November 23rd 2018
It's been a busy 3 weeks in terms of the having a lot to do. With only 3 games in the last few weeks we have had a lot of time to work on weaknesses in training and build towards a play-off push.

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Worcester were up first and despite them being mid-table youngster Long was the leagues top scorer. We had taken the lead early on but we couldn't hold on to it as well had to make 3 changes before the half cause of injuries. The pile up before the half left us chasing the game after the break and 2 more injuries saw us end with 9 men and 0 points.

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With Chorley struggling I would expect a win normally but with 8 injuries and only defenders on the bench I was pessimistic. We played superbly but when we started to tire lost our threat going forward and eventually Chorley through everything forward to rescue a point for themselves.

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With only 6 injuries for this game we had more choice but still only 1 player who wasn't a defender on the bench in midfielder McKenna. Eventually it was McKenna who came on to tee up Johnson who continues to prove critics wrong with his 11th goal of the season.

The only positive from the injury crisis is that I was given a chance to see other players in action. Tommassen had slipped in form prior to injury which allowed Roberts to come in and claim his place at right back whilst other players proved they deserve to be more than paid fans with their performances.

I was especially impressed with Quigley who continues to fight against Betra for the number 2 striker spot in Preston's absence. Betra picked up an injury of his own in the first of this trio of games which will see him out for 1 month but Quigley stepped in and scored in his start against Chorley before putting a solid shift in against Curzon.
 
December 8th 2018
We have a 2 week break to look forward to before a busy period of 4 games in 10 days over the Christmas period. It was a tough period as injuries continued to mess with the squad and mess with what I had to choose from but we continued to do well enough.

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Play-off chasing Stalybridge were up first and I wanted to start this 3 game period off well. I had decided that looking at the season in terms of 3 games at a time was a good method; 5 points every 3 games was my target. This was a good start. Stalybridge controlled the first 45 and finally got their goal early into the second half but Johnson scored to add to his impressive tally.

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A cup game was up next and as we looked to qualify for the non-important FA Trophy. Cambridge City were looking to cause an upset and they did. We went down early and struggled to claw our way back into the game. Johnson made it 3 games in a row for goals and he managed to get us back in the game but a couple of injuries after subs left us fighting against the odds when the hosts got the winner.

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We look to extend our 3 game unbeaten run in the league to 4 as we host strugglers Kettering. Johnson continues his fantastic form making it 4 games on the bounce with a goal as he scored his 14th goal of the season in the 20th minute. The win moves us up to 7th and gives us a genuine chance of breaking into the play-off's over the Christmas period.
 
December 31st 2018
New years eve and we have just gone through a very busy Christmas period and quite frankly a disappointing one. We could've moved into the top 5 but instead fitness and injury concerns combined with contract talks lead to a distracted 4 game run.

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We were unlucky in this game. Darlington's first 2 goals both took big deflections and their 3rd was just after we hit the post twice in a minute. The hosts know they were lucky but on the balance of play a point would've been fair.

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Another unlucky result for us. We went into the game with little hope against 2nd place Fylde, especially with Charles being inelligble against his parent club. Johnson continued his scoring streak before Betra got his 2nd in 2 games and we were unlucky not to win in the end.

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I have no idea what happened in this collapse but I feel it was down to fitness. We were always a step behind the visitors and they won every second ball. Going into the game I expected a win but we really struggled to get a foot in the game and ended up being poor throughout.

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Hyde were hosting us next and with everyone tired plus 3 early injuries we couldn't get into the game. The hosts took advantage as top scorer Johnson was shifted out wide for Norwood who went off injured whilst other wingers were already out injured. They took advantage of a tired 11 in the second half to get the 3 points.

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So after being on the brink of the play-off positions we now sit in 13th after just 1 point in 4 games. We need to pick up after new year but I have managed to get some worries out of the way by getting half of the squad and backroom staff to agree to new contracts.
 
January 1st 2019
So on the first day of the year I was already greeted with bad news from the board.

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They were lowering the wage budget by over £1000 per week. This was awful for my position as the only way I would be able to meet this budget would be to have a squad of 11 players. The board are being unrealistic here but the worst thing about it is they are instantly judging me on being over this budget!

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I know that I am struggling to find consistency in results but I am very insecure because of the finances of the club. Even if I wanted to help there is no way I could save the clubs finances other than getting them into the football league but with this kind of support from the board there is no chance of that ever happening.

I am really beginning to question my role here. I seem to be more of the "cheaper option" rather than someone they would actually like to back and it is showing in this news. The only thing holding me back from resigning is that I would be without a job and that isn't plausible after going through all of this.

I want to make people proud and give the fans and players something to be happy about at this club but with the board being so unwilling to support me, even in this financial situation, I am really struggling to bring success to Guiseley. If I were to get another job it would most likely be in the same level but further down the tables.
 
January 6th 2019
First game of the new year and we had a chance to bounce back from the tough Christmas period and get back into the play-off chase. I think a result is achievable today as we host Stockport who we beat earlier in the season.

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Absolutely AWFUL.

To be fair to the team only one thing let us down and that was defending set pieces as all 6 of the visitors goals came from corners. Other than corners we played well but Stockport knew how to beat us and it was possibly down to the information given by former CB Atkinson who joined just days before.

It was an awful way to start the new year but I have a feeling it was down to the news around the club of financial struggles. The morale was awful and it showed in this game so I spoke to the squad afterwards and they confirmed my suspicions and I did all I could to make them sure that I was trying to improve it.

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However the board weren't happy at all. I argued that their anger at me was partially down to their financial struggles which I had no way of helping other than releasing every player. They told me I had a month to right the wrongs so far which I think is unfair which triggered me to go and apply for 5 jobs elsewhere.

I couldn't stay at another club like this. Northampton gave me no support and despite what I thought early on neither are the Guiseley board. I want to be somewhere where I know the board are backing me for success.
 
January 20th 2019
So as I look to master a move away from the club the perfect opportunity arises as RC Strasbourg inform me that they are willing to interview me and make me favourite for the job should I be able to convince the Guiseley board to lower their compensation demands.

However when I went to talk to the board they refused. They see me as a part of this clubs future apparently despite giving me only 1 month to turn things around. This was just unreasonable and when I asked for improvements and a new contract they refused.

The only thing stopping me resigning is that Strasbourg haven't said I will be made manager, it is just a possibility and I can't hang my managerial career on a maybe. If I resign now it could put clubs off of hiring me together with my record.

 
January 27th 2019
So with my job hanging in the balance both with the board and personally I had to find some form in order to convince the board to back me and convince myself to stay.

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Things started fantastically. We only won this game because of Betra and Johnson who were fantastic alongside eachother. Johnson set up both of Betra's goals and Betra set up Johnson. We played well and were only hurt once on the counter by United. This could have been a turning point.

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This was a fantastic match for those watching as both teams were equal but Kiddy just pulled off the victory. The former league leaders had slipped over Christmas and now sat just outside the play-off's. We played fantastically but in the end we just couldn't hold on against a physical team.

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We had two players on the pitch who looked like they cared and somehow kept us in the game for as long as we were. Former striker Bradley Reid came back to haunt us as the in form Lincoln tore our back 4 to shreds. We needed a good performance today and whilst our strikers continue to impress our back 4 have been awful.
 
February 2nd 2019
Absolutely massive game today as we host biggest rivals Bradford Park Avenue. A win could save my job and get the board backing me again whilst a loss could see the end of my reign at Guiseley.

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The visitors started off fantastically as they were 2-0 up within 6 minutes. We were poor defensively again but once again our strikers bailed us out. Having gone 4-1 down we eventually pulled it back to 4-3 and were very unlucky not to have got a point in the end with Johnson crashing a shot against the post before Quigley was only a keepers finger tips away from getting the equaliser.

After the game I still hadn't heard from the board about my future but with the future still unsure I continued to look elsewhere for employment. I can't deal with the instability of the finances and board here as it was making it really tough to settle in and do my job well.

With 14 games left to play we had sunk down to 18th somehow and sat just 3 points off of the play-off's. More distressing though was that bottom of the league North Ferriby were the only team to have conceded more goals than we have. The only way I am surviving at Guiseley is if I can fix our defensive woes.
 
February 4th 2019
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So without even a warning or word from the board I was told I was sacked as I entered the training ground by my assistant manager. He said that the board didn't want to meet me which I found dreadful after all I had done the best with a bad situation.

However it wasn't all bad as just an hour after being sacked and the news being spread by the media I had a job offer.
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They were a club in the same division as Guiseley but doing better and they were willing to give me a chance to explain the wrongs that have happened at both Guiseley and Northampton. In a better financial position I assured them that I would be able to keep their finances in a good condition.

The interview went quite well but I was worried about my success so far, after all I had expected to be starting my career in the Championship or higher so to have gone from league 2 to the Conference North in my first 2 years of management I was worrying about how big a task this actually was.

 
February 6th 2019
With two days having passed since I was sacked by Guiseley and offered the Solihull job I was very surprised to wake up to the email I did.

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Conference side York had offered me an interview. They had been a good league 2 club but financial struggles saw them drop down and they currently sit bottom of the conference. 19 points from safety it would be near impossible to keep them up but it would be a long term build with them in order to have the success.

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More importantly is they wanted me to say I'd stay for a while, something I have wanted to do in my previous two roles. York have had 10 different managers in charge since I started this journey 3 and a half years ago and with none of them lasting longer than a year the club had failed to find the stability to turn around the fall down the leagues.

This would be a great job to take on. They are still a good club but just haven't had luck with managers to keep them going forward I feel I could help them in that respect.
 
June 13th 2019
Happy birthday to me! I decided in the end not to rush into a job. After being offered multiple North/South jobs I opted to refuse them to wait till the summer so I could really build with a club. And that paid off...

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Accrington Stanley offered me a 2 year deal which would pay me £500 p/w, my highest salary so far. They were a club struggling to stay in the football league and had been relegated again to the conference for the second time in 3 years.

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This table didn't include the current season but you get the jist of things. They were really struggling to stay in one division and were relegated again. They put up a hard fight for survival after sacking their previous manager but couldn't stay up in the end.

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Falling 6 points short of survival they had the best form heading into the close of the season unbeaten in 5 with 4 wins in their last 5 but Bristol managed to pick up enough points to get the safety all teams in the league 2 relegation battles pray for.

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It was the players who wanted to leave though that couldn't help to get survival. They seemed uninterested going into the final games and it ultimately cost the club. They are struggling financially so I may struggle to keep a few of these players in the team but I am confident of replacing them if I do lose players.

There will also be a couple of familiar faces in Dass and Roberts who I had on loan at Guiseley. I doubt they will be good enough to start for Accy but they will definitely have a chance to break into the team under me.

This is my first real chance to fight for success and this is my chance to prove myself.
 
Managerial Improvements
Last time round I looked at this was prior to my first job at Northampton but I definitely feel I have improved. I once was a novice but I am gaining experience and using my qualifications to the better now and that shows in my improvements.

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Improvements have been made in several areas over the previous few years. In coaching I have improved in attacking, defensive, goalkeeping and mental attributes whilst mentally I feel I have improved in a number of areas which will help moving forward.

These improvements have made my poor record seem less important to employers including Accy who have seen how I have improved as a young manager. At just 24 years old I know I have a lot of work to do in order to improve and move forward in my career and this is the first step as I need to improve the record I have got so far.

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56 games into my career I have won 14, drawn 11 and lost 31 games. With just a 25% win percentage I know I have room to improve and most of that will come down to defensive improvements. I have struggled to stop teams scoring in my previous roles and that will be my main focus here at Accy.
 
Pre-season
So with a squad to build and a first chance to look at my squad I got under way with a busy pre-season schedule. We needed to build fitness up a lot so I arranged 7 games for the lads to go through.

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We started off with a money maker game which would give us over £30k in profit by hosting Liverpool. We needed to sort finances over the next couple of seasons as the last manager had somehow ended up £8000p/w over the wage budget which had destroyed the club in their return to the football league.

The Liverpool game was a write off as a loss but we didn't play too badly as we managed to stay in the game for 80 minutes before they took advantage of our tired squad scoring 3 in the final 10 minutes. Padiham then visited for a confidence booster and we did as expected and tore them to shreds in a 6-0 win.

After that came our only other loss of the pre-season against conference north side Stockport who I had underestimated and they managed to take a 2-0 lead but we were unlucky not to get a draw. This was then backed up by back to back wins against Fylde and Lancaster in games we controlled and deserved more goals.

We then had Dutch visitors in Eredivise side GA Eagles who I expected to lose to but we took a 2-0 lead and only lost it late on when we were tired. The final game of pre-season was another confidence booster as I looked to get the team into the right morale levels for the season ending with another win and going into the season on a 4 game unbeaten streak.
 
Summer Transfers
With the previous manager managing to destroy the club by spending over £8k a week too much on wages I had to turn the deficit around whilst adding to the squad. I wasn't too sure whether I would be able to build a squad capable of bouncing straight back due to the club being unwilling to spend more than £100p/w on a players contract but I had to try.

Transfers Out

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Most of these players were ones that I didn't feel we needed to keep. Gornell, Shaw, Evans, Smith, Ogle, Charles, Dredge, Lancaster and Chapman were all players I was happy to release. Winnard, Kee, Dass, Conneely all refused to sign new contracts as they all wanted to be paid close to £2000 a week which just wasn't feasible.

McCarthy and Steenson are both players I really wanted to keep but I had to make the decision to sell both. McCarthy would've started at CB but was being paid £2500 a week which just wasn't feasible in the situation so I sold him for £10k to Leyton Orient.

Steenson would've been our starting left winger but he wasn't worth the £1500 a week he was being paid so I offloaded him. I could've got a fee for the player but with the board quick to judge me on the financial situation I had to get rid of him quickly.

Transfers In

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Due to the financial constraints I could only bring in loan players after offloading 16 players but I feel the players brought in on loan will all help in squad depth and help us bounce back. Another positive is that I am not paying any wages for these 6 players who could all potentially fight for a starting spot.

Garner is going to be fighting out for the number 1 spot in goal but will likely be backup all season. Rawlins has a chance to earn the starting spot up front ahead of Ameobi. Davies isn't starting quality but will provide cover on either side as a full back so it is good to have him as depth and a rotation option.

Warren Clarke is arguably a fantastic capture as my scouts believe he could be a key player in league 2. Whether he plays to that ability on the left wing will show with time but I am glad to have got him. Buckley will likely start at CB but was originally signed as cover but proved to be stronger than we thought in pre-season. The final signing was Husin who will just be a rotation option in the middle of the park.

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The good news about all this is that I have managed to go from £8k over wage budget to having almost £500 spare in the budget in just the space of a month. The board have recognised this and praised me on it but the question of whether we will be able to cope with the mass losses will determine whether I am a success here or not.
 
Squad Evaluation
So with pre-season and the transfers all sorted I had a chance to evaluate the squad from top to bottom and see what I have to work with.

Goalkeepers

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Despite having a lower current ability 20 year old Jack Little will keep the starting job. He was one of the better players in their relegation season and stuck around despite being chased by bigger clubs to help us bounce back. Garner will be a strong backup and if Little struggles he will pounce on the starting spot.

Defenders
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For the first time I have strong defence across the line. Thompson will have the starting job at right back and should keep it whilst Buckley will start at CB alongside either Pearson or Goulding. Left back will be Guthries position to lose but with him being out for a month Headley will have a chance to win the position and make it his own.

In terms of backup we have Pearson who can play anywhere across the back 4, Davies who can play at either full back position and Sykes who could become a starter. Quansah will be used more in the DM position when needed and will have to prove he deserves to be in the squad.

Midifielders
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We will tend to play with 2 in midfield and 2 wingers with a 5th midfielder of either a CDM or CAM. Moran could start at DM but will definitely be a starter at CM from day 1 alongside Matthews. Mingoia will be our key player after I somehow convinced him to stay for another season and will play opposite loanee Clarke who will play on the left wing.

McCartan will be the CAM when we play with one but will also be 3rd choice striker when needed as he is a versatile player and could be key. Charsley will most likely have impact at CAM as a backup as he will be behind Husin and Webb for the CM backup spots.

Curran is a player I will spend a lot of time looking at. The 16 year old looked to be a fantastic prospect but coming off of a long term injury he seems to have lost potential. He will provide cover on the left wing and could win the starting spot but the question is whether he can fill his potential.

Strikers

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After somehow convincing Ameobi to stay another year I am wondering whether we need the striker after he failed to keep his starting spot through pre-season. The 30 year old will be chasing loanee Rawlins in the depth chart who tore defences apart in pre-season. Both are similar types of players so it will be a constant battle which could be interesting to watch all season.
 
Expectations
Despite a complete squad rebuild I have high expectations going into the season and it is no less than I expected.

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The board still think we are a league 2 side and have expectations that the season should be a breeze. It's fair enough after the fight back towards the end of last season and I am hoping I can meet expectations.

Reaching the play-off's in the league is something I wanted anyway. They don't expect automatic promotion and neither do the media as everybody expects also relegated Newport to walk the league from day 1.

The FA Cup is the one that shocked me as I expected to just have to qualify but nope, they expect me to not only qualify but also get through the first round of the magical competition.

Again the FA Trophy shocked me a bit as well as they expect nothing but a Wembley appearance from me. It should be achievable but cup runs are never easy and all it takes is one tough draw to have hopes smashed in the competition.

Overall I can't complain, I knew it would be a tough job with big expectations coming into the season as I was inheriting a team with quality who have just been poorly manager. I want to succeed here and I honestly feel I have the squad to do.

This will be the season which determines whether I made the mistake of going on this journey. This could make or break my managerial career and determine whether the 2 years of learning and spending were worth it. Success is expected and that's what I expect of myself.
 
August 24th 2019
We have had a busy start to the season. With 3 games played so far we have had a mixed start but we haven't done poorly at all.

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Gateshead are expected to challenge for the play-off's this season and I didn't know what to expect from my first game. We went up early from an own goal which was a desperation attempt to clear the ball with Rawlins waiting at the back post. They got an equaliser and we failed to convert chances in a very even game. Little saved us a point late on with a fantastic save.

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Boston didn't have high expectations for the league this season but they started off strong with an opening day 3-0 win. I went for a counter attacking formation and we dominated the game but failed to hit the back of the net with one of our 14 shots on target. Little impressed again at the other end.

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Chester had a mixed start but we controlled this game from the get go. I opted to go for our attacking tactic from the get go and we tore the visitors apart. 2 goals inside of 2 minutes gave us all 3 points and my first win in the league. McCartan was fantastic behind the striker whilst Matthews masterminded every single move.

After the opening trio of games we sit in 9th place which isn't too bad as we are just 1 point off of the play-off's and 4 points off of table toppers FC United who have shocked many with 3 wins. Title favourites Newport have 7 points from 9 after they failed to beat Harrogate but at this point the league is wide open still.
 
August 31st 2019
With 3 more games past we continue to struggle to find form heading into the thick of the season. We aren't playing badly but we fail to hit the back of the net on a regular basis.

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Our most convincing performance of the season as we tore apart Southport for 90 minutes. We struggled to threaten in front of goal in the first half as I switched to 6 in midfield and no strikers with a lack of form from Rawlins and Ameobi. Rawlins set up the first though and scored the winner.

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From our best to our worst. We couldn't get into this game at all and no matter what changes I made tactically Harrogate were just the better team. We didn't create enough chances whilst the visitors took all 3 of theirs.

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We really deserved a win in this game but we struggled for the last 5 minutes because of fitness and injuries. Matthews went off injured which saw Webb introduced before Rawlins was injured late on and had to be taken off. Our high pressing style of play seems to be tiring the team a lot and it shows late on in games.

So the bad news from these 3 fixtures isn't just the 6 week injury to Matthews who has been instrumental so far to our season but we also sit in a disappointing 11th. Still just 2 points off of the play-off's though all we need is one good run and we can break into the top 5.

We haven't been playing badly but we have struggled to get goals. We really need to find form and Rawlins seems to be the man but he has scored both his goals off of the bench. We went strikerless for the two away games and after bringing him on he scored in both games.
 
September 14th 2019
3 more big games were coming up which could define the season as it could see us slip away from the top 5 or possibly break into them.

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It was a massive game as we could see pressure build with anything but a win. After down early we responded fantastically getting 3 goals in 19 minutes of play before and after the half. Tamworth pulled one back but we looked comfortable with the lead once we got to the 3 goal mark.

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After moving up to 6th a win today could see us rise into the play-off's and we won in style. Controlling the game from the get go we were always the better team. McCartan was fantastic up front scoring a hat-trick in the end but it was the middle 3 playing behind wingers and McCartan who won the game by controlling play and stopping any Bromley attacks from getting through.

Our best performance since my takeover as Bromley didn't have a shot on target and we could've scored 2/3 more.

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We make it 9 goals in 3 games whilst McCartan makes it 5 in 2 since his move up front. Once again we controlled the game and never looked like losing. Forest Green pulled one back and started to show some threat before the half but a half time team talk made the team concentrate and hold on to the win.

So a fantastic 3 game period as we get 9 points from 9 and move up to 3rd. McCartan has been unreal but it's definitely been a team effort through these fixtures. We also acquired Cy Goddard, a new free signing after the sale of Ameobi, has come in to backup a midfield 3 and made his debut against Forest Green.
 
September 28th 2019
Another big 3 games as we look to break into the top spot. We have table toppers Ebbsfleet coming up as well as two tough games against sides who are looking for wins to help them move forward.

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3 years in a row Crawley have finished in the top 5 but this season they find themselves sat in 18th after a tough start. The former football league side needed a win but we controlled the game from the get go once again and it was once again McCartan who won us the game with a fantastic headed goal.

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4 points clear of anyone at the top of the table and just 1 loss so far in 10 games gave me little confidence of a win today. However we stuck to our gameplan and moved the ball around fantastically. For the first time in 3 games McCartan didn't score but he did set up Husin with a fantastic pass to give the loanee midfielder his 3rd goal of the season.

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The only team to match our form with 5 wins in a row and they have been in fantastic form. It was always going to be a tight game but after just a 3 day break our fitness let us down and the hosts who had a week to prepare hit home in the 67th minute to stop our winning streak.

6 points from a possible 9 is still a fantastic going and after beating Ebbsfleet they lost again whilst Tranmere won to go top. We sit just 3 points off of the top of the table and I think we can challenge for it in our next few games.
 
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