Ragusa to riches (the toe-end of the boot)

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Sunday 11th April 2004

The only change from the team named against Gela is Claudio Gallicchio stepping in for the suspended Francesco Erbini. Last time we met Giugliano, Daniel Fonseca's stunning hat-trick gave us our first victory of the season.

Serie C2/C

Giugliano v Ragusa

Ragusa lineup - Di Giovanni; Tamburro©, Attewell, Italia, Sabellini; Bonaffini, Cirillo, Pellegrino, Chiavarini; Gallicchio, Baggio.

Giugliano were up for revenge for the loss earlier in the season, but after 25 minutes it is us who strike first blood. An Eddy Baggio volley forces a corner, and Franco Chiavarini's delivery sees Gallicchio's header glancing in off the post for 1-0.

In the second half we keep it tight and the only real action is Baggio's header being saved by the Giugliano keeper, after more good work by Chiavarini down the right.

Final score: Giugliano 0 - 1 Ragusa

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Monday 12th April 2004

We gave up most of the possession during the 90 minutes, but Stuart Attewell marshalled 23-goal Giugliano striker Agostino Muratore brilliantly and the home side were unable to seriously threaten. We stay in 12th position but that win opens up an 8 point gap between us and Olbia in 14th, the highest relegation playoff spot.

Newcastle United have announced the appointment of former Arsenal and Liverpool boss Arsene Wenger as their new manager.

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Wednesday 14th April 2004

Almost 3000 people are in the Aldo Campo Selvaggio to watch the clash between their 12th place Ragusa and 13th Frosinone. Stuart Attewell is suspended following his fourth yellow card of the season and Pietro Alderuccio is injured, so captain Simone Tamburro will be required to step in to the centre of defence and right-back Stefano Guastella will fill in on the left. Fonseca and Caramel have recovered from their injuries but are only fit enough to make the bench.

Serie C2/C

Ragusa v Frosinone

Ragusa lineup - Di Giovanni; Guastella, Tamburro©, Italia, Sabellini; Manoni, Cirillo, Pellegrino, Chiavarini; Erbini, Baggio.

It takes just 7 minutes for a lovely flowing move to present us with the first goal. The ball moved through Sabellini, Baggio, Cirillo and Erbini with first-time flicks or passes, and Manolo Manoni crowned the one-touch football with a trademark thunderous 25 yard stirke into the roof of the net. I encourage Manolo to shoot on sight and most of his goals are spectacular, but the wonderful play that preceded it made this one extra special.

At half-time the game is all Ragusa so we make no changes, and just over 10 minutes into the second half Eddy Baggio makes it 2-0 by finishing a classic break with his first goal for the club. From defending a free kick, the ball is cleared and Baggio holds it up to leave for Chiavarini. The Argentinian swings a great ball wide left to Manoni streaking up the opposite flank, and his lovely inviting ball into the area is headed home by Baggio, his marker trailing helplessly.

In the 70th minute the new signings combined, Baggio finding Erbini with his 5th assist in 6 starts and Erbini curling in his 10th goal in 10 starts to make it 3-0. The pair then earned a rest as I saved their legs to give Gallicchio and Lupo a run out up front.

Final score: Ragusa 3 - 0 Frosinone

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Monday 15th April 2004

Simone Tamburro did very well at centre-back, but he was well protected by the fact that we completely dominated and kept the ball for most of the game. We're really flying at the moment and morale around the club is very good indeed, not least from a delighted chairman.

With 4 league games remaining the table looks like THIS.

We have climbed up to 10th and it is looking increasingly like the relegation playoffs will not be threatening us this season, not that I ever believed it would even when we were right down at the bottom. Our remaining fixtures read Foggia(H), Varese(A), Montichiari(A) and Tivoli(H), and Marco Cirillo will miss the Foggia game after collecting his fourth booking of the season.

Saturday 17th April 2004

No sooner had they returned do they find themselves injured again; Daniel Fonseca spends another week out with a damaged neck, and Vladimiro Caramel will need 3 weeks to heal a fractured wrist.

Over in England, Fulham have already won the Nationwide Division One by surpassing 100 points in the process. UEFA Cup semi-finallists Tottenham look favourites for the second automatic promotion spot unless Millwall or Norwich can catch them in the final two fixtures.

Graham Taylor has been sacked by Aston Villa when 'Deadly' Doug Ellis finally decided to live up to his name. The dismissal comes due to overwhelming supporter pressure, as the fans turned on their former hero during Taylor's very disappointing second stint in charge. Villa finished 6th in the Premiership last season, but after a promising start this season they have slumped to midtable nothingness and were knocked out in the UEFA Cup 4th round.

Former Ragusa loanee Stephen Cooke is currently transfer listed and doing quite well on loan at Watford.

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Sunday 18th April 2004

Today's visitors Foggia are standing proud atop the Serie C2/C table and are within touching distance of the title. As we attempt to do our best to prolong their suspense, Stuart Attewell returns from suspension and Alessandro Bonaffini takes Marco Cirillo's place in the centre of midfield.

Serie C2/C

Ragusa v Foggia

Ragusa lineup - Di Giovanni; Tamburro©, Attewell, Italia, Sabellini; Manoni, Bonaffini, Pellegrino, Chiavarini; Erbini, Baggio.

In an entertaining and evenly balanced first half, we come closest to taking the lead but Foggia keeper Efficie denies Erbini with a stop from point blank range. Early in the second half Erbini fails with a couple of difficult chances and Efficie parries another wickedly curling 25 yard blockbuster from Manoni.

In the 76th minute Franco Chiavarini intercepted a pass and lobbed a long ball over Foggia centre back Bonatti's head, looking for the run of Baggio in behind. In the clear, Baggio drew the keeper and shot low and hard in off the post to score the only goal of the game.

Final score: Ragusa 1 - 0 Foggia

18 year old defender Stuart Attewell picked up another man of the match award in a very exciting and free-flowing game. Not only did we beat the league leaders, but we also rise up to 8th place amidst a group of teams where only 4 points separates 7th Gela from 12th Tricase. The bad news is that Francesco Erbini has torn a groin muscle that will require 2 months to heal, obviously putting him out for the short remainder of this season.

Some big name clubs will be returning to the Serie A next season. Napoli's win sees them join runner up Udinese and champion Verona in sealing promotion from Serie B. Reggina, who released former Ragusa loanee Graziano Ursino from his contract recently, have all but mathematically secured the 4th promotion spot.

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Tuesday 20th April 2004

The UEFA Cup Semi Final 2nd Legs were played tonight in Italy and Germany. Robbie Keane's 15th goal in 10 European matches this season was his last, as Parma won 3-1 over Tottenham in Italy to take the tie 5-4 on aggregate. Parma's Romanian striker Adrian Mutu helped himself to a hat-trick to secure his side's place in the final against fellow Italians Juventus, who won their semi by a similar aggregate score of 5-3. This ended Schalke 04's excellent run in the tournament, a run that claimed the scalps of Celtic, Newcastle and Barcelona. Juventus will return to Germany to meet Parma at the Wankdorf Stadium in the UEFA Cup Final on the 19th of May.

Wednesday 21st April 2004

There was heart-ache at Highbury in the Champions League Quarter Final 2nd Legs. After earning a 1-1 draw in Dortmund, goals from Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp put Arsenal 2-0 up at home and 3-1 ahead on aggregate, and they were looking comfortable to go through. Disaster then as Brazilian forward Ewerthon got one back in the 89th minute, and then former Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hassebaink returned to haunt them by pouncing a minute later to put the German side through 3-3 on away goals.

Roma, Inter Milan and PSV Eindhoven booked the other semi final spots in less dramatic fashion.

Aston Villa appoint 51 year old former Feyenoord boss Bert van Marwijk as their new manager.

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Sunday 25th April 2004

Both teams come into this game on good form, as we have won all of our last four matches and our hosts Varese have won three and drawn one of theirs. Marco Cirillo and Pietro Alderuccio both return to full fitness, but Daniel Fonseca is not quite there yet and will start on the bench.

Serie C2/C

Varese v Ragusa

Ragusa lineup - Di Giovanni; Tamburro©, Attewell, Alderuccio, Sabellini; Manoni, Cirillo, Pellegrino, Chiavarini; Gallicchio, Baggio.

A free-kick from talented Yugoslavian midfielder Srdjan Novkovic gave Varese a 33rd minute lead, but when Chiavarini sprinted down the right flank just before half-time, Baggio was able to meet his hard cross with a downward header into the corner of the net to level things up.

Bonaffini replaced Cirillo at the break, and the second half proved to be very tense for both sides. Di Giovanni made several very important saves and was helped by some strong defending from man of the match Stuart Attewell in front of him. Fonseca replaced Gallicchio late on, and Novkovic went close with another free-kick but we held on for a good away point.

Final score: Varese 1 - 1 Ragusa

This was just the type of game that earlier in the season we would have lost 1-0. Varese can be a strong team at home and were able to get the first goal, but although they threatened in the second half we had the strength to hold them off and gain a draw.

We stay in 8th position, although Gela are 3 points ahead of us now and that 7th place that I wanted is looking unlikely. I suppose at least we can be thankful that we are comfortably safe from relegation battle now, which had not been the case for 90% of this season.

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Sunday 2nd May 2004

Montichiari have struggled all season long. Going into the penultimate game they are occupying the automatic relegation spot, 2 points away from the relative safety of the relegation playoffs.

Our problems come only from missing players, as Baggio is suspended and injuries have ruled out Cinalli, Alderuccio, Italia, Caramel and Erbini. Simone Tamburro fills in at an unfamiliar position of centre back.

Serie C2/C

Montichiari v Ragusa

Ragusa lineup - Di Giovanni; Guastella, Tamburro©, Attewell, Sabellini; Manoni, Cirillo, Pellegrino, Chiavarini; Fonseca, Gallicchio.

The early part of the game was very scrappy, as Montichiari were understandably desperate and really up for the game. Their anxious pressing was making it very difficult for us to pass the ball around and was ruining the spectacle, but somehow I don't think the tense home fans were interested in that. The best chance of the first half fell to the speedy Franco Chiavarini, but his shot was saved and Fonseca was unable to turn the rebound in from a tight angle.

In the 67th minute Claudio Gallicchio spurned a golden chance, when Fonseca broke away to the byline and crossed to find Gallicchio all alone at the far post, but the striker nodded wide when it seemed easier to score. I couldn't help thinking that Baggio or Erbini would have tucked that away (or my Gran, for that matter).

Montichiari made us pay for that miss straight away, because within 2 minutes Guastella was penalised for pushing in the area. The amusingly named Buttice stepped up and rammed the penalty into the roof of the net, much to the home fans' relief. Lupo replaced Gallicchio, Di Giovanni produced an excellent save to stop it being two, and Fonseca dragged a poor shot wide late on, but that's how it finished.

Final score: Montichiari 1 - 0 Ragusa

We stay in 8th place, but that is now the best we will be able to manage as Gela move 6 points clear above us. Foggia's win secures them the division title, and meanwhile last season's division winners Brindisi are finally confirmed as automatically relegated from the bottom of Serie C1/B, losing 23 of their 33 games this season.

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Sunday 9th May 2004

The final day of a season of endurance eventually arrives. Our opponents for this last fixture are 16th placed Tivoli, who are only 2 points above Giugliano and Montichiari so a loss for them today could still see them automatically relegated if both of those teams win. A point here will be enough for them to avoid automatic relegation and face the relegation playoffs, which is now the best that they can hope for. We will not be looking to do them any favours however, because as a matter of principle I still want to ensure that we keep 8th position to equal last season's finishing place.

Stefano Guastella is unfit, so Bonaffini has to fill in at full back again and Tamburro is required to stay at centre back.

Serie C2/C

Ragusa v Tivoli

Ragusa lineup - Di Giovanni; Bonaffini, Tamburro©, Attewell, Sabellini; Manoni, Cirillo, Pellegrino, Chiavarini; Fonseca, Baggio.

Tivoli might be a team on the brink of relegation but they don't act like it, certainly not scrapping tooth and claw like Montichiari had. Perhaps their success last season leads them to think that they are too good to go down, but Daniel Fonseca scores his 13th league goal of the season just inside half an hour to remind them that this is not plain sailing.

The good news for Tivoli at half-time is that both Giugliano and Montichiari are 1-0 down in their matches. Tivoli should really be even further behind as Chiavarini and Fonseca had chances to make it two or three goals, but they made it too easy for Andrea Casta to save.

The second half progresses much like the first. In the final 10 minutes Vladimiro Caramel comes on as substitute for Manoni, and we run out comfortable 1-0 winners.

Final score: Ragusa 1 - 0 Tivoli

The final league table looks like THIS.

We won 7 of our last 10 fixtures to rescue a disappointing season and regain 8th place, which was the minimum I was looking for when we set off eight months ago. We also finished 11 points from either playoff zone in both directions.

Palmese and Acireale reach the Serie C2/C promotion playoffs for the 2nd year running.

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Wednesday 12th May 2004

The Champions League will be an all-Italian affair again, just like last year, with Inter Milan involved again after they sneaked past Borussia Dortmund on away goals, 4-4 on aggregate. Roma had it easier against PSV Eindhoven, with Italian international striker Vincenzo Montella bagging all four goals in Rome to round off a 5-0 aggregate victory. The two Serie A sides will meet in Athens on May 26th.

Saturday 15th May 2004

Our scout Enrico Calabrese has left the club, joining as a scout for Pontedera in Serie C2/B with £2,000 heading our way in compensation.

The FA Cup final took place today. Almost 90,000 fans packed the brand new Wembley stadium for the return of the cup final to the capital, with London side West Ham United facing Liverpool. West Ham's new manager Gianluca Vialli was looking to repeat the FA Cup success that he enjoyed in his time at Chelsea.

West Ham slightly had the edge in a close game and the balance was tipped when Paolo Di Canio arrived as a substitute midway through the second half. His first touch was a glorious sweeping ball from left to right to locate Trevor Sinclair, and 21 year old England international striker Jermain Defoe controlled Sinclair's cross to nip in and stab the ball under Liverpool goalkeeper Chris Kirkland.

As the clock reached 90 minutes the sign went up showing that an extra three minutes would be added. Liverpool won a corner, taken by Vladimir Smicer, and half-time substitute Emile Heskey rose high above Repka to power home a header, sending the FA Cup final into extra time for the second time in two years.

Just five minutes into extra time, former Liverpool player Jason McAteer's long clearance down the right was chased by West Ham teammate Louis Saha. Kirkland came out of goal to clear but his kick deflected off Saha to the edge of the area, and as Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher battled with Jermain Defoe for the loose ball it was Defoe who was able to poke it into the open net for his second goal.

Liverpool were unable to repeat their comeback, and captain Michael Carrick lifted the trophy for West Ham's first FA Cup triumph since 1980.

At the same time over here in Italy, Juventus and AC Milan fought out the 2nd leg of the Italian Cup final in Milan. Juventus held on to their 2-0 1st leg lead to win the tie 3-2 on agg, retaining the trophy that they won last year and ensuring that Milan finished the season empty handed.

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Sunday 16th May 2004

AC Milan may not be displaying any new silverware this summer, but the Serie A title that they won last season will still be staying in Milano. On the final day of the Serie A season, city rivals Inter Milan confirmed their place at the head of the table for their first Scudetto since 1989.

Back in England again, the Premiership also ran to the final day. A rejuvenated Newcastle United on 85 points were away to relegated Crystal Palace, and Manchester United were home to midtable West Bromwich Albion on 84 points. A hat-trick from goal machine Ruud van Nistelrooy gave the Red Devils hope with a 3-0 win at Old Trafford, but Craig Bellamy's volley on the stroke of half-time at Selhurst Park was enough to give Arsene Wenger's Newcastle a 1-0 win to retain their title.

Arsenal finished in third place behind Manchester United, giving the top three places an identical look to last season.

Wednesday 19th May 2004

The UEFA Cup final was played out in Germany between Parma and Juventus. Frabrizio Miccoli and David Trezeguet twice gave Juventus the lead in the second half, only for Adrian Mutu to equalise both and send the game into extra time. The assembled Parma fans went crazy when young Brazilian striker Adriano lobbed Buffon to put Parma in front in extra time, but man-of-the-match David Trezeguet popped up at the far post to equalise and they were facing a penalty shootout.

Alessandro Frara missed Juve's fourth penalty, but, faced with the spot kick to win the cup, Adrian Mutu saw his penalty saved by Buffon. Moretti kept his nerve to score Juventus' penalty and even it up at 4-4 after five penalties each, but in sudden death Marco Zanchi missed after Parma had scored theirs and the UEFA Cup went back to Italy with Parma.

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Sunday 23rd May 2004

In keeping with the exciting finishes to Europe's other major competitions, there was an incredible end to the Spanish Primera Liga, where, going into the final game, Barcelona sat top on 87 points with title holders Real Betis just behind on 86 points. Barcelona's fixture was away to relegated Racing Santander at the bottom of the table, and Betis were at home to 6th-placed Malaga.

Despite dominating the game and peppering the Malaga goal with shots, Betis are held 0-0 at the final whistle, and the travelling Barcelona fans in Santander are celebrating where the scoreline is the same. There's a twist in the tail though, as in the 90th minute Racing striker Rodolfo Bodipo emerges to fire in a shock winner to break Barcelona hearts. Almost the last kick of the league season causes Barcelona to lose 1-0, and Betis pip them to retain their title by a matter of goal difference. Last year's runner-up Real Madrid come in third.

Barcelona will get the opportunity for some sort of small revenge when they meet Real Betis at the start of next month for the Spanish Cup final.

In Italy, Serie B club Crotone have had receivers called in to deal with their financial difficulties.

Monday 24th May 2004

There are celebrations here when Eddy Baggio is the shock choice for Serie C2/C Player of the Year. He has been excellent since he joined us in January, but it still comes as a pleasant surprise to us and Eddy himself. It also means that both of our new strikers are decorated, as Francesco Erbini wins the Serie C2/C Top Goalscorer award for the second successive season, scoring 30 league goals as part of his 33 goals from 33 appearances in all competitions.

Wednesday 26th May 2004

In the Champions League final in Athens, newly crowned Serie A champions Inter Milan faced off with Roma. Despite Inter having the edge and Fabio Cannavaro playing particularly well, Serie A Young Player of the Year Antonio Cassano opened the scoring for Roma in the second half, only for Hernan Crespo to equalise ten minutes later. It was left to Vincenzo Montella to win it in the 80th minute, dribbling around Toldo to slide in his 15th goal of the tournament, making him the joint top goalscorer in European competition this season by matching Robbie Keane's UEFA Cup efforts.

For the first time in the club's history Roma are champions of Europe, and Inter are denied the chance to match rival AC Milan's prodigious double last season.

Saturday 29th May 2004

After the dust has settled on the Serie C2/C relegation playoffs, Olbia and Tivoli are the unlucky losers as Guigliano and Gladiator survive yet again.

In the Spanish Cup Final in the Santiago Bernabeu, ex-Betis striker Henrik Larsson grabbed a goal against his former club as Barcelona get their modicum of revenge for missing out on the league title, taking the cup 3-1.

Over in England, after Sir Alex Ferguson had finally adorned his slippers, picked up the newspaper's horse racing pages and gone through with his retirement, former Manchester United defender Steve Bruce has walked out of Birmingham City to take up the vacant position at Old Trafford.

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Thursday 10th June 2004

While everyone else is glued to the television watching the Euro 2004 group stages get into full swing in Portugal, Salvatore Rinzillo and myself are running our 19 year old goalkeeper Giuseppe Lenea through some fitness tests on the training ground. Giuseppe broke his leg back in November but the doctors have finally given him full clearance to play again, and if we can get a full pre-season under him then he should hopefully be back in business for next season.

It has been really tough on Giuseppe because he's normally such a lively kid, but this sort of injury took its toll even on him and he can't have been having much fun sat around while Nicolas Cinalli and Antonio Di Giovanni took it in turns to lift us back up the table.

Saturday 12th June 2004

At the San Siro in Milan, Palmese complete a 4-0 aggregate win over Sassuolo in the Serie C2/C promotion playoff final, to relieve their disappointment from last season and make the step up to Serie C1.

Over in Portugal there is a flashback to a Euro 96 fixture, when England take on Holland in Euro 2004 Group D. In the first 10 minutes some bustling work from Aston Villa's Darius Vassell provides Michael Owen with a chance to lob Edwin van der Sar, and that proves to be enough to ensure that England take the win.

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Tuesday 22nd June 2004

In one quick blow, my plans and expectations for next season are scattered by a sudden announcement from new striker Francesco Erbini, who has decided that he is retiring from football. Now. Francesco thinks that it is time to hand the helm over to younger hands, despite being only 32 years of age and remaining the most prolific goalscorer in Serie C2. The groin muscle injury that he suffered at the end of the season seems to have worried him, and pressure from outside the game has metaphorically twisted his arm.

Obviously it comes as a shock and a huge disappointment. We paid (or will have paid) a transfer fee of £14,000 for Francesco in January, yet his entire 'career' with us lasted 11 matches and yielded 10 goals. Just £1,400 per goal then. I was also looking forward to the prospect of him continuing his promising partnership with Eddy Baggio throughout the whole of next season, a partnership largely responsible for our upturn in form during the second half of this season that saw us make strides up the table to comfortable safety.

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Tuesday 29th June 2004

The local magazine in Ragusa that announced Giancarlo Ferrara as last season's Fans' Player of the Year has run their poll again, and this time the fans have named our high profile Uruguayan Daniel Fonseca as Ferrara's successor. Daniel had a decent season, averaging a goal every other game and even achieving two spectacular hat-tricks, while his trickery and technique obviously endeared him to the Ragusa fans in his first 12 months here.

For the club overall this has not exactly been a fantastic season, but I had a feeling from the very start that this year would not be easy. The second year at a club rarely is. Although I had initially set out with the intention of equalling or improving on the 8th position in the first season, when we hit rock bottom in November it was clear that just surviving relegation this season should be our aim and would be an achievement. As it turned out we did in fact manage to equal 8th in the final weeks, but it had hardly been done in the manner that we had intended.

I am a lot more positive minded about next season however, even with the sudden loss of Francesco Erbini. Our defence has settled down to a regular four and players like Stuart Attewell and Pietro Alderuccio now have a full season under their belts. We are still weak in midfield, but if Vladimiro Caramel and Franco Chiavarini can steer clear of injury then we can hope for plenty of creativity, and I already know that Gaspare Pellegrino and Marco Cirillo will be consistently good in the middle. Up front Eddy Baggio is showing a lot of quality and if Daniel Fonseca can start producing his magic on a more regular basis then we have the makings of a decent team, at this level anyway.

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- Ragusa 2003/2004 - Player Performances -

GOALKEEPERS

Nicolas Cinalli, 24, Goalkeeper (Argentinian)

(apps 13(3) - conceded 19 - clean sheets 5 - AvR 6.56)

Again not a great season for the first of our two Argentinians. Although he has sorted himself out mentally and brightened his mood, his record has not been great and even if he might not know it, he looks in danger of slipping to third choice if he isn't careful. The next chance he gets he will have to take with both hands.

Antonio Di Giovanni, 21, Goalkeeper

(apps 10 - conceded 6 - clean sheets 7 - AvR 7.40)

Was it just a coincidence that we won 7 and only lost 2 during Antonio's run in the first team? Well, if I'm honest, yes I think it was. Antonio surprised us all with his performance record, but it did happen at a time when the entire team was playing at a higher level than we previously had, and he also had that nightmare in Tivoli where he conceded five and was dropped for a few weeks. He only found his way back in due to Cinalli's injury, and although he did well I'm not getting carried away.

Giuseppe Lenea, 19, Goalkeeper

(apps 15 - conceded 14 - clean sheets 4 - MotM 1 - AvR 7.26)

After an outstanding season last season, the first half of this season was arguably even better from Giuseppe, thanks to the poor performances in front of him that led him to be over-worked. Time after time he made important saves, and then was tragically hit by a challenge that broke his leg. Fortunately he should be back to full fitness by the start of next season.

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DEFENDERS

Dario Italia, 34, Centre Back

(apps 16 - MotM 1 - AvR 7.12)

As our backup central defender Dario has done reasonably well when called upon. There is no danger of him breaking into the first team again though.

Stefano Guastella, 20, Right Back

(apps 5(2) - Assists 1 - AvR 7.00)

Stefano showed promise last season but has been the victim of Danilo Sabellini's good form this year, relegating him to a permanent position on the bench. It is a shame because he's a nice kid, but we can't exactly play two right-backs in the team.

Danilo Sabellini, 21, Right Wingback

(apps 37 - MotM 1 - AvR 7.18)

Danilo had a very good season, though the thing he can be most pleased about is the fact that he made a massive 37 appearances to shake off his 'injury prone' tag. The regular on the right of our increasingly settled defensive four, and in fact the most regular name on the team sheet this season.

Simone Tamburro, 30, Wingback

(apps 33 - Assists 4 - MotM 1 - AvR 6.78)

Our captain has not been quite as solid as he was last season, but then you could level that criticism at the club as a whole. His leadership is invaluable though and his place on the left of defence is not in jeopardy.

Stuart Attewell, 18, Centre Back (English)

(apps 34(1) - Assists 1 - MotM 5 - AvR 7.34)

Stuart fulfilled my expectations and more this season, often being a rock at the heart of our defence. For such a young man living so far away from home he has been fantastic, and I can already tell that he will just get better and better.

Pietro Alderuccio, 21, Centre Back

(apps 24(1) - AvR 6.51)

Although Pietro has not settled as well as I would have liked, there is a partnership there with Attewell that holds a large amount of potential. I will however expect more from him next season.

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MIDFIELDERS

Alessandro Bonaffini, 23, Winger

(apps 15(4) - AvR 6.42)

Alessandro has continued to be the typical squad player, filling in for injuries and suspensions in a variety of positions. Although he is a good personality to have around and his attitude cannot be faulted, he will not amount to more than a backup player here.

Manolo Manoni, 27, Winger

(apps 22(7) - Goals 3 - Assists 3 - AvR 6.65)

I said 12 months ago that I would hope Manolo would not be needed to make as many appearances next season, and yet here he is with an almost identical record to the one he had back then. He has continued to chip in with the occasional goal, but if we are able to find a suitable replacement on the left than the sooner the better.

Gaspare Pellegrino, 21, Centre Midfield

(apps 35 - Goals 1 - Assists 2 - MotM 2 - AvR 7.42)

I immediately warmed to Gaspare when I first arrived due to his committed and determined displays, and he remains unashamedly the manager's favourite player. Always the first name on the team sheet, he was even handed the captain's armband on the occasions that Tamburro was unavailable.

Vladimiro Caramel, 35, Attacking Midfield

(apps 23(2) - Goals 2 - Assists 4 - MotM 2 - AvR 7.48)

Vladi hasn't quite matched the heights that he reached last season, which I hope was due to his injuries and the underachievements of the team as a whole, rather than age catching up with him. Reality would suggest it is that, but he will still remain part of the first team for at least one more season.

Franco Chiavarini, 24, Right Midfield (Argentinian)

(apps 24(4) - Goals 3 - Assists 6 - MotM 1 - AvR 6.85)

Franco's first season in Ragusa has been satisfactory, contributing a respectable amount of assists and looking lively when he's on form. He has a tendency to drift out of games sometimes, but on the whole he has done quite well and appears to enjoy linking up with Eddy Baggio down the right.

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ATTACKERS

Marco Cirillo, 27, Striker

(apps 28(1) - Goals 1 - Assists 1 - AvR 7.24)

It seems ridiculous to refer to Marco as a striker any longer, considering all of his appearances this season have been alongside Gaspare in the centre of midfield. Consistent as always, Marco can be happy with his individual performances this season.

Claudio Gallicchio, 27, Striker

(apps 25(3) - Goals 9 - Assists 7 - MotM 1 - AvR 6.78)

Claudio failed to find the consistency that I needed from him, and barring injuries to Fonseca or Baggio he will be looking at a future on the substitute's bench for the coming season. Probably the only one pleased that Erbini decided to retire this summer!

Vittorio Emanuele Lupo, 29, Striker

(apps 3(9) - Goals 2 - AvR 6.41)

If Claudio's prospects are not great, Vittorio's are even bleaker and time is not on his side. I don't expect Vittorio to play any greater role next season than he did this time round.

Daniel Fonseca, 34, Forward

(apps 33(1) - Goals 16 - Assists 9 - MotM 3 - AvR 7.11)

Daniel won the fans over with his flashes of brilliance and he didn't fail to impress me either. If he can improve on this year and enjoy an even better one next season then the club will surely benefit greatly.

Eddy Baggio, 29, Striker

(apps 9(3) - Goals 3 - Assists 5 - AvR 7.33)

I have been quietly thrilled by Eddy's start to his career here. He works so very hard for the team, a real powerhouse in attack that defenders in this division will struggle to cope with. Good in the air, strong in the challenge, fit, quick, and if he can cover for the loss of Erbini by taking over the goalscoring mantle then it will surely be the best £1,000 this club has ever spent.

[Guest]

I just love this thread.Really!!!

I'm reading everything that I can but I'm not yet at the end so don't say your final position!

I'm an admirer of the Italian Lower Leagues so I just love it to read it!

Forza Grandissimo Ragusa!

[Ninjafish]

There is only one word for this thread, absolutely magnificent, PLEASE kepp updating it!!

[nerf]

Thank you for the very kind words Juventinogdt and Ninjafish, I hope you continue to enjoy it

Saturday 3rd July 2004

52,000 fans in Lisbon saw the hosts knocked out of the Euro 2004 Quarter Finals; Alessandro Del Piero's second goal came in extra time and gave Italy a 2-1 win over Portugal to progress to the semis. There were further extra time antics between Holland and France, where at 1-1, 20 year old Feyenoord defender Glenn Loovens was the unlikely player in the right place to stab home a corner and put the holders out.

Deportivo's Joe Cole inspired England to beat Spain 2-0, and Germany eased past Greece by the same scoreline with Miroslav Klose's 5th goal of the competition. This means that the Euro 2004 Semi Finals will see Italy facing Holland, and yet again England meet Germany in the penultimate round of a major tournament.

Meanwhile we have been busy searching for a replacement chief scout after Enrico left us earlier in the summer. That man is 47 year old Vincenzo Barbieri, a Sicilian born and bred.

Wednesday 7th July 2004

There's yet more heartache for England to go with the memories of 1990 and 1996, though at least this time there is no penalty shootout. Early goals from Miroslav Klose and Michael Ballack are enough to sustain Darius Vassell's second half reply and Germany beat England 2-1.

A 15th minute header from Christian Vieri gave Italy a deserved 1-0 win over Holland in the other semi final, bringing Vieri level with Klose on 6 goals in the tournament. Italy will face Germany on Sunday to see who will be the new European champions.

Sunday 11th July 2004

In a match between two hard-working teams the Euro 2004 grand finale turned into a disappointing and typically uninspiring affair, where Germany regained the trophy that they had won in 1996 by grinding out a 2-1 victory over Italy. Neither Christian Vieri nor Miroslav Klose got in on the goalscoring act in the final but will share the golden boot.

[nerf]

Tuesday 28th July 2004

The summer transfer activity gets underway now that focus can be shifted away from Euro 2004. Champions League Quarter Finallists Fenerbahce beat several English and Spanish clubs to the signing of Spanish international Gaizka Mendieta, for £10.75 million. Big-spending Atletico Madrid double that by splashing out £22.5 million on Denilson, who despite his success at Betis had decided that he needed a new challenge.

At the opposite end of the scale, Serie B team Palermo, a fellow Sicilian club, announce that the receivers have been brought in to deal with their financial crisis.

Monday 9th August 2004

This week saw our pre-season preparations begin with two friendly matches to shake off the summer lethargy, when we entertained Siracusa and then visited Palmese. The Siracusa game was unsurprisingly sluggish and we stumbled to a 1-2 defeat, with Giuseppe Lenea coming for the last 10 minutes to play his first match since he broke his leg back in November last year.

An Eddy Baggio hattrick gave us a 3-2 win in the other friendly at Palmese yesterday, but agonisingly Lenea managed to dislocate his shoulder and will be back on the treatment table for another 2 months! Now that's bad luck. He wasn't the only one to suffer an injury either, as captain Simone Tamburro picked up a calf strain and will miss the next 2 weeks of pre-season training.

Monday 23rd August 2004

There is plenty of big transfer news floating around European football in the last week or so, starting with Brazilian star Ronaldo joining Spanish outfit Malaga for £17.5 million, finally ending his increasingly frustrating stay at Real Madrid.

Another player relieved to end his association with a club is Jonathan Greening, who has left Liverpool to return to the north-east with Newcastle United, after an unhappy 8 months on merseyside. Liverpool reclaim almost all of the £7.5 million they spent on Greening and use it to go towards the massive £15 million transfer of AC Milan's decorated midfielder and Italian international Gennaro Ivan Gattuso. Gattuso stated his joy at getting the chance to play in a team managed by Ottmar Hitzfeld, the German coach who left Bayern Munich to become Liverpool manager back in March, and Gattuso claimed that he has long wished to play under the guidance of such an esteemed coach.

Real Betis, Spanish league champions for two seasons running, have set about spending most of the £22 million they received recently from the reluctant sale of Denilson. First in is Tottenham's Robbie Keane for £11 million, whose UEFA Cup exploits last season alerted a host of top clubs across Europe, and he is followed by the £6 million capture of highly rated Brazilian right-back Mancini from Atletico Mineiro.

[Guest]

Ok,I'm finally at page 6 as I read everything.I printed off page 4-5 yesterday to read it in the garden

Great,sublime and wonderful story!

Now I'm reading page 6 so from now on I can follow you every day,your great story!

Without no doubt the greatest CM story I ever read!

Forza Ragusa!

[Agathron]

I'm with them, still reading it and definitely still loving it. KUTGW nerf

[Ninjafish]

Agree with J. best story I have ever read.

[nerf]

Thanks again Juventinogdt and Ninjafish, and glad you're still reading Agathron

- Serie C Cup 2004/2005 - Group P preview -

Group P has an almost identical look to last season's Group O, with 4 of the 5 teams involved together again. Last time the most unfancied team, Gladiator, pulled off a surprise group win.

Teams (sorted alphabetically):

Brindisi - Serie C2/C

Gladiator - Serie C2/C

Palmese - Serie C1/B

Paterno - Serie C2/C

Ragusa - Serie C2/C

Brindisi failed to cope with the step up to Serie C1/B last season following their promotion as C2/C winners, and find themselves back at square one after finishing rock bottom of the division above. It remains to be seen how this failure has affected the squad and the club as a whole, but they should be considered one of the more dangerous teams in the group.

Gladiator have clung to their Serie C2 status for dear life over the last two seasons, both times escaping relegation at the very last chance. However, they somehow managed to win their group in last season's cup competition so it is not so easy to write them off again.

Palmese finally got the promotion that they wanted by winning last season's playoff, and this coming season they will be attempting to do better in Serie C1/B than Brindisi did. They can be a dangerous force on their day and of all the teams in Group P they enjoyed by far the most success last season.

Paterno finished 15th in Serie C1/B and were condemned to Serie C2 by losing in the relegation playouts. The other 4 clubs are all familiar with each other with Paterno almost an outsider, so it will be interesting to see if this will work in their favour or not.

Ragusa round off a tough group, following on from a difficult second season for the club. Spending much of the campaign in the lower reaches of the table, they were finally able to turn themselves around and climb to the safety of midtable with some good end of season form. In last season's Serie C Cup they achieved the opposite, by putting themselves in a strong position to win the group and then being eased out on goal difference after failing to get anything from their final fixture.

[nerf]

Tuesday 24th August 2004

Franco Chiavarini and Giuseppe Lenea are both nursing pre-season injuries and will miss our opening cup game with Paterno.

Serie C Cup Group P

Ragusa v Paterno

Ragusa lineup - Di Giovanni; Tamburro©, Attewell, Alderuccio, Sabellini; Manoni, Cirillo, Pellegrino, Caramel; Fonseca, Baggio.

Our first match of the season was a very tight and even game, with little to separate the two teams. The best chance came at the end of the first half when Manoni flicked the ball on and Fonseca spotted the Paterno keeper off his line, but his delicate lob shaved the outside of the post on its way down. Paterno were very defensive and only managed one effort of their own in the entire 90 minutes, which was blocked by Alderuccio.

Final score: Ragusa 0 - 0 Paterno

Massimo Fiorillo has joined the club as our second scout, and he will work alongside Vincenzo Barbieri to find potential transfer targets for us. Even more pleasing is that Gaspare Pellegrino and Simone Tamburro, who were both on contracts that run out at the end of this season, have now signed extensions to their deals until July 2007.

Saturday 28th August 2004

We have a good record against Gladiator in my two seasons here, being unbeaten in all six meetings (3 wins, 3 draws). Claudio Gallicchio has managed to score 5 goals against Gladiator in that time, but he will not even make the bench today thanks to a knock picked up in training. Franco Chiavarini returns to fitness and starts on the right.

Serie C Cup Group P

Ragusa v Gladiator

Ragusa lineup - Di Giovanni; Tamburro©, Attewell, Alderuccio, Sabellini; Caramel, Cirillo, Pellegrino, Chiavarini; Fonseca, Baggio.

Despite us having the majority of the possession this was another very tight game. It took 70 minutes to find the breakthrough, with Daniel Fonseca curling in another free-kick to put us 1-0 in the lead, and it looked like surely that would be enough to take the win. Unfortunately as we pushed up for a second, Gladiator caught us on the break and Diego Russo finished a quick counterattack to steal a point for the visitors with 6 minutes to go.

Final score: Ragusa 1 - 1 Gladiator

[nerf]

Tuesday 31st August 2004

With two draws in our opening games we could really do with a win at Brindisi if we want to progress, in what on paper should be the most difficult game.

Serie C Cup Group P

Brindisi v Ragusa

Ragusa lineup - Cinalli; Tamburro©, Attewell, Alderuccio, Sabellini; Caramel, Cirillo, Pellegrino, Chiavarini; Fonseca, Baggio.

We get off to a great start, Eddy Baggio striking twice inside the first 20 minutes to give us a 2-0 lead, and the game swung even more in our favour when Brindisi's Andrea D'Amble saw red for losing his rag and pushing Alderuccio. Then, in the dying minutes of the first half, out of nowhere Michele Menolascina fired a stunning shot into the top corner of our net and it was 2-1 at the break.

There's a popular opinion that a 10-man team can prove even more difficult an opposition than a full eleven, and Brindisi certainly set about to prove that. The home side worked tremendously hard in the second half, making it almost impossible for us to get any rhythm going never mind take advantage of the extra man. With just 8 minutes left on the clock the inevitable happened, a simple cross was swung into our box, and the next thing I knew the head of Brindisi's Antimo Lunco was on the end of it to level things at 2-2.

Final score: Brindisi 2 - 2 Ragusa

It is a disappointed group of players on the trip back from south-east Italy. As a club we don't put much emphasis on the Serie C Cup, but having been two goals and an extra man up we really should have been celebrating a win that would at least have given us a strong shot at qualifying from the group stage. As it was, Brindisi buckled down and fought out the draw that eliminates us from the competition with one more group match yet to play.

[nerf]

Wednesday 1st September 2004

I sat down to talk with chairman Giuseppe Antoci about the coming season. Giuseppe gave me the same objective that he had provided for the last two years, that he simply expects the club to avoid relegation back to the Serie D. It's nice not to have any extra pressure to achieve something above the club's status, but I had to admit that my personal intentions are a little higher than that. I really feel like this is the strongest team we have had since I arrived back in the summer of 2002 and anything less than 7th place at the absolute minimum would be a disappointment, and if you're talking about 7th then the next natural step is to have one eye on 5th place and the gate to the promotion playoffs.

According to a local paper this morning, the general concesus amongst the fans seems to be somewhere in between, expecting a comfortable mid-table finish.

[Brian of Nazareth]

Comfortable mid table finish my arse

Just get back Stephen Cooke again Must say that as a fellow Villain I'm loving the updates

Anyway Utterly superb story and let's hope you can crack promotion this season

[nerf]

Cheers BoN I'd love to have Cooke back but I wouldn't fancy my chances. Besides, I'd quite like to see him making a go of his career at Villa Park, and Serie C football probably wouldn't help him too much!

Sunday 5th September 2004

A new season, a fresh start, and we are blessed with an almost full strength squad to choose from so the team out today should resemble our best eleven. Our opponents are Castelnuovo, who were relegated from Serie C2/B before bouncing straight back up the next season into Serie C2/C.

Serie C2/C

Castelnuovo v Ragusa

Ragusa lineup - Cinalli; Tamburro©, Attewell, Alderuccio, Sabellini; Caramel, Cirillo, Pellegrino, Chiavarini; Fonseca, Baggio.

The first half does not progress very well, perhaps with the disappointment of Tuesday night still in the players' minds, and at half-time we find ourselves a goal down to Castelnuovo's Martelloni. 10 minutes into the second half the game threatens to change when Claudio Gallicchio gets one back, but immediately Castelnuovo come back with a response to regain their lead just two minutes later. We switch to a more attacking formation, adopting the old 4-3-1-2, but in the 70th minute Castelnuovo catch us on the break and Nicolas Cinalli is guilty of butterfingers as the home side get their third.

Final score: Castelnuovo 3 - 1 Ragusa

Not exactly what we were looking for. It was a poor performance, despite the efforts of Pellegrino and Cirillo in midfield who can come out of it with some kind of dignity, but the rest of the team were below standard and we never looked like winning the game.

The result did not go down too well with local Ragusa journalist Briono Di Nazzaro, who compared the mid-table expectations with 'his arse' and is one of a few ambitious supporters of the team who are clamouring for a promotion challenge. We will have to wait 10 days for the home fixture with Frosinone to have another go at setting that challenge off on the right foot.

[nerf]

Wednesday 8th September 2004

When a week of highly motivating training is needed, the last thing you want is to travel away for a meaningless cup game. Unfortunately we have no choice in the matter and set off for Palmese to get it out of the way. Cinalli finds himself dropped after Castelnuovo's weak third goal, Danilo Sabellini and Marco Cirillo are rested, and we will switch to 4-5-1 with the intention of gritting our teeth for a draw.

Serie C Cup Group P

Palmese v Ragusa

Ragusa lineup - Di Giovanni; Tamburro©, Attewell, Alderuccio, Guastella; Fonseca, Bonaffini, Caramel, Pellegrino, Chiavarini; Baggio.

Predictably the first half passes fairly uneventfully, until Eddy Baggio pops up on the stroke of half-time to give us a 1-0 lead. After the break we almost double that but Baggio's second effort is whistled for offside, and then as the half progressed Franco Chiavarini sent a good chance over the bar.

Just as I start to think that this 4-5-1 formation might come in handy in the future, Palmese's Pappalardo appears to make it 1-1 and share the spoils.

Final score: Palmese 1 - 1 Ragusa

We end our participation in the Serie C Cup having drawn all four of our games, and finish 4th in the table. Gladiator shock everyone by winning the group for the second year in a row, and initial favourites Brindisi actually finish bottom. Lets hope that the league form will not prove to be the same as the cup form, but it rarely is.

Tuesday 14th September 2004

Deportivo have signed Claude Makelele from Real Madrid for £12.75 million. The 31 year old French international spent four successfull seasons in Madrid, often credited as the most important piece in a team full of brighter stars. In response to rumours that Real are lining up English midfielder Steven Gerrard as the direct replacement for Makelele, Liverpool have slapped a £45 million valuation on their player.

In training, Vladimiro Caramel manages to dislocate his shoulder and will be out for the next 2 months.

[nerf]

Wednesday 15th September 2004

2491 fans are present to welcome us back to the comfort of the Aldo Campo Selvaggio, following three successive difficult away fixtures. Frosinone are the team on the road this time, but come into this game having found two late goals to gain a decent 2-2 draw with Acireale in their opening match. We have won 3 of the last 4 meetings between the two clubs, with Frosinone's only victory over us coming during darker times last November.

Serie C2/C

Ragusa v Frosinone

Ragusa lineup - Di Giovanni; Tamburro©, Attewell, Alderuccio, Sabellini; Bonaffini, Cirillo, Pellegrino, Chiavarini; Fonseca, Baggio.

10 minutes into the match we got the perfect start, when Franco Chiavarini's long ball was flicked on by Baggio for Fonseca to finish by sidefooting the ball just inside the near post. 15 minutes later it was 2-0, thanks to a move orchestrated by the same three players. This time Eddy Baggio started it by finding Chiavarini, who fed a chipped pass inside to Fonseca, and the elegant Uruguayan finished confidently past the Frosinone keeper.

Our pressure on Frosinone was relentless and we had complete domination of the first half, so it came as no surprise when we found a third goal before half-time. Eddy Baggio was sent tumbling in the area by a blatant push in the back, and Daniel Fonseca gratefully thrashed the penalty kick into the roof of the net for a first half hattrick.

As if we hadn't got the game in the bag already, it was well and truly finished off in the early stages of the second half. Fonseca was in vibrant mood and intercepted a loose pass in the Frosinone defence, left it for Eddy Baggio, and the forward struck a spectacular 20 yard shot that swerved and dipped into the roof of the net for 4-0.

Final score: Ragusa 4 - 0 Frosinone

It's good to be home again! Frosinone found us unstoppable today and the Ragusa fans enjoyed a decent performance by their team. Not to say that there isn't plenty of room for improvement, but you can hardly complain with four goals and a much needed win to kickstart our season.

[Guest]

Your first trashing of the season!

Congrats and good luck!

Forza Ragusa!

[Guest]

have to say I love this story and your style of writing, just printed it all off so I can read it through again.

gj

[nerf]

DS: Thanks very much

Juventinogdt: Lets hope there's more where that came from In fact...

Sunday 19th September 2004

We are in northern Italy, not a million miles from Bologna, for an away trip to Sassuolo. Our hosts have started their season with two draws from their first two games, but last time we visited here they convincingly beat us 4-1. A study of the results table also reveals the disturbing fact that we have only won 1 away match in our last 22 attempts, a dismal run stretching back as far as March 2003! We will be fielding the same team that played midweek, but urge the midfield to play more defensively as we attempt to end that record.

Serie C2/C

Sassuolo v Ragusa

Ragusa lineup - Di Giovanni; Tamburro©, Attewell, Alderuccio, Sabellini; Bonaffini, Cirillo, Pellegrino, Chiavarini; Fonseca, Baggio.

During the first half the home side manage to retain most of the possession, but it is us who are looking more dangerous in terms of creativity. Our two banks of four are stifling any chance Sassuolo have of making an incisive pass or finding an opening, and Fonseca and Baggio are revelling as our source of attack at the other end.

In the 23rd minute a fantastic save by Sassuolo keeper Paolo Ginestra is required to deny a curling effort from Fonseca, and it proved to be a warning of what was to come 10 minutes later. Eddy Baggio muscled his way up to flick the ball on with his head, and his strike partner applied the accurate finish to put us 1-0 up.

There is little to say at half-time, our gameplan and preparation was paying dividends, so I just encouraged the players to make sure they keep doing what they had been doing so far. The second half started off in a similar fashion, and on the hour a ball from Simone Tamburro allowed Daniel Fonseca to trick his marker and blast his second goal in off the far post.

Final score: Sassuolo 0 - 2 Ragusa

Eddy Baggio picked up the man of the match award for a hard working display, but Daniel Fonseca's double makes him the early leader in the Serie C2/C goalscoring charts with 5 in 3 matches. We go 4th, with Gladiator, Castelnuovo and Imolese the three teams above.

[nerf]

Sunday 26th September 2004

Legnano arrive in Ragusa for our next fixture, a team who are freshly promoted from Serie D after being relegated from Serie C2/A the previous season. We keep the same lineup for the third match running.

Serie C2/C

Ragusa v Legnano

Ragusa lineup - Di Giovanni; Tamburro©, Attewell, Alderuccio, Sabellini; Bonaffini, Cirillo, Pellegrino, Chiavarini; Fonseca, Baggio.

The pink shirts of Legnano manage to keep us at bay for the opening 20 minutes, before Chiavarini and Baggio link again down the right and the striker places his shot inside the near post. Four minutes later we push up at a free-kick looking for a quick second goal, but Legnano clear and mount a stunning counterattack that ends with a great strike from right-back Gennaro Sardo into the top corner of Di Giovanni's net.

It is 1-1 at half-time but we know that we have had the edge and the goals will surely come in the second half. Again it takes 20 minutes for us to find the opening, but in the mood that Daniel Fonseca is in then there was only one outcome. He picked up a loose pass, turned his marker with ease, and struck the ball past Enrico Malatesta in the Legnano goal.

At 2-1 we start to look more comfortable and search for the third goal to kill off the game, although Legnano's ability on the break is in the back of our minds after what they did in the first half. In the 76th minute we can start to relax a little as Fonseca played Bonaffini in down the left, his cross eluded the lunging Chiavarini, but Eddy Baggio was coming in behind to slam a fierce volley into the roof of the net. Ten minutes later Franco Chiavarini went on another raid down the right channel, shaped to shoot, clipped a deft chip inside, and with Malatesta left in no-mans land by the fake it was an easy task for Baggio to make it 4-1.

In the dying minutes Simone Tamburro carelessly picked up a second yellow card for a trip on Bernadi, forcing Bonaffini to drop back to fill in at left back. Simone handed the captain's arm band to Gaspare Pellegrino on his way off the pitch, and I suppose if you're going to get sent off then 4-1 up is the best time to do it! Being down to 10-men didn't slow Eddy Baggio down though, and when Daniel Fonseca played him in behind the defence there was still time to bag his fourth with an emphatic finish across the keeper.

Final score: Ragusa 5 - 1 Legnano

The final scoreline flattered us a little but we were more than worthy of the three points. The relationship between Eddy Baggio and Daniel Fonseca is really clicking at the moment and it is starting to look like we could have the most dangerous strike partnership in the division on our hands. Not only that but the win sends us top of the table on 9 points, ahead of Paterno, Varese and Imolese on goal difference thanks to our 12 goals in 4 games.

[nerf]

Sunday 3rd October 2004

The new month brings an old fixture, as we travel back across to south-east Italy to repeat our Serie C Cup trip to Brindisi. Antonio Di Giovanni was unfortunate enough to tear a groin muscle in training so Nicolas Cinalli will be allowed another chance to reclaim the goalkeeper's jersey, and with Simone Tamburro suspended, Stefano Guastella gets a rare start and young Gaspare Pellegrino keeps the captaincy.

Serie C2/C

Brindisi v Ragusa

Ragusa lineup - Cinalli; Guastella, Attewell, Alderuccio, Sabellini; Bonaffini, Cirillo, Pellegrino©, Chiavarini; Fonseca, Baggio.

As in our last meeting just over a month ago, there are two goals in the first 20 minutes. With 5 minutes on the clock Gaspare Pellegrino won a header to find Eddy Baggio, the striker won the tussle with his marker to squeeze a shot in on goal, and despite the keeper getting his hand to it the ball still found the net.

This time however, the second goal belongs to the home side and arrives in the 15th minute. A nice passing move involving Iunca and Menolascina resulted in a certain Nazzareno Scopelliti sending Andrea D'Amble into the area, and his cross from the right saw Iunco following up to find the bottom corner of the net, again via the goalkeeper's hand.

The score remains 1-1 at half-time, thanks partly to Cinalli making a good point blank save from D'Amble as the half drew to a close. At the break Manolo Manoni gets a chance to show what he can do by replacing Bonaffini, in the hope that it will give us more attacking options in the second period.

In the 62nd minute a close game is unbalanced when Eddy Baggio wriggled into the area and fizzed a dangerous ball across the six yard box. Daniel Fonseca and Brindisi centre back Calabro both went in for it, and from the challenge the ball squirmed into the net with Fonseca credited the goal. It takes until the 83rd minute for us to really clinch the match, when Marco Cirillo climbed highest to head home a Fonseca corner.

Brindisi manage a consolation in the dying seconds when Alderuccio is called for pushing in the area and Pierluigi Orlandini tucks the penalty kick away, but it is too late in the day for the home side to steal a result.

Final score: Brindisi 2 - 3 Ragusa

Paterno and Imolese keep pace with us at the top with wins of their own. Daniel Fonseca, 7 goals, and Eddy Baggio, 6 goals, are now holding the top two places in the scoring charts.

Wednesday 6th October 2004

A confident performance by the Italian national side tonight saw them deal with Poland 3-1 at the San Siro. Goals from young Juventus midfielder Matteo Brighi, Vincenzo Montella and Christian Vieri, helped Italy continue their quest to qualify from World Cup qualifying group 1.

[nerf]

Sunday 10th October 2004

8th placed Gladiator are next to enter the Aldo Campo Selvaggio, for league game number six. Unfortunately we have lost a few players during an injury-plagued week, that has left us facing 2 weeks without Stuart Attewell and 3 weeks without Alessandro Bonaffini. Also missing for 3 weeks will be Danilo Sabellini, after x-rays showed that he had managed to fracture his jaw.

Conversely, Giuseppe Lenea has returned to full training again after his second long-term injury and will sit on the bench today. Manolo Manoni and veteran centre back Dario Italia benefit from the other injuries to be named in the starting eleven.

Serie C2/C

Ragusa v Gladiator

Ragusa lineup - Cinalli; Tamburro©, Italia, Alderuccio, Guastella; Manoni, Cirillo, Pellegrino, Chiavarini; Fonseca, Baggio.

While our slightly altered defence attempted to get used to each other, Gladiator were able to create some openings but Cinalli kept them out with a couple of very good saves. As the first half progressed we started to take control, and in the 36th minute Eddy Baggio made the visitors pay for not taking advantage of their early chances by popping up to head a Fonseca corner down into the bottom corner of the net.

The score remained 1-0 through the early part of the second half. In the 68th minute Manoni passed inside to Fonseca, who turned and slid a through ball in behind the defence for Baggio, and he was able to round the keeper and ram home a low finish past the desperate covering defender. With 10 minutes to go Baggio had a chance for a hattrick from Chiavarini's pass, and he turned his marker before unleashing a powerful strike into the roof of the net.

Another late penalty conceded by Manoni was converted by D'Onghia, but Eddy Baggio's hattrick proved more than sufficient for us to notch our 5th straight victory.

Final score: Ragusa 3 - 1 Gladiator

A loss for Imolese and a draw for Paterno mean that we are now top by right of points, as the league table starts to take shape. We will have to travel to Paterno in two weeks' time to earn the right to stay at the summit, but for now we can enjoy the extended break as Serie C2/C leaders.

[Gino]

good to see you still battling through Italy's lower reaches nerf! All the best this season

[Guest]

5 wins in a row,seems good now!

C'mon Ragusa!

[nerf]

Gino: Yes I'm still here. It quickly became clear that the second season was going to be tough, but we've battled through and seem to have emerged a better team (touch wood). Thanks for the encouragement

Juventinogdt: Yep, things have started well. Cheers

Friday 22nd October 2004

The break proved to be less enjoyable than expected, as I have now been presented with the prospect of losing another two first-team players to injury. Franco Chiavarini's strained ankle ligaments will need 3 weeks of rest, and Gaspare Pellegrino will be sidelined for 2 weeks with a groin strain.

The one piece of good news is that goalkeepers Nicolas Cinalli and Giuseppe Lenea, who both had contracts that expire at the end of the season, have signed extensions to their deals until 2007 and 2008 respectively.

Sunday 24th October 2004

Paterno have started the season almost as well as we have so this will surely be by far the biggest test so far. With so many injuries hitting the squad all at once we cannot even field a full side, forced into drafting in a couple of local Ragusa youngsters to fill the gaps. Eighteen year olds Salvatore Filipponi and Adriano Vaccaro, the nephew of our coach Corrado Vaccaro, will find themselves suddenly thrown into a full senior Serie C2/C match. It's a ridiculous scenario but there is nothing we can do about it, and it was literally a case of registering the first two people we could get our hands on before the authorities threatened to make us forfeit.

Serie C2/C

Paterno v Ragusa

Ragusa lineup - Cinalli; Tamburro©, Attewell, Alderuccio, Guastella; (Filipponi), Cirillo, (Vaccaro), Manoni; Fonseca, Baggio.

The first half is thankfully quiet and uneventful, until my mood is worsened by Manolo Manoni's injury late on. Striker Claudio Gallicchio comes on to play on the right side of a midfield that technically now contains no genuine Ragusa midfielders.

Paterno started to get more and more on top in the second half, and although we were grimly hanging on for a 0-0 draw it just wasn't going to be possible. In the 77th minute the ball dropped for Paterno striker Ascenzi in the area and he rifled it into the net, then followed it up 10 minutes later with a header from a corner.

Final score: Paterno 2 - 0 Ragusa

I cannot describe how furious I am with these injuries! Imagine going to the 2nd place side with a full strength team and winning there, to build a bigger lead... but no, injuries have cost us any chance we had of that. Fortunately Manolo Manoni has merely sprained his wrist so he will not be adding to the long list.

[nerf]

Sunday 31st Octover 2004

The journey to Meda is a long one, right up to the northern reaches of Italy close to Monza. Fortunately Franco Chiavarini, Danilo Sabellini and Alessandro Bonaffini are fit enough to join us, though Pellegrino and Caramel are still out. I have decided to experiment with central defender Dario Italia in a holding midfield role, to see if we can add a bit of bite to the centre of the park.

Serie C2/C

Meda v Ragusa

Ragusa lineup - Cinalli; Tamburro©, Attewell, Alderuccio, Sabellini; Manoni, Cirillo, Italia, Chiavarini; Fonseca, Baggio.

After a less than impressive start, in the 19th minute Eddy Baggio capitalised on a hesitation by Meda captain Riccardo de Luca to steal the ball, run on, and chip goalkeeper Thomas Berretta to put us 1-0 up. The goal settles the team down and we start to pass it around a bit, and on 25 minutes, after Tamburro, Sabellini and Alderuccio had stroked the ball around between them at the back, Alderuccio's long ball found Daniel Fonseca free in behind the defence to make it 2-0.

With the first attack of the second half Daniel Fonseca made it 3-0, dazzling his marker completely and firing a fierce shot on goal. Meda keeper Berretta got something on it but the ball had enough power to go through him and trickle over the line, and that was the game as good as won. As usual our complacency causes a slight lapse in concentration, allowing Meda number 11 Nino to score a tap in on 86 minutes after Cinalli had saved Minnucci's header.

Final score: Meda 1 - 3 Ragusa

Paterno win at the top so we stay in second. Imolese also win, beating Gladiator 1-0, to keep them level with us on 18 points.

[Agathron]

Well i'm off for the summer so dont' know how much i'll be able to read for the next month or so. When i get back, i hope to see Ragusa battling in Serie A. Still enjoying it nerf, have a good summer.

[awhec]

Great story nerf !

[nerf]

I think it's a bit early atm to be setting sights on Serie A Agathron! I hope you have a great summer

Cheers awhec

Sunday 7th November 2004

Latina have made an average start to the season and currently stand in 7th position. Gaspare Pellegrino gives us a boost by recovering from his groin strain, and he replaces Dario Italia in the only change from the team that won at Meda.

Serie C2/C

Ragusa v Latina

Ragusa lineup - Cinalli; Tamburro©, Attewell, Alderuccio, Sabellini; Manoni, Cirillo, Pellegrino, Chiavarini; Fonseca, Baggio.

The possession is all ours, but Latina are resiliant and the first half passes with us barely managing a meaningful attempt on goal. In typical hit-and-run fashion, Latina's only significant attack sees Simonetti receiving a cross from the right and slamming home a goal in the 33rd minute.

The second half is simply dire, as Latina look to hold on for what they have and for some reason we have lost all notion of creativity. Manoni comes on as a substitute for Bonaffini, but the game drifts away and Latina take the win.

Final score: Latina 1 - 0 Ragusa

I am not a happy person in the changing room after the match, and I make sure that I let the players know about it. We really shouldn't be losing games like that at home, especially when we have so much of the ball. Latina deserve credit for some expert defending, but the lack of chances is inexcusable and very frustrating. At least the news that Imolese have surprisingly lost to 15th placed Legnano means that we are lucky enough to stay 2nd.

[nerf]

Sunday 21st November 2004

It's local derby time, as mid-table Gela make the short trip along the south coast to arrive here in Ragusa. You can bet your life that we will be fired up for this one, after having had a fortnight's break to stew over the frustration of the Latina game.

Alessandro Bonaffini will be unavailable for 4 weeks after straining ankle ligaments, but Pietro Alderuccio and Gaspare Pellegrino have both been able to shake off their various ailments in time to just about pass a fitness test for today. Similarly Vladimiro Caramel makes the bench for the first time since he dislocated his shoulder in September.

Serie C2/C

Ragusa v Gela

Ragusa lineup - Cinalli; Tamburro©, Attewell, Alderuccio, Sabellini; Manoni, Cirillo, Pellegrino, Chiavarini; Fonseca, Baggio.

The coaching staff did their job and we sent the players out onto the pitch fired up for kick off. Gela are caught off balance by our aggressive start, and in the 4th minute Pellegrino's interception allows Chiavarini to lob the ball over the top of the defence. Daniel Fonseca took the shot early to curl the opening goal around the Gela keeper, 1-0.

Eddy Baggio twice fired shots narrowly over the bar but we are unable to extend the lead in the first half. At the half-time break Caramel makes a reappearance at the expense of Manoni, and he is involved in a move early in the second half. His reverse ball down the line searched out Fonseca, whose fantastic curling pass infield was controlled by Baggio in the area before ramming his shot emphatically into the roof of the net.

Gaspare Pellegrino limped off shortly afterwards, before we fashioned a wonderfully crafted move on the hour mark. Eddy Baggio laid the ball back to Chiavarini and sprinted on for the return pass, then helped it on to Daniel Fonseca. Fonseca's low curling ball across the area sent the ball back into Baggio's path once again, and the striker banged in his second of the match and his 12th league goal of the season.

The remainder of the game was a stroll at 3-0, but there was still time for a fourth. In the 89th minute, Daniel Fonseca's dangerously inswinging free-kick from the right found man of the match Marco Cirillo flying in for a close range diving header, giving Fonseca his third assist of the game.

Final score: Ragusa 4 - 0 Gela

That's more like it! There was only one team in it and our domination showed with the four goals we created. Daniel Fonseca was at the heart of most of the incisive play in the final third, having a hand in all of the goals, and continuing to link really well with Eddy Baggio. Marco Cirillo had an impressive game in midfield but also picked up his 4th yellow card, meaning he will be suspended for next week's match. It is possible that we might even be missing our entire central midfield at Giugliano, as Gaspare Pellegrino's foot is swollen and he faces a race to be fit again.

The chairman was understandably delighted with the emphatic derby win, though we stay 2nd in the table, a point beind Paterno and ahead of Imolese on goal difference. After 10 matches the Serie C2/C table looks like THIS.

[Guest]

Ok great

C'mon Nerf,you can do it!

You should go to the Serie C1/A or B

Forza Ragusa!

[Guest]

Question I forgot to mention.Maybe I read it but I forgot it but Eddy Baggio is that the guy from Salernitana?

Good Luck!