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Basingstoke Town 2040/41: KELLEHER! THE IRISH MAN AMONG GREEK GODS! Premier League: 2nd UEFA Champions League: WINNERS! WE DID IT! FA Cup: Quarter Final - Lost to Liverpool EFL Cup: Final - Lost to Man City Community Shield: Winners I write this part before the Champions League final. I'm honestly, pretty nervous. As I look back on this season, I'm proud of what we did. In the Champions League, we destroyed PSG after they had a red card in each game. Leipzig was tricky and they even equalised in the first few minutes of the second leg at their stadium but we found another gear. Atletico Madrid was two 2-0 wins. It was comfortable and I know we're better than Napoli. In 2038/39, we smashed them 5-1 at home but that's completely irrelevant. You might as well bring up an FA Trophy Final. The Premier League was within touching distance. A loss at home to Newcastle gave them the advantage and we needed them to lose against Arsenal or Villa in the final two games. They didn't. We were tied on points before our game in hand vs Fulham but we lost. It's frustrating. We had an edgy start to the season. A two-game stretch where we dropped points to relegated teams. Losing to Derby and failing to beat West Brom at home. Those two should have been wins and they were in the reverse fixtures. In the EFL Cup, we didn't have an easy run but we kept beating teams ending up against Man City in the Final. We were clearly the better team and went into half-time at 1-0 up. Fairly shortly after half-time, a VAR decision didn't go our way and Man City took advantage. We had the only chance of Extra Time but didn't take it until the 112th minute where we foolishly gave away a penalty. WE DID IT! A second minute corner from Hillman was met by Alan Kelleher. Beyond that, it was a Champions League Final to forget. Neither team went beyond 1.0xG. It had two highlights. Our goal. And us missing a chance sometime in the second half. That was it. It went by quickly. I've not actually got any idea on what to do after this. I might continue with this team. I might manage somewhere else or another save. I don't know. But this has been fun. Challenge done. Trophy Cabinet & Season History

Basingstoke Town 2039/40: We're Good. But There's Always Something. Premier League: 2nd UEFA Champions League: Quarter Final - Lost to Barcelona FA Cup: Third Round - Lost to Ipswich EFL Cup: Fourth Round - Lost to Man City Community Shield: Lost to Newcastle There's always something. In the Premier League, Newcastle ran away with it. As I write this, they won the league after our pathetic loss against Saints and them beating Chelsea mid-week after 34 games. In the EFL Cup, we had to play a game during the International Break so we had a massively depleted squad. Our only keeper at the club was a kid who then got injured so we lost on penalties after a late Leeds equaliser. We were atrocious against Championship Ipswich. Looking at their run beyond that, it's atrociously easy. Like last season but without even Chelsea...except for us for them. They lost in the final. Season's already over. Just a case of making sure we're actually second. We scored 100 goals and finished 2nd. In the Champions League, we were great until Barcelona. A 1-0 loss (again) at the Nou Camp before they then scored 2 early goals in the Second Leg. We went 3-2 up to equalise the tie on aggregate. It went to Extra Time. We had a great chance to lead for the first time. So penalties. Penalties, penalties, penalties. Pfft. We scored our first and fourth. But, obviously, not our second and third. Barcelona won the tie 4-2 on penalties. This is starting to feel like the Championship again. Yes, I'm sulking. Trophy Cabinet & Season History

Basingstoke Town 2038/39: We Won The Premier League? Premier League: 1st UEFA Champions League: Round of 16 - Lost to Barcelona FA Cup: Winners EFL Cup: Fourth Round - Lost to Man City Wow. We did it. We won the league. That's incredible. My signings were focused on kids knowing we had potential FFP issues looming over our heads. That's not gone but a £113m sale of Lipovac to Napoli definitely helped. I thought that would weaken the team but the signing of Niccolo Leoporatti from Empoli was a quiet masterstroke. I thought he'd be a backup, loaned out and allowed to develop. Instead, he was pushed into the first team around December knowing Lipovac was going to be sold and he was unsettled. I was worried that would weaken our team but I didn't feel it. When we played Napoli in the Champions League in January, we won 5-1 with a penalty in the 50th minute at 2-1 being a mere consolation. That's not what you're here for. You've seen the title. You've seen the Winners tag. You know what's happened. Basingstoke. Premier League Champions. At the end of November, we lost 4-0 to Everton and I was scared. Not because I was scared the team wasn't good. But because I thought we'd never get an opportunity. Then came wins throughout December. A 39th minute goal followed by a 95th minute winner from Chelsea being the only blip in the league until Arsenal in February who needed a 92nd minute equaliser. Having looked at it now, we only failed to win two games after Chelsea. The other, a game at home to Everton where we needed a 90th minute goal. We were on the back foot that game. I felt vulnerable and terrified this incredible run was going to lead to nothing. Bournemouth was a similar story. An 81st minute goal when 1-0 down sparking a 3-1 win with a penalty and a free kick in the 93rd then 96th minutes. Looking back, I didn't realise that Everton and Arsenal were the only blips on the perfect run from a 4-1 win at home to Man City to close off 2038. Then the Chelsea game happened and I knew a win would seal it. At home. We went 2-0 up through Hillmann and a fantastic den Haan free kick. We went into half-time cruising then Chelsea clawed one back in the 49th minute. Fear set in and it felt like an unstoppable barrage for the rest of the game. Chelsea deserved a 3-2 win more than anything and they got the equaliser through a 34 year-old Evan Ferguson in the 69th minute. The barrage never stopped. My fear about throwing away a four point lead with two to go was starting to set in. Then the 97th minute comes in. A short corner placed to the edge of the box to Kienast. Diatre open on the opposite edge. Open goal. Scores. All the fears of throwing it away stopped. We're Premier League Champions. Everybody enjoys an FA Cup and we definitely had a fortunate run. Home draws against Reading and Watford were comfortable 3-0 wins. Then we kept getting lucky on the draw. Newport of the National League (now promoted via the playoffs) was a cruel 9-1 win. Then we got the fortune of playing some awful team nobody's ever heard of. 4-1 win. Easy. Then Chelsea. Old foe, Chelsea. It was one of those cagey FA Cup Semi Finals where two teams were matched on paper and in-game. It was more phases of the game either team were second-best than throughout the game. An equaliser on the stroke of half-time was a relief. We didn't go in 1-0 down. Then 53rd by Chelsea and a 57th minute goal by us through Kienast meant it went to Extra Time. An injury to our starting left back was frustrating but we got through Extra Time and I expected penalties. Then a review for Billy being brought down on the edge of the box. Penalty. O'Neil steps up and scores. 3-2 lead. Fortunately, Liverpool put up no fight in the final. It was a comfortable 3-0 win. Now for the final hurdle. The Champions League. A cagey draw against Porto was the only blip on an unbeaten, top of the table League Phase. But Barcelona didn't have that. They needed to go through the Playoff and won 4-2 over the two legs. Not losing either to progress to the Round of 16. It was definitely one of the tougher opponents. But it was more a 0-0 game than a 1-0 game at the Nou Camp. We had shots but none on-target and limited Barcelona's. What I can only class as individual brilliance from Lamine Yamal gave them a crucial 1-0 win at home for them. I'd argue they were lucky but honestly, I couldn't help but appreciate the individual brilliance we didn't have at that level. We were a collective pushing for the same goals. Then at home, we scored in the 5th minute. Dominating then Victor Roque equalises on the night. Frustrating. But we were better. Den Haan took the lead in the 48th minute and the same story happened. However, we held onto the lead at home. Unfortunately, Den Haan had to complete a stupid tackle in the 88th minute to send us down to 10. We were better and heading into Extra Time, I felt there was potential. But there wasn't. Gavi scored in the 100th minute and there wasn't even a highlight to speak of. 2-2 draw at home. Out of the Champions League. Barcelona went on to lose the Final to Dortmund on penalties. We were the closest team to prevent them from getting that far. Trophy Cabinet & Season History

Basingstoke Town 2037/38: High Risk, High Reward Premier League: 4th FA Cup: Fifth Round - Lost to Tottenham EFL Cup: Third Round - Lost to Newcastle Well. In short, short-term good. Long-term, potentially suicidal. I don't think I've ever been this insanely aggressive in the transfer market in any save I've done. As I'd done, the plan is to sign the right players when they become available. But after last season's mediocrity, I needed a refresh. In terms of on the pitch results, it's been successful with our highest points in the Premier League. As you'll see on the Finances page from the end of the season, we've made a lot of questionable decisions in that area. The result of that, however, is we're unbeaten at home in the Premier League this season. That was impressive. Some impressive results coming there with a 7-0 against Leicester followed by a 5-0 at the King Power to replace Saints as the most goals we've scored in a Premier League season against a single team with 12. If you're wondering, the record for that is Harrogate when we scored 14 goals with a 7-0 and a 7-1 in League Two. That was pure insanity. Speaking of League Two, Blackburn barely avoided relegated by three points on the final day. Which is wild when they had to beat Wycombe to stay up. A loss and they'd be a non-league side. The Cups were annoying. We were leading. Newcastle away that early in the competition was difficult and at that stage of the season, we weren't as good. I knew that the longer the season went on, the more chance we'd have. Then the FA Cup came along. We turned it around from 2-1 down to lead 3-2. They equalised in the 93rd minute to take it to Extra Time and won in the 113th. Annoying more than anything. Anyway. My team is fantastic on the attack and we're a young team so there's definitely a bit of development to come. I'm just a little worried about the defence. We can go forward in such a stellar way but when we're on the back foot, I feel like we're too leaky. Though we have definitely made progress in that area. I'm more confident in our starting options and Samardzic has the ability to make a difference on set pieces. It's just his partner I've got some questions about. Ideally, I'd like a physical monster like he is but we're going to have to make some decisions this off-season. There are definitely options available and if Lipovac (Liposuction for his nickname) goes for big money, I've got my mind on a replacement. His backup is a good player. Rhys Hinds (Yes. His actual name. Resigned for the joke) is a solid backup and has done a good job. Helps being a wonderkid. My aims for next season includes a Domestic Cup and having money to do something. If a league title or a Champions League is on the table, that's something I'd like to take but I'm not quite sure we're ready for that level yet. Unless the options I sign are exactly what I want and a step above. Having completed the season, I'm amazed the board have agreed to this wage and transfer budget considering this. Fortunately, our work from previous seasons have been a positive in FFP so we're not a concern for that. It's just immediate cashflow. Edit: Or not. Last season took more of a toll than I expected. Hopefully, Champions League money and some sales since the writing of this post help. Trophy Cabinet & Season History

Basingstoke Town 203/37: Fairly Dull Premier League: 12th Champions League: Round of 16 - Lost to Real Madrid FA Cup: Quarter Final - Lost to Tottenham EFL Cup: Second Round - Lost to West Brom European/South American Club Challenge: Winners UEFA Super Cup: Winners Thought I'd mention the Champions League. However, we just weren't good enough to win it. Our first loss in European competition ever (including Europa and Europa Conference) came against Dortmund then Bayern. We needed to go through the Playoff Round but beat last year's Europa League Semi Final Rivals Villarreal 1-0 and 2-1. Their goal coming in the 2nd minute of injury time at the end of the second leg. Then we got Real Madrid in the Round of 16. Losing 2-1 at Home and 4-1 away. They're just World Class and we're not. Not a particularly exciting season and I'd taken a break around December/January from the game and came back with a fresh idea to reset the team. I know it's been a few months since the last update but here I am now. Though fortunately, it's not our worst Premier League season in terms of points or position. One in both. 13th with 48 when we won the Europa Conference League. When I came back, I identified a few week areas I wanted to freshen up. Took advantage of selling high-value players who were of no use and trying to find some diamonds in the rough when the best diamonds don't want to come here. We sold Riascos to Stuttgart and he's regularly playing for £33m rising another £10m. This is probably the most interesting part of the season. Goalscoring proved to be the issue this season and although Hernan Alvarez scored a first-half hattrick in a 6-1 demolition of Ipswich, he never really got going either. Though it was done months ago in real time, I still want to mention them. As much as I thought it would be the start of something good, this was really the highlight of our season. After beating Lanus in the European/South American thing, we won the UEFA Super Cup. I wish I could remember why but based on the scoreline, it looked as if we'd turned up and Atleti just didn't. Any hopes of a European trophy next season don't exist as we didn't go far in the FA or Carabao Cup and didn't win the Champions League. Trophy Cabinet

Basingstoke Town 2035/36: Europa League Winners Premier League: 10th Europa League: WINNERS FA Cup: Quarter Final - Lost to Tottenham EFL Cup: Second Round - Lost to West Brom I'd say there were positives in all competitions but not really much to discuss. We didn't get as far in a domestic cup but we did a solid job. Getting to the Quarter Final and needing to beat Everton and Arsenal isn't bad going. We were just poor against Tottenham to do anything against them and they dominated. In the league, we got 10 more points on 58 from 48. The Europa League is where things get interesting however. I realised most of the way through the knockouts that we were unbeaten in Europe in our two seasons whilst winning all 8 games in the Europa League League Phase. We made more difficulty of Ludogorets in the First Leg of the Round of 16 than anybody. Two injury time goals from them got them a fortunate draw against us heading back to Roman Road. We then won 4-0. Shakhtar Donetsk were next. They weren't difficult. A comfortable 3-1 win away meant a tight, nervy 1-0 win was fine when we knew we'd play either Saints or Villarreal in the Semi Final. Villarreal won that and we were headed to a comfortable 2-0 win away before a late penalty gave them a lifeline. We went 2-0 up inside 11 minutes at home so we were in the final fairly comfortably. It was really a game of two parts. In the first 65 minutes, it was a nervy affair until we brought on Slavko Milojic. He made it 2-0 in the 69th and eased the nerves. Frustratingly, we had an injury in the 70th to bring us to 10 men. I went more conservative and Newcastle became desperate. A fresh Slavko Milojic took advantage with a hattrick despite Newcastle causing slight concerns with a goal in the 78th minute. Onto the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and the other thing I've never been involved in with the COMNEBOL team. Trophy Cabinet

Basingstoke Town 2034/35: Solidity? Cups? What mattered this season? Premier League: 12th Europa Conference League: WINNERS FA Cup: Third Round - Lost to Chelsea EFL Cup: Final - Lost to Chelsea What an odd season. Although I feel like the league was more returning to the norm. Us getting Europa Conference League was and felt like a fluke. Do I care? Of course not. Though who really cares about a team who came 13th when they won a European title and lost in a Cup Final? The Premier League was the least interesting part. I did have small fears of Second Season Syndrome but honestly, I don't think much of it. Derby were initially atrocious with them surpassing their 2008 total on our second game in March where we lost. Then they reminded us that it was possible for Derby to be competent at this level despite all evidence. I also expected Bristol City to not surpass their own qualities. I didn't think much about relegation in all honesty. I'll leave Europe for last as I'll give one line on the FA Cup. Played Chelsea. They were better and won 3-1. Boring. The EFL Cup. Well. What a run that was. It wasn't starting out that way, though. Although we were better than Everton, it took until a 90th minute corner from a defender to win that tie. Then Leeds. Two goals in the 60-something minutes meant them scoring didn't matter. Then Wolves. They were relegated last season so you'd think a nice easy game, right? Ha. No. Have you met me? Misery and near-calamity at every turn but somehow I avoid it. We were 2-0 down and it wasn't deserved. A goal in the 47th minute gave us a lifeline. Then a red card for them in the 69th minute made me think we should win. But we had to score. When did we? 96th minute penalty of six injury time minutes. Then we scored all of our penalties in the shootout to win 5-4 on penalties. The draw couldn't go much better. Chelsea drew (and beat) Man City. We drew (and beat) Man United. Somehow, we won 3-0 at home with the third being in the 93rd minute. Take notes. This will be important later. If you had seen my Championship updates, you'll know about Second Leg Basingstoke. In the first half, it was fine. We scored first and they equalised but we made it 2-1. Easy, right? No. First half injury time, they level the scores into halftime. In the 61st minute, they score again. And again in the 67th. I'm in panic mode by this point. I knew what had come before me. Watford, West Brom. Not today. No more goals and that goal from earlier prevents Extra Time. The final itself was exciting despite the scoreline. Both teams had the chances to sneak a win in Normal Time. But it was somehow still 0-0. We gave away a penalty in the 104th minute and my heart sunk. But new keeper Riascos ended the match with an 8.3 and it was partially the penalty save. Then almost immediately after, the ball is in our net. Chelsea score. But it's offside. The second half of injury time had seen a fairly split quantity of chances and neither seemed interested in penalties. We had a throw-in near their box in the 120th minute. It wasn't long before what came after. Another highlight. Chelsea throw-in near our box. The last kick of the game. We're 1-0 down. Deflated. I took comfort in the fact we fought for that result. It wasn't without our desire that we lost. They're just better. Now. Europe. What a fun time this was. We dispatched of AIK fairly easily in the Fourth Qualifying Round. The League Stage was simple. Win games. We were unbeaten but we drew against Koln (note that for later) and Hearts. Both 2-2 draws at home. Sometime in that League Phase, I looked at our rivals and they were Genoa, Villarreal and Koln. Maybe a run from an underdog team but that didn't even eventually materialise. It was a boring Europa Conference League for the neutral. In the Round of 16, we beat Midtjylland 7-3. As a real life Saints fan, some revenge on this team is nice. In the Quarter, we got Charleroi. Fairly comfortable again where we won 4-1 on aggregate. So the Semis were us/Koln and Villarreal/Genoa. Boring, I know but it's not entirely my fault. A 1-1 draw in Cologne gave us a great opportunity. When we went 2-0 up inside 14 minutes, I felt comfortable. Though they scored to pull one back in the 38th, it didn't matter. We were European Finalists. We played Genoa who needed Extra Time to beat Villarreal. I wanted an early goal to settle my nerves and it arrived through a Fabricio header from a defended cross from Cabrera. Great cross and exactly what I needed. Outside of the goals, it was fairly dull. Calabrese continued his Poacher antics from last season to make it 2-0 and Fabricio did it again. As the clock wound down, I saw no opportunities for Genoa. It was a boring European Final but I don't care. Trophy Cabinet

Basingstoke Town 2033/34: We Survived Premier League: 8th FA Cup: Third Round - Lost to Norwich City EFL Cup: Third Round - Lost to Chelsea What can I say? We survived and survived comfortably. So comfortably, we've got a Basingstoke in Europa Conference song coming up. Not really but inspired by this obviously. We're the biggest club on the South Coast. With great wins including both home and away against Man United, a great goal from the Faroese Right Winger Soren Smith to show we're here to be serious to take the lead in our first game at home to Chelsea. We didn't struggle in the Premier League as I feared. Though that might be helped by us making 15 signings, some people did remain. Key players from Championship promotion were relegated to the bench and only Soren Smith retained his starting place through to the end of the season. In the cups, we showed promise against West Brom with a comfortable 4-1 win in the Second Round of the EFL Cup but that was quickly diminished by eventual winners Chelsea. In the FA Cup, we were awful against a Norwich side who lost to eventual finalists Ipswich in the Quarter Final. With the run they had, maybe a missed opportunity. After beating us, they played Wrexham, Crystal Palace and then Ipswich who then played West Ham. Very much a potential missed opportunity at a final there. It wouldn't have been a difficult run and that's how I feel about it. Otherwise, a fantastic season. Although there were small runs where I feared eventual relegation form, it never became a prolonged issue. Fortunately for us, we have a higher quality increase compared to clubs around us. Before 2040 for Champions League and FA Cup doesn't sound too unreasonable. But it's all about next season when clubs won't treat us like the happy go-lucky rag tag bunch of friends turning up the Premier League anymore. We're the sole representative of the Premier League in the Europa Conference League. With that, I wouldn't mind a repeat of 8th. The Europa Conference League might be winnable for us. There's also some stadium news. When I noticed we had £36m in the bank, I knew upgrades would be plentiful then this came in. Expansion by around 9k seats. As annoying as it would be having to use Reading's stadium for an entire season, the benefits will be longer-term. Just regularly upgrading the Youth and Training facilities to properly come. Trophy Cabinet

Thanks

Does anybody know which file I use to change the appearance of the "Waiting for Next Highlight"? I've gone through them and just can't find where I can change it.

Basingstoke Town 2032/33: WAR IS OVER Sky Bet Championship: 2nd FA Cup: Third Round - Lost to Man City in a replay EFL Cup: Quarter Final - Lost to Newcastle War is over. It was one of the more miserable seasons. At one point, we had about 6/7 teams covered by about 3 points. It was just ridiculous. Then around January/February time, teams fell off and the running order slowly became us, Palace if they won two games in hand, Wolves and Sheffield United. Fortunately, Palace didn't win those games and slowly fell away. That on top of more injury struggles than normal. It was just one of those ridiculous Championship seasons. I can't quite put it into words, really. It was one of those horrible seasons where teams just couldn't get a stranglehold on the league. Even Wolves needed Sheffield United to fail to win their penultimate game to win the title. That 86th minute Burnley equaliser is what did it. I didn't want to go through the playoffs. Would it have been third time lucky? Probably not. But I don't care. We did it. We're finally in the Premier League. In terms of the cups, it was a reasonably successful season. We got a bad luck draw to Man City in the FA Cup but took them to a replay. In the EFL Cup, we won against Plymouth, Palace and Bristol City to set up a Fourth Round tie against Arsenal. We won on penalties. It set up a Quarter Final show against Newcastle which was a step too far. Whatever. It feels so long ago that I genuinely forgot what happened. This season took a toll out of me in a way I could probably equate it all the way back in the National League South with the final day equaliser for our promotion. That's all I can say on it right now. My board did give me a scare in January, however. My stellar Finnish goalkeeper was wanted by Alaves and offered about £12m for him at some point. Fortunately, I protested the transfer and they accepted it. Their gamble in me paid off as WE'RE PREMIER LEAGUE! Him being wanted by clubs like that is a good sign. I just need to find about 10-15 players of that calibre. Erm. I don't really know how to manage money like this now. Wish me luck. Over double my current wage bill of about £117k. £30m is about £29m more than I've spent. My best deals have been XDR for £99k. I haven't managed this much money since my Early Access save with Saints. Trophy Cabinet

Basingstoke Town 2031/32: xG Champions Sky Bet Championship: 3rd - Lost to Watford because a guy who barely scores got a hattrick FA Cup: Third Round - Lost to Watford in a replay EFL Cup: First Round - Lost to Exeter after just pure awfulness Cups weren't really that exciting. We were dreadful against Exeter and they deserved to win. After a 3-0 season opening loss to Burnley, it did make me panic a little but then we did what we did all season where we got 20 clean sheets in the league and the fewest goals conceded. It's not normal for me to do this but it wasn't bad. In the FA Cup, we got Watford. Took the lead in the 12th minute before they equalised in the 92nd minute of injury time so we needed a replay. They went 3-0 up inside 20 minutes and we came back to draw 3-3 in the 58th. I thought we'd take the lead but we didn't and needed Extra Time then penalties. They were a misery losing 4-1. Now. The league. Good form but losing the wrong games really hurt us. If there were a few games I'd like to point out where we should have reversed the positions between us and Leicester, it's probably Wrexham away. We had come into that game with 6 wins and a draw before that game to close out December. We went 2-0 up inside 10 minutes. Then, somehow, they came back and made it 2-2 in the 31st and 37th minutes. I thought we'd still be able to win the game but no. Nothing for the rest and it's 2 points dropped. Around the end of November, we had Middlesbrough away. In the home fixture near the end of the season, they were incompetent and we dominated them to win 3-0. We were a lot like that in the away game and were cruising to a 2-0 win. Then out of seemingly nowhere, they get a goal back in the 87th minute but it's fine. We're better than them. No. 97th minute. They get the equaliser they truly don't deserve. 2-2. Two points dropped. You're wondering why I say xG Champions? Well. Leicester and Sunderland. They both outscore their xPts by 18 and 19 points respectively. It's an insult how much they overperformed. Fluke. I hope they fail in the Premier League whether we get promoted or not. I'm annoyed. So we head into the playoffs again. Horrible. Against Watford who we've already had a home and away cup tie and it was miserable. I'm hoping for revenge but who knows? It's the playoffs. The most miserable experience in football unless you're a neutral or win. If there's one mistake I've realised from that experience, it's not playing this song. I would say the song worked as we took the lead through Luca Fletcher in the 21st minute then they equalised within 5 minutes. It wasn't great and we made some changes at half-time bringing on players including Nicolas Wunsch. He got sent off in the 57th and I thought life was a misery. But no. Fletcher scores again within 3 minutes and the retiring Lewis Cook made it 3-1 in the 73rd minute. I hate this so much. At least we've got a 2 goal cushion this time. Just hope we don't do what we did last season. Well. That was horrible. THIS MAN SCORED 3 GOALS AGAINST ME! Trophy Cabinet

Basingstoke Town 2030/31: How did we get playoffs? Sky Bet Championship: 4th - Lost to West Brom in one half at home. FA Cup: Third Round - Lost to Reading EFL Cup: First Round - Lost to Oxford United I'll cut to the chase on the cups. In the EFL Cup, we bottled a 2-0 lead then lost 3-0 on penalties. Against Reading, it was a tight game but I didn't want a replay so I made sure we lost 2-1. We were in good form in the league and didn't want to throw that away. As much as I thought we'd be safe, the first half of the season is what I expected from the whole of it. It was a struggle and bigger teams showed why. We were inconsistent and relegation was never a story so I pretty much put that problem to bed. As much as I made signings, I didn't think they'd take us to the Top 4. The thing is, I was right. After losing to Colchester in December, we were on a losing run and 13th. By all accounts, this was to be a consolidation season but then we hit form. I was so sure we'd still be here that I made kits for the next Championship season. After beating some awful South Coast team who eventually finished 23rd, we had 16 out of 24 wins. However, I can't attribute that all to being a turnaround in form. In late January, I made a few signings which gave us a better chance. Wunsch on a free from Uruguay on an ESC Permit got us 8 goals. He was stellar. Then we signed two wingers who gave us more options. Unfortunately, the 18 year old Scottish kid was injured so we have to run our usual Asymmetric 4-3-3 which had given us success in the past. Mainly because we didn't have a Left Winger. Heading into West Brom, I've got no expectations. I didn't expect to be here and a Playoff Final would be great. West Brom are a difficult team and in the league, we'd won 2-0 at home for our only win in November and lost 1-0 at The Hawthorns for our only loss in March. In terms of the other teams, we shocked a weird tactically set-up Sunderland to a 4-0 home win after losing 2-1 at the Stadium of Light. With Watford, we lost 2-0 at Home early in the season before winning 4-2 at Vicarage Road. Welcome to the Championship. As a Saints fan, I find it unpredictable in real life and that's going to take another step-up. Though it was Pure and Simple in my Early Access save with them. With it being significant, I thought i'd write this bit live-ish. Just finished the first leg and it was a nervy affair. Del Rio scored in the 4th minute of a 1-0 away win. I'll take it. Our APs have started to elevate themselves and introduce themselves in the goalscoring game which is what Wunsch is also a part of. Sometimes, it's difficult to choose between the two and Del Rio is a £99k release clause signing. Definitely worth it. The home game will probably be about as nervy and I'm glad we've got the advantage as well as home advantage itself. Sunderland/Watford play on the Sunday so we won't find out who we play until then. After we find out the 19 teams either team would join. That first leg gave me so much hope. We scored in the 10th minute of this to make it 2-0. West Brom had 0 shots in the first half. We give them a goal from their first shot and that revived them. They were pretty much dead and buried. Then the throw in. Far post, 2-2. A great save from our keeper in the 90th. A big chance for Fletcher which barely went wide. I thought that shot was in and sat there stunned. Then it happened. A good ball in behind our defence. It wasn't immediately given and I had, of course, forgotten VAR exists with how we hadn't had it all season. Then it was. We had 2 minutes to score. But that's it. I'm proud of this season but it's deflating how it ended. I felt like we had a chance. You can probably sense the difference in tone between the last paragraph and this. Since I had just gotten the email, I thought I'd mention this new stadium. It's been in the works since last season but now we've actually got something. Trophy Cabinet

Having a PC crash just now made me think a little. Although my PC crash was in the middle of a game, I thought that it was right after the game, I'd lose my game because of how I have weekly saves and I prefer that. However, I'd also like the option to save after games in the eventuality I get a crash for whatever reason. How I was thinking this would work is it essentially works on a priority basis with a separate checkbox for saving after matches. If selected, have the save at the earliest of the next game or the next week. Since I'm managing in the Championship, this is probably a decent example. There are a mix of mid-week games and International breaks. If there's a mid-week game, it would save after both the mid-week game and the Saturday game. During the International break, it would save after the week had passed. Because it was relevant to me and how I had lost a transfer deadline day, automatic saves after that would also be useful. Sure, I could do it myself but when you're focused on the next game and everything else, you just don't think of anticipating a crash that doesn't usually happen. This would also be useful in pre-season where instead of having to manually change it, the auto save would save every week because I've not got any games to trigger the after match auto save. Spoiler includes current options.

Basingstoke Town 2029/30: League Won Sky Bet League One: CHAMPIONS FA Cup: Fifth Round - Lost to Arsenal EFL Cup: Fourth Round - Lost to Brighton EFL Trophy: Quarter Final. Lost to Bristol Rovers In terms of the league, it was definitely tougher than League Two. I think that was partially my fault as I wasn't as aggressive as I was when we transitioned to a Professional side. Although the signings I made were good and did make the difference I wanted, it's more about pushing to be better as a building point for the Championship and something who might turn up in the Premier League. Realistically, that makes building for the Championship a little tougher. There were definitely points where I felt like we were going to throw it away. Before we earned promotion, it felt like we had to grind every single point and it was a misery. I thought it was the start of the impending disaster but we got through it and promoted when other teams around us failed to do so. Until this point, we've gone for Frees and Loans. I feel like the Championship is the turning point to spend some money and we've got £3m to spend which is a good amount. Hopefully, the wage budget does fit that as well as I hope it does. I know it's going to be a struggle going up against recent Premier League teams. Even Derby made it there for a season recently so that's just another team to go to war with. A surprise team there is probably Wrexham who are about 9th in the table with a few games to play. Weird. In terms of the Cups, we did what we could with one irritating exception. We beat who was in front of us in the EFL Cup before a Premier League club was drawn against us in Brighton and the same for the FA Cup where we took teams like Middlesbrough to replays and a win before Arsenal were too much for us. Now for the one which hurts. EFL Trophy. We didn't lose to a U23s team. We got Tottenham's U23s again but didn't make that mistake again to top the group then beat Wycombe and Reading before Bristol Rovers. They took the lead in the 14th minute but neither team was especially impressive but we grew more into the game than they did and turned it round to make it 2-1 through goals in the 45th and 68th minutes. A positive. We were leading. Late into the game. Wasting time. A corner. 95th minute for Bristol Rovers. They hadn't offered anything. Then they scored. 95th minute. No Extra Time. Straight to penalties. It wasn't the best shootout but that's post-patch for you. Both teams missed the first before we scored the third. They missed. We were 1-0 up after two each. So of course, our player missed that opportunity and it's 1-1 after 6. Both teams score their fourth. Then our fifth penalty. The 9th of the night. Missed. Gutting. Unfortunately, Khoshaba couldn't bail us out like he had a few tiimes before. We were out in the cruelest way. I'm also an Icon now which is nice. Trophy Cabinet

Basingstoke Town 2028/29: League 2 Easy Sky Bet League Two: CHAMPIONS FA Cup: First Round - Lost to Port Vale EFL Cup: Second Round- Lost to Aston Villa EFL Trophy: 4th in Group Stage I'll keep this short as it's fairly uninteresting. Won the league fairly comfortably. I knew League Two was going to be fairly easy in comparison to the earlier slog but this is even easier than I had thought. The original points record was somehow only 102 but we smashed that. We had a few banana skins. Both Fleetwood and Cambridge got both wins against us. It's not like they were especially good. We were just not that great against them. Bradford also got two draws and they looked like being title contenders early on before falling away a little but came back to finish second. In terms of the cups, the EFL Cup is the only place where we did anything resembling anything. We beat QPR in the First Round which was great but had a tough Second Round draw vs Villa. They took the lead early and we equalised in the 66th minute but they showed us why they were a Premier League team and made it 3-1. It's not a bad run considering but I wouldn't mind an easier draw to make it further. The FA Cup was poor. We got Port Vale who ended up getting relegated and took an early lead. We were in the middle of a good league run when we led on 12 minutes but no. Port Vale turned it round through goals in the 24th and 48th minute to win. We outclassed them on xG so it's not like we weren't the better team. Strikers just had an off day. EFL Trophy was annoying. A 1-0 loss to Oxford was frustrating but I knew we had a chance. We proved it when we beat Shrewsbury 3-2 put us level on three points with Shrewsbury and win vs Tottenham's U23s would see us through. I mean, they've lost two games. How hard can it be? So we put in our most gutless performance of the season. They won and progressed on goal difference when Shrewsbury lost 3-1 to Oxford. Fun. Trophy Cabinet

Basingstoke Town 2027/28: WE'RE GOING TO THE FOOTBALL LEAGUE National League: CHAMPIONS FA Cup: Second Round - Loss to Torquay FA Trophy: Final - Lost to Torquay Whatever the National League South was, the National League wasn't. I expected it to be another miserable slog but we took to it like a baby duck to water. I say baby duck because we were a little bit nervous and were a bit leaky for the first few games but when I switched back to our National League South title winning goalkeeper, we didn't look back. It was win after win after win. It was fantastic. The recruitment and loan signings I did were aggressive but that aggression paid off. It was fantastic. Now we're a professional football team as of the season switch. That feels fantastic. We've beaten so many professional sides that we deserve it. Of course, I'm writing this part as we'd just won the league title but our recruitment was excellent. I don't even think it was about bigger clubs wanting more standout players to join. We had built our squad with smart signings throughout but they had helped us on this journey. Our goalkeeper for example. Signed in the second season when he was released by Palace and now he's lead us to two titles in his three seasons here. When you look at other points, we had good loan signings from Watford we just didn't take advantage of. We weren't good enough elsewhere to properly reward them for their skill and hard work. But now we have that. The season was positive. We had a little scare near the end when it was looking a little shaky but we pushed through and got the title with the standout 5-0 win vs Crawley. Having an opportunity to get the title felt like it lifted some of the pressure of their shoulders. Straight away, we were on the front foot and gave Crawley no chance to just allow us to sneak the draw to get the title or hope Chester mess up at the weekend. In terms of the FA Cup, it wasn't as successful as last season but we still beat League Two opposition in Stevenage. It's just Torquay who we just didn't turn up for. A 2-0 turned into a 5-0 when I went fully aggressive like Dartford last season where we went everybody bar the central defenders up front. It was a cup game and we showed nothing. What else would I do? So our FA Cup journey ended in the Second Round. We've gotten to the FA Trophy Final again. If you read this last season, you'll know that it's a month after the season ended. That's still the case. So that could mean two unbeaten FA Trophy seasons. We've been great in that and had just beaten Sutton 2-0 through 2 penalties but they weren't as good as we were anyway. We play Torquay as revenge for the FA Cup and they're going to be in the playoffs so could it be a playoff hangover for them? I hope so. Annoyingly, it wasn't. Torquay were every bit as good as we were and took the lead of the FA Trophy Final. I wished for a repeat of Woking but it wasn't to be. We equalised to take it to Extra Time, I went more aggressive and everything but they had scored in Extra Time to win it. It's disappointing but I'm glad we'd already won that trophy. We've now got the chance to win the EFL Trophy and the EFL Cup. Trophy Cabinet

Basingstoke Town 2026/27: I Never Want To Do That Again National League South: CHAMPIONS FA Cup: Fourth Round - Loss to Man City FA Trophy: Winners vs Woking That was horrible. Genuinely genuinely horrible. I hated how we didn't get the points vs Dover. I hated how we needed to rely on an 84th minute equaliser from Worthing. I hated how I didn't know we'd won the title until we had the trophy lift. I hated how I ran a 2-0-4-4 formation and didn't get the goal vs Dartford. But most of all, I hate how much I'd do it again because we're finally out of here. There was a time where we felt comfortable and like we'd win the title in March and there were times where the team were unrecognisable. I couldn't explain it but that's how it went down. Our signings have improved the squad year on year and you're probably seeing those cup runs and seeing that loss to Man City and wondering if our finances are as good as everybody dreams. Yes. Yes they are. It's incredible how this season has gone but I'd so have loved it if it was just that little bit easier in the end. Losing 3-1 to Dover in the penultimate game despite smashing them on xG. Just any goal vs Dartford would have been nice. I should probably talk about the cup runs. In the FA Cup, we beat every beatable team. Our closest slipup in that regard was how we'd drew 2-2 with Ebbsfleet in the Fourth Qualifying Round. York finished 10th in League Two and we stepped up. Notts County are fighting for automatic promotion into the Championship and we made them look like a Tier 8 team. Then we played Man City. They were Man City and smashed us but it's a great quantity of cash for the budget. I'd have loved to go Professional but the board won't let us. In terms of the FA Trophy, we were just better than the teams we played. Fellow Tier 6 side Alfreton Town made it to the Semi Final who gave us a scare in the opening stages before failing to score a penalty and we fought back to win that game 4-1. We looked a class apart after their missed penalty to play Woking in the final nearly 40 days after the end of the season. Fortunately, with 40 days rest, Woking just didn't turn up. We were better and Woking equalised but it was a false dawn for Woking. It felt like a false dawn to me and we proved it by making it 3-1 even before half time. Then 3 more goals in the second half to win the FA Trophy. Impressive. Beautiful. Nothing like Dover. Nothing like Dartford. Trophy Cabinet

Basingstoke Town FC 2025/26: Playoff Pain National League South: 5th - Lost in Playoffs First Round FA Cup: First Round - Loss to Blackpool FA Trophy: Fifth Round - Loss to Halifax Town Firstly, a note on the kits, they were made in KitBasher. Managed to easily remove the background from the sponsor and thought I'd do a local paper for the third kit too. Planning to do it for every league we're in. Maybe even additional kits for when we get into Europe but that's further down the line. They're Hope+Glory kits as they are currently in real life but expect that and the sponsor to change as we go up the leagues. In terms of the offseason, it didn't go as planned. I messed up on the contracts and the players were unhappy when I tried to renew them. I've reduced that issue for 2026/27 but it meant our star striker left and we had a bit of an injury crisis when the other was injured for 12-14 months. Yes, months. You read that right. I had considered Ryan Seager but thought he wasn't good enough. About 2-3 loan players were brought in for it and we needed time to start the season. At the start of September, we had lost a few games in a row and were 20th after a promising first two games. In terms of signings, I had to overhaul the team even more than I already had. They weren't league title winning but they should keep me in a job. In the early part of the season, we just didn't have the Team Cohesion in order to regularly win games and even into early September, we were 16th. The only thing that was going my way at that time was how there were two catchable playoff teams and then they had started to lose form. We were about 10 points from the playoffs when I realised we had a chance and had put together something of a winning streak. Writing this before the last game of the season, we were confirmed 6th with a game to spare and playoffs with two to spare which meant that run just continued. Writing this as we play Billericay in the final game of the season, I feel positive about our playoff chances. Injuries were a nightmare this season in the early part. Losing centre backs with no centre back depth caused a panic and a 17 year old kid from the Skates. It worked out well. He was a Work Experience loan which helped us a lot. He was also our best centre back at the club which definitely helped. In terms of the FA Cup, it went much better despite inconsistent league form which both encouraged and annoyed me. Comfortable wins against our own and the division above gave us a First Round tie to Blackpool. They were professional in the sense of the club itself and how comfortably they beat us. And clearly better than us. The FA Trophy was similar to last season. Winning against winnable teams but I felt Halifax was winnable too but we didn't. Beating teams comfortably including Accrington who were fighting for a title. Unlike Blackpool, they were professional but their performance was anything but. Penalties. A misery. I kinda wish players missed more in penalty shootouts on this game as I feel like it's always like this or goes on forever. You don't see it that much in real life. Especially at this level but it shouldn't have gone to this. We were 2-0 up and cruising but this game likes to throw you a curveball sometimes and us throwing it away was that. It was 2-1 and I feared it. Then it was 2-2. Then I saw we were on the back foot and got it to Extra Time. I felt if we had calmed ourselves and got an early goal, we'd go through. But no. Wealdstone score in the first minute of Extra Time and we're behind for the first time. We got the goal back in the first half but nothing happened in the second. Then penalties. Everybody else had scored. We went first for the last go and there it was. The miss that would end our season. I had hoped Jake Weaver would provide us some hope but clearly not.

Basingstoke Town FC 2024/25: Consolidating Our Place National League South: 12th FA Cup: Second Qualifying Round - Loss to Horsham FA Trophy: Fifth Round - Loss to Hartlepool It went far better than Salisbury. Though that wasn't difficult. I went more traditionally non-league with a 4-4-2 DM with a focus on directness and getting the ball forwards. We've had good runs and bad runs but I feel like the worst runs were more affected by goalkeeper injuries than anything. On our worst run, we had one goalkeeper injury to Jake Weaver before our backup, club original Mark Scott, was also injured whilst not being on a good run of games. Before that, we were fighting for the final playoff spot with the rest too far to realistically catch. We had a small run to give us a chance but it was too little, too late. Before we lost that opportunity, I felt like form would have come at a good time for a surprise promotion. It couldn't be more different between the FA Cup and FA Trophy. We were atrocious in our only game in the FA Cup in Horsham. We were awful and I don't know why. In the FA Trophy, we made a good run to the Fifth Round. In terms of coaching badges, I had the promise of the training overload but apparently that didn't work as it never came. I kept asking then the excuse of bigger clubs came in. I'm hoping I can sign the contract and that issue removes itself though finances aren't as good as they could be with no FA Cup run. The plan for the off-season is to improve the team and hope the money's there to do something. I pushed loans but some of them didn't elevate the team in the way I expected. It wasn't perfect but some of them were positive additions. The main area to improve is definitely defence and maybe goalkeeper. There's a goalkeeper on my mind but the last time I approached them for loan, they wanted him to be with higher quality players. The plan is to build the team with free agents and loans. I can't see why that shouldn't work until around League One. I doubt we'll have the money until then. The good news in that regard is we've got about £2k more in wage budget compared to last season. I can do a lot with that.

Well. That went badly. Will probably update in a few hours with who I've gotten for the next attempt. It was just a disaster. Injuries were a problem but they were to key players at key times. I lost confidence in myself and felt the 5ATB tactic I had would have potential but it didn't produce anything. It was more defensively solid but when your team gives up a penalty most games, we're already on the back foot. Difficult. But I'll try again. Attempt Number 2: Basingstoke Two Boogaloo Got Basingstoke again as I got before it crashed. Hopefully, this time, we have a chance of more than a day.

Saw I had a fairly local side so had to take them. My Early Access save was Saints where I got to Premier League title, Champions League titles, an FA Cup and EFL Cup. Looking forward to taking them to glory. If you saw Basingstoke before this was edited, the game definitely didn't crash before I saved and I definitely didn't reload multiple times to get a fairly local-ish club. The Beginning: Salisbury

You can do this until the next set of challenges. I've decided to do this now.