Hello folks, it’s finally time for a new episode of the Dorchester Town Football Manager 2010 story! I’ve been quite busy lately after getting back home from the long trip but things should slowly get back to normal. At the end of October my Dorchester were sitting 2nd in the League Two table, just one point behind leaders Exeter. We were also still involved in two cup competitions, the FA Cup and the Johnstone’s Trophy. Let’s see what happened in November.
The first game of the month was a pretty tough one, the FA Cup 1st round match against League One side Gillingham. We were playing at home though and I was hoping to see a good display from my lads especially since the match was going to be played in front of a capacity crowd, no less than 5009 spectators! Things went quite well in the first half, we were dominating the game and even managed to create a clear chance but Koroma was blocked by the keeper just when he was preparing to tuck the ball in. The first minutes of the second half saw the two teams battling it out for possession in midfield, the game wasn’t too spectacular. It took a dead ball situation to break the deadlock and luckily it was us who did it. A corner kick saw midfielder Juanje popping up unmarked and he coolly headed the ball home. The game became quite nervy after the goal, there were lots of fouls and yellow cards and little football. We managed to keep the opponents at bay quite easily though and we were through to the next round! After the game I was announced that we set another gate receipts record, 75,000 pounds!
We had another cup game coming up, the Johnstone’s Trophy South quarter final and our opponent was another League One side, Southend. We were up against the odds again but that also meant that we had nothing to lose. The first half saw a good hard fought game but we managed to take the lead following a corner kick, O’Brien‘s header was parried by the keeper but midfielder Chris Herd pounced on the rebound and pushed the ball in. Southend could have equalized just before the interval but they were unlucky and hit the post instead of the back of the net. I had quite a few fitness problems to solve at half time and I was forced to change the tactic to a 4-4-1-1 because I had only one fit striker left. We found ourselves under pressure after the break and Southend finally made it all square by taking advantage of a corner kick marking error. We needed only two minutes to get back in front though, a lovely team move sent right winger McKay clean through on goal, he skipped past the keeper and settled the ball into the back of the net. We were playing pretty well but missed a couple of good chances to close the game. The players got a bit tired in the last 15 minutes and Southend managed to come back again with a good flowing team move. The game went straight to the penalty shoot-out, there was no extra time. This time we won the lottery as goalkeeper Daniel Tudor managed to save three of the five penalty kicks!
Our next scheduled game was at home against 10th placed Wycombe in League Two but it was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch at our Avenue Stadium. So we had to move on to the next league game, away at 5th placed Luton Town. Our opponents looked determined to teach us a lesson: they hit the crossbar three minutes into the game and then hit the back of the net two minutes later. My boys reacted pretty well though but striker Kazmierowski seemed to have an unlucky day as he hit the woodwork twice in 10 minutes. We were trying to get back on level terms but Luton caught us on a quick counter attack and doubled their lead. We only managed to react after half time, we were pushing forward but there was no inspiration to be seen in our attack. Omar Koroma finally blasted one in 21 minutes from time. Then he hit the crossbar 10 minutes later but Luton could have easily settled the game on counter attacks. We hit the woodwork three times but I think that overall Luton deserved to win the game.
We had a good chance of bouncing back up straight away though, our next game was away at 23rd placed Burton, one of the weakest teams in the league. The game turned out to be pretty easy indeed, midfielder Simon Ferry and striker Omar Koroma (penalty kick) made sure of the three points before half time. Burton clawed one back in the second half but we never looked like losing the game and striker Kazmierowski put the game beyond doubt during injury time. Go to the next page to read the rest of the story.
Go to the next page to read the rest of the story.
Kevin Mayo
4 августа, 2010 at 21:37
Hi Johnny
Good to see you posting again. Some mixed results in the league which I’m sure you will no doubt rectify next month and with a decent cup draw you should get through to the fourth round. If your Polish striker can settle he could become a key player for you. Good luck!
Darren Smith
4 августа, 2010 at 21:53
Hey Johnny, you’ve managed to string some good results together there. I wouldnt worry too much about the loss to Luton. Your beating teams by a reasonable margin. Unfortunately everyone gets the odd game were their tactic is countered well by the oppostition. Anyway your looking good for the playoffs at least. Im looking forward to your next post. Goodluck mate
Sears
4 августа, 2010 at 22:11
Hi Johnny,
that was a good month, despite dropping a place. However, if you win your game in hand you will be in first position!
PS Like you, I have started a game with a lower league team. My story is being published at http://allthatisfootballmanager.blogspot.com/ and I’d appricate your input sometime! Thanks.
Vinners
4 августа, 2010 at 22:47
The defeat was gonna happen, I seem to think that FM doesn’t like you winning all the time and gives you a defeat somewhere along the line. See you believe you were unlucky with missing the premier league teams but I like playing them especially away even though you get destroyed by them you get a lot of cash which can help a small club finances a lot.
Lye
5 августа, 2010 at 05:36
Hi, glad to see everything back to normal and to your Dorchester story. Apart from the loss to Luton, your team actually did well in the league and the cup competitions. i have a feeling that you will get better. Hopefully your team can cope with the loss of Koroma.
By the way, hows your Shanghai trip? Do you like the place. I have been there once few years back and it was snowing that time. Felt so excited as its all summer in Singapore.
Johnny Karp
5 августа, 2010 at 06:18
@Kevin
Thanks, I hope we won’t have any fatigue problems in December. But I’m pretty sure we’ll have them :)
@Darren
Thanks, I guess we’re not unbeatable in League Two but we’re doing pretty well.
@Sears
Thanks mate, I did check your new story a few times but since there is no email notification of the new posts there I forgot to drop by.
@Vinners
I guess we’ll get even more money if we meet a Premiership team in the 4th round instead of the 3rd :) I think that the club will finally be out of debt if we manage to get past Port Vale in the FA Cup.
@Lye
Thanks for the comment mate. The trip was a bit nightmarish, the weather in Shanghai was extremely hot and humid. You felt like you were in a sauna the minute you stepped out into the streets. It also was quite tiresome but I did enjoy the experience, it surely is a lot more crowded than any city I have seen so far. It all ended with a plane take off thriller, the damn thing didn’t manage to take off on the first attempt but I’m glad I made it back home in one piece. Now I’m still a bit off due to the time difference but I guess my «clock» will get back to normal in a few days.
Ana Garcia
5 августа, 2010 at 12:15
Welcome back Johnny and your still doing really well despite some slip ups this month. Your team bounced back well after the defeat and you are still in contention for automatic promotion.
Hopefully you can keep the positive results going for the rest of the season.
Laxeyman
5 августа, 2010 at 12:31
Hi Johnny, despite that defeat it was still a good month, and that game in hand over the top 2 could be crucial. You’re still in with a good shot at promotion, although Koroma’s injury could hinder you a bit. Hopefully it won’t, and good luck.
Cal
5 августа, 2010 at 17:03
Glad to see that your back.
Good job in that your team finished very strong.
Good luck with your frantic next month!!
Sears
5 августа, 2010 at 18:48
@Johnny,
Oh sorry, I never knew that. I think you can subscribe now though at the blog. There should be a email notification at the top right hand corner at the blog!
Johnny Karp
6 августа, 2010 at 06:14
@Ana
Thanks, it’s great being back.
@Laxeyman
Thanks for the positive words, I hope that Dabu will score a few while Koroma will be sidelined.
@Cal
Thanks a lot for the good luck wish, we might need some of that good fortune :)
@Sears
Thanks, I just subscribed.
Jack
6 августа, 2010 at 12:47
Great month Johnny! Surely the club’s accounts are in the black after all that prize money you won? Keep up the good work.
Johnny Karp
6 августа, 2010 at 13:29
Thanks Jack, we’re getting closer to clearing the club’s debt indeed.