Dorchester Town Story — November 2010

Hello folks, time for another update of my Dorchester Town Football Manager 2010 story! As you know we recorded our first defeat of the season in October but we were still top of the Blue Square Premier table, six points clear of the second placed team. My lads recovered well after that defeat at the hands of Luton Town and went back to the winning ways. We had to keep up the pace though, the season was still long and promotion was not at all guaranteed.

The first game of the month was at home against 8th placed Barrow, I was hoping to pull off another win with the help of our fans. We started the game well and striker Marius Dabu gave us the lead by finishing a nicely crafted team move. Then he missed a huge chance to double his tally five minutes later and we got punished on a counter attack, Barrow managed to level the game. The team was still playing well though and Marius Dabu eased my worries a few minutes later when he fired in another one from inside the penalty area. The third goal came as a natural consequence of our good display, left back Lee Molyneux crossed to the far post and right winger Jason Mycoe coolly headed it in. We missed quite a few chances in the second half and we scored only one more goal, a solo effort from striker Sergiu Jivan.

The next game was our toughest test yet, the FA Cup 1st round game against League One side Carlisle. They were doing quite well in League One too, they were pushing for promotion to the Championship. The first ten minutes proved that we were up against it, my defense was under pressure but we managed to survive. Then we gradually took control of the game in midfield and I was overjoyed in the 19th minute when striker Leonardo Biagini curled in a fantastic shot from the edge of the area, straight into the top corner! We were leading 1-0 and the crowd at Brunton Park was in disbelief. Our joy was short-lived though, Carlisle only needed three minutes to equalize as my defenders were unable to handle a long ball and that put Carlisle‘s striker in the clear. I was hoping to hang in there until half time and we almost made it. Unfortunately a shot from 30 yards out went past my keeper only one minute before the break, young goalie Maximiliano Catalano could have saved it, it wasn’t much of a shot… My team looked to be in disarray and Carlisle missed a huge chance right before the half time interval. The team came out with a good attitude in the second half and we almost managed to score the equalizer but Ryan Carolan‘s good corner kick header hit the upright. We kept on trying until the final whistle but we lacked precision, most of our shots were going high or wide. It was a good effort from the lads though, I congratulated them after the game. The bad thing was that centre back and captain Ryan Carolan got injured and was going to be out for three weeks.

Back to the league, we had a tough away game coming up at 3rd placed Ebbsfleet. The cup game seemed to have left a mark though, we had an unconvincing start and Ebbsfleet eventually took the lead from a penalty kick. We tried to get back level before half time but Dabu missed a huge chance, he shot straight at the keeper from point blank range. We continued to push forward after the break and the reward came in the 58th minute, centre back Bosko Visatovici banged in a corner kick header to get us back on level terms. The team was playing pretty well but just when it looked like we were going to score the second goalkeeper Catalano pulled a «Robert Green» on me, he fumbled a shot from distance and the ball went in… We poured forward in a desperate attempt to save the game but Marius Dabu missed a huge chance and our fate was sealed, we recorded the second defeat of the season.

We had to recover quickly but the next game wasn’t easy at all, we were playing away at 6th placed Histon. We started the game pretty well and things were looking pretty good 20 minutes in, midfielder el Kadi was brought down inside the box and the referee pointed to the spot. Sergiu Jivan stepped up to take the penalty, the shot didn’t look bad at all but the goalkeeper pulled off a superb save. We continued to push forward but luck seemed to be totally against us. We finally managed to get the breakthrough we needed nine minutes before half time, a nice flowing team move freed left winger Alexandru Gheba inside the area and he blasted it home. We were safely in control during the second half, we kept possession very well and secured the win. Unfortunately it seemed that we had a small injury crisis going on as right wingers Mycoe and Marwood got injured and would be unavailable for quite some time, around two months… That means that I have only one right winger left, Carol Domondi, so he’ll play to exhaustion until the other two get back. Go to the next page to read the rest of the story.

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

We were back at the Avenue Stadium for the next game, 15th placed Gateshead were coming to pay us a visit. I was hoping to win the game but the first half was disappointing and Gateshead could have even taken the lead but they struck the crossbar with a corner kick header. We played a bit better after the break but our shooting was incredibly wasteful: only one shot on target out of eleven and none of those shots were from distance! My strikers looked like they were getting a bit complacent and I told them that I’m not going to tolerate such dismal performances.

The last game of the season was away at fellow newly promoted side Newport Co, they were sitting 16th in the table. We got off to a fairly poor start again but this time striker Marius Dabu found the target with his first attempt, that’s what I expect from him. We doubled the lead seven minutes before the break thanks to a very good team move that was started and finished by the same player, Marius Dabu. I guess my harsh words after the Gateshead game motivated him to do better. Newport reacted well though and they clawed one back right away thanks to a good quick move. The first half wasn’t over yet though, we pushed forward again and the referee awarded us a dubious penalty during injury time. Jivan said thanks and banged it home, the victory seemed to be ours. Newport got back into the game after half time though, we gave the ball away easily in midfield and the counter attack was quick and merciless. We did close the game 10 minutes later, captain Ryan Carolan was back on the pitch after the injury and he was keen on leaving a mark. This time he didn’t score through a corner kick header, a free kick cross found him at the far post and he fired in a splendid left footed half volley to bring us the three points.

We were still top of the table but our six point cushion was reduced to five points, we can’t afford any more slip-ups if we want to stay top.

I would like to spend a few words on centre back Ryan Carolan, one of my favorite players. I brought him in on a free transfer last season and he established himself immediately as an important first team player. I chose to sign him because of his very good pace, that’s essential in my tactical set up since the defensive line pushes high up the pitch and also employs the offside trap. The lad did very well during the first season and in July I decided to reward him by handing him the captain’s armband at the age of 21. He didn’t let me down, he has been extremely reliable so far and he also fired in three goals to help our cause. If he keeps going on like this he will surely become a club legend.

December will see up playing only four games, including the FA Trophy clash with Ebbsfleet. I hope to get revenge for that league defeat…

That’s about it my friends, we managed to hang in there and hang on to the 1st place but the season will become more and more difficult if we’ll keep having injuries plaguing our players. I might try again to get some players on loan and maybe persuade the board to finally find us a parent club. Stay tuned to find out what will happen. ;)