Middelfart - let's not follow through

November
​

The long anticipated await is here, how will it all end? We only have a one fixture in the schedule so how the rest of the season pans out in terms of the playoffs etc, I don't know yet. The only game of the month is against the team we last lost against.

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That's more like it! We absolutely battered them. The captain leading the way yet again and a brace in this game means we finish victorious.

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With that result it seems we have qualified for the Promotion stage. It seems we were in 1 of 3 leagues. the top 4 from each league then face each other in a new league to fight for promotion!

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The squad will now have a break over the winter so I am hoping to clarify our signings for the next stage and stabilise the finances by selling some deadwood if possible.

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We have some new fixtures! It may be slightly tougher against stronger teams now. The extra fixtures should prove a good challenge for the young squad and most importantly we have no further point deductions to worry about!
 
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Festive cheer for Middelfart fans
​
This year it seems that the odds were stacked against Middelfart Boldklub. With a -15 point deficit from last season's financial fair play breach. That coupled with the appointment of a foreign manager, it seemed that the club was destined for a rough patch while they recover. Laden in debt, it seemed that the club would struggle to attract any new players.

In a somewhat miraculous turn around, the club has finished the first period in second place despite being so far behind early on in the season. With just one league loss this season, Middelfart are the in form team heading into the Promotion Stages.

With February looming, there are some friendlies that Middelfart have organised hoping to regain some match fitness after the winter break. All eyes will be on van der Westhuizen to see if he can continue his good start to his managerial career.
 
Winter
In the words words of the Starks, "Winter is coming" or rather winter is here. The end of the first period has brought in a very cold chill. It's usually cold up North, but I haven't known cold like this before. Luckily my house is well insulated and I have a very nice log burner. The locals are friendlier and my neighbours often invite me for dinner. I feel like I am turning the tide with the supporters and feel more driven to make a success of Middelfart.
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The mid season player of the year awards have just passed and our captain and leader, Casper Vaerum has landed himself 3rd place. Well done skip!

In order to keep competitive with the new teams we will be facing in the Promotion Stage we have organised some friendlies to get the lads' fitness back up to scratch. We also need to add some more players for depth so I have loaned in a new player from our parent club.

Federico Castanheira
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Signed from Odder in our division, the Portuguese left back has decent stats for a sub for Nielsen. He is cheap and cheerful.

Yao Dieudonne
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Ooo! Tasty little winger from our parent club. No cost. No brainer.

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For a bit of income (mainly) and also to test our mettle against the big boys, we organised a friendly against Danish super club Brondby. It was over before the lads were out the changing room. Finnish hero Teemu Pukki scored his hat trick 7 minutes in. We got one back for some pride but Pukki wasn't done and scored a fourth.

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The concerning thing is we were playing poor teams and didn't look convincing. We won a few but I would have liked to have won the rest after the Brondby test. Our next fixture will be the first in the Promotion Stage. I reckon my Danish is not as good as I thought as my assistant has organised another friendly during the main season! Plonker!​
 
March
​
The Promotion stages begin this month and it will be interesting to see if we can hold our own against stronger opposition.

Game one:
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Our first game saw us start off with a rapid goal from youngster Mads Raben. He took a matter of seconds to tuck the ball into the back of the net. 3 points see us rise up to second in the table. The odd thing is that we seem to have carried over the points from the first phase of the season. All these twists and turns keep me on my feet!

Game 2:
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The odd friendly in among the main fixtures. A chance for our youngsters to prove themselves, a chance for them to show what they can do for the remaining fixtures. Only it didn't go at all to plan, losing 2-0 against a team that struggles to get 11 players on a regular basis is not good. I made sure I didn't walk home alone after the game, just in case some of the villagers decide to light their torches.

Game 3:
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Our first of back to back games against league leaders Thisted. Given their form this season I think these guys will be in contention for automatic promotion places. After going 2-0 a formation change was required. We opted for the more successful 4-2-3-1 formation and managed to pull one back via Mathias Thrane. It was too little too late as the chances came but there was not enough time to get the points we needed.

Game 4:
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The second game was a lot better. We started with the 4-2-3-1 formation and got our rewards. Everything happened in the first half, we took the lead twice but were unable to hold onto it.

The upshot of this result has meant a poor month with much improvement needed ahead.
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We need to up our game!​
 
You know you can cancel friendlies, right...?

Still backing you for promotion ^^)
 
No, no I did not... I will keep this in mind for next season! Not really had to cancel friendlies before.

Cheer man, if the squad keeps fit and we get some solid results it should be in the bag, fingers crossed!
 
Yeah - if you click to highlight the fixture on the fixtures page, there's a button (on the bottom right on my screen) that says "Cancel Friendly." I tend to use it when my AssMan sorts me a game away to fecking Arsenal when I'm using a Vanarama South side, haha.
 
April
This is where things start getting tense. We are basically on the home stretch but not comfortable enough to take our foot off the pedal. A solid April should see us go top, but it will be difficult seeing as most of the lads still haven't run off their Xmas weight.

Game 1:
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First game sees us take on Frem, who have a massive stadium by the way. We normally have just over 100 fans in attendance but at Frem we were able to back in 6 times that. They have capacity for around 20,000 I reckon. The game was frustrating as we completely dominated. They got a penalty early on through some dodgy defending and it took as an age to equalise. The harder we pushed for the winner the more resolute they were so we came away with one.

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Off the pitch one of our youth players seems to have had a disagreement or two with our resident Iranian (now Danish) mad man.

Game 2:
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Our second game in April came within a week of the last. A tired team took on Odder and with some help we ended up comfortable 3-0 winners.

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Due to my good start at Middelfart, the board would like to extend my contract. Be silly to say no really as I still have no formal qualifications. I gladly accept a naughty little pay rise as well.
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Game 3:
Back to the football as we have 4 more fixtures for the month.
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We were in cruise control after 50 minutes. Boesen grabbed a brace after loanee winger Yao got us off the mark with a nice little no look finish past the keeper. The 3-0 meant my players forgot that the game is actually 90 minutes long. They scored two quick fire goals and fearing we would drop points I parked the bus quicker than Mourinho on derby day.

Game 4:
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A visit to the team we raided earlier this season for a certain Iranian. We started Said out on the wing hoping he could cause some damage. It was his cross that found Boesen to get us underway. An equaliser on the brink of half time meant we needed to work again for the lead. Luckily Frandsen popped the ball into his own net for our winner before the in form Offenberg brought his team level again.

Game 5:
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Back to winning ways as Boesen scores for the third game running! Yao canceled out his goal and Salami scored a screamer. 3 points.

Game 6:
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We face the team we started the month off against in a home fixture. I expected a tough game. We gave a full debut to Johanssen who had been impressing in the B team. He looked good and helped us stay competitive. Some managerial genius got out first goal as I changed formation, brought on Weber for Yao and instantly got a goal. We then conceded pretty much right away but it was all part of the plan as Thrane grabbed a winner in the 83rd minute.

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A much more successful month sees us secure 1st place. Only 1 point ahead means we will need to go 100% in all the remaining games to secure promotion. Things are looking good though!

Oh and Player of the Month has to be Boesen, the lad was on fire and scored 4 goals in 3 games I believe and now has a healthy 12 goals this season. Not bad for a back up.​
 
May
Surprisingly this month is very quiet compared to the manic month of April. Just the two games and a note from my Assistant. If we win the remaining fixtures we will win the league. Cheers for that.

Game 1:
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YES LADS! Up the Farts! Battered them from start to finish. Boesen just can't stop scoring. He is on fire! Yao has proved a handy little loan signing getting another goal from out on the wing. Cordua scored a screamer of a free kick to add to the misery of Kjellerup.

Game 2:
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Andy Gray would have a field day if he found some work in the Second Division of Denmark. Every game he would be shouting "TIK A BOESEN!"
Our mercurial Danish youngster has bagged yet another brace and is looking unplayable. I am really glad with his performances and the timing of them so I have invited him into the office for a chat about renewing his contract.
He agreed and we have secured his services for next season.

In terms of additions to the squad the one player that stands out a mile and that we could really use is Martin Sondergaard. The experienced defender is well regarded in the league and he is cheap. I am hoping he can tutor some of the youngsters and help us develop the talents in house.

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That is all for the month of May. Next month will be the final run in and hopefully we can push for a title and automatic promotion. UP. THE. FARTS!​
 
The Run In

Hardly any of the fans can believe how far we have come. In the beginning, it was unrealistic to think that we could overturn the -15 point deficit. Yet here we are in a great position to not only gain promotion but also perhaps winning the title.

Game 1:
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Absolutley *****. I have not had many opportunities to use fart/poo related puns but we really did **** ourselves in this game. We had were listless, without any real threat and hardly looked like we could do anything right. After going behind we had a chance to get a leveller through our oh so good captain but even he **** the bed. A miss nearly resulted in an immediate counter attack. The more we pushed the more it looked like we were going to concede.
Game 2:​
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After some very choice words, I had motivated them to really up their game. Avarta gave us a game in the reverse fixtures, not a chance this time. Through our main man Boesen we got 3 goals and were unlucky to concede. The amount of cards they collected showed how frustrated they were.

Game 3:​
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What a **** show. Almost like game one, we didn't turn up and got **** canned. Well done lads...

Game 4:

It's the final game of the season. If we get a win, we get the title. I don't want to put too much pressure on people, the last time I tried getting the lads up for a challenge, they lost 4-0. I can't see another result like that.
​
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Whatever it was, it worked! A very good performance from the team with goals from strikers, midfield and defence. Boesen takes his tally to over 20 goals. The most important thing is we have got the victory, secured promotion and also added a league title to the cabinet!

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A wonderful season. Interesting to see the competition had a 10 year break. They must have done a separate league for a while.

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The whole team has been praised by the media with plaudits for them and myself coming in from around the town.
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Confirmation of our excellent season, with a trophy finish!

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We knew our young striker would be up there at the end of the season but missed the top spot by 3 goals. Still not bad at all considering that he was only only 8 goals in March!

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3 players from our team got into the Team of the Year. Boesen, Thrane (who was a mid season loan signing) and our only American Thorsheim.

What a season lads. I did not expect this at all. I have no idea what is in store for next season but there is a lot of planning to do. We need to have a clear out of deadwood, bring in some new staff and maybe if I get some money, I will be able to do some professional qualifications! I now have more trophies than qualifications!


​
 
Boom! Knew you could do it. Superb stuff, onwards and upwards. Maybe some bigger clubs will be a-scoutin'?
 
Thanks buddy. It was a close one. The only club that was sniffing around was Thisted FC who we played a few times. I don't think they got promoted and I told the press that I was not interested. I don't think other clubs would touch me without some qualifications though!
 
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Middelfart gain promotion to Division One
In what has been a very surprising turn of events, Middelfart overturned a -15 point deficit to go on and clinch the Division 2 title. With only a handful of losses, the team has gone from a mid table prospect to champions.
This is even more impressive when considering that their manager, Hein van der Westhuizen, is not even a qualified coach.

At the start of the campaign many eyebrows were raised at the appointment of a unknown Englishman with no formal qualifications. The risk seems to have paid off wonderfully as the club has found such success.

As the new season fast approaches, it will be interesting to see what changes the manager will make to his squad. There are rumours that a big reshuffle may be on the card, as we know finances are paramount for debt-ridden Middelfart. More to follow as the season unfolds.​
 
Pre-season
We are already back at it. Back to training after a very long season. I am finding it quite difficult to adjust to this massive winter break and a very short summer. The players are all back at the training ground and we are working to stay in the division this year. I always like to aim high so I would like a mid table finish.

After some housekeeping we organised 3 friendlies, got rid of a lot of players and staff and for the first time since I started our wages are in the black.

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In terms of signings, there wasn't much to shout about but here were the main 2.

Rasmus Ingemann
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My new number two! I was drawn to Ingemann for two reasons. 1. He's versatile and has some good stats. 2. He's cheap. A player and a new assistant all in one!

Thomas Madsen
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Definitely one for the future. At only 15 Madsen still looks like a baller. If we can bring him through the ranks and he can chip in from midfield then happy days.

In addition to these we brought Thane and Weber back in on loan from our parent club OB and also signed a few amateurs on. I am still looking for ways to strengthen the team and as we have nearly £2k a week spare, I may dabble.

During the 3 friendlies I tried mixing it up a bit and played some lads on trial who I signed and also rotated to get the fitness up. We won all three pretty comfortably. The lads look raring to go for the competitive season!

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The Beginning
 The new season is here. We are as ready as we will ever be. The quest to get Middelfart up into the top league is underway again. Our campaign starts at our fortress, FTZ og thansen.dk Arena. I really need to get that name changed!

Game 1:
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My new assistant manager advised me to take a defensive approach. Bollocks to that I said. We went for a controlling game and got 2 good goals. We defended well in the end as HB Koge built the pressure by scoring in the 69th minute. 3 points in our first Division One game - Up the Farts!

Game 2:
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An away trip to Hjorring. Practically tropical temperature of 21 Degrees meant the coach trip felt like a stag do in Faliraki. The game was not as interesting at all with a bore 0-0 draw the result. Yellow cards were picked up left, right and centre.

Game 3:
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As the month of July only featured two games, I have included the first game of August into my report. A combination of our opening two games really. Smidt opened the scoring for Skive and with many yellow cards, Skive were reduced to 10 men after 66 minutes. We tried to capitalise on the advantage and our pressure paid off as Vaerum won a penalty and scored it! A point will do!


So after 3 games in our new league, we have 4 points and not lost!

The only further addition we made worth mentioning is the signing of Jakob Andreason. The winger joins us for a fee of £800 which is quite something considering most of our signings are amateurs. He seems to be a decent player but sadly the board feel like he is a poor signing. Hopefully he can prove them wrong.

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August
Fixtures are starting to come in quicker as we have found with Danish football. They tend to pack the fixtures list around the winter months to accommodate for the break. One of the most positive things from this season is the financial side of things. The money we are getting for televised matches is chipping away at the club debt. The sooner we get into a positive financial position it allows us to do so much more. Maybe apply to become professional, build a new stadium, or maybe even send me on a football course!


Game 1:
Our first match in the Danish Cup is against the Club that were rumoured to be after my services. Both teams were promoted from Division 2 and now face off for the first time.
View attachment 88896 What a night. What a game. We were written off by the press, they said our new look team is not up to it. The old guard provided the breakthrough, a lovely flowing move was put away cooly by Salami. Some solid defensive work allowed us to counter attack effectively. Captain Casper Vaerum grabbed our second with a tidy finish and with that our ticket to round two of the Danish cup!

Game 2:
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Back to First Division fixtures. Back at our hard-to-pronounce fortress. A massive 2 away fans turned up to support their team but they were soon drowned out by our manic 191 home fans. Our skipper seems to be on something as he scored half an hour in. Loanee Kristian Weber added another just after the hour mark. A comfortable win that sent their 2 away fans unhappy.

Game 3:
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It has not been long since we played Thisted, this time we were unable to get a win. Positive that we get 1 point.

Game 4:
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Back at home! Our American Chris Thorsheim scored from a corner early doors. They replied with 2 goals of their own and it looked like we were destined for defeat. The last minute of added time, Vaerum picks up the ball on the right wing, uses his pace to burst into the box. He's brought down! PENALTY! Can he avoid the jeers of the away fans to get Middelfart? Of course he can! 2-2! Another point!

Game 5:
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The final game for August sees us take on Jammerbugt in the second round of the Danish Cup. Despite us being in a higher division, I think the home advantage gave Jammerbugt an edge. It was a set piece that opened our scoring, the towering centre back Cordua nodded in a corner. We tried being cautious as I didn't want to risk an early exit in the cup. We set up shop and saw the game out. Our 1 travelling fan was very happy to grab a lift back on the hopping, celebration filled Middelfart coach.

Monthly review:
Not a bad month at all. 2 wins in the cup. Undefeated in the league, just outside promotion places. This has been a good start, I just hope we can start scoring some more goals as our main man from last season, Boesen has not been able to carry over his form.

Luckily the player of the month has stepped up. It is none other than our captain Casper Vaerum. His goals have proved very valuable to our season already.​
 
September
We have been somewhat overachieving with our little club so far. This month will be a true test of our calibre, with most fixtures against the better sides in this division.

Game 1:
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The first game of the month sees us travel away with our 1 loyal travelling fan. A worthwhile trip in the end as we come away with 3 points and a debut goal for new boy Jakob Andreasen.

Game 2:
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Back at home, we have some great momentum and we are playing against a high flying Vejle. It took us a while to get going but eventually got the breakthrough thanks to loanee Weber. He seems to have stepped up to fill the shoes of Boesen who hasn't got going at all yet. Hopefully that will change soon. In the meantime we got 3 points and we are defying all the critics by being in the mix for promotion.

The victory means we are undefeated in 12 games! A new record for the club and hopefully one that we can continue.
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Game 3:
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A home game next to top of the table FC Roskilde. It was always going to be a tough ask. With an early penalty opportunity that was put away by Vaerum we looked to be in control. With fatigue setting in, we conceded 2 goals in the second half. Our first defeat, this one hurt.

Game 4:
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Next game we got the recently relegated Viborg. They have been tipped to bounce right back up to the SuperLigue but we have other intentions for the big boys. A very aggressive approach saw the home team pick up cards and reduced to 10 men after just 18 minutes. We tried to push up further and get a goal but the home team scored just before the hour. Eventually we broke through and got an equaliser thanks to Andreasen.

Game 5:
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The final game of the month was against the number 2 side in the league. A bore draw but a disappointing on seeing as they were down to 9 men, we were still unable to break through. Not good reading really but still a point is a point.

Monthly review:
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The table makes for good reading. After 11 games we are third, it is quite tight but I am confident that a few more wins we will be either mid table or perhaps a bit higher up!

Player of the month was slim pickings really, but my choice is Jakob Andreasen. He scored an important goal and has started to chip away at that price tag that the board are so unhappy with.​
 
View attachment 88867
High flying Middelfart take giant strides

In what some have called the surprise of the year, semi-professional football club Middelfart have defied their relegation tipped odds by sticking it to the big boys. Last year's Division Two champions have built on their foundations to become one of the leading teams in Division One.

With an incredible run of results, the underdogs have amassed a reputable 18 points in 11 games which sees them lie in third place. They are within touching distance of league leaders FC Roskilde and having only narrowly lost against them a few weeks ago, confidence must surely be high.

Rumour has it that due to the clubs position at the end of the first period they have been rewarded financially. A sum of £161,000 will surely provide some much needed stability for the financially burdened club. The remainder of the season will be a challenge for the small club of Middelfart.

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​
 
October
Thanks to a big influx of money thanks to our 4th place position in the league, we have a very healthy budget for a change.

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It may not seem a lot but this really is a great step for the club. With this money, we are able to send our coaches on courses to improve the coaching. Building some further foundations to improve the facilities and maybe expand the stadium in the next few years.
I therefore asked the board to fund my first coaching course. It worked!
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Game 1:
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October starts off with an away game and with our 1 trusty fan, we moved out to Castus Park to face HB Koge. Boesen gets a start as we fielded a slightly different team to bring in some rotation. Boesen rediscovered his form from last year and bagged an early goal in the game after Andreasen got injured. We were doing so well, until right towards the end we kept them at bay. A draw is a draw though!

Game 2:
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What a result. Considering we were down a goal early on, luckily they lost a man before the break. 2 second half goals saw us claim all three points and move into promotion places!

Game 3:
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With the important cup game just around the corner, we fielded a slightly weaker team and it seemed to work a treat against the much fancied Skive IK. Captain Vaerum scored within 5 minutes but the lead did not last long at all. We scored in the last few minutes of the game only to be outdone as Sterring scored a very late equaliser. Unlucky lads.

Game 4:
On a cold, wet, windy night in Middelfart, we welcomed FC Nordsjaelland to the fortress.
A very promosing start saw us grab a lead through Julius Eskesen. What a start!
We were then careful and set up to hit them on the counters. Robin Soder scored just before the break and at the half time team talk we looked good value still. I said to the lads we can do this, keep working hard and we can beat these.
Sadly it was not to be, it looked like we were getting ready for extra time until Soder struck again via a long ball. He slot the ball past Radza and gave the SuperLigue club a lead. And that is how it stayed. A tough loss but a performance we can be proud of!
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Game 5:
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Following our cup game loss, we take on bottom side AB. Not much to say really, a bore draw that we should have won.


Monthly Review:
A very mixed month. Some good results alongside some games we should have won. The positive news is the fact that the board have seen fit to offer me a new contract. I am glad to accept it and take the club further!
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My player of the month is a tough one as very few stood out, it was a team performance. So I am going to give the whole team my vote.

​
 
November
We have a fair amount of fixtures to get through this month before the long, cold winter break.

Game 1:
View attachment 88772
Familiar opposition as we are visited by Thisted FC. It has been a real back and forth between two teams with neither one seeming to gain an advantage. We were fortunate to edge this contest thanks to last season's hero Malthe Boesen. I am happy that he is rediscovering his form and hope it continues.

Game 2:
View attachment 88771
Game two was a bitter pill to swallow. We played on the counter and got very lucky from a corner, Mads Aaquist turning the ball into his own net. We set up to contain the game and protect the lead. Sebastian Krogdahl had other plans however, striking twice in 3 minutes before we could respond. Desperately close but not close enough. Dropped points.

Game 3:
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A home game agaisnt mid-table Fredericia. This should have been a routine win, it turned out to be anything but. Mathias Schjodt is meant to be one of our best players but he has spurned far too many goal scoring chances. His negative influence is not doing us any favours. A loss was not ideal and prolongs our run of bad form.

Game 4:
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Wow. Unbelievable. I can't fathom just quite how **** we were. I tried everything, tactic changes, subs, team talks and throwing water bottles across the touchline. I just can't get over how poor we were against a team we were meant to beat.


Only slightly more positive news, Boesen scoops player of the year from the Second Division.
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Now back to the bad news. We just can't seem to get Salami to extend his contract. He wants far too much money and we cannot afford his ludicrous wage demands and he won't negotiate. Sadly he will leave the club.
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With Salami's departure reinforcements are needed. My plan is to play Cordua as the DM and I have brought in Nicolai Johannessen to play at CB.
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I have also managed to complete my first coaching qualification! I have asked to go on the next level course.
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Monthly Review:

And to end what has been a terrible month, Salami has kicked us in the balls by joining first placed FC Roskilde.
View attachment 88759
We are in desperate need for a turn in fortunes, the winter break may prove useful and we hope to come back to more success in the new year. The player of the month is not even worth mentioning as no one stood up. We do have a villain though, Mathias Schjodt was woeful. He had the cheek to complain about his playing time as well but he just hasn't produced at all. Shocking month all around and probably the lowest moment of my career so far.​
 
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