[FM21] Return of the Phoe Nix - Rise of the Raven. FC Isle of Man Youth Save.

[Punch]

APR 2036 - FA Cup Semi Final - Vs Newcastle United

 

Match Report

Spoiler

After a few disappointing results, we put it all together to blow The Magpies off the park.

After putting us up 1-0 after 15 minutes, Gowdy turned on the after burners in the in the second half to complete his hat-trick, before Wright and Lea put the icing on the cake to send us through to back to back FA Cup Finals.

 

Two finals in a row, and our third in four years.

 

£500k+ for our share of the gate as well.

 

 

Final Draw

Spoiler

We meet The Gunners at Wembley for our third shot at the Cup.

 

We have a 2-2 record against them, so this could be a close fought game.

 

 

Up next...Leeds come to DW Stadium.

[Punch]

9 minutes ago, Sonic Youth said:

It looks like you’re limping home 

We might get completely legless next month

[Punch]

APR 2036 - Under 18's Win again

Our Under 18's squad tore their way through the qualifying stages winning their group with ease.

 

They continued their goal scoring ways through the semi and final as well.

 

After going unbeaten through the U18's Division 3 for six years, they've now won back to back Division 2 titles since they stepped up.

[Punch]

APR 2036 - Match Day 35 - Vs Leeds United FC

 

Match Report

Spoiler

A much better League performance than we have shown recently.

Harden got us on the board early, and we created most of the chances, with our defence doing enough to blunt their attack.

Gowdy then sealed the victory about 10 minutes from time as we took a comfortable 2-0 win.

Was our first clean sheet for a while.

 

 

Table

Spoiler

Still sitting in 7th place. Villa are still circling and Newcastle are on a late charge.

 

 

Up next...the beginning of a nightmare end to the season begins, away to Tottenham.

[Punch]

APR 2036

After two slow starts, a loss to Newcastle and a draw with West Ham, we managed to get it back together belting Newcastle in the FA Cup, and finishing the month with a solid win against Leeds.

 

A decent month as far is the Analyst is concerned.

 

Gary Gowdy has had a great month, leading to the Player of the Month award.

 

Still holding 7th spot, but with a few teams circling.

 

Stats

 

Goalkeeper

Hodgson still putting up great numbers.

 

Defence

The defence rotation has had some hiccups but still put up some great numbers.

 

Midfield

The midfielders struggled early in the month, but pulled it back in the last few games.

 

Forwards

Gowdy is just getting better and better, an incredible partnership with Wright.

 

Our FA Cup Semi Final broke our gate record again. A shame it's not our ground, but we'll take it.

 

We won something

Currently the most profitable club in the Premier League.

 

A nightmare run to the line as we face 4th, 3rd, and 5th in the final three games of the season, the first two away, as well as taking on Arsenal in our second straight FA Cup Final.

[Sonic Youth]

2 hours ago, Punch said:

We might get completely legless next month

 

Got my fingers crossed anyway 

[Jtomsett11]

FA cup final win and 3 prem losses I reckon. Europa league football to follow. 

[Punch]

APR 2036 - Player Focus

 

This month we take a look at one of the youngest members of the first team, and the first of the class of 33 to establish himself as a regular.

 

Aled Harden came out of the academy as the number 3 prospect from the class of 33.

A pacy winger, with good technique and work rate, he has quickly risen through the ranks.

 

After spending two years with the U18's, he stepped into the Premier League squad last season making 11 appearances with varying success.

After a full pre-season, his development was such that he ended up forcing his way into the first team as a regular. His performances have been excellent as he has contributed 8 League goals and 9 assists, plus further of both in Cup games.

 

A good initial attribute rating, and a decent PA, with good growth over his years with the club have resulted in him forcing his way into becoming an important member of our attacking unit.

Having just turned 19, and still having room for growth, he looks like he might be able to fill that important role for some time to come.

 

He has been putting up some good numbers this season, and with room for improvement, I hope they get better.

 

A native of Wales, he was called up to make his Youth International debut in 2033, playing on 18 occasions, scoring 8 goals.

Last year he was called up for the Welsh senior team, and has earned 4 caps, making a great start, scoring 5 goals already.

 

An exciting prospect who has quickly moved up the ranks both domestically, and internationally, who still has the potential growth to turn into a world class player.

[Punch]

38 minutes ago, Sonic Youth said:

 

Got my fingers crossed anyway 

Haha thank you!

 

25 minutes ago, Jtomsett11 said:

FA cup final win and 3 prem losses I reckon. Europa league football to follow. 

That's not an unrealistic prediction.

[Sonic Youth]

12 minutes ago, Punch said:

APR 2036 - Player Focus

 

This month we take a look at one of the youngest members of the first team, and the first of the class of 33 to establish himself as a regular.

 

Aled Harden came out of the academy as the number 3 prospect from the class of 33.

A pacy winger, with good technique and work rate, he has quickly risen through the ranks.

 

After spending two years with the U18's, he stepped into the Premier League squad last season making 11 appearances with varying success.

After a full pre-season, his development was such that he ended up forcing his way into the first team as a regular. His performances have been excellent as he has contributed 8 League goals and 9 assists, plus further of both in Cup games.

 

A good initial attribute rating, and a decent PA, with good growth over his years with the club have resulted in him forcing his way into becoming an important member of our attacking unit.

Having just turned 19, and still having room for growth, he looks like he might be able to fill that important role for some time to come.

 

He has been putting up some good numbers this season, and with room for improvement, I hope they get better.

 

A native of Wales, he was called up to make his Youth International debut in 2033, playing on 18 occasions, scoring 8 goals.

Last year he was called up for the Welsh senior team, and has earned 4 caps, making a great start, scoring 5 goals already.

 

An exciting prospect who has quickly moved up the ranks both domestically, and internationally, who still has the potential growth to turn into a world class player.

Kind of look at him and wonder what raising his finishing another 5 would do for him  

Feels almost Salah like!

[Punch]

7 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

Kind of look at him and wonder what raising his finishing another 5 would do for him  

Feels almost Salah like!

Would make him a potentially great striker 

[Punch]

In real world news…

 

FC Isle of Man have won the Step 6 (Level 10) Promotion Play off in front of a full house at The Bowl, defeating New Mills FC in a come from behind victory.

After finishing in second place in their inaugural League season, The Ravens will now be promoted to Step 5 (Level 9).

Over 3,000 is an impressive turn out for that level as well.

Edited April 17, 2022 by Punch

[Sonic Youth]

3 hours ago, Punch said:

In real world news…

 

FC Isle of Man have won the Step 6 (Level 10) Promotion Play off in front of a full house at The Bowl, defeating New Mills FC in a come from behind victory.

After finishing in second place in their inaugural League season, The Ravens will now be promoted to Step 5 (Level 9).

Over 3,000 is an impressive turn out for that level as well.

That’s some achievement. They haven’t been at that level long either! Can’t remember now, but crowds are similar to what you got?

Also, I take it they aren’t focusing only on players from IOL I bet.

[Punch]

4 minutes ago, Sonic Youth said:

That’s some achievement. They haven’t been at that level long either! Can’t remember now, but crowds are similar to what you got?

It's their first full season, they started 2019-20, but last two seasons they got suspended due to Covid travel restrictions on the Isle.

I think they have been getting pretty decent crowds in, and I know it's a promotion final, but over 3,000 at level 10 is huge. Someone on their Facebook page commented that their are League 2 sides not pulling that many to home games

 

6 minutes ago, Sonic Youth said:

Also, I take it they aren’t focusing only on players from IOL I bet.

Pretty sure they have a mixture of locals and imports.

[Sonic Youth]

7 minutes ago, Punch said:

It's their first full season, they started 2019-20, but last two seasons they got suspended due to Covid travel restrictions on the Isle.

I think they have been getting pretty decent crowds in, and I know it's a promotion final, but over 3,000 at level 10 is huge. Someone on their Facebook page commented that their are League 2 sides not pulling that many to home games

 

Pretty sure they have a mixture of locals and imports.

There’s going to be some celebrations after that promotion 

Though I’m sure lots more planning is also happening too.

[Punch]

13 minutes ago, Sonic Youth said:

There’s going to be some celebrations after that promotion 

Though I’m sure lots more planning is also happening too.

The Isle will be rocking for a while I suspect

[Punch]

MAY 2036 - Match Day 36 - At Tottenham Hotspur

 

Match Report

Spoiler

An epic clash at the Hotspur Stadium, with the hosts pushing for a Champions League spot, and us pushing for Euro qualification.

It was a tough fight, and neither side ended up being able to take all the points.

Gary Gowdy came the closest smacking a shot against the bar, but despite both sides creating plenty of chances, neither could find a winner.

 

 

Table

Spoiler

With Arsenal beaten, we jumped them into 6th.

Blackburn are the second team confirmed relegated.

I am glad we don't have to face Newcastle again, they are on a crazy tear at the moment.

 

 

Up next...we're off to Anfield to take on 2nd place Liverpool.

[Punch]

MAY 2036 - Match Day 37 - At Liverpool FC

 

Match Report

Spoiler

A lesson in how we still need to improve against the big 6 as we got spanked by Liverpool.

The hosts raced out to a 0-3 lead by 22 minutes, and although we managed to stem the tide, and even pull a goal back prior to half time, The Reds were in cruis control for the rest of the match.

Despite some positive signs in the second half, we were simply outplayed.

 

 

Table

Spoiler

An extra Euro II spot opens up as City Qualify for the Euro Cup.

 

We drop to 8th spot, but Newcastle are just white hot at the moment, winning 6 in a row, and 9 of their last 11.

With one match to play, We have a chance to jump Arsenal or Newcastle, should they lose, but we need to get a result against Man City.

At the other end of the table, a few weeks ago, I would have been certain they West Ham were gone, but unbeaten in their last 5, they have clawed their way above Wednesday, so the last relegation slot will come down to the last day as well.

 

 

Up next...London calling. Wembley awaits as we take on Arsenal in the FA Cup Final.

[Punch]

MAY 2036 - FA Cup Final - Preview

The Gunners are favourites according to the Bookies, but we have a pretty decent record against them.

 

Not expected to be a sell out? Must be those Gunners fans not turning up

[Punch]

MAY 2036 - FA Cup Final - Vs Arsenal

 

A stunning result as we overturn the heart break of two final losses in the last three years, and the Bookies expectations, to shut out The Gunners, lifting the FA Cup for the first time.

Gary Gowdy scored before half time to send us to the break 1-0 up, before scoring his second of the game, just before the final whistle to seal the deal.

It was a tough fought out match with neither side creating a large amount chances, but it was a brilliant defensive effort limiting Arsenal to only three shots on target.

 

We also received nearly £2 million for our share of the gate.

 

The massive bonus to lifting the Cup, FC Isle of Man will be involved in Europe next season.

European football will be coming to our little island in the Irish Sea.

 

Champions, biggest over achievers, and Gowdy was also the top scorer, a pretty impressive performance all around.

 

And just because it looks so good, another view of the newest addition to our trophy cabinet.

[Punch]

MAY 2036 - FC Isle of Man create a unique piece of history...that may never be beaten

 

 

FC Isle of Man have become the first team in history to win all three FA knockout competitions.

After winning the FA Vase in 2022, and the FA Trophy in 2027, we became the second team in history to win both of those trophies, after AFC Fylde (Vase 2008, Trophy 2019).

In this save, Notts County won the FA Trophy in 2022, which would make them the only team in history to have won both the FA Cup (1894), and the FA Trophy.

By making the FA Cup Final in 2033, we became the first team to have reached the final of all three competitions.

 

A unique moment in history, and a massive achievement, for this little island club, after just 16 years of existence.

[Punch]

MAY 2036 - Under 23's Win...again

Our Under 23's lifted the Division 3 Trophy again, smashing in 93 goals in the qualification rounds.

 

They then put 7 past QPR in the semi, before thumping Arsenal in the final.

 

Second straight year we have defeated Arsenal in the final.

[Punch]

MAY 2036 - Match Day 38 - Vs Manchester City

 

Match Report

Spoiler

After celebrating our FA Cup win, it was back to business for the final game of the season, against The Citizens.

We put in one of our best ever performances against the big 6, slamming 6 goals past the visitors, in front of our first ever sell out at DW Stadium.

Young striker Lewis Hoey got his first start and took just two minutes to get himself on the board.

John Wright then took over becoming the first IoM player to score 4 goals in a match, before Pat Millington finished off the game in style.

A brilliant way to finish the season.

 

 

Table

Spoiler

We round out the season in 8th place, same as last season, but we qualify for Europe through winning the FA Cup, meaning Newcastle miss out.

West Ham and Wednesday both lost, so they stay in the same positions, Wednesday being relegated to The Championship.

 

 

Up next...Reviews

[Jtomsett11]

Well I was wrong about your last 3 games,  excellent work there! Well done on the historic treble of cups and a deserved foray into Europe next year.  In my opinion that's going to be your toughest assignment as you're obviously going to have to rely on your existing squad and fringe players more,  however it's also a great opportunity to develop those younger players on the fringe!

[Punch]

10 minutes ago, Jtomsett11 said:

Well I was wrong about your last 3 games,  excellent work there! Well done on the historic treble of cups and a deserved foray into Europe next year.  In my opinion that's going to be your toughest assignment as you're obviously going to have to rely on your existing squad and fringe players more,  however it's also a great opportunity to develop those younger players on the fringe!

Thank you! It was an amazing season for sure.

The three FA Comps is just one of those unique little achievements, that will probably never be seen in real life, but it's a cool one to tick off in game.

Next year is going to be tough with the extra games. Hoping you're right about using some fringe players to develop, as we squeaked through this season OK, by using younger players in the early rounds of the Cups, but we had some pretty tired first team players by the end of the season that I was needing to manage. Throw in a whole extra competition next season, and it's going to get very tough.

[Sonic Youth]

 Congrats on FA Cup win completing the set 

That last game of the season was an amazing result too.

Is there any players out there good enough to bring back to the club?

[Punch]

5 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

 Congrats on FA Cup win completing the set 

That last game of the season was an amazing result too.

Is there any players out there good enough to bring back to the club?

Thank you!

There are a couple that I have kept an eye on, like Marco Petrosino, and Luke Rudd, who are the only two playing at EPL clubs. But both are strikers, and I'm not completely convinced that they would be better options than what we have, for the amount of money I would need to spend to get them back.

[Punch]

MAY 2036

This month had the potential to be an absolute train wreck, but we ended up coming out of it pretty well.

Holding Spurs to a draw, was almost as good as a win, we got belted at Anfield, before lifting the FA Cup for the first time, and then riding that wave, we thrashed City in our best performance against one of the big 6.

 

We finished in 8th spot, the same as last season, but we took a Europe place by virtue of our FA Cup win, which means unfortunately for Newcastle, despite their monster end of season run to finish 7th, they miss out on Europe on goal difference, as there is a maximum of 7 spots available.

Wednesday, Blackburn, and Brighton are relegated to The Championship, while Chelsea are Champions for the second year in a row.

 

Our FA Cup win sends us to Europe for the first time, qualifying at the Group Stage.

 

Another brilliant month financially, although we did get hit with a monster tax bill due to our financial success this season.

 

Big prize money for our 8th place finish, adds a nice boost to the bank balance.

 

The Board have doubled the wage budget again, but we are currently spending a £million under this, we should be fine for now.

They have also set the Europe expectation of making the Second Knockout Round, which is going to be a tough challenge.

 

Some massive numbers being spent here, but we turned a tidy profit.

 

Not surprisingly, we have the smallest wage ratio in the League.

 

For the second season in a row we have had a youth player poached, this time by Chelsea.

 

Just the third player in our history, although this one isn't rating highly on the stars.

 

The stadium upgrade is complete, and we will now have over 20k seats available for our European adventures.

I winder how long before I need to hit the upgrade button again.

 

A surprise award as I was named EPL Manager of the Year. A nice little personal achievement.

 

Up next...season reviews

[Punch]

2035-2036 Season Review

 

[Punch]

2035-2036 Season Review - Best XI

 

Best XI - Season

 

Best XI - All Time

 

Best XI All time - Where are they now?

 

Best XI - Where are they now? Team of 2027

[Punch]

2035-2036 Season Review

We equaled our best League finish, while having our best results in both Cups.

 

We doubled our bank balance this season, while having good crowds at the temporary stadium, our form there was very hit and miss, so we are keen to go to our expanded stadium on The Isle.

[Punch]

2035-2036 Season Review - Player Stats

 

Goalkeepers

Hodgson continued to do what he does best, as one of the best players in our team, and one of the best keepers in the Premier League. He is also still England's number one, currently competing in the Euro Championships.

Jensen continues to improve, but has only played a few Cup games, which is unfortunate as he would probably a walk up starter at a lot of other clubs.

 

Defence

The defensive unit was impressive all season, and put up some good numbers.

We don't get a lot of goals from the back, but they do provide a lot of assists, and get us going forward out of defence very quickly.

 

Midfield

Millington had a rough start to the season, before coming good after Christmas, and really stepping it up, but then had a slow finish to the season.

Adams was consistently solid all season, and just went about doing what he does best.

Swindell was the link when they needed to be rested, with mixed results.

Going to need some of the younger kids to start stepping up and pushing them.

 

Forwards

Wright and Gowdy both managing to reach 20+ goals across all competitions, and we had four players reach double figures, is a fantastic result.

A lot to like about what we see here.

 

No records broken this year.

 

Jordan Williams is edging closer to Jordan Jack's all time appearances record, and did managed to extend his all time goals record.

Not sure Jack's goalkeeper goals record will ever be beaten.

[Punch]

2035-2036 Season Review - Attributes

 

That time of the year where we get to review the players attributes and see what they have achieved over the season.

 

Goalkeepers

Hodgson is still the clear number one, and even though he reached his PA last season, he is still showing minor attribute growth.

Jensen is still improving, but some distance behind.

Some good improvement shown across the board.

 

Defence

 

Center

Keogh has taken over as the best central defender, and still has some growth room.

We have a good rotation, but a lot of those players have reached their potential, so I expect the attribute changes to be minor.

There are a few good looking prospects coming up as well.

 

Right

Kearney a clear number one here, and although he has reached his PA, he is still leaps and bounds above the rest of the pack.

There are some solid options coming up though, if they can reach that potential.

 

Left

While Smith is our best option here, he has reached potential, and we need some of the younger kids to step up and start challenging here.

 

Midfield

 

Ball Winning Midfielders

 

Adams is still the number one, but young Rhule has come along nicely and might be pushing for playing time next season.

This is an area where we are light on options.

 

Advanced Play Maker

Millington is still number one, and the best rated player at the club, while Swindell has gone backwards this season.

There are a few solid options, and keep an eye out for Obinna Tamara, there is a star rising quickly.

 

Attacking Right

While Tomlin is our best option, he rarely plays as Harden, a striker, made this position his own last season.

We need some of these kids to start pushing up to put pressure on the regulars.

 

Attacking Left

Again, striker Heys plays mostly on the left, with Lea and Earl part of the rotation.

For the number of players we have here, the options are a little thin.

 

Forwards

Incredible to see our best Right Winger, is our best rated striker, and if I had more options on the right wing, Harden would probably spend more time up front.

We have plenty of options available to include in the rotation, and it's been good to see Gakou stepping up, and there are a few kids coming along nicely as well.

 

Best XI

Very happy with how the squad has come together, with plenty of genuine options to rotate in every area.

This will become even more important next season as we add a European competition into the mix.

[Punch]

JUN 2036 - Internationals

A large number of internationals during the off season, including several seniors representing at the Euro Championships.

 

Dimos becomes our 12th senior international.

Aled Harden has become a goal scoring machine at senior level.

[Punch]

JUN 2036

For winning the FA Cup, we get to participate in the Community Shield at the beginning of the season, taking on League Champions Chelsea.

 

Forest, Burnley, Fulham will join us in the Premier League for the new season.

 

We will start the season against Man U, debuting our expanded stadium.

 

We had a monster year financially last season, so hopefully we can produce similar again.

 

The TV rights always go a long way towards helping in the regard.

 

We sold an U23's player who wasn't going to be considered for the first team.

 

We also received some good money on different sale clauses which paid out during the off season.

 

Friendly season kicks off with a pre-season camp in Hong Kong.

[erikeagles]

Great result of winning the FA Cup

Good luck in Europe 

 

[Punch]

8 hours ago, erikeagles said:

Great result of winning the FA Cup

Good luck in Europe 

 

Thank you!

Going to make for a very interesting season

[Punch]

JUL 2036 - Internationals

 

Plenty of players on International duty over the off season still.

Including possibly my favourite story, Kim Suk-Kuen, who is our leader all time in Senior International appearances, without having played at Youth International level, getting picked to represent South Korea at the Olympics, and thus becoming our 81st Youth International.

[Punch]

JUL 2036

We ran riot through the friendlies, including smashing in 35 goals in our three games on our Hong Kong training camp.

 

Dortmund became my 49th interview offer, and 20th job offer.

 

...And then after the Euro Championships, plenty of International teams wanted my services. All were rejected.

 

Transfers

 

We sent a few players on their way in the off season.

We offloaded two Goalkeepers, as we have plenty.

Foggarty was deputy to Jordan Jack for a long time, and then when it came time for Jack to step down, he missed his chance because of the rise of Hodgson. He has now been relegated to 3rd or 4th in the order, so it was time to let him make a move for a chance at first team football.

Harrington is a reasonable quality keeper, but not up to first team football, so we let him go in search of new opportunities as well.

 

A good month financially, especially when over 17 thousand packed in for our first home game at the newly upgraded FC IoM Stadium.

 

We receive a small amount of money from a sell on clause.

 

We have moved up the table in this regard, the bigger stadium no doubt helping.

 

We have almost sold out our season tickets again...

 

So I pushed the button again, and after this season, we will be growing the stadium again, to nearly 27k. Wonder if we will end up at Wigan again

 

It's kick off time. OUr season starts with our first appearance in the Community Shield against Chelsea, before a pretty tough kick off to the season at home to Man U, away to Arsenal, then Newcastle and Wolves. A testing first month of the season.

[Sonic Youth]

The lots of job offers and international updates. Interesting way to become a youth international that Kim took 

I guess the increase in the size of your stadium is down to the ambition of your board? I wonder if this is how it’s increased.

Something I wonder about with stadiums, did your corporate score get upgraded at the same time? It’s good to see your match day revenue increasing too.

[Punch]

7 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

The lots of job offers and international updates. Interesting way to become a youth international that Kim took

I noticed it happened after the last world cup too, when coaches who didn't perform either quit, or were sacked.

It was a very different path for him

 

7 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

I guess the increase in the size of your stadium is down to the ambition of your board? I wonder if this is how it’s increased.

We sold out every game in two seasons in The Championship at the old stadium, but by then they were already looking at a new stadium, with an initial capacity of 10k, which I knew was going to be too small. So when they finally released the plans and it was 13k, we then sold out our allotment of season tickets a few weeks before the Premier League season started. So the game offered me the button to expand stadium, which they increased to originally 18k, then when the plans were finished it's now 20k. We again sold out our season tickets a few weeks before the season started, so it seems the board have misjudged how well supported this team is, so at the end of the season, we will expand again.

 

7 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

Something I wonder about with stadiums, did your corporate score get upgraded at the same time? It’s good to see your match day revenue increasing too

I know it's a lot higher at the new stadium, as it was almost nothing at the old one, so the new stadium has made a difference to the revenues.

[Punch]

AUG 2036 - Community Shield - Vs Chelsea FC

 

Match Report

Spoiler

A first appearance in the Community Shield turned into a pretty tough hit out against the best team from the last few seasons.

The Blues had a mass of possession throughout the match, but couldn't make much more of it then we could.

They took the lead from a good goal just after the half hour mark, and that was then end for the scoring.

We were unable to make anything of the man advantage in the last 10 minutes, so the match stayed 0-1 to Chelsea.

 

 

Up next...The season proper kicks off as Man U come to The Isle, in our return to our expanded stadium.

[Punch]

AUG 2036 - Match Day 1 - Vs Manchester United

 

Match Report

Spoiler

Wow! That is some way to start a season, and welcome in your expanded stadium.

We have really struggled against the Big 6 teams, so this belting of Man U, in front of a new capacity crowd at The Isle, was both unexpected, and maybe a sign that we have turned a corner against the big boys of the EPL.

Captain Pat got the first goal of the season on 20 minutes, before Gowdy opened his account 15 minutes later.

The Red Devils pulled one back before half time to make it 2-1 at the break.

But it was all one way traffic in the second half, Kearney scoring just after the break, Gowdy completing his brace just after the hour, before Wright iced the cake just before full time. Gowdy was unlucky to miss out on a hat-trick after a shot was deflected against the post.

An enormous start to the season.

 

 

Table

Spoiler

I know it's only one game in, but for the first time ever, we lead the Premier League

Man U sitting dead last looks weird as well.

 

 

Up next...we are off to the Emirates, as we take on Arsenal, who will want revenge after we took the FA Cup from them last season.

Edited April 20, 2022 by Punch

[Punch]

AUG 2036 - Match Day 2 - At Arsenal

 

Match Report

Spoiler

A stunning result as we come from behind to steal a late win at The Emirates.

The Gunners scored first with an early goal, before Gary Gowdy hit back to level the scores with a cracking volley from a Wes Heys cross, to send us to the break at 1-1.

The second half was a tougher battle before a David Kearney cross found the head of Wes Heys who made no mistake directing the ball into the net to put us 2-1 up.

This stung the hosts into action and they pushed hard, getting their reward 6 minutes later to level the scores at 2-2.

It looked like we were destined for a point each as neither side could make the break through, when in injury time, David Kearney produced the magic ball again, this time finding an unmarked John Wright in the box, to smash home a brilliant volley past the stranded keeper.

A cracking result to come from behind, and take our second win in a row against a Big 6 club.

 

 

Table

Spoiler

We hold 1st on goal difference.

 

 

Up next...We welcome Newcastle to The Isle.

[Punch]

AUG 2036 - Match Day 3 - Vs Newcastle United

 

Match Report

Spoiler

Another cracking result as we thump the Magpies at The Isle.

In the blink of an eye we were up 1-0 after an Archie Adams shot, found the head of Aled Harden, who turned the ball past the keeper.

On 21 minutes, Wes Heys made a brilliant run from the center circle into the penalty area, before cutting the ball back to a trailing David Kearney, who unleashed a cracking shot from the edge of the area into the top corner to make it 2-0.

Three minutes later we were at it again as John Wright intercepted a goal kick, sliding a ball through to a charging Gary Gowdy, who sliced a shot past the keeper to put us up 3-0 after 24 minutes.

It stayed that way through to half time, before the second half became a bit of a midfield slog fest. The Magpies pulled a goal back on 70 minutes, but that was as close as it got, as we closed the game out for a 3-1 victory, to stay perfect for the season.

 

 

Table

Spoiler

We stay first on goal difference, one of only two perfect teams, although there are still 5 undefeated teams.

 

 

Up next...we are off to Molineux to take on 7th place Wolves.

[Punch]

AUG 2036 - League Cup - 3rd Round Draw

The Ravens will go against the other Magpies, as we get Notts Co in the League Cup 3rd Round.

 

We have a good record against them, even though it's been 5 years since we met.

[Sonic Youth]

Can’t argue with that start to the season. Hopefully European football doesn’t get in the way.

[Punch]

35 minutes ago, Sonic Youth said:

Can’t argue with that start to the season. Hopefully European football doesn’t get in the way.

We will find out soon, it's about to get real, I am just about to post the draw.

[Punch]

AUG 2036 - Group Stage Draw

Our debut in Europe is getting very real now as we are drawn in Group A.

 

We kick off at home to Roma, before finishing away to the same team.

 

Looks like it may be a tricky group, which is bad news as the Board have expectations of reaching the Second Knock out Round.

 

A nice little pay day just for making the Group stage.

 

Europe, here come The Ravens.

[Punch]

AUG 2036 - Match Day 4 - At Wolverhampton Wanderers

 

Match Report

Spoiler

A disappointing game all round as we were outplayed by Wolves.

Two goals in three minutes set us on the back foot, and we never recovered.

We did score a really nice goal when some quick passing between Harden and Wright managed to find Gowdy, who slid a ball through to Heys who had slipped his marker, and he fired home from near the penalty spot.

We created very few other chances though, Wolves just too good for us today.

 

 

Table

Spoiler

Our first loss of the season knocks us off top spot, and drops us to 4th, top of the 3-1 teams on goal difference.

 

 

Up next...28 players on international duty, before we take on Norwich, away.