Vauxhall Motors FM 2011 Story: End Of First Season

Hello folks, welcome back to a new episode of the Vauxhall Motors Football Manager 2011 story! This will be the final update to our first season in Blue Square North so be prepared for a rather long post, have a cup of coffee before reading on :) As you know we were top of the table at the end of January, four points clear of second placed Nuneaton and also with a game in hand. There were quite a few more games to be played though and we had to remain focused if we wanted to stay top. A tough run was ahead of us in February, three consecutive away games!

The first game of February was a tough one, away at 4th placed Eastwood, the team that knocked us out of the FA Trophy last month. I was expecting a close game but my lads seemed to have wrapped it up inside the first ten minutes with Rhys Henry and Rob Davies scoring superb goals to give us a two-goal lead. We could have extended the lead even further but we hit the crossbar just before the break. Captain Ryan Carolan was back on the pitch after recovering from his injury and he netted his 10th goal of the season shortly after the interval. The game appeared to be as good as over but Carolan turned from hero to villain as he gifted Eastwood two goals! The game had a nervy finale but we held on and moved seven points clear of Nuneaton as this was our game in hand.

Next up, a supposedly easier game at 10th placed Hinckley. The pitch was frozen, snow was falling from the sky, so probably my goalkeeper thought he was Santa Claus and he gave our opponents a late Christmas gift: a very funny goal for the neutral audience. We didn’t do much to come back into the game but we could have leveled it after half time when we missed a huge chance. Our performance was below par though and we recorded our first league defeat in 17 games, quite a setback…

Our last game in February was away at struggling 17th placed Hyde, it was a good opportunity to get back to winning ways. Fortunately midfielder Shane Williams was fully recovered from his injury and he showed his great skills right away with two assists (on the first goal and on the third). Stefan Connor also had a good game and he scored a brace while Rhys Henry settled the game after another disgrace from Ryan Carolan, an own goal.

Our margin at the top of the table remained intact at four points but now we had two games in hand over Nuneaton. We had a direct meeting with them away from home in March so everybody thought that it was going to be the title decider. Go to the next page to see what happened in March.

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

Before the crucial game at Nuneaton we had a good warm-up at home with 9th placed Alfreton. An early brace from Rhys Henry and a couple of own goals gave us a hefty four-goal lead at half time and we could have added even more after the break. Alfreton scored a consolation goal but they didn’t have enough strength to put on a fightback.

And now, the most important game of the season: away at Nuneaton. They were four points behind us and a win could have boosted their title chances. The first half was rather dull, typical for such high stakes games, we had better ball possession but there were no decent chances at all. Nuneaton started to show more in attack after the break but it was us who took the lead thanks to two substitutes: left winger Robbie Hume made a great run and crossed it for Pietro Palladino who volleyed it home! There was no reaction from the home side, we were in control of the game and added the second goal deep into injury time when Hume provided another assist for Rhys Henry‘s header. It was a vital win that brought the title a lot closer to Ellesmere Port :)

We had a few more hurdles to pass though and the first one was also the tallest: promotion contenders Eastwood were coming at Rivacre Park. The weather was quite unusual for March, there was snow all over the place, in the air and on the ground! The fairytale atmosphere didn’t prevent my side from playing a great first half in which we could have scored at least two or three goals. We only managed to net one though but it was a fine goal, a great team move was rounded off by Stefan Connor who smashed home from inside the box. Striker John Kennedy came back after an injury, he came in at half time to provide the assist for the second goal, a cool finish from Rhys Henry. Nuneaton lost their game so we were 10 points clear at the top with a game in hand!

We had two more games to play before the end of March and the first one was away at struggling bottom of the table Corby. We had the game wrapped up in around half an hour: first Stefan Connor rounded off a good team move, then he netted his second by taking advantage of a funny goalkeeper gaffe and then John Kennedy headed in his first goal after recovering from the injury. We could have done more damage after the break but we missed a penalty kick and hit the woodwork twice before Corby grabbed a consolation goal, a pretty nice goal too.

The last game of the month was at home with 10th placed Blyth Spartans, one of my favorite teams in real life football (I became a fan after managing them in FM 2009…) The first half was quite entertaining with both sides creating and missing good chances. We took the lead after the break thanks to a great goal from Rhys Henry, his 10th of the season, and then Michael Abnett doubled the lead by scoring a total fluke (definitely worth watching). Blyth got back into the game by taking advantage of some poor free kick marking from my defenders but John Kennedy put it beyond doubt a few minutes later.

That win secured us a play-off spot but we were looking good for the title since Nuneaton were 13 points behind us and we had a game in hand! We only needed a couple more wins in April to secure the title but it was a lot more difficult that I expected… Go to the next page to see what happened in April.

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

The first game in April was at home with struggling 19th placed Redditch, a perfect opportunity to grab another three points. We took the lead just five minutes into the game but Redditch pegged us back immediately. I thought that it was just a mishap when I saw Stefan Connor putting us ahead again on 13 minutes but we missed three huge chances to kill the game before half time, including another penalty kick! We paid the price for that after the interval, we had a poor second half and the visitors leveled the game with a great goal!

We needed just one more win to wrap up the title and I was hoping to get it in the next game, away at 12th placed Harrogate. Well, we didn’t… It was a painfully boring game but we could have snatched the three points with a bit of luck since we hit the crossbar in the second half… Anyway, the title celebrations were postponed for yet another week.

Now we needed just one more point to secure the title, just one lousy point and we were meeting 20th placed Solihull Moors at home! I was expecting an easy game but I was in for a not very pleasant surprise… Our opponents took the lead five minutes into the game with a stunning free kick from 30 yards, my goalkeeper let it slip right through his hands… We didn’t have enough quality to react, the visitors held on to grab the three points and Nuneaton were just six points behind us!

We had three more games to play and all we needed was a tiny little point but I was beginning to fear the worse… Our next game was a pretty tough one, away at 6th placed AFC Telford, a draw was not guaranteed there. The first half was quite boring apart from a shot from distance that hit the crossbar above my keeper’s head. Telford were looking better after the break and they had a great opportunity to take the lead before the hour mark, a penalty kick. Luckily they wasted that chance and we held on for the goalless draw that finally sealed our title!

Our fans were celebrating and I was too, I brought in another youngster on a free transfer:) His name is Lewis Proudfoot and he’s a promising left back that could help us in the future.

The last two games of the season were just a formality, I sent in the backup players and we got a loss and a draw there.

Here’s the final league table, Nuneaton got promoted after beating Workington in the play-off final.

Shane Williams was our best player this season despite missing quite a few games due to a painful injury. He scored three goals and made 12 assists in 26 appearances, great stats at only 18 years of age. Overall I am pretty satisfied with most of the players but the squad will have to do without a few of them next season. I will be looking to attract better players to compete in Blue Square Premier but the team will probably be built around the Carolan-Williams-Kennedy axis.

I was elected Manager of The Season, I would have been quite surprised to see any of the other managers winning the award :)

That’s how it was my friends, thanks for going through this long but hopefully entertaining update. We had a dismal last month in which we nearly let the title slip through our fingers but I’m happy that we held on and grabbed it in the end. My youngsters made me proud this season and I certainly hope to see even more from them in Blue Square Premier. I don’t know whether I’ll make a lot of new signings again or not, I have a few clear targets on my shortlist but I’ll have to see if my scouts will come up with some fresh gems. Thanks for supporting me and my team through this first season in FM 2011, I hope you have enjoyed it. :)