The Pentagon - An Intercontinental Adventure

January 2011

Tuks 4-3 FCAK
Mokopandu (39)
Gwekwerere (41, 70)
Another slip-up, but in the end we were probably unlucky to lose. We were 3-0 down after 27 minutes for the second time this season, but managed to pull two goals back before half time. Tuks then extended their lead in the second half, but Gwekwerere’s second of the game made it 4-3 with twenty minutes to play. From there I thought we would do it, but we just couldn’t find an equaliser.

Not only did we lose the match, but we also lost winger Steve Lekoelea to injury. And having already lost Ntsume to injury, we were left with nobody to play on the left. He will be out for a couple of months, but fortunately after our next game we have a few weeks off for both of them to recover. I did, however, manage to bring in Richardo Choruma on a trial.


FCAK 3-0 Batau FC
O.G. (21)
Gwekwerere (83)
Mabuya (85)
It was 1-0 for a long time, but in the end it turned into a comfortable win over the bottom side. We had to get back to winning ways, and hopefully we will go on another good unbeaten run now.

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After the Batau game, we didn’t have another match until February, so I arranged a few friendlies. We managed some good results, including a draw with Premier League outfit Free State Stars.

February 2011

SAFA Cup 1st Round
FCAK 3-0 Tuks
Gwekwerere (7)
O.G. (39)
O.G. (75)
A great win in the cup, helped in no small part by two own goals which killed the game off. We have been drawn to play lower league side WP United, who we recently beat 5-2 in a friendly, in the next round. So confidence is high.

FCAK 3-1 Black Leopards
Chalwe (25, 72)
Bunjira (33)
A good solid victory over Black Leopards, with centre-back Chalwe opening the scoring. Bunjira put us two up before they pulled one back. But Chalwe’s second of the game gave us a deserved three points.

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Jomo Cosmos 0-1 FCAK
Ntsume (5)
Ntsume returned to give us a priceless win against one of the best sides in the league. It is made all the more sweeter after Dynamos lost today as well. Jomo Cosmos probably deserved a point, having 15 shots, but we defended well and I’m not going to complain.


After a slipup against Tuks, we went on to play much better and re-establish our one-handed grasp on the league title. I am also confident of progressing in the SAFA Cup, with WP United in the next round giving us a great chances of progressing to the last 16.

Player of the month: Sashi Chalwe


It had to be the centre-back. Not only did he score a brace against Black Leopards, but he has been man of the match in all three games this month. He is a rock at the back, no wonder the likes of Slavia Prague and Porto are sniffing around him. I’ll have to try and tie him down to a longer term contract.
 
March 2011

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Witbank Spurs 0-6 FCAK
Mokopandu (11, 58)
Chalwe (29, 74)
O.G. (42)
Hassim (85)

A convincing win, with centre-back Chalwe scoring another two goals. Striker Hassim also came off the bench to round off the route. It was a fantastic performance, but perhaps gave the players too much confidence ahead of a cup match against a lower league team.

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SAFA Cup 2nd Round
WP United 0-6 FCAK
Ntsume (35)
Mbambo (37, 82)
Matuka (58, 68)
Hassim (60)
Any worries about complacency were clearly misplaced, as we record consecutive 6-0 wins. I made a few changes to the side, but the players who came in were brilliant, setting up a last 16 tie with Ajax Cape Town.

FCAK 2-5 Dynamos
Bunjira (29)
Gwekwerere (42)
A disappointing defeat to our title challengers, and they probably deserved the three points, but the score line didn’t reflect the match. It was 2-2 going into the last 15 minutes, but they regained the lead. And then as we committed more players forward, they hit us on the counter, and Zain Brown scored two own goals to end any hopes of a comeback.

United FC 1-3 FCAK
Gwekwerere (15)
Hassim (81)
Kapowezha (89)
A solid win, although it was 1-1 for quite a while. But Hassim came on again to score for the third consecutive match. And then centre-back Kapowezha made sure of the win from a corner. United FC were coming in off the back of a four match winning streak, one of which came against Dynamos, so this was an impressive win.

SAFA Cup 3rd Round
FCAK 0-3 Ajax CT
A pretty poor performance puts an end to our cup run. Although Ajax are a mid-table Premier League side, so it was always going to be tough. It was 3-0 at half time, with one of the goals coming from Zain Brown’s third own goal of the month.

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A mixed month, which started extraordinarily. The Dynamos match was a disappointment, but we picked ourselves up. It was also disappointing being knocked out of the cup, but now we can just concentrate on getting promoted. We have six matches left, and the last of those is against Dynamos. So our aim is to have it wrapped up by then.

Player of the Month – Thabang Matuka


It was close, as a lot of players have put in good performance, but nobody was consistently excellent over the month. But Matuka, on loan from Bidvest Wits, was solid in every match, and got two goals to his name.
 
I thought your last story was incredible and this one seems to be starting off exactly the same... Your two stories have been in my opinion the best read/layout/ideas. Well done and look forward to seeing how you do over the next few seasons!
 
Brill udate have a look at mine when you get chance mate cheers
 
Well, so you're gonna win all five continental competitions? Good luck and I'll be following. I hope you have the same success as you did with the FM10 one.
 
I thought your last story was incredible and this one seems to be starting off exactly the same... Your two stories have been in my opinion the best read/layout/ideas. Well done and look forward to seeing how you do over the next few seasons!

Thanks, I appreciate it.

Brill udate have a look at mine when you get chance mate cheers

Cheers, and I have been following yours, and it's looking good. And it's interesting seeing somebody else in the same division.

Well, so you're gonna win all five continental competitions? Good luck and I'll be following. I hope you have the same success as you did with the FM10 one.

Thanks for following, and I'll try. I've only ever seen one person do it, mind.

There will be an update soon as well.
 
April 2011

Black Leopards 1-2 FCAK
Ntsume ( 6 )
Matuka (15)
Ntsume has been brilliant this season, and he opened the scoring early on. Matuka then made it 2-0 with a brilliant long range driven shot, before Black Leopards immediately pulled one back. But we held on for the three points, meaning one more win will win us the league title.

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FCAK 0-1 Jomo Cosmos
A poor performance as we miss the chance to seal the title. But Jomo Cosmos are one of the best teams in the league, and with a relatively easy run-in, I’m not too worried about the result.

FCAK 2-1 Tuks
Ntsume (33, 66)
A great win that wins us the league title! And Ntsume scored another brace from the left wing, prompting me to tie him down to a contract extension. To win the league with three games left to play is a great achievement. Now we just need to win the play-off and get promoted.

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Batau FC 2-3 FCAK
Morfou (7, 27)
Mokopandu (37)
A closer game than I would have liked against a poor side, but with the league already won I did give some fringe players a chance. I gave a full debut to academy product Morfou, and he re-paid that faith with two great goals. I am very excited about this lad.

FCAK 4-0 Witbank Spurs
Gwekwerere (1, 40, 49)
Mokopandu (55)
After what has been a drought by his standards, Gwekwerere was back at his best, netting an early hat-trick. Winger Mokopandu then scored for the second match running to round off a comfortable victory.

Dynamos 0-3 FCAK
Chalwe (7)
Mokopandu (10)
Morfou (76)
In our last league match of the season, we put the cherry on the icing on the cake with a thrashing at the home of the team we have developed quite a rivalry with over the course of the season. Chalwe scored yet another goal, Mokopandu made it three in three, and then Morfou came off the bench to finish off the scoring. However, the league's top scorer Evans Gwekwerere picked up an injury in the second minute which will keep him out of both play-off matches.

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So another great month which has seen us win the First Division Inland. But to win promotion we must first overcome a two-legged tie against the First Division Coastal winners Thanda Royal Zulu. They finished 17 points clear at the top, with one less point than us, but they only lost two matches. So it won’t be easy.

Player of the Month: Innocent Ntsume

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I wanted to give it to Morfour, but Ntsume put in some brilliant performances this month, scoring three goals. He has been a brilliant player for us on the left side, and is always in the right place at the right time. I am glad I managed to tie him down at the club until 2014.
 
I've signed a new contract until the end of next season, so hopefully we'll get promoted and that will boost my rep. I won't be resigning, but I will see if any better jobs in South Africa come up who want me and then I may leave.
 
Fair enough mate. SA is hard cus u goota play promotion play off now dont you and then if you lose you have the normal play offs
 
First Division Promotion Play-off Leg 1
FCAK 0-5 Thanda Royal Zulu

First Division Promotion Play-off Leg 2
Thanda Ryal Zulu 0-2 FCAK (agg. 5-2)

Premier League Play-off Semi Final Leg 1
FS Stars 3-0 FCAK

Premier League Play-off Semi Final Leg 2
FCAK 1-1 FS Stars (agg. 1-4)
Mbambo (72)

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I’m not going to review every match, because I’m too annoyed. We were the best team in the First Division by a mile this season, but we fell at the final hurdle. Would it have been different if Gwekwerere had played? Probably, as we had tons of chances but every one was screwed horribly wide.

What next? Well I don’t know if I can take another season in the First Division. But I’m not going to resign through fear of not getting a better job. I should have done enough this season to appeal to a lower Premier League club in South Africa, with my reputation reaching ‘national’. But we’ll see. I will do a season review later.
 
So unlucky mate drummed by Thanda but dont worry and win promotion next season :)
 
Thanks. I don't know how we lost 5-0 at home then won 2-0 away. I guess we were just too inconsistent against the top sides this season. I just need to make sure we keep all our top players.
 
What happened in the play offs man?

Still awesome story
 
Unlucky mate :( was going so well. Good to see who you are next. Check mine out aswell if you wouldnt mind ?
 
Unlucky this time. Hope you manage to get another job or finish better next season.
 
2010/11 Season Review


My first season as a manager is over. It got off to a brilliant start, as we won our first 13 matches of the season, and winning the First Division Cup along the way. We went on to win the First Division Inland comfortably, but failed at the last hurdle when it came to the play-offs.

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It was still a fantastic season for the club predicted to finish 5th before a ball was kicked. And the cup success, as well as only a small outlay on transfers and wages, meant it was a good season off the pitch as well. So much so, that the club have began developments on an upgrade to the training facilities.

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Player of the Season: Evans Gwekwerere


With 26 goals from 28 league games, the Zimbabwean was the stand out player. It is an amazing return, and he will once again be key next season. Fortunately I managed to convince him to agree to a contract extension until 2013, but he does have a release clause of £200k.

So next season we will need to try and go one better. But our semi-professional status is making it extremely difficult to improve and reach the next level. Since I let our physio and our scout leave, it has been impossible trying to replace them, so now the only member of backroom staff at the club is my assistant manager.
 
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