East Stirling dominating Rangers and Celtic -Is this a dream??

Dark_Soccer · September 30, 2004

Italy

Now we move to one of the most famous leagues of the world the Serie A. Inter Milan completely dominated the league breaking the one hundred point barrier with thirty six wins out of thirty eight matches which gave the other big clubs no chance to claim the Scudetto. Juventus finished in second spot twenty nine points back while Roma was a further ten points back. Lazio and Parma also both finished in places which give them the chance to play in Europe next season. The fans of teams who get relegated are always optimistic that they will come bouncing straight back and the teams' fans doing that this season are of Napoli, Lecce and Piacenza.

| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts |

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| 1st | C | Inter | | 38 | 36 | 1 | 1 | 109 | 31 | +78 | 109 |

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| 2nd | | Juventus | | 38 | 28 | 6 | 4 | 95 | 40 | +55 | 90 |

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| 3rd | | Roma | | 38 | 24 | 8 | 6 | 90 | 46 | +44 | 80 |

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| 4th | | Lazio | | 38 | 22 | 8 | 8 | 75 | 46 | +29 | 74 |

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| 5th | | Parma | | 38 | 18 | 8 | 12 | 68 | 58 | +10 | 62 |

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| 6th | | Udinese | | 38 | 18 | 7 | 13 | 71 | 62 | +9 | 61 |

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| 7th | | Atalanta | | 38 | 18 | 6 | 14 | 64 | 64 | 0 | 60 |

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| 8th | | Milan | | 38 | 15 | 11 | 12 | 78 | 58 | +20 | 56 |

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| 9th | | Perugia | | 38 | 15 | 7 | 16 | 66 | 62 | +4 | 52 |

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| 10th | | Cagliari | | 38 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 53 | 69 | -16 | 47 |

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| 11th | | Chievo | | 38 | 13 | 7 | 18 | 57 | 68 | -11 | 46 |

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| 12th | | Brescia | | 38 | 13 | 6 | 19 | 60 | 73 | -13 | 45 |

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| 13th | | Bologna | | 38 | 11 | 9 | 18 | 56 | 69 | -13 | 42 |

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| 14th | | Fiorentina | | 38 | 11 | 8 | 19 | 54 | 75 | -21 | 41 |

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| 15th | | Reggina | | 38 | 11 | 6 | 21 | 53 | 73 | -20 | 39 |

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| 16th | | Sampdoria | | 38 | 9 | 11 | 18 | 56 | 74 | -18 | 38 |

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| 17th | | Vicenza | | 38 | 8 | 12 | 18 | 48 | 74 | -26 | 36 |

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| 18th | R | Napoli | | 38 | 8 | 6 | 24 | 44 | 92 | -48 | 30 |

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| 19th | R | Lecce | | 38 | 7 | 7 | 24 | 46 | 80 | -34 | 28 |

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| 20th | R | Piacenza | | 38 | 6 | 9 | 23 | 51 | 80 | -29 | 27 |

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</pre>

If I asked someone off the street what they thought the second division of Italy was called most likely they wouldnâ€™t say the Serie B. However thatâ€™s what it is called and lets take a look at it right now. Torino finished on a nice tidy total of 100 points to set up the home and away derby matches against neighbours Juventus next season. Genoa and Palermo will join the Serie A as they finished easily in the other two promotion spots. Siena can take heart in their season and look to build on it to win promotion next season. The four teams dropping into the lower leagues are Triestina, Arezzo, Messina and Pisa.

| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts |

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| 1st | C | Torino | | 42 | 32 | 4 | 6 | 105 | 47 | +58 | 100 |

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| 2nd | P | Genoa | | 42 | 26 | 11 | 5 | 86 | 45 | +41 | 89 |

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| 3rd | P | Palermo | | 42 | 25 | 9 | 8 | 74 | 48 | +26 | 84 |

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| 4th | | Siena | | 42 | 24 | 7 | 11 | 76 | 57 | +19 | 79 |

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| 5th | | Ternana | | 42 | 21 | 12 | 9 | 84 | 65 | +19 | 75 |

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| 6th | | Ancona | | 42 | 19 | 13 | 10 | 72 | 47 | +25 | 70 |

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| 7th | | Crotone | | 42 | 21 | 7 | 14 | 69 | 60 | +9 | 70 |

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| 8th | | Ascoli | | 42 | 22 | 3 | 17 | 77 | 70 | +7 | 69 |

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| 9th | | Bari | | 42 | 19 | 11 | 12 | 78 | 66 | +12 | 68 |

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| 10th | | Verona | | 42 | 18 | 9 | 15 | 75 | 59 | +16 | 63 |

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| 11th | | Avellino | | 42 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 81 | 71 | +10 | 56 |

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| 12th | | Modena | | 42 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 74 | 66 | +8 | 55 |

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| 13th | | Como | | 42 | 15 | 9 | 18 | 58 | 61 | -3 | 54 |

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| 14th | | Empoli | | 42 | 15 | 7 | 20 | 56 | 64 | -8 | 52 |

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| 15th | | Livorno | | 42 | 13 | 11 | 18 | 48 | 60 | -12 | 50 |

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| 16th | | Catania | | 42 | 14 | 6 | 22 | 49 | 73 | -24 | 48 |

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| 17th | | Cesena | | 42 | 11 | 11 | 20 | 46 | 81 | -35 | 44 |

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| 18th | | Albinoleffe | | 42 | 12 | 7 | 23 | 66 | 81 | -15 | 43 |

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| 19th | R | Triestina | | 42 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 60 | 79 | -19 | 43 |

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| 20th | R | Arezzo | | 42 | 8 | 7 | 27 | 55 | 88 | -33 | 31 |

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| 21st | R | Messina | | 42 | 6 | 8 | 28 | 43 | 90 | -47 | 26 |

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| 22nd | R | Pisa | | 42 | 5 | 5 | 32 | 36 | 90 | -54 | 20 |

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</pre>

Italian Cup: Inter Milan

Super Cup: Inter Milan

Scotland

Here we are back to the land of the Scots. In the Scottish Premier League its always been between the big two in modern times and it was no different this season. Rangers took the title this season but only just with Celtic nipping at their heels the last few games and ending two points short. Dundee and Ayr United both had good seasons finishing third and fourth respectively. Down at the bottom there is just the one position which sees its occupant at the end of the season dropped down into Division One. This season the team is Dunfermline but only just on goal difference after Dundee United had an extra six goals.

| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts |

| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 1st | C | Rangers | | 38 | 25 | 6 | 7 | 83 | 38 | +45 | 81 |

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| 2nd | | Celtic | | 38 | 23 | 10 | 5 | 65 | 30 | +35 | 79 |

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| 3rd | | Dundee | | 38 | 17 | 8 | 13 | 64 | 49 | +15 | 59 |

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| 4th | | Ayr | | 38 | 17 | 8 | 13 | 69 | 57 | +12 | 59 |

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| 5th | | Hibs | | 38 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 42 | 39 | +3 | 51 |

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| 6th | | Partick Thistle | | 38 | 14 | 8 | 16 | 41 | 44 | -3 | 50 |

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| 7th | | Aberdeen | | 38 | 15 | 8 | 15 | 51 | 53 | -2 | 53 |

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| 8th | | Livingston | | 38 | 14 | 8 | 16 | 60 | 64 | -4 | 50 |

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| 9th | | Kilmarnock | | 38 | 11 | 9 | 18 | 45 | 52 | -7 | 42 |

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| 10th | | Hearts | | 38 | 12 | 6 | 20 | 40 | 66 | -26 | 42 |

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| 11th | | Dundee Utd | | 38 | 10 | 5 | 23 | 47 | 78 | -31 | 35 |

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| 12th | R | Dunfermline | | 38 | 9 | 8 | 21 | 41 | 78 | -37 | 35 |

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</pre>

One division down and the fight for the one promotion spot was intense between two sides. Queen of the South prevailed but only just having an extra one point over their challengers Clyde who finished second. The two sides who will feel the wraith of relegation are St Johnstone and East Fife.

| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts |

| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 1st | C | Queen of Sth. | | 36 | 20 | 7 | 9 | 77 | 45 | +32 | 67 |

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| 2nd | | Clyde | | 36 | 19 | 9 | 8 | 64 | 35 | +29 | 66 |

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| 3rd | | Motherwell | | 36 | 17 | 11 | 8 | 58 | 41 | +17 | 62 |

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| 4th | | Raith Rovers | | 36 | 18 | 7 | 11 | 57 | 57 | 0 | 61 |

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| 5th | | Inverness C. Thistle | | 36 | 15 | 7 | 14 | 47 | 52 | -5 | 52 |

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| 6th | | Falkirk | | 36 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 54 | 40 | +14 | 51 |

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| 7th | | Brechin | | 36 | 12 | 10 | 14 | 44 | 47 | -3 | 46 |

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| 8th | | Morton | | 36 | 10 | 11 | 15 | 59 | 57 | +2 | 41 |

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| 9th | R | St. Johnstone | | 36 | 8 | 11 | 17 | 33 | 57 | -24 | 35 |

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| 10th | R | East Fife | | 36 | 3 | 5 | 28 | 31 | 93 | -62 | 14 |

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</pre>

Down into the lower leagues of Scotland now and we are in Division Two. Surprisingly winners of Division Three last season Stirling easily won Division Two this season. They finished a massive thirty two points of second placed St Mirren who only won promotion by the skin of their teeth with Cowdenbeath finishing one point behind. The teams who are falling down into Division Three are Ross County and Airdrie United who both couldnâ€™t muster any more than eighteen wins between them which is twelve less than Stirling had all season to win the league.

| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts |

| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 1st | C | Stirling | | 36 | 30 | 2 | 4 | 113 | 29 | +84 | 92 |

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| 2nd | P | St. Mirren | | 36 | 17 | 9 | 10 | 50 | 45 | +5 | 60 |

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| 3rd | | Cowdenbeath | | 36 | 17 | 8 | 11 | 60 | 44 | +16 | 59 |

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| 4th | | Hamilton | | 36 | 17 | 6 | 13 | 67 | 54 | +13 | 57 |

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| 5th | | Forfar | | 36 | 12 | 7 | 17 | 56 | 72 | -16 | 43 |

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| 6th | | Alloa | | 36 | 11 | 8 | 17 | 49 | 62 | -13 | 41 |

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| 7th | | Arbroath | | 36 | 11 | 8 | 17 | 45 | 62 | -17 | 41 |

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| 8th | | Stenhousemuir | | 36 | 12 | 5 | 19 | 43 | 64 | -21 | 41 |

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| 9th | R | Ross County | | 36 | 9 | 10 | 17 | 45 | 73 | -28 | 37 |

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| 10th | R | Airdrie Utd | | 36 | 9 | 7 | 20 | 46 | 69 | -23 | 34 |

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</pre>

Our last stop in the Scottish pyramid of leagues and we are in the LLM heaven. In Division Three Albion Rovers managed to final clinch promotion after coming close three years in a row and joining them is Montrose who did well to catch up to and over take East Stirling who looked promising early on. We finished third which was a excellent achievement for us as we look to build on that for next season. Now for the most dreaded award in Scottish football the wooden spoon given to the lowest team in all the leagues. Queens Park take out this award but only just as Elgin were lucky to miss out on goal difference.

| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts |

| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 1st | C | Albion Rovers | | 36 | 25 | 7 | 4 | 97 | 41 | +56 | 82 |

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| 2nd | P | Montrose | | 36 | 22 | 6 | 8 | 64 | 37 | +27 | 72 |

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| 3rd | | East Stirling | | 36 | 20 | 4 | 12 | 68 | 49 | +19 | 64 |

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| 4th | | Berwick | | 36 | 15 | 7 | 14 | 59 | 61 | -2 | 52 |

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| 5th | | Dumbarton | | 36 | 14 | 6 | 16 | 44 | 60 | -16 | 48 |

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| 6th | | Peterhead | | 36 | 13 | 5 | 18 | 59 | 70 | -11 | 44 |

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| 7th | | Gretna | | 36 | 11 | 6 | 19 | 52 | 69 | -17 | 39 |

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| 8th | | Stranraer | | 36 | 10 | 8 | 18 | 54 | 60 | -6 | 38 |

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| 9th | | Elgin | | 36 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 46 | 67 | -21 | 34 |

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| 10th | | Queens Park | | 36 | 9 | 7 | 20 | 31 | 60 | -29 | 34 |

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</pre>

Scottish Cup: Celtic

League Cup: Hiberian (Hibs!)

Challenge Cup: Motherwell

Spain

Here we are in our last port of call in the beautiful Spanish landscape. In Division One, or La Liga as it is well known as, Real Madrid easily won their third consecutive title while Celta Vigo took second spot rather surprisingly three points ahead of Valencia. While the financially crippling burden of relegation will be felt at Espanyol, Leganes and Mallorca.

| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts |

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| 1st | C | Real Madrid | | 38 | 26 | 5 | 7 | 95 | 48 | +47 | 83 |

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| 2nd | | Celta | | 38 | 22 | 6 | 10 | 81 | 58 | +23 | 72 |

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| 3rd | | Valencia | | 38 | 21 | 6 | 11 | 74 | 48 | +26 | 69 |

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| 4th | | Villarreal | | 38 | 20 | 8 | 10 | 77 | 56 | +21 | 68 |

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| 5th | | Real Sociedad | | 38 | 18 | 11 | 9 | 83 | 64 | +19 | 65 |

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| 6th | | Betis | | 38 | 17 | 13 | 8 | 66 | 54 | +12 | 64 |

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| 7th | | Barcelona | | 38 | 17 | 12 | 9 | 70 | 51 | +19 | 63 |

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| 8th | | Deportivo | | 38 | 16 | 11 | 11 | 71 | 58 | +13 | 59 |

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| 9th | | Sevilla | | 38 | 16 | 8 | 14 | 77 | 73 | +4 | 56 |

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| 10th | | Valladolid | | 38 | 16 | 5 | 17 | 51 | 59 | -8 | 53 |

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| 11th | | Athletic Bilbao | | 38 | 15 | 7 | 16 | 71 | 81 | -10 | 52 |

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| 12th | | MÃ¡laga | | 38 | 14 | 8 | 16 | 67 | 66 | +1 | 50 |

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| 13th | | Osasuna | | 38 | 13 | 9 | 16 | 62 | 67 | -5 | 48 |

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| 14th | | Zaragoza | | 38 | 12 | 9 | 17 | 53 | 61 | -8 | 45 |

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| 15th | | Rayo | | 38 | 11 | 10 | 17 | 55 | 68 | -13 | 43 |

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| 16th | | Xerez | | 38 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 59 | 76 | -17 | 40 |

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| 17th | | Racing Santander | | 38 | 9 | 8 | 21 | 52 | 77 | -25 | 35 |

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| 18th | R | Espanyol | | 38 | 7 | 8 | 23 | 40 | 75 | -35 | 29 |

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| 19th | R | LeganÃ©s | | 38 | 4 | 16 | 18 | 47 | 81 | -34 | 28 |

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| 20th | R | Mallorca | | 38 | 4 | 13 | 21 | 51 | 81 | -30 | 25 |

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</pre>

Into the Spanish Second Division and we see Real Madrid's rivals return to the La Liga. Atletico Madrid took the Second Division title five points ahead of Levante and seventeen points in front of Terrassa who will both be joining them next season. Hercules was one lucky team this season, with a certain god looking down on them, missing the drop by one point. The teams who obviously didnâ€™t have a god on their side this season were Eibar, Algeciras, Poli Ejido and Getafe.

| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts |

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| 1st | C | AtlÃ©tico Madrid | | 42 | 29 | 8 | 5 | 91 | 34 | +57 | 95 |

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| 2nd | P | Levante | | 42 | 28 | 6 | 8 | 85 | 42 | +43 | 90 |

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| 3rd | P | Terrassa | | 42 | 23 | 9 | 10 | 66 | 44 | +22 | 78 |

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| 4th | | Ceuta | | 42 | 21 | 10 | 11 | 69 | 64 | +5 | 73 |

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| 5th | | Murcia | | 42 | 21 | 9 | 12 | 67 | 51 | +16 | 72 |

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| 6th | | Tenerife | | 42 | 18 | 17 | 7 | 67 | 43 | +24 | 71 |

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| 7th | | Recreativo | | 42 | 20 | 9 | 13 | 73 | 55 | +18 | 69 |

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| 8th | | CÃ³rdoba | | 42 | 19 | 8 | 15 | 61 | 55 | +6 | 65 |

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| 9th | | AlavÃ©s | | 42 | 17 | 9 | 16 | 64 | 55 | +9 | 60 |

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| 10th | | Numancia | | 42 | 18 | 6 | 18 | 68 | 72 | -4 | 60 |

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| 11th | | Las Palmas | | 42 | 16 | 7 | 19 | 73 | 66 | +7 | 55 |

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| 12th | | Ciudad de Murcia | | 42 | 15 | 9 | 18 | 68 | 63 | +5 | 54 |

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| 13th | | NÃ¡stic | | 42 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 59 | 64 | -5 | 54 |

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| 14th | | AlmerÃa | | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 61 | 70 | -9 | 52 |

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| 15th | | Extremadura | | 42 | 14 | 7 | 21 | 47 | 65 | -18 | 49 |

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| 16th | | Albacete | | 42 | 13 | 9 | 20 | 48 | 65 | -17 | 48 |

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| 17th | | Elche | | 42 | 13 | 7 | 22 | 54 | 71 | -17 | 46 |

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| 18th | | HÃ©rcules | | 42 | 12 | 9 | 21 | 45 | 65 | -20 | 45 |

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| 19th | R | Eibar | | 42 | 11 | 11 | 20 | 60 | 89 | -29 | 44 |

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| 20th | R | Algeciras | | 42 | 10 | 12 | 20 | 35 | 64 | -29 | 42 |

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| 21st | R | Poli Ejido | | 42 | 10 | 8 | 24 | 47 | 70 | -23 | 38 |

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| 22nd | R | Getafe | | 42 | 7 | 6 | 29 | 45 | 86 | -41 | 27 |

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</pre>

Spanish Cup: Valencia

Super Cup: Real Madrid

So there we have it another look around the leagues at the end of another exciting season. We will be back again next time to see how the teams are getting on at the half way stage of next season.

Dark_Soccer · September 30, 2004

Now since exams are coming up the story will take a break before we head into season three of this Scottish challenge tale.

Just one question I would like answered is if the reader(s) would like to hear of any international manager exploits in the same depth as East Stirling or less depth or not at all.

Cheers for now

BobBev · September 30, 2004

Enjoy your break D_S - if you can enjoy exams that is .

I for one would be delighted to read a detailed account of International Management if you fancy writing one.

So come on the Shire - let's see promotion next season.

Terk · September 30, 2004

detailed international management accounts would be good, but only if you're going to enjoy writing them.

oh, and enjoy the break as much as possible

garno · October 6, 2004

If you feel like writing them, I would be more than happy to read it.

Dark_Soccer · December 10, 2004

Thanks guys!

Well here I am back again and ready to continue with the East Stirling tale

The break was great and I am now refreshed and raring to go as we East Stirling look to win promotion to the Scottish Division Two

Dark_Soccer · December 10, 2004

Season 04/05 (Season Three)-Scottish Third Division

Well here we are at the start of a new season and my third season in charge at East Stirling.

The usual visit from the board took place to start the season. I have been given the same goal "invest in new players and start rebuilding the team" which is also the same view the fans have taken once again. While this keeps pressure off me for the coming season its quite sad that after the relatively good season and final league postion we had last season the board and fans donâ€™t expect bigger and better things.

Bigger and better things leads me on to my transfer budget this season. The board has generously given me my biggest transfer kitty so far a massive which is now at Â£24K. I will also be allowed to keep 60% of the monies brought in from player sales.

Another thing which has happened during the off season is the board's answer to my ask for improved training facilities. The board replied by stating that they are investing in the facilities. Hopefully that means they will actually do something because our facilities have been said to "Need some investment".

Now to discuss the dealings during the off season. Serge Makofo from Wimbledon and Kevin Ramsey from Celtic joined the club for Â£8K and on a free transfer respectively. Both players are strikers and they will add an extra level of danger and depth to our strike force as we look to score more goals than last season. Both will have a introduction later on in the squad review.

While on the other side of the fence the players that left the club. Jordan Leishman has joined Gretna in a move which will hopefully bring him some first team football. He was never given much game time under my management but that doesnâ€™t mean he wont do good things for Gretna. While a few retirements will occur over this coming season. Kevin Twaddle and Eddie Annand will both retire at the end of the year. John Allison has only just retired in the last few days and has taken up a physio role at the club.

With John Allison changing his role from a part time coach to a full time physio it shapes the backroom staff to two physios, two scouts and only one coach. Therefore the one signing I need to make before the season starts is a new coach. If I donâ€™t manage to find anyone I do have my full confidence in our only coach Ilian Kiryakov who was a former player.

I took it upon myself to organise four friendlies to prepare us for the up and coming season. Our first friendly is played at home to amateur side Spartans on the 9th of July. Onto our usual preseason cup the East Stirling Cup 2005. However this year the structure has changed from the usual league we have changed it to a two semi final matches the winners move onto the final while the losers play off for third spot. The three clubs invited to the tournament to try and steal the cup from us are Cove Rangers, Montrose and Selkirk. The last friendly on the 26th of July is against our U-19 team. This will give us a look at the future of the club and while giving our first team players some more time to reach full fitness.

Now to review that first team squad I have put together to compete in season 2004/2005 in the Scottish Third Division.

Goalkeepers:

Jon Connolly (24 y/o, Scottish, GK)

A pretty reliable goalkeeper when his defence is doing its job. However if I can find a keeper who is better equipped than our Jon here he will fall down the pecking order. Strangely enough Jon has been attracting some interest from Division One clubs including St Mirren so I think I may just hang onto him.

Ross Flitney (21 y/o, English, GK)

He was a nice acquisition for the club from Fulham as he is a decent back up for Connolly. Ross proved his ability in the few games he played last year showing he should be able to cope in this division. He looks to be a promising keeper for the future and my coaches back me up in this opinion.

Defenders:

Roddy Maughan (24 y/o, Scottish, DR)

He didnâ€™t get much of a chance last season with John Allison filling the right back spot sufficiently enough to keep Roddy out of the first team. However with John retiring a few days ago Roddy will be playing almost every match this season as we donâ€™t have another right back surprisingly enough. Hopefully we can blood him over this season to give him a huge amount of experience to make him into a more complete player.

Graeme McLaren (21 y/o, Scottish, DL)

At only twenty one years old we have a player who can play for the club for many years to come. He hasnâ€™t had the best two seasons but he is only young and will continue to learn and gain experience. An average rating of 6.60 over the past season isnâ€™t good form but enough to keep himself in the first team.

Alex McColl (18 y/o, Scottish, DC)

Another young defender who was brought in last season on a free transfer. He is one of our centre backs who partners Nico Herzig at the back to keep Jon Connolly only having to do a minimal amount of work. His physical attributes really give him an edge but his technical ability is the one that lets him down. However at eighteen we have enough time to shape him into a strong defender.

Nico Herzig (21 y/o, German, DC)

One of my favourite players in the squad is the young German central defender. Since his arrival from Wimbledon he has had a good effect on our defence. He like McColl doesnâ€™t have much technical ability but his physical presence gets the job done. Last season he had a good season with an average rating of 7.57 over thirty five games.

James White (25 y/o, Scottish, DC)

One of the oldest defenders in the first team squad. I donâ€™t know why he doesnâ€™t play more but I just donâ€™t favour him in a first team jersey over McColl and Herzig. However he is one of the best headers of the ball in the team but thatâ€™s about it. He only made five first team appearances last season from the start.

Michael Stewart (20 y/o, Scottish, DC)

Another young Scottish defender who may be out of his depth any further up than Division Three. His determination and bravery does score him some points however he is poor in most other areas which really bring him down when comparing him to our other centre backs. He didnâ€™t manage much game time last season with only fourteen games and eight sub appearances.

cantonaisgod · December 11, 2004

Good to see this up and running again - KUTGW fella

Dark_Soccer · December 11, 2004

Thanks cantona, good to get it back up and running again

Midfielders:

Kevin Twaddle (33 y/o, Scottish, AMFR)

The reason Kevin was brought to the club was to add experience to the squad and add him as a kind of coach to the younger players. He has performed averagely over the past season appearing sixteen times and one sub appearances to score five goals and four assists. He will retire from football at the end of his contract which expires by the new year. If he completes a coaching course and earns his coaching badges I will be happy to have him on my staff.

Ross Jackson (25 y/o, Scottish, AMFR)

Ross didnâ€™t perform well at all last season and lost his place in the first team to veteran Kevin Twaddle for the last five games. He will however be given a reprieve and be given a starting place this season however any more pathetic performances and he will be out of the first team for a long time.

Scott Livingstone (25 y/o, Scottish, MR)

Another player who didnâ€™t get much game time at all last season but with his skills should play more is Scott Livingstone. Scott has great acceleration and pace which would allow him to get by defenders on those tricky runs down the wing. However his execution at the end of the run is poor which lets him down somewhat. If Jackson doesnâ€™t player well Livingstone may find himself in the first team.

Gordon Lappin (24 y/o, Scottish, ML)

Gordon was an ever present last season missing only one game out of our forty two competitive matches. While he played in a winning side most of the time I would have expected him to do more than his average rating of 6.32. However unless he plays badly he wont lose his position in the first team.

Sam Kanu (20 y/o, Sierra Leonean, ML)

A good piece of transfer dealing to bring a young Sierra Leonean player into the squad. He has good pace and acceleration while his execution is almost always good as well. He will be pushing for a first team place this season and if Gordon fails to deliver Kanu will be given a chance.

Sean McAuley (25 y/o, Scottish, MC)

Sean's first season he played every single game compared to last season where he only managed twenty five starts and three substitute appearances. He is one of the midfielders who is usually an automatic pick for the first team unless he is injured or suspended. I will be looking to him to create the goals again this season after racking up an average rating of 76% completed passes.

Dougie Polwart (24 y/o, Scottish, MC)

One of the players in the squad who was here when I arrived and has hung on by the skin of his teeth to not be transfer listed. He doesnâ€™t really have much quality anyone apart from his bravery and determination which must win some plaudits. He wont see much game time this season unless injuries strike us down hard.

James Mackay (23 y/o, Scottish, DMC)

Another player who picks himself with his usual competent performances on and off the pitch. He has played over 110 times for the club since he arrived back in season 2002/2003 and hopefully he will make another one hundred and do me proud. His major asset is his balance on the ball which allows him to spray passes here and there with relative ease.

Tam McAllister (33 y/o, Scottish, MC)

One of the veterans in the squad who was bought from our rivals Elgin City. Tam will be on the bench and will make many substitute appearances when we need to shore up the ship, increase our control on the midfield or even just for him to get some game time. He is always a model professional and I hope the younger players will follow his example.

Forwards/Strikers:

Stuart Kelly (23 y/o, Scottish, SC)

He was twenty one when I arrived here two seasons ago and since then he has challenged for a first team spot. He scored nine goals and five assists in his limited opportunities and will need to make his chances count this season if he is to make a good attempt to win a first team place. With our large amount of strikers Stuart may not make many first team appearances.

Derek Ure (20 y/o, Scottish, SC)

Derek was the better of the two strike partners for Crawford banging in fourteen goals and nine assists in his twenty four starts and sub appearances. He had a good patch in our last five games of the season slotting four goals away. At Â£18K his value is one of the highest among the team however he doesnâ€™t seem to play well enough to represent that value in my opinion. He will need to increase his attitude and work rate to really have a 'great' season.

Brian Crawford (26 y/o, Scottish, SC)

Ever since I captured Brian's signature he has rattled in goal after goal. His tally after one and half seasons is forty two. He will need to add to that amount to keep his place in the first team due to the arrival of two new strikers. He had a good previous season scoring twenty four goals and setting up eight in thirty eight appearances. He also won Supporters Player of the Year which I know he is very proud of and he wanted to give the supporters back even more than he has done already.

Eddie Annand (32 y/o, Scottish, SC)

The signing of Eddie was for the same reason as his former St Mirren teammate Twaddle in that I wanted to bring experience to a young side. While he has done that chipped in with eight vital goals last campaign to help us to our historic third place finish. With his retirement already set at the end of the year I hope we can make him go out with a bang even if he doesnâ€™t get many first team opportunities.

Serge Makofo (18 y/o, English, SC)

Another player signed from Wimbledon as we have raided the English club twice for Nico Herzig and Serge Makofo for only Â£8K per player. At eighteen I have seen Serge's great potential in front of goal both by foot and with his head in the air. While his finishing ability is good his physical attributes are great with his jumping, pace and stamina his key assets in that department. I will look to see how Serge will go this season in the pre season friendlies.

Kevin Ramsey (22 y/o, Irish, SC)

One of my main transfer targets last season however his signature was put on hold after Queens Park beat me at an attempt to loan him. While his loan spell at Queens Park wasnâ€™t that successful, what should I expect for a team bottom of the league, I continued to pursue Kevin. When Celtic released him a few weeks ago I pounced and gave his agent a ring to try and work out a contract. We finally came to a one year deal for the young Irish striker and I hope to see him score many goals for us.

Well thatâ€™s the whole first team squad with a few exceptions who were moved down to the reserve squad. Gerry Boyle, Paul Rodden and Craig Reid will be spending this season in the reserves unless I need them in dire straights with injuries.

Now lets get on with the season and I wish good luck to my former assistant manager now in charge of Airdrie United who join us in in Division Three after being relegated last season.

Dark_Soccer · December 12, 2004

7th of July 2005

Today was the day that Manchester United appointed Sir Alex Ferguson's successor after the Scot retired during the summer. The new manager of one of the richest clubs in the world is Bryan Robson. The forty eight year old Englishman played ninety times for the England national side scoring twenty six goals. His achievements in the managerial world include leading Nigeria to glory winning the African Cup of Nations back in February 2004. He then continued on taking Nigeria's Under 23s to a third place finish in the Olympic Games in Athens. His resignation came as a surprise to everyone four days ago but now we know why he took that action as he has taken the helm of Manchester United.

A tragedy has struck Firs Park as Jon Connolly has been ruled out for two months. He sustained a torn groin muscle that will rule him out of pre season and the first four or five league games. We will now look to Ross Flitney to step up and show his ability to hold down a first team spot and keep the ball from ending up in the back of the net.

9th of July 2005

Here we are at our first friendly match in this pre season. Its time for us to finally kick a ball in anger again since our game against Montrose almost two months ago. Our opposition is an amateur Scottish side called Spartans.

July 9th ,2005 Friendly (h)

East Stirling V Spartans

East Stirling (4-4-2) Ross Flitney- Roddy Maughan, Graeme McLaren, Nico Herzig, Alex McColl- Kevin Twaddle, Gordon Lappin, Sean McAuley, Jamie Mackay-Serge Makofo, Brian Crawford

Subs: Kevin Craig(gk), James White, Sam Kanu, Tam McAllister, Derek Ure, Stuart Kelly, Kevin Ramsey, Scott Livingstone, Ross Jackson, Dougie Polwart, Eddie Annand, Michael Stewart

Here we are testing out the new look strike partnership as we look to record an easily victory and gain some much needed match exposure.

We get off to a flyer when Crawford pushes a pass out wide to Lappin who easily breezes past his marker like he isnâ€™t even there. The cross is perfectly weighted onto the head of Makofo who powerfully heads the ball past the static keeper to record his first goal for the club on his debut. However our smiles are wiped off our faces two minutes later when Herzig was bamboozled by Ward who once past his marker let rip with a missile which Flitney could only parry into his own net. Our lead is once again re-established when a curling Lappin free kick confused two defenders who allow Makofo to head at goal. The keeper gets to it but can only parry it into the path of Twaddle who makes no mistake slamming the ball home to make us regain our lead. Flitney regains some confidence when he holds onto the ball, with his second shot at him in the match, from Harvey. We extend our lead nine minutes before the break when a long ball by McColl is allowed to bounce over two defenders to Crawford. He takes a touch before curling the ball past the keeper and giving us a two goal cushion with the scoreline at 3-1 heading into half time.

Three minutes into the second half and our debutant Makofo has his second. Lappin again is the architect swinging in a near post corner which his team mate Makofo reached before the keeper and he flicks the ball over a defender and just inside the post. 4-1 and the East Stirling side is cruising. Four minutes later a Roberto Carlos like switch of the ball over to the opposite wing allowed Twaddle to flick the ball into the area into the path of Makofo. With a twist of the hips he moved past his marker who promptly fouled our young striker. The referee awarded the penalty and gave Rennie a yellow card for his moment of stupidity. Crawford stepped up to the spot to blast home the ball into the roof of the net to make it 5-1 and help himself to his second of the game. On the hour mark I made eight changes with Flitney, Maughan and McLaren the only survivors on the pitch. Five minutes later a Jackson corner caused more havoc in the area with Ramsey, our other debutant striker, jumping with more purpose than anyway else and his header beat the keeper with no problem for his first goal for his new club. That was the end of the scoring although Ramsey did have another chance but blazed wildly over the bar. We ran out convincing 6-1 winners over an amateur side who really was made to look more than amateur.

East Stirling 6:1 Spartans

East Stirling Goals: Makofo (2), Crawford (2), Twaddle (1), Ramsey (1)

Spartans Goals: Ward(1)

MoM: Serge Makofo (East Stirling) Rating-9

Subs: Too many to name! Everyone apart from Flitney, McLaren and Maughan were substituted.

Booked: McColl (East Stirling), Twaddle (East Stirling), Kanu (East Stirling), Rennie (Spartans)

Sent Off: -

Stadium: Firs Park

Attendance: 218

An excellent performance by the team as we easily crushed Spartans which would be expected of us as their players are only part timers. The two goals bagged by Makofo is pleasing after investing Â£8K to bring the player to Firs Park its always nice have your faith repaid. If he continues to play like this and earn MoM awards he will go along way to becoming a legend at the club.

Just for a laugh and the players urging me on I sent an application in for the vacant Fiji managerial job. They currently lie third in the Oceania World Cup Qualifying Section Final. With four games to go they can still catch Australia who lie top of the group four points above the Fijians.

Dark_Soccer · December 13, 2004

10th of July 2005

Well the just for a laugh has paid off. Fiji came back only a day later of receiving my application and offered me the job of building up their nation to compete with the bigger countries in their region like Australia and New Zealand. I gladly took the job without a second thought as I feel it will help me develop as a manager and my experiences with Fiji will serve me well as East Stirling's club manager.

Now for the business in Scotland our first cup draw has been announced. We donâ€™t need to travel far as we go over to play our rivals Falkirk in a derby match. This First Round League Cup match will be played at The Falkirk Stadium on the 6th of September.

Our Challenge Cup First Round draw is just as tough with another first division side coming out of the hat against us. This time it is Brechin City who will play us at Firs Park on the 6th of August.

11th of July 2005

Our second casualty in the pre season is Michael Stewart. The young centre back fractured his wrist in training and will now be out for up to a month. This will hamper his efforts to prepare for the start of the season but hopefully he will be back earlier than the physio thinks.

19th of July 2005

The annual East Stirling Cup is back again for another year. We, as holders, need to put on a good showing and look to win it for a second consecutive year. However its only a friendly in my mind as we look to continue honing in on the players match fitness.

July 9th ,2005 East Stirling Cup 2005 Semi Final (h)

East Stirling V Cove Rangers

East Stirling (4-4-2) Ross Flitney- Roddy Maughan, Graeme McLaren, James White, Alex McColl- Kevin Twaddle, Gordon Lappin, Sean McAuley, Jamie Mackay-Serge Makofo, Brian Crawford

Subs: Kevin Craig(gk), Craig Reid, Sam Kanu, Tam McAllister, Derek Ure, Stuart Kelly, Kevin Ramsey, Scott Livingstone, Ross Jackson, Dougie Polwart, Eddie Annand, Michael Stewart

There is only one change to the starting line up and that is because of the Scottish FA's stupidity. Since this is a cup Nico Herzig's ban is applied here and therefore he won't miss out on any competitive football. So there stupidity is my gain as Herzig takes a break today and James White takes up his position.

We breathed a sign of relief when in the first four minutes Fraser was put through on goal and with only Flitney to beat somehow put it wide. It was probably easier to score than miss but he blew his chance and we stay on level terms. We punished Cove Rangers for not taking their opportunities in the tenth minute. Lappin took a quick throw to McLaren who played a low direct ball up the pitch to Crawford. He flicked the ball of his heel and past his defender before running onto the ball and burying it past the keeper to give us a 1-0 lead. We made our dominance pay off two minutes before the half was to end. Maughan and Twaddle played a neat one two allowing the latter to run down the wing before putting in a high cross. The ball was just too high for Crawford but it fell nicely to Lappin who executed the perfect half volley and the ball hit the back of the net for the second time in the half.

If I thought the second half of the game was going to be played out in the same good nature I was wrong. In the first thirty seconds Makofo was brought down by Ritchie and instead of accepting the referee's decision he kicked out at Makofo and was promptly shown a red card. A man up and two goals up was the perfect scenario for us. We didnâ€™t seem to look interested after that incident so at the hour mark I made a eight changes. Two minutes later we extended our lead with a quick cross by McColl giving substitute Kelly all the time and space he needed to glance his header past the diving keeper and into the side corner of the net. It was fast turning into an exhibition match as my players began to line up shots from a long way out and test the Cove Rangers keeper. Ramsey's even had the cheek to try a left footed volley when attempting to convert a cross provided by McLaren. All in all another good warm up game before a hard and gruelling season begins.

East Stirling 3:0 Cove Rangers

East Stirling Goals: Crawford (1), Lappin (1), Kelly (1)

Cove Rangers Goals: -

MoM: Brian Crawford (East Stirling) Rating-8

Subs: Too many to name! The only players to play ninety minutes were McLaren, McColl and White.

Booked: -

Sent Off: Jim Ritchie (Cove Rangers)(Reason: Kicking out at an opponent(Violent behaviour))

Stadium: Firs Park

Attendance: 205

A nice three nil win which gives the players more confidence in their ability to play as a team and create good flowing football. It would have been nice to score a few more goals especially as practically the whole second half was played with us having an extra man.

We will meet Montrose in the final of the East Stirling Cup 2005. The Second Division club walked their way into the final past Selkirk winning convincingly 5-0 and away from home too.

The only negative from today's game is that Kevin Twaddle will be out for a month with a broken wrist. He is the second player in the past ten days to have fractured a wrist and maybe from now on the players need to wear protective wrist pads.

Dark_Soccer · December 14, 2004

20th of July 2005

Before our final match in the East Stirling Cup 2005 the third place playoff match was played. Selkirk edged out Cove Rangers in an even affair which ended 2-2 at full time but Selkirk held their composure to win the shootout 8-7.

With the third place out of the way it was our turn to try and win some silverware allbeit worthless silverware. Montrose did well against us last season and even stole promotion from us as well so today is all about revenge. Hopefully we can go out there and perform well and score a few goals.

July 20th ,2005 East Stirling Cup 2005 Final (h)

East Stirling V Montrose

East Stirling (4-4-2) Ross Flitney- Roddy Maughan, Graeme McLaren, James White, Alex McColl- Ross Jackson, Gordon Lappin, Sean McAuley, Jamie Mackay-Serge Makofo, Brian Crawford

Subs: Kevin Craig(gk), Craig Reid, Sam Kanu, Tam McAllister, Derek Ure, Stuart Kelly, Kevin Ramsey, Scott Livingstone, Dougie Polwart, Eddie Annand, Michael Stewart

Nico Herzig comes back into first team after his one match suspension was played out or so I thought. The FA informed me that since Nico was banned for the first match of the season, whether that be a league or cup match, he was not allowed to participate in any friendlies. That got me fuming and the person who came up with that idea needs to be shot* because that isnâ€™t right at all. White continues holding his own at the back for this game. Ross Jackson comes into take over Kevin Twaddle's place on the right side of midfield.

Montrose had the first crack at goal with Caskey firing a overhead kick wide from the edge of the area. We survived the rest of the first half however Gibson did scare us when he took on all our defenders, which included left back McLaren, but Flitney got his angles right denying the Montrose player a wonder goal.

Five minutes into the second half and we almost hit the front. A long ball from McColl was judged and taken down to perfection by Makofo up against his marker. The young striker than bolted up towards goal, took his shot from the edge of the area, due to a defender closing him down, but saw the keeper pull off a fantastic diving save to claw the ball to safety. On the hour mark we came even closer to that elusive goal when a long drive by McLaren curved enough to deceive the keeper but unfortunately smacked off the upright. We fell to a sucker punch fifteen minutes before time when a free kick was conceded twenty five yards out. McKenzie stepped up and placed the ball perfectly over the wall, left hand side of Flitney and into the net. From the kick-off we mounted an attack which payed dividends. A quick break by Makofo allowed our players to get forward and when Livingstone was given the ball his long pass found Kanu who just managed to swing his cross in. Ure was waiting two yards out and easily tapped the ball into the net to equalise. We scored again six minutes before time when a free kick taken long by Herzig was allowed to drop to Polwart who quickly passed to Ure. He took only one touch before putting a shot in at goal, which was quite weak, but surprised the keeper as it trickled in over the line to put us in the lead. The final whistle blew and the celebrations were heard around the ground when we lifted up our second consecutive East Stirling Cup.

East Stirling 2:1 Montrose

East Stirling Goals: Ure (2)

Montrose Goals: McKenzie (1)

MoM: Roddy Maughan (East Stirling) Rating-8

Subs: Too many to name! Flitney, Maughan, McLaren, McColl, White and Makofo were allowed to stay on for the ninety minutes.

Booked: Livingstone (East Stirling), Templeman (Montrose), Martin (Montrose)

Sent Off: -

Stadium: Firs Park

Attendance: 1433

If the first two friendlies were good for confidence this is better than both of them added together. We have shown that we can defeat a Division Two side in a friendly and in front of a huge crowd at Firs Park for a friendly, 1433 fans. The boys deserve a rest after the two games in two days but we do have another friendly against the East Stirling U-19s in six days time.

*I take no responsibility for anyone being shot after reading the match report

26th of July 2005

Here we are at the last friendly of the pre season. Funnily enough the Scottish FA donâ€™t deem this as a friendly so Nico Herzig could play in this match but I have decided to place him out the bench and let James White have a bit of playing time. So now onto the game which will be used as a practise match with only five substitutes and will show the future of East Stirling up against the first eleven.

July 26th ,2005 Friendly(I deem it a friendly!) (h)

East Stirling V East Stirling U-19s

East Stirling (4-4-2) Ross Flitney- Roddy Maughan, Graeme McLaren, James White, Alex McColl- Ross Jackson, Gordon Lappin, Sean McAuley, Jamie Mackay-Serge Makofo, Brian Crawford

Subs: Kevin Craig(gk), Nico Herzig, Dougie Polwart, Tam McAllister, Derek Ure

The team chosen here today is my starting line up for the season so I want to see how they go today before finalising that and finish off any tinkering that needs to be done.

We fell behind five minutes in when a corner was swung in and we left Bennett unmarked and he punished us perfectly arrowing his header past Flitney and the man on the line. Both sides after that didnâ€™t really get going and no chances were created until five minutes before half time. The U-19s defence went to sleep allowing Makofo to receive a pass all on his own only for him to rush the shot and place the ball wide of the post.

A long ball from the U-19s keeper caught our defence out and allowed Hutchinson time to shoot however his angle was closed down and shot saved by Flitney. Three changes were made on the hour mark to inject some life into our team. Nothing came from the substitutions and we crashed to a 1-0 loss against our U-19s side. Now I'm sure I didnâ€™t deem this a friendly!!

East Stirling 0:1 East Stirling U-19s

East Stirling Goals: -

East Stirling U-19s Goals: Bennett (1)

MoM: Kevin Bennett (East Stirling U-19s) Rating-8

Subs: Herzig on for White (60`), McAllister on for Mackay (60`), Ure on for Crawford (60`)

Booked: Lappin (East Stirling)

Sent Off: -

Stadium: Firs Park

Attendance: 87

Its quite funny really how the team can on one day beat a Division Two side and then six days later lose to their U-19s side. I can only put it down to fatigue and match fitness not being up to full levels yet. However on a positive note it looks like our U-19s are progressing nicely in their development as individuals and as a team.

Dark_Soccer · December 16, 2004

28th of July 2005

Today is the one day I dread every year. It's when I see which players are in the last year of their contracts and who I want to re-sign for the coming few season. I gave Sean McAuley, Roddy Maughan, Stuart Kelly, Kevin Ramsey, Jamie Mackay, Derek Ure, Graeme McLaren, Jon Connolly and Ross Jackson new contracts. While Kevin Twaddle and Eddie Annand both are retiring at the end of the year so they didnâ€™t need to contracts. The unlucky players to miss out and will need to prove themselves before next season are Craig Reid, Michael Stewart and Scott Livingstone.

1st of August 2005

A nice little reminder of the long gruelling season ahead with the Scottish Third Division Promotion Odds being released today. The two clubs relegated from Division Two last season, Ross County and Airdrie United, both are favoured to go straight back up with odds of 4-6. While other main contenders are Berwick at 1-1, Dumbarton at 6-4, Stranraer at 7-4 and Queens Park at 5-2. We have been given odds of 5-1 to win promotion and the bookmakers feel we have more chance of finishing bottom than in the top two. Well at least the bookmakers took into account the good performances we threw together last year and changed our odds from a year ago 300-1 to 5-1!

5th of August 2005

Things seem to be on the improve from last season with our odds bettered for promotion and a stronger playing squad. While I didnâ€™t offer Michael Stewart another contract its still heartening to see him resume full training having eight days to improve his fitness before our first league game.

6th of August 2005

Finally a competitive match and I can tell you that everyone that is involved with the club has been dying for this moment. Last season's performances have given us so much confidence and we really just want to get into the season. Here we are playing a First Division club which will be a good test for us if not at least for some match time. The funny thing is that the bookmakers have given us no chance what so ever of winning this match even with home advantage.

August 6th ,2005 Challenge Cup First Round(h)

East Stirling V Brechin City

East Stirling (4-4-2) Ross Flitney- Roddy Maughan, Graeme McLaren, Craig Reid, Alex McColl- Ross Jackson, Gordon Lappin, Sean McAuley, Jamie Mackay-Serge Makofo, Brian Crawford

Subs: Kevin Craig(gk), James White, Dougie Polwart, Tam McAllister, Derek Ure

These players will be the usual starting line up and substitutes throughout the season if they keep good form up like they displayed during the pre season. One player who I will be looking at to score at least thirty goals this season is our nice little Â£8k buy from Wimbledon by the name of Serge Makofo.

It took over ten minutes for the first chance for either side to be created. Brechin created a chance for their striker Hampshire only for the offside flag to rule it out after the forward judged his run a little off. Six minutes later we made our opponents pay for a poor defensive clearance. A quick throw by Maughan put Jackson on his way down the wing resulting in a cross which was easily headed out of the box by a Brechin defender. The ball fell kindly to McAuley who with quick thinking slotted the ball through to Lappin. Our left midfielder took one touch before curling a right footed shot into the bottom right corner of the net for a one nil lead. On the half hour mark Hampshire was put through again and this time the flag stayed down. However his name didn't even up in lights because our impressive keeper, Flitney, got his angles right and parried the shot away. We kept plugging away till the half time break where we left the pitch with a 1-0 lead.

The half time team talk was mainly just telling the players to continue their good hard tackling and quick passing which is giving us good reward for our efforts. I urged them to push for a second goal to close the game out. Nine minutes in and Lappin's ball was cut out by a defender but his header went straight to McAuley. He took a look up and went for the impossible shot which ended up being just that ,impossible, as the ball went over the bar. After that shot the half just fizzled out and compared to the first half it was boring spectacle. King did have a chance for Brechin from a free kick two minutes from time but his radar was off and we edged through to the Challenge Cup Second Round.

East Stirling 1:0 Brechin City

East Stirling Goals: Lappin (1)

Brechin City Goals: -

MoM: Alex McColl (East Stirling) Rating-8

Subs: White on for Reid (60`), McAllister on for Mackay (60`), Ure on for Makofo (60`)

Booked: McLaren (East Stirling), Smith (Brechin City), McCulloh (Brechin City)

Sent Off: -

Stadium: Firs Park

Attendance: 1393

An excellent first half display won us the game today over higher league opposition. Brechin werenâ€™t outstanding on the day so it was good to get through to the Second Round. We werenâ€™t the only team from our division to defeat better sides surprisingly.

In other matches with Division Three participation saw Alloa beat Berwick 2-1, Peterhead win away 2-1 over East Fife thanks to an extra time winner, Gretna move through to the next round winning at home 3-1 to Hamilton. Montrose, formerly of Division Three, thumped Airdrie United 6-0 who are now in Division Three while Morton showed Dumbarton the door defeating them 6-1. Queens Park surprisingly edged out last season's league winners Albion Rovers 3-2 in extra time while St Johnstone easily accounted for Ross County 2-0. Elgin City were beaten by the same difference in goals by Stenhousemuir while Stranraer impressed defeating Clyde of Division One 3-1.

Dark_Soccer · December 17, 2004

7th of August 2005

The Scottish FA are really quick to draw out the next round with us not even being twenty four hours out of the match before our fate for the Second Round is drawn. This time we werenâ€™t as lucky to play at home to a First Division side. Instead we are off to play Motherwell of Division One at Fir Park (sounds like our stadium!) on the 16th of August. So the match will be played in just under a week.

A high scoring affair was in progress over in Italy which is a surprise for a county scrutinised for their boring defensive outlook on the game of football. The Italian Super Cup finished in the hands of Inter who hit Juventus for five. Even with Miccoli and Del Piero up forward for the 'Old Lady of Italian Football' they could only score three and ended up on the wrong side of a 5-3 scoreline. This win gives Inter Milan their second consecutive Italian Super Cup trophy and third in their history.

13th of August 2005

Another season is about to start for a small club in Scotland. That club is obviously us as I look to continue managing East Stirling into my third season now. With odds of 5-1 for promotion it seems the bookmakers donâ€™t think we have much chance but I'm exactly the opposite. I feel we have just as much chance as the other teams favoured for promotion and we need to signal our intentions by beating one of these 'favoured' clubs today.

August 13th ,2005 Third Division Game 1 (h)

East Stirling V Ross County

East Stirling (4-4-2) Ross Flitney- Roddy Maughan, Graeme McLaren, Nico Herzig, Alex McColl- Ross Jackson, Gordon Lappin, Sean McAuley, Jamie Mackay-Serge Makofo, Brian Crawford

Subs: Kevin Craig(gk), James White, Dougie Polwart, Tam McAllister, Kevin Ramsey

A determined win by the players in our last match earns them all another start here today apart from Craig Reid who is replaced by Nico Herzig who finally served his one match suspension. The only real change is to the substitute bench where I rest Derek Ure for our game in three days and give Kevin Ramsey his spot.

As early as two minutes we put ourselves in the lead when Maughan intercepted a throw in. His header floated to Jackson who spotted Makofo's run and played a long ball up the young striker who was in yards of space. He turned and ran into the box but was forced wide but got his cross in. The low cross went just across the goal and Crawford was there waiting at the near post to knock in his first goal of the league season. The bar saved us in the ninth minute when a cross found Ross County marksman Whalen who smacked his header into the bar and watched the rebound cleared to safety. We extended our lead to two goals in the twenty first minute when McAuley slipped the ball through to Crawford who was away from his marker. He took the ball under control before avoiding a challenge and emphatically slamming the ball into the net for his second of the match. One of the reasons why Makofo is so talented is his excellent ability to win a ball in the air. He showed us this two minutes later flicking a header into Crawford's path only for him to blaze just over. Makofo again had a chance to get an assist when he passed the ball across goal to Crawford who could only put a weak shot in which was parried away for a corner. We capped off a wonderful first half display when Makofo again won a ball in the air which set Crawford to run on. He beat his marker for pace and beat the keeper easily to score a first half hat trick and our third goal of the night.

I couldnâ€™t really say anything at half time because that performance was just indescribable and defiantly the best since I have been at the club. I wasnâ€™t surprised when we extended our lead not even two minutes after the restart. Crawford won a long ball in the air and continued to run forward before taking time to look for an option. His chosen option was perfect with a nice low pass to the edge of the area where McAuley struck a nice shot into the top corner of the net. On the hour mark Crawford got his fourth of the night from a throw in when he took the ball down on the edge of the penalty area and noticed the Ross County keeper off his line. His shot looked to be going over but as the keeper scrambled back the ball dipped and just snuck through the gap between the bar and the outstretched keeper's hand. Ross County did try to get a goal back in the sixty fifth minute from a corner but when the header was on target Flitney was in unbeatable form parrying the shot away from danger. Finally the ball went into the back of the net past Flitney in the eighty second minute when Hanlon was left alone near the area and his unstoppable rocket of a shot burst the net.

East Stirling 5:1 Ross County

East Stirling Goals: Crawford (4), McAuley (1)

Ross County Goals: Hanlon (1)

MoM: Brian Crawford (East Stirling) Rating-10

Subs: White on for Reid (60`), McAllister on for Mackay (60`), Ure on for Makofo (60`)

Booked: McColl (East Stirling), Stewart (Ross County), Hanlon(Ross County)

Sent Off: -

Stadium: Firs Park

Attendance: 1413

An emphatic home victory over a club who are touted to be joint favourites for promotion this season. I was embarrassed for most of the game with us just running rings around the opposition and harshly punishing them for allowing us such good chances. Hopefully this excellent team play will continue over the coming season.

In other results Dumbarton demolished Elgin City 6-2 while Peterhead turned on the style at home to Berwick to send their opponents packing 5-0. Queens Park were made to look ordinary at home by Airdrie United who finished up with the three points curtesy of a 2-0 win while Gretna and Stranraer played out the only draw of the round ending 1-1.

Dark_Soccer · December 22, 2004

14th of August 2005

Kevin Twaddle is the latest player to come back from injury. He has only just resumed full training and will need both reserve matches and intensive training to gain his full fitness back before he can play in any competitive matches with the first team.

A quick glance over in England and the pre season Community Shield was once again contested between the two great rivals Arsenal and Manchester United. Manchester United avenged their defeats to Arsenal in previous Community Shields romping home 4-1 at the end of the ninety minutes. Van Nistelrooy did the most damage with a brace while Ronaldo and Pizarro both got one for the currentl English Premier League Champion. Cole did get a consolation for Arsenal but at the end of the day the gulf between the two sides looks huge and Arsenal will need to close that gap to stop Manchester United celebrate more silverware come the end of the season.

16th of August 2005

Our second game in three days takes us to play Motherwell at a stadium which sounds the same as ours but drop the s on the end of Firs. Motherwell are currently in Division One and with them holding home advantage it may just be too much of a hill for us to overcome. This will be our second game in three days which also goes against us so a few players who are fatigued will be given a breather for today's match.

August 16th ,2005 Challenge Cup Second Round

Motherwell V East Stirling

East Stirling (4-4-2) Ross Flitney- Roddy Maughan, Graeme McLaren, Craig Reid, Alex McColl- Ross Jackson, Gordon Lappin, Sean McAuley, Tam McAllister-Serge Makofo, Brian Crawford

Subs: Kevin Craig(gk), James White, Dougie Polwart, Sam Kanu, Derek Ure

Craig Reid takes over Nico Herzig's centre back position after the young German talked to me about taking this game off feeling he was too fatigued from our previous match. Tam McAllister came off the bench to take Jamie Mackay's spot while Sam Kanu came up to take that spot on the bench. Derek Ure also replaced Kevin Ramsey on the bench.

Motherwell almost scored in the first forty five seconds when McColl misjudged a long ball and Hinds was allowed to go one on one with Flitney. While Flitney did his best to narrow the angle Hinds got his shot past him only to see it rebound off the post and back into the grateful arms of our young keeper. Ten minutes later we caught Motherwell on a counter attack and Crawford played a ball up to Makofo who was all on his own without any defender within twenty yards of him. When he finally did get the ball and turn on goal he took a shot when he saw the keeper off his line however the ball cannoned off the underside off the crossbar and was cleared. We silenced the home supporters eleven minutes from half time when Maughan won the ball on the right wing and played a quick long ball over the Motherwell defenders. The keeper came out and looked to claim the ball only for Crawford to get his foot to the ball first and divert it past the keeper into the net to score a surprising goal for us to keep all the Motherwell faithful quiet. A minute later Motherwell looked to show their frustration when Lovell took a shot from a narrow angle and didnâ€™t make it anywhere near the goal. We almost doubled our lead on the stroke of half time when a Crawford put in a cross which was aimed for a unmarked Makofo but went too close to the keeper who claimed it to end the first half.

Into the second half Hinds made Flitney work from outside the area but our keeper had no problem with the shot straight at him. Straight from the kick out we went down the other end through Jackson who played a nice through ball to Makofo. The young striker controlled the ball before running in and being tripped from behind by Craigan. The penalty was given and Craigan was dismissed for denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity. McAllister stepped up and sent the keeper the wrong way to double our lead. Hinds had another chance to score but again Flitney came to the rescue to keep our two goal lead intact. We put the icing on a already tasty cake five minutes from half time when Jackson stepped up to take a free kick. Two goalkeepers wouldnâ€™t have stopped this shot which curled into the top right hand corner to complete the win ending 3-0.

Motherwell 0:3 East Stirling

Motherwell Goals: -

East Stirling Goals: Crawford (1), McAllister (1), Jackson (1)

MoM: Ross Flitney (East Stirling) Rating-10

Subs: White on for Reid (60`), McAllister on for Mackay (60`), Ure on for Makofo (60`)

Booked: Kinniburgh (Motherwell), Smith (Motherwell), McAllister (East Stirling)

Sent Off: Craigan (Motherwell)(Reason: Denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity)

Stadium: Fir Park

Attendance: 3031

My god we are playing like champions already. How we managed to defeat a well known club like Motherwell away from home is anyone's guess but it felt good all the same. A nice display by all the players and Crawford is firing on all cylinders with five goals in only three games. A nice win boosts our confidence as we continue with a league game against Elgin away in a few days.

In other results involving Division Three clubs, Gretna unluckily were knocked out losing to Montrose 2-1 in extra time while Queens Park continued their topsy turvy run defeating Stirling 2-1. Stranraer found their way through to the third round defeating fellow division three club Peterhead 2-1 in extra time.

Dark_Soccer · January 12, 2005

Ok well the story is continuing after a little break during the christmas-new year period.

Thanks to everyone who voted to make this an award winning story

17th of August 2005

Our Challenge Cup Third Round draw was on today. With the limited amount of teams in this cup the third round could also be said to be the quarter finals which really is quite ridiculous. We have been drawn away again but this time a team who knows us quite well. We will play Montrose on the 30th of his month which means another match to add to our already glutted fixture calender.

20th of August 2005

Our third game in seven days sees us travel down to play Elgin City. They came off a 6-2 hammering by Dumbarton which has hopefully shattered their confidence to play good football. However we have just played a game four days ago which they had a longer break so they may look fresher than us.

August 20th ,2005 Third Division Game Two (a)

Elgin City V East Stirling

East Stirling (4-4-2) Ross Flitney- Roddy Maughan, Graeme McLaren, Craig Reid, Alex McColl- Ross Jackson, Gordon Lappin, Sean McAuley, Jamie Mackay-Serge Makofo, Brian Crawford

Subs: Kevin Craig(gk), James White, Dougie Polwart, Sam Kanu, Derek Ure

A few changes for this match after players havenâ€™t recovered fully from our Challenge Cup victory over Motherwell. Craig Reid is replaced by Nico Herzig who comes back in to help give leadership at the back. Jamie Mackay replaces a tired Tam McAllister while the rest of the squad keep their places.

Our first chance arrived in the twentieth minute from a well known move. Makofo won the ball in the air and flicked it into the path of Crawford who was making his usual run up the middle. However his finish lacked conviction as it trickled just wide of the right upright with the keeper watching it all the way. We won a free kick seven minutes later when Watt brought down Makofo on his way to goal. Watt received a yellow card however Jackson's free kick was inches wide of the left hand post. The half finished with neither side in the ascendency as we both didn't take a chance to break the deadlock.

Ogboke gave us a scare only a minute in when a cruel rebound off Herzig fell to the Elgin City striker in the box but his shot rose over the bar. Elgin did take the lead a few minutes when McLean was left alone, when Maughan was drawn to another player, and he ran into the box before tricking Flitney who tipped the strikers shot at the near post into his own net. We almost hit back fifteen minutes before time when a header from Polwart fell to the feet of Makofo. He beat a marker and tricked another defender before letting loose a rising shot that continued rising just over the crossbar. Just when it looked like we were going home with nothing we won a corner with about twenty seconds left in second half stoppage time. Jackson swung the corner in and the keeper came for it but missed it entirely as the ball went directly into the net. However a late flag by the assistant got our goal ruled out as he said Polwart pushed the keeper and that ended our match with no points to show from any of our pressure and hard work.

Elgin City 1:0 East Stirling

Elgin City Goals: McLean (1)

East Stirling Goals: -

MoM: Andy Smith (Elgin City) Rating-8

Subs: White on for McColl (60`), Polwart on for Mackay (60`), Ure on for Crawford (60`)

Booked: Watt (Elgin City), Coulter (Elgin City), McColl (East Stirling)

Sent Off: -

Stadium: Borrough Briggs

Attendance: 1658

A average performance by the players which is not what we want in a season where promotion is the aim. Elgin werenâ€™t strong enough to defeat us well but we just missed opportunities that we usually could have scored. Its nice to see Makofo settling in well up front, with Crawford, as he is a good winner of the ball in the air.

In other results Airdrie United was held at home by Dumbarton 0-0 while Berwick was held by Queens Park at home by the same score. Ross County was held at home by Gretna 2-2 while another draw saw Stranraer held at home by Peterhead 1-1. A crazy round with all the match ending in draws.

27th of August 2005

A week went by quickly with nothing to report in any way related to the club. Our match day opponents today at Firs Park is Dumbarton. Last season we both won two games each with our home record at 100% and away record at a staggering 0%. Dumbarton actually sit above us in 2nd with four points equal with the league leaders after no teams took maximum points from the first two rounds.

August 27th ,2005 Third Division Game Three (h)

East Stirling V Dumbarton

East Stirling (4-4-2) Ross Flitney- Roddy Maughan, Graeme McLaren, Craig Reid, Alex McColl- Ross Jackson, Gordon Lappin, Sean McAuley, Jamie Mackay-Serge Makofo, Brian Crawford

Subs: Kevin Craig(gk), James White, Dougie Polwart, Sam Kanu, Derek Ure

The team line up remains unchanged after our 1-0 loss to Elgin City with everyone fit and ready to play. Hopefully Makofo can add a goal or two.

Its always nice to hit the front from your first attack at goal. When Maughan intercepted a long ball and himself played a long ball down to Makofo I could sense a goal was coming. Makofo made his way into the area before being forced wide and looping his shot over the keeper and the bar from a narrow angle. We had a scare before the half hour mark when Menelaws won the ball of Maughan and centred the ball to his strike partner. O`Donovan controlled it well but his shot went straight into the arms of Flitney. Our leading scorer didnâ€™t get our first goal but he provided the assist. Crawford won the ball on the left wing and made his way up towards goal before putting a cross in looking for Makofo. The ball was intercepted and fell to a waiting McLaren who rammed the ball home from the edge of the area. A deflection may have aided his ability to get the ball past the keeper and into the net but they all count.

We went into half time with a slight lead which we will need to extend to take the game easily. That was the message I gave to the players before we went back out to the pitch. The players responded soon into the second half when the Dumbarton keeper came out of his area to clean up a long ball but made a mess of it. The ball fell to Crawford who sent a ball through the middle of two central defenders to Makofo who blasted a shot in at goal and the advancing keeper. The ball ended up being saved but diverted a metre wide of the goal to where Makofo ran in and tapped in our second goal of the match. Makofo almost added his second ten minutes later against the run of play but he didnâ€™t direct the shot wide enough of the keeper and he got his hands to the ball to divert it away. But that was all she wrote as we watched the match clock tick to ninety minutes and we took all three points with a 2-0 victory.

East Stirling 2:0 Dumbarton

East Stirling Goals: McLaren (1), Makofo (1)

Dumbarton Goals: -

MoM: Serge Makofo (East Stirling) Rating-10

Subs: White on for McColl (60`), Polwart on for Mackay (60`), Ure on for Crawford (60`)

Booked: Maughan (East Stirling), Lynch (Dumbarton), Russell (Dumbarton)

Sent Off: -

Stadium: Firs Park

Attendance: 1405

Two victories out of our first three league games is a good sign of our improvement. It wasnâ€™t an emphatic victory but if we can keep playing like we did today restricting teams to shoot from long range we will go along way to becoming a formidable team against any opposition. McLaren got a buzz out of getting a goal while Makofo was happy to open his account in the league campaign.

In other matches Berwick showed up Airdrie United by belting them 5-1 while Gretna at home edged Elgin City 1-0. Stranraer went over to play Queens Park and came away with a 1-0 victory while Peterhead asserted a dominant display into goals defeating Ross County 5-1.

A really big injury occurred in the match not in length but in a position we donâ€™t have much backup. Ross Flitney twisted his ankle some time during the game and will now be out for a week which leaves us short of cover against Airdrie United and Falkirk.

garno · January 12, 2005

Well done on your 'award-winning' story. KUTFW (fantastic!)

Dark_Soccer · January 15, 2005

Thanks Garno, nice to see you still following this.

29th of August 2005

Dunfermline has finally announced their interest in our young starlet in between the posts Ross Flitney. The Division One side gave us an offer for our keeper's services today. It consisted of only a 40% sell on clause which I had no doubt in rejecting. However I figured if such a large club was interested I would renegotiate to ask for Â£50k because the worst they could do is say no which I said to their previous offer anyway. Flitney is now unsettled and has asked to be transfered which I chose to reject at the time being.

30th of August 2005

Why is it that progressing in cups is so frustrating in terms of fixture congestion? Its nice to move through round after round but it does take affect on the players fitness levels. Oh well instead of whining lets get on with this quarter final match in the Challenge Cup. Our opponents and hosts today are former Division Three club Montrose. We know each other very well with Montrose slightly edging us out in past results. However our form at their ground is quite good with one win, two draws and a loss in the four games we played there.

August 30th ,2005 Challenge Cup Quarter Final (a)

Montrose V East Stirling

East Stirling (4-4-2) Neil Bain- Roddy Maughan, Graeme McLaren, Craig Reid, Alex McColl- Ross Jackson, Gordon Lappin, Sean McAuley, Jamie Mackay-Serge Makofo, Brian Crawford

Subs: Kevin Craig(gk), James White, Dougie Polwart, Sam Kanu, Derek Ure

Another match sheet remaining unchanged for today's game. A few players could use a rest but I have decided to keep them involved in this game and give them a rest in our next league game in a few days time. Surprisingly I almost forgot to mention I did need to replace our injured keeper with our reserve keeper named Neil Bain.

The commentator made a remark of something like "Its what dreams are made of" before kick off in respect to scoring a winning goal in a cup final. Mackay could have realised his dreams of scoring in a cup quarter final match in the first thirty seconds however he put his foot to much under the ball and saw it fly high and wide. We fell behind two minutes later when a long ball over the top saw Templeman beat Herzig for pace and when his shot was parried back into his path by Bain there was no denying him the second time and the ball sailed into the back of the net. It wasnâ€™t the best start for us as the commentator stated but we were back on level terms in the tenth minute. A long header by McAuley found Makofo who had escaped his marker. The quick touch and turn allowed him time and space in the box to slip his shot under the keeper and into the net. That goal ended the first half action as we went into the changing rooms with a level scoreline

We fell behind again but this time in the second half. When a long ball was misjudged by McColl it allowed Gibson the freedom of almost our whole half as he controlled the ball and easily chipped Bain who he drew out. On the hour mark we got hit again for a third goal from a corner. Simpson jumped higher than his marker and his header was so powerful no one could get near it as it hit the back of the net to make it 3-1. Our response was almost immediate when substitute Ure was given a ball to chase down the wing and his cross was powerfully hit on the bounce. However Crawford saw it fly straight over the bar. Our misery was complete in the last minute of stoppage time when Templeman added to his goal with an assist to Gibson who scored his second from close range.

Montrose 4:1 East Stirling

Montrose Goals: Gibson (2), Templeman (1), Simpson (1)

East Stirling Goals: Makofo (1)

MoM: Graham Gibson (Montrose) Rating-10

Subs: White on for McLaren (60`), Polwart on for Mackay (60`), Ure on for Makofo (60`)

Booked: -

Sent Off: -

Stadium: Links Park

Attendance: 1526

CRASH! The sound of everyones egos and morale around the club hitting the ground. We thought this competition was our chance of actually collecting some silverware after dumping out two Division One clubs and being in the quarter finals. But how wrong we were because Montrose showed the gap in class and how much they had improved from last season. Oh well we have two other cups coming up in the course of this season and the league is our top priority in any case. However I know all managers say that but itâ€™s the truth!

In the only other game with Division Three clubs played the game ended 1-0 in favour of Queens Park who continued their impressive run in this cup competition defeating Stranraer at home. Funny that result is the exact opposite of the match played in the league a few days ago however the venues were opposite too.

Oh well one positive came out of our cup run. It earned us a generous cheque of Â£4k which while small is always wanted in the bank. The chairman will be happy about that I'm sure as am I.

31st of August 2005

Surprisingly Dunfermline came back with the amount of money I asked for to allow them to talk to Ross Flitney. I have allowed Flitney to leave the club in his progression up the leagues. While this leaves us almost with no cover in the goalkeeping department I'm sure I can bring in a replacement quickly.

I have already made a few enquiries for a new goalkeeper and have ended up placing a bid for Ross Nicholson who currently plays in the National Soccer League for Auckland Kingz. The bid is worth Â£14k for the thirty year old keeper who has played for his country, New Zealand, thirteen times.

Dark_Soccer · January 17, 2005

1st of September 2005

Ross Flitney has left the club today as he moves to First Division club Dunfermline. I wish him well but I just donâ€™t know how much first team time he will see at that club.

We have been very unlucky to fail in our bid to bring Ross Nicholson to East Stirling after he accepted our contract but the transfer couldnâ€™t be completed due to the transfer window closing.

3rd of September 2005

On the day of our meeting with my former assistant manager, Alec Cleland and his club Airdrie United, Jon Connolly has resumed full training after being out for two months with a dreaded groin injury. The bookies made Airdrie United one of the favourites to win promotion back to Division Two however we currently sit two points above them after they could only manage one win, one draw and one loss out of their opening three league fixtures. Their last match was the loss which was quite substantial being 5-1 thrashing by Berwick. Hopefully their confidence is shot as we travel to play them away.

September 3rd ,2005 Third Division Game Four (a)

Airdrie United V East Stirling

East Stirling (4-4-2) Kevin Craig- Roddy Maughan, Graeme McLaren, Craig Reid, Alex McColl- Ross Jackson, Sam Kanu, Sean McAuley, Jamie Mackay-Serge Makofo, Brian Crawford

Subs: Jon Connolly(gk), James White, Dougie Polwart, Gordon Lappin, Derek Ure

Kevin Craig takes his position between the sticks for today's game after Flitney's transfer was confirmed two days ago. Kevin won't be in the first team long however his tenure in goal will continue until Jon Connolly has resumed full fitness and talking about Jon he takes a spot on the bench. Gordon Lappin's attitude has been quite poor after our loss against Montrose so he drops to the bench to let Sam Kanu play out on the left wing.

Gow almost game the home side the perfect start when he found himself in the area with only his marker to beat. When he took the ball from a team-mate's pass he swivelled and let his shot go however it skimmed just past the post. Our first attack of the game in the thirty sixth minute almost proved fruitful when Makofo controlled Jackson's low cross but his shot smacked against the right hand post and out for a goal kick.

Our play just wasnâ€™t good enough in the first half so I had to do something and do something quick. Sean McAuley fell back into a defensive midfield role to help our defence out while Brian Crawford played quite poorly and was substituted to allow Derek Ure his chance to impress. Two minutes into the second half and we had created a chance but Maughan couldnâ€™t take it volleying over from a few yards out on a narrow angle. We got hit on a counter attack when we sent to many men forward and with Herzig trying to win the ball off a striker he left the centre of the pitch open. Once the ball was played over to Wilson he had the simple task of placing the ball past Craig which he did emphatically slamming it into the left hand top corner. Derek Ure came off on the wrong side of a challenge and was left on the ground in pain. I had to make a chance with Ure coming off to be replaced by Polwart as we adapted to change to a 4-5-1. Airdrie got their second goal four minutes before time when Craig let a long range shot slip from his grasp and Roberts was there to easily tap in the rebound. Kanu almost got us a consolation in stoppage time when his driving run opened up space but his shot wasnâ€™t powerful or accurate enough to beat the keeper.

Airdrie United 2:0 East Stirling

Airdrie United Goals: Wilson (1), Roberts (1)

East Stirling Goals: -

MoM: Dan Crane (gk)(Airdrie United) Rating-8

Subs: White on for McLaren (60`), Ure on for Crawford (45`), Polwart on for Ure (79`)

Booked: Brown (Airdrie United), Mackay (East Stirling)

Sent Off: -

Stadium: Excelsior Stadium

Attendance: 1848

Our second loss in a row and things arenâ€™t looking promising as we didnâ€™t have enough muscle to get into the game today. Our strikers didnâ€™t play well but were kept quiet by the excellent work the Airdrie United midfielders were doing in closing our midfielders up. I managed a smile to Alec when we shook hands at the end of the match but I was fuming on the inside.

In other results Dumbarton scored two goals to overcome Gretna 2-0 while Elgin and Peterhead scored two each to share the spoils. Ross County and Queens Park shared the spoils as well with two goals a piece while Stranraer boosted themselves up the table with a two nil morale building victory over Berwick.

With us dropping down to fifth there doesnâ€™t seem to be any teams taking advantage of the favourites dropping points with Peterhead and Stranraer heading the table but with only eight points out of twelve. This could turn out to be a quite a close race for Division Two football for next season.

Derek Ure has been ruled out for the next two weeks after sustaining an injury in our match against Airdrie United. The injury has been diagnosed as a broken wrist and I will need to look at who will take his spot on the bench for the up and coming game against Gretna.

Dark_Soccer · January 19, 2005

5th of September 2005

With our lack of quality and cover in the goalkeeping ranks I have decided to place an offer for Australian goalkeeper Barney Smith of Ayr United. The club values him at Â£65k but he has been put on the transfer list at a cut down price of Â£28k which I have offered and I await Ayr's response.

6th of September 2005

The romance of a cup match is what the players will be involved in today. To make it even more special our first round League Cup tie is played against our most fiercest rivals Falkirk. They currently lie in Division One and we have only met Falkirk once under my management. That day it ended 1-0 to the Division One side at their place and today we go back there and look to knock them out of this cup as revenge!

September 6th ,2005 League Cup First Round (a)

Falkirk V East Stirling

East Stirling (4-4-2) Jon Connolly- Roddy Maughan, Graeme McLaren, Craig Reid, Alex McColl- Ross Jackson, Gordon Lappin, Sean McAuley, Jamie Mackay-Serge Makofo, Brian Crawford

Subs: Kevin Craig(gk), James White, Dougie Polwart, Sam Kanu, Kevin Ramsey

A few changes to the side for today's game. Jon Connolly returns between the sticks even though he is only at 90% fitness I feel we will need his skills and experience to get us over the line. Gordon Lappin replaced a tired looking Sam Kanu who drops into Lappin's place on the bench while Derek Ure, who is out injured for two weeks, is replaced by former Celtic striker Kevin Ramsey who takes his place on the bench.

The game begins quite evenly with both teams fighting for every ball and looking to play strikers through on goal with quick decisive passes. Unfortunately we are the victims of the first goal when Burns is given enough room to step inside the box and curl a shot over Connolly and into the opposite corner of the net. We try to respond immediately through a free kick but Jackson's radar is just off with the ball skimming off the turf and wide of the left hand post.

Into the second half and we create the first chance from a Jackson cross from the right wing. Makofo beats his marker to the ball but his header flies over the bar. Thompson almost put Falkirk further in the lead when Herzig misjudged along ball allowing the Falkirk man to round Connolly only to put his shot into the side netting from an acute angle. With ten minutes to go our defence was all over the place allowing substitute Rodgers to take a shot at goal from inside the box which scraped the outside of the post before going out for a goal kick. With two minutes left Connolly kept our loss to a single goal when he proved to be superman diving to tip over a header which looked destined for the top right hand corner. The resulting corner went out for a goal kick and when the whistle blew we had once again lost to our rivals by a single goal.

Falkirk 1:0 East Stirling

Falkirk Goals: Burns (1)

East Stirling Goals: -

MoM: Kieran McAnespie (Falkirk) Rating-8

Subs: White on for Herzig (62`), Ramsey on for Makofo (62`), Polwart on for Mackay (63`)

Booked: Mackay (East Stirling), Crawford (East Stirling)

Sent Off: -

Stadium: The Falkirk Stadium

Attendance: 3278

How frustrating can a game be? While we were outplayed for the better part of the match our goalkeeper proved he is capable of playing at a higher class of football denying the Falkirk strikers time and time again. With the deficit only at a single goal we easily could have snatched an equaliser and maybe even sent the match to penalties where the winner is decided by the flip of a coin so to speak. However I'll just be like all other managers and say now that its better to be out of the cup so we can concentrate on the league and hopefully promotion come the end of the season if we work hard enough.

In other results concerning Division Three teams Airdrie United defeating Dumbarton 4-1, Elgin lost at home to Ross County 3-1, Morton defeated Berwick 3-0, Peterhead narrowly lost a exciting match 3-2 to Albion Rovers. Queens Park forced St Johnstone to penalties after a high scoring 4-4 draw however it wasnâ€™t to be as they crumbled in the shootout losing 2-0 and in an all Division Three affair Gretna proved too strong for Stranraer at home winning 2-0.

Our next game isnâ€™t till the 17th allowing the team and I to have an eleven day break if you could call it that. I will be off to manage Fiji in their first competitive match under my management as we look to restore some of the countries' pride.

Dark_Soccer · January 20, 2005

8th of September 2005

Just before I fly out to Fiji my assistant informs me of some rather bad news. Brian Crawford has suffered a groin strain in training and will be out for at least a month. He will be sorely missed but thankfully we recruited well over the summer and still have enough cover up forward. Kevin Ramsey, Stuart Kelly, Eddie Annand and Kevin Twaddle are all available to play in the first team if I need to call them up.

Two hours later Serge Makofo is also out for a month after receiving a fractured jaw during a training session. I check to make sure the staff aren't allowing the players to be in the boxing ring instead of run laps because this just isnâ€™t on. Two of my best forwards out for a month and at a time where we need them most.

10th of September 2005

A few weeks ago the Football Association from Fiji called upon me to pick my squad for the up and coming games against Papua New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand and Vanuatu. Those four games will decide our fate and whether we will play in the World Cup at the expense of larger nations in Oceania including Australia and New Zealand. The squad of twenty five I chose was decided more on the clubs' valuations of players and how much they are paid because I wasn't allowed to arrange any friendlies to see the players in action.

The twenty five man squad is shown below.

Goalkeepers:

Seamus Sambhu Khan (21 y/o, 4 caps, GK) Club side: Petone (New Zealand)

The younger goalkeeper of the two keepers I called up to the national side. Seamus isn't the complete package at twenty one years old but he has good qualities in his attack of the ball when he is in a one on one situation. His distribution is also quite a good feature of his game as he initiates a quick counter attack. Seamus will be my first choice keeper over the course of these four games unless he shows me otherwise that he can't handle the pressure.

Laisenia Tuba (26 y/o, 6 caps, GK) Club side: Nadroga (Fiji)

His last name is the name of a musical instrument but trust me this goalkeeper cant play that instrument if his life depended on it. What he can do is throw himself around to stop the ball hitting the back of the net. His best qualities see him win most one on one opportunities and his bravery allows him to smother the ball well. At his age he hasn't got the necessary skills to hold down an international first team place so he will be the goalkeeper sitting on the bench in case of injury or suspension.

Defenders:

Netani Qalo (30 y/o, 5 caps, DR) Club side: Suva (Fiji)

One of the oldest members of the squad and was called upon for that reason to give his experience to the back four. Netani is past his best but at thirty he can still offer his stamina and strength to the cause and help out the younger members to develop into a hard nut to crack. He is also quite a good free kick taker on his day. He will start at right back as I see if he can still keep up with the pace in international matches.

Aftar Abdul (31 y/o, 4 caps, DR) Club side: Nadroga (Fiji)

Another old head who plays in the same position as Netani Qalo. Aftar won't see much first team action unless injury or suspension prevents Netani from playing at right back. However Aftar does work hard for the team, his work rate is second to none and he has exceptionally good pace for a player of his age.

John Lee (24 y/o, 10 caps/1 goal, DRLC) Club side: Labasa (Fiji)

Surprisingly I was stupid enough to only pick one left back in the whole team but luckily it was John Lee who has the capacity to play any other position in the back four if we had enough left back to take his spot. He will obviously be starting down back in the left full back position. John has good leadership qualities with his large influence over the defenders he works with and in addition he is very brave and determined when in a position where he could get injured if he wins the ball. A definite starter at left back even if we had someone else who could play there.

Josefa Duguca (22 y/o, 3 caps, S/DC) Club side: Waitakere City (New Zealand)

The younger of the two Duguca brothers who are both in the Fijian squad. Josefa is an excellent centre back because he has a good leap to reach those high balls but suprisingly his heading attribute isnâ€™t that good. However his acceleration and pace are exceptional and he knows how to position himself to get the most out of his ability. He may start at the back with his brother.

Ovini Duguca (29 y/o, 4 caps, DC) Club side: Rewa (Fiji)

The older brother in the Duguca family however with his seven years more experience he only has one extra cap to his name. I think I know why and Ovini most likely won't be getting much of a start in the first team either as he just hasn't developed well enough to hold a place. His two main qualities are his stamina and ability to take a set piece if called upon. Ovini will most likely get a place on the bench at best.

Shailemdra Lal (31 y/o, 20 caps/8 goals, DC) Club side: Suva (Fiji)

The veteran centre back is probably one of the most experienced out of all the defenders in terms of games for the Fiji national side and I can see why. Shail has a good leap but unlike Ovini he can header well. He is also a good leader at the back with good determination and influence on players around him. For a thirty one year old he is also quite agile and gets around the pitch easily. Shail should be a definite starter at the back as we look to him to shore up the defence.

Malakai Kainihewe (30 y/o, 15 caps, DC/MC) Club side: Tavua (Fiji)

A veteran with a mouthful of a name. He can play either at the back or in the middle of midfield but I don't think he will get a runout as he isn't that good. I only selected him in the squad to lend a hand to the younger players and to again bring some more experience into the squad of twenty five. Malakai doesn't really have anything good about him apart from his excellent teamwork and always putting the team first. If he is lucky he may be on the bench.

Midfielders:

Dirend Ali (23 y/o, 4 caps, AMRC) Club side: Dunedin Technical (New Zealand)

Dirend isn't one of the strongest or most agile players in the team but he makes up for it with his quick thinking and mental ability. His ability to read the game to position himself in the best possible place is superb while he backs that up with a tremendous work rate and he links up with him team mates well. He may get a starting place or at least sit on the bench.

Junior Bukalidi (24 y/o, 13 caps/2 goals, AMRC) Club side: Ba (Fiji)

Another young attacking midfielder who can play on the right or in the centre. Just like Dirend he has a good work ethic and is a key linkman between the midfield and the strikers. However Junior also possesses great acceleration on and off the ball and his stamina allows him to run almost all day. He should be a key player in our World Cup qualifying campaign.

Robert Khan (22 y/o, No caps, DMR) Club side: Manawatu (New Zealand)

Another player with the last name Khan. Robert isn't the most skilful player you will find in the Fiji camp but he makes up for it with his physical quantities. His ability to accelerate with or without the ball and his quick pace makes him a difficult opponent to tackle. He also possesses great strength on and off the ball and is well known for his holding up of the ball outside the area for another midfielder to wallop at goal.

Josefa Nabaro (23 y/o, No caps, MFR) Club side: Tavua (Fiji)

Another younger player who hasn't had the experience of pulling on his country's jersey. At the moment Josefa is actually out with a groin strain for around two weeks after he was injured in a Fiji Super Premier League match. However Josefa has been playing well for his club, Tavua, and has scored twice in his four matches. If he keeps up that form when he recovers from injury he may play a vital part in our qualifying attempt.

Penaia Nabu (22 y/o, 13 caps/2 goals, AMRL) Club side: Suva (Fiji)

One of the youngest players in the squad but has had a large number of caps relative to the other players around him. One of the luckiest players in the team is his ability to play on the left hand side of midfield where we donâ€™t have anyone else as yet. His ability to play on either flank gives him a huge advantage over other players in terms of being given a run out. His main abilities are his bravery when going for the ball and his ability to run all day. He will be employed out on the left wing in our next four matches at least.

Noa Seru (19 y/o, 7 caps/1 goal, DMRC) Club side: Nadroga (Fiji)

Another young gun moving up the ranks of the Fiji national team. At the tender age of nineteen there is still heaps for this young lad to learn but he is doing well with seven appearances for his country and one goal. His aggression towards the ball is a key feature of his defensive midfield game which keeps him on the ball but when he is beaten he will chase that player down hard. Noa is another player with a large amount of energy in the tank allowing him to run all day. He may not start in the first few games but will get his chance.

Ravuama Madigi (21 y/o, 14 caps/1 goal, MC) Club side: Tavua (Fiji)

One of the first players I have seen in the squad who only applies his trade to the centre of the park. At twenty one he should still be in the Fiji U-21s but he is a great talent and I have decided to keep him up in the squad. His teamwork and work rate are excellent and he is good at corners where he can leap high and head the ball home. He should be a starter in the middle of the park.

Netani Moce (21 y/o, 3 caps, AMC ) Club side: Tavua (Fiji)

It seems a large number of players in this squad are from Tavua and Netani and Moce is another one of those players. One of the few attacking minded players in central midfield who will look at moving forward at every opportunity to support the strikers at scoring goals. He is a very good passer of the ball and has gained many assists from clever through balls to the strikers. He should get a chance under my management.

Luke Nabaro (25 y/o, 13 caps/3 goals, AMC) Club side: Ba (Fiji)

One of the first Fijian players that I can say his name without any trouble. Luke is one of Ba's key players in the centre of the park and like Netani is a midfielder who looks for every chance to help the attackers. He can take a penalty when called upon while he can run up and down the pitch for a full 90 minutes without any problems. He also should get a chance to play in some of the four games ahead of us.

Ronald Roneel (28 y/o, 3 caps, MC) Club side: Nasinu (Fiji)

Technically Ronald has a limited amount to offer the midfield but he does have huge amounts of determination and influence which could put him in a captain's role if he is on the park. He is also very brave in the challenge however his aggression does pick him up a few cards but helps his overall game. If I do select him in the midfield he may receive the captain's armband which should boost his work rate for the team.

Dark_Soccer · March 28, 2005

Strikers/Forwards:

Esala Masi (31 y/o, 50 caps/ 20 goals, SC) Club side: Newcastle United (Australia)

This player needs no introduction as he is known as the 'god' of Fijian football. His name is the first to go on the team sheet and if for some reason I didnâ€™t play him their would probably be riots on the streets of Fiji. The fans love him and would take off their jacket and put it over mud so he wouldn't get his shoes dirty. He has played the most for Fiji than any other player I am aware of and he is very reliable in front of goal. His acceleration on the ball is also quite outstanding for an older player. I will be looking to him for more goals.

Robert Wise (22 y/o, 8 caps/3 goals, SC) Club side: Ba (Fiji)

Robert is being touted as the next biggest thing in Fijian football and his fans feel its only a matter of time before a bigger club wish to sign him. While he has only played eight times for his country his three goals have been priceless. His acceleration, agility and balance on the ball make him a very hard striker to stop when in full flow and he is also capable of slamming a penalty home if need be. He should be Masi's strike partner over the coming four games.

Jone Vono (21 y/o, 3 caps/5 goals, SC) Club side: Lautoka (Fiji)

One of the most underrated players under my management is Jone Vono. He doesn't seem to get noticed that much even though he has scored five goals in his only three appearances. He has a tremendous leap and is a good header of the ball which will make him a threat at corner kicks. He has great pace on the ball and his stamina allows him to run all day. Another striker who can easily score a penalty if called upon. Jone will start as a substitute and I'll monitor his progress.

Penaia Pio (29 y/o, 7 caps/1 goal, SC) Club side: Nadroga (Fiji)

Aside from Esala Masi our twenty nine year old striker here is one of the more experienced players up front. Penaia doesnâ€™t seem to have what it takes to play for Fiji each match but he is a decent backup if suspension or injury takes its toll on the other strikers. However his one good asset is his strength on the ball which I guess makes him like a Fijian Viduka in regards to holding the ball up for his strike partner.

Ronil Kumar (20 y/o, 3 caps, SC) Club side: Ba (Fiji)

The youngest striker out of the bunch I have chosen for the rest of this qualifying campaign. Ronil doesnâ€™t seem to have what it takes to hold down a first team spot but he is more than a capable of being called upon and helping us win matches. His greatest assets are his stamina which allow him to go all day while he is good at reaching crosses and corners in the air. He may develop into a better player over the next few years.

Vishwa Dewan Nair (21 y/o, 7 caps, FR) Club side: Navua (Fiji)

Last but not least the player with one of the longest and most hardest names to pronounce. Vishwa at only twenty one is the finished article and most likely won't see much time on the pitch under my management for a few years. However he is a good penalty taker but sometimes his aggression gets the better of him on the pitch. A player for the future if he can keep his emotions under control.

Well there you have it with the full twenty five man squad I have decided upon to take into the last four games of our qualifying process. Here is a look at the situation I have been left with and what we will need to do to reach my aim of at least second place.

World Cup 2006 Qualification

| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts |

| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 1st | | Australia | | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 4 | +16 | 13 |

| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 2nd | | New Zealand | | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 7 | +8 | 12 |

| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 3rd | | Fiji | | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 9 |

| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 4th | | Vanuatu | | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 10 | -5 | 6 |

| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 5th | | Papua New Guinea | | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 16 | -10 | 5 |

| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 6th | | Tahiti | | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 16 | -9 | 4 |

| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

</pre>

Only wins against our opponents lower than us will do and I mean against Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea. Hopefully we could take a point from Australia and New Zealand if we work hard enough.

Terk · December 15, 2006

Opened and upped as requested

Dark_Soccer · December 16, 2006

I'm back and we shall see how the story develops Cheers Terk

Well here I am about to play my first competitive match as manager of a nation, all be it a small nation but a nation never the less. It could be a perfect start for me today taking on a less powerful nation in the form of PNG. The only two meetings between us in the past two years have seen us only take a point by drawing once and losing once so we will be up against it today. However I feel we can put in a good performance.

September 10th ,2005 World Cup Qualifying Final Section Match 7 (a)

Papua New Guinea V Fiji

Fiji (4-4-2) Seamus Sambhu Khan- Netani Qalo, John Lee, Shailemdra Lal, Josefa Duguca- Junior Bukalidi, Penaia Nabu, Netani Moce, Luke Nabaro- Esala Masi, Robert Wise

Subs: Laisenia Tuba (gk), Ovini Duguca, Malakai Kainihewe, Dirend Ali, Noa Seru, Jone Vono, Penaia Pio

One slight problem in the squad is that almost everyone is lacking match fitness. I donâ€™t know what they do at their clubs but it obviously isnâ€™t keeping any of them fit. Hopefully this won't affect them too much out there today.

Our first attack comes in the fourth minute from a free kick out on the right wing. Moce swings the ball in and the header from Nabu flashes just wide of the right hand upright. Four minutes later a long back was flicked into the path of Masi by Wise and he went on to trouble the PNG keeper. The shot went to the left of the keeper but he did mange to divert it wide of the goal where a defender cleared the ball into touch. From the resulting throw in we built up a move which ended with Masi flicking the ball over to Wise who received the ball just in the box. He took a few touches before teeing up a shot which flew into the bottom right corner of the net to give us a well deserved 1 goal advantage. Near the twenty minute mark we had an all mighty scare when J.Duguca misjudged the ball and allowed a PNG striker to blaze just over from seven yards out. However ten minutes later they were level when a corner swung in by Winga found Lepani who rose highest to head the ball past the man guarding the post and into the net. A few minutes later Bukalidi picked up a knock and could no longer continue so Ali came on to take his spot on the right flank. Nabaro had a chance at the death of the first half to put us in front but his shot from outside the area sizzled just wide.

Another injury was picked up by a Fiji player ten minutes into the second half. J.Duguca injured himself in a challenge and was replaced by his brother O.Duguca. Wise made way for Vono a few minutes later. We conceded our second goal of the game two minutes later when a quick flick on the wing allowed Posman away and his pass inside the box allowed Karang to have enough space from his marker to chip a shot over Khan and into the net. PNG scored again to wrap the game up twelve minutes from time again from a corner. This time it was Davani beat his marker to head the ball at goal and Khan could only parry it in. Two minutes from time PNG punished us for a third time on a corner with Pomat getting his name on the scoresheet.

Papua New Guinea 4:1 Fiji

PNG Goals: Lepani (1), Karang (1), Davani (1), Pomat (1)

Fiji Goals: Wise (1)

MoM: Alex Davani (PNG) Rating- 9

Subs: Ali on for Bukalidi (35`), O.Duguca on for J.Duguca (57`), Vono on for Wise (63`)

Booked: Qalo (Fiji), Nabu (Fiji), Masi (Fiji)

Sent Off: -

Stadium: Sir Hubert Murray Stadium

Attendance: 9980

A match which started off so promising with Wise getting a goal in the opening ten minutes as we dictated play but we were exposed for our lack of ability to defend corners. A harsh lesson was learnt today and we will need to look at this match again and again before we take on Australia in four days time. Both the players who were injured have been removed from the squad as they will be out for about three weeks with a head injury .

In the other matches played in our group New Zealand upset Australia 3-1 to move to the top of the table while Vanuatu ran out 2-0 winners away against Tahiti.

Also back in Scotland and East Stirling my assistant called to tell me we have got Barney Smith to sign a contract to join us. He will move to the club in the beginning of the transfer window when it opens again in January.

Dark_Soccer · December 23, 2006

14th of September 2005

My second match in charge of Fiji today and hopefully I got enough of a look at the players in the last game to tweak up the tactics which will give us victory here today. Australia will be no easy task but hopefully they are down after that 3-1 loss to rivals New Zealand.

September 14th ,2005 World Cup Qualifying Final Section Match 8 (h)

Fiji V Australia

Fiji (4-4-2) Seamus Sambhu Khan- Netani Qalo, John Lee, Shailemdra Lal, Ovini Duguca- Robert Khan, Penaia Nabu, Netani Moce, Luke Nabaro- Esala Masi, Robert Wise

Subs: Laisenia Tuba (gk), Monesh Sharma, Malakai Kainihewe, Dirend Ali, Noa Seru, Jone Vono, Penaia Pio

Josefa Duguca is replaced by his brother in the squad today after the head injury he received in the last match. Also Junior Bukalidi is replaced by Robert Khan on the right side of midfield. Moving onto the bench is defender Monesh Sharma from the U-21 side

We were lucky to not be behind in the first minute after this star studded Australian side which contains the likes of Kewell, Viduka, Bresciano had the first attack. Viduka was the one who flicked the ball into the centre but luckily Khan was positioned right to save Kewell's volley from two yards out. We fell behind in the seventh minute when Bresciano got free of his man and a through ball found him. His shot was low and hard but Khan got his gloves to it but only to push it away to the feet Viduka who had no problem to tap the ball into an unguarded net. Kewell almost made it two on the half hour mark but his clever run and drive went over the bar. Another chance for Kewell five minutes before half time when he beat three Fijian defenders but found Khan in the way when he shot from only five yards out. Agostino made it two for Australia a minute later when he lost his marker , Lal, and buried the ball into the back of the net. Viduka made it three before the break when Lal seemed to not see a ball coming straight to him.

Everything was going fine well fine I mean we werenâ€™t under any pressure until the seventy fifth minute mark when Qalo decides to kick an opponent and receive his second yellow card and go off. At that moment on I knew I would hand in my resignation because the Fijians just didnâ€™t have the class to match any of these sides and were really just making up the numbers. We fell even further behind two minutes later when a long ball from Kewell found Petrovski and he hammered home the fourth Australian goal. A minute later a slick passing move from us gave Vono the chance to slot home a goal but his shot skimmed wide. The scoring ended there as our mis match with Australia ended 4-0.

Fiji 0:4 Australia

Fiji Goals: -

Australia Goals: Viduka (2), Agostino (1), Petrovski (1)

MoM: Mark Viduka (Australia) Rating-10

Subs: Ali on for Bukalidi (35`), O.Duguca on for J.Duguca (57`), Vono on for Wise (63`)

Booked: Qalo (Fiji), Lee (Fiji), Neill (Australia), Kewell (Australia)

Sent Off: Netani Qalo (Fiji) (Reason: Two bookable offences)

Stadium: National Sports Stadium

Attendance: 24996

The gulf in class between Australia and the smaller like nations such as Fiji was shown in today's match. The Australian players had the better skills in all departments and even with all the determination our players fought with, it wasn't enough. This loss leaves us fourth and not even a chance to dream of taking top spot as we can only take a maximum of six points from our remaining two games. This leaves me with just over two months before our final two games against New Zealand and Vanuatu.

In other matches Tahiti almost upset New Zealand but the Kiwis' managed a goal in the final minute to record a 2-1 victory. Vanuatu had no problems with teaching Papua New Guinea how to play football as they put three goals into the net to finish up with a 3-0 win.

Juve4EVA · February 14, 2007

Great read :beer:

Juve4EVA · February 14, 2007

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Juve4EVA:

Great read! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

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