Salford City

Ringham said:
What a brilliant start to the league.... Impressed with Seddon stepping up to the plate, who knows, if you get promoted maybe he has a season in the Conference National left in him!
Click to expand...

I know mate, I'm a little surprised myself :) He can be annoying though because he's just so slow! Next season might just be to much for him with him being 37 by then
 
View attachment 176741


OCTOBER 2016



View attachment 176740


A good win here to start the month off.

I’ve lost count now how many times we’ve thrown away a lead, thankfully this time we managed to grab a late winner though. Anthony Griffin opened the scoring with a messy goal from a corner. Brackley levelled though after we failed to clear the ball properly.

With the game looking to end in a draw, Gareth Seddon scored a last minute winner with a great header at the back post following a cross in by James Poole.



View attachment 176739


Was always going to be a difficult game with Lowestoft doing well in 7th​ position. We really need to start keeping hold of our leads though. James Poole opened the scoring with his 4th​ of the season. Lowestoft equalised though when Joe Burgess messed up his clearance from within the penalty area, Jenk Acar capitalised on this by netting the equaliser.


View attachment 176738


A poor draw here against a side 2 divisions below us. The league is our main aim this season but I’d really like to reach the 1st​ round proper of the FA Cup after failing at the last qualifying round last season.


View attachment 176736


Gareth Seddon got us on our way with a bullet header at the far post after James Poole chipped in a lovely cross.

Seddon then grabbed his second of the day from the penalty spot after Webber was fouled in the area. This brings Seddon’s tally to 10 goals in 14 games this season as he continues his good form from last season.

Kidsgrove got one back when Josh Beaumont was beaten at the far post but fortunately we managed to hold on to reach the 4th​ qualifying round for the second year running. This means we play 7th​ placed Harrogate in the next qualifying round.



View attachment 176732


This was always going to be a real challenge here against a Nuneaton side top of the league.

We came through brilliantly and ran away 2-1 winners. Nuneaton opened the scoring within the first 10 minutes which made me think it was going to be a long afternoon for us. We turned things around though with Rio Murray drawing things level after finishing off a good 1-2 with Seddon.

James Poole won it for us with his 5th​ of the season with a brilliant volley at the far post. We can thank goalkeeper, Ian Ormson for this win with a brilliant man of the match performance.


View attachment 176731


This was so disappointing, we were brilliant against Nuneaton poor really really **** here!

We took the lead but as we’ve done so often this season, we were pegged back and then allowed Boston to go on and win the game. Kelvin Douglas opened the scoring with a good finish from the right hand side of the area.

An injury to Josh Beaumont meant that Korey Roberts came on as a replacement and that was when things went downhill. 2 pieces of poor goalkeeping allowed Boston to take a shock 2-1 lead. Boston then hit us on the break late on to make it even more miserable by making it 3-1.


View attachment 176730


Back to back 3-1 defeats isn’t how I saw this month ending.

Once again we fall at the last hurdle and fail to make the 1st​ round proper for the second year running. We got off to a bad start by conceding after 2 minutes and it just seemed to get worse for us. After being 2-0 down, we got one back through Kelvin Douglas who scored his second goal in 2 games.

Harrogate then made it 3 though early in the second half when Zidkigah Vaughn deflected a shot into his own net.


View attachment 176729


A draw here which feels more like a win after being 2-0 down.

We don’t often come back from losing positions, it often the other way around. We started terribly and found ourselves 2-0 down within 25 minutes. We seemed to pick ourselves up after this though with Gareth Seddon scoring two screamers to draw us level before half time. The second half was pretty even with not much between us.


View attachment 176728


Finally a win, our first in 4 games.

Louie Theophanous opened the scoring with a good header before Gareth Seddon latched onto a long ball forward which he finished well to make it 2-0 and score his 13th​ of the season. Hednesford got one back late on but didn’t do enough to get anything out of the game.


​


View attachment 176727

A really hectic month here with a ridiculous 9 games played!

We only lost once in the league but did get knocked out of the FA Cup at the final qualifying round which was really disappointing.

On the whole the month went well which ensured we shot up into second in the league ...

View attachment 176726

Is a title challenge really on? We're three points off top spot but still a long way to go, we've only played 14 games in the league so still early days.

​


We made one transfer during October which will hopefully improve the defence.

View attachment 176725

Rod McDonald signs after a short stay at Northampton where he failed to impress.

He looks quality for this level though with great physical stats, heading and marking. He'll go straight into the side after some poor form from Korey Roberts.


​


PLAYER OF THE MONTH:

View attachment 176722

KELVIN DOUGLAS

A really good month from the lad here who played every minute of a stupidly busy period. He scored 2 goals and recorded an average rating of 7.54. He gives us real energy in the middle which we really need when Danny Scholfield is his partner.
​
 
View attachment 176713


NOVEMBER 2016


View attachment 176709



Another crazy game which saw 7 goals!

2 goals after the first 5 minutes saw the score 1-1. We then went 2-1 up through Gareth Seddon who headed home from 6 yards out. Guisely pegged us back though before we once again took the lead to make it 3-2.

However, Guisley went straight from kick off to draw level 20 second later. They then grabbed the winner when Korey Roberts was beating by a looping ball to the far post which was headed home to make it 4-3 to Guiseley.


View attachment 176708



Another defeat means we have a horrid start to the month.

The game was pretty even for the first hour or so with Gareth Seddon missing a couple of glorious chances. Sadly, Chester just proved their quality over us as they continue to challenge for the title.



View attachment 176707


A bore draw finally stops the rot which had seen us lose the first 2 games this month, conceding 7 goals in the process. I was desperate for a clean sheet here which we got. Sadly it meant we didn’t threaten the Chorley goal quite enough to deserve a win.



View attachment 176706


Yet another defeat which now means we haven’t won in 5!

We were poor here against a decent Leamington side challenging at the top end of our league. I’m not particularly bothered about this competition but we still played our strongest side to try and stop this rot.



View attachment 176705


Finally a win, and one we really needed!

We changed things here and moved to a 4-4-2, much like we’d played for the majority of last season.

When Gainsborough went 1-0 up I was sure we’d be looking at another defeat. Fortunately, we managed to turn it around with 2 goals in 6 minutes. Fitzpatrick was instrumental today as we first drew us level before then setting up the own goal which turned out to be the winner.


​



View attachment 176704

Well, after an impressive October I was really hopeful we'd keep our good form up ... sadly we couldn't!

1 win in the 5 games just isn't good enough!

So much for our title challenge ...


View attachment 176703


We cling on to our play off spot, but only just.

Most teams have a game in hand over us which means both Guiseley and Harrogate could both overtake us if they win their game in hand.

​


We tried to bring in just one player this month, sadly though we just couldn't get it over the line ...

View attachment 176701

We had a loan deal accepted for JJ Hooper from Port Vale.

Sadly though, he turned us down ... presumably because of the division we're in.

​


With our shocking form, we're changing things up for next month to see if that helps ...

View attachment 176700

This is how we lined up against Gainsborough and how we'll line up for the majority of next month, providing things go to plan.

It's a very basic 4-4-2 with a more direct style with a higher tempo.

This is how we played for the majority of last season so hopefully it will serve us well again.

​


PLAYER OF THE MONTH:

View attachment 176697

DANNY SCHOFIELD


With us having such a poor month this award was really hard to dish out. Schofield got it for his consistent performances with him being the only player that didn’t **** up really. He also scored a good goal in the first game against Guiseley.
​
 
View attachment 176694


DECEMBER 2016


View attachment 176693


We were lucky to come away with a point today. David Fitzpatrick continued his good form by netting the equaliser after James Poole put in a cracking ball for him.


View attachment 176692


A good win with goals galore here!

Danny Webber came in for only his 8th​ start of the season after impressing in the previous game coming off the bench. We made a brilliant impact today with 2 goals which were his 3rd​ and 4th​ of the season. Louie Theophanous, Webbers strike partner, also produced the goods by playing each with each other for the first time.


View attachment 176691


A daft game really that in the end, we’re happy to come away with a draw.

It was always going to be a tough game with Tamworth going well in 3rd​. Louie Theophanous carried on his good form with another 2 goals today which takes his tally up to 7 this season.

After being 2-0 up we inexcusably gave that away and even went 3-2 down after some more poor defending. We rescued a point late on though when we put in an in-swinging corner which was diverted in as an own goal.



View attachment 176690


Another draw but again one I’m not too disappointed in. We went 1-0 fairly early on but Seddon struck a great ball to equalise with just over 10 minutes to play. Harrogate looked to win it though by then going 2-1 up. Thankfully David Fitzpatrick drew us level by netting his 3rd​ in the last 5 games.


View attachment 176689


We can’t carry on throwing leads away like this.

We were 2-0 until the hour mark but still went on to lose the game. Seddon scored his 16th​ and 17th​ goals of the season, the second being an absolute stunner from distance. But then we just totally lost it with 3 goals conceded in 14 minutes.


​



View attachment 176688


A slight improvement this month but still not anything like the form we need to be hitting.

Only 1 win just isn't good enough, the other 3 draws are an improvement but still not ideal.


With us only picking up 3 points this month, we drop out of the play off spots ...


View attachment 176687


We're now a point off Harrogate who occupy the final play off place.

We're about at the halfway stage now so there's still a lot of football to be played ... we just need to play better!

​


To try and help out situation, we made two signings this month ...

View attachment 176685


With us still shipping goals, we brought in another defender to partner Rod McDonald at the heart of defence.

He's got decent stats and looks decent for this level. Hopefully he can strike up a partnership with McDonald quickly.


View attachment 176681


Jack Blake signs on a free transfer from Ilkeston for only £200 per week.

It will be a toss up whether he starts ahead of Danny Schofield after his decent run of form. I just worry about his lack of movement in a midfield two with Kelvin Douglas.

​


PLAYER OF THE MONTH:

View attachment 176678

GARETH SEDDON


Another good period for Seddon with 3 goals in 4 games this month. He can’t run anymore but once he’s on the poor he’s quality even at this level.
​
 
View attachment 176030


JANUARY 2017


View attachment 176029


Yet another draw!

We just don’t seem to be able to get that win under our belt. We were poor infront of goal today with Seddon being guilty of missing a handful of chances. We’re still in a decent position though with us being 2 points off the play off spots with a game in hand.



View attachment 176028



Finally a win, our first in 5! A really good win at that.

We started slowly but Seddon still managed to open the scoring to continue his good form. David Fitzpatrick then put in a cross which Tom Davie diverted into his own goal at the far post. Fitzpatrick then rapped things up to make it 3-0. I did worry when North Ferriby got one back but thankfully it didn’t come to anything.



View attachment 176027



Another goalless draw, our second of the month. It might sound a bit strange but I’m not too disappointed with this, Leamington are top of the league and this point moved us back into the play off spots.



View attachment 176026



A really poor defeat here against a very mid-table side. We were poor and didn’t deserve anything. In fact we were lucky to keep it down to 2 with Kings Lynn missing a late penalty. Webber had a late chance to ****** an unlikely winner but his effort hit the post.


​



View attachment 176025


A pretty poor month here with only one win from the 4 games played.

We struggled upfront this month with us drawing blanks in 2 of the games which is pretty unlike us.


With us only picking up one win, as you'd expect we shot down the league table ...


View attachment 176024


We dropped like a stone this month and are now right down in 9th!

We've gone from being 1 point off the play off spots to now being 5 off!

The play offs are still do-able but our form needs to seriously improve if we have any chance.

​


PLAYER OF THE MONTH:

View attachment 176023

JACK BLAKE

A brilliant start to his Salford career, despite the poor form we’ve shown as a team. He only signed last month but he's already proved to be a real box to box midfielder who’s recorded an average rating of 8.08 during this month.
​
 
View attachment 176017


FEBRUARY 2017


View attachment 176016


A game we should have really won. Lowestoft took the lead but we equalised straight from kick off through Louie Theophanous. Draw’s just aren’t enough for us anymore if we want to sneak into the play off spots.


View attachment 176014


A really disappointing win here in a game I felt we should be winning.

Solihull raced into a 2-0 lead before 15 minutes which really shocked us! Louie Theophanous got one back in an action packed first 25 minutes. The rest of the game was pure frustration with us failing to draw level.


View attachment 176012


A brilliant win here which puts us back into the play off chase. Louie Theophanous won us the game with a brilliant brace, scoring his 10th​ and 11th​ of the season so far. Stockport got one back but he held strong.


View attachment 176011


Another game we should have won, especially after being a goal up.

This time it was Gareth Seddon who came good for us, scoring his 19th​ and 20th​ of the season. A win here would have seen us move to within 1 point off the play off spots but with us only picking up a draw here we remain 3 behind.


View attachment 176010


Back to winning ways which was really needed.

A nice clean sheet as well which we don’t see very often. Seddon on the scoresheet once again, after going 5 without a goal he now has 3 in his last 2. Kelvin Douglas with the second late on to ensure us of the win.


​



View attachment 176009


Another patchy month here but certainly signs of improvement.

We started the month slowly after a poor January but we started getting our act together towards the end of the month.


This decent mini run put us right back in the play off race ...

View attachment 176008


We move to within 3 points off the play offs now!

We're right back in the hunt but we need to keep this form up as we know how easily you can drop down the league.


​


PLAYER OF THE MONTH:

View attachment 176001

LOUIE THEOPHANOUS



3 goals in 5 games, the same as Seddon but Theophanous goals came at more crucial times for us. Up to 11 goals in 23 games now this season for someone who's only just become a regular starter.



​


The worse news from this month was our deteriorating finances ...


View attachment 176007

The finances are so bad that the board have now stopped any bonus payments to players on non-contractual terms.

Although this probably won't affect me too much on it's own, it still shows me that the club is in the ****!


View attachment 176005

Nearly £275,000 in debt for a club in the 7th division is pretty bad!

The trouble is we're unable to really bring any money in. With us only averaging between 300 and 400 fans every game, the gate reciepts are enough to keep us going! Also our cup runs haven't been good enough to bring in any kind of decent money either!

Hopefully someone can stick their hand in the pocket!

​
 
View attachment 175645


MARCH 2017



View attachment 175644


Well after 3 games unbeaten it was about time we crumbled to defeat. With Boston right down towards the bottom of the league this is really a game we should have won. After being 1-0 down, James Poole gave us some hope of a comeback but it wasn’t to be as we conceded a late winner.



View attachment 175643


A shocker here which really puts doubt to our play off hopes (how many times have I said that already). We were second best all game and thoroughly deserved to get beat.



View attachment 175642


Finally a after 2 straight defeats. We played well here but this is a game we should have won comfortably with Hednesford in bottom place.



View attachment 175641


A real challenge here as we took on table topping Guiseley.

The game looked dead and buried when we were still 1-0 down with only minutes left. Thankfully James Poole came up with something special as he scored a last minute overhead kick at the far post … yes, an overhead kick!

A draw rescued which I’m pretty pleased with.


​



View attachment 175640


We just can't seem to get things going here!

One week we're brilliant, the next we just roll over and let the opposition walk all over us!


The play offs are still a possibility but time's running out now ...


View attachment 175639


We drop right down to 8th but stay just 6 off the play offs!

Some weeks I think we're good enough to finish in the top 5, but other weeks I think I'm kidding myself as we get battered by some team in the bottom half!

With 6 games to go and 6 off the plays offs, realistically we'll probably need to win all 6 ... something I'm not too confident about given our stop-start form.


​


There was at least a memorable milestone for me during this month ...


View attachment 175638


I reached 100 games in management at the start of the month!

I couldn't believe it's been 100 games already, we've not even finished season 2 yet!

Sadly we couldn't really celebrate this as we fell to a 2-1 defeat during the game.


​


PLAYER OF THE MONTH:

View attachment 175637

JACK BLAKE


It's the second time in three months that Blake's won this award.

It was another brilliant run of form for the new signing. He’s really proving to be a step up form this level.

He’s been so good that I’ve been trying to tie him down to a longer deal with him currently only here for the rest of this season. Sadly, this hasn't quite gone to plan ...


View attachment 175636


He won't even listen to an offer from us!

Obviously his brilliant form has gone to his head. He's only on £200 a week and I'd be prepared to break the bank to keep the lad! Mt only hope is that we can get promoted and therefore match his ambitions!
​
 
View attachment 175395


THE RUN IN



View attachment 175394


A brilliant defensive display here as we restricted Chester to a single shot on target all game.

The defence was so good that the two central defenders even grabbed the goals today as well. Just as it looked to end a goalless draw, we went so attacking, pushing everyone forward, it paid off. Rod McDonald with the opener from a corner before his defensive partner, Scott Garner made sure of the win with another headed goal even later on.


View attachment 175393



It still looks an almost impossible job, despite winning here!

We're still 4 behind Leamington who currently occupy the final play off spot!



View attachment 175392



Best performance since I’ve been here!

Totally dominant and truly deserved the win which puts us 1 point off the top 5. Gareth Seddon once again stole the headlines with 2 goals before Keldvin Douglas and David Fitzpatrick finished things off.

We also achieved our second clean sheet in a row which I don’t think we’ve done before. Chorley is a game we should have won but this is still seriously impressive.



View attachment 175391


And so the gap closes!

Leamington slipped up and lost which gives us a real chance now. Only 1 point in it with 4 to play.




View attachment 175390


What’s going on here, I’ve never had form like this!

And it’s come at just the right time. Jack Blake scored his first goal for us in another impressive display, I feel that we probably need promotion this season to have any chance of keeping him next year.

Danny Webber then doubled the lead with a rare start and an even rarer goal. David Fitzpatrick also ended his 12 game scoreless run with the 3rd.


View attachment 175389



Wow, I really didn't see this happening!

Basically all of our challengers slipped up by either losing or drawing which allowed us to sneak in and up to 4th.

Still another 3 games to go though and time for us to mess it up yet!



View attachment 175388



Heartbreak in the last minute! Gareth Seddon scored his 26th of the season to put us 1-0 up before a last minute equaliser by Corby ensured we dropped 2 points here. This still leaves the play offs really in the balance.


View attachment 175387



This is so close now!

If we can keep this form going then we should finish either 4th or 5th.

The good news is non of the teams below us seem to be in brilliant form, apart from Lowestoft and even they lost their last game.



View attachment 175386


The penultimate game and we only managed a draw.

We were peppering their goal towards the end but just couldn’t find a winner. This means everything is still to play for in the final game as we take on Tamworth who are challenging for the title themselves.


View attachment 175385


We've put ourselves in a great position here!

1 win and we'll have a shot in the play offs.

​


So, with just one game remaining it's still all in the balance!

We're clinging onto that last play off spot but only on goal difference. Both Leamington and AFC Telford could ****** it from us if we slip up in the final game.

Talking of the final game, we've got the difficult task of taking on Tamworth ... and needing a win! Tamworth are still battling it out for the title so desperately need a win here themselves.

Anything but a win for us though and we can wave goodbye to promotion.​
 
View attachment 175342


FINAL GAME OF THE SEASON



So here we are, the final game of the season and a win is needed!

We take on Tamworth who are still battling with Guiseley for the league title. A win for us though and we'll guarantee a play off spot.

A draw would possibly be enough but we'd be relying on Leamington to lose and AFC Telford to either lose or draw.

​



View attachment 175341


Brilliant! We’ve done it! A cracking 2-0 win over title challengers Tamworth.

Man of the moment, Jack Blake got the important goal to put us 1-0 just before half time. I think the lads were then probably too nervous to really express themselves.

Scott Garner made it 2-0 late on with his second goal of the month, another from a corner to seal both the victory and a play off spot.



View attachment 175340


There we have it! A play off spot claimed!

Chester fell out the play off picture with a final day defeat which meant they finished way back in 6th. Their defeat allowed Leamington to sneak in and finish in the final play off spot whilst we move up one and into 4th.


We then play Nuneaton in the semi final with our home leg being played 1st.

We've had mixed fortunes against Nuneaton this season, losing 3-0 in the home game but beating them 2-1 away from home.

This really could go either way but with our new found form you'd have to make us slight favourites.


View attachment 175339​
 
View attachment 175093



PLAY OFF SEMI FINALS



View attachment 175092


Here we are then! The Vanarama North Play offs.

After a really strong end to the season we managed a 4th place finish which means we now play 3rd placed Nuneaton in a two legged semi final.


This is the tactic we'll be using ...

View attachment 175091

We used this for the last few weeks of the regular season with great success.

We sit pretty deep but once in possession, both wingers and both central midfielders break with great speed leaving Anthony Griffith as the only defensive minded midfielder.

Seddon is the main dangerman for me and is currently the league's top goalscorer!


Let's see how we get on with the first leg being played at our home ground, Moor Lane ...

​


View attachment 175090



A decent draw here but really we should be winning the home leg.

We looked good today but just couldn’t get the job done, it leaves it all in the balance for the second leg.

David Fitzpatrick got our only goal with a bullet header at the far post. We looked good at this stage with an early goal and I was sure we'd go on to claim the win.

Sadly though Anthony Griffith gave away a penalty which Ormson saved well, however from the resulting corner Luke Giverin put the ball in his own goal from a comical clearance at the near post.



This really leaves it all to play for in the away leg.

​


Let's bring you that second leg right now ...

View attachment 175092

View attachment 175089


Well we made hard work of it but we got through and will play Tamworth in the final.

Once again we took the lead, this time through a great strike from Jack Blake to put us 2-1 up on aggregate. We looked to control the game from then on but we couldn't survive a late Nuneaton onslaught as they equalised with a minute left to play!

With the scores 2-2 on aggregate after 180 minutes, we went into extra time with my whole squad knackered.

We really went for it in extra time to try and avoid the dreaded penalty shootout (which we'd have probably lost anyway). Thankfully this paid off though with Luke Giverin scoring a dramatic winner, and making up for his own goal in the previous leg. This sent the away fans mental (all 4 of them) as we booked our place in the final as we look to secure back-to-back promotions.



View attachment 175083



​


The win here ensured we played Tamworth in the final in less than a week's time ...

View attachment 175082


If I'm honest I'm quite pleased that Tamworth won here.

We managed to beat them 2-0 away from home in the final game of the season as we bossed the game from start to finish. It will be a bit of a grudge match because of that game, had Tamworth won it they'd have claimed the league title but instead they're here playing us!

It will be a tough game but definitely one we can win!​
 
Great work there mate, hopefully you can bring it home against Tamworth!
 
View attachment 175062


PLAY OFF FINAL


Here we have it then, this is what we've worked all season for! A one off game, win and we're up, lose and we have to do it all again next season.

Just before we get into the game, we had some really disappointing injury news ...

View attachment 175061


This is such a shame! Douglas has been brilliant for us ever since joining us just before the play offs last season. He really makes this formation work as him and Blake both have the energy to be real box-to-box players.

We have a couple of options to replace him or we could even change formation and stick 2 up front.

​

In the end we decided for a straight swap!


View attachment 175060

This is how the two sides line up for the final.

Tamworth playing a 4-3-3 come 4-5-1 formation with two attacking wingers. I can't tell you anything about their personnel because I've never heard of any of them!

We make just one change with Danny Schofield coming into midfield and replacing the injured Kelvin Douglas. Other than we stay the same. I do worry if Schofield has the legs to play a full game these days, he's a different player than Douglas as he'll try and control the game from deep and use less energy than his younger partner.

Even more emphasis on our star man, Jack Blake as without Douglas he'll be asked to cover even more ground.



Let's see how the game goes anyway ...

​


View attachment 175059

View attachment 175058


We’ve done it, we've made it to the Vanarama National!!

We were actually quite poor here but just did enough to claim the win.

Tamworth were much better than they'd shown in the final league game and had two or three really good chances to put themselves 1-0 up. We had goalkeeper, Ian Ormson to thank on a number of occasions.

We eventually got the winner, with the clock ticking down, James Poole stole the show with a volley from 8 yards out. Tamworth failed to clear their lines from a cross in from David Fitzpatrick, the ball then fell to Poole who finished brilliantly.



View attachment 175054


View attachment 175053​
 
Congrats on getting promoted. I am really enjoying reading these :)
 
View attachment 174747



END OF SEASON



So, my second season in charge of Salford went pretty well in the end ...


View attachment 174746


We had a slow start and were out of the play off spots pretty much all season ... that was until the final 3 weeks or so when we picked up some brilliant form and managed to sneak in and finish 4.

From there, we played Nuneaton in the play off semi final which we won after extra time. Our prize for winning that was a final vs Tamworth which we won with one of the last kicks of the game.


So, with season 2 out the way and us climbing up the league's nicely, I thought I'd show you some of the awards for this brilliant season ...


View attachment 174743


Unsurprisingly, Jack Blake swept up in the end of season awards, winning 'fans player of the season', young player of the season' and 'signing of the season'.

He's been absolutely brilliant this season and proved himself to be a step up in class this season.

He's played 25 times this season after joining mid-way through the campaign, during these 25 games he's averaged a rating of 8.08 with 3 goals to him name as well.

The bad news here is that he still won't sign a new deal which runs out in a few weeks time! I'm not giving up and will keep trying because where we are at the minute, he's irreplaceable for us.


Gareth Seddon was also in amongst the awards this season ...

View attachment 174744


With 23 goals in 44 games, he won the league's top goalscorer award!

For someone at 36 to win this award is pretty impressive. I do worry about how we're going to replace this amount of goals for next season as I can't see him keeping this form up in the higher divisions.

He's still quite a frustrating player as he physically struggles to last a full game and his lack of pace really shows but once he's on the ball he's pure quality and seems to be able to score from all angles.


The best news about our promotion is that the owner finally ploughed in some funds ...


View attachment 174742

A £600k cash injection has really helped our finances with us finally out of debt ... although I'm sure we'll be back in the red come the start of next season.


View attachment 174741

​


One other bit of news comes from our noisy neighbours ...

View attachment 174740


It's bad news for Fc Utd of Manchester as they appear to be right on the slide.

Just as we secure back-to-back promotions, they go the other way and achieve back-to-back relegations!

I'm actually really disappointed about this as I wanted to strike a real rivalry with them but so far we've failed to play them once ... which I can't see changing with us now 3 divisions apart!​
 
View attachment 174739


SEASON 3 - PRE SEASON


After a very successful second season and us winning our second promotion in as man years, I was desperate to start work again!

The real reason I was desperate is because secretly, I'm petrified, we probably need to sign another 10 players just to make us competitive in the Vanarama National and we've hardly got any funds to do so.


Anyway, whilst I'm talking about funds ...


View attachment 174738

We've spent it all on new seating!

Another 500 seats will be installed which takes the grounds capacity right up to 7500! Brilliant, just what we need! Our average attendance last season was just over 400 ... at least everyone will have lots of room.

​


Anyway, with us now competing in the Vanarama National for the first time in the club's history, I'm expecting a rough ride ... not quite as rough as the pundits think though ...

View attachment 174736

200/1 to win the league and predicted to finish rock bottom!

I can't really argue with this but it still makes me really nervous. Our climb up the leagues has probably been a bit too quick which I think is reflected here.


The board think similarly ...

View attachment 174737

The board have been very demanding in the past, but not here. They're happy with us just 'attempting to avoid relegation'.

I expect to put up a better fight than that and hope to stay up ... but I'm under no illusions, this season is a relegation battle all day long!

​


With everyone expecting us to be this years whipping boys, I was desperate to bring some new faces in to freshen up the squad.

Sadly though the first bit of transfer news was an 'outgoing' ...


View attachment 174735


Striker, Danny Webber decided to hang up his boots just before pre-season ... he probably couldn't face doing the training again.

In fairness he's been really good for Salford over the last few years but showed last season that he's not up to the task anymore, especially in this higher division.

He had a great partnership with Seddon in my first season but we must look beyond these two from now.

​


Finally though ... some good news ...


View attachment 174734

Jack Blake signs a new deal with the club!

I've been trying to pin the lad down for weeks now but it finally looks like the promotion has done the trick.

He's got himself an improved contract but is still only on £300 a week which makes him one of the clubs top earners now.

The best thing about this kid is that he's still only 22 and can hopefully continue to improve. If he performs anything like he did last season then he'll be a star again!


All my focus must now go on bringing in some players so we don't become a laughing stock this season!​
 
In for a tough season, but at least the board have got their priorities right with spending :P
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

FMBase

Beta

Resources

Back
Top