[FM23] Another Island Life - Green Lion Pride - A Guernsey FC Youth Story

[shd34_216_42]

Wasn't aware you had to play two qualifying rounds to make the group phase, thought it was supposed to be just one.

(At least you got more games for the backups to play.)

[Punch]

15 hours ago, shd34_216_42 said:

Wasn't aware you had to play two qualifying rounds to make the group phase, thought it was supposed to be just one.

(At least you got more games for the backups to play.)

I thought it was 4th Qualifying Round as well, but we ended up in the 3rd…no idea 

[Punch]

 

AUG 2043 - Match Day 1 - At Norwich

 

 

From our goal happy start in Europe, we became goal shy in the season kick off.

We created plenty of chances against the newly promoted Canaries, but the execution was lacking as we struggled to find the back of the net.

With the shadows of full time looming, and a draw looking the likely result, Jayson Buss curled a stunning free kick around the wall and into the net, to secure all three points.

 

Not much to be read into anything yet, although Man U and Spurs both had first up losses.

 

Up next...back to European action as we head to Switzerland to take on Sion, in the 4th Qualifying Round 1st Leg.

 

[Punch]

 

AUG 2024 - League Path 4th Qualifying Round - 1st Leg - At FC Sion

 

 

We travelled to Switzerland and leave with a slender 1st Leg lead.

It's probably no less than we deserved as we dominated the majority of the match, but struggled to find a way passed their defence.

Late in the second half, it was Alan Kennedy who turned in a Sam Copley cross to break the dead lock.

So we will head back to Guernsey with a slim lead, and will have to make sure we do a professional job at home if we want to advance to the Group Stages.

 

Up Next

Our first League home game of the season as we host Fulham.

[Punch]

 

AUG 2043 - Match Day 2 - Vs Fulham

 

 

It was a tight game until late in the second half, when we ran away with it in the end.

We created plenty of chances throughout the match, but the Cottagers defence held firm and kept pushing us away.

It was a good show of patience from our lads, as they kept at it, and got the three points.

 

We jump to 4th, one of only three teams that haven't conceded yet.

 

Up Next...Sion make the trek from Switzerland to Guernsey, as we play the second leg of our 4th Qualifying Round fixture, with us hanging on to a 1-0 lead.

[Stuniverse]

4 minutes ago, Punch said:

We jump to 4th, one of only three teams that haven't conceded yet.

Early days, but what a great start Guernsey have made to the season!

[Punch]

6 minutes ago, Stuniverse said:

Early days, but what a great start Guernsey have made to the season!

Good start, but we have only had a close win over a newly promoted team, and a late rush of goals against a lower to mid-table team, so not reading too much into the performances yet.

Fatigue is going to play a huge role this season, especially as the schedule fills up with more European and domestic Cup matches.

[Stuniverse]

1 minute ago, Punch said:

Fatigue is going to play a huge role this season, especially as the schedule fills up with more European and domestic Cup matches.

The price you have to pay for success, @Punch 

[Punch]

Just now, Stuniverse said:

The price you have to pay for success, @Punch 

Haha, yes, so it would seem.

Carrying a large squad may pay off.

[Punch]

 

AUG 2043 - League Path 4th Qualifying Round - 2nd Leg - Vs FC Sion

 

 

Sion made the trek from Switzerland to Guernsey for our 2nd Leg clash, as we held a slim one goal advantage.

We needed to make a positive start, and we got the chance to do so with an early penalty, allowing us to double our advantage.

By 20 minutes we had a second goal, and a three goal lead which allowed us to settle and enjoy the remainder of the tie.

Another goal just after the break sealed the tie, and ended any thoughts of a comeback from the visitors.

 

We march into the Group Stage, but will have to wait to find out our opponents.

 

Up Next

Back to League action as we host Wolves.

 

[Punch]

 

AUG 2043 - Match Day 3 - Vs Wolverhampton Wanderers

 

 

It was a tough battle on the island as we already start to show the effects of a hectic schedule and plenty of travel to start the season.

We took a first half lead, but it was probably against the run of play, as it was the visitors who had played the better.

We were not able to keep them out though, as they equalised in the second half.

It was all we could do to hang on for a draw, as we just managed to keep them at bay, but were unable to produce any quality chances of our own.

 

We improve another place to 3rd, despite conceding our first goal in three games.

 

Up next

We are off to Wrexham to begin our defence of our League Cup title.

[Punch]

 

AUG 2043

 

A stunning start to the season as we win 6 of 7 games, including advancing to the League stage of the Europa Conference League.

 

Solid reward for Gudmundsson as he wins the Young Player of the Month award.

 

It appears the take over is off again.

 

Transfers

 

We sold just one more player, a young Keeper who was not going to make it to the first team.

 

We still have the lowest wages in the League. Laughably below the League average, and the big boys.

 

The money keeps rolling in.

 

We sell just more than last seasons record.

 

A quieter month coming up, although that could change.

[Punch]

 

SEP 2043 - Europa Conference League Group Stage Draw

 

We find out our opponents for the Group Stage of the Conference League, although these matches don't begin until next month.

 

We face away trips to Hungary (Ujpest), Israel (Bnei Sakhnin), and Austria (Rapid Wien).

Guernsey will welcome teams from Italy (Atlanta), Slovakia (Zilina), and Bulgaria (Levski).

 

We are currently ranked 93rd on the Co-Efficient list, so we face only two sides ranked above us, while four sides are ranked well below us.

I guess this is why we are seen as having a favourible draw.

[Punch]

 

SEP 2043 - League Cup 2nd Round - At Wrexham

 

 

We had 30 players on International Duty to start the month, but we put a quality side together, who put on a solid performance to dominate the Red Dragons out of the match.

It took us a while to convert the chances, but two quick goals back to back gave us a good lead by the break.

A third goal just after the break killed off the match.

 

We host Everton in the 3rd Round, who we have a close history against, but we have won the last two meetings.

 

Back to League action as we travel to Brighton.

[Stuniverse]

4 hours ago, Punch said:

It appears the take over is off again.

To misquote the Hokey-Cokey I was going to say on, off, on, off... shake it all about... but it seems it's more off, off, off and the media creating stories for the sake of it.

4 hours ago, Punch said:

We still have the lowest wages in the League. Laughably below the League average, and the big boys.

Just shows how amazingly well you are doing, @Punch

4 hours ago, Punch said:

The money keeps rolling in.

Glad to see you are rolling in all that Premier League money.

And still with the lowest salary bill in the Premier League by some distance.

Are you not tempted to spend some of that cash and spend BIG?

2 hours ago, Punch said:

We find out our opponents for the Group Stage of the Conference League, although these matches don't begin until next month.

 

We face away trips to Hungary (Ujpest), Israel (Bnei Sakhnin), and Austria (Rapid Wien).

Guernsey will welcome teams from Italy (Atlanta), Slovakia (Zilina), and Bulgaria (Levski).

Hope all your passports are up to date.

--

Good luck against Brighton and Everton in the Cup.

[Punch]

1 hour ago, Stuniverse said:

To misquote the Hokey-Cokey I was going to say on, off, on, off... shake it all about... but it seems it's more off, off, off and the media creating stories for the sake of it.

Don't let the truth get in the way of a good story...

 

1 hour ago, Stuniverse said:

Are you not tempted to spend some of that cash and spend BIG?

The wages are going up slowly, as contracts come up due for renewal.

Young players like Gudmundsson, who has now established himself as a regular first team player, is still on his first contract of his youth team contract, so are several other players who are trying to establish themselves, some are on less than £5k a week.

Romario Finnegan is currently our highest paid player, at £65k a week, however, there is the usual rumblings about wanting new contracts, but they are generally subdued after a chat. There will no doubt be some upgrades coming soon though, as players want to be recognised for their efforts in becoming a team playing in Europe.

 

1 hour ago, Stuniverse said:

Hope all your passports are up to date.

Haha sent everyone to the passport office the week after winning the League Cup

[Punch]

 

SEP 2043 - Match Day 4 - At Brighton & Hove Albion

 

 

.

A stunning result as the attack lit a fire, and then turned it up to 11, blowing the Seagulls off the park.

An early goal sent us on our way, and then the flood gates opened just before the break, as we smashed in three goals in 11 minutes to be four up at half time.

With the match effectively over, the second half was pretty back and forward, without a lot of real chances being created.

A late free kick made it five, to cap off a great all round performance.

 

We stay 3rd, still having only conceded one goal this season.

 

A tougher match next up as we host the Gunners on the island.

[Punch]

 

SEP 2043 - Match Day 5 - Vs Arsenal

 

 

We made the worst possible start, going behind after just 2 minutes.

It then got even worse as we were two down after 6, with the visitors blazing out of the blocks before all of the full house had even found their seats.

We did pull one back on 16 minutes, but again found ourselves 2 down by half time.

We again pulled back within one after the break, but our bad start left us too much to do, and the tank was empty late in the half.

 

Our first loss in 9 games, stretching back to last season, drops us back to 5th place.

 

A short break before we switch to League Cup action, hosting Everton in the 3rd Round, as we continue our title defence.

[Punch]

 

SEP 2043 - League Cup 3rd Round - Vs Everton

 

 

A massive start as the Toffees were blown off the park in the first 30 minutes.

By the time they turned a third into their own goal before the break, the game was effectively over.

We were able to cruise through the second half, and march into the 4th Round.

 

The 4th Round send us to Rotherham, whom we have not lost to, although it's been a few years since our last meeting.

 

Another short turn around before we head to Brentford, in a return to League action.

[Punch]

 

SEP 2043 - Match Day 6 - At Brentford

 

 

This one hurts as it's a game we should have won.

We didn't take our chances, and it came back to bite us as the hosts buried the only chance of the game, which was enough to take all three points.

 

After 8 without loss, we put back to back losses together, dropping us to 6th place.

 

The League stage of the Conference League kicks off, as we host Italian side Atalanta, who are the highest ranked team we face.

[Punch]

 

SEP 2043

 

We advance twice in the League Cup, but after making a bright start in the League, we have now lost two on the bounce.

 

Despite our poor form, Chamberlain takes out the Young Player of the Month.

 

Stats

 

Goalkeepers

 

 

Defenders

 

 

Midfielders

 

 

Forwards

 

 

 

Internationals

 

Plenty of players called up to start the month.

 

We are now equal second on the production of players in Top Leagues around the world.

 

We have risen slightly, but still a long way behind the curve.

 

A small profit this month.

 

We collect a nice prize for making the Group Stage.

 

A big seven games coming up next month, including two European games.

[Punch]

 

OCT 2043 - Conference League Group Stage 1st Match - Vs Atalanta (Italy)

 

 

In front of a full house, we got involved in a seven goal thriller with the Italian visitors.

Despite taking the lead, we had to come from behind twice, before Garai came off the bench to seal the three points, inside the final 10 minutes.

 

Always good to keep the money rolling in.

 

A brilliant three points against our toughest opponent in the Group Stages has us inside the top 8.

Top 8 is where you want to be, to qualify direct to the Quarter Finals, and avoid the knockout qualifier.

 

Back to League action as we host Manchester United, who currently find themselves in the relegation zone.

[Punch]

 

OCT 2043 - Match Day 7 - Vs Manchester United

 

 

Considering the position of our opponent, this might be points lost, but we did put in a pretty epic comeback, from two goals down to rescue a late draw.

We come from behind twice, including scoring twice in the final 10 minutes, including the leveler, right on full time.

 

After being unbeaten in 8, we are now winless in three and have dropped from 3rd to 9th, conceding 7 goals in that stretch as well.

 

After a two week break for Internationals, we travel to Aston Villa.

[Stuniverse]

1 hour ago, Punch said:

In front of a full house, we got involved in a seven goal thriller with the Italian visitors.

Despite taking the lead, we had to come from behind twice, before Garai came off the bench to seal the three points, inside the final 10 minutes.

That's quite a game against Atalanta and a great way to start your European League Path.

43 minutes ago, Punch said:

Considering the position of our opponent, this might be points lost, but we did put in a pretty epic comeback, from two goals down to rescue a late draw.

We come from behind twice, including scoring twice in the final 10 minutes, including the leveler, right on full time.

Ooooh, I see what you mean. Man Utd are third bottom. They are still Manchester United though.

Wow! 3-3 and 3-2, have you been making many in-game changes or shouting much, particularly when you fall behind?

Keep up with these high scoring games and you'll be the first match shown on Match of the Day 

Edited June 1 by Stuniverse

[Punch]

1 hour ago, Stuniverse said:

That's quite a game against Atalanta and a great way to start your European League Path.

Sure was. I had no idea what to expect in our European journey, but these kids have taken it in their stride. They certainly don't seem intimidated by bigger club reputations.

 

1 hour ago, Stuniverse said:

Ooooh, I see what you mean. Man Utd are third bottom. They are still Manchester United though.

Wow! 3-3 and 3-2, have you been making many in-game changes or shouting much, particularly when you fall behind?

Keep up with these high scoring games and you'll be the first match shown on Match of the Day

Yeah, they have been really up and down the last few seasons.

They have been a couple of pretty crazy games, but we have shown a fair mentality to keep fighting back...now just to stop giving up so many goals to begin with.

[Punch]

 

OCT 2043 - Match Day 8 - At Aston Villa

 

 

Another crazy game, where for once we didn't have to chase the game, but took the lead twice, and couldn't hang on.

It was up to the hosts to come from behind twice, in what was a pretty tight affair, with neither side creating a huge amount of chances.

 

Our 4th game without a win, and we stay in 9th place.

 

We are off to Budapest, which is our furthest away trip so far, to take on Ujpest, who had a close loss in their first up match of the Group Stage.

[Punch]

 

OCT 2043 - Conference League 2nd Match - At Ujpest (Hungary)

 

 

A dominant performance as we run riot in Budapest, completing a brilliant win.

Our kids showed no nerves on the road, running amok early, and the game was effectively over in the first half hour as we blasted to a 3-0 lead.

A fourth goal in the second half, as O'Connor complete his hat-trick, and we completed a four goal win.

 

4 goals, three points, and money in the bank. A good day all round.

 

Still in the top 8, and a 4-0 win helped our goal difference.

 

A tough return to League action as we host the League leading West Ham, on two days rest.

Edited June 1 by Punch

[Punch]

 

OCT 2043 - Match Day 9 - Vs West Ham United

 

 

A stunning result as we record our first ever League win over the Hammers.

Finnegan scored a brace, with a goal in each half enough to secure a surprise three points, over the League leaders.

 

A great win takes us up a place to 8th.

 

Our League Cup defence continues as we head to Rotherham for the 4th Round.

[Punch]

 

OCT 2043 - League Cup 4th Round - At Rotherham United

 

 

A comfortable victory as we run riot over the Millers.

We played well, got the job done, and it was really a rush of late goals that blew the score out.

 

We draw West Ham in the Quarter Final, and after securing our first League win against them, have every reason to be confident of beating them again.

 

We finish the month as Southampton, who have been in decent form this season, so this will be a tough match.

[Punch]

 

OCT 2043 - Match Day 10 - At Southampton

 

 

A really disappointing result as we took an early lead, and then lost our way and had fallen behind by the 20 minute mark.

The hosts had a third by the break, and we had left ourselves too much work to do to chase them down.

The score could have ended up anything as we put two against the bar, but we also wasted plenty of chances.

Conceding too many goals came back to bite us again.

 

To add injury to insult, we lose Cooper for a couple of weeks.

 

With a quarter of the season now done, we find ourselves 10th.

After conceding only 1 goal in our first four matches, we have now conceded 12 in our next six.

 

We return to European action as we host Zilina (Slovakia) in our 3rd Group Match.

[Punch]

 

OCT 2043

 

We put together a pretty decent month, despite dropping points in the League, we had two wins in Europe, and advanced in the League Cup.

 

Stats

 

Goalkeepers

 

 

Defenders

 

 

Midfielders

 

 

Forwards

 

 

 

Internationals

 

Plenty of players on duty to start the month.

 

We now equal lead National team production for England, with three current, and one former player currently representing.

We also have three other players hanging around in contention, while Romario Finnegan's name has been circulated by the press as deserving of a call up.

 

We continue to be profitable.

 

A slightly less hectic schedule, but there will be players on International duty as well.

[Punch]

 

NOV 2043 - Conference League Group Stage Match 3 - Vs MSK Zilina (Slovakia)

 

 

 

A stunning result at Guernsey Stadium as we smash goals, and records, on our way to a massive win.

Kennedy scored a half dozen, but even that wasn't enough to be named Player of the Match, as that went to O'Connor for his brilliant performance up front.

A massive day, as we put in the kind of performance that will make the competition sit up and take notice.

 

The money keeps rolling in.

 

The massive boost to our goal difference sends us top of the table, half way through the Group Stage.

 

Records for days

 

 

Club and League records were smashed on our way to this massive win.

 

A return to League action as we travel to 5th place Leeds for another tough match.

[Maw74]

I can't believe Kennedy didn't get player of the match, that is a shocker lol

[Punch]

1 hour ago, Maw74 said:

I can't believe Kennedy didn't get player of the match, that is a shocker lol

Maybe if he'd scored 7 or 8 instead of hitting the woodwork then he might have got it

[Punch]

 

NOV 2043 - Match Day 11 - At Leeds United

 

 

A tough encounter at Elland Road, and in the end, we nearly stole the win, but were still probably lucky to come away with a draw.

We grabbed the early goal, but it was the hosts who dominated the majority of the match, and it was amazing that we still had the lead at the break.

The Whites finally hit back on the hour, but we managed to keep turning them away.

Just when it looked like a draw was the outcome, we earned a late penalty for a chance at all the points.

Unfortunately, ever reliable Finnegan, seen his spot kick turned against the post.

So while we had chances to win, we definitely had chances to lose, so a draw was probably a fair result.

 

We stay in 10th place.

 

A two week International break, before we face a tough test against 2nd place Spurs.

[Punch]

 

NOV 2043 - Match Day 12 - Vs Tottenham Hotspur

 

 

A massive come from behind effort to steal a point of the massively fancied Spurs.

The 2nd placed visitors were doing it pretty comfortably, being two goals up at the break.

After a half time rocket, the boys came out firing in the second half, and we came all the way back to level the scores, and take a point.

 

We stay in 10th place.

Norwich are finally off the mark, taking their first point of the season.

 

A massive road trip as we are off to Israel for our 4th Group Match.

[Maw74]

A nice draw with Spurs and a nice little trip in Europe lol

Why you driving and not flying? 

Edited June 4 by Maw74

[Punch]

17 hours ago, Maw74 said:

A nice draw with Spurs and a nice little trip in Europe lol

Why you driving and not flying? 

We are only a tiny little island club…can’t afford 1st class seats 

[Punch]

 

NOV 2043 - Conference League Group Stage Match 4 - At Bnei Sakhnin (Israel)

 

 

A rotated squad went to Israel to face Sakhnin due to our busy schedule.

They did not disappoint as we took away a solid win, taking our 4th Group Stage win.

Young striker Sam Marshall ran amok, taking a hat-trick, while the score could have ended up a lot more, as we hit the woodwork an incredible 4 times.

 

That winning feeling keeps the money rolling.

 

Our goal scoring form keeps us top of the tree, although our aim was top 8, we still want to finish as high as we can.

 

A return to League action with a tough road trip as we face 2nd place Everton.

[Punch]

 

NOV 2043 - Match Day 13 - At Everton

 

 

The Toffees were heavy favourites, and we put up a great fight, but ultimately went down.

The hosts took the lead, before we found a way back to level the scores by the break.

They kept the pressure on though, and it eventually proved too much as we conceded a second goal, which we could not come back again.

 

We fall to 11th place.

 

Another tough match up as we host 9th place Newcastle.

[Punch]

 

NOV 2043

 

While we had two good wins in the Conference League, we didn't win any of our three League games, although we only lost one.

 

Stats

 

Goalkeepers

 

 

Defenders

 

 

Midfielders

 

 

Forwards

 

 

 

Internationals

 

We had plenty of players on duty during the International break.

Adam Hamilton joined Zachariou on 64 Caps, as our equal leader.

We also produced another player for England, with Thompson making his debut.

 

We lead the Premier League in players produced.

 

We also produce the most number of players across the top Leagues.

 

 

FA Cup 3rd Round Draw

 

We host Crewe to kick off our FA Cup campaign.

 

We make a small loss this month.

 

Next month is going to be a massive game of fatigue management, as we face a ridiculous 9 matches.

[Stuniverse]

7 minutes ago, Punch said:

Next month is going to be a massive game of fatigue management, as we face a ridiculous 9 matches.

Oh boy, that schedule has fatigue and injuries written all over it.

Will you be resting between matches and rotating @Punch?

[Punch]

14 minutes ago, Stuniverse said:

Oh boy, that schedule has fatigue and injuries written all over it.

Will you be resting between matches and rotating @Punch?

This is the reason I happily carry a large squad.

Resting and rotating will be required.otherwise we are going to have a lot of fatigued and probably injured players come the new year.

[Punch]

 

DEC 2043 - Match Day 14 - Vs Newcastle United

 

 

A cracking day on the island as we upset the Magpies to take all three points late.

We got the early lead, but the hosts hit back to have us all square at the break.

It was a pretty tight second half, with both sides creating few chances, but as the shadows of full time arrived, Jayson Buss had the ball fall to him in a goal mouth scramble, and managed to turn it through traffic into the goal to secure us the three points.

 

We jump two places to 9th, while at the bottom of the table, Norwich got their first win of the season, thumping Leeds.

 

Just a few short days before we host the struggling Leicester.

[Punch]

 

DEC 2043 - Match Day 15 - Vs Leicester City

 

 

The struggling Foxes have been pretty ordinary this season, but we still had to get the job done.

It took us a while to get going, and we were snatching at our chances in the first half, which ended scoreless.

After telling the boys to calm down and keep working hard, the second half opened the flood gates finally opened.

A thumping win as we put together one of our best halves in recent times, to secure another three points.

 

Back to back wins has shot us up to 7th place, among the European places.

 

Match Day 5 of the Conference Group stages sends us to Austria to take on the 19th place Rapid Wien.

A win here will almost certainly seal our place directly to the Quarter Finals.

[Punch]

 

DEC 2043 - Conference League 5th Match - At SK Rapid Wien

 

 

We traveled to Austria to take on Rapid Wien in our 5th Conference League match, looking to secure our Quarter Final qualification.

It was a slow burn again, as it took us a while to finally put the game away, after clinging to just a 1-0 lead at the break.

The hosts never really threatened, but it took a 19 minute burst after the break to secure the three points.

 

We keep the bank balance rolling along.

 

Our 5th win is enough to confirm our spot in the Quarter Final, regardless of what happens in the next match, meaning we can skip the qualifying round.

Given our hectic schedule this month, we might be sending out a very rotated squad in the final game, to help with the fatigue issues.

 

It seems an age since we last played a League Cup match, but it's Quarter Final time, and we face a tough trip to London, taking on West Ham, as we look to continue our title defence.

[Punch]

 

DEC 2043 - League Cup Quarter Final - At West Ham United

 

 

The Hammers have been one of the form teams of the competition for the last few seasons, so we knew we were in for a tough battle.

We put up a brave fight though, giving them a good run for their money, coming back from an early goal down to level by the half hour.

The second half was a battle for the ages as both sides struggled to get out of the midfield.

Neither side could find a winner, so we went to penalties.

We went shot for shot through the first 13 penalties, but we blinked first, as we missed our final shot, sending the hosts through to the Semi Final.

 

Our title defence is over, and while it's disappointing to be out of the competition, it may be a blessing in disguise, as we won't face a two legged Semi Final added to our schedule.

 

Our final Group Stage Conference League match as we host Bulgarian side Levski.

[Punch]

 

DEC 2043 - Match Day 16

 

While we were on League Cup duty, the rest of the League were playing their match day 16 fixtures.

 

The results dropped us down to 8th place.

The referee's were also very trigger happy this week.

[Punch]

 

DEC 2043 - Conference League 6th Match - Vs PFC Levski Sofia (Bulgaria)

 

A smashing result as we rack up our 10th straight win in our debut season in Europe.

The heavily rotated squad had us 2-0 at the break, but we ran riot in the second half, racking up a half dozen.

Another great performance from Marshall who has a brilliant goal scoring record in the games he has gotten a taste in. Seriously knocking on the door for more first team action.

 

More winning, more money.

 

Winning all six with an impressive goal scoring record, and we finish top of the tree, qualifying directly to the Quarter Finals, without having to face the knock out Qualifying Round.

 

A tough return to League action, as we host the blue side of Manchester.

[Stuniverse]

56 minutes ago, Punch said:

Winning all six with an impressive goal scoring record, and we finish top of the tree, qualifying directly to the Quarter Finals, without having to face the knock out Qualifying Round.

Guernsey making Europe look easy