Dorchester Town Story: The European Debut

Hello my friends, it’s time for Dorchester‘s European debut! As I promised yesterday I have a fresh update to the story ready to go and it covers the first three months of the new season! We had no less than 15 new players joining the club during the summer transfer window so you can imagine that I was extremely curious to see them in action. So the introduction is over, let’s get on to the actual games!

Our Premier League opening game was at home with Everton, they were predicted to finish 9th. By the way, it’s the first season ever when we were not predicted to finish last, the media expected us to finish 11th! Back to the game, it was an absolute cracker! Everton took the lead after just two minutes with a free kick header but then my striking duo stepped up and turned the game around. Liam Parker scored twice and Craig Carlisle also found the back of the net but we had to thank new goalkeeper David De Gea for holding on to that lead at half time, he pulled off a string of stunning saves. Everton managed to get back into the game with another free kick header on the hour mark but Parker was unstoppable, he was brought down inside the penalty area and his mate Carlisle converted the penalty. It was a fantastic end-to-end game, very spectacular and I was quite pleased with the win. Our defense had to improve though, we allowed our opponents to create too many chances.

Next up, our Europa League debut! We had to travel to Sweden for the first leg of the play-off round against AIK Stockholm, I was hoping for a good result to take into the home leg. We enjoyed a good first half and missed a couple of chances before Craig Carlisle headed in a pinpoint cross from Anderson. Our opponents could have leveled the game just after the break when they hit the crossbar but we were in control and Fran Merida wrapped it up two minutes from time when he stormed into the penalty area and thumped it in. I was delighted with the result which almost guaranteed a place into the group stage.

The second leg was just five days later and given the 2-0 advantage I decided to field an almost completely different starting eleven. Striker Christian Stuani was the man of the match this time, he scored the opening goal just 55 seconds into the game and then added a second one to his tally on 17 minutes. Sean Scannell got on the score sheet himself despite being employed as a right midfielder, he fired in a beautiful shot from an acute angle. Brazilian Rafael Coelho celebrated his debut with a fine goal, he dribbled past a defender, then rounded the keeper and pushed the ball in. The crowd enjoyed a spectacular performance from my lads and I was pleased to have reached the Europa League group stage.

Back to the Premier League, our last game of the month was a tough one, away at Manchester City. We got off to a fantastic start, our aggressive approach paid off as we won the back in the opposition half, then it was quickly passed to Rafael Coelho who fired it straight into the top corner from the edge of the area! We were in the lead and I’m pleased to say that the game was fairly quiet until half time, Man City were unable to get past our defense. Things changed a bit after the break, the Citizens were showing more determination and David De Gea had to show a couple of great stops to keep us ahead. He wasn’t able to stop Robinho though, the Brazilian leveled the game with a great strike but my own Brazilian, Rafael Coelho, ha a great chance to score the winning goal but unfortunately he failed to find the net. However, it was a good result and a fairly confident performance.

The Europa League groups were drawn before the end of the month and we were not very lucky as we had to meet former Champions League winners FC Porto, German side Hoffenheim and Czech minnows Brno. In theory we had to battle against Hoffenheim for the second place but we’ll see more about that later on. Go to the next page to see what we did in September.

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

September started with a long break due to international games and our first game was towards the middle of the month, at home with Bolton. They were on a dismal run, five straight defeats, so we absolutely had to make it six. We started pushing forward right away and the breakthrough came in the 22nd minute when Liam Parker was stopped inside the box, we had a penalty kick and a red card for the professional foul! Unfortunately Craig Carlisle‘s penalty shot was saved and it could have gone even worse as Bolton missed a good counter attack immediately after. We kept their defense under constant pressure throughout the game but we just hadn’t enough strength to break them… I was already preparing to explain the goalless draw when Gael Kakuta made a fine run down the left flank and bent in a pinpoint cross that Carlisle headed in and handed us the three points.

Next up, the tough opening game of the Europa League group stage, we had to travel to Portugal to meet group favorites FC Porto. They showed their strength right away when David De Gea denied them an early chance but then we took the lead on 15 minutes when Craig Carlisle skipped past his marker and powered it into the roof of the net. We could have doubled the lead a few minutes later but then Porto came close to making it all square when they hit the crossbar. We were under more and more pressure after half time but we were holding on well. Porto finally leveled it with a rather lucky goal, a corner kick hit the crossbar and then went in off Kakuta‘s back. The Portuguese side kept on pushing forward but we defended well and also got some help from the woodwork again as Porto hit the post during injury time. It was a hard-earned draw against a better opponent, I was pleased with the determination that my lads showed in there.

We had another cup game coming up, the Carling Cup third round match against Arsenal. We were quite unlucky to be drawn against them and it looked more like a curse after the first half hour of the game. Arsenal‘s new striker Hulk was unstoppable, my defenders watched them bang in a hat-trick and we were 3-0 down in the 28th minute! Things took a better turn when Carlisle was brought down inside the box by Vermaelen, the Belgian defender got sent off and Craig Carlisle converted the penalty to get us back into the game. Our hopes went straight up just after the break when a great pass from Iulian Marin found Gael Kakuta inside the box and he placed it past the keeper. We continued to push forward but the closest we came was on 77 minutes when Carlisle hit the post from inside the area. We were handed our first defeat of the season and I couldn’t help to think we could have won the game if we would have shown better determination during the first half hour…

Back to the Premier League, our next game was away at Middlesbrough. The game was fairly even and quiet until the 32nd minute when Fran Merida worked a ball inside the area for Craig Carlisle who powered it in. Boro had the perfect chance to level the game a minute before half time, they were awarded a penalty kick but David De Gea saved it! The home side continued to push forward after the interval and after hitting the crossbar from a corner kick they were handed yet another penalty. This time De Gea was unable to stop it as the ball went in off the post but the referee pointed to the spot again nine minutes later when he spotted a handball inside Boro‘s box. Gael Kakuta stepped up and slotted it home and he could have added another one to his tally a few minutes later on the breakaway but his powerful shot rattled the crossbar. We defended well during the last minutes and clinched the three points, not a flamboyant performance but I was pleased with the effort.

The last game of September was the home match against Hoffenheim in the Europa League group. The Germans beat Brno 5-0 in the opening game so I was sure that we were going to have a tough one ahead of us. After an even first half Liam Parker managed to make the difference on the hour mark when he rifled in a superb shot from 20 yards out straight into the top corner. Our opponents took control of the game after the goal but we did well to hold on to that one goal lead, we clinched the important three points but there surely was a lot more work to do in order to qualify for the knockout round. Go to the next page to see what we did in October.

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

The first game in October was at home with Hull City in the Premier League. They had six points out of seven games so we had to win it, there were no excuses! Fran Merida got us off to a good start when he rounded off a team move ten minutes into the game and things were looking even better when Hull‘s right midfielder got sent off for a violent tackle. Despite that Hull managed to level the game just three minutes later, a goal that came right out of nowhere: their goalie kicked the ball forward and my defense was placed totally wrong, they were not paying attention I guess… The team reacted well though and our pressure was converted into a goal on 35 minutes when Volodymyr Grinchenko scored his first one for the club by capping a flowing team move. Liam Parker sealed the win six minutes after the break with a nice solo effort but we could have added a couple more goals.

We had a much more difficult game coming up, away at White Hart Lane against league leaders Tottenham. They had six wins and one defeat before that game, it was a tough test for my team. Spurs immediately showed who’s the better team, they were dominating the game and deservedly took the lead on 28 minutes. We tried to react but our attacks were unconvincing and Tottenham doubled their lead just before the break by converting a quick breakaway. It looked as good as over, we were unable to create chances after the break but Liam Parker pulled us back into the game on 68 minutes when he invented a goal all by himself: dribbled past two defenders and powered it in at the near post. Four minutes later Parker stepped into the spotlight again when he played a perfect pass for Rafael Coelho who placed the ball in to make it all square. The last minutes of the game were quite spectacular, both teams were trying hard to score the winning goal but the two defenses did well to keep the game level.

The next game was expected to be easier, Stoke were coming to visit. Their tactical approach was quite clear: bus parked and hard tackling… My lads were unable to break their overcrowded defense before half time but things got even worse after the break when Stoke managed to find the back of the net the very first time they came forward! It was their one and only shot on target, quite frustrating… One of their players finally got sent off on 56 minutes, it was an overdue red card but that didn’t help us too much as their defense was still sturdy and hard working. Left back Imed Bejaoui came to the rescue five minutes from time, he didn’t find any options to pass the ball so he powered it in from 25 yards, a superb shot for his first ever goal for the club. We should have won this one but we were unable to crack their defense.

Next up, the Europa League game against Czech side Brno. They were by far the weakest team in the group so I decided to send in some backup players in order to rest some of the tired first team players. We took the lead early on thanks to a placed finish from Christian Stuani, Brno hit the post five minutes later but then we easily held on until half time. The second half was entirely in our hands, we dominated the game and Rafael Coelho put the cherry on the cake with a fabulous 35 yard drive that sent the ball straight into the top corner. We had seven points out of three group games, we were right on track to qualify for the next round but we still had to get in at least four more points from the last three games.

Back to the Premier League for a special game against newly-promoted Southampton, the club that was generously hosting us at St. Mary’s Stadium because of the works that were going on to expand our Avenue Stadium. We started the game well and took the lead on 25 minutes when a superb move made out of first time passes between Craig Carlisle, Laszlo Tamasi and Liam Parker outplayed Southampton‘s defense. Two minutes later Carlisle whipped in a low cross from the right flank and Tamasi powered it in on the volley, it was as good as over. We kept the game fairly quiet until the 69th minute when a good pass from Lewis McGugan found Gael Kakuta inside the box and the substitute left winger placed it in. Southampton didn’t give up though, they were pushing forward for the consolation goal but David De Gea kept the door firmly shut to give us the biggest win of the season so far.

The last game of the month was at home with Arsenal, the only team that beat us since the start of the season. Things didn’t start well this time either, Arsenal took the lead early on with a fine goal created by a superb pass from Fabregas. We were playing well though and Craig Carlisle saw two big chances being denied by the keeper before he set up Liam Parker for the equalizer. We even managed to keep Arsenal under pressure until half time but wasted a good chance to take the lead a few minutes before the break. We were in good shape but Fabregas did the damage again early into the second half, a great pass for Hulk put Arsenal ahead. We continued to play well though, Parker missed a good chance before finally putting another one in with a diving header from Laszlo Tamasi‘s cross. Our joy lasted only five minutes though, Senderos powered in a corner kick header and Arsenal were in the lead yet again. Despite that blow we continued to play well but we surely were not having any luck: Gael Kakuta hit the crossbar from close range and then Carlisle saw another good chance being denied by goalkeeper Scott Carson. We shouldn’t have lost this one but we did and that ended our unbeaten run in the Premier League.

We are in 5th position at the end of October, I guess that’s not too bad considering that we have one or two games in hand on most of the other top half teams. Tottenham seem to be the most-in form team at the moment but the other title contenders will surely try yo gun them down before the end of the year.

Liam Parker has been our best player so far, he is making very good progress in training and he gave us lots of points with his eight goals and four assists. He has also learned to play on the left wing and that versatility makes him even more valuable to the team.

November will see us playing a string of extremely tough matches: Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United! Those three consecutive games will surely show us where we stand.

Before we wrap up the post I’d like to show you the biggest Premier League transfers of the summer with Arsenal being by far the biggest spenders.

I’m sure you were wondering about that 35 million transfer from Liverpool to Arsenal, weren’t you? :) Well, the lad is a Romanian striker with absolutely immense abilities, just have a look at his attributes. He scored 16 goals in 29 caps for Romania, I wish we had such a player in real life…

That’s about it for now folks, thanks a lot for reading. We had a decent start to the season, managed to stay unbeaten for eight games in the Premier League and also got some good results in the Europa League. We’ll have to prove our worth next month though and show whether we have what it takes to stay in the top half of the table.