Dorchester Town Story — December 2011

Hello people, I’m happy to bring you another episode of the Dorchester Town Football Manager 2010 Story! At the end of November we were sitting 3rd, one point behind the second placed team but with a game in hand. The third position was good enough for us though as it would grant us automatic promotion to League One. There still was a long way to go though and I was hoping that my team would cope in December without our top goalscorer, Omar Koroma, who was sidelined for three weeks due to an injury.

The first game of December was at home with 13th placed Grimsby and on-loan centre back Martin Kelly gave us the lead 25 minutes into the game with a corner kick header. Two minutes later striker Kazmierowski doubled our lead with a splendid solo effort, he sidestepped his marker and then placed the ball in from the edge of the area. The second half saw a recital from striker Marius Dabu, the man I chose to replace Koroma, he rifled in a quickfire double to celebrate his 50th goal for the club!

We had to play our game in hand next, at home with 8th placed Wycombe. The match was postponed last month due to the poor state of our pitch but now we needed the three points to move right to the top of the table! Our first half was rather poor though, the display was unconvincing but Martin Kelly saved us with a corner kick header. Sadly his loan was going to expire and there was no way to extend it, so this was his last game at the Avenue Stadium. The second half began with a good chance for Wycombe, they hit the crossbar and continued to outplay us. Luckily a good team move sent substitute veteran striker Leonardo Biangini clean through and he didn’t miss the opportunity. We were still rather unconvincing and Wycombe eventually clawed one back. We defended well during the final minutes of the game though and we were top of the table for the first time this season! Exeter were sitting second just one point behind us, we had to keep up the pace if we wanted to stay top.

We had another home game coming up, 7th placed Shrewsbury were coming to face us at the Avenue Stadium. We got off to a great start, five minutes into the game Ryan Carolan was pushed inside the box and the referee pointed to the spot. Simon Ferry coolly converted the penalty kick and things were looking to be right on track. They got even better a few minutes later, a rough tackle on Kazmierowski gave the referee no other choice than to take out the red card, we were in control. We managed to double our lead around the half hour mark, left winger Rosalia whipped in a vicious far post cross and right winger Mladenov headed it in off the underside of the crossbar. Unfortunately my lads got a bit carried away and Shrewsbury clawed one back just two minutes later on a counter attack. We were not controlling the game as we should have, my players were being outrun by 10-man Shrewsbury. The team was looking exhausted and the equalizer did come 19 minutes from time. We made a desperate push forward to regain the lead but my players were totally uninspired. The victory slipped through our fingers and so did the 1st spot, Exeter were back on top of the table and we slipped back to second, two points behind the leaders.

Next up, the Johnstone’s Trohy South semi final, away at Wycombe. We just beat them 2-1 at home in the league just a week before but it wasn’t an easy win at all, I was expecting a tough game again. My concerns were eased right away though, 37 seconds into the game my lads produced a nice flowing team move and Marius Dabu rounded it off with a powerful finish from point blank range. We had a good first half display and missed another couple of chances before half time. We were piling on the pressure after the interval and that finally paid off around the hour mark when substitute winger Mladenov slotted one home. Wycombe tried to react but Marius Dabu doubled his tally 15 minutes from time and settled the game, we were through to the South section final!

Back to the league, our next game was away at 6th placed Barnet. The first half was quite boring, none of the two teams looked worthy of their league positions. We started the second half with a better attitude and it took us only two minutes to leave a mark, Bulgarian winger Aleksandar Mladenov converted a good looking team move. We doubled the lead at the hour mark, captain Ryan Carolan scored a spectacular goal as he connected to a free kick cross with a superb left footed volley. The game was in our hands and we didn’t let it slip away this time.

Our next game was a crucial one, at home against league leaders Exeter. We were two points behind them so this was a good chance to sidestep them with a victory. That began to seem quite unlikely five minutes into the game though, Exeter took the lead thanks to a powerful free kick shot from the edge of the area, it went straight into the top corner. Our reaction was unconvincing to say the least, we were unable to get any shots on target until half time! Things changed after the interval, we started to push forward but Exeter were defending very well and my lads looked unable to find the crack in the wall. It took something special from Kazmierowski to get back into the game, he skinned a defender and then powered it in from the edge of the area. It was all square again eight minutes from time but we were riding the wave of enthusiasm after the goal. We continued to keep their defense under pressure and the reward came four minutes from time, Marius Dabu bent in a vicious cross from the left flank, Kazmierowski jumped higher than his marker and headed the ball home! The crowd was roaring as we earned a very important victory and moved back to the top of the table! Go to the next page to read the rest of the story.

Go to the next page to read the rest of the story.

Our last league game of the month came only two days after the Exeter one, 17th placed Bury were coming to face us at home. Ryan Carolan gave us the lead with a corner kick header 10 minutes into the game and we were in control of the match. Things were looking quiet but a terrible error from goalkeeper Daniel Tudor gifted Bury the equalizer, he needlessly rushed out to intercept a ball outside the area and got beaten to it. We got back on track just before half time though, Omar Koroma netted a penalty kick to celebrate his return from injury. The second half was very quiet but that didn’t stop Kazmierowski from getting his name on the score sheet yet again, he looks better with every game.

Exeter lost a second consecutive game and our lead was now extended to four points! The most important thing is that we are 10 points clear of the fourth placed team, promotion surely looks closer now!

We had one more game to play before the end of the month, the FA Cup 3rd round tie with fellow League Two side Port Vale. We started the game well, we were dominating but were quite unlucky to hit the crossbar twice. I was expecting a goal any minute but it came into the wrong net, Port Vale took the lead thanks to a fabulous strike. The team didn’t look shocked though, we continued to push forward but missed a good chance and hit the woodwork once again before half time. We had to turn things around in the second half but Kazmierowski wasted a huge chance a few minutes into it. Then a pretty big error in our defense gave Port Vale the chance to double the lead and they didn’t refuse it, we were 2-0 down! That goal was like a punch in the stomach for my team, the lads tried to react but they were looking like playing with heavy military boots instead of football shoes. We surely didn’t deserve to lose this game but when you miss so many chances I guess you can expect the worse.

Here’s how the player stats look like at the halfway point of the season, most players did well but there are a few that might leave the club come the 1st of January. Two transfers out have already been decided, backup left back Tom Wynter and backup left winger Alexandru Gheba will leave the club for an overall fee of 10,000 pounds. Veteran striker Leonardo Biagini announced me that he intends to hang up his boots at the end of the season but I am considering giving him an early retirement. He will not leave the club though, he wants to become a scout and I will offer him a contract since I could surely use his vast knowledge of Argentinian football.

Left back Fabio Daprela was one of our best players so far. He is on loan from West Ham until the end of the season and I’m quite happy with his reliable displays so far. I might try to make the move permanent at the end of the season if we get promoted.

The club’s financial situation has improved significantly thanks to all the prize money that we took from the cup competitions but also thanks to the much higher attendances for our home games. That’s a big step forward for the future of the club, I want it to be debt-free and to be able to sustain its activity without any loans or cash injections from the board.

I will be trying to bring in a few more players in January, mostly on loan and maybe a couple of free transfers, we’ll see. The new year will start with a home game against Port Vale, I’m looking forward to getting revenge for that FA Cup mishap. We’ll also have to play the first leg of the Johnstone’s Trophy South final against League One side Gillingham, they will be the favorites but we already beat them in the FA Cup in November.

That’s how it was my friends, thanks for reading this rather long post. Oh, and don’t forget to check out our new predictions contest, I hope you will enjoy it and spread the word about it!