Turning Queen's Park into kings

CraigWL · Jun 25, 2015

Greetings everyone. You may know me as that guy who got injured all the time in the BAP saves.

However, most likely you don't know me at all, but will now recognize me as the creator of the cringiest story title on FMBase. I've wanted to start a story on here for a while now but wasn't really sure what to do, i considered an unemployed save similar to CantGetEnoughOfJelavic, an 1860 Munich save, a save with my team, Carlisle United, and many others. But i eventually settled on this, as i felt it would be exceptionally interesting to do. Queen's Park, a side in the Scottish Third Division, and the only amateur side in the setup. Not only that, but they are essentially crippled financially, sitting with multiple million pounds in loan debts despite the club not even being worth £100k.

I don't know how far i will get with them, but hopefully i can write a decent story for you guys. Please let me know if you feel that improvements can be made on my writing style or anything else during the story, as i'm not really much of a creative person! I'm pretty sure that this has been done before, but hopefully i can put my own little spin on it!

Thanks for reading, and i hope you enjoy!

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Driving up the motorway towards Glasgow, i felt especially excited. I had my first opportunity to break onto the football management scene. Living in Carlisle, i had coached a couple of Sunday League sides in the area, generally being pretty successful along the way. All the time i was taking coaching courses while trying to make ends meet working in a local supermarket. I had forwarded my CV and qualifications to several clubs in the area such as Penrith and Kendal, but surprisingly it was Queen's Park, a Glasgow based amateur side which eventually got back to me.

Exactly why they responded to me is a mystery. I was applying more out of hope than anything else, despite my desire to get into football management, i was always of the opinion that i'd probably struggle to actually find a breakthrough.

I knew it wasn't going to be plain sailing though, as i said, the club was amateur, the only amateur side in the Scottish football league setup. They hadn't won a trophy since 2000, and that came after not winning one since 1981, and THAT came after not winning one since 1956. The club had experienced success in the 19th century, and have done reasonably well in the Scottish League 2 over the last few years, but have failed to really push on, most likely due to their amateur side. Not only that, but following a bit of research, i discovered that the club was in pretty bad debt, millions of pounds worth. Perhaps this was why they were asking me to come and do a job, most likely the cheapest option. Did i plan to stay with them for a long time? Absolutely. Will i stay with them for a long time? Hard to say.

The chairman of Queen's Park, Ronald Jack, had invited me to The Pot Still, a pub in Glasgow, to discuss the plan for the club and what was expected of me. I felt more and more nervous as i got closer to my destination, but i knew i had to keep my composure, this was big. As i walked in, i was a little surprised as a lady waved me over to her table. She told me that she was Christine Wright, one of the directors of the club.

"Ronald sends his apologies for not meeting you in person, he is rather pre-occupied at the moment, dealing with the debt the club is in. We appreciate you coming in and we apologise for not staging the meeting at a more appropriate venue, but we can't afford to be picky these days"

"That is absolutely fine, i appreciate the busy schedule that Mr Jack must have and i also appreciate you taking the time out to come and meet me."

"You're very welcome. Now... obviously with Queen's Park being an amateur side, you won't really have the privileges or resources that you may have at most other football clubs. You won't actually be receiving wages from us, and we are only really in a position to offer amateur contracts to our players. The only player in the current squad who we are paying is Jordan Moore who is on loan from Dundee United, and even he is only being paid £4 a week by us."

"You naturally won't actually have an official contract, so we can't actually set an expiry date or any of the usual properties that a normal contract would usually have."

"I totally understand. I have experience of working with amateur sides so i understand what the job will entail. Admittedly i don't have experience managing in a league such as this, but i will certainly be committed to trying to bring success to the club"

"That's good to hear, we decided to offer you this position as we were quite impressed with your achievements with your local sides and we think that your philosophies will match up quite well with ours"

"In truth, there won't be massive pressure on you to start with, we simply wish for the club to remain competitive in the league, and we will appreciate any struggles when it comes to attracting players to sign for us."

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And that was that, after all the formalities were sorted, including a quick meeting with my assistant, Chris Hillcoat, who i intended to keep at the club to assist with the transition, i was now manager of Queen's Park FC. I made my way to a quiet cafe where i could have a browse over the folders that had been given to me by Wright and Hillcoat. A real positive was that the club had access to the facilities at Lesser Hampden, which were especially good quality considering our stature in the country.

The club also played its games at Hampden Park, which, while we'll be looking at a lot of empty seats to begin with, leaves a lot of room for an improved fan base. I also noticed that a couple of our arch rivals, Clyde and Albion Rovers, would both be playing in the same league as us next season. "Could be a feisty year" i thought.

It was now time to take a look at how the squad is shaping up for the coming season...

KEY PLAYERS

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Jordan Moore, who does indeed command £4 a week from the club. Looks like he could be a real handful for opposition defences this season, and to be frank, should be playing at a higher level. Unfortunately, he is only on loan from Dundee Utd, and is currently suffering from a virus which could keep him out for a couple of months.

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Patrick Slattery, who strikes me as a physically sound and exceptionally creative player. I have a feeling he could be a driving force in our midfield next season.

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Ciaran McElroy, a pacey and tricky winger who is also capable of playing in a few different positions.

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Sean Burns, a player who seems capable of putting in a peach of a delivery given the opportunity.

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William Muir, a very well rounded keeper who i hope can save us a few points in the coming season.

OVERALL SQUAD DEPTH

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Looking at this report given to me by Hillcoat, it struck me that i did have some work to do, while we appear quite well equipped in the striking positions, we lack serious depth in some defensive and midfield roles. Looks like i may be busy over the next month or so...

After a quick trip down to the training facilities, i had a very positive meeting with the squad, where i outlined my plans for the coming season, there was a positive mood in the dressing room which i was genuinely thrilled to see. I also organised a meeting with my backroom staff, including Hillcoat and chief scout Bobby Dickson, where we discussed tactics and possible players to bring in over the next few weeks.

Speaking of tactics...

FORMATIONS

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These are the two formations that i plan to go with at Queen's Park, i believe in a short passing game but i'm not afraid to resort to a plan B when required. I feel that these two tactics can provide a good variety of options when going into matches and will hopefully make it difficult for the opposition to play against us.

So... that's that then. I've met the director, my backroom staff, my squad, and have decided what my plans are for the coming season. The club simply wish to avoid being outclassed too often by other sides in the league, i hope i can go a little better than that. The bookies are predicting us to finish 7th this year, and while i would take that, given that the club is in pretty dire financial straits, i'm always looking to push on and exceed expectations.

The hard work begins now.

CraigWL · Jun 25, 2015

PRE SEASON ROUND UP

The last month has been a real learning curve for me. I experienced my first ever press conference as a football manager, in which i praised the chairman of the club, and also made clear my intention to focus on the league this season, as i believe that is what the fans are wanting to see. I also defended the lack of finances at the club, saying that it is completely possible for us to find a gem of a player without the need for large transfer fees.

I've also undergone a bit of a reality check since joining, it's really set in that it will not be easy to attract players to join Queen's Park, due to our inability to offer wages, and the lack of any real signs of progression. Montrose centre back Luke Johnston turned us down in favour of a move to Brechin, understandable, given that Brechin are playing a tier higher than us. Alloa left back Steven Smith opted to join Stenhousemuir instead of us, again, understandable for the same reasons.

Another left back, Graeme Goodall, decided to join arch rivals Albion Rovers, which really stung, given their rivalry with Queen's Park. The one that really got to me the most, though? Jeremy Judith, who i attempted to sign to try and add some much needed quality on the right flank, made the decision to join Highland Football League side Brora Rangers. On a 300, yes, three hundred pounds a week contract. I knew i was in for a real challenge when teams from that level were offering that sort of money. It wasn't a complete disaster in the transfer window however...

TRANSFERS

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INS

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Craig Watson, a workhorse of a right back who will provide competition for Gavin Mitchell in that position. Signed on loan from Hamilton.

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David Sinclair, a fairly well rounded midfielder who last played for our rivals Clyde, and has experience at Championship and League One level with Livingston.

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Lewis Wilson, a young defender signed on loan from Alloa, who will provide a bit of depth in the back line.

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I also made the decision to call up Mark Fleming from the U20 side, as i feel he has enough about him to add something to the side for the coming season.

OUTS

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I didn't feel that either Gallacher or Baty were of good enough quality to remain at the club, so i sadly had to let them go. They were both very understanding and i wish them well in the future.

FRIENDLIES

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A good pre season in my eyes. We picked up wins from all the games that we were expected to, and showed good fight against a far better side in Millwall, hopefully these friendlies will do us some good going forwards.

There was some bad news to come out of the friendlies however, as strikers Ross McPherson and Ryan Haynes will miss 4-5 weeks and 3-4 months with a fractured jaw and a torn hamstring respectively. Star striker Jordan Moore is nearing a return, however, he has resumed light training following his virus and is expected to be back in full training in a matter of days.

CUP DRAWS

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Not exactly the draws i was hoping for, a tough match away to arch rivals Albion Rovers in our first competitive game of the season, and a massively tough ask in the League Cup, as we welcome Dundee. I am looking forward to the Dundee game i must say, as it could tell me a lot about the squad and where it's at right now.

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The bookies sadly don't appear to be giving us much chance this season, predicting us to be really up against it in the upcoming season. I hope we can prove them wrong, but it will indeed be a very tough ride.

So... with a mixed bag of events in pre season, and the squad probably as ready as it ever will be, i'm now looking towards a baptism of fire, as we travel to the Cliftonhill Stadium to take on our arch rivals Albion Rovers in what will surely be a feisty affair, and one that i'm desperate to win, as a loss to Albion could potentially have the fans on my back from the very start. Fingers crossed...

CraigWL · Jun 25, 2015

SEASON OPENING CUP GAMES

ALBION ROVERS VS QUEEN'S PARK (Challenge Cup 1st Round)

Standing on the touchline at the Cliftonhill Stadium, i felt a great deal of pride, watching my squad lineup for this huge cup tie against Albion. Despite saying earlier that i wanted to focus on the league, i really wanted to get one over on Albion here, to satisfy the fans, and get me off on the right foot with the club.

Once again, however, i instantly got the kick up the backside that i probably needed. Just past the minute mark, Albion forward Mark McGuigan seized on a poor touch by recently promoted midfielder Mark Fleming to hit a shot across William Muir into the bottom right corner. My heart sank, i couldn't really have imagined a worse start to my career here.

After the rest of a relatively quiet first half, i could only bring myself to offer words of encouragement to the lads at half time. The beginning of the second half was a huge contrast to the second, as Shaun Fraser, who i decided to bring on for our star midfielder Patrick Slattery, was found on the edge of the box with a corner from Vincent Berry and he rifled a volley past the despairing grasp of Neil Parry. Our defensive frailties reared their ugly head less than 10 minutes later however, as our ageing centre back David MacGregor completely misjudged a free header at the back, allowing Ross McNeil to squeeze the ball past Muir at his near post.

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Truth be told, we probably deserved to lose, we enjoyed a good deal of the possession but never really looked like scoring a 2nd goal. Albion would have had 3 or 4 were it not for the profligacy of McGuigan. I was impressed with the performance of Berry, and i was happy that the players managed to keep their heads in the game.

More bad news came out of the game, as i discovered that Fraser had suffered a thigh strain during the game, and will miss 4 weeks of action. The one positive is that we did receive £400 from the game, and in our current situation, every little helps. It will cover 100 weeks worth of Jordan Moore's wages anyway!

I also discovered that things weren't as nasty in Scotland as some people make out, as Albion manager Darren Young and i had a good chat after the game.

QUEEN'S PARK V DUNDEE (Scottish League Cup 1st Round)

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I didn't really expect anything from this game. Looking at Dundee's team sheet and players like Paul McGowan, i knew we had a daunting task. It was my first home game in charge of the side and i just urged the lads to not disgrace themselves and put in a good shift for the fans.

I decided to rotate the squad a bit from the last game to give some other players a chance to show what they can do. Jordan Moore took a place on the bench, as i wasn't quite ready to put him in the starting lineup so soon after his return. Our amateur nature was clear to see, as player-coach Tony Quinn was leading the line for us today.

The first half incredibly went without a goal, the best chance unsurprisingly fell to Dundee, with Muir producing a smart save to deny Stephen McGinn. I was actually quite thrilled with how things were going, as i'd expected Dundee to have put one or two past us by now.

And then, the unthinkable happened, just 10 minutes into the second half, Sean Burns capitalised after Gary Irvine misjudged the flight of the ball, and whipped in one of those peachy deliveries across the face of goal like i knew he could, Kevin Fotheringham was ready to tap in at the far post, before Willie Dyer came sliding in from behind him, knocking the ball into his own net! I couldn't control my emotion, i jumped in the air, fist pumping in the process. We had just taken the lead against an SPL side!

Once again however, reality hit me like a ton of bricks, as David Clarkson skinned MacGregor before firing a shot into the bottom right corner. Disappointing, but not unexpected. I did notice that MacGregor was starting to show his age however, being caught out for 2 opposition goals in as many games.

The players were visibly tiring towards the end, and Muir again had to make a save, getting down well at his near post to deny McGowan. In the 89th minute, however, we made another foray into Dundee's half, and won a corner on the right hand side. I prayed that we could execute what we worked on on the training ground. Substitute Darren Miller played it along the floor to the near post and found Fotheringham, who floated it to the edge of the six yard box and found Burns, who volleyed into the bottom right corner past Scott Bain!

I turned around and effectively tackled Chris Hillcoat to the ground in joy. The fans were sent into raptures and the whole bench jumped up and went wild. We had just about managed to compose ourselves again by the time the game kicked off, and i urged the team to defend for their lives. We were so nearly robbed in the 3rd minute of stoppage time, but Muir managed to pull off a truly world class save to deny Greg Stewart from 6 yards.

The final whistle came and it sparked scenes of mass jubilation from around the ground, with everyone associated with the club barely able to contain their excitement.

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I sit here right now, in my house, still buzzing about the result, which will probably be the finest moment of our season. I was so proud of the lads and the game reassured me that the squad really did have the ability to make things happen this season.

Now we must delve deeper into August, and our opening league game of the season, against our other major rivals, Clyde...

CraigWL · Jun 26, 2015

AUGUST

Merely days removed from our famous win over Dundee, we eagerly awaited the news on who we would face in the next round of the cup...

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This job certainly doesn't get any easier! Having to play Inverness will be a huge ask, especially given that we are away this time around, after the win against Dundee though, who knows! We have to now turn our attention to the league, in which we are about to go head to head with our rivals Clyde to kick off the campaign.

QUEEN'S PARK VS CLYDE (League 2)

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I opted for a bit of squad rotation here despite the positive result in the last match, Woods comes in for Burns with Quinn dropping into defense, Davison comes in for Fotheringham and Marr comes in for fellow U20 right back Scott. I am hoping that David Sinclair will keep his head in this match against his old club.

The match did indeed turn out to be a feisty one, as 3 Clyde players had incredibly went off with injuries just 20 minutes into the game.

We found a breakthrough in scrappy fashion, after Burns whipped in a cross from the right hand side towards the near post, the ball cannoned off multiple bodies on the goal line before ultimately trickling in off of Scott Ferguson for an own goal. I wasn't complaining! We fashioned another chance a mere 6 minutes later after Woods fed the ball into Burns, who was completely open after taking advantage of Johnny Brown being much deeper than the rest of his back line. Burns placed it in the far corner and all of a sudden we were 2-0 up! We were pegged back moments later however, as we allowed Clyde captain Mark McLaughlin far too much space in the box following a free kick, and he finished it well.

Following an electrifying first half, i urged the team to make sure that they kept their concentration levels up and not make any silly mistakes. This paid dividends early on in the half, as Burns took a quick free kick and set Marr through down the right hand side, who crossed in to allow Lewis Wilson to knock in a simple header from effectively on the goal line. The match finished without further incident, and we walked away with a fairly comfortable 3 points, getting one over on rivals Clyde and their manager Barry Ferguson.

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Barry Ferguson said after the game that he didn't believe that i would send my team out to hurt the opposition, which considering what happened during the game, i was quite surprised about! Either way, i was delighted with the team, they showed a good level of fight and made the most of their opportunities from set pieces. It's always great to start the season with a win, especially against your big rivals. It must be noted that Clyde were the bookies favourite to win the league as well, so this result really is huge!

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I was also pleased to see that Lewis Wilson made it into the team of the week. No place for Sam Burns, sadly, due to Albion's good showing this week.

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QUEEN'S PARK VS ANNAN (League 2)

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Next up, a visit to Galabank to face Annan, who were undoubtedly hurting after their 3-0 drubbing at the hands of Albion. I viewed their lineup and recognized Josh Todd and Steven Swinglehurst, both of whom were quite promising youth products at Carlisle. I made 3 changes to the side that beat Clyde, in an attempt to keep the squad fresh. Bryan Wharton and U20 players Chris Scott and David Ramsay came in for Paul Woods, Lee Davison and James Marr.

Both sides had early chances in the first half, with Kieran Brannan firing wide from just inside the area and Burns having an effort superbly tipped wide by Annan 'keeper Jordan Hart. Annan would open the scoring midway through the half, however, as Peter Weatherson broke down our left hand side and fired a cross across the box to Brannan, who had an easy tap in after breaking free from both MacGregor and Wharton. I was really disappointed with the defending, especially given how well we had played against Clyde.

Things got worse mere minutes later however, as Peter Watson launched a throw in more or less on top of our goal line. We failed to deal with it, and the naivety of Ramsay showed, as he shoved Weatherson in the back, leaving the ref no choice to award a penalty, which Weatherson powered home.

We regained some much needed momentum just before the break however, as David Sinclair lobbed a ball over the top towards Quinn, who broke the offside trap and headed the ball past 'keeper Hart to bring the score back to 2-1.

Annan regained their 2 goal advantage just 5 minutes into the second half however, as our team failed to cope with some neat passing from their players which led to Brannan placing a shot past Muir. I was at a loss to why we were playing so badly given how impressive we were in the past two matches. Another reality check, i guess. We came close to getting a goal back later on in the half, but Annan managed to survive a goalmouth scramble following a corner. That would be the last action of the game, as we poorly succumbed to a 3-1 defeat.

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A disappointing result, but i reminded myself of the situation that the club is in, and that truthfully, any string of wins in a row would probably be an accomplishment.

Two days later i received a visit from one of those who i had listed as a key player upon my arrival at the club.
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Ciaran McElroy.

"Hello boss, i've came here to tell you that i don't feel that i'm getting the amount of first team football that i deserve. I understand that i'm meant to be in a squad rotation system, however i seem to be completely omitted right now"

"Listen Ciaran, you're a very talented young player, i know what you're capable of, but Sean has been on superb form recently and i simply can't justify dropping him right now, there's still a lot of the season left to come, just knuckle down and you will get your opportunity eventually"

"I don't think you're being particularly fair here, i'm at the stage of my career where i need to play, and if you can't guarantee me that, then i will just have to leave"

"I can't just go around guaranteeing players that they will be playing, you need to stick in and you WILL get your chance, i promise"

"I'm sorry, but a footballer's career is short, and i won't accept sitting around waiting, if you can't give me games, then i should probably just leave"

"Listen, i want you to think about this for one moment, do you really want to leave this club? If you don't want to be here, then i have no intention of keeping you."

"I thought that you might be able to give me a chance, but i was clearly wrong, i will be going, then."

A real shame, in my opinion, Ciaran is a solid player, but i really can't guarantee him playing while Burns is in such good form. I have decided however to keep him here until he makes an official request to have his contract terminated, as he is still a good player to have around.

In more positive news...

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We have confirmed the signing of veteran striker Kenny Deuchar, who i believe will serve the team well with his experience and ability.

Bryan Wharton sadly suffered a bruised head after a challenge with Billy Sweeney during a training session, which will leave him sidelined for 9-12 days.

QUEEN'S PARK VS ARBROATH (League 2)

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Next we welcomed Arbroath, who had suffered defeat in both of their opening games. I opted for 4 changes in this match, with Jordan Moore, Lee Davison, Paul Woods and Craig Watson coming in for David Ramsay, Vincent Berry, Chris Scott and the injured Bryan Wharton.

We got off to an excellent start as Davison played a lovely ball through to Moore, who managed to tap in from just inside the 6 yard box. Good to see our star striker get off the mark in his first start! The rest of the half passed without any further big chances for either side, i was perfectly happy with that as long as we were winning! We came very close to doubling our lead at the start of the second half, as Moore floated a cross towards the back post to Davison, who headed against the post.

Burns was again involved in the action a few moments later, as he headed down a Moore cross into the path of Woods, who smashed the ball past Arbroath keeper McCallum to double our advantage. We didn't escape the match completely unscathed however, as MacGregor suffered a damaged elbow which will rule him out for up to 3 weeks.

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Good to be back on track, especially going into our next game, against Inverness in the league cup. I have also decided to release wide midfielder Shaun Rooney, due to his complaints about first team football. I decided not to keep him on due to the fact that he simply does not fit into my system.

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INVERNESS CT V QUEEN'S PARK (Scottish League Cup 2nd Round)

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Numerous changes for this match, John Carter, Kevin Fotheringham, Conor McVey, David Sinclair and Gavin Mitchell come in for Moore, Davison, Woods, Slattery and Watson. McElroy also gets his chance in the team, replacing Burns. We were really up against it in this match. Inverness' central midfield and central defense partnerships were particularly impressive, and with players like Josh Meekings and Aaron Doran available to be brought on, we could be in real trouble here.

Incredibly, we had the ball in Inverness' net after 25 minutes, as Sinclair clattered a free kick against the bar, the ball rebounded to Fotheringham who tapped into an empty net, but, before i almost repeated the scenes that occurred during the Dundee match, i realised that the linesman had his flag up for offside. Agonizing.

The seemingly inevitable occured after 40 minutes, with Chris Brown hitting a long ball up field from his own half. Barry Burns completely misjudged the flight of the ball, allowing Callum Ferguson to nip in and poke the ball past Muir to give Inverness the lead. This sort of mistake was happening far too often for my liking. We were largely outclassed for the rest of the game and failed to find a breakthrough. A real shame to lose in that fashion, but 1-0 isn't a complete disgrace considering the difference between the two sides. The £14.75k that we got from playing in the round won't go amiss!

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ALBION ROVERS V QUEEN'S PARK (League 2)

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More changes for this game, with Moore, Burns, Davison, Slattery, Woods, Fleming, Watson and Quinn coming in for Carter, McElroy, Fotheringham, McVey, Sinclair, Berry, Mitchell and Burns. I'm not necessarily a huge fan of chopping and changing every week, but the squad is not physically fit compared to how they would be at most clubs, and constant rotation is sadly a necessity. This match also marks Quinn's 300th league game for the club over an impressive 13 year spell with the club. This match is a big way to end the month, playing against our rivals, who currently sit top of the league, and with the squad itching to get revenge for Albion's 2-1 win over us in the Challenge Cup in July.

Disaster struck after just 15 minutes however, as Quinn tragically misjudged the flight of the ball from Parry's long free kick, allowing Gemmell to nip in and play in McGuigan for an easy finish. Tragic for Quinn to do that on such a big day for him, but it was yet another schoolboy error by one of our defenders. It is getting unacceptable at this point. Quinn repeated the antic on the stroke of half time, luckily for us, the ball ran a little too far for Gemmell, who could only hit the outside of the post from the byline. I was furious, i'm not too disappointed if the opposition genuinely outclasses us, but standing there watching my players show an inability to even connect with the ball was a bit of a joke.

The mood in the dugout improved just 10 minutes into the second half however, as new signing Deuchar, who had replaced an injured Moore, flicked in a drilled Watson cross into the far corner to restore parity. We were afforded a glorious opportunity to ****** the lead 15 minutes from time, as Deuchar received the ball at his feet before appearing to be clattered from behind by Adam Hodge. The referee controversially pointed to the spot despite furious Albion protests, Deuchar dusted himself down and used pure power to get the ball past Parry into the net and bag his second of the game.

The delight was short lived however, as just over 5 minutes later, Chaplain knocked down a Cusack corner, and Fisher hit a sweet strike from the edge of the box which flew past Muir into the goal. I was truly gutted, as i thought that we would be able to hold on for the remainder after the penalty. I wasn't too disheartened however, as a draw away to the then league leaders is no mean feat.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH

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Sean Burns, a good month for him, providing the creative spark when the team needed it most and being involved in some of our most dangerous attacks during matches.

WORST PLAYER OF THE MONTH

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David MacGregor. Not many of our defenders have been that impressive over the past month, but MacGregor's poor performances over the last month or so, coupled with his injury, have been a real let down. He still has the ability though, and i am hoping that he gets back to his best upon his return.

All and all, a pretty solid month for us. A brave showing against Inverness and some good results in the league, 4th in League 2 after 4 games is a good effort on our part, and i hope it continues into September.

CraigWL · Jun 26, 2015

SEPTEMBER

We started off the month of September on a positive note, bringing in 2 signings on deadline day.

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Jordan Hamill, a 17 year old defensive midfielder, has joined us on loan from Rangers until the end of the season. He will provide some much needed quality in that area. His ability to pick out a pass and his good pace should contribute well to our style of play. He says he wants to impress any potential scouts while playing here, a slight disappointment, but if he contributes to our season then i won't complain too much! He was at Stoke before moving to Rangers, so hopefully he doesn't resort to the long ball too often.

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Former Stirling man Yohan Mathis has also joined up. His pace and trickery will hopefully trouble opposition defences this season, and i am hoping that he can provide similar quality to what Burns is producing on the opposite flank. The press decided to ask me if i would be signing a compatriot to help him settle in. I was slightly taken aback, we're an amateur side in the Scottish 4th tier, we can't really afford to be picky when it comes to signings!

I was also happy to see that Kenny Deuchar was named in the team of the week after his brace against Albion.

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Ciaran McElroy also decided to take his attempts to leave the club a bit further, spreading discontent among the squad. Honestly, all he has to do if he wishes to leave is ask for a termination, i'm not being unreasonable.

I also received news from our goalkeeping coach James Evans that he will be studying over the next few months to attain his National A license, the worrying thing is that the club has decided to cover the fee for the course. Not exactly ideal in our financial situation, hopefully it works out well for us.

A couple of days before our match against Elgin City, i received a knock on my door.

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Ross McPherson.

"Boss, i've come here today to request some more first team football, i don't feel like i've been getting anywhere near as much as i was promised when i signed for this club, i'm meant to be a key player yet i've only made 1 sub appearance so far this season"
"Listen Ross, i wasn't the one who signed you, and i wasn't the one who promised you so much football. I run things a little differently compared to the previous manager, and while i recognize your quality, i don't want to be throwing you back in after your recent injury"

"No offence, but i think i'm the only one who knows when i'm ready to return to the side, so if you're not willing to give me a chance then i will have to find a new club"

"Fine, if you want to leave, try and make a move happen, but don't come crawling back asking for a return if you don't like it at your new team"

Ross walked out. I had lost my cool a little there. It was no easy task trying to balance everyone's happiness while doing what is best for the club.

QUEEN'S PARK VS ELGIN (League 2)

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Three changes in this game, with Mathis and Hamill coming in for Fleming and Davison, while Berry also replaced Woods. I knew this match would be an interesting one, as Elgin had a near identical record to ours.

We were determined to start on the front foot, and after Sean Burns played a corner to the near post towards Mathis, Mathis teed up Jordan Moore, who saw his driven shot cannon off his namesake Darren and into the net. They all count, i suppose! We started off the second half in equally impressive fashion, as debutant Mathis used is pace to break down the right flank before delivering a beautiful early cross to the back post, where Burns was on hand to tap in. Our defensive frailties reared their ugly head later on in the half however, as Craig Watson painfully under hit a backpass, allowing Craig Gunn a run through on goal, despite Muir parrying his first effort out, he could not stop Gunn trapping in the rebound.

We weren't going to rest on our laurels however, as the ball fell to Burns on the left flank before he whipped in a lovely cross to Moore, who nipped in ahead of Bishop to head in and make it 3-1. Things got better less than 10 minutes later as a Burns corner was met by the head of Berry, but his effort was cleared off the line by Bishop. The ball fell to Slattery, who exchanged passes with Mathis before firing a shot into the bottom left corner. 4-1! I was really looking forward to a convincing win.

Turns out i should have been more cautious, as 2 minutes later, Sutherland flicked on a McLean corner to the back post for Bishop to tap in. To make matters worse, another 2 minutes later, Barry Burns did the old 'completely miss the ball with an attempted header' trick, allowing Gunn to nip in once again and place the ball past Muir to make it 4-3. Luckily for us, we held on to win the seven goal thriller. Hopefully that will put to bed any misconceptions about lower league football!

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I was very impressed with Mathis on his debut, his pace caused Elgin numerous problems, his delivery was excellent and he got 2 assists. Hamill struggled a little bit, but hopefully he will adapt to the league and start putting in better performances soon enough.

I received a visit from Darren Miller after the game, who, surprise surprise, came asking about a lack of first team football. I simply said to him that Slattery was on good form and i couldn't really drop him. Miller said that he had nothing to prove to me or the fans to get game time. Ultimately we couldn't come to an agreement and he also now wants to leave the club.

We also discovered who we will face in the 2nd round of the Scottish Cup...

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A slightly easier cup tie than what i'm used to. Hopefully the team can do a professional job against the Highland League side.

Patrick Slattery was also named in the team of the week after his performance vs Elgin. I wasn't lying to Miller!

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Now onto more pressing matters...

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Oh for crying out loud. Shaun Fraser.

"Boss, i haven't played anywhere near enough in recent weeks for a player of my calibre, i'm meant to be an important part of this team but it doesn't feel that way at all"

"Shaun, i shall tell you exactly what i told Ross, i didn't give you your squad status, you can't pin this on me. Like i also said to Darren, Patrick is on great form right now so i can't just drop him"

"If you honestly believe that his performances are enough to keep me out of the side, then maybe i really should leave"

Can't beat a bit of humility

"Shaun, look, i'm not going to play you just because you ask me to, you need to prove yourself, show your stuff in training, get your head down, and you'll get your chance.

Shaun then left without saying another word. I later found out that the news had leaked to the media, and that players such as Ciaran McElroy had sided with Fraser on the issue. Can't we all just get along?

On a more positive note, former Queen's Park man Billy Stark praised the form of Sean Burns. Fully deserved in my opinion, he was contributing to everything good for us right now.

EAST FIFE VS QUEEN'S PARK (League 2)

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2 changes for this game, with Woods and MacGregor coming in for Gibson and the tired Hamill. East Fife have yet to pick up a win so far this season, only collecting 2 points from 5 games. I'm hoping our first outing in our red kit doesn't turn out to be a bad luck charm!

Sadly for us, it looked like it might just be that. Urquhart lobbed the ball over the top from the halfway line, beating our entire defense, allowing Cameron to nip in and head the ball past Muir to gave East Fife the lead. The rest of the half passed without any chances, i was very disappointed with a lackluster, weak showing from the team. They came out in the second half desperate to make amends, however.

Not even 10 minutes after the restart, substitute McPherson whipped in an excellent ball to the edge of the 6 yard box, allowing Burns to nip in and fire past the keeper to restore parity. We really were firing on all cylinders at this point, and we got our reward as barely a minute later, Mathis threaded a lovely ball through to McPherson, who slammed the ball past Gott to give us the lead. Looks like Ross is determined to prove his point!

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That result moved us top of the league after Elgin managed to hold Montrose to a draw! I was ecstatic when i first saw the table. I'd never expected to be in this position, the lads had done brilliantly to start of the season this well, and now all we could do was fight tooth and nail to hold on to that top spot.

With the team doing so well, you would think that the squad would be thrilled and everyone would be happy, right? right?

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*Sigh*, enter Gavin Mitchell.

"Gavin, before you say anything, i know what you're going to ask me, i feel like i'm on repeat given what i've said to a couple of your team mates, but i didn't give you the squad role that you have, the system here is different than under the previous management. I think it's a little too soon for you to be starting games, you're only 18, after all.

"I may be young, but i know that i'm already good enough, there will be clubs out there who will snap at the chance to give me the football that i want"

I must have the squad with the most inflated opinions of themselves in the world.

"Ok Gavin, listen, i'll cut to the chase, please tell me now if you want to leave, because i don't want to keep players here when they have no intention of staying"

"You know what, i've gotten a little carried away here, i'm happy to wait for my chance, i'll try and keep my frustration in check next time"

I couldn't believe it, i'd actually persuaded one of my players to stand down. If only the other players were as open as Gavin.

I was asked by the media about the rifts in the squad, and i simply stated that all i wanted was a unified squad to help take this club forward. I didn't think it was too much to ask, but i was probably dead wrong. I had also caught wind of further comments by Billy Stark, who said he was excited by our form, before stating that he believed that we would win our next match...

QUEEN'S PARK VS BERWICK (League 2)

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Another two changes for this game, with Miller getting his chance in midfield, replacing Woods, while U20s man Bernard Coll replaced the injured Lewis Wilson, who pulled his hamstring in the previous match. This was a huge game, as Berwick currently sit 2nd in the table, and could knock us down a few places if they beat us.

We couldn't have started much better however, as a cross from Coll was headed away by Allan, only as far as Miller, who headed the ball back in towards Moore, who stroked the ball past Horne to give us a first minute lead. Moore was really starting to come into his own in recent games.

We nearly embarrassed ourselves just after the restart, after an attempted long ball from MacGregor was charged down by Lavery, who ran through on goal before seeing his effort thankfully saved by Muir. We had another narrow escape in the 66th minute, as our defence failed to track Lavery's run after a long ball over the top, but his effort struck the foot of the right hand post. We made Berwick pay for missing those chances, as Mathis broke past Derek Burns to get to the byline before drilling a cross along the floor which was tapped in by substitute McPherson.

Lavery would again come close a moment later, as a long ball over the top from Ben Miller eluded the jump of McWilliams, however the Berwick forward could only hit the near post from a tight angle.

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Unfortunately for us, Mathis sustained an injury in the game, which i have since learned is a sprained ankle, which will rule him out for between 7 weeks and 2 months. He will be a big loss over the coming games due to the quality he has brought down the right hand side. The press also heaped praise on Sean Burns following the match. I decided to have a word with him.

"Hi Sean, i just want to say how impressed i have been with you over the past few games, your creativity has been superb, and you have really been the difference maker for us. I just want to make sure that you keep your feet on the ground though, and not pay too much attention to what everyone is saying, and to just keep doing what you're doing"

"I really appreciate the praise, boss, and don't worry, all i want to do is keep impressing, i won't slack off over the coming games just because of my performances. I will certainly be giving 100% every match."

It was good to hear Sean talk like that, it reassured me that there were still some positive characters in that dressing room, and that i can still rely on them to put in a shift.

Our excellent month was capped off by a good showing in the awards...

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I was truly thrilled to receive the manager of the month award, and i was happy for Moore winning his award too. I had expected to be fighting bravely against relegation but the team has truly surprised me. It's good to see Slattery and Burns getting mentions in there too.

PLAYER OF THE MONTH

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Sean Burns. Truth be told, this could have gone to either Moore or Mathis as well, but Burns has continued his excellent form from last month. His creativity and knack for being in the right place have really helped us this month.

WORST PLAYER OF THE MONTH

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Vincent Berry. In all honesty, i'm being a little harsh here. His performances haven't necessarily been 'bad' but he's never really stood out in any of our last 3 games. This isn't really a bad thing, as he's not done anything wrong, but it would be good to see him step it up a little.

DreamTempest · Jun 26, 2015

Very nice results, keep it up. I love Queen's Park.

CraigWL · Jun 26, 2015

DreamTempest said:
Very nice results, keep it up. I love Queen's Park.

Thanks a lot mate! Yeah i like the way that they do things as well, hopefully this good run continues!

CraigWL · Jun 27, 2015

OCTOBER 2014

After an exceptionally good September which saw us win all 3 of our league games, we now look to a slightly busier month which will see us play league games against East Stirlingshire, Montrose and East Fife, as well as a cup game against Buckie Thistle. I was midway through preparation for the game against Buckie Thistle before i received a phonecall from Mr Jack regarding my performance so far.

"Hello Craig, i just wanted to take the time to tell you how happy we are about the club's performances recently, we've picked up some excellent results and i hope that it continues. We do hope however than you can ease the tension in the dressing room, there are a lot of characters in there and we don't want there to be too many disagreements as it could harm us. Our fans liaison has informed me that the supporters aren't too happy with the performances of William Muir and David Sinclair, so if you could address that issue as well then that would be fantastic."

"Absolutely Mr Jack. I won't let you down!"

The problems in the dressing room obviously hadn't gone unnoticed. I also didn't think Muir and Sinclair had been playing that badly, but if the fans aren't happy about it, then they aren't happy about it. After some productive talks with the two players, coupled with the news that Ryan Hynes had returned to full training following his injury in pre season, i turned my attention to our next match...

BUCKIE THISTLE V QUEEN'S PARK (Scottish Cup 2nd Round)

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Three changes for today's cup game with Lee Davison coming in for the injured Mathis, while Woods and Barry Burns replace Miller and Coll. My fingers were crossed for a good result, as it would be a shame if all of our good work over the last month was undone.

We nearly started off in the worst way imaginable, as Duncan found space inside the box before slamming his shot against the post. Things got better for us from that point on however, as Sean Burns found Davison inside the 6 yard box, who was able to volley into the net to give us an early lead. We were haunted by old problems a little later on though, as Quinn was too slow in moving forward with the rest of the back line, allowing Conway to run through 1 on 1 and finesse it past Muir to give Buckie an equaliser.

Our opposition suffered from defensive issues of their own however, as a long ball over the top from Sean Burns was missed by Cheyne, which allowed Moore to stride through and give us the lead, despite Buckie 'keeper Munro's best efforts. We were able to double our lead on the hour mark as Davison set up Sean Burns perfectly, allowing him to finesse it into the far corner.

More defensive calamities were in store for us, as a long ball over the top from Angus landed on the edge of the six yard box, and Muir waited, and waited, and waited, before Smith ran in and blasted it past him at the near post. Perhaps the fans were right. But, salvation! The goal was disallowed for offside! Muir's blushes were spared.

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A good result which sees us progress to the 3rd round of the cup, meaning we have met our targets in the competition this season. We also had to chuckle at Clyde losing 4-1 to Clachnacuddin. We received £4k for winning the game, much appreciated. The only negative is that Woods fell awkwardly during the game and will be out for 3 weeks with a damaged elbow. We also learned that we will be playing either Stirling Uni or Inverurie Locos in the next round. A very winnable tie!

Now came the inevitable string of bad incidents. First of all, i was told by our physio Andy Harrison that Lee Davison had sustained a back strain after over exerting himself in the weights room, sidelining him for 5-6 weeks. To make matters worse, i received that haunting knock on the door which i had heard so many times before. I knew what was coming.

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Kevin Fotheringham walked in.

"Boss, i understand that i'm only a backup member of the squad but i'm tired of waiting, i need to start getting games under my belt and hoped that you would consider playing me soon" "

"Kevin, i truly understand your concern, but we're on excellent form right now, and Sean has been on marvelous form so i can't really afford to drop him"

"I honestly don't think that Sean has been that good."

I'm not sure i can take him seriously any more after that

"Very well Kevin, if you want to leave then you can leave""If it means getting first team football, then i'm perfectly happy to."
Great, more unrest among the squad. A great shame considering how well we are doing. This escalated even further a couple of days later, as Shaun Fraser didn't report in to the training ground for a training session. Normally i would fine them a week's wages for this, but... well, it's pretty clear why i can't do that. I issued him with a warning, and he said that he would improve his behaviour in the future. I didn't hold out much hope though.

EAST STIRLINGSHIRE VS QUEEN'S PARK (League 2)

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More changes for this game, with Fotheringham and Hamill coming in for the injured Davison and Woods. Gibson and Coll also replaced MacGregor and Barry Burns in the back line. I knew this would be no easy game. East Stirlingshire were 300-1 to win the league and predicted to finish rock bottom, miles behind pretty much everyone else. Despite this, they currently sat in 5th and hadn't lost in their last 7 games in all competitions. Something's got to give.

They started on the front foot, and got their reward when Donnelly floated in a free kick from the right flank which was comletely missed by Gibson, allowing Tahin to knock it past Muir to give East Stirlingshire the lead. Infuriating. We didn't lie down however, and were back on terms after Fotheringham rose well to nod Coll's cross into the bottom corner. The game was ours for the taking at this point, and we eventually took the lead as Coll played a ball over the top, which found the run of Burns, who dinked the ball across the box to find and unmarked Moore, who put it past Anderson to make it 2-1.

We kept our momentum going into the second half and doubled our lead when Moore played the ball to the edge of the box from the left flank and found Berry, who hit a first time drive into the right hand side of the goal from 25 yards to give us a 2 goal advantage. That's what i was hoping for from Berry! We looked to be on course for another thriller, as Love found an incisive pass to McKenna, who was fouled by Coll as Coll slid in in an attempt to win the ball. It did look suspiciously like a dive, however...

Ryan Frances would step up and slam the ball down the middle to make it 3-2. Thankfully we put the game beyond doubt a couple of minutes from time as Fotheringham was tackled on the edge of the 6 yard box, the ball fell to Berry who curled it round Anderson to give us a well fought win.

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17 year old Billy Sweeney made his debut in the game from the bench, he's a player who looks to have a bright future. We are also confirmed to be playing Inverurie Locos in the Scottish Cup 3rd round. I also sadly had a dispute with striker John Carter, who was also, surprisingly, unhappy about the lack of first team football he was getting. I simply explained that Moore was playing far too well for me to drop him, but John wouldn't listen and now also wants to leave the club. This was worrying me, as if you were to remove all of the unsettled players at our club, we would be left with little strength in depth, meaning we would have to resort to the same lineup far too often for squad's good.

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It was a superb feeling to set a record like this, and i remained hopeful that we could continue our good form.

We also had a strong presence in the team of the week this week. View attachment 250334

QUEEN'S PARK VS MONTROSE (League 2)

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A couple of changes for the game today, with 17 year old Derek Corrigan making his debut in place of Fotheringham, and MacGregor coming back into the side to replace Coll.

Another huge game here, a battle of 1st and 2nd place. Never thought i'd be saying that when i first took the job! Unfortunately for us, things didn't start off well, then again, they never do. Cameron crossed the ball in towards O'Neill, who nodded a tame effort towards Muir. Unbelievably, Muir parried the ball into his own net, allowing Montrose to take a 1-0 lead. Nothing short of woeful. The hilarity continued, as a few minutes before half time, Burns whipped the ball in towards Moore, who got an awkward touch, which saw the ball slowly roll towards the Montrose goal. Incredible, Edwards allowed the ball to slip through his hands for an equaliser.

I was a little amazed by what i was seeing. We were desperately unlucky not to find a winner, as Edwards made a string of good saves, as well as Montrose's defenders making some crucial goal saving blocks. Shame that we didn't get the 3 points, but a draw against Montrose isn't bad at all.

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Sadly, Craig Watson suffered a thigh strain during the match, and will miss 4-5 weeks. He's been a bit of a fixture in that role so hopefully we can cope without him.

Jordan Moore was also named in the team of the week following his performance.

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I also received news from Hillcoat that John Carter and Kevin Fotheringham were no longer looking to leave and are happy with the amount of first team football they are getting. Not sure why, exactly, but i wasn't complaining.

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It wasn't all good news though, as Gavin Mitchell had returned to my office, this time saying that he wished to move on because he wasn't sure if he was up to the standard to play regularly here.

Do my squad have bipolar disorder?

"Gavin, i'll tell you what i told you last time, i don't think that you're quite ready to be starting games, but if you knuckle down you will likely get your chance."

"And i will also tell you what i told you last time, i know that i'm ready, my age doesn't matter if i'm good enough"

So now he thinks he's good enough again... What's going on?

"I don't want to let you go but i can't just guarantee players a chance, be patient"

"You can talk to me about patience if you like but it's not your career that will stagnate due to sitting on the sidelines."

"Very well, like i said, i don't want to see you leave but if your mind is set on it then feel free"

Another one unhappy. The extra unrest will surely displease Mr Jack.

QUEEN'S PARK VS EAST FIFE (League 2)

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Three changes for this game, as Ramsay, Wilson and Marr come in for Corrigan, MacGregor and the injured Watson. East Fife had still not won a game this season, sitting on 3 points. Could be a bad omen.

I could never have predicted the start that we made... Scott Gibson brought down Winters just outside the area after he had the ball thread through to him, after studying the referee for a moment i knew exactly what was coming. Gibson was sent off after just 2 and a half minutes. I was forced to bring MacGregor on for Hamill to plug the hole in the backline. We were lucky to end the first half at 0-0 after East Fife missed a couple of great chances. 5 minutes into the second half though, we were desperately unlucky not to take the lead. Moore saw his cross met by the head of Burns, whose header was superbly tipped onto the bar by Miller.

Miller came to East Fife's rescue with 15 minutes left, as Burns played Moore through on goal, who saw his shot finger tipped save onto the post. Muir also made numerous saves throughout the half to keep East Fife at bay.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH

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Jordan Moore, he has really shown his quality over the past few games, scoring in 3 of our 4 games this month. He is really showing why he commands £4 a week!

WORST PLAYER OF THE MONTH

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Patrick Slattery, he simply hasn't produced the performances over the last few months that we expect of a player of his calibre. This 'award' could have been given to Muir, but his performances in the last couple of games made up for his earlier errors.

CantGetEnoughOfJelavic · Jun 27, 2015

Enjoying this! Kenny Deuchar!!

CraigWL · Jun 27, 2015

CantGetEnoughOfJelavic said:
Enjoying this! Kenny Deuchar!!

**** of a player! Appreciate the comment mate.

CraigWL · Jun 28, 2015

NOVEMBER

Before i even begin to go through November's happenings, you can probably guess by now exactly what happened at the start of the month.

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Kenny Deuchar... complaining about... yep, a lack of first team football. Admittedly, this one was probably on me, given the fact that i did actually sign him. I simply explained to him that Jordan Moore was on storming form and that i would struggle to drop him right now. Kenny wasn't really having it though, and now appears to want to leave the club.

After banging my head on my desk a few times in frustration, i tried to move on and forget about it. It wasn't easy though, this unrest could cost us in the long run.

On a better note, we've had a good presence in the awards recently.

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It was particularly pleasing to see Vincent Berry win the player of the month award after i named him the worst player of the month for September, he has shown a great attitude to bounce back.

I did receive word however that the club had lost £127k in the last month, very concerning, but not exactly under my control.

QUEEN'S PARK VS INVERURIE LOCOS (Scottish Cup 3rd round)

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A few changes for this cup game, including a change of formation. McPherson comes in for Sean Burns, Coll and Mitchell replace Wilson and Marr, and Barry Burns comes in for Ramsay. I'm hoping the change of setup will fire the team up and inspire them to a win, one that we should be picking up.

After suffering an early setback with Mitchell going off injured, we were lucky not to be behind on the stroke of half time, with Muir pulling off a point blank save to deny Bavidge. Half time came and all i could think about was how poor the match actually was. The change in formation might have backfired, but i decided to stick rather than twist. I was right to be worried, just over 10 minutes after half time, Bavidge volleyed in a Leyden free kick and gave Inverurie the lead. We took our chance to level 20 minutes later however, as Coll latched onto a Moore cut back and volleyed the ball into the top right corner.

Disaster struck on the stroke of full time, as following an Inverurire corner, Young hit a shot which was parried by Muir, and after a scramble, Bavidge managed to squeeze the ball into our net to hand Inverurie the win.

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A really poor outing given our recent good form. I was glad that we hit our target and reached the 3rd round, but we really should have won that game. Unnecessary tweaking cost us? Perhaps, but i don't expect our lads to be outplayed by a Highland league side.
ARBROATH VS QUEEN'S PARK (League 2)

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A return to the tried and tested formation today, with Sean Burns coming in for McPherson, Deuchar replacing Quinn, Wilson replacing Coll and MacGregor and Marr replacing Gibson and Mitchell. Moore is operating on the right flank due to a real lack of choice in that position. Arbroath currently sit in 6th, a very average season so far from them, and we could be looking to capitalise here.

We set out looking to do just that and on the half hour mark, Moore found space at the near post to head in a cross from Marr to give us a 1-0 lead. Why couldn't we have done that in the last game?! We failed to carry on our performance in the second half however, as Grant found a completely unmarked McGeever at the back post, who easily headed in.

Things got worse for us, as Linn hit an early low cross into our box. Wilson attempted to control the ball but his touch ran away from him, allowing McManus to tap in from inside the 6 yard box.

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A real game of two halves, Arbroath did nothing to trouble us in the first half but we seemed unable to cope with them in the second. This result has left us without a win in our last 4 games in all competitions, a concerning run of form, but i should have seen it coming, things were going a bit too well.

Despite the defeat, Marr was named in the team of the week

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ELGIN CITY VS QUEEN'S PARK (League 2)

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Some fantastic news going into this game, Yohann Mathis is back to full fitness, and comes in for Kenny Deuchar. Quinn and Watson also replace MacGregor and Marr.

There were ominous signs after just 15 minutes, after a long ball over the top found Gunn, who thankfully put the ball the wrong side of the far post. We're constantly being undone, and annoyingly, it's not because of opposition quality, it's simply a lack of concentration on our part.

We weren't the only ones making mistakes however, as Elgin's keeper Laidlaw was caught in no mans land following a corner, allowing Berry to tee up Hamill for his first goal since joining us on loan. All and all, it was a pretty poor first half of football, but i was more than happy to win ugly at this point.

We had a lucky escape just after the restart, after an early cross from Gilchrist was knocked down by Cham to Gunn, whose shot hit the palms of Muir before going into the goal. Thankfully, the assistant had his flag up. Incredibly, we went straight up from the resulting free kick, as Mathis knocked a delightful ball to the edge of the 6 yard box to find Sean Burns, who fired a shot past Laidlaw to double our lead.

Things would get even better for us just moments later, as Sean Burns found space on the right flank before evading a tackle from Cooper and floating a ball into the area, allowing Berry to nod in for a 3-0 lead. No match would ever go perfectly for us of course, and Elgin did bag a goal, after Daniel Moore's free kick hit a combination of the crossbar and Muir before going in. We would have the last laugh however, as Woods found Watson down the right flank with a through ball, and Watson played a lovely ball to the back post and found an unmarked Sean Burns, who tapped his shot into the goal. Sean was denied his hat trick after he volleyed in another splendid cross from Watson only to see the linesman have his flag up.

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Easily our best performance for a long time. I'd be a very proud manager if we played like that every week!

Vincent Berry was also named in the team of the week after his performance. Incredibly there is no place for Sean Burns.

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QUEEN'S PARK VS ALBION ROVERS (League 2)

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We have opted to keep the same starting lineup for this game, as i don't feel that anyone deserved to be taken out of the side following the last performance.

We were tipped as clear favourites by bookies going into this game, but i knew Albion were a tough side, we have failed to beat them in 2 attempts so far this season, hopefully we can make it 3rd time lucky. We didn't do ourselves any favours, as Hamill naively pushed Maguire to the floor while defending a free kick, giving Albion a penalty which Darren Young coolly converted. We could have found ourselves level on the stroke of half time, but Hamill's vicious volley after a Burns corner rattled the crossbar and bounced out.

We made no mistake in the second half however, as Moore latched on to a good ball in from Burns, only to see his shot superbly parried onto the post by Parry, but the keeper was left gutted after Mathis tapped in the rebound to bring us back level. Things got even better moments later, with Burns the architect again as he swung a ball in to the far post, where Mathis hit a shot towards goal, Parry managed to once again tip it onto the inside of the post, but saw the ball get knocked into the net by his own defender Dunlop.

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The result kept us a point clear of Berwick, and also gave the fans something to cheer about after getting one over on their arch rivals. I was very happy for them, they've stuck by us through our rough patch and are now reaping their rewards. There was a bit of a chasm developing between 2nd and 3rd too, which i'm certainly not bothered about as long as we sit top! The fact that we were tipped as clear favourites in that last game just shows how far we've come as a team, we look like a very solid outfit and hopefully we can continue in this vein.

The media were once again quick to praise the life out of Sean Burns for his recent showings, and i can't blame them. He was desperately unlucky not to get a hat trick against Elgin, and he currently has 7 goals and 7 assists in 15 games in all competitions, a truly incredible return.

I also received visits from David Sinclair and Bryan Wharton regarding first team fotoball issues. The number of players who have had complaints must be in double figures now. I managed to convince Wharton to cool down, but Sinclair still isn't happy.

CLYDE VS QUEEN'S PARK (League 2)

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Another unchanged lineup going into this game against Clyde. Clyde currently sit in 6th place and we should be looking to win this one.

Clyde appeared to be concerned with getting vengeance for our last encounter, as Watson and Mathis were both forced to go off with injuries in the first half (annoyingly the only thing that actually happened in that half!) and Qunn was forced off with one a few minutes into the second. Another feisty affair, for sure.

I thought i was going to fall asleep on my feet on the touchline, before Sean Burns provided some more inspiration, whipping in a great free kick to the edge of the 6 yard box, allowing Moore to nip in past Henderson and slam the ball home to give us a late 1-0 lead. We should have doubled our lead a couple of moments later, as we counter attacked after a Clyde corner, Moore switched the ball to the right flank and found substitute Fotheringham, who ran with no opposition players within 20 yards of him into the box, but put his shot wide of the right hand post.

Thankfully the miss would not come back to haunt us, and we held on for a 1-0 win.

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A solid if unremarkable win, probably the most satisfying thing was a clean sheet, and the fact that we didn't make any tremendous defensive errors.

Having a quick check of the league stats, i discover that Sean Burns leads the league in the average rating charts, Jordan Moore is second in the top scorers chart, and Yohan Mathis tops the assist leaderboard, incredible considering he only signed in September! I was also named in second place for the November manager of the month award, behind Berwick manager Colin Cameron.

A very questionable start to the month, but an excellent finish, one that will hopefully put us in good stead for December!

PLAYER OF THE MONTH

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Sean Burns. Once again, this one wasn't really close. Notching 2 assists and 2 goals and just generally being the difference maker in the team, Burns has been truly special so far this season.

WORST PLAYER OF THE MONTH

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David MacGregor. Once again, a poor showing from our vice captain this month, putting in some very shoddy performances, the most notable being against Arbroath.

CraigWL · Jun 29, 2015

DECEMBER

QUEEN'S PARK VS EAST STIRLINGSHIRE (League 2)

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2 changes from the last match, with Gibson and Davison coming in for Quinn and Mathis, the latter of which suffered a twisted knee in the last match and will sadly be out for a few weeks. A big shame, as he had contributed a large part since he returned. It was good to kick off the month with a home game, a good chance to continue our good form from last month.

It looked like we would do just that as Slattery fed Watson with a delightful through ball down the right hand side, allowing Watson to float a ball in towards the near post which was met by the head of Moore, who netted his 10th goal of the season. Beautiful. The joy was short lived however, as a long ball forward from Bolochoweckyj again managed to beat our entire defensive line, leaving tons of space for McKenna to run 1 on 1 and net his 16th goal of the season.

We managed to ****** a lead just before the break, as Sean Burns placed a free kick right in the top left corner. There wasn't much that this man couldn't do. Hampden Park thought that we had doubled our lead after Moore volleyed home after an early Watson cross, but the linesman sadly had his flag up. Jordan Hamill again showed signs of naivety after he clattered McKenna on the byline despite the striker not really going anywhere. McKenna would take the penalty, and fire it into the bottom right to ****** the win from us.

That one stung. This was the second penalty that Hamill had given away in a matter of weeks, and to have it come that late made it all that worse. It was only a minor comfort that we had been punished by a real gem of a striker at this level.

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Vincent Berry was also named in the team of the week after his showing.

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MONTROSE VS QUEEN'S PARK (League 2)

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Only one change for this clash with 5th place Montrose. Quinn replaces Gibson in the backline. I was keeping my fingers crossed that the lads weren't too affected by the late equaliser from the last game.

It took nearly the entire half for anything of note to happen, but we made our chance count, as Lewis Wilson crossed in for Jordan Moore, who volleyed in from 6 yards, beating McKenzie at his near post. It didn't take long in the second half for us to be pegged back though, as Wood played a lovely through ball to McIntosh, who broke free of our defensive line and hit a shot which trickled in off the inside of the right hand post.

Things got worse for us in the last 10 minutes, as Muir parried a Gillespie free kick out to his right hand side, Holden latched onto the ball, and lobbed it to the far post, where O'Neill was on hand to fire it past Muir to give Montrose the lead. We had an opportunity to restore parity before the conclusion, but McPherson could only fire his shot into the arms of McKenzie

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A disappointing result which saw us slip off the top of the table and down to second place. Then again, maybe my expectations were becoming a bit too lofty. To make matters worse, Sean Burns and Lewis Wilson suffered a gashed leg and a bruised rib respectively, leaving them out for 3-4 weeks and 11 days - 2 weeks. I was sure that we would miss both of them, especially Burns, massively in the upcoming matches.

Paul Woods has also joined Gavin Mitchell, Ross McPherson, Darren Miller, Kenny Deuchar, Shaun Fraser, Ciaren McElroy, Billy Sweeney and David Sinclair in the 'unhappy due to lack of first team football' folder. Poor man management or a bratty squad? Not for me to say.

QUEEN'S PARK VS ANNAN ATHLETIC (League 2)

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Another change in formation for this game. I paid for this last time but i feel something needs to change after the Montrose game. Coll comes in for Wilson, Gibson replaces Davison and Thomas Collins makes his senior debut, replacing Sean Burns.

The match started pretty poorly for us, with Gibson being forced off with an injury after just 13 minutes. Things got better, however, as Craig Watson swung in a ball to the far post, where McLachlan attempted to volley the ball clear but fluffed his lines and put it into his own net. Once again, they all count! We had no intention of resting on a one goal lead however, and when Berry found Moore at the near post with a corner, Moore executed a wonderful turn to wrong foot McNiff before curling a shot into the far corner. Annan had a chance to get back into the game close to the hour mark after McStay lofted a ball over the top, allowing Omar to run through on goal, only to be denied by Muir, who spread himself well to block the shot.

We managed to put the game beyond any doubt just before time, as Moore got his head onto a Coll cross. The ball struck the crossbar, but fell kindly back to Moore, allowing him to tap into an empty net after Hart's despairing dive. We were really going to miss Moore next season. Despite Moore's brace, the man of the match award went to Vincent Berry, after a commanding midfield performance which saw him make 69 out of 87 attempted passes, including an excellent 8 key passes, and 1 assist to boot.

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I was thrilled that my decision to tweak had actually paid off, the lads also showed great character to bounce back from the Montrose defeat (Credit to my man Mr. Rodgers for that one).

We made up half of the team of the week, too!

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Of course, someone had to come in and spoil the fun, and Bryan Wharton barged into my office again, complaining about first team football. I wasn't as successful at talking him down this time, and he is now unsettled. I mean really, why does this keep happening?

That Annan result should give us the perfect platform to go into our next game...

BERWICK VS QUEEN'S PARK (League 2)

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Three changes from the Annan game, as Hynes, Mathis and Wilson come in for Collins, Gibson and Coll.

What a game to round off the month, 1st vs 2nd. Nothing short of a win would see us return to the top, i could only hope that we had it in us. The match was of such importance, renowned referee Craig Thomson was the official for the game!

We found the breakthrough that we craved in the early stages, as Moore found plenty of space 25 yards out, before finding Mathis with an incisive pass, allowing him to tuck away the chance beautifully. We were really pushing Berwick to the limit, and forced Horne to make 2 decent saves within the first 20 minutes of the game.

Then came probably the best goal that i've seen my lads score since i arrived. Watson played the ball to Berry on the right flank before bursting down the wing looking for the return, Berry played a first time ball to Mathis, who exchanged passes with the onrushing Watson before chipping the ball to the edge of the box, where Slattery rifled home a right footed volley into the top right corner. I was so proud i didn't even truly celebrate, i just simply turned around and high-fived Hillcoat.

It got even better, as Watson found more space on the right flank, before again playing the ball in field to Mathis, who cut the ball back to Hynes, allowing him to place a shot into the bottom left corner, past a wrong footed Horne. I may have been getting ahead of myself however, as a few moments after the restart, Currie knocked down a cross which cruelly fell perfectly in to the path of Willis after striking the back of Hamill, allowing Willis to slam home. I was mortified in the last 10 minutes, when Currie took advantage of some woeful defending, finding an unmarked Willis on the edge of the 6 yard box, who tucked home his second of the game. Surely we weren't going to throw this away.

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We didn't. A worrying second half, but the football that we displayed in the first half more than made up for it. Away to Berwick, that was an exceptionally good result, and it is good to see that we can function effectively in more than one formation.

Lewis Wilson made it into the team of the week for his performance.

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Jordan Moore was also named the league's player of the month for December.

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Jordan also acknowledged the club after winning the award, saying that the friendly atmosphere really contributed to him winning the award. It was great to see a player like him have such a down to earth attitude, and he was keeping his feet firmly on the ground.

PLAYER OF THE MONTH

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Another player who has gone from worst player to best player, Berry has been truly excellent this month, showing that you don't have to be scoring goals to be a key player for the side, his commanding performances in midfield. Although he didn't win the official league award, he was my personal choice this month.

WORST PLAYER OF THE MONTH

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William Muir, again, another player who i labelled as key at the beginning of the season, but he hasn't really shown that in recent games, he could have done better for a number of the goals that we have conceded recently, and i hope to see better from him in the future.

CraigWL · Jun 29, 2015

JANUARY 2015

Sitting in my office following our new year's party in the local pub (i still felt a little ill, admittedly, but you've got to celebrate being top!), i discovered that Lionel Messi had been named the Ballon D'or winner once again. After expressing my dismay that Sean Burns wasn't nominated, i moved my attention to more pressing matters, transfers! We have brought in two new players, deals that were agreed last month but are now just going through...

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Ex Stranraer man Sean Winter has signed for us. A fairly well rounded player, he will compete with Yohan Mathis for a spot on the right wing. His experience at both League One and League Two level should serve us well.

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Another ex Stranraer player, centre half Frank McKeown, also known for his heroic efforts as a firefighter, has also joined up with us. He will hopefully bolster the ranks at the back, and his leadership will be a great asset for the club.

We have also released defender Bryan Wharton, who had recently made his unhappiness clear, the arrival of McKeown means it is probably best that we part ways, and i wish him all the best in the future.

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Billy Sweeney has also decided to leave the club and join Dundee. This is a shame, as i believe he is destined for quite a good future in Scottish football, but it just proves that we can't expect to keep a hold of everyone.

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We have also been able to negotiate a new main kit sponsorship deal which will see us earn an extra £3k per year. Not much, but every little helps.

QUEEN'S PARK V CLYDE (LEAGUE 2)

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More squad rotation exercised here, as Collins and Gibson come in for Hynes and Mathis, while Mitchell replaces Hamill. New signings Sean Winter and Frank McKeown are on the bench, as is the returning Sean Burns. Clyde have undergone something of a resurgence since their bad start, and haven't lost in their last 4 games. Barry Ferguson also won manager of the month for December, so this will be no easy task.

We were intent on stopping their run, and our pressure came to fruition as Collins tapped in from 4 yards after Martin had parried out a close range Moore shot after a goal mouth scramble. We were pegged back just before the break however, after former Hibs man Derek Riordan placed the ball in the bottom right corner from just inside the box. Not a good time to concede at all.

Our 2nd goal of the game came from an unlikely source, as Gibson whipped in a free kick from the right flank, Barry Burns nipped in ahead of the defender and chested the ball round Martin before tapping in and bagging his first goal for the club.

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An important result against a side on good form which sees us retain top spot.

EAST FIFE V QUEEN'S PARK (League 2)

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Another 3 changes made for this game, with Deuchar and Hamill coming in for Quinn and Mitchell, McKeown also replaces Gibson at the back to make his Queen's Park debut.

These are the matches that i dread the most. East Fife are bottom, with a mere 11 points from 19 games and a -16 GD, the polar opposite of our +16 GD. I would find it absolutely typical if we were to lose here. I feared the worst as i watched the first half an hour go without any action, as well as seeing us lose Slattery to an injury. We would battle on though, and found a breakthrough as Berry played a corner to the near post and found Deuchar, who pulled the ball back to the penalty spot where a lurking Moore volleyed home.

My worst fears appeared to be materialising a mere 5 minutes after the restart however, after Cameron flicked home a volleyed Smith cross form 6 yards. We rarely do things the easy way. We regained the lead 15 minutes from time however, as Winter was able to beat Cameron in the air after our free kick was cleared, he knocked the ball down to Barry Burns, who swiveled and hit a beautiful 20+ yard dipper into the net. A remarkable 2 goals in as many games for the defender!

We wasted no time in doubling our advantage either, as Ryan Hynes snuck in behind Julen Etxabeguren to volley home a Wilson cross. Unfortunately luck wasn't on our side 10 minutes from time, as Moffat hit a shot which deflected off of Mitchell, wrong footing Muir who was unable to stop it despite getting a hand to the ball.

Muir was our saviour a couple of moments later however, as a long ball over the top allowed Cameron to nip in, but Muir was able to get a strong palm to the ball and push his 1 on 1 effort wide. We seemed intent on throwing away the lead, as in the 85th minute, Watson challenged Winters, leading to the referee pointing to the spot, despite Winters largely looking like he had dived. Things would get worse, as the referee gave Wilson his marching orders, showing him a second yellow card for dissent. Mullen stepped up and confidently powered the ball past Muir to peg us back to 3-3.

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Typical. We surrender the top spot back to Berwick after drawing a game which we really should have won comfortably

QUEEN'S PARK V ARBROATH (League 2)

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Another 3 changes for the game against Arbroath here, Quinn and Mitchell replace Deuchar and Hamill, while Sean Burns operates at left back ahead of the suspended Wilson. I'm unsure what to expect from this game, it really could go either way to be honest, especially after we blew our last game.

We looked like we may continue in a similar vein, as a long ball over the top set McManus free, allowing him to jink past Barry Burns before placing it past Muir to give Arbroath a 1-0 lead. Our best chance of the half fell to Moore, but his shot from just inside the area was palmed wide by McCallum. We continued our tradition of being slow out of the blocks after the restart, after Grant played in a corner which, after cannoning off several bodies inside the area, fell to McManus, who slammed it home to double Arbroath's advantage.

I couldn't believe what i was seeing, the team that thrashed Annan and got a great away win against Berwick was getting torn asunder by Arbroath. We gave ourselves hope to salvage the game in the last 10 minutes, as McKeown launched the ball up the field towards Mathis, who took it down superbly before squeezing in at McCallum's near post to half the deficit. We came inches away from equalising in stoppage time, as Hamill managed to squeeze the ball to Moore on the left hand side of the 6 yard box, but his thunderbolt rattled the upright and bounced clear. We continued our pressure, and Moore was once again found at the near post with a corner, but his effort was finger tipped over by McCallum.

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Another poor result. Something must be done.

Barry Burns was named in the team of the week despite the poor result.

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More bad news on the contracts front unfortunately, as Barry Burns and Mark Fleming have been poached by Ross County and Livingston respectively. It's a great shame to see them go, especially Burns. Again, this shows what we're up against, being an amateur side.

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QUEEN'S PARK VS ELGIN CITY (League 2)

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4 changes for this game in an attempt to shake things up, with Mathis, Mitchell and McKeown being replaced by Winter, Hamill and Wilson. Barry Burns is also replaced by Gibson following Burns' departure from the club.

We started the game off with a bang, as some good passing play ended with Watson being set free down the right flank before whipping in a beautiful cross to the back post, where Sean Burns headed past Fraser to make it 1-0. We doubled our advantage in the 35th minute as Burns found Winter at the near post, allowing Winter to lay it off to Moore on the edge of the 6 yard box, who thumped it home to give us a 2-0 lead.

We don't seem to want to make it comfortable however, as Wyness got his head onto a Sutherland cross, beating Gibson in the air to reduce our lead to 1. Moore could have made it more comfortable for us after latching onto a Wilson cross, but his shot was well saved by Fraser. We were made to pay for that miss, as Wyness again found space in the box to volley in a Smith free kick. Elgin nearly did the unthinkable half an hour before time, as Nicholson hit a first time right footed curler from 25 yards which struck the post before rebounding, hitting Muir on the back and going wide.

We were the architects of our own downfall just moments later, as Quinn stupidly handled the ball while attempting to defend an incoming Elgin free kick, allowing Kabba Cham to step up and convert the penalty to complete Elgin's comeback.

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A terrible result given that after half an hour we looked like we were set to romp home. Thankfully Berwick lost to Annan as well, so the gap between us and them remains at 4 points. Craig Watson is now also set to miss a game after collecting 6 yellow cards, but his ban doesn't kick in until the 6th of February.

This result means that we have lost back to back games in the league for the first time this season.

ALBION ROVERS VS QUEEN'S PARK (League 2)

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A single change to the side today, with McKeown returning to the side in place of Gibson. A rivalry match to end the month, not one that i was looking forward to given our poor recent form.

We were desperately unlucky not to take the lead after 15 minutes, when Burns cut the ball back to Watson on the penalty spot, but his shot was expertly tipped away by Parry. Moore also played a cute through ball to Slattery after 17 minutes, but he was charged down by Parry as he broke into the 6 yard area. Unsurprisingly, we were made to pay for our profligacy, after some slack defending from McKeown allowed Gemmell to volley home a McKenzie cross. This is the sort of thing that i expected when i first joined the club, but after seeing how the team CAN play, i was not happy at all about this.

Parry once again came to Albion's rescue, making a miracle diving save to deny McKeown from point blank range after a Berry flick on following a corner. Things got from bad to worse just moments later, as we went from the edge of Albion's box, to allowing Gemmell to break down the left wing before he put a pinpoint cross in to McGuigan, who easily put the ball past Muir to double Albion's lead. We were given a lifeline just before the hour mark, after Cusack clattered Berry as Berry jinked past him, he was given a 2nd yellow card and his marching orders.

We broke with pace in the 73rd minute, and after some quick passing, Winter was through 1 on 1 with Parry, however, he dallied on the ball, allowing Hardie to superbly block the shot with a sliding challenge. Things became downright embarrassing after 75 minutes, when Fisher floated in a free kick from just past the halfway line. Dunlop was somehow completely unmarked on the penalty spot, and easily volleyed in to make it 3-0.

The game was perfectly summed up just 3 minutes later, when Mathis was set through 1 on 1 by Berry. With him, Miller and Moore closing in on the goal from various angles with no defenders in sight, i can surely be forgiven for thinking that we would at least score a consolation goal. Nope, Mathis lashed at the shot and blazed it high and wide. Mathis was again through 1 on 1 in the 85th minute after a long ball over the top from Hamill, but he fired his shot right at Parry. Not our day, at all.

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The worst thing about that game was that we honestly dominated, but every time Albion went forward they scored, they were clinical, we weren't, simple as. To top things off, Sean Burns suffered a twisted knee in this game, which will rule him out for 4-5 weeks.

PLAYER OF THE MONTH

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Slim pickings for this one, but i'll give it to Vincent Berry. He played in every game that we had this month, and didn't really play badly in any of them, so well done to him for that.

WORST PLAYER OF THE MONTH

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Tony Quinn, he played in all but one of our games this month, and was shoddy in all of them, provided little to no threat when playing up front, and looked suspect at the back. A man of his experience and quality needs to be better. This award could also have gone to Frank McKeown, who really was no better.

CraigWL · Jun 30, 2015

FEBRUARY 2015

The month kicked off for me with a phone call from Ronald Jack. When i saw his caller ID i was pretty scared to answer, with our awful performances recently i was fully expecting a grilling.

"Craig, i know you're probably feeling a little down after the recent results, but i just want you to know that we're still fully behind you. You've done an exceptional job in taking us to our current position in the table given our expectations at the beginning of the season, just do your best to stop the rot. We trust you."

"Thank you Ronald, that really means a lot, i know that the squad has what it takes to stop the downturn, and we'll work as hard as ever to do just that."

That really had lifted a bit of weight off my shoulders. It didn't make me feel much better about our form, but to know that i still had support from upstairs was a big plus. I was actually invited to take part in the media coverage that would surround transfer deadline day, but i politely declined. I couldn't afford to waste time doing press work while we were struggling.

This really wasn't what i expected to see the next morning...

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There appeared to be a bit of mutiny within the squad. The majority of the lads were happy, but this was a real problem. I was even quizzed by a journalist on whether or not that this would spell the end of my tenure here at Queen's Park. Not a chance, i was here for the long run, a group of renegades weren't going to stop me.

QUEEN'S PARK VS MONTROSE (League 2)

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Three changes going into this vital game against Montrose, with Gibson, Mitchell and Mathis replacing Winter, Watson and Burns. I could only hope that Mitchell was still willing to put a shift in, as i had little other options due to Watson being suspended.

We scored a much needed goal on the half hour mark, as a long ball from Wilson floated over the head of Wood and fell to Mathis, who composed himself before firing past McKenzie to give us the lead. We really, really needed that goal. Mathis had a golden opportunity to double our advantage in the second half, as he took advantage of a poor touch from Harwood, but his 1 on 1 was well saved by McKenzie.

Then, with just 5 minutes left, the unthinkable happened. Hamill attempted to head the ball back to Muir from a good 30-35 yards away, allowing McIntosh to steal in and run through 1 on 1. Dramatically, he smashed his shot wide of the right hand post. What a let off. I guess we were due a bit of luck.

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I've seen better performances from us, but ultimately, a win is a win. East Fife's shock win against Berwick has moved us closer to the top of the league as well. Just have to keep it going now.

I received a visit from Fotheringham and Burns following the game too, saying that i should take responsibility for the lack of harmony at the club and do something to change it. I held my hands up, i had omitted a lot of players, in my mind it was justified, but that's no comfort to them.

ANNAN V QUEEN'S PARK (League 2)

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Two changes for the trip to Annan, with Deuchar and Watson replacing Quinn and Mitchell. This promised to be a tough game, Annan sit 3rd in the table and are desperate to catch up with us. We have won 1 and lost 1 of our 2 games against Annan so far this season.

A severe lack of concentration almost cost us late in the first half, as Wilson took a throw in which missed both McKeown and Hamill, allowing Brannan an excellent opportunity, but thankfully he could only strike the foot of the post with his chance.

We would make Annan pay for that miss, as Watson would take advantage of some slack defending, finding a completely unmarked Deuchar 6 yards out from goal, allowing him to fire past Hart to put us into the lead. Annan hit back towards the end of the game however. Hamill managed to get his head to a corner to clear it, but the ball only went as far as Young, who nodded it back into the mixer and found Black, who flicked it on once again, past Muir and into the net to restore parity. A very soft goal to concede.

Mere minutes later we managed to break up the other end, with Woods squeezing a ball through to Quinn, who struck the near post with a well hit shot. The away end was on its feet 10 minutes later however, as Deuchar received the ball in the box, after some good shielding, he was clattered into by goalscorer Black, and the referee promptly pointed to the spot. This was it...Deuchar stepped up, and thumped his penalty straight down the middle to restore our lead.

Hearbreak was soon to follow however, as in the dying seconds of the game, our defence switched off, allowing Moulet to take control of a long throw in by Peter Watson before swivelling and placing it into the bottom left corner. Admittedly, i probably would have taken a draw going into the game, but to come so close and have it snatched away from us was gutting.

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Deuchar was also named in the team of the week after his excellent brace.

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QUEEN'S PARK VS BERWICK

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A single change for this game, with Hynes replacing Mathis up front. This game was absolutely massive, if we win, we keep ourselves well within reach of Berwick, if we lose, then i'd personally say we're out of it. I could do little but hope for the best.

Things nearly started off horribly, as Gray capitalised on a poor touch from Gibson to run through on goal, but his shot was well saved by the feet of Muir. We seemed incapable of going a game without a terrible mistake. Our fans were sent into raptures in the 34th minute however, as Winter exchanged passes with Deuchar following a free kick before floating a free kick to the back post, where McKeown rose well to head in his first goal for the club, and the first goal of the game. We almost doubled our lead just after the break, as Deuchar hit a half volley from just inside the box, striking the crossbar.

We weren't to be denied for long however, as Hynes deftly flicked in a Watson cross past the despairing dive of Horne. What a treat this was after the horrible time we had in January.

Me and my big mouth, we were pegged back in the 78th minute after Currie hit a powerful free kick, which Muir failed to keep out despite getting two hands to the ball. As it turned out, Berwick weren't finished, as *** crossed into the far post to find a completely unmarked Gray, who tapped in an 87th minute equaliser.

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Again, a result i would have taken at the start, and probably a fair result given the stats, but it stung to draw that late on.

EAST STIRLINGSHIRE V QUEEN'S PARK (League 2)

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Two changes from the Berwick match, as Quinn and Mathis replace Deuchar and Hynes.

We took the lead on the 20 minute mark as Quinn exchanged passes with Mathis before curling a beautiful shot into the top left corner, leaving Anderson helpless. Not bad technique for a 33 year old player-coach. Things would get even better for us, as a lovely through ball from Gibson made its way to Mathis, who took a couple of touches before placing the ball past Anderson. The lads seemed intent on making a statement, and pushed forward again just moments later, with Moore threading Mathis through. Mathis's shot was parried out by Anderson only as far as Slattery, whose shot was blocked by a last ditch slide from MacGregor, the ball fell to Quinn, who managed to squeeze his shot under a recovering Anderson to make it 3-0.

East Stirlingshire's best chance of the half came when Tahin was found at the near post with a corner, but his volley luckily went straight into the arms of Muir. We nearly extended our lead further after 50 minutes, when Watson knocked down a Wilson cross to Berry, whose right footed shot struck the crossbar before bouncing out.

East Stirlingshire did have the ball in the net in the 75th minute, but Buchan's volley was ruled out for offside following a MacGregor free kick. Jack Nicholson also rattled our crossbar with a long range drive in the 90th minute, but we ultimately kept hold of a 3-0 win.

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Sadly, Jordan Moore suffered a groin strain during the game, and will spend 4-5 weeks on the sidelines.

A decent month for us in the awards department...

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I certainly never thought i'd have managed one manager of the month award this season, let alone two!

Overall, a much improved month compared to January, and i'm excited for March, a month which will see us face East Fife, Elgin, Albion and Berwick.

PLAYER OF THE MONTH

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Again, Vincent Berry has been Mr Consistent over the past month, putting in some impressive displays without ever really playing poorly.

WORST PLAYER OF THE MONTH

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Jordan Moore. He hasn't been 'poor' necessarily, but has gone well off the boil after his recent good form, hopefully he will be back to his best after his injury

PatrickLFC · Jul 1, 2015

This is a great start mate, keep it up! You must have the most difficult squad in the game!

CraigWL · Jul 1, 2015

PatrickLFC said:
This is a great start mate, keep it up! You must have the most difficult squad in the game!

Thanks so much mate, it means a lot! Yeah, i don't think i have actually seen more '*insert name here* wants to discuss personal matters' messages in my entire spell playing FM! Even the hot prospects are annoyed at not playing!

CraigWL · Jul 2, 2015

MARCH 2015

A new month. After the massive contrast between January and February, i could only pray that we would be able to maintain our recent good form and rack up some more points over the next 4 games. I decided to have a browse over the balance sheet while i had a few moments...

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Does not look promising at all. Pretty heavy losses are predicted in the future due to our outstanding debt as a result of bank loans. I guess all i can do is just try and steer the team to success to gain some prize money and offset the losses. The constant reminders of poor harmony in the squad didn't help either. Everywhere i turned i heard quotes from fans and others associated with the club

"Mr Lucock doesn't know what he's doing! He's as much use when it comes to man management as a trap door is on a lifeboat!"

"These players are being held hostage, Lucock is nothing more than a bully and just constantly picks his favourites, the fact that Deuchar and McElroy are being omitted is a disgrace"

"Lucock is not the problem, the players are, they clearly aren't good enough to get into the side and their attitudes stink!"

Fantastic. I've honestly never heard of so much discontent around a club sitting 2nd in a league table.

Today was also the day where i get to study the new youth candidates that the head of youth development David McCallum has brought in.

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After watching the friendly organised between our Under 20s and the youth candidates, i couldn't help but be impressed, the majority of the candidates looked like they could turn into very decent players. Ultimately, we welcomed them all with open arms into our youth team! It wasn't costing us any money, so there's no harm in it!

Unless they start complaining about a lack of youth team football... surely not...

I had also caught wind of a rumor that Berwick were showing serious interest in signing Sean Burns. That could be a real problem, especially if Berwick were to win the league. I had to put everything that was going on out of my head and focus on our next game...

QUEEN'S PARK V EAST FIFE (League 2)

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Two changes for this game, as Burns and Collins come in for Mathis and the injured Moore. East Fife, probably the one team that i hate playing the most, we always seemed to struggle against them, and their recent win against Berwick didn't make me any more confident. The rain was also hammering down, could be a cruel metaphor.

My fears came true just before the half hour mark, as a Beaton forward header allowed Adeyemo to escape our defensive line before firing a shot under Muir to give East Fife the lead. Despite dominating the possession, we were behind. We restored parity just past the hour mark however, as a Watson cross was cleared only as far as Berry, who hit a sweet left footed volley into the bottom right corner.

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Once again, we draw, at home, to bottom of the league. With Elgin's surprise win over Berwick, it felt like a real missed opportunity.

Gavin Mitchell also twisted his knee while playing against Arbroath's U20, leaving him sidelined for 4-5 weeks. No doubt that'll be somehow my fault too.

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I may need a new desk soon, as this one is starting to dent due to the amount of times i've banged my head against it as a result of this happening. Yep, Sean Winter approached me about a lack of first team football, and is now unsettled after a pretty predictable argument which i'm tiring of writing down. This is the best part though, when Sean joined, he accepted the squad role of being a backup, he has played in 7 out of a possible 10 games since joining, and has an average rating of 6.57. There is absolutely no evidence that i'm mistreating him, but yep, it's my fault.

*Sigh* time to give IKEA a call...

In more positive news, Berry was named in the team of the week.

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That news was soon cut short as Dale Jones walked in complaining about a good old lack of first team football. Incredibly, he said to me that he had had a 'good run in the side' since he last spoke to me, despite his only appearance this season was being brought on as a sub, against Arbroath, in November. He was generally regarded as our ELEVENTH best centre back, and clearly had his squad status stated as a hot prospect. My brain hurt, he didn't listen to any reasoning or logic.

ELGIN CITY VS QUEEN'S PARK (League 2)

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I opted for a completely different strike force for this game, with McPherson and Mathis coming in for Collins and Quinn, while newly signed youth player Josh Adams also replaces Burns. I don't give players chances, though.

The first half flew by with little to no action, this was shaping up to be a bad month...

10 minutes into the second half, Mathis was played in by a lobbed through ball, but his shot was well saved from a tight angle by Fraser. Elgin took the lead in the 69th minute when Cham stole ahead of Gibson following a Smith cross and placed the ball in the bottom left corner. It got even worse for us with 10 minutes left, as Gilchrist flicked in a long range Smith free kick.

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An appalling performance from us, i really was struggling to comprehend the inconsistency. Despite dominating shots we simply weren't putting teams away. Alan Bell and Cammy Campbell also made their debuts from the bench, which was a positive. Annan's draw against Berwick was good news, but once again made it feel like we missed a chance.

QUEEN'S PARK VS ALBION ROVERS (League 2)

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A few more tweaks for this game, Burns and Winter come in for Adams and Mathis, Cammy Campbell, Alan Bell and Gregor Wylie also come in for McKeown, Watson and McPherson to make their first starts for the club, a risk, but i wanted to shake things up. This would be a tough game for us, Albion usually do well against us and we've been on very poor form.

My changes appeared to be justified after 15 minutes, as Slattery played a long ball over the top and found the run of Wylie, who squeezed it in at the near post past Parry to score his first goal for the club on his debut. Sadly, Vincent Berry went off with an injury after 25 minutes, and gave way to another debutant in 15 year old Neil Irvine.

We were given a golden opportunity to double our lead as Twaddle floored Winter on the byline to give us a penalty. Hamill stepped up and confidently placed the ball in the bottom corner to give us a much needed cushion. I was convinced i was dreaming just 10 minutes into the second half, after Bell found Burns with an early cross into the box, allowing Burns to nod in from 6 yards to score his 10th goal of the season. Burns would pop up again a couple of minutes later, and hit a free kick from 20 yards out into the roof of the net. Incredible, 4-0!

We couldn't go ahead and have a perfect game though, as Cusack's run was found by a long ball, and he squeezed it past Muir from a narrow angle to make it 4-1.

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A superb performance, a massive change from our last outing, unfortunately for us, Berwick also won. I received a visit from Connor Murray, an UNDER 20s player, one that again, i'm not going to type out, as sense really isn't being shown by my squad right now.

I seemed completely unable to enjoy a single week, and the disharmony in the squad continued to escalate as Paul Woods failed to turn up for a training session. I issued him with an official warning, and he genuinely thought it was harsh. I mean really, you're a footballer playing for an amateur team, and you can't even bring yourself to turn up for a training session. I was really losing my temper with some of these lads.

BERWICK VS QUEEN'S PARK (League 2)

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Four changes for this vital match, with Moore, Mathis, McKeown and Watson coming in for Wylie, Winter, Campbell and Bell.

It really was crunch time, we win, we're 3 points away from Berwick, we lose, and we fall 9 points behind, which at this point in the season could end our title hopes. One positive is that we have not lost in 4 games against Berwick so far this season.

It took 40 minutes for the first real chance of the game, and we made it count, as Berry played slid it through to Burns, who evaded a challenge from Fairbairn before hitting it into the bottom right corner. We were counting our lucky stars mere minutes later, as Rose got his head onto a corner and struck the bar. The ball rebounded to Currie who somehow headed over from 4 yards. Berwick had a decent chance 5 minutes into the second half, as Gray nutmegged Watson, cutting inside from the left before attempting to bend it into the bottom right corner, but Muir saved well. We kept it very tight in the second half and held on for a 1-0 win.

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A superb result for us, taking us within 3 points of Berwick at the top of the league. Despite the result, this confirmed that Berwick will at least be in the play offs this season. I received a baffling phonecall from Sean Burns' agent, Neil Reid, following the game, with him stating that he wanted an improved deal for his client. An improved deal, from an amateur club, great.

I took Burns to the side the next day.

"Listen Sean, i think you'd be best dropping Neil Reid as your agent, he really isn't doing what's right for you, there are plenty of agents out there who will do what's best for you and not themselves."

"I'm perfectly happy with Neil, i don't understand why you think he's doing wrong by me, he's been perfectly good for me so far and i don't feel like changing agents."

"I completely understand your reluctance, but i really think you should reconsider, this would certainly be the best decision for you"

"I suppose you know what's best, thinking about it, what you say makes a lot of sense, alright then, i'll drop him as my agent"

I returned to my office, sipping my coffee in satisfaction. Finally something was going my way with my players.

McKeown, Wilson and Berry were also named in the team of the week after the game.

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We were also included in the top three of two of the monthly awards.

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With five games left, the heat was being turned up.

PLAYER OF THE MONTH

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Berry once again has been a real midfield commander this month and rightfully won the league's player of the month award.

WORST PLAYER OF THE MONTH

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Scott Gibson, it was once again hard to pick out a worst player, but barring the Albion Rovers match, he was quite poor in general.

DreamTempest · Jul 2, 2015

Improve deal in an amateur club? lol I can only imagine he wanted to demand extra pats on the back and compliments for his client after a good match.

CraigWL · Jul 2, 2015

DreamTempest said:
Improve deal in an amateur club? lol I can only imagine he wanted to demand extra pats on the back and compliments for his client after a good match.

I guess that was probably it, yes! Sean gets enough of those already though, he really needs to lower his expectations, my wrist gets tired after a while

CraigWL · Jul 2, 2015

APRIL 2015

No messing about here, we're jumping right into it.

MONTROSE V QUEEN'S PARK (League 2)

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A rare unchanged side for this game away to Montrose after the excellent result against Berwick. This one could go either way, in 3 games between us this season, we've won 1, lost 1 and drew 1.

We kicked off the match on the front foot, and took the lead after Slattery found Burns on the edge of the box, who jinked past the challenge of Brown before slotting it under the dive of McCafferty. Good to see the agent change hasn't affected him too much! We suffered a blow towards the end of the first half after Muir pulled up after playing a pass, he was forced to come off and was replaced by 16 year old Jason Marr.

The injury to our keeper didn't seem to affect us much however, as an unmarked Slattery headed a Burns corner towards goal before Watson came in at the last minute and headed it past McCafferty to double our advantage. Montrose gave themselves a chance in spectacular fashion as Gardyne found space 30 yards from goal and drove the ball right into the bottom left corner. I had to applaud that one.

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Not necessarily convincing, but a good result nevertheless, Albion's draw against Berwick is also a huge boost, as it leaves us just one point behind the league leaders. This game also secured us a play off spot, an incredible achievement considering the lack of resources here.

The media continued to laud Burns with praise following the game, and rightfully so, looking at the stats...

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The likes of him, Moore and Berry have been inspiring for us this season.

QUEEN'S PARK VS ANNAN (League 2)

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A single change from the Montrose game, with Winter returning to the side to replace Mathis. We should be looking to win this game, and with Berwick going up against Clyde, i was hoping that Barry Ferguson could do me a favour. I'm not sure why i'm asking for other teams to do us favours when we can't do ourselves any favours though, as Annan took the lead when Brady flicked on a Peter Watson throw and found McNiff, who at first saw his shot saved by Muir, but his second effort cruelly struck McKeown and trickled into the net.

We nearly hit back mere seconds into the second half, as an early cross from Watson was met by Burns, whose volley flew over the crossbar. I couldn't believe what i was seeing just after the hour mark, as Gibson pointlessly slid in and tripped up McNiff despite the ball being nowhere near the two players, the referee duly pointed to the spot. McLachlan stepped up and used power to beat Muir and make it 2-0.

Things somehow got worse for us in the last 5 minutes, as Mathis failed to clear a long throw from Peter Watson, the ball fell to Brady, who lashed the ball into the top left corner to make it 3-0.

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That has got to be up there with our worst performances of the season, completely outclassed by an average Annan side. The fans were getting increasingly concerned with Jordan Moore too, who has failed to score in his last 8 appearances. That result leaves us 4 points behind Berwick with 3 games left. A huge ask now to overtake them, as it would require Berwick to drop points in at least 2 games.

There was more sad news to come in, as Ryan Hynes has tore his groin muscle, meaning he will miss 3 months and won't play a part in any of our remaining games this season.

ARBROATH V QUEEN'S PARK (League 2)

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An unchanged side for the visit to Arbroath despite our last result, i'm hoping some consistency may inspire a good performance. This title race isn't over until the fat lady sings!

We nearly took the lead a quarter of an hour into the game, as Moore found a lovely through ball to Winter, but his first touch took him wide and he couldn't squeeze his shot in at the near post. Arbroath made no mistake with their chance after half an hour, when Nicoll headed a Grant corner towards goal, Murray got his head onto the effort and diverted it to the other side past a despairing Muir.

Arbroath were determined to press their advantage, and a left footed cross from Grant from the right hand side found Lowdon 12 yards out towards the far post, allowing him to volley past Muir and double Arbroath's advantage. We got ourselves back into the game before half time, as Slattery passed to Burns on the edge of the box, allowing him to swivel and hit a left footed shot into the bottom left corner and cut the deficit.

The away end was sent into raptures after 80 minutes, when a long ball over the top from Watson found Mathis, who ran through and fired his shot past the keeper. Sadly, myself and our travelling fans had to sit back down, as the linesman had his flag up for offside. There was no linesman to foil us mere moments later however, when Wilson passed to Mathis on the left hand side of the box, allowing Mathis to finesse a beautiful shot into the top right corner for an equaliser.

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A good fightback, but again, we really needed to win that one, combined with East Stirlingshire's upset against Berwick, a win would have put us a single point Berwick. We now have to hope that Berwick drop points in both of their remaining games against East Fife and Arbroath. Unlikely to say the least.

Vincent Berry was once again named in the team of the week after the match.

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I got word that the media were hotly tipping Sean Burns to win the League 2 player of the year award as well. Excellent news! He thoroughly deserves it.

More bad news was to strike, as Jordan Hamill twisted his knee during a training session and will miss the next 4-5 weeks, doubtful that he will be back in time for any of our remaining games.

QUEEN'S PARK V EAST STIRLINGSHIRE

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A single forced change for this match, as Quinn comes in to replace the injured Hamill. This is a must win if we are to keep our slim chances of winning the league.

We took the lead in freak fashion in the 28th minute, as Watson's cross struck the underside of the bar, hit Anderson on the way down and trickled over the line. Once again, they all count! Our good fortune wasn't long lasting however, as Sean Burns was forced off with an injury towards the end of the half. We came desperately close to doubling our lead after the ball fell to Slattery following a corner, but his left footed effort struck the post and bounced out.

We were presented with another chance a few minutes into the second half, after Mathis was found with a corner to the near post from Berry. Mathis skipped round Greene and was floored by the East Stirlingshire defender, giving us a penalty. Moore stepped up and duly dispatched it, ending his long goal drought.

We gave away a penalty of our own after Watson tripped McKenna following his good run into the box. Frances stepped up and made no mistake, placing it superbly into the bottom right corner. We regained our 2 goal advantage 15 minutes from time, as Moore received the ball on the edge of the box from Mathis before turning and smashing a left footed shot into the top left corner. We had another chance to extend our lead when a long ball over the top found Moore who was dispossessed by a great slide tackle by Bolochoweckyj, but the ball fell to Winter, who ran into the box and beat Anderson at his near post to make it 4-1 and score his first goal for the club.

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A very convincing win against a good side, unfortunately Berwick managed to nick a win against East Fife, meaning that we will need a 4 goal swing in our favour to win the league on the final day, a big ask, we face 7th place Clyde while Berwick face 6th place Arbroath. This matchday also secured play off spots for Annan and East Stirlingshire, meaning we will definitely play one of them in the play offs if we fail to win the league.

Unsurprisingly, i received word from Chris Hillcoat after the match that Winter no longer wants to leave the club as he's now happy with his playing time.

Berry, McKeown, Wilson and Moore were all named in the team of the week.

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Sadly things got even worse for us on the injury front, as star striker Jordan Moore damaged his neck during training and will miss 5-7 weeks. This leaves us without our main scoring threat and our best defensive midfielder going into the final day, and the play off games. It's looking dire.

Third place in two of the awards this month...

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Crunch time in the next game, as we will be hoping for a mini miracle to avoid having to play in the play offs. More shocking things have happened!

PLAYER OF THE MONTH

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Patrick Slattery, impressively consistent over the last few months and has set up a few goals. I'm hoping him and Berry can form a good midfield partnership for a while to come.

WORST PLAYER OF THE MONTH

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Again, a little harsh, but Scott Gibson has been a little sporadic with his performances, leaving me unsure what to expect of him, hopefully he gets that little bit more consistent as he matures.

Turning Queen's Park into kings

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