And so we enter May, the final month of the season. This is it. This where we will learn whether our efforts will be worth it or not.
We've been on a great cup run and beaten some big teams - but a semi final 2nd leg would render it worthless.
We've been on an unbeaten 22 match run - but nothing is yet set in stone.
We're top of the league - but we're only 4 points away from dropping to 4th.
This month will be make or break. Will the Akademia be able to bring glory to The Pancho Arena?
MAY
We start at home to Soroksar, a mid table team with nothing to play for. But they put up a lot more a fight than you might expect. It's incredibly tight, and a thumping header from Gyorgy Sandor seals the victory. Balmazujvaros win their game at Vac, whilst ZTE lose to fellow promotion candidates Bekescsaba so it remains tight at the top.
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Next up we have two massive games against both ZTE and Bekescsaba, and both are away. This is then followed by the away leg in the Hungarian Cup semi-final. These 3 games in a week will shape the season - win all 3 and we're nearly there, lose all 3 and the season could be a write off.
We travel to ZTE and play as strong as a team as possible. Boldenkov has been playing very well when I have given him a run out and Ochigava will not be able to play all of the next 3 games so I bring him in for this one. It's an incredibly tight and even game. Experienced CB Vilmos Vanczak gives us the lead midway through the first half with a scrambled finish from a corner. In the 2nd half Kuzyk puts us 2-0 up with a rocket from the edge of the box. The score stays the same till the end, and with Balmazujvaros losing and Bekescsaba only managing a draw we pull away.
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Next up, it's Bekescsaba. Given the last round of fixtures and with the 2nd leg of the semi final in 3 days I decide I can take a risk and play a weakened team - if we lose, we still hold the advantage. Giorgi Arabidze has been training and playing for the B team for most of April and is now at full match fitness. He was crucial at the start of the season and deserves a chance to return to the team at the end of the season. I rest both Kuzyk and Balashov and bring Arabidze straight in from the start.
Another tight game, and if anything we are second best. We go ahead in the 2nd half thanks to a Heffler penatly. As we enter the last 10 minutes Bekescsaba grab an equaliser threatening to damage our title credentials. However, as it always seems to be with football, the script seems written. We enter the 86th minute and Arbaidze is found on the right send of the penalty area before cutting in on his left and firing a shot in to the top left hand corner of the net with a curler. The 2-1 victory puts the advantage right in our hands now. It means that if we win the next league game, we are champions.
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First up though is the 2nd leg of the cup semi final, and we travel to Debrecen. We hold a 2-1 advantage from the 1st leg but Debrecen have the away goal. Kuzyk and Balashov start, and I use this oppurtunity to start both Boldenkov and Ochigava in the centre of defence. My "Little Ukraine" is the best hope for us getting to the final.
It's great start. 7 minutes in Balashov starts on a run down the right hand side from the half way line, before firing a low cross to the back post where Kuzyk times his run to perfection to slot home. The early goal gives us a 2 goal lead and wipes out Debrecen's away goal advantage, and it seems to sap all the motivation from their team. We dominate for the rest of the game, 23 shots to their 11, but it takes until the 78th minute to score again with Bence Biro coming off the bench to score. Kuzyk then scores his 2nd in the 91st minute to seal a memorable victory.
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We win 5-1 on aggregate and we are there - we are in the Hungarian Cup final! It's a tremendous achievement, and the fans and board are clearly delighted. We are up against Gyirmot, a team who if I am honest I know little about. The are currently 4th in the league so clearly of a good standard but we've knocked out 2 top tier teams so far so I fancy my chances.
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The weekend arrives where I can win the league. I just need to gain 3 more points, and I have a chance on Sunday if I can beat Soproni who are struggling right down the bottom of the table. We play on Sunday, with Balmuzujvaros the only ones who can catch me playing on Saturday.
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The news comes in...Balmuzujvaros have lost! They only have 2 games left and can't catch us. Puskas Akademia have not only sealed promotion, but we have sealed the Hungarian Division II title!
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In the end it's a bit of an anti-climax; I would loved us to have won it via a victory rather than through another team losing. However, you can't be disappointed with a league title! Plus, I like to think all my players went round to Laszlo Lencse's house to watch the game in his kitchen - Jamie Vardy style.
We still have to fulfil our remaining league fixtures and and we travel to Soproni. If my players did have a party the night before, then it certainly shows. We really really struggle against a poor side, and it takes an 89th minute winner from Bence Biro to seal the 3 points. He's on loan at the club so probably isn't that close to the rest of the squad so wouldn't have got an invite to the party.
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We then see out the rest of the season with our two final games. We draw 2-2 at home with Siofok with a second string side, before finishing the league campaign with a 3-0 win away at Siofok.
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The league season finishes with us in top spot, winning the league by a clear 10 points in the end. We had a great unbeaten run in the middle of the season but winning the league with 10 draws and 6 losses makes me feel slightly lucky. Balmazujvaros finish 2nd and join us in promotion to the Hungarian First Division.
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Next up, it's the cup final and the chance of an unlikely double.
