenyu who's on international duty with China.

EDIT: Left-back George Harmon comes third in the divisional PotM.

 

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February

A better month other than our unfortunate crash out of the FA Trophy. We re-establish ourselves firmly in playoff contention with a couple of games in hand, which gives us a busy March and April to cap off the campaign. Player of the Month is Harrison Sohna, who won the divisional YPotM. Eddie Carrington came second in the YPotM and third in the standard PotM, while I come second in the MotM.

 

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March

An unbeaten month, which is excellent to see at this stage of the season. Although we're a better side than last season, I still don't hold out much hope for us in the playoffs, and if we have a third campaign in the Vanarama National, I'll definitely be cutting down the regularity of these updates. Player of the Month for March is He Zhenyu, our young Chinese international striker, who finishes second in the YPotM and third in the PotM. I score third in the MotM.

 

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April/May

As expected, it's defeat in the playoffs and a heavy one at the hands of York. The Vanarama National proves to be a very hard nut to crack, think I'll need a better affiliate next time around to be able to get the players in! I'll be going down to less frequent updates considering it's my third season in the same league; probably about as exciting for you reading about me playing the same old teams as it is for me! Player of the Season for 2022/23 is Armando Broja, the ex-Chelsea youth clocking in 21 goals and 8 assists; perhaps most importantly of all he's signed on the dotted line with a new contract! End of season awards and final league table below - see you at Christmas.