THE WESTON-SUPER-MARE JOURNEY

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JoeHolmes

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Hi Everyone!

This is my first ever FM thread so please, if I make any mistakes, correct me!;) I have decided that I wanted a challenge for this year, somewhere that is close to me yet going to be difficult to achieve great things with. As I live in Devon, I decided to pick Weston-Super-Mare, a team who has been in the National League South for some time. In the game and in real life they have never really challenged for promotion out of the league yet they still hold an amazing record that they have never been relegated in their history.

I have a big plan for WSM. In a three year period I would like to see:
-Year 1: a mid table finish
-Year 2: a top half finish
-year 3: a promotion fight.

I hope you enjoy the thread!
 
PRE SEASON & A 74K TRANSFER!

Pre Season is what I exactly wanted!
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We only played four games, and they were against opponents at a lower level but, to score 9 and conceded 2 to make a +7 GD made me get excited for this season. The squad looked good playing a 4-5-1 and having a high tempo to our game. Dayle Grubb was the star man throughout pre season scoring 3 of our 9 goals from CM.

TRANSFERS
The squad had a good chemistry coming into the season so I didn't want to shake things up to much to unsettle the players. I only brought in 3 players in which two of them are on loan. With the WSM wage budget almost hitting its limit, it was hard to attract and bring in players.

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The players:

-Martin Herdman: A GK from QPR who is on loan with us until the end of the season with the option to buy him at the end for 1K.
-Josh Leslie-Smith: A 17 year old CB who can also play RB from Poole. This loan was just to up our numbers in defence but he seems a decent player for his age and should feature throughout the season. His loan ends at the end of the season.
-Jack Smith: A CB from Eastleigh who I got on a free. Valued at 2.7k and with national league experience, he should help us reach our targets for the upcoming season. He signed a 1 year deal with the club.

We did have to say a goodbye to a valued member of WSM. I really did want to keep him but when I saw the money, it was too good to turn down, especially in the financial situation we are in.
View attachment 79563
John Haile was our Head of Youth Development and will be missed but, that 74K though!!! ;)

I hope you have enjoyed the read, next time I will go through the team and tactics as well as the first few games to see how the journey is getting on.

Thanks!
 
AN AVERAGE START + INJURY

Hello!

The start of the 2017/18 season is here and... we are predicted to end the season 20th. :@
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Relegation!?! In all honesty I was shocked that they would think we would go down. A team who has never been relegated and they think this is the season!? Not a chance. Then the results started to come in and I pushed aside the threat of the media even further away.

THE FIRST 6.
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The first two games were a delight to watch. Professional performances from Jake Reid in both games sealed victories by a 1-0 and 3-0 margin against a poor Hungerford Town and Poole Town side. Those 33 WSM ultras definitely get their moneys worth! In both games we played 4-5-1 with our LM/RM running at the defence and with Jake Reid as a target man. With a +4 GD and 6 points I was really finding this team a joy to manage. Then things got a little bit harder....
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Back to back 2-0 defeats put me back into reality. I started to realise how difficult this season is going to be. Nathaniel Pinney, for St. Albans, had an amazing game and tore my defence a part with two first half goals. We never really looked like scoring throughout the whole game. The next game again was a shambolic performance with goals in each half to lose by another 2-0 margin vs a good Gloucester Team.
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After two back to back defeats I thought we could at least get a point away to newly promoted Bognor Regis. Another poor performance saw us lose 2-1. Again, the 4-5-1 formation seemed to start being very ineffective. Early goals in each half saw them have a 2-0 lead with Plummer getting a consolation goal for us in the 82nd minute. We had 3 chances to score after that goal but could not find the back of the net, a recurring theme. Back at the Woodspring, and finally after 3 poor results, a win for WSM! Plummer was the star man by far banging in two goals. Dayle Grubb kept his nerve in the 93rd minute to score what was the winning goal from the penalty spot. Still worried though that I have conceded two again!! 3-5-2 was used in that game which was a risk but a risk that paid off.

RESULTS/TABLE:
View attachment 79555View attachment 79554
12th/22nd within the first 6 games with a 0 GD is average but, a good start for the squad I have. Next game is Truro, a southwest encounter. They place 17th so far with 1 win from 6.

INJURY
Real bad news as our goal scorer Jake Reid is sidelined. Luckily we do have 4 options that can replace him but this is a real damper. 2-4 Months out so we probably wont see him back until the New Year.
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Thats the end for this update! I hope you enjoyed. If you think this is too much in depth and needs to be shortened please feedback and I will do what I can. I will more then likely update this thread every 6-8 games.

Thanks!
 
DRAWS, DRAWS, DRAWS!

Hello and welcome back!

6 games in and an average start, WSM are currently situated in mid table, the target! Between games I felt as if there was a lack of quality in midfield. Our CM's of Pope and Grubb was doing ok but we needed one more bit of star power.
View attachment 79552Al Bangura was the man. Free transfer with a contract lasting to the end of the season, and the career he has had, I was pleased with the capture. Below you can find his long career history, even featuring for Watford in the Premier League!
View attachment 79551
As well as this news, there was also the FA CUP Draw for the second round qualify. I was looking for a home visit which could give the club a little bit more money from the home supporters. However, we were drawn to Cheshunt away. They are a Isthmian League North Division club and the furthest they have ever got in the FA Cup is the Fourth Qualifying round.

After a scrappy 3-2 win at home, we headed to Cornwall to face Truro.

Results
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We started of brightly at Truro having 8 shots in the first half yet it was still 0-0 at half time. I decided to go attacking in the second half with a much higher tempo and within the first minute of the second half we were leading. Danny Greenslade, who has been class so far this season, scoring a header from a corner. However, with Truro second shot of the whole game, Niall Thompson scored. A draw vs Truro.. slightly disappointing. Havant and Waterlooville, a newly promoted team again looked ok but we were poor. They scraped a 1-0 win at the Woodspring.
View attachment 79548View attachment 79547
We were then home again on a Tuesday night against Wealdstone FC who w
ere top of the league at the time. With 70 away fans it did look like Wealdstone have got some fans! A 2-2 draw, we were 1-0, they got 2 from Elliot Benyon who I thought nicked the winner in the 77th minute but we got it back. Another draw but a result I was pleased with. Now, going into a game when you are 10-1 to win, I was not expecting much, but wow. 2-0, 2 goals in each half, brilliant! Just wish more then 25 supporters could see Kington goal to secure victory!
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Another draw, another goal from Ash Kington. Oxford took an early lead with a bicycle-kick (yes, I didn't know that was possible in FM) in which we replied with a simple tap in on the 51st minute, poor performance, poor result against a poor side. We move on! FA CUP DAY and what a shocking one it was. Yes we came away with a win but it was embarrassing. When Howe knocked them in front I thought our FA Cup days was already finished... Diallo and Plummer saved us and we head into the Third Qual. Rnd.
View attachment 79544
A nice 4.5k won't hurt either!

We had a chance to play either Concord or St Albans, in which we were dying for Concord who sits bottom at the time.. but...
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GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!
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*SIGHS* - yes another draw, 1-1 with Pope scoring his first goal for the club. In all honesty, Dartford should of won the game with the amount of shots they peppered our goal with and when they did score, it wasn't surprising.

Results/Table:
View attachment 79541View attachment 79540We stay 12th, gaining 7 points from the 6 games. We are 4 points of a play off place. Lets keep the season going!

NEWS
We sold our CB Jamie Laird who, was playing RB, to Kettering on a free transfer.

Thanks for reading.
 
Good luck with this, I don't live far from Weston so will follow 100%
 
WE'RE MOVING UP THE TABLE...SLIGHTLY.

*BIG UPDATE*

Hello again!

This is going to be a big update so I be ready! Last game was a league match vs. Dartford. After that 1-1 draw we have to draw our attention to a tough side in St Albans who, we lost too in the league. This time though it is in the FA Cup 3rd Round Qual. Not only this, we have brought in three new signings, a free transfer and two loans.
View attachment 1132531
Jack Sparkes - A 17 year old winger/midfielder from Exeter. Watching him play and the hype around him, he should be a class player when he is older in real life and he should be a brilliant addition to this WSM squad. As well as getting him was pleasing, to not pay a penny is even better!
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Luke Dunn - Luke came in as a backup defender to use incase of injury. Due to his age he should be getting into the squad within the next 2-3 seasons.
View attachment 1132538
Connor Lemonheigh-Evans - Needed a striker who could finish and Connor is the man. Valued at 13k, decent player for most National League sides I was extremely pleased to get him. He doesn't even have to move house for this move!

Results
View attachment 1132539View attachment 1132540A defeat, again. Big support in this game which I was really pleased about, it was just a shame that we lost. Pinney again scoring against us to take them into the next round. Sad that the FA CUP is already over when our target was the 4th Qual. Rnd but we have to move on. Back in the league vs Hemel Hempstead FC and a great win. Conceding 2 again which is worrying me more and more but happy to take the 3 points.
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We go to The Aspect Arena to face second bottom Concord and.... ASDFGHJKL!:@ We go back home to face a strong, promotion chasing Welling side. Great performance to bounce back from a terrible weekend and for Gabbiadini to score his first goal for the club after being out injured for a few weeks, it was a great day.
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We stay at home, this time vs Whitehawk and... defeat. It's starting to feel as if we are taking 1 step forward 2 steps back constantly... another tactical change needs to come. We go to Rookery Hill to face East Thurrock but that game comes to a boring 0-0. Nothing to report in that game.
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Three games now! 2 in the league against teams at the bottom and top of the table respectively and the FA Trophy 3rd Qual. Rnd vs Truro. First game was vs Eastbourne Borough who sit near the bottom of the table. We had a shocking first 15 minutes falling 2 behind after poor defending. We got straight back into the action with a debut goal from CLE. Unfourtuntley that was it and the game ended in defeat. We go to Braintree next, a game that we were not looking forward to. Top of the league with only 2 defeats all season. We go 1-0 down within 15 mins and I did not know what was going to happen. Then, JASON POPE YOU LEGEND. Billy Crook scored in the 78th Min but we looked strong from then on.. WHAT A WIN! Then another win!? Who would of thought. 4-1 against a weak Truro side and we go into the first round of the FA Trophy.
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Not much to talk about in this game.. A very boring 1-1 draw vs a side just above us in the table. CLE getting another girl for WSM. Hopefully he can stick to his good form!

NEWS

This months player of the month award for the league goes to a WSM player! View attachment 1132585
Jason Pope winning the award with 2 goals from 3 appearances from CM. A great achievement!

We also drawn to Horsham in the FA Trophy. We are away to the League Isthmain South Division.

And finnaly..

Results/Table:
View attachment 78968
View attachment 78967We move up by 1 but are still quite away from the promotion zone. Lets hope we can push on!

Thanks for reading this long update, I hope you enjoy.

Thanks!



 
Love a Non League Story it's interesting to see how far and where they will end up :)
 
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