Workin' Hard or Hardly Workin'?

[Rick87]

Hello all, and welcome to my new career as manager of my local side, Workington Reds; and my attempt to bring glory to West Cumbria!

Formed in 1921, the Reds were part of the Football League for 22 years between 1955 and 1977. My eventual aim will be to return them to the EFL and become the third Cumbrian club to occupy a place in the top four leagues, alongside Carlisle United and Barrow.

2022/23 saw the club gain promotion from Northern League Division One via the play-offs, so my short-term aim will be to keep us in the NPL and build upwards from there.

 

Club Info

 

 

 - We will be competing in four competitions this season. I'm not bothered about the Northern League Cup and will use that to give my fringe players a game, but certainly, a run in the FA Cup and/or FA Trophy would be great, the prize money would be useful too.

 

Board Objectives

 - Nothing specific from the board for this season, just to try and keep the team up and do as well as we can in the cups.

 

Initial Squad

 A pretty good basis to work with here, some good players who should be solid at this level, with the number of central midfielders I have, I'm thinking 4-3-3 could be a sensible option, to begin with, possibly a diamond shape when I want to shut things down in the middle. We shall see how the pre-season goes. I will be looking to bring in a few reinforcements to add a bit of depth, probably on loan to save money, but I won't be making wholesale changes right off the bat.

 

Manager Profile

 - Finally, here's me! Sunday league rep and no badges.

 

Borough Park, sitting on the bank of  the River Derwent

Edited July 7 by Rick87

[Rick87]

Tuesday 4th July 2023

Friendly

Whitehaven Amateurs 

There wasn't much preparation time for me to work with my squad ahead of this one, coming just 24 hours after I was appointed Reds manager. Given those circumstances, I don't think things could have gone much better as we made the fifteen-minute drive South, down the Cumbrian coast to Whitehaven. 

Tactically I kept things nice and simple, which is always a good idea at this sort of level, highly technical and complicated instructions don't tend to work very well in non-league football.

I'm pretty pleased with the squad I've inherited, the core of it at least. We are well-stocked in the central positions and the midfielders share good chemistry. I am in the market for a new left-back and cover for the wingers, though I've not had enough time to sort anything out yet.

My team played well and created chances in a manner befitting of a side four tiers above the opposition;

Three of our four goals came from outside the penalty area and were all scored by midfielders. Bobby Carroll, Brad Hubbold, and  Cieran Casson all fired home from a distance. Winger Kitt Nelson also netted, albeit from a closer distance.

Next up, we take on Northern League Division One side Carlisle City at home. I will probably ease one of the attacking players into a support role to maintain balance against the improvement In opposition quality.

[Rick87]

Monday: My first day on the job! I spend most of the day assessing the squad I have available and deciding which areas of the team will be key priorities regarding transfers. I also begin to set things up tactically, as I mentioned in the previous post, the players know what they are doing on the pitch, so I will largely sit back and let them, making minor tweaks here and there if the need arises. I also work on training and set-piece routines, we have some dangerous aerial threats in the team, and it would be foolish not to try and take full advantage of them.

 

Tuesday: I meet my players for the first time during a team meeting, I outline what I expect from them this season, which is to stay clear of a relegation battle. Their response to this target is a positive one.

After meeting with the squad, it's off to speak to the local media for the first time, I say that I'm delighted to have been trusted to lead my local club and I firmly believe that there is potential here to return to the football league after nearly forty years within the next decade if everyone at the club pulls together.

Finally today, it's onto the team coach for the short seven-mile trip down the Cumbrian coast to Whitehaven for my first experience of football management. Considering I had only 24 hours to plan for this game, things went very well, we ran off 4-0 winners. Full details are in the post above.

 

Wednesday: 

Charlie Birch

After identifying the fullback positions as our biggest weaknesses right now, I have invited two local lads to join the team;

Adam Walton - 20-year-old Adam can play either right-back or in midfield, it's always handy to have versatile players. A Cumbrian lad, he came through the academy at Carlisle before being allowed to join Kendal Town.

Charlie Birch - Another local lad, 21-year-old left-back Charlie, is no stranger to Borough Park, having made 22 appearances here last season as the club won promotion to the Northern Premier League. He also has experience playing North of the border with Annan in League Two. He left Workington to pursue a football scholarship In South Carolina. Now that he's back in the fold, I believe he will become a key part of the team.

Thursday: I have made a loan offer for Queen of the South winger Harvey Walker,  the Doonhamers aren't asking for any wage contribution and just want him to gain experience, so this could be a real win-win for both clubs. 

I've also submitted a loan approach for another player who is plying his trade in Dumfries & Galloway; Liam Short is a right winger for Gretna 2008. He also is available on loan for nothing and would provide a useful backup for Dav Symington on the flank.

 

Friday: Disappointingly, Harvey Walker has rejected our loan offer, it's back to the drawing board for me in the search for a left winger.

I begin tactical preparations for Sunday's trip to Carlisle City.

 

Saturday: Just one change to my starting XI from Tuesday's game at Whitehaven, Charlie Birch goes straight into the line-up for the Carlisle City game.

 

Sunday:

 We have a pretty straightforward time of it against Northern League Division One side Carlisle City (Tier 9) 

Bobby Carroll opened the scoring for the second game running from just outside the box. Versatile target man Steven Rigg netted a brace. He will be an important player for me as he can play up front, central midfield, or even as a central defender if needed!

Despite having less of the ball, we had plenty of shots on goal. We were playing quite direct which ceded possession on occasion, so perhaps I will work on my game management and telling my team to bring it down to ground level when we have a comfortable lead to try and avoid inviting unnecessary opposition pressure.

Charlie Birch made a solid start on his return to the club, getting a 7.5 rating as a supporting wingback. Adam Walton also pulled on the red shirt for the first time as he came on as one of my slew of half-time substitutions, he achieved a solid 6.9. 

 

Next Week:

 

Following the game, I began preparing for the next fixture against the other side in Carlisle.

Alongside Barrow, Carlisle United is one of the two professional clubs in Cumbria. United is our affiliate club and plays us in an annual friendly at Borough Park, a nice money spinner for us. It will be good to see how my players cope facing a League One side. To prepare I have set up my training schedule to focus on defense.

Edited July 7 by Rick87

[Rick87]

10th - 16th July 2023

 

Monday: Mostly spent setting up mentoring groups to aid the development of the youngsters I signed last week.

 

Tuesday: I make an offer to James Ford to come in, in a dual role as our head of youth development and first-team coach. Unfortunately, he wanted a lot more than I was prepared to offer in terms of wages and he winds up signing with Halesowen Town instead.

 

Wednesday: Getting ready for tomorrow's visit of Carlisle United, we are expected to lose, so I've changed Connor Tinnion to a support role in central midfield rather than his usual attacking one, I've also changed Dav Symington to a more conventional winger role instead of cutting inside, to keep some width on the left and aid with getting balls into big Steven Rigg up front.

 

Thursday: 

 

A fair showing against a League One Carlisle, we did lose but we certainly weren't embarrassed by the blues, the narrow 1-0 defeat was probably a fair result to the visitors, though we did have some good chances despite only having a third of the possession. 

 

Friday: I praise Finn Wallbank for his performance in training this week, he achieved an 8.1 rating. Finn will be a big player for me in central defense this season.

Saturday: We complete the loan signing of 19-year-old winger Liam Short from Gretna 2008. He will start as a rotation option for Dav Symington and Kitt Nelson, but the opportunity is there for him to establish himself for a starting role if he plays well.

Sunday: We weren't scheduled to play again until next Sunday when we host Bolton Wanderers at Borough Park, I arranged an extra friendly against Isle of Man FC, to take place on Wednesday to help build match fitness before that game. Here are our remaining pre-season fixtures;

Next Week: Pre-season ramps up with us going to a two-game per week schedule as we play host NW Counties League side FC Isle of Man and League One Bolton. I will also be scouting for another winger and perhaps a backup left back to flesh out the squad. That would give me two players for every position.

[Rick87]

17th - 23rd July 2023
 

Monday: I've invited two local youngsters on board, 20-year-old Lewis Rooks is a dynamic attacking midfielder who came through Carlisle's academy before joining Crook Town in County Durham. James Best is a left-back who plays for our Cumbrian neighbors Penrith on a non-contract basis, so I can lure him away for free.

Tuesday: Getting ready for tomorrow's visit of FC Isle of Man. I intend to be more expansive than we were against Carlisle as we are favourites. I will be telling Dav Symington to cut in and run at the defenders from his left-wing position, hopefully creating space for Steven Rigg up front.
 

Wednesday: Another morale-boosting victory, 2-0 against our island-dwelling opposition who make the 36-mile journey across the Irish Sea to visit us.

The first goal was route one at its finest, goalkeeper Danny Eccles taking a long goal-kick that was perfectly onto the head of target man Steven Rigg who nodded it into the path of the overlapping Connor Tinnion who burst through the middle to score one-on-one. The second was an absolute stunner from thirty yards or more by Lewis Reilly, who naturally is a forward, however I've been utilizing him as an inside forward out wide so far.
 

Thursday: We complete the free signings of James Best and Lewis Rooks, adding some depth to my squad. Both are on a non-contract basis

There is a minor injury to midfielder Greg McCaragher, he hurt himself sprinting during training. Thankfully he should only be out for a day or two and should be available for the game against Bolton on Sunday.
 

Friday: Training is focused on defending as we gear up for the visit of Bolton on Sunday. The League One side are heavy favorites, but I intend to give them a challenge.
 

Sunday: The wobbly Workington headline seems very harsh, we gave the Trotters a fight, naturally they had most of the ball, but we still had a few good chances and scored what I fought was a perfectly good second goal when Camron Gbadebo headed in from a corner with ten minutes to go, it was however ruled out. Goalie Jim Atkinson was in fine form between the posts, pulling off a string of top-class saves.

 

Next Week: We welcome our Cumbrian neighbors to the South, Kendal Town to Borough Park for our penultimate pre-season game. The last time our clubs met it was a 5-0 rout to Workington in the Northern League Division One back in 2019. I would love to repeat that feat against the Mintcakes this week!

Edited July 7 by Rick87

[Rick87]

24th - 30th July 2023

Wednesday: I complete the signing of 19-year-old former Preston keeper, Declyn Duggan. Duggie didn't make the grade at Deepdale and spent last season with our fellow Cumbrians, Penrith. He will play in the reserves initially and provide cover for Jim Atkinson and Danny Eccles. I like having the three keepers in the squad just in case of injury. I think that will be my final piece of transfer business before the season starts.

Thursday: It hasn't been an impressive week on the training pitch, the highest rating anyone achieved was 6.8, I had to have a word with Brad Hubbold about his performance, getting a meager 5.4. 

Friday: No concerns ahead of tomorrow's game against Kendal, I toy with the idea of testing out Duggan in goal but in the end decide to keep Jim and Danny as I want them as match-sharp as possible before we start the campaign in earnest.

With no assistant manager or scouts to keep our financial outgoings to an absolute minimum, the monthly recruitment meeting, is just me talking to myself in my office.

Saturday: An easy victory over Kendal, It took just 40 seconds to get on the scoreboard, Dav Symington scoring his first goal of the pre-season campaign. Big Steven Rigg headed in a second not long after. Brad Hubbold must have taken on board my criticism of his training performance as he smashed in his second friendly goal. Kendal did have a brief spell of looking threatening early in the second half, pulling a goal back, however, loanee winger Liam Short restored our three-goal cushion on the hour, after that, there was never any doubt as to the result.

Sunday: Four of the six favorites to win the Northern Premier League Player of the Season award are loanees! Including our own Kitt Nelson who is on loan to us from Preston. The winger got two assists in the Kendal game yesterday.

Next Week: Pre-season wraps up with a hop across the Solway Firth into Dumfries & Galloway to take on Dalbeattie Star. This is the player's last chance to impress me before we begin the league season away at Marske United a week on Saturday. 

[Rick87]

31st July - 6th August 2023

 

Monday: I confirm Connor Tinnion will remain club captain. Tinners has made over 330 appearances for the Reds, having joined in 2010 from Carlisle. Brad Hubbold is his vice-captain.

Tuesday: My coach Jamie Devitt, reports that our mentoring program has positively affected Camron Gbadebo, Ceiran Casson, and Lewis Moore. Good to hear as we look to build for the future.

 

Wednesday: Not Workington related, but our divisional rivals Bamber Bridge and Hyde have both appointed new managers. Bamber Bridge has made former Newcastle and Norwich South African international Matty Pattison their new head coach. Hyde has swooped to appoint Dave Currie, who was head of youth development at Guiseley previously.

 

Friday: Pre-season concludes tomorrow as we head up to Dumfries and Galloway to take on Dalbeattie Star who are in the South of Scotland League. We're expected to win, so I've increased attacking duties in my usual 4-3-3, Charlie Birch will push forward more from left back and Tinners will be asked to drive through the middle when space allows.

 

Friday: We ended pre-season with a win, though I have to say this was the least convincing of all our friendly performances. the Scots gave us a tough game. It looked as if the game was won when Liam Short fired in for the second game running. However, Star refused to go down without a fight and if not for several good saves by rookie goalkeeper Declyn Duggan, who was making his debut after coming on at halftime, would have salvaged a draw.

Here is a quick recap of how we have done in pre-season;

I'm very happy, we only lost to superior opposition, both Bolton and Carlisle are in League One, and we gave them both a run for their money.

Here is a look at how my squad performed during the warm-up, I have tried to give everyone 45 minutes in each game to build match sharpness.

 

 

Name	Position	Games Played	Goals	Assists	Average Rating
Danny Eccles	GK	7	0	0	6.84
Jim Atkinson	GK	6	0	0	7.08
Declyn Duggan	GK	1	0	0	7.00
Aiden Roxburgh	RB	7	0	0	6.71
Adam Walton	RB	6	0	0	6.82
James Best	LB	3	0	0	6.73
Charlie Birch	LB	6	0	1	7.00
Camron Gbadebo	CB	7	0	0	6.74
Sam Smith	CB	7	0	0	6.81
Finlay Wallbank	CB	7	0	0	6.87
Jordan Little	CB	7	1	0	6.89
Bobby Carroll	DM	7	2	0	6.89
Lewis Moore	DM	5	0	0	6.70
Ceiran Casson	CM	6	1	1	6.98
Brad Hubbold	CM	7	2	1	7.03
Connor Tinnion	CM	7	1	2	7.24
Greg McCarragher	RB / CM	7	0	1	6.87
Kitt Nelson	RW	7	2	2	7.04
Liam Short	RW	4	2	0	6.97
Lewis Reilly	IF / LW	7	1	1	7.00
David Symington	IW / LW	7	1	3	7.07
Steven Rigg	ST	7	3	2	7.11
Scott Allison	ST	7	1	1	6.70

 

Sunday: The club announced it has sold 220 season tickets for the new campaign.

 

Next Week: 2023/24 finally gets underway as we travel to the Yorkshire coast to face Marske United on Saturday. After an impressive pre-season, I'm excited to get started in earnest, I think we have a good chance of leaving Marske-by-the-Sea with all three points and beginning my reign at Borough Park with a win.

So, on the eve of the new season, here is a quick reminder of what is expected of us;

[Rick87]

7th - 13th August 2023

 

Thursday: Approaching the game against Marske on Saturday I have been considering my first competitive team selection. Bearing in mind the player's performances in pre-season, I have opted for this line-up.

I think we have a good chance of winning, so I have four players on attack duty, I want Steven Rigg to hold up the ball and underlap with Dav Symington who will be cutting in from the left. Kitt Nelson will act more like a traditional winger and provide width. Connor Tinnion will make runs from deep to support the attack and perhaps overlap with Rigg, whilst Brad Hubbold and Bobby Carroll stay deeper and hold. 

Friday: In my pre-match press conference I'm drawn into tipping tomorrow's opponents as my favorite for relegation. Hopefully, that won't come back to haunt me.

Brad Hubbold again comes under scrutiny for his weak training performance this week. I'm a little disappointed he hasn't upped his game.

 

Saturday: 

We got off to a great start in the NPL, going ahead after just two minutes, Steven Rigg latching onto Kitt Nelson's low cross to score. We continued to threaten and created some good chances, but a serious injury to captain Connor Tinnion affected our flow. Tinners was carried off with damaged knee cartilage shortly before the halftime break, which will rule him out for 6-7 weeks. Certainly not the start to the season he would have hoped for.

The home side did improve in the second half and got their reward in the 51st minute when Jordan Little was adjudged to have pushed Francisco Javier Cabello in the penalty area. Cabello got straight up to convert the resultant penalty. The game fizzled out somewhat after that with limited chances.

Marske manager Didier Agathe wasn't impressed by me picking them for relegation in my presser yesterday, the former Celtic player thinks that we in fact will be going down. 

 

Next Week: I manage at Borough Park for the first time as we welcome Bradford Park Avenue to West Cumbria. 

Edited July 12 by Rick87

[danyates8]

Fantastic detail mate, good luck for the coming season. 

[Rick87]

On 08/07/2024 at 15:53, danyates8 said:

Fantastic detail mate, good luck for the coming season. 

Thanks mate, keep reading!

[Rick87]

14th - 20th August 2023

 

Tuesday: Physio Caitlin Gribbon updates me that Conor Tinnion is out for 4-7 weeks following his knee injury against Marske.

Greg McCarragher and Danny Eccles with the Cumberland County cup the club won last season

Thursday: I decided early that Greg McCarragher will be the man to step in for Tinners this weekend against Bradford Park Avenue, Carra is slightly more creative than the other options I possess in Brad Hubbold or Bobby Carroll, and thus is more of a like-for-like replacement for the captain.

Friday: Liam Short has done well in training this week, the winger who signed for us from Gretna in pre-season, achieved a 7.75 rating. I am sticking with Kit Nelson in my first XI tomorrow after his good performance against Marske last weekend, though I will try to give him an opportunity from the bench.

Saturday: A disappointing showing at home to Bradford PA. After a decent performance last week, I was hoping we could follow up with another strong showing, not to be however as the visitors completely dominated us throughout. They scored by some very slack defending at a corner, Charlie Birch only half cleared the cross, returning the ball to the taker, Will Longbottom who cut inside, bearing down on goal. Keeper Danny Eccles should have done far better as Longbottom's tame-looking shot squirmed past him at his near post. 

I gave the team a talking-to at half-time, we were creating nothing and hardly got out of our half of the field. Unfortunately, things worsened almost immediately after the restart as full-back Aidy Roxburgh was sent off for a dangerous tackle. Forced into a tactical shift by the dismissal, I brought on Finn Wallbank and switched to 5-3-1. Target man Steven Rigg tried his best, but he was just too isolated up top to stand a chance of turning the game around. Eccles did well to keep the score down with some good saves to make up for his mistake earlier. But it was a weak performance all around.

Sunday: The league table doesn't mean an awful lot a this point, but here it is anyway. The point we picked up in the draw with Marske prevents a slip into the relegation zone. Just to remind you, dear reader, our expectations are to avoid relegation this season.

Speaking of Marske, we have been drawn to face them in the FA Cup first qualifying round next month.

Next Week: A tough one next Saturday as we travel to Macclesfield, who are amongst the favorites for promotion. 

[Rick87]

21st - 27th August 2023

 

Tuesday: 

*NPL Division One West team Avro makes a loan offer for midfielder Ciaran Casson. I consider myself to have good football knowledge and it isn't often I haven't heard of a club in England before, but this is one of those occasions. After a quick Google, I discovered they hail from the Oldham area. Every day is a school day! Anyway, I reject the offer as Ciaran is part of my first team and I don't feel he will gain anything by dropping down a division.

* Aidy Roxburgh accepts his fine following his sending-off against Bradford PA last Saturday. There was no point appealing as it was a justified dismissal for an awful challenge.

Thursday: 

* I've had the team working on transitions and chance creation following our limp display last weekend where we managed just a single shot on target.

Friday: 

* Setting things up for the visit to Macclesfield tomorrow; I have one compulsory change as my summer signing Adam Walton comes in to make his Reds debut at right-back, in place of the suspended Roxburgh who's ban has been extended to three games today.

Macc play in a possession-controlling manner and like to try and play out from the back, which in my opinion is always a risk at this level, so I have instructed the players to close down more and changed Steven Rigg to a pressing forward role for this game in the hope of forcing some mistakes in their defence. I'm also instructing left-back Charlie Birch to be more attacking to hopefully add some firepower in the attacking third which was missing against Bradford PA with Connor Tinnion out injured.

*A feeble training performance by keeper Jim Atkinson, a 4.6 rating for the veteran. He hasn't featured in either game yet, I plan on putting him in for the cup game against Marske next week, but he will have to up his game on the training pitch over the next seven days or I'll stick with Danny Eccles.

Jim Atkinson

Saturday: 

* We were expected to lose, however, this was embarrassing; 

Dreadful, from the first minute to the last. We were behind after just 30 seconds, which set the tone for the rest of the game, Macc could have won by even more, being denied by the woodwork several times. John Rooney (Wayne's younger brother) ran the show, scoring once and assisting his teammates twice. I tried several times to stem the tide by making substitutions and changing formations and instructions, but nothing seemed to work as Macclesfield breached our defenses time and again. I can handle losing when we at least have a go, however, this was just lying back and letting them walk the ball around us with minimal effort. I let my displeasure be known in no uncertain terms at full time, not holding back with my criticism. There will be changes as a result of this performance.

We drop to the foot of the NPL with that result. While I don't want to overreact after just three games, I am worried I misjudged the squad that I assessed before the season started to be good enough to avoid a relegation battle based on their performances in the friendlies. I may have a look around for defensive reinforcements as we look very weak.

Sunday: 

* The players, quite rightly agree to refund the 69 supporters who made the 360-mile round trip to Macclesfield. I don't remember ever seeing this on FM before.

*I talked to Adam Walton personally after he rated 5.9 on his debut yesterday. I need him to up his game as Aidy Roxburgh is still suspended for another two matches. He disagrees that he played badly despite being the lowest-rated player. Not a good sign.

 

Next Week: 

* Much improvement is needed as we take a break from league action and embark on what will hopefully be a decent FA Cup run. We take on Marske United for the second time this season when we meet in the first qualifying round. We drew 1-1 last time.

[_Ben_]

This is wonderful! Greatly detailed write ups each week. Enjoying.

[Rick87]

3 hours ago, _Ben_ said:

This is wonderful! Greatly detailed write ups each week. Enjoying.

Thank you mate, Hope you like the skin also! 

[Rick87]

28th August - 3rd September 2023

 

Monday: 

*Our monthly staff meeting yields little in the way of workable advice, in terms of backroom staff, there is just myself, coach Jamie Devitt and physio Catilin Gribbon. I would like to hire another coach/assistant manager but everyone I've contacted wants a higher wage than I'm prepared to give.

Tuesday: 

*Weekly injury update from Caitlin; only the one lad on the treatment table currently. Conor Tinnion is between 2 and 4 weeks away from returning from his knee injury.

 

Friday: 

*First of the month, the chairman sends through our financial update;

It's a concern to see us lose nearly £18k in a month, especially as I am operating with skeletal backroom staff, non-contract players, and no scouting.

* I've made a host of changes for tomorrow's game, including a formation switch from 4-3-3 to 4-4-2. Only four players (Steven Rigg, Brad Hubbold, Dav Symington, and Sam Smith) keep their places from the drubbing at Macclesfield. I feel we need to freshen things up as we have simply not created anything going forward which has left the fragile defence badly exposed.

 

Saturday: 

*Much, much better! not just the result, but the overall performance, and creativity were greatly improved. having a second forward helped us in transition, with just Steven Rigg to aim for up front we were constantly losing possession and inviting pressure, however with Scott Allison playing off of him in a poacher role, and Dav Symington overlapping from the left flank we countered much more fluidly. 

*21-year-old James Best made his debut at left-back, the former Penrith man got a solid 6.9 rating on his Reds bow.

*We receive £2.25k for winning in the first qualifying round, which goes some way to negate the loss the club made last month.

Sunday: 

*The draw for the next round of the FA Cup is made, we will travel to either North Yorkshire to face Northern League Division One side Guisborough Town, or Derbyshire to take on Ilkeston Town, who are currently third in the same division as us. Our trip to Whitby town has been moved to accommodate the cup fixture.

 

 

Next Week: 

*We have the visit of FC United of Manchester to Borough Park next Saturday with the two sides bookending the Northern Premier League Table, FCM are top, having beaten Bradford PA, Ashton United, and Matlock, whereas we are bottom of the pile with just the one point so far.

[Rick87]

4th - 10th September 2023

 

Wednesday: 

*Ilkeston Town defeated Guisborough 2-0 in the FA Cup, meaning we will travel to Derbyshire in the second qualifying round. 37-year-old James Perch, a familiar name to Newcastle, Notts Forest, and QPR fans was on the scoresheet for Ilkeston.

*I've been tinkering with my training routines, the club atmosphere is low at the moment, so I've penciled in some team bonding every week for the next month to hopefully brighten everyone's mood a little.

Friday: 

*Two changes for the FC United game tomorrow. Greg McCarragher comes in at right-back as Aidy Roxburgh still has one game left of his three-game ban and I'm not convinced by Adam Walton yet. Preston loanee Kitt Nelson returns to the line-up having been dropped for Liam Short in the previous game. Goalkeeper Jim Atkinson keeps his place between the posts after his good showing at Marske in the cup and the players remain in a 4-4-2 formation.

Saturday: 

A cracker of a game, it's just a shame about the result! 

To be fair, my lads responded well after conceding two goals early on, not letting FCU out of reach, Steven Rigg was on form with a brace, and Scott Allison really should have had two as well, he had a golden opportunity to make it 4-4 late on but fired wide whilst clean through on goal. The late penalty put to bed what had been a spirited effort in the second half. We were never likely to beat the league leaders, but we did put up a good fight so I'm happy. Unfortunately, it doesn't help our league position, still propping up the table.

It also can't be ignored that we have conceded five goals for the second consecutive league match. Whilst changing to 4-4-2 has improved things at the top end of the field, we look just as shaky at the back, something that badly needs remedying before we find ourselves cut adrift in the relegation zone.

Next Week:

*We are back on the FA Cup trail next weekend as we go to Ilkeston's New Manor Ground. The Robins are currently third in the Northern Premier League, whereas we are dead last currently. Can we upset the form book and continue on our cup adventure?

[Rick87]

11th - 17th September 2023

 

Monday: 

*Kitt Nelson is named in the Divisional team of the week.

*Connor Tinnion is back on the training pitch, albeit with a lightened workload as he recovers from a knee ligament injury.

 

Friday: 

*Three changes to the team for tomorrow's trip to Ilkeston; Bobby Carroll starts in central midfield in place of Brad Hubbold who struggled against FC United, Charlie Birch returns at left back at James Best's expense and Aidy Roxburgh is back from suspension at right-back, Greg McCarragher gives way for him.

Bobby Carroll

Saturday: 

*I made the late decision to drop Jim Atkinson in goal in favor of Danny Eccles, Jim got a dreadful 4.6 rating in training this week, I have warned him before about lack of effort in training, so he only has himself to blame.

*Caitlin passes Tinners as capable of playing 45 minutes, I decide against selecting him for today's game as I'd prefer he got some action with the reserves first, he might feature against Whitby next week though.

*Our FA Cup journey is over for another year, again we found ourselves going behind early and having to rally. In fairness my players gave it a good go and would have forced a replay had Steven Rigg's 90th minute effort not come back off the post. Liam Short came off the bench to score his first Reds goal late on. 

*Former Stoke and Birmingham defender turned Hanley Town manager Ryan Shotton was in the crowd, apparently watching Ciran Casson who he's interested in signing. He can do one, my policy is never to do business with anyone associated with Birmingham City. 

Next Week: 

It's a double header this week, first, on Tuesday we travel to the Yorkshire coast to take on Whitby Town who are currently 7th in the NPL, and also go into the game on the back of elimination from the FA Cup, in their case by Radcliffe Boro. Then, on Saturday we welcome 11th place Marine to Cumberland, they defeated Bradford PA 2-1 in their last game.

[Rick87]

18th - 24th September 2023

 

Monday: 

*I have been down the Job Centre, no, not to sign on! at least not yet, though if results don't improve, that may not be too long in coming. I have placed an advert for an assistant manager who I hope can double up as a scout to go and watch oppositions and give me more detailed dossiers for fixtures. Better preparations will inevitably help us.

*The Under-18's are out of the FA Youth Cup following a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Coalville Town.

*Jim Atkinson is back between the posts for the Whitby game tomorrow, my only change from the loss to Ilkeston on Saturday.

 

 

Tuesday: 

It was a frustrating evening, we played well early on, taking the lead through a wonder strike from Ceiran Casson, who struck first time from 30 yards or more. Sadly we allowed the hosts to take charge of the ball after that and in the second half they broke down our fragile defense, a simple through ball unlocking the central pairing with consummate ease, exposing their lack of pace as Stephen Walker raced through the middle to score past Atkinson. I would have been happy to take a draw and get a point on the board, not to be however as Junior Mondal headed in from a corner with 15 minutes to go. We almost equalized late on when Steven Rigg hit the post, but unfortunately, our winless run went on. Strangely despite the loss, we moved up a place to 21st as Marske lost also and they have a worse goal difference than us.

* In desperate need of some defensive stability, I have turned to Reds legend Dan Wordsworth, who left the club last season after making 207 appearances for Worky. He will stretch my wage budget to its top end, however, it will be worth it if we can stop concerning so many goals.

 

Dan Wordsworth (or Goose, as he is affectionately known) receives a guard of honor in his last game for Workington. the former captain could be on his way back to the Borough Park setup.

Friday: 

We complete the (re)signing of Dan Wordsworth, he's a no-nonsense, tough tackling centreback who I really hope will plug the leaks at the back. I've put him straight into the team to face Marine tomorrow which is a risk considering he hasn't played a game since leaving us at the end of last season. In more returning hero news, Connor Tinnion is now back to fitness and returns to the lineup in the heart of midfield. Tinners is the beating heart of the midfield so it will be great to have him back, even if he will probably need to regain some sharpness before getting back to his best.

 

Saturday: 

Marine were heavily favored before kickoff, even so, this was pretty abysmal. I have to take responsibility, it was a mistake and perhaps unfair on the players to start Dan Wordsworth and Connor Tinnion, neither of who were match sharp. We just couldn't get to grips with the pace of Sol Solomon who ran the back four ragged, scoring four times. Despite the scoreline, we didn't even play that badly, we had the lion's share of possession and lots of chances, we were just opened up by the counter over and over.

I have to be honest, the thought of packing it in crossed my mind at full time. I will stick it out however in the hope of turning things around. I do think I need to change things up tactically though. I'm considering a switch to 5-3-2 as I have five centrebacks in the squad, some extra cover at the back could be what we need to stop this rot.

Even at this early stage, things don't look great in the league table, we drop back down to the bottom following this rout.

Sunday: 

* The gods of the draw have a cruel sense of humor as the 3rd Qualifying round for the FA Trophy pits us against Marine, who smashed us 6-2 just yesterday. 

*I hold a team meeting to try and lift morale, my pep talk gets a good reaction with the players appearing inspired. Hopefully, that carries over onto the pitch next week.

*I've also been re-working my training plan, putting in extra work on our defense and tactics as I look to introduce a 5-3-2 system, this will require our star player Dav Symington to adapt to playing wing-back however, or I could perhaps utilize him as a deep-lying forward, but I'm not sure how well that will work alongside target man Steven Rigg.

 

Next Week: 

* Another two-game week, on Wednesday we travel down to Manchester to take on Atherton Collieries who are 13th in the NPL, obviously I expect a far better performance from my team than I got against Marine. We then welcome Stafford Rangers to Workington on Saturday, defeat is likely to 4th place Rangers, but I want to give them a fight at least.

[Rick87]

25th September - 1st October 2023

 

Monday: 

*We hold the monthly staff meeting this morning, upon the advice of my coach Jamie Devitt, I have approached 44-year-old former Hartlepool player Stuart Brightwell to be our assistant manager and chief scout. Stuart was an assistant at Whitley Bay most recently. The quality of our training is poor due to there just being me and Devitt on the coaching staff, and we have no scouting at all and thus no opposition reports. So needless to say this is a much-needed appointment should Stuart join.

Stuart Brightwell

Tuesday: 

*I have shifted tactically from 4-4-2 to 5-3-2 for tomorrow's trip to Atherton Collieries. We badly need to sort out our porous defense and adding an extra man in there should help.

Dav Symington being more central instead of in his natural wide position may take some getting used to. Dan Wordsworth will be the lynchpin at the back, whereas I'll be asking Charlie Birch to get forward and cause problems for the opposition fullbacks. Greg McCarragher is preferred on the right side to Aidy Roxburgh who drops to the bench. Scott Allison suffered a twisted knee in the mauling by Marine, so Lewis Reilly comes in for his first start of the season.

Wednesday: 

*Good news to wake up to as Stuart Brightwell has accepted our offer to take up the dual role of assistant manager and chief scout. Having an extra body on the staff could make a big difference.

f

* Onto the game;

Yes!!!! A precious three points and a clean sheet to boot, as the tactical shake-up pays dividends. Birch made a constant menace of himself down the left flank and teed up Dav beautifully to head in the only goal of the game just before halftime. I was pleased by our robust defense even when Colls came at us with the kitchen sink late on. That is the first time I have been able to say that as Reds boss so far.

The win isn't enough to lift us out of the relegation zone, however, it is a huge boost as we prepare for Stafford at the weekend.

 

Thursday: 

*New assistant manager Stuart Brightwell has provided his first analysis of our recent games;

 

Friday: 

*I've opted against making any changes to the team for the visit of Stafford Rangers tomorrow. After winning for the first time this season I don't want to upset the applecart. I will need to manage substitutions carefully though as some of the lads are looking a bit tired.

Saturday:

A horrible ten-minute spell cost us the game in what was otherwise a good performance, we had more of the ball and had plenty of chances, Dav Symington alone had enough clear-cut chances to have at least saved a point on another day. Tiredness was also a factor with several players struggling a bit after successive weeks of back-to-back games. A win was always going to be a tough ask against promotion-chasing Stafford so I'm not too disappointed with losing, but I felt our overall performance merited more than this.

*Kitt Nelson picked up his fifth yellow of the season, meaning he is banned for one match. I attempted to use him as a complete wingback, but this didn't work as I had Charlie Birch also doing this on the left, this left the back three exposed as both wingbacks bombed forward. I was forced to change this during the first half.

It's as you were as far as the table is concerned, albeit we now have the worst goal difference in the division.

 

Sunday:

*First of the month; here is our financial statement for September. A tidy £40k profit, mainly due to the gate receipts from the extra fixtures we've played this month.

 

Next Week:

*With the memory of our 6-2 pounding last week fresh in our mind, we once again face Marine, this time in the FA Trophy 3rd Qualifying round. Can we avoid another drubbing by the Merseysiders?

Edited July 15 by Rick87

[_Ben_]

I can certainly feel the ups and downs of this way more with the weekly updates. I’m invested - always looking at whether you’ve moved up the table! Quite odd since I don’t tend to find much love with lower league English stuff!

[Rick87]

17 hours ago, _Ben_ said:

I can certainly feel the ups and downs of this way more with the weekly updates. I’m invested - always looking at whether you’ve moved up the table! Quite odd since I don’t tend to find much love with lower league English stuff!

Thanks mate, yeah the weekly updates slow progress but I do find them more immersive. Glad you're enjoying it, keep reading. 

 

2nd - 8th October 2023

 

Monday: 

Concerningly, the supporters are disappointed with my start at Worky;

In my defense, except for the narrow defeat by Bradford PA in August, every game we have lost has been against clubs who are in the top half of the table and would expect to be competing for promotion. In the matches against the teams who are expected to be our fellow relegation battlers, we have picked up four points from a possible nine. If we can keep picking up points against the other teams in the bottom half we should be ok.

 

Thursday: 

Acting upon Stu Brightwell's first player recommendations in his new role as Assistant Manager/Scout, I have made a loan offer for Scarborough's goalkeeper Matt Bancroft. Both Jim Atkinson and Danny Eccles have been poor between the posts so far, to be fair they haven't been helped by the weak defense in front of them, but I  think a more reliable keeper will help further tighten things up at the back.

Matt Bancroft

 

Friday: 

* Scott Allison is back in training after being forced off at halftime with a twisted knee in the 6-2 defeat against Marine.

*I'm handing center-back Camron Gbadebo his first start of the season tomorrow, Finn Wallbank drops to the bench. Kitt Nelson is also dropped with Adam Walton coming in in the right wingback position.

 

Saturday: 

Well, it wasn't another 6-2 humbling, but we still struggled to contain Marine who were pretty firmly in control for most of the game, we did have a few bright spells but none of our efforts went in until Brad Hubbold's long-range strike squirmed under Marine keeper Luke Hutchinson with two minutes to go. By then it was a case of too little too late, as we fell at the first hurdle in the FA Trophy. 

Adam Walton's injury will keep him sidelined for around six weeks, he suffered a twisted ankle whilst going in for a tackle. Ciaran Casson also had to come off, albeit with a less serious condition, he has a calf problem but should be back in time for next week's game against Radcliffe.

Next Week: Another tough fixture, we are away to 3rd place Radcliffe Boro in the league. 

 

[Rick87]

9th - 15th October 2023

 

Monday: 

*Lewis Moore has just turned seventeen, and thus, is now eligible for a senior contract, which I have duly offered the promising midfielder. While he hasn't played in a competitive game yet, he did feature several times in pre-season, doing well, he is certainly in my plans for the future.

*Scarborough have accepted my loan offer for goalkeeper Matt Bancroft. The 25-year-old has yet to feature for the National League North side this season.

 

Thursday: 

*We complete the Bancroft loan signing until the end of the season, best of all we won't be paying a penny in fees or wages! I've added him to the starting lineup for Saturday, hopefully, that isn't a mistake as he isn't yet match-sharp.

 

Friday: 

*Lewis Moore has accepted our offer and is now on a non-contract deal.

*I've had to speak to Lewis Reilly who only reached a 4.6 rating in training. With Scott Allison back in training, I have dropped Reilly until he improves his efforts.

*Club legend David Hewson, who is now a coach at Ashington publicly criticises Jim Atkinson for his performances in goal this season. Jim has conceded a fair few goals, he hasn't been helped by the players in front of him at all;

 

Saturday: 

Another thumping, another game where we didn't play all that badly but were let down by sloppy defensive mistakes. All of Boro's goals were preventable. Debutant Matt Bancroft isn't match sharp yet and it showed, I am hopeful that he will improve with another game or two under his belt. I switched to 4-4-2 in the second half with Sam Smith coming off for Lewis Reilley which almost instantly improved things as we started creating chances, with better finishing, we might have managed to get back in the game. Unfortunately, we only managed to convert one of those chances in stoppage time, when it was already too late.

Four points adrift in the relegation zone, is certainly not ideal, but our next two fixtures are both against sides in the bottom half of the table, so I'm hoping we can pick up some points.

 

Next Week:  I'm treating the visit of 11th place Ilkeston Town as a good chance to pick up some vital points and avenge our defeat by them in the FA Cup. 

 

 

 

Edited July 16 by Rick87

[Rick87]

16th - 22nd October 2023

 

Wednesday:

*The NPL Challenge Cup pits us against NPL Division One East team Grantham Town at home next month. This is the last of the three cups available to us, and the only one we are still active in. Frankly, it isn't important enough to risk injuries to key players as we battle relegation, so I will use this competition to give my fringe players some game time.

Friday:

*We host Ilkeston Town tomorrow, the Robins are seventh after a mid-week win over Stafford Rangers. You may remember we have already tangled with Ian Deakin's men this season, they beat us 2-1 at the Manor Ground in September to end our involvement in the FA Cup. I have made a tactical switch for this one, changing from 5-3-2, to 4-4-2, or 4-2-4 depending on how you look at it.

 

I've told Greg McCarragher to sit narrower to make life harder for forwards and wingers who like to cut in from wide positions, I've also instructed him to stop dribbling as he has conceded possession all too often. Carra being deeper will allow Charlie Birch more license on the other flank to use his attacking skills to get up and support Dav Symington. If anyone has any feedback on my tactics I'm always keen to get advice.

 

Saturday:

A massive three points! Fortunate or not, I'll take it. 

My team, particularly the defense was massively improved, and the back four looked solid throughout, with Goose and Finn Wallbank making a robust partnership. Carra was also far more effective with the stripped-back player instructions I mentioned yesterday. I admit I feared the worst when Connor Dixon canceled out Scotty Allison's opener midway through the second half, those feelings of doubt were amplified when the Robins were awarded, in my opinion, a soft penalty. Thankfully former Newcastle man James Perch's spot kick smashed against the post. That bit of luck was most welcome, and indeed we took full advantage of this upturn in fortune, Allison was on hand to tap in an inch-perfect Dav Symington cross just eight minutes later for his brace and what proved to be the winner.

Even with the win, we are still firmly in the red zone, but make no mistake this was an important result that prevented us from being cut adrift any further.

 

Next Week: We venture down to Nottingham to face 12th-place Basford United, with hopes of following up on the win over Ilkeston with another three points. The Lions are managed by James Jepson, who I'm familiar with from watching him in his playing days at Gresley Rovers when I lived in that part of Derbyshire.

[Rick87]

23rd - 29th October 2023

 

Monday:

*During our monthly staff meeting, coach Jamie Devitt suggests that we should transfer list Jim Atkinson as his performances this season don't merit his £100 per week wages. Whilst Jim is a firm fan favorite and an influential member of the squad, he has conceded a few he should have kept out and I do now have four goalkeepers in the squad. So I agree with the advice and list the 28-year-old. Whether we will have many inquiries for the former Queen of the South, Annan and Gretna keeper, I don't know.

Tuesday:

*Physio Caitlin provides her weekly injury update, only fullback Adam Walton remains on her treatment table, he's out for another three weeks after twisting his ankle in the defeat to Marine.

 

 

Friday:

*Preparing for the trip to Basford tomorrow, I have opted against any personnel changes following our win against Ilkeston last week, I will however be telling the players to float their crosses in for Steven Rigg and Scott Allison as their goalkeepers have an eccentric side and struggle with their aerial reach.

Saturday:

Gutting, we played extremely well for the first hour of this match and thoroughly deserved to be 2-0 up, but in the space of twenty minutes, things went completely pear-shaped. I was furious we allowed a comfortable lead to evaporate in such a way when we looked to be cruising to three points. This was an amazing chance to build on last week's win and bring us within a point of escaping the relegation zone, but we blew it big time.

 

Saturday:

Things don't get any easier next week as we host top-of-the-table Guiseley, It goes without saying I would much rather be going into a tough match like this on the back of consecutive wins, but not to be.

 

[danyates8]

Keep grinding bro then when back to back wins do happen it will feel glorious! 

[Rick87]

3 hours ago, danyates8 said:

Keep grinding bro then when back to back wins do happen it will feel glorious! 

Thanks mate, I think things have improved a bit since changing to 4-4-2 and I'm hopeful we can stay up still.

30th October - 5th November 2023

 

Monday:

*Our relegation rivals Warrington Rylands have a new manager, former Bristol Rovers player and coach Lee Mansell takes over at the Rec. We will be heading there at the end of November.

 

 

Tuesday:

*A shock result elsewhere in the NPL Premier; Morpeth stuffed FC United 6-1 to climb to seventh.

 

 

Wednesday:

*My hometown club, Sutton Coldfield Town make an offer to sign the transfer listed Jim Atkinson on free. I accept, even though the goalkeeper says he isn't interested in swapping Cumbria for Birmingham.

*Scott Allison comes second to Macclesfield's Kane Drummond in the Player of the Month award. Scotty has been in fine form, scoring four goals in three games throughout October.

*It's the first of the month, and that means it's performance review time;

 

The pre-season media prediction was for us to finish 18th, and narrowly avoid relegation, I still think this is achievable, if we focus on beating the teams around us.

*Our monthly financial update is available, if I can offload Jim Atkinson that will save us £400 per month and give me some room for maneuvering on our maxed-out wage budget.

 

Friday:

*This weekend's opponents, Guisley are excellent at set pieces, so we have been focusing heavily on routines in training this week.  In midfield, Ciaran Casson is in for Connor Tinnion, Tinners is more of an attacking threat, but with Guisley being top of the league I want an extra ball winner breaking up the play in the middle of the park.

Saturday:

*Obviously, we lost, but this was an outstanding performance by my team against the league leaders, twice we pegged them back after going behind, and I thought it was game over when Liam Tongue scored his second to make it 4-2, but we again roused ourselves and cut their lead through Scott Allison completing an excellent hat-trick. We had a great chance to equalize in stoppage time as Dav Symington slipped through and beat the keeper, only for the linesman's flag to go up.

Of course, it's not ideal to lose, but I'm happy with the performance, and the improved showings in the three games where I have switched to 442, if we play like this against the other teams battling the drop, I think we will win comfortably. 

Concerningly, I had to bring Steven Rigg off, the big forward twisted his ankle and will be out of commission for at least a month. Not ideal as I only have three forwards in the squad and one of them, Lewis Reilly hasn't found the net once this season yet.

 

Sunday:

*I've asked our Cumbrian neighbors, Carlisle United, about possibly loaning their 17-year-old fullback Will Maddison. Neither Aidy Roxburgh or Greg McCarragher have been consistent on the right. Both have made mistakes that have cost us points this season and I would like to get someone a bit better with the ball at their feet when supporting attacks. As Carlisle is a senior affiliate club, the loan will be free, with us required to pay no wages.

 

 

Next Week:

*A juicy fixture this week as we take on our closest geographical rival in the NPL Premier, Lancaster City at Giant Axe (One of the best stadium names around), around 60 miles to the South. The Dolly Blues are 4th in the table and aiming to reach the National Leagues this season, so it will be yet another tough fixture, but if we can match our performance against Guiseley, we have a chance.

[Rick87]

6th - 12th November 2023

 

Monday:

*Rightback Adam Walton is back in training following a twisted ankle against Marine last month.

 

Tuesday:

*Following his hat-trick against Guiseley, Scott Allison is named in the NPL Premier team of the week. The striker has eight goals in ten appearances so far this season.

*Marske United, the only club beneath us in the NPL currently has appointed Grant Black as their new manager, he was previously in charge at Ossett United. 

*Jim Atkinson leaves the club after five years to join Hebburn Town in NPL Division One East. Good luck to him, he will probably do well dropping down a step as it was glaringly obvious that he was a liability between the posts this season.

Farewell Jim

*One out, one in; as we complete the loan signing of Carlisle's 17-year-old prospect Will Maddison. The supporters aren't too impressed by this signing, they think we already have enough cover in the right-back position and Will is no better than Aidy Roxburgh or Greg McCarragher. Frankly, I disagree, both Aidy and Carra have been prone to blunders that have cost us dearly, and neither add much when supporting attacks. I will be giving young Will a chance against Lancaster this weekend.

 

Friday:

*Three changes to the team before tomorrow's trip down the A595 to Lancaster, one of them forced; Lewis Reilley comes in for the injured Steven Rigg up front. As I mentioned above, Will Maddison goes straight into the team, and Greg McCarragher drops to the bench. Finally, Connor Tinnion is restored to the starting lineup at the expense of Ciran Casson in the middle of the park.

Saturday:

*For the second game in a row, we go down 4-3.

Since changing to 4-4-2 four games ago against Ilkeston, we have scored at least twice in every game, so things are working from an attacking point of view, the key to us getting results though rests with us tightening things up at the back. 

*Lewis Reilly had a mixed game, he scored his first goal of the season to make it 1-1, but then missed an interception that ultimately cost us the game.

* Will Maddison became our youngest ever player, he turns 18 on Monday. It was also his professional debut, so quite an occasion for the lad.

*Whilst Will was making his first appearance, Dav Symington was making his 200th for the Reds. Since joining from Carlisle in 2015, he suffered relegation in 2020 and celebrated promotion last year. So far he found the net 60 times from the left wing, with hopefully many more to come!

Dav Symington; Two Centuries and not out!

*Marske have surprisingly won their first game under their new manager Grant Black, they beat FC United 2-1. Great for them, not so great for us as they can now pass us and drop us to the bottom of the table if things go badly next week.

 

Next Week:

*A double header next week, on Tuesday evening we host Grantham Town of the NPL Division One East in the NPL Challenge Cup, Grantham are 13th in their division. I said previously that I wouldn't be taking this competition seriously, however, I am reconsidering. A game against a club a step below could provide a moral-boosting win, equally a defeat to a lower-league club could seriously damage it. So I think I will be putting out a strong side after all. 

Following the cup fixture, we welcome 19th placed Bamber Bridge to Cumberland. This one is an important game for us, it is the first time we've faced another club in the relegation struggle since we played Marske on the opening day. I've said all along that if we can win our games against the teams around us, we should be ok. But of course, we must indeed win games like this if we are to remain in the NPL Premier.

Edited July 18 by Rick87

[Rick87]

Unfortunately, this is on hold for now, FM crashed and I lost a month's worth of games since I had last saved. I just have no motivation to go back and redo them at the moment. I've kept the save so that I can hopefully return to it in the later.

[danyates8]

2 hours ago, Rick87 said:

Unfortunately, this is on hold for now, FM crashed and I lost a month's worth of games since I had last saved. I just have no motivation to go back and redo them at the moment. I've kept the save so that I can hopefully return to it in the later.

Sorry to hear that dude, very tough to bring the motivation back after something like that happens. Always feels wrong if you can't replicate the exact results and we know that isn't going to happen