Starting Over

Season 1 Review
So it's been a very up and down start to my career. After taking months to find a job after completing my 2 year's of coaching education I found myself in a league 2 relegation battle with a club going bust. A poor squad and an awful board left me with no hope and getting sacked before the seasons end.

I was then hired by conference north side Guiseley to see out their season and failed to get a win from my 4 games whilst also been told that half of the squad could be leaving including my best defender and striker who both refused new contracts. Another financial disaster will make it hard to move the club forward but I have to improve on my first year to get anywhere with this career.

So let's take a look at the season...

Northampton: 28/11/2017-24/03/2018
A very poor situation for the club had seen their previous 3 years of building towards being a top 6 club shot down because of finances. The previous manager before me built a very weak squad and overpaid poor players leaving the club worse off than what it was before.

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It was a poor run from myself but the board refused to give me time and before the end of the season I was shipped out without even a talk of the next season. I know 4 wins from 21 isn't good enough but I was hoping they would overlook results because of the situation I was dropped into and the quality of the squad.

I left when the club were bottom and 10 points from safety but it didn't get any better for them as the next manager failed to get any points to shut out the season and they finished 8 points behind 23rd.

There were definitely some positives. I managed to prove that the type of style I am going for can work and players agreed with this as I managed to get players who wanted to leave to sign long term contracts. Despite having the players backing though I had to play the opposite style to what I wanted in order to try and grind out draws and wins as the back 4 wasn't good enough to take the pressure of an attacking style of football.

Guiseley: 06/04/2018-...
With just a two week gap in between jobs I was moved into the Guiseley job quickly where the board wanted me to see out the season and build towards next season. I was supported by the board but they have another financial situation which won't help me be successful.

With half of the players wanting to leave in the summer to move onto bigger things I had 4 games to convince players that staying would be a good move and all but two players agreed to stay who I offered contracts to. With the base of the squad in place I just had to work on tactics and finding a way to be successful in the league next season.

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With just 4 games and a mid-table position already secured it was hard to motivate players to play up to games and a tough fixture list wouldn't help the results to look pretty. The 4 games definitely showed promise though as we played some very good football in the games.

Next season will definitely be a challenge but with the right additions there is no reason I cannot have success and meet all expectations. The back 4 will definitely need some work and the midfield needs some extra depth but the squad should have the basis there to move forward.

Overall
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So with my first season of management over my stats weren't looking great. Just 4 wins from 25 games doesn't read pretty but Guiseley are one of many who understood the situation at Northampton was never going to be successful.

The goals for column worries me most as I failed to get goals at both clubs consistently but I managed to get 4 goals in 4 games for Guiseley, only problem is that 3 of them came from 20 goal scorer Reid who will be departing in the summer. With faces to replace my key areas of work will be turning the pretty football into results and scoring more goals whilst getting a more stubborn back 4 in place.​
 
August 5th 2018
So my first ever pre-season was done and dusted and it was a tough period but also a great one. We lost a couple of key players as they wanted to be paid double what we could offer them but I managed to bring in extra depth. Whilst the starting 11 is a bit weaker I have definitely added some much needed depth.

Transfers Out
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The only two departures which will affect us are those of Rob Atkinson and Bradley Reid. Atkinson was a fantastic central defender at this level and somebody who despite his age was the best player in the squad, defensively he was the most important player in the squad and will definitely be missed.

Reid was our top scorer last season and scored 3 goals in my 4 games. I offered him everything I could to keep him, as I did with Atkinson, but he refused to stay due to the financial situation. He will be missed but I feel I have added the depth to cope with his loss.

Transfers In
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As well as extending the loans of Rance, Charles and Roberts who will all be rotation players for the squad in the most part I have added depth. Harrington and O'Driscoll will be key in the middle of the park. Both just 19 are a fantastic signing for this level at just 19 years old and they will start.

Preston and Bertra will be fighting it out for the gap left by Reid. Preston offers more in terms of current ability but could see Bertra pass him in the season. There is also Tomassen who comes in at right back and will fight it out for the starting role with Roberts who returns on loan.

Will Huffer wasn't necessarily a needed signing but one I couldn't turn down. Looking for a backup keeper I came across him on loan from Leeds and he will start at keeper and hopefully provide the protection we need behind a weakened central defending pairing.

Sears will start at CB and hopefully be able to replace Atkinson. Whilst he is nowhere near as strong as Atkinson he just needs to provide that defensive stubborness I have failed to find in my previous season. Norwood comes in to start on the right hand side and will hopefully be strong enough to provide threat down either flanks with Charles on the other.

Results
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The first 3 friendlies were arranged to try and bring some money into the club. They were all expected to be big losses but we actually played well in all 3 and managed to okay results against the 3 championship sides. Whilst 3-1 losses aren't great, against that quality of opposition I was expecting worse. We saw goals from 3 different players which was impressive as well as Preston, Charles and O'Driscoll all scored.

To end pre-season I wanted games to boost confidence so arranged friendlies against amateur sides Glapwell and Colne. The Glapwell fixture was closer than I would've liked it to have been but Norwood and Bertra provided the goals in the 2-0 win.

The Colne game was a masterclass from the players. Returning striker Johnson got off the mark after just 5 minutes and we were in control from then on. 2 goals were scored in a 5 minute period before half time as McKenna got his first of pre-season and Preston got his second for the club. Finally a second half where we just moved the ball around saw O'Driscoll come off of the bench and impress with his second of the season.​
 
Season 2 Preview
So with the season just a week away I wanted to preview expectations. The board are asking for us to finish in the top half, get to the first round of the FA Cup and they don't deem the Trophy as important.

Media Predictions
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Whilst they have clear front runners in the division the media see us a play-off chasers in the division. At 25-1 we are longshots for the title but are miles ahead of 8th place who are given odds of 40-1 for the title.

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They also predicted for midfielder Harrington and loanee keeper Huffer to be our key players. Harrington I agree with as he can control the middle of the park for us when playing and dictate what happens for us. Huffer however could lose his job to previous starter Will Gott if he doesn't perform. I would say our other key player is Jordan Preston who I expect to get 15+ goals for us this season alongside Johnson.

Tactics
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My tactic for the season is pretty basic. I just want to play a variation of 4-4-2 and keep it simple. The mentality is standard and shape is flexible as it allows me to easily manipulate the tactic in game to whatever I feel is right for the fixture.

In terms of instructions I just want them to press the ball and work the ball into the box. It is also a risky instruction as it could leave us bare at the back but I have also instructed the full backs to push forward on the overlap when we go forward.

I also have a 4-3-1-2 and 4-1-2-3 tactic set up for when I feel we need a mix up. The 4-3-1-2 will look to utilise a midfield 3 and keep the ball using an attacking midfielder to link up the strikers. This tactic could see a bit of use with little depth on the wings to provide cover for fitness. The 4-1-2-3 tactic will be used when I feel we need the extra cover in front of the back 4, dropping a striker for a DM will give us more and we will look to break down the wings on the counter and utilise a target man.

Personal Predictions
Whilst I would like to believe in the media predictions in that we can fight for the play-off's I don't think we have the defensive strength to do so. Going forward we have a lot of strength including 3 strikers who are capable of starting at this level and we also have a group of midfielders who could as well.

At full back I feel we are strong enough but my worries lie at CB where I don't think the pairing of Sears and either Sutton or Rance is strong enough to keep teams out. Whilst Huffer may be able to keep a lot of goals out there is only so much a keeper can do when under pressure.

My prediction is to finish around 10th. We should easily be in the top half with the attacking players we have but I don't think we have the defensive strength to challenge with the "big teams" in the division. In the cups I feel that a FA Cup run is needed for the clubs finances but it will come down to the draw.​
 
August 11th 2018
So the first game of my full season in managing was hear and we had Solihull Moors away. It wouldn't be an easy game against a team who just survived relegation last season as we were still seemingly gelling the squad together, the downfalls of part-time clubs.

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It was a fantastic start as loanee winger Norwood put us 1-0 up. We could've doubled and even tripled our lead in the first 20 minutes but we were unlucky not to with the hosts making some fantastic stops to keep it at 1. They then equalised on the 31st minute, a simple counter attack but a fantastic ball into the box which proved our weakness at centre back as their striker rose above Sutton to nod it home.

We played well overall, a point away from home is never a bad result. The result is a fair one on the balance of play. I'm glad to see the positive signs from the first game and also that after the game I was greeted with some news which will help us.

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It was an obvious area we needed to improve and the 23 year old should come in and start straight away when his fitness levels are up. He has been a consistent starter at Worcester over the last 3 seasons since being released by Brentford.

He will replace Sutton in the middle alongside Sears and should be able to shore up our fairly weak central defensive pairing. With room for improvement there is no reason he can't improve to be at the same levels as Atkinson.​
 
August 18th 2018
So after getting a good away point on the opening day we had two tough fixtures to go through. We started off with Hyde at home who had just won fantastically on the opening day to sit 3rd.

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It was a fantastic win. Harrington controlled the game from the get go and it was only fair that he opened the scoring after finding himself open to head home Tommosens cross. We controlled the rest of the game and put the game to bed when Preston headed home a corner in the 91st minute.

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We then had Stockport away and I didn't fancy my chances at all. They had won their first 2 games and were top of the league after 2. My main worry was their late threat as they have scored 3 goals in the final 5 minutes in their first 2 games.

However we got all 3 points. Stockport controlled the game throughout but we were fantastically defensively. Our only shot of the game came in the 65th minute after Norwood intercepted the ball and played Johnson through on goal who just slotted past fantastically. As we came into the final 5 minutes I did the sensible thing and just told everyone to sit back to see it out and we got a fantastic win to put us 2nd behind Kidderminster after 3 games.​
 
August 25th 2018
Another big game coming up as we host FC United but we have some news in terms of signings coming in before the game. We have added 3 more to the squad as I bring in depth for key positions.

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Dass was the first of the signings, a winger on loan from Accrington I am hoping he can provide strong cover for both sides as we only have Charles and Norwood who can currently play out wide.

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Widdowson was next and the 29 year old we be number two left back behind Myers. Whilst he does have the ability to start Myers has been fantastic and he has been fantastic as captain.

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The final signing of the trio is Mikey Quigley. Signed mainly for his potential he will be able to provide cover for the 3 strikers we currently have in case of injury or fitness concerns.

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So with the news of the signings I was hoping to provide a win to go along with the good news but we imploded. After controlling the game for 60 minutes I had to make subs as the team were running on empty and the players who came on struggled to settle in.

FC United attacked the oncoming players and they struggled to move the ball around quick enough and kept giving the ball away. After going 1-0 through Johnson's 2nd of the season we conceded 2 goals in 10 and we couldn't bring it back level in the final 10 minutes.

However 7 points in 4 games is a tally I would've taken. We sit in 10th after 4 games, where I wanted to be and we have Kidderminster up next who are a point clear at the top of the table. A win there could see us move into the play-off spots again and erase memories of our first loss of the season.​
 
August 28th 2018
So after a disappointing loss to FC United we had table toppers Kiddy in our attempt to bounce back. Having looked at their form I wasn't confident but knew we could pull off an upset as we did against Stockport.

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The first half was just dreadful. The hosts dominated the first half and Taylor opened the scoring with a fantastic finish for the first. Our defence couldn't cope with their strikers and wingers and they added two more before the half.

A change of tactics at half time saw us come into the game more in the second half. We had several chances just after the break but were denied by some fantastic saves. Eventually Johnson got his 3rd of the season and it pushed us to attack. We continued to push forward but after having a goal disallowed in the 72nd minute we lost confidence and Kiddy shut up shop.

Dass came on for the first time today and did fantastically off of the bench creating chance after chance. The winger could start in coming games once fitness is up.

We have now moved down to 12th in the league after a fantastic start but need to bounce back soon to keep the push for the play-off's going. We sit just 3 points off of the top 5 but have a lot of work to do to break into it. The added depth will certainly help.​
 
September 1st 2018
Another chance to bounce back and one where I am confident of doing so. Lincoln have been struggling so far this season and haven't won since their first game of the season. With the team motivated to get back on track I think we should get the win here.

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Easily the best performance of the season by the whole team but credit has to go to Harrington who tore Lincoln apart. Having played a fantastic cross field pass to Preston to set up Johnson for the first he then played a pin point perfect through ball for Norwood to make it 2-0 on the brink of half time. He then looped the ball over the Lincoln back 4 to Preston who finished perfectly from outside the box on the volley.

This was the perfect way to bounce back and showed our strength in midfield. We had 45% possession in the first half but with some tactical tinkering at half time we finished the game with 67% possession. We were beyond fantastic and this gives me confidence going forward of exceeding expectations.

The only negative from the game is that Preston picked up an injury late on and will be out for 2 weeks meaning he could miss up to 3 games including a big game against current table toppers Leamington. Betra will fill in for him in the short term and it will give Quigley his first chance to make an impact should we need him to come off of the bench.​
 
September 8th 2018
The biggest game of my career so far as I get to experience my first derby game as we travel to Bradford Park Avenue. The hosts has been doing okay this season and sit mid-table but haven't lost in 5 and have found their rhythm in front of goal scoring 10 goals in 3 games. I am hopeful of getting a result though after our last game.

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I would like to say that we played poorly to make it seem as if it is our fault but the hosts just rose to the ocassion and came flying out of the gates. Going 1-0 down after 30 seconds set the tone for the first half an hour as we were 5-0 down after 31 minutes.

Betra made a case for starting as he scored a fantastic goal but it wasn't enough to resurrect anything from this game and we just looked to make it less embarrassing. Whilst we played well we just couldn't find form in front of goal and Bradford scored 6 goals from 6 shots as they continue their clinical form.

It's a result that both the board and fans are not happy about at all but I will make sure the team do better in their next run out cause this was embarrassing. We held 60% of possession and had twice as many shots but just failed to perform up to the hosts standards.​
 
September 11th 2018
This game was a must win as we had to bounce back from that awful game that we had against BPA. With 22nd place North Ferriby visiting it should be an easy game to win but with Preston still out I'm not sure how much I trust my partnership of Betra and Johnson.

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We controlled the game from start to finish with the visitors having just 1 shot on target all game. We continue to dominate possession but struggle to find the final ball or finish to turn it into goals. On the balance of play this was a disappointing result.

Betra and Johnson do not work well together, I don't know why but the 2 strikers just don't play well together. I brought Quigley on after an hour and he did fantastically but continuously found himself in offside positions having 3 goals disallowed for offsides.

It is obvious we have some work to do with the strikers but with Preston returning in the next week or so it should inject some life into the strike force. I am not confident of getting the play-off battle that the media predicted us to have but I also believe that we can get the top half finish. The base is there for us to build on and if we can find some form then I don't see any reason we can't meet expectations.

One thing that is frustrating is that I am starting to realise that the qualifications don't make any difference on the pitch. I lack the experience to be able to get players up for it and this seems to be affecting our play. It is alright being able to teach them what they need to know and have the tactical know how but I can't instil the passion into the players that I feel on the touchline...​
 
September 15th 2018
So after two disappointing games on the bounce I needed the team to bounce back but with 2nd place Leamington up next I wasn't confident. They had done fantastically at taking their chances all season with 17 goals in 7 games so far.

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This was not expected at all but this was a perfect performance. Having struggled to take chances in our last two games we made sure to do it today. Leamington had twice the amount of shots as us but failed to hit the target once whilst we hit the target with all 8 of our shots.

The entire team played fantastically with just one player receiving a rating lower than 8. Charles opened the scoring after Norwood played the ball across field to him. We then defended fantastically and waited for the openings to hit the hosts hard and it paid of in the 75th minute when we had 3 on 2 and they had to concede a penalty which McKenna converted.

Then Johnson continued to prove he was better than Reid, who departed in the summer, by getting his 5th and 6th of the season with fantastic finishes. Reid still looking for a club didn't score anything like these goals in his 4 game spell under me last season.

I am starting to wonder why we can do this against the better teams but when it comes to playing teams who are struggling we fail to hurt them in front of goal. It is something I will have to look into but at the moment after this performance I am not too concerned as long as we can find consistency.​
 
September 22nd 2018
So after a fantastic performance against automatic promotion chasers Leamington we have to face midtable Colwyn on a day that the directors have set as a fan day. The board want a win as it might improve attendances long term and allow us to get out of this financial rut we have been in for a while.

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Guiseley: 12 shots, 11 on target, 0 goals...
Colwyn Bay: 2 shots, 2 on target, 2 goals...

How we didn't score today I don't know. 68% possession, 6x the amount of shots and 11 on target yet Preston, Quigley and Johnson couldn't put us ahead. The goal on the brink of half time made the half time team talk hard as we had dominated the match but despite our best efforts we couldn't equalise and eventually the visitors hit us on the break to double their advantage.

The board pulled me aside for a word after to say how results like this are annoying as they saw this as an opportunity to attract fans. My primary worry isn't about attracting fans it is about success so I know it is annoying!

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So after 10 games we sit in 13th place. The good thing is that the league is very, very tight. We sit just 3 points off of the play-off's (and just 6 off of leaders Kidderminster) but we also sit 4 points from relegation.

The frustrating thing is that we can't find consistence in our game. After starting off with 7 points in our first 3 games we have just 7 in our last 7 games. In that run we have only gone unbeaten for back to back games once; when we drew with bottom of the table Ferriby and beat Leamington.

Our troubles seem to be in the form of scoring consistently. 10 of our 14 goals have come in our 4 wins leaving us to find the net in just 4 other games. If we can get our strikers hitting the back of the net more regularly then there is no reason we can't challenge for the play-off spots but at the moment it looks like we will have to deal with a mid-table season.​
 
September 25th 2018
After the disappointing result last time out it was time to bounce back, again. The only positive of inconsistency is you know that when you lose you our bound to get a point next time round. AFC Telford visit next and it is a mid-table clash so I expect a point.

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The first 80 minutes were the single most boring 80 minutes of a football match ever. Both teams cancelled eachother out perfectly but as players tired it all opened up in the final 10 minutes.

Telford took the lead by hitting us on the break, a tired defence couldn't recover as we were attacking to try get the winner. When they scored I wasn't expecting to bring it back but through everything forward to try and do so. Johnson was played through perfectly by Norwood who continues to impress on loan before a more or less identical move saw Johnson's shot deflected in to get the winner in the last seconds.

For the first 80 minutes nothing but a 0-0 would've been fair. Neither team did anything to cause trouble and there were only 2 shots, 1 a piece, in the first 80 minutes. However in the final 10 minutes Telford converted their only shot whilst we converted 2 of our 7 shots on target so I would say we deserved the win based on the final 10 minutes of the game.​
 
September 29th 2018
A break from the league as we have the 2nd round of the FA Cup qualifiers which will give us a chance to get back to back wins. With the inconsistent nature of our season so far we have a realistic chance of stringing results together now as we host amateur side Skelmersdale.

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After a rough first 20 minutes we settled into the tie. A rotated side seemed to take a while to gel as the visitors controlled the tie to start with before Quigley broke free to score his first for the club. Just 4 minutes later Johnson continued his fine scoring form to make it 2-0 and give us control of the tie.

Skelmersdale took control of the game again as we came back out for the second half. The visitors unsettled the back 4 and took advantage of a free kick to pull one back but once again we settled into the game and Dass made it 3-1 before we controlled possession and the game.

This game summed up our season so far as we couldn't take control of the game throughout and find the consistency in the tie but we managed to do what we needed to get the result on the day and the rotated side did well to get us through to the next round.​
 
October 6th 2018
So after getting the first back to back wins since the opening fixtures we were looking to build on it with a game against strugglers Nuneaton. Whilst I would be confident I know that we struggle to string results together, some call me pessimistic but I'm just being realistic.

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The first half was shocking and cost us the game in the end. After starting off brightly and getting a goal disallowed in the opening minutes the lads looked deflated and Nuneaton took advantage. This is the problem with having a young side; with just 1 starting player above 25 years old, when we go behind we struggle to get back into a game mentally.

The second half was much better after I made a few tactical adjustments and motivated them to go out there and fight. It looked like the comeback was on after Preston opened the scoring 4 minutes into the half but Nuneaton just sat back and we were unlucky not to have got the second goal.

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There was also some bad news post game as we were told Preston would be out for 6-7 months with an ACL injury. The young striker has been key to any success we've had so far and filling his spot in the 11 won't be easy but with Johnson leading the line as our top scorer I am hoping Betra or Quigley can step in to help up top.​
 
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October 9th 2018
Boston were up next and they have been in fantastic form. 6 wins on the trot in the league sees them in 2nd place as we head into the game and they will be looking to make it 7th to keep the pressure on Leamington at the top.

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The first 20 minutes really showed the visitors quality and why they sat in 2nd place. They controlled the game as a home team should and the quality in their squad is ridiculous. In the first 20 minutes they should've been 3-0 up but we stuck firm and managed to keep it to 1-0.

After the half hour mark though they made a stupid mistake which would cost them the 3 points. Betra was looking abandoned in the box and with nowhere to turn or pass to he just stood helplessly but a Boston defender came in from behind to give away a stupid penalty which Betra would convert.

Dion Charles picked up an injury just before the half which will see him out for 2 weeks but it was my tactical decisions in the second half which had many scratching their heads. Rather than refreshing the team by making subs I left things as they were and it worked as we clung on to a point against a top side.​
 
October 13th 2018
So with a break from the league we look to push forward to our goal of the FA Cup first round. We travel to Northern Premier side Sutton Coldfield with the aim of getting the win in the third round of qualifying.

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An absolutely awful performance. Despite me doing everything I could to make sure they were motivated for this game they just didn't seem to care. The hosts however were keen to force an upset and they started off perfectly having 2 goals in 22 minutes. Johnson was somehow not called offside when he snook to the back post to get a goal back but the hosts from then on dominated.

We had 1 shot on target all game compared to their 14 and no matter what changes I made or what team talks I gave the team didn't listen and it cost us the game. Johnson was the only player who did okay but he was left with no supply so was feeding on scraps.​
 
October 20th 2018
With the board starting to get restless with the inconsistent form I needed to win this game. Whilst we sat mid-table the expected more and I wasn't meeting the expectations. We had to go to mid-table Barrow who had also been inconsistent all season so it would be a game up for grabs.

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With Betra joining Charles and Preston on the injury list we had only 2 strikers and 2 wingers fit in the entire squad. This showed as we struggled to create anything in the first half and Barrow took their only chance from a corner to take the lead into half time.

I had to make adjustments at half time and I managed to get the team fired up to come back. 3 substitutions and a tactical change later and we were dominating play. Barrow didn't have a single shot in the second half and we managed to get the equaliser through Johnson's 10th goal of the season whilst they sat back and watched us.

I would've been okay with a draw, we dominated the half but with the attacking injuries we have I had no reason to demand a win from the team but when Quigley got just his 2nd goal for the club late on I wasn't complaining. We got all 3 points and moved up to 9th in the table and the board seemed happy.​
 
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