Vauxhall Story: March 2012

Hello folks and welcome back to the Vauxhall Motors FM 2011 story as it reaches the season’s decisive month. We were sitting third in the Blue Square Premier league table at the end of February, just one point behind leaders Luton, but we had no less than nine games to play in March. The extremely packed schedule was quite a challenge for me and my team but everybody agreed that it was the decisive stage of the season so I was hoping to see some determination and sacrifice from my lads. Let’s see what happened…

The first game of the month was at home with fellow promoted side Nuneaton. They were struggling to stay clear of relegation in 22nd place but as you might recall we always had problems with the lowly teams this season. It was not the case this time though, the team had a very good game and we could have scored quite a few goals. Striker Julius Gombala broke the deadlock on 25 minutes when he rounded off a fine team move, then we hit the woodwork twice before half time but Akwasi Asante wrapped up the win after the game but smashing home after some good work from right winger Pietro Palladino.

The next game was away at mid-table York and although the first half was quite poor we managed to take the lead on the stroke of half time thanks to a great header from striker Danny Uchechi. Things got even better four minutes after the break when a quick counter attack powered by left winger Sam Hart gave Julius Gombala the chance to double the lead and he didn’t miss the target. Things appeared to be fairly quiet as the game passed the hour mark but two goals in three minutes leveled the score, my defenders were falling asleep! My team was looking powerless and York managed to score the winning goal nine minutes from time and it was almost identical to the first two, cross from our right flank and the unmarked man inside the area pushed it in. I can’t really understand how and why that player was always unmarked though…

Back to Rivacre Park for our next game, the very important FA Trophy semi final first leg against Wrexham. I desperately wanted to reach the final of the competition and get some money to balance the club’s budget and I was hoping that the players would be determined to fight for their chance to play the final at Wembley. The game was fairly nervy and boring until we finally took the lead 13 minutes from time when Sam Hart and Akwasi Asante crafted a great counter attack and Albert Owusu-Ansah netted his first ever goal for the club. Then my lads got some confidence and created another couple of good chances before the end of the game but unfortunately we didn’t make the most out of the opportunities and the game ended 1-0. It was quite a narrow lead to take into the second leg, the qualification was still wide open.

Back to the league, we had a tricky home game before the second leg as mid-table AFC Wimbledon were coming at Rivacre Park. The game started in a «firecracker mode» as we hit the crossbar in the second minute but then it cooled off and there was total boredom until half time. There were no major changes after the break but some clumsy defending from my lads gifted Wimbledon the lead in the 64th minute and they could have doubled it a few moments later. Things were looking hopeless for me and my team as the clock was ticking faster and faster but two players turned the game on its head in just three minutes! First midfielder Nathan Rooney played a superb first-time pass for Danny Uchechi and the striker made it all square 10 minutes from time and then Uchechi produced a moment of magic to give us the three points. Danny played a sensational chipped shot from around 35 yards out, a perfect lob and probably the best goal I have seen in Football Manager 2011 until now.

Next up, the second leg of the FA Trophy semi final. We went to the Racecourse Ground with a narrow lead in our pocket and I can honestly tell you that I wasn’t expecting to have such a great second leg. I was sure that it was going to be a nervy game but it wasn’t that way at all. Omar Koroma and Akwasi Asante gave us a two-goal lead at half time and went on to miss quite a few other chances before bagging another goal apiece after the break. It was a fantastic display and we were through to the final where we’re going to meet Luton Town at Wembley!

There was no time for a break, we were playing every three or four days and our next game was at home with 19th place Kettering. We got off to a flying start as centre backs Oliver Nicholas and Fraser Kerr both scored from corner kicks inside the opening ten minutes and we even managed to make it 3-0 on 27 minutes when midfielder Nathan Rooney finally scored his first goal for the club from a Jacob Hronec cross. A terrible mistake allowed our opponents to pull one back right away but we could easily have restored the three-goal lead before half time. While our chances were going to waste Kettering were scoring almost every time they were coming forward and they got back into the game on 52 minutes. Nathan Rooney restored the two-goal lead with a fantastic goal just before the hour mark, a great 20 yard strike that went straight into the top corner. That didn’t end the game though as Kettering pulled back yet again with a free kick header! They didn’t get any more chances to come forward before the final whistle though, we kept the ball inside their half and grabbed the well-deserved three points.

Those three point were extremely important as that win moved us top of the table, tied on 76 points with Histon but our goal difference was better by just one single goal! And guess what, our next game was away at Histon! The biggest game of the season was coming up, go to the next page to see how it went!

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

So, on to the most important game of the season… A draw would have temporarily kept us top of the table but I was hoping to grab a decisive win and move three points clear at the top. Histon were in good shape though and they were the favourites for the win. The first real chance of the game was in the 9th minute and luckily we managed to make it count on the score board: Akwasi Asante displayed some great work and midfielder Matthew Ball slid it home to put us in the lead! Then we found ourselves under heavy pressure, we survived the siege with some heroic defending but Histon leveled the game before the break when they scored a stoppage-time goal. The game was fairly even after the interval, we were playing a bit better but it was one man who made a huge difference: 19-year old striker Akwasi Asante. First he gave us the lead with a cool finish to a nice team move on 61 minutes and then he slotted home on a counter attack just six minutes later when Pietro Palladino unselfishly passed the ball to him although he was one-on-one with the goalkeeper. Histon seemed to be down and out as we were keeping control of the ball for large chunks of time but a fantastic shot from distance got them back into the game eight minutes from time! I pulled the team back as Histon switched to a 4-2-4 set up and we managed to hold out despite the enormous pressure that was piling on my defense. I guess Histon would have deserved at least a draw but we secured a massive win that moved us three points clear at the top of the table!

We had won a battle but not the whole war, we still had to keep the points coming in if we wanted to secure promotion. The next game was another tough one as we had to meet 5th place promotion contenders Fleetwood away from home. We started the game pretty well and took the lead in the 17th minute when a  great pass from Nathan Rooney found Danny Uchechi inside the penalty area and the striker powered it into the roof of the net. Fleetwood made an instant reply though and they made it all square just two minutes later with a free kick header. We were dominating the game and my strikers displayed a few shocking misses before Omar Koroma put us ahead by rounding off a nicely flowing team move. Rooney made another good assist just after the interval and Koroma doubled his tally but things got complicated when the young Irish midfielder got sent off for a reckless two-footed tackle. We were holding out well despite the one man disadvantage though and Koroma wrapped things up with a breakaway hat-trick goal.

The last game of the month was at home with struggling 22nd place Barrow, we had to keep winning! Our opponents weathered the storm for a while but that was until the 38th minute when Akwasi Asante made good use of his speed and broke the deadlock. Quite a few great chances went begging before we doubled the lead through right winger Albert Owusu-Ansah but then striker Julius Gombala secured our three points with a late header.

We survived the grueling schedule with just one loss out of nine games and that good run secured a play-off spot for my team. My goal was the title though and we were looking good for that too as Histon crashed out of the race after recording two straight defeats after we beat them in the direct encounter. We are five points clear of runners-up Luton Town so it isn’t over just yet.

The player that I would like to praise this time is Dutch striker Akwasi Asante, he had a crucial role during the packed month of March. As you can see he played every two games since I rotated the squad in order to avoid fatigue and injuries but he found the net every single time! He scored six goals in five games in March, half of his season total!

So, we have a five-point lead and four more league games to play. I guess two wins might hand us the title but we will have to avoid complacency if we want to grab the title. Then we’ll be going to Wembley for the FA Trophy final against Luton and it will be very important to secure the title as that will surely push our opponents into a tiring and nervy play-off ;)

That’s how it was my friends, thanks a lot for reading. I am extremely proud of my youngsters as they survived a terrible schedule and seem to have found the peak of their form just when it mattered the most. We should secure the title as soon as possible and then focus on the FA trophy final, I’m looking forward to playing on a good pitch at Wembley after so many muddy games in our league :)