Blyth Spartans Story — January 2015

Welcome to the year 2015, a trip to the future with the Blyth Spartans, the club that went from Blue Square North to the Premier League and now is trying to make an impact in European football. We were in 3rd place in the Premier League at the halfway point of the season and we were also qualified for the first knockout round of the UEFA Europa League. The domestic cups didn’t brig us too many reasons to be happy though, we were knocked out from the Carling Cup by Arsenal and now we had to face Tottenham in the FA Cup.

It was an extremely entertaining match, both teams tried to score as many goals as they could… Unfortunately my defenders had a very bad day, they looked clumsy and slow throughout the game. The great firepower that we had upfront brought us a high scoring draw, the game was going to be replayed at Croft Park…

Next up, the first league game of the year, at home with local rivals Sunderland. They were in 14th place and we had a good game with them back in August, it finished 2-2. We had to win this but my players had a terrible first half, they didn’t create anything in attack. At half time I reminded them that it’s an important game for our fans and they have to do their best to please them. They looked more determined in the second half and easily scored a few to give us an important win.

The next game was a difficult one, away at 15th placed Portsmouth. We won the home game with a few headaches in August, 3-2, and I expected a tough one again. With Tomas Necid injured and Nicao very tired we didn’t have enough strength upfront. Two players saved our day though, goalkeeper Silviu Lung jr and centre back Tiberiu Radulescu, both Romanian :) Silviu Lung kept a cleen sheet despite having to save some very difficult chances, and that made Chelsea make me an offer for him. Radulescu scored again from a corner kick and looked solid at the back, he brought another important 3 points in our bag!

Next up, the FA Cup 3rd round replay with Tottenham… It was a cracker again, great entertainment for the crowd. Unfortunately we couldn’t win it this time either, although we played very well. We didn’t have too much luck, we lost it after the penalty shootout and we scored a stupid own goal during extra time :(

We had to focus on the Premier League, we had two straight wins and our next opponent was 11th placed West Ham, a team that we defeated 3-2 away from home in August. We didn’t play well at all but we had two players in top form, goalkeeper Silviu Lung and young Spanish backup striker Pablo, he finally scored his first goals for the club! It wasn’t pretty but I was pleased to see my strikers convert their chances with great composure and confidence.

Next up, an away game at Queens Park Rangers, they were in 17th place and we had a good game against them in September, we won 1-0. Tomas Necid was back after an injury that sidelined him for 3 weeks and he was pretty impatient, he scored right away! We were 3-1 up at the break and QPR tried hard in the second half but Silviu Lung proved his skills again. Chelsea were desperate to get him but I kept refusing their offers. Although QPR played pretty well our victory never seemed to be in danger.

Four straight wins, we had a good chance to make it five in the last game of the month, at home with Middlesbrough. They were in 11th place and we had a difficult game with them back in September, 1-1 away. The showed a solid defense and tried to score on quick counter attacks. We pushed forward throughout the game but it seemed like it was going to be a goalless draw… Midfielder Mickey Wordsworth didn’t agree with that though… We were playing with only 10 men after left winger Martin Panik got injured but Wordsworth didn’t care, he banged in a powerful shot and gave us our fifth straight win!

Please sit down now, you’re going to be surprised… We were the new Premier League leaders, 4 points above Manchester City!We had to keep our feet on the ground though and admit that we had easier opponents in January, that gave us the chance to get 15 points. Things might change once we’ll get to face the tough teams again… Anyway, we’ll enjoy it while it lasts :)

I decided to sell four of my backup players, they were starting to moan about getting more chances to play for the first team and I thought that it would be better to let them go. I got a nice amount of money for them too ;)

With that money I brought my wage budget back on track and signed four replacements, Brazilian young prospect centre back Jorge, midfielder John Bostock and two wingers, promising youngster Zdenek Matejka and experienced Italian Luca Siligardi.

Siligardi is the only one of the four to be a first team regular for Blyth, he is a creative winger that could add a great touch to our attack. He can play on both wings, that was an important factor in my decision to sign him, along with the low price tag.

February will be less exhausting, we’ll have only four games to play. But the two league games will be incredibly tough, with Liverpool and Arsenal. We’ll also have to be careful with Dinamo Zagreb, they could surprise us if we get complacent.

That’s how January was, a great month for us despite the FA Cup setback. As I said, I don’t know if we are going to be able to keep that 1st place but I’m definitely going to enjoy that as long as it will last :)