[FM10] Level 11? Why not?

[ism-scfc]

Some quite harsh expectations there. Reaching the QF of the League Cup might be hard if you draw a side from the league above.

Interesting media prediction too, although slightly worrying news that you portray your captain as your weak link

[MikhailM]

Some quite harsh expectations there. Reaching the QF of the League Cup might be hard if you draw a side from the league above.

Interesting media prediction too, although slightly worrying news that you portray your captain as your weak link

Yeah, I did experiment with Turley (who is now my vice-captain) being captain in the friendlies, and got feedback from my assistant manager that the players were struggling to find motivation to play with him as captain.

[MikhailM]

August 2011

Before the season opener, the Eastern Counties D1 Cup Second Round draw was held (only six teams were in the First Round, and we weren't among them). We were drawn against Diss... away yet again. That match won't be for a while yet, though, so let the league begin! McCormick injured himself in an international game, so wasn't available for the opener.

Gorleston vs. Westerfield Utd (League)

What a match to serve as the season opener! We came out and completely dominated the first 10 minutes or so... our reward? A 10th-minute goal by Gorleston that was clearly offside, but given anyway. We fought back, and 22 minutes in, Barr picked out Mills at the top of the area, who promptly hit it past the keeper to give us the equalizer - a debut goal for Mills. Just 20 seconds after the ensuing kickoff, though, Vavrik allowed a Gorleston striker to get by him and attempt an audacious strike from 25 yards out that hit the post and went in to give Gorleston their lead back - no chance for Thornton on that one. The squad seemed a bit deflated after that, and Gorleston were able to push forward more. They looked like they might be the ones to score next, but their corner on the 39th minute was cleared by Vincent and picked up by Mills, still well inside our own half... Mills then proceeded to take it to the right sideline, then into the opposition half, cut back inside as he neared the penalty area, and put it past the keeper at the near post - a magnificent effort to make it 2-2.

The second half started out with us on the offensive, and it didn't take long for it to pay off. Pond's through ball found Cotton on the byline, who then cut it back, finding Barr completely unmarked 8 yards or so from goal. Barr then coolly put it away to give us the 3-2 lead. Barr should probably have made it 4-2 off another super pass from Cotton, but with the goal gaping in front of him, he managed only to hit the bar. Then it was Gorleston missing a chance to equalize with a header from inside the six-yard box going over. Toward the end of the half, we took over possession, and it was starting to look like we'd see it off comfortably, but there was more drama to come. Neville, who'd only been on the pitch 25 minutes or so, got his second booking on the 87th minute, leading to 6-7 minutes of constant pressure by Gorleston. We just managed to hang on, though, to give ourselves a win in our first level 10 match.

Westerfield Utd vs. Thrapston (League)

This one started off fairly even, but unlike the last game, neither team was able to create many chances. The only noteworthy event of the first half was Barr picking up a knock. I considered subbing him at the break (McCormick was back for this game, but not near full fitness), but decided to keep him out there a bit longer, and the decision turned out to be right. We came out looking much better in the second half, and Lewis could've had us up 1-0 very early, but hit the shot straight at the keeper. We wouldn't have to wait much longer, however, as 51 minutes in, Barr knocked a through ball to Cotton, whose powerful low shot beat the keeper to give us the lead. The game returned to its first-half dullness after that, and it was only through a stroke of luck that we got our second - Green's through ball for Brierley was a poor one, and the keeper came out to claim it, but somehow missed it entirely, and Brierley put it into the empty net. No chance for Thrapston after that, and we won 2-0.

Barr would be ruled out for three weeks, so it would have to be Mills and McCormick for a while, including our first cup match of the season - the FA Vase 1st Qual. Round draw was held just before my next league game, pitting us against Bewdley Town (do I even need to say that it's another away tie? ), who are currently in the lead in their level 10 division, to be played at the beginning of September.

Stowmarket vs. Westerfield Utd (League)

This one was never even close. We completely outplayed them in the first half, and 17 minutes in, Vincent hit a wonderful long ball that found Mills with only the keeper to beat, which he did quite easily, giving us the lead. Just five minutes later, Neville, back from his suspension, found himself in the penalty area surrounded by four defenders and played it back into space, finding the run of Cotton, who put it past the keeper to double our advantage. We couldn't score again in the first half, but seconds after the second-half kickoff, Neville's long ball found McCormick behind the defense, and the keeper's indecision as to whether or not to come for the ball resulted in an easy finish for McCormick to make it 3-0. Complacency set in a bit at this point, and Stowmarket were able to get a consolation goal on the 83rd minute, but no more that that. 3-1 the final score.

Westerfield Utd vs. Hengrove (League)

We were miles better in this one as well, but this time around, could not create many chances, or convert the ones we did create - McCormick in particular missed three decent ones. Not much even I can say about a very boring game, 0-0 at the end even despite Hengrove going down to 10 men late in the match due to injury.

Hadleigh vs. Westerfield Utd (League)

The first game where we were considered underdogs by the bookmakers (and this despite Hadleigh starting the season off quite poorly). Perhaps rightly so, as for the first 19 minutes, we hadn't even set foot in our opponents' final third of the pitch. Ironic, therefore, that the first real chance of the game was our first real attack, which saw McCormick find Vincent completely unmarked, but the latter could only hit the post. Despite Hadleigh's dominance in possession, they weren't able to get any shots off for a very long time, and slowly, we managed to level out the balance of play a bit. A mistake by Johnston in first-half injury time nearly led to a goal, though, but the post denied Hadleigh as well to end the half scoreless. The second half was a fairly boring one again, but on the 85th minute, one of Hadleigh's defenders went down injured and had to go off. Up a man late in the game, I had the team push forward in an all-out attack, but it wasn't working too well. Four minutes were added, and they were all but gone when we won a corner at about 93:50. Turley sent it in toward the far post, where Johnston rose above the Hadleigh defender, and headed it back across, past the keeper, and into the net to give us win in dramatic fashion, even by Westerfield Utd standards!

League Table - with 4 wins in 5 games, we're at the top of the table... I didn't expect us to do so well, but have been quite pleased with the team's play so far. A bit of luck doesn't help either, I suppose.

With the move up to level 10, there are now awards being given out, and I was given the manager of the month award for August! Brierley was 3rd in the player of the month despite only playing in two of the five games.

[RichG]

Nice start to level 10

Awards always help as well.

[MikhailM]

September 2011

Bewdley vs. Westerfield Utd (FA Vase First Qualifying Round)

Looking at my finances for the last couple of months, cups are going to be absolutely vital this season financially, especially as league attendances have been very low so far. With that in mind, I withdrew McCormick from international duty just for this game (as Barr was still injured), and he didn't disappoint. Just 6 minutes in, a long ball by Lewis found McCormick with only the keeper to beat, and he got round the keeper and put it in to give us the lead. A couple minutes later, a needless foul by Bewdley's defender against Mills resulted in a penalty, which Vavrik hit off the inside of the post and in - 2-0. We continued to attack, and 17 minutes in, were awarded a free kick a few yards away from the penalty area, which McCormick blasted into the top corner for his second goal, and our first ever goal directly off a free kick. The scoring wasn't over yet - still in the first half, a ball bounced off a defender into space near the top of the penalty area, and McCormick got to it first, hit it first time back across goal, and scored to make it 4-0 and the first hat-trick by anyone on the squad since I took over. We were decidedly average in the second half, but it didn't matter much with the scoreline as it was.

The 2nd Qual. Round draw pitted us against level 9 side Banstead Athletic to be played in a couple of weeks... away yet again.

Westerfield Utd vs. Great Yarmouth (League)

Barr was back for this one, but as far below full fitness, so remained on the bench. Great Yarmouth played with 5 across the back line, which proved to be a difficult defense to break down - in the first half, the only serious tests to the Great Yarmouth keeper came from his own defenders, who twice nearly headed it into their own net, but the keeper was up to the challenge, and it remained 0-0 at the half despite us controlling possession. It was more of the same early in the second half, but right at the hour mark, McCormick got the ball just inside the penalty area, turned and rifled it past the keeper to finally give us the lead. They went to a 4-4-2 (with a sweeper) after that to try and get the equalizer, but that just left them more exposed at the back. Substitute Barr found the space between defenders on the 74th minute, ran through it and placed the ball into the bottom corner to make it 2-0 and put the game basically out of reach; then a few minutes after that, Pond found the top corner of the net from outside the area to make it a final score of 3-0.

McCormick's performances, meanwhile, have attracted attention of some relatively big clubs - Bury in League One, and Accrington Stanley in League Two.

The draw for the Qualifying Round of the Eastern Counties League Cup was held... and we weren't in it! Somehow, we were one of only 3 Division 1 teams to get a bye (I have no clue how we managed that, having only just been promoted).

Banstead vs. Westerfield Utd (FA Vase Second Qualifying Round)

Downpours don't generally make for very exciting games, and this one was no exception. It was a fairly even first half hour or so, but neither team managed to create much offense. Finally, right around the half hour mark, we struck lucky. Johnston headed the ball from a tight angle after a corner, and the ball bounced off the crossbar and landed right in front of an open goal. The other centerback Vavrik was the opportunistic one who got to the ball first and gave us the 1-goal lead. Banstead pushed for the equalizer, and were the much better team throughout the rest of the match, but still struggled to create chances. Wasteful finishing and a couple of good saves by Thornton kept us in the lead, and 73 minutes in, Barr was fouled inside the area, and Vavrik got his second in putting the spot kick, and the game, away. 2-0 was the final score, although we were a bit lucky to have advanced here.

The First Round draw was next, and we drew Parkgate or Lingfield (both level 9 sides) at home (must've been a glitch in the system ). Parkgate won their replay, so we'll be playing them on Oct. 1st.

Bugbrooke vs. Westerfield Utd (League)

We were terrible in this one. Absolutely awful, in all areas of play except maybe for Thornton in goal. Despite our defense constantly being sliced open, Bugbrooke's finishing was quite poor, and the two shots on target they managed (out of 16 total, and the second of the 2 on target was the rebound from the first one) were saved well by Thornton. A bit of luck didn't hurt either as one of their shots hit the bar on 70 minutes, but we would get even luckier than that on 83 minutes on a relatively rare trip forward by our side. McCormick picked out Green in space with a good pass; Green hit the post, but the rebound wasn't cleared too well, and Neville put it back into the penalty area, finding McCormick, who converted the chance to give us the lead. The commentary stated that the goal looked dubious, but I saw nothing remotely close to offside on the replay, so was definitely glad it was given. We hung on to get a thoroughly undeserved victory, extending our league lead.

The Suffolk Senior Cup First Round draw was done right before our next match, and we were drawn away (there, they fixed the glitch) to league rivals Cornard United. The schedule for the coming months is really beginning to look crowded now...

Westerfield Utd vs. Seaford Town (League)

Only slightly better from us, most of that on the defensive side. We had the majority of possession the whole match, and less than 5 minutes in looked to have gone ahead on a goal by Cotton, but it was ruled out for offside. Afterward, we really struggled in both creating chances and putting them away, and by halftime, six of my players were playing nervously. Seaford Town actually nearly went ahead right before halftime, but their striker missed the target, and it was still scoreless at the half. The second half saw more of the same, and McCormick missed a golden opportunity for a late winner on the 87th minute, hitting it straight at the keeper, and keeping it 0-0 at full time.

The League Cup 2nd Round draw pits us away to Eastern Counties Premier Division (level 9) side Dereham Town. Seriously wouldn't mind a few more home cup matches... could use the gate receipts...

League Table - Still on top, but Whitton have 2 games in hand...

Fixtures - Quite congested coming up... I might have to cut down on the updates, they're taking far too long to write!

[MikhailM]

October 2011

A busy month, this one...

Westerfield Utd vs. Parkgate (FA Vase First Round)

Nothing dull about this one, even despite the pouring rain. Mills didn't waste much time in getting the scoring started, skipping past a defender 12 minutes into the contest and placing his shot with so little power that the ball only went a yard or two past the goalline. Parkgate weren't rolling over, though, and got the equalizer after a through ball beat my defense. McCormick almost made it 2-1 shortly after that, but his header only found the post, and it was still 1-1 at the half. Just over a minute into the second half, though, a poor goal kick from Parkgate's keeper resulted in McCormick breaking free, and this time he converted the chance to give us the lead. Then on the 66th minute, Thornton's long ball got behind the defense, and Mills got on it and doubled the advantage. We hung on to the lead despite being outshot in this game, and advanced to the second round, meeting the board's expectations for the FA Vase.

The 2nd round draw has us playing away to level 10 side Gresley in November.

Cornard Utd vs. Westerfield Utd (Suffolk Senior Cup First Round)

McCormick was out on international duty for this game, a rematch of last year's 1st round, where we won 2-1... but it was yet another uninspired performance by our squad this time, the 3rd in 4 games. Just over 5 minutes in, Cornard Utd took the lead after slicing right through the center of our midfield and defense with a string of passes. We struggled to create anything offensively for the entire first half, but got a lucky break when we were awarded a very dubious penalty late in the half. Vavrik's spot kick had neither power nor accuracy, though, and his already bad game got worse as the keeper easily pushed it aside. Not long afterwards, Mills found himself with a golden opportunity to equalize, but blasted it well wide, and it was clear then that things would not go well for us in this one. Cornard were the more likely team to score in the second half, and although we managed to keep them out, our offense didn't create any meaningful chances, and our Cup title defense would end in just one game.

Dereham vs. Westerfield Utd (Eastern Counties League Cup First Round)

Dereham nearly scored just minutes into the game, but they only managed to find the crossbar; thereafter, though, we would take over. McCormick's corner on the 16th minute came back to him, and his second attempt at a cross found Johnston at the far post, and he headed it in to give us the lead. About 10 minutes later, Mills hit a square ball to Lewis inside the area, and Lewis hit it into the bottom corner to make it 2-0. Then Mills got another assist on a counterattack off a Dereham corner, finding Neville in the area, who blasted it past the keeper - 3-0. We should really have made it four before the break, but Vavrik had another spot kick saved, as did McCormick on the rebound.

The second half started out with more of the same, and on the 57th minute, Cotton's chip across goal found Lewis, who headed it in for his second goal. Dereham finally pushed forward in the last half hour, and got a consolation goal on 82 minutes. They should've made it 4-2 moments later, but the close-range effort was hit right at Thornton, and a couple of minutes after that, Barr got us a fifth goal after a long ball by Thornton. 5-1 remained the final score, and we advanced to the 2nd round.

Westerfield Utd vs. Saffron Walden (League)

After 3 straight cup matches, it was finally back to league play. This resembled the last game a great deal - Saffron Walden had a golden opportunity to take the lead in the 1st minute, but found the woodwork, and they wouldn't get that close again. 20 minutes in, Clarke's cross found the head of McCormick; the header came back off the crossbar, but right to Barr, whose diving header went in to give us the 1-0 lead. Despite outplaying our opponents, it then took us until the second half to get a second goal - Vavrik got the ball from Turley's corner, and was immediately brought down. This time, he made no mistake on the penalty, and it was 2-0. Then Neville found Barr's run across from the wing all the way into the six-yard box, and Barr beat the keeper at the near post to make it 3-0, which would remain the final score even though we had a few chances to increase the lead.

The Eastern Counties League Cup 2nd round draw was held then, and we were drawn at home against either the team we just beat or Eastern Counties Premier Division side Felixstowe (that match hadn't yet been played). For the time being, though, it was off to play in another cup...

Diss vs. Westerfield Utd (Eastern Counties Div. 1 Cup Second Round)

The match itself was fairly even, but Diss' left back Paul Oakley had a nightmare of a game against Cotton and McCormick. He was beat down the wing numerous times, and 13 minutes in, one such run by Cotton resulted in a scramble in front of goal, during which Oakley fouled McCormick - penalty. Vavrik put the spot kick away to give us the lead. Later in the first half, Cotton looked to get on the end of a through ball by Neville, and Oakley had to hold him back to stop the chance, resulting in another penalty. Vavrik converted, and we were up 2-0. It wasn't over yet though and near the end of the half, it was McCormick beating Oakley to the ball, and then getting brought down, for a third penalty! Vavrik converted yet again to get himself the hat-trick and his team a nearly insurmountable lead. Oakley was finally subbed out at the half, after receiving a 2.7 match rating, and the second half would be much less eventful - 3-0 the final score, and we advanced to the quarterfinals.

The draw for the next round took place the next day, and pit us against - who else? - Cornard Utd, with us at home this time. Time for a little revenge for the Suffolk Senior Cup defeat, I think.

Long Melford vs. Westerfield Utd (League)

Another game which we dominated, but neither side created much in the first 30 minutes, and then it was Long Melford who would have taken the lead if not for good play by Thornton. On the 35th minute, though, Turley's corner found Vavrik at the top of the area, and Vavrik placed his shot well to make it 1-0. Not long afterward, Barr hit a wonderful long shot that beat the keeper to extend our lead. Barr hit the crossbar on the 55th minute, and our third goal would have to wait until McCormick was hacked down inside the area on the 68th, and Vavrik got his second from the penalty spot - 3-0 would remain the score until the final whistle.

Saffron Walden and Felixstowe finally played their League Cup match, with Felixstowe prevailing on penalties, so they would be our next opposition in that competition.

Westerfield Utd vs. Capel Plough (League)

After the great run of form, I would almost expect complacency from the squad when playing at home against a weak opponent, but certainly not nervousness - yet that's exactly what I got in this one. A lackluster first 45 minutes were highlighted by Cotton missing on a very easy chance, and going into stoppage time, 7 of my starting 11 were playing nervously. One of the few that weren't, though, gave us the lead at that point - Barr got around his defender and hit the shot past the keeper to make it 1-0 heading into the break. Then on the 56th minute, McCormick wonderfully got past two defenders and scored to give us the 2-0 lead. We had a few half-chances after that, but could not keep our shots on target; even so, the game seemed in the bag with less than 10 minutes left, barring a monumental collapse... and that was exactly what we got. On the 85th minute, Vavrik's header a good 40 yards or so from his own goal went behind him, and Johnston looked like he'd easily be first to the ball, which he was... but then he stopped, allowing a Capel Plough striker to get it from right under his nose and score to make it 2-1. The nervousness resurfaced at that point, and we couldn't keep the ball, which eventually cost us. Johnston again allowed a striker to get by him and attempt a long-range effort, which Thornton only managed to deflect slightly despite being in good position to stop it - 2-2 the final score, two points going down the drain.

League Table - Despite this last setback, we're still on top of the table, but not by much... and we play Whitton next.

Elsewhere in the world, Spain, who won World Cup 2010 in my game, failed to even qualify for Euro 2012! They lost a shocker to Liechtenstein in September, and then lost to the Czech Republic in their last match, and thus finished 3rd in their group behind the Czech Republic and Scotland.

[RichG]

Nice start looking good if you can keep form going

[MikhailM]

Thanks! My one concern is all the cups we're still in - most of the league rivals are out of them by now, so are able to rest their players a lot more.

Forgot the awards mention by the way - Vavrik of all people got player of the month (OK, he scored a lot of goals, but all but one have been from penalties...), and I got 2nd in manager of the month.

[TomFM]

Fantastic thread mate. I live basically a couple of miles away from where your team plays. I was thinking of starting an Ipswich Wanderers game, this has inspired me.

[MikhailM]

November 2011

Another very busy month... 7 matches with a maximum of 4 days between them.

Whitton vs. Westerfield Utd (League)

And right away a very important match... this one took some time to get going, as neither side created many chances early on. The deadlock was finally broken on 31 minutes, when Brierley took the ball away from a Whitton striker inside our penalty area, and Johnston, who was late in getting back, got a very poor touch on the loose ball that sent it past Thornton, giving Whitton the lead. Faced with the possibility of losing our league lead for the first time in over a month, our players responded well, and less than 10 minutes later, Turley's pass found Barr through a gap in the defense, and Barr converted to level the match at 1-1. Cotton put another one past the keeper right before the break, but it was chalked off for offside. Then on the 51st minute, Barr's beautiful pass found McCormick with acres of space ahead of him, and he placed his shot well, giving us our first lead of the match. Whitton pushed forward at this point, but were still struggling to get any real chances, and with less than 10 minutes left, Mills blasted one in from a difficult angle to make it 3-1. Celebrations were cut short just moments later, though, as it took Whitton less than 2 minutes to get the equalizer, their through ball catching both our centerbacks napping. Then it was a major scare for us as Whitton got a breakaway opportunity starting from nearly the halfway line, but Thornton blocked the shot to keep us in the lead, and we hung on for a few more minutes to get this important win, 3-2.

Westerfield Utd vs. Diss (League)

Oakley played at striker for Diss this time (a bit odd... this guy can play at left back or striker, but nowhere else), so that weakness at left back wasn't there for us to exploit again. No matter - Diss could not create any offense whatsoever, and we dominated thoroughly despite their solid defensive showing. 15 minutes in, we gained the lead as Neville sent in a cross that found Vincent unmarked at the top of the six-yard box, and he volleyed it in. McCormick and Mills each hit the frame of the goal during the next 15 minutes or so, coming ever so close to extending our lead, but it would remain 1-0 throughout the rest of the relatively uneventful game.

Gresley vs. Westerfield Utd (FA Vase Second Round)

Gresley nearly got a goal right from the outset, forcing Thornton to make a good save to keep it scoreless. Thereafter, we would control most of the possession, but it was still Gresley with the better chances. Shooting was rather poor from both sides, though, and it remained 0-0 until the 79th minute, when Barr received the ball in the penalty area from Vincent, got free of his defender, and rifled it into the top corner to give us the lead. Our defense did not allow Gresley any more decent chances after that, and we progressed to the 3rd round on this somewhat unconvincing victory.

The 3rd round draw the next day has us playing away to struggling level 9 side Wantage in December... not entirely unwinnable, I'd say...

Liversedge vs. Westerfield Utd (League)

We started out well in this one, but Mills missed a very easy chance, and then Vincent a somewhat tougher one, in the opening minutes. Then it was Liversedge missing a golden opportunity to score on 30 minutes, their striker getting well behind our defense, but finding only the goalpost with his shot. More off-target shooting afterwards left it 0-0 at the half, and longer still, until with about 20 minutes left, Vavrik of all people finally gave us the lead, controlling McCormick's corner kick, then half-volleying it in at the near post. I had set my strategy to counter at this point, but on the 88th minute, it was Liversedge's counterattack that got them the equalizer, the left side of our defense very slow to get back after a giveaway off an attacking throw-in. Liversedge weren't finished yet - in stoppage time, some wonderful passing left their striker with an easy finish, and he got it in by the slimmest of margins, just deflecting in off the post. A very disappointing loss, our first league defeat in over 9 months.

Brantham Ath vs. Westerfield Utd (League)

With the sloppy defending in three of the last four games, and our centerbacks getting more and more fatigued with each match, I decided it was time to start resting them; captain Johnston would thus sit this one out. We started out very well, and less than three minutes in, Mills got to the byline inside the area, passed it back to Turley near the penalty spot, and the latter made no mistake with his shot to give us the early lead. We continued to play well following that, but one mistake changed all that. A free kick by Brantham keeper Rolls was far too long for any of his strikers, and Thornton came out to catch it, but he dropped the ball right into the path of an onrushing striker who had the whole goal to aim at and leveled the scoreline at 1-1. All of a sudden we started playing very poorly, giving the ball away regularly, and just 5 minutes later, could easily have found ourselves behind, but the long chip over Thornton came back off the crossbar. Coming out of halftime, we nearly conceded again, but Thornton made the save on a close-range header, and the team seemed a little more motivated after that. Right at the hour mark, Pond's bouncing pass somehow found a way through the Brantham back line, and Barr got to it first, hit it first time, and scored to give us the lead once more. It wasn't the easiest game to see out, and McCormick's chance to put it away late was hit straight at the keeper, but our defense hung on to win 2-1. Still not very convincing...

Westerfield Utd vs. Felixstowe (Eastern Counties League Cup Second Round)

We needed to play better to advance against a higher-division side than we had been. We got a bit lucky at the start - one of Felixstowe's players got injured less than 3 minutes in, and his replacement also had to go off less than 5 minutes in after coming on, severely limiting their substitution possibilities for the rest of the match. Early misses by McCormick and Barr were forgotten on the 18th minute, when Neville found the top corner with a shot from outside the area to give us the lead. Just a few minutes later, Cotton was brought down inside the area, and Pond stepped up (Vavrik was on the bench for this one) and scored on the penalty to make it 2-0. We continued to dominate both the possession and the chances, but it wasn't time to celebrate yet - more bad misses by McCormick and Barr left Felixstowe with a chance, and on the 39th minute, a quick break down the right flank resulted in a close-range header that left Thornton with no chance at all - 2-1 with still a half of football to play. Coming out of the break, though, Neville hit an excellent long ball to Barr, who then picked out McCormick's run into the area, and McCormick didn't miss this time and extended our lead once more. Then on 53 minutes, Felixstowe's Tom Foster received a second booking; tired and down to 10 men, Felixstowe couldn't threaten this 2-goal lead, and we finally put it away on the 84th minute when Lewis was run over inside the area, Mills converting the spot kick this time. 4-1, and a much better performance than the last few.

The draw for the quarterfinals pits us against Long Eaton United, who are 3rd in the Eastern Counties Premier (the division right above ours) as of this writing, to be played in January. The good news is that we'll be at home once more.

Westerfield Utd vs. Ipswich Wanderers (League)

Ah, finally a decent home attendance - 202, after not going over 100 all season long until now (much of this was due to quite a few away team fans showing up, though). The game was fairly even, but we had difficulties getting any shots, and Ipswich Wanderers did not - the final shot count was 13-3 in their favor. Nonetheless, 24 minutes in it was Dan Cotton opening the scoring with a long-range effort that went in off the post. Thornton's excellent save and a block by Johnston shortly thereafter kept us in the lead just before halftime, but we had Pond, McCormick, and Kenyon all getting injured in the first half (Pond was able to continue, but I subbed him due to very low condition, the other two kept playing in spite of the knocks), and the second half seemed like it would be a difficult one. However, on 51 minutes, Neville's free kick delivery found McCormick, who had lost his man and headed it past the keeper to extend our lead to 2-0. One clear cut chance hit right at Thornton, another rattling the post, and several other shots whizzing just inches past the woodwork later, we won it with that same scoreline. A match we probably should have lost, but our good run of luck continues.

The physio reports were in after the match, and it wasn't as bad as it could've been - Pond is out for two weeks, but McCormick and Kenyon will be good to play in the next match.

League Table - With losses on this last match day by both Whitton and Cornard Utd, our lead is all of a sudden very comfortable, although we're still a couple matches short of the halfway mark of the season.

Fixtures - The most congested part of the fixture list is now behind us, with just 10 matches in the next 2 months (could go up to 11 if we win this next cup match).

Two second places in the monthly awards - Turley in the player of the month, and myself for manager of the month.

[MikhailM]

Fantastic thread mate. I live basically a couple of miles away from where your team plays. I was thinking of starting an Ipswich Wanderers game, this has inspired me.

Thanks! Wasn't expecting much inspiration to come out of my rambling, but glad it did.

Ipswich Wanderers by the way are the only lower-division side besides mine still left in the Eastern Counties League Cup.

[MikhailM]

Apologies for lack of updates... had a very busy week. Next month's update should be done tomorrow.

[RichG]

going well mate keep it up.

[MikhailM]

December 2011

Wantage vs. Westerfield Utd (FA Vase Third Round)

To my surprise, we were able to control this one pretty well. Just under 20 minutes in came our first chance, and McCormick made it count after receiving a long through ball from Barr. McCormick followed that up not long after with a powerful strike from outside the penalty area that deflected just in off the post. Wantage would get a couple of half-chances to get back in the match, but their shooting was off target each time, which made it that much easier for us to advance. Midway through the second half, we put the game away after Barr made an excellent run, beating several defenders along the way, then laid it off to Lewis for an easy finish. 3-0 would remain the score until the end, and we were through to the fourth round, where we will play 9th-level side Selby after they got through their replay.

Thetford vs. Westerfield Utd (League)

This was another match where a lot of the players started playing nervously for no apparent reason early on in the first half. The first half was fairly even, with very few chances going either way, and ended 0-0. I was able to reduce some of the players' nervousness at halftime, and it eventually paid off, as McCormick hit a through ball for Mills, who put it past the keeper to give us the lead with a half hour to play. All was looking fine until 6 minutes later, when Clarke needlessly brought down a Thetford striker just inside the area. The penalty was converted to make it 1-1, and the nerves resurfaced at that point. Our second half possession was only 35%, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was below 25% after that equalizer - seemed like we couldn't keep the ball for longer than a few seconds at a time. Things for worse for us with just under 10 minutes left when Vavrik had to leave due to injury, and we had to hold out for the draw with just 10 men - and we just did, thanks in large part to two really bad misses by Thetford. A very disappointing performance (we were outshot 17-3), and we were fortunate to get anything out of this game at all.

Vavrik's injury didn't turn out very serious, but he still missed the next game - and it was an important one...

Westerfield Utd vs. Cornard Utd (League)

A lack of fit players at the center of midfield had me playing Barr in midfield, moved up to play just behind McCormick and Mills, and Clarke also started at center back in Vavrik's place. I was expecting us to have trouble against the side that knocked us out of the Suffolk Senior Cup, but the game actually turned out surprisingly easy. 17 minutes in, McCormick tried to play a through ball for Cotton; it looked like the Cornard keeper would easily collect it, but he mishandled it, leaving Cotton with the whole net to shoot at, and he didn't miss - 1-0. Cornard Utd's best chance to score was saved brilliantly by Thornton, and then, a few missed opportunities for our side later, we finally got a second just before halftime, as McCormick's pass found the run of Mills behind the defense, and he scored to make it 2-0 (it is just me or do 90% of my goals come from through balls and penalties?). The second half featured far fewer chances, aside from Mills rattling the crossbar and the eventual icing on the cake for us on the 83rd minute as Brierley's long clearance found Lewis with only the keeper to beat, and Lewis capped it off with a beautiful strike into the top corner. Cornard Utd never got anything going in the second half, and we won comfortably, 3-0.

Westerfield Utd vs. Gorleston (League)

The week-long break allowed both Pond and Vavrik to return to full fitness, and it looked like another easy match for us against next-to-last placed Gorleston. 5 minutes into the contest, we had already missed a couple of opportunities, when Kenyon hit a long ball upfield looking for Barr. The Gorleston keeper came out of his area and got to the ball first, but his clearance hit the onrushing Barr and went behind him, and Barr had the easiest of finishes to give us the early lead. Then 18 minutes in, McCormick received the ball from Turley inside the area, got around his defender, and hit it into the bottom corner to make it 2-0. Despite a vast array of chances (including a penalty that Vavrik missed), we would not score again in this one; however, our defense was excellent, holding Gorleston to 0 shots, and it ended up another very easy win. Unfortunately, though, Barr was injured in the second half, and though he was able to play out the 90 minutes, he would be out for the rest of the month. Pond also picked up a suspension due to 5 yellow cards received this season.

Westerfield Utd vs. Cornard Utd (Eastern Counties Division 1 Cup Quarterfinal)

We thoroughly dominated this one as well... but this was one of those games where it seemed 100 chances would not be enough to beat the keeper. Early shots for us were a long way off the mark, then Lewis forced a good save on 25 minutes. After the ensuing corner, Cornard Utd cleared the ball over our back line, and Johnston raced back for it... then slowed down, allowed the striker to get to the ball first, then promptly fouled him and received a red card as he was the last man back. I brought Clarke on for Cotton to fill the hole in the back line, and even despite playing with 3 in the midfield, we continued to dominate, but the half ended scoreless. Early in the second half, things got even worse for us, as Clarke's poor marking on a rare venture forward by the away side resulted in a one-on-one chance for them, which they converted to take the lead. From there, their keeper took over, making one save after another, and despite a 17-4 shot count (8-3 on target), we were eliminated from the Division 1 Cup, the second cup competition Cornard United have knocked us out of this season.

(To be honest, despite the board's disappointment at the exit, I was somewhat glad to be out of this one... the prize money is practically nonexistent)

Thrapston vs. Westerfield Utd (League)

This started out as a fairly dull game, with the first real chance coming on the 15th minute as McCormick got clear of the defense but hit it straight at the keeper. He made up for it just 2 minutes later, as Worthington found him with a through ball, and he put it just inside the near post to give us the 1-0 lead. Ten more uneventful minutes later, Thrapston struck almost out of nowhere - Clarke got out of position, and Brierley was beaten by a Thrapston striker's run, leaving Thornton with no chance of stopping the shot - 1-1. Then on the 33rd minute, one of Thrapston's defenders received a straight red for a two-footed challenge on Vincent, which basically marked the end of any offense they had before (they would finish the match with only 2 shots). We still struggled to create many chances, but on the 67th minute, we got lucky. Vincent's cross found Pond unmarked 6 yards from goal; Pond's header found only the crossbar, but the rebound fell to a Thrapston defender, who couldn't control it and deflected it right into his own net. We would get a few more chances after that, but failed to put them away - didn't matter too much, though, with Thrapston having no real offense to speak of, and we won, 2-1. Vavrik picked up a knock during this game that may see him miss the next match.

League Table - looking fairly comfortable for us now.

Awards: youngster Jamie Worthington ended up second in the Player of the Month award voting (which surprised me a great deal), while I got manager of the month.

[MikhailM]

January 2012

Westerfield Utd vs. Stowmarket (League)

We controlled possession in this one (68%), but chances were very few in this one - the first real chance of the game for us came on the 42nd minute, as Pond's through ball found the run of Cotton, and from a tight angle, Cotton beat the keeper at the near post. Then near the hour mark, shortly after a free kick, Mills got a pass through to Johnston, who stayed up near the six-yard box, and Johnston had nearly the whole net to shoot at and converted the opportunity to make it 2-0, which is how this very dull game ended.

Hengrove vs. Westerfield Utd (League)

Vavrik was back in the starting 11 for this one, and Barr was fit as well, but didn't play as I had two big cup games coming up right after this one. Unlike the last match, we could never establish much control over this one, and Hengrove created a ton of opportunities, but their shooting was awful in this one. Thornton made a good save on 25 minutes, and that would be the only time he'd be tested out of the 14 shots Hengrove had (they did manage to hit the top side of the bar a few minutes later). It looked even worse for our offense, though, as we again failed to create any real chances until late in the first half - but as in the last match, we made the first one count. McCormick's free kick was tipped by the keeper and rattled off the crossbar, but a poor clearance fell right to Lewis on the corner of the six-yard box. Lewis then put in a cross to the far post, which went over the keeper, off the post, and in to give us the lead. We managed to create nothing else the rest of the game, but Hengrove's poor shot accuracy ensured that we escaped with the 1-0 win. Rather fortunate, really, but I'll take it.

Selby vs. Westerfield Utd (FA Vase Fourth Round)

Selby came out in a 4-2-4 for this one, and we made them pay immediately - just over a minute in, Pond found Vincent behind his defender, and Vincent put it away easily - 1-0. Then on 9 minutes, Kenyon's cross found the head of Cotton, who nodded it down toward the far post; McCormick then somehow beat two defenders to that ball and tapped it into the net to make it 2-0. This looked at that point like it had the makings of a rout. On 17 minutes, we conceded a corner, which Johnston, under very little pressure, decided for some reason to head behind instead of clear. On the second corner, Selby's striker Chaz Wrigley found himself marked by the diminutive Vincent inside the six-yard box - no chance in the air for Vincent, and Wrigley put the header past Thornton to make it a contest again all of a sudden. We nearly went back up by 2 immediately, but McCormick hit the post after getting clear on goal. Both sides continued to create chances in a very open first half, but neither managed to convert again, and it was still 2-1 heading into the break.

The second half started out rather slow in comparison, but that all changed on 60 minutes. A clearance from a Selby defender went over everyone, and Johnston raced back for it ahead of Selby's striker Duncan Bray. Johnston got to the ball first, but as I've seen him do before, he just stopped as soon as he got there, allowing Bray to collect it and get one-on-one with Thornton. Bray hit the ball right at Thornton, and it deflected back to Johnston, but again Johnston failed to control it, and Bray stole it and put the second chance away to tie the game. Oddly enough, it was Kenyon, rather than Johnston, who saw a huge rating drop as a result of that goal. Go figure... :confused: Just six minutes later, the comeback was completed, as another Selby striker (they did have four of them out there), Ian Bird, got on the end of a free kick and headed it past Thornton to make it 3-2. We pushed forward, but could not retain possession, and never came close to equalizing; in fact, Selby could've made it 4-2 late in the match, but Wrigley hit the bar.

A very disappointing way to exit the FA Vase, despite getting two rounds farther than the board expected. To make matters worse, Brierley picked up an injury in that match, and would be out for the rest of the month. On to the one cup we're still in...

Westerfield Utd vs. Long Eaton (Eastern Counties League Cup Quarterfinal)

This one started off like the last one ended - not well for us. Just under 15 minutes in, Clarke was beaten by a through ball, and the resulting shot beat Thornton to give Long Eaton the 1-0 lead. Not long before halftime, though, we struck back - Cotton's long run was ended just inside the area when he was tripped by a defender, and Vavrik converted the spot kick to level the match. Barr missed a golden opportunity to put us ahead on the 56th minute, and Long Eaton's Coker hit one of their own right at Thornton on the 77th, in what was otherwise not a particularly exciting second half. Vavrik's injury on 87 minutes forced my hand tactically - I had no one who could cover for him, so I went to a 3-4-1-2, playing an exhausted Barr just behind Mills and McCormick, as the match went to extra time. Long Eaton had two excellent chances early on, but missed the target on both occasions, then Neville rifled one just past the post on the 109th minute. The breakthrough finally came on the 112th - Turley hit a corner kick low to Worthington at the top of the area, who hit it first time just past the keeper to make it 2-1... not bad for his first ever goal. A minute into stoppage time, Long Eaton nearly broke the home supporters' hearts, but the point-blank header was diverted over by Thornton and we survived to make it through to the semifinal.

The draw the following day pit us against Needham Market, our third straight home tie in this competition, to be played next month. But a more immediate concern was a very depleted squad for the league match just three days removed from that extra time duel - Brierley, Vavrik, and Lewis would all be out with injuries, and Barr, Mills, and many others were extremely unfit.

Westerfield Utd vs. Hadleigh (League)

In all the squad reschuffling, two new faces from the under 18s squad would get a chance to show what they're capable of - Philip Wright starting up front in place of Barr/Mills (I am training Wright to be a right midfielder, but he can already play at striker, and that's good enough for me right now ), and Marcus Gray starting at centerback in Vavrik's place. With that and a few players starting at under 85% condition (particularly in midfield), I figured a draw would be a decent result... but the new boys certainly made a huge impact. Ten minutes in, Wright was the first to Vincent's long ball, and placed it into the far corner to give us the lead. Then on the 23rd minute, what looked like it could have been a quick counterattack by Hadleigh was stopped early by Gray's interception; Gray hit it to Pond, who in turn got it to McCormick just as quickly, and McCormick beat a defender and put it away to make it 2-0. Wright should have made it 3-0 just a few minutes later, but missed inches wide, and it was still 2-0 at the half as Hadleigh failed to create any real offense. 63 minutes in, Wright made up for the miss by putting away a shot from a difficult angle to make it 3-0, this time from the right midfield position that I'm hoping to see him in more regularly next season. McCormick was not to be outdone, and again managed to beat a defender en route to scoring his second late in the match; Wright got the assist - 4-0, our largest league victory ever... not too bad for a game where I expected a draw at most, and our team gets a well-deserved two-week break before the next match.

League Table - Not much in the way of competition left; promotion seems almost certain now.

Remaining Fixtures

Awards: three top threes this time - I got another manager of the month award, and McCormick and Kenyon finished second and third respectively for player of the month.

[RichG]

going well mate keep it up

[MikhailM]

February 2012

Great Yarmouth vs. Westerfield Utd (League)

... otherwise known as the Robert McCormick show. The two weeks off were sufficient for all my injured players to return, although only Vavrik started in this game. McCormick forced a great save by the Great Yarmouth keeper less than a minute in, but he would not be denied for very long, and on the 16th minute, blasted a shot in from just outside the area, giving us the lead. Five minutes later, Cotton's volley after a cross by Turley was blocked by the keeper, but the rebound fell right to McCormick for an easy second goal. He could have made it a hat trick on 30 minutes, but hit the shot at the keeper; no matter - less than two minutes later, Barr found him with a through ball less than ten yards from goal, and only a foul by one of the defenders stopped his run. McCormick took the spot kick himself and converted it to get his hat-trick. A mistake by Vavrik and Clarke allowed Great Yarmouth to get one back early in the second half, but they couldn't create much after that, and McCormick sealed the victory by being the first to Neville's long clearance on 73 minutes and putting it past the keeper for his fourth. Great Yarmouth had a few chances to cut the lead down again, but failed to convert, and the score remained 4-1.

Westerfield Utd vs. Bugbrooke (League)

Not much to say about the first half of this one - no real chances were created by either side. Right at the start of the second, though, things got a bit more interesting as Johnston was beaten by a through ball, then brought down the Bugbrooke striker from behind (thankfully just outside the box) and earned himself a red card. Despite being a man down, we managed to keep the game fairly even, and on 78 minutes, Lewis got behind the defense and had an excellent opportunity to give us the lead, but hit it at the keeper. Bugbrooke missed a similarly easy chance moments later, and Thornton made a point-blank save in injury time to keep the game scoreless. The best chance of the game came even later in injury time, as Barr's cross found McCormick at the far post, but the usually reliable striker headed it inches wide of the post, and it ended 0-0.

Westerfield Utd vs. Needham Market (Eastern Counties League Cup Semifinal)

No McCormick for this one - out on international duty. I'd have withdrawn him if I could, but it wasn't a friendly this time, so Barr and Mills had to start up front. Johnston was also out due to a 2-game suspension for the red card in the previous match. Whether it was due to those absences or not, the first half for us was absolutely awful... 0 shots on goal, very little possession, poor passing - every player out there (except maybe Thornton) was looking very poor. Needham Market struggled to create chances as well, but our poor play would cost us soon enough - 20 minutes in, Turley missed a tackle, Worthington was beaten by the subsequent through ball, and while Thornton parried the initial shot, the defense couldn't get to the rebound first, and Needham Market went up 1-0. Vincent had to be replaced due to injury later in the half, and we would make it to halftime without any more incidents after that. As badly as we played, I was glad to only be down by one at the half, and we did come out looking a lot better in the second, but the final ball was still not there, and Pond and Turley were settling for long-range efforts, none of which came close to being on target. Neville eventually replaced Turley and nearly gave us the equalizer a minute after coming on, but his shot went just past the post. That would remain the best chance we had the whole match, and we were ousted from this cup as well, although it was a good run. Just league matches left the rest of the way...

Seaford Town vs. Westerfield Utd (League)

A rather dull one, but we converted our chances when we got them. On the 25th minute, the Seaford Town keeper tried to punch Wright's cross away, but the attempt went across the face of goal rather than out of the penalty area, and Mills reacted quicker than the two defenders around him and gave us the lead. Just 20 seconds into the second half, we doubled our lead - Neville picked out McCormick with a perfect pass, and McCormick blasted it in low. One good save by Thornton a few minutes later would be all he had to do in this one, as Seaford Town never really got close to scoring. 2-0 was the final score, although Brierley went in for a silly two-footed challenge late in the match, getting sent off as a result (and being suspended for a total of 3 games for that foul). Neville will also miss some games after getting himself injured during the match.

Westerfield Utd vs. Liversedge (League)

Another dull first half - Cotton had the best chance to score, but hit the shot right at the keeper (we really need to work on that, way too much of that going on when we get one on one). The breakthrough finally came on the 58th minute when Pond found McCormick with an excellent pass that left him with only the keeper to beat - and McCormick doesn't miss many of those - 1-0. Liversedge nearly got one back five minutes later after Johnston was beaten, but Thornton made an excellent save to keep us ahead. Vincent then missed a chance to make it 2-0, and it took another good save by Thornton late in the game to give us the 3 points and move us ever closer to the league title.

League Table

Awards: another manager of the month title for me, and player of the month went to Russell Pond... oddly enough, no McCormick in the top three despite scoring 6 goals in the 4 league games.

[MikhailM]

March 2012

Saffron Walden vs. Westerfield Utd (League)

An open, even game, but shooting was poor from both teams, ensuring this would be a low-scoring one. The first real chance came on the 30th minute, when Cotton got behind the defense, but he couldn't beat the keeper. A few minutes later, Barr got one-on-one after a great pass by Mills, and beat the keeper with his shot, only to be denied by the post. At the end of the half, Johnston had a close-range header saved, then Thornton had to make a one-on-one save on the ensuing counterattack to keep it scoreless. On 56 minutes, the woodwork denied us again on a long-range blast by Pond, and it would finally be Saffron Walden getting the first goal 75 minutes in, heading the ball past Thornton off a corner. Mills had a couple of late chances to equalize, but couldn't hit the target, and so we lost only our second league game of the season, 1-0.

Westerfield Utd vs. Long Melford (League)

Neville wasn't yet fully fit after his injury, but I started him anyway, and it paid immediate dividends - less than 4 minutes in, he rifled one from 30 yards that went right by the post on the inside, leaving the Long Melford keeper with no chance - 1-0. Ten minutes later, though, Johnston missed an interception, which allowed Long Melford to equalize. Our next goal was pure luck - Vavrik got the ball off a corner and hit it wide of the target, but it was deflected in by a defender... 2-1. Then right before the end of the half, Vincent got the ball to Barr on a quick counterattack, and Barr beat the keeper from the edge of the box to make it 3-1. 55 minutes in, Thornton made a save on a close-range shot, but the rebound fell to a Long Melford striker near the penalty spot with the entire net to shoot at... but he put it wide, keeping us up by two. Not two minutes later, the gap did change, but in our favor - Neville played a pass to McCormick, who beat his man, then blasted it past the keeper to make it 4-1. McCormick and Cotton each missed easy chances to make it 5-1, then Thornton had to make a fingertip save to keep the score where it was, and that's how it ended.

Barr was injured in training after the match, so it would be McCormick and Mills starting the next few games up front.

Capel Plough vs. Westerfield Utd (League)

A very one-sided first half, as Capel Plough didn't manage to trouble Thornton even once. Meanwhile, McCormick found Mills in open space on the 12th minute, and Mills put it in the back of the net for only his second goal since early December. 37 minutes in, we made it two - McCormick was the first to Pond's 50-yard pass, and had no trouble beating the keeper low. Capel Plough showed some signs of life in the second half, and had a chance to pull one back early, but Thornton made a good save, and then another on the corner that resulted... then he started an attack that eventually led to Mills hitting a fairly weak shot from just outside the area that somehow found its way past the keeper, making it 3-0, and two for Mills, who finally looked in good form. Thornton continued his magic afterwards, making a one-on-one save just seconds after kickoff, then another point-blank one on 67 minutes, to ensure Capel Plough would have no way back into it. Neville could've made it 4-0, but hit the bar; still 3 goals was more than enough on this day, and with this win, we were just 3 points away from securing the league title!

After searching all season for a good left midfielder, I finally found one, and got him signed the day before our next match - Alex Henderson.

Westerfield Utd vs. Brantham Ath (League)

A win or a Whitton loss, and we would be champions... and we didn't need to watch the scoreboard in this one. Eight minutes in, McCormick got the ball to Mills with no defenders around him, and Mills beat the keeper to the near post to give us the lead. Neville then hit a long ball to McCormick on the 23rd minute, leaving McCormick with an easy finish to make it 2-0. The second half was no different - early on, Mills got behind the defense off Pond's through pass and converted the chance to make it 3-0, and on the 81st minute, it seemed almost like the defenders wanted Mills to get a hat-trick, backing away from him as he got inside the area and blasted one past the keeper. After 3 months of looking extremely poor, Mills all of a sudden could do no wrong with 5 goals in 2 games, and this win ensured that despite there being 5 games left to play, we could no longer be caught for the title. Level 9, here we come! Well OK, a few meaningless games left first...

Westerfield Utd vs. Whitton (League)

Unlike us, Whitton still had something to play for - the 2nd spot qualifies a team for a promotion playoffs against other 2nd-placed level 10 sides - and they came out playing like it today... except their strikers, who couldn't keep their shots on target. We didn't get much offense in the first half, but on the 4th minute of injury time, McCormick got round a defender and placed his shot into the bottom corner to give us the lead heading into the break. Whitton still looked like the better side in the second half, but missed more shots - all 7 of theirs in this match went wide or over - and on a rare venture forward on our part, McCormick crossed it in for Mills, who connected well with it, sending it into the back of the net for the first header goal off a cross (not counting corners) that I can remember us scoring this season. 2-0 was the final score, and Whitton are looking far less comfortable in 2nd place now (although I'm not sure I want Cornard Utd promoting over them, as much trouble as we've had with Cornard in cups this season).

League Table

Just a few fixtures left...

Awards: We've swept player of the month this time around - the top three, in order, went to McCormick, Brierley, and Worthington. I got another manager of the month award as well.