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Excellent training news! Spearing goes from zero to hero, being poor in November and excelling in December. Everything for him went up except Aggression, Determination, Natural Fitness, and Bravery, which is already 19. I’ve never seen Aggression increase. Not even in FM2014. I wonder if it can only change by one of those very rare emails where a player has some off-the-field event that changes them somehow. I received two such emails when playing FM2014, each time the Determination went up and there was a positive personality change.
Another £200,000-loss month. This time “Other” went down. I have no idea what happened in October to cause that mysterious increase. Maybe it was the adverts for the U18 staff I put out?
I don’t want my starting XI tired for two cup games coming up on the 6th and 9th so I do a full rotation less Chicken Leg. Bearsted are near the bottom of the table with only 10 points through 13 games.
vs. Bearsted, 2 December 2017
Formation: 4-4-2 Standard (GK, DR, DC r, DC l, DL, MR, MC r, MC l, ML, ST r, ST l)
Starting XI: Legg, Parker, Clark, Spearing, Al-Ziod, Jones, Nixon, McAdam, Martin, Taylor, Rae
Subs: Webb, Maguire, Day, Carroll, Jefcoate, Pearson, Cullen, Smith, Duckett, Macey, O'Donnell
Nine minutes in and Spearing gets his first career goal from a Nixon assist off a corner. Taylor gets a goal at 17’ after beating the central defenders to a Route One pass from Nixon. Nixon is doing well as a Box-to-Box Midfielder! Jones gets a fluke goal from a desperate long shot from 25 yards out. And just before half Rae makes it four.
Despite slowing things down Spearing gets his second just before 60’. And Rae gets his brace 10 minutes later. A much better performance than the last match, thankfully.
POM: Alex Rae (2 goals, 1 assist, 2 key passes)
Nothing happens between the matches. I’ve pretty much stopped scouting as I’m satisfied with the roster. No Player Development emails roll in so no additional news on finding the next Wunderkind. :-(
at South Park, 6 December 2017
Formation: Spade (GK, DR, DC r, DC l, DL, MC r, MC l, AMR, AMC, AML, ST c)
Starting XI: Legg, Maguire, Day, Carroll, Jefcoate, Barlow, Smith, Pearson, O'Donnell, Duckett, Macey
Subs: Webb, Clark, Spearing, Parker, Donaldson, Nixon, Jones, Taylor, Martin, Rae
A pretty drab opening until just after 11’ when Barlow feeds Macey up the middle, who sends it in from about 15 yards out. Then 11 minutes later Smith sprints after a free ball following a free kick in our end and launches forward to the right wing, finding Pearson. His first shot is blocked but the rebound comes right back to him and he doesn’t miss the second time. On the restart South Park manage to draw one back and the crowd finally gets animated. Their striker splits Day and Carroll who just watched him go by. Day is definitely a liability but with him being Vice Captain I’m going to keep him the starter unless we get an absolute phenom in our Youth Intake Day. In an amazing twist of being out of position, Maguire on a counter-attack takes the ball down the right to almost the endline and sends in a beautiful cross that Barlow heads in. I would have expected that from Pearson and Macey! The Barlow-Macey link-up strikes again just before 44’ with a deep pass up the gut to a lonely Ben. At this point Barlow is rocking a 9.3 rating.
The second half is tame and by 66’ I’ve had the whole outfield switched out but for Carroll. Immediately thereafter Parker lobs a desperate one into the box, somehow finding Jones’ head for our fifth. Taylor gets in on the act in the 78th with a low cross from Rae at the left endline.
POM: Terry Barlow (1 goal, 2 assists, 4 key passes, 4 chances created, 100% tackle won ratio)
Our U18s continue their winning streak. Eleven games, 43 goals for, 4 goals against. Sugar Daddies are way too powerful.
at Wellingborough, 9 December 2017
Formation: Spade
Starting XI: Legg, Maguire, Day, Carroll, Al-Ziod, Barlow, Smith, Pearson, O'Donnell, Duckett, Macey
Subs: Webb, Parker, Clark, Spearing, Jefcoate, Donaldson, McAdam, Jones, Taylor, Martin, Rae, Nixon
Well, this is a drab game with nary a chance in the first half. Everyone is off target and even Macey, left alone right in front of the goalie pings a Duckett cross off the underside of the crossbar from 4 yards out. I Assertively tell them to consolidate their feces at the half and finally the Duckett-Macey thing works 10 minutes in. Then 15 minutes later, after having swapped all the outfielders, McAdam gives us the comfort point. And another 10 goes by before Taylor seals the victory.
POM: Daniel Duckett (1 assist, 3 key passes, 2 chances created)
A strange thing happened after the game. Pearson’s agent emails me demanding a new deal for his client. Mind you, he got yanked for a 6.4 rating. And he’s under contract until 2020. To say I laughed is an understatement.
I also get an email saying that McAdam is now Natural at MC. Huzzah! Now if Smith would get his act together…
On Sunday we get the draws for the FA Vase and Southern League Cup. The first one we travel to take on Lord Grantham, the second one we get at home versus Weymouth.
Time to mix things up again, get some MC experience for Nixon, and Webb some first team experience again.
at Sevenoaks, 13 December 2017
Formation: 4-4-2 Standard (GK, DR, DC r, DC l, DL, MR, MC r, MC l, ML, ST r, ST l)
Starting XI: Webb, Parker, Clark, Spearing, Jefcoate, Jones, Nixon, McAdam, Martin, Taylor, Rae
Subs: Legg, Maguire, Day, Carroll, Al-Ziod, Pearson, Cullen, Donaldson, Duckett, Macey, O'Donnell
Boy oh boy does the ref like some yellow. The crew aren’t playing well but in 28’ we get a penalty opportunity and Nixon does not disappoint. Taylor is averaging a shot every seven minutes and they are all defended well. That is until 44’ when finally he gets a header past the goalie. (He was offsides when Martin passed him the ball but the ref didn’t see it.) In the second half McAdam sends in a screamer but the goalie has another awesome save but can’t keep control allowing Rae to put us up three.
POM: Joe Clark (2 key passes, 2 chances created)
vs. AFC Croydon Athletic, 16 December 2017
Formation: Spade (GK, DR, DC r, DC l, DL, MC r, MC l, AMR, AMC, AML, ST c)
Starting XI: Legg, Maguire, Day, Carroll, Al-Ziod, Barlow, Smith, Pearson, O'Donnell, Duckett, Macey
Subs: Webb, Parker, Clark, Spearing, Jefcoate, Cullen, Donaldson, Jones, Taylor, Martin, Rae, Nixon
Another game where I have all the regulars starting and they dick around for far too long. Before Macey scores in the 27th we already have three yellow cards. It’s not just us though so I guess the ref is a jerk. And then at 35’ Barlow gets hurt, potential foot injury. Luckily 5 minutes later Macey gets his brace so I’m not too mad at the half. Well, that and the Duckett-Pearson combo gets us a third at 46’. Two more yellows in quick succession sees me pulling all the young offenders off at 52’ and then newly-on Donaldson gets one. Luckily Day gets a header off a free kick and our victory is guaranteed. Croydon pull one back at 75’ and I berate the schmucks. And then another at 84’.
I Assertively give them hell for the Jekyl and Hyde performance. Spearing and Martin were particularly bad and I let them know specifically. Final yellow tally was seven for them and six for us. WTF?
POM: Eddie Macey (2 goals, 1 key pass)
(That is the longest post-match list I’ve ever seen!)
The butcher’s bill: Barlow is out with a twisted sister…er, ankle, for 3 to 4 weeks. Bad news but at least Nixon will now get some extra work at MC and hopefully goes Natural by the end of the season.
We don’t have a Boxing Day match so this will have to suffice for the locals to give out Christmas gifts to their family.
vs. Lordswood, 23 December 2017
Formation: Spade
Starting XI: Legg, Maguire, Day, Carroll, Jefcoate, Nixon, Smith, Pearson, O'Donnell, Duckett, Macey
Subs: Webb, Parker, Clark, Spearing, Al-Ziod, Cullen, McAdam, Jones, Taylor, Martin, Rae, Donaldson
Eight minutes in and O’Donnell is showing his work as a Shadow Striker. Two minutes later a rare Jefcoate-Pearson combo works wonders with Pearson getting the goal off a long-range cross. Almost a half-hour goes by before the famous Pearson-Duckett combo strikes with Pearson getting the assist this time. He’s been a man on fire of late. In the 73’ McAdam gets his first league goal off a wicked shot down the barrel from 12 yards out. An absolute blunder by their right back at 87’ give us another; he tried to pass back to the goalie who for some reason was staring off at the left back.
POM: Mark Nixon (1 assist, 4 key passes, 3 chance created)
Christmas comes and goes with no new toys for Brixton. That’s alright, our stocking was stuffed some 9 months prior. I don’t understand why we didn’t get a Boxing Day match though. Harrumph!
I do get a Player Development email though. This time it’s Teddy Cullen who is a “Potential League Two Talent”.
It’s our last match of the year. Hopefully we ring in the new year with a perfect league record.
at Sheppey, 30 December 2017
Formation: Spade
Starting XI: Legg, Maguire, Day, Carroll, Al-Ziod, Nixon, Smith, Pearson, O'Donnell, Duckett, Macey
Subs: Webb, Parker, Clark, Spearing, Jefcoate, Cullen, McAdam, Jones, Taylor, Martin, Rae, Donaldson
It takes us damn near 30 minutes to show signs of life and it comes off a lucky bounce from the goalie’s hands to O’Donnell’s foot right in front of the goal. At halftime I give Carroll, on a 6.4, and Macey the what-for. Macey hasn’t had a shot on goal and is rating a 6.7, which is how he ended the previous match. Four-and-a-half minutes into five minutes of extra time Jones gets an easy goal. It should have been Macey but he was lackadaisical and couldn’t be bothered to sprint for the ball. A two-nil win was not what I was expecting.
POM: Daniel Duckett (6 key passes, 4 chances created)
An excellent month! We went down to South Park and had ourselves a time. No losses and generally good cohesive play with a minimum of lazy players. We’ve extended our lead in the league table to 13 points. We are still in the hunt for trophies in the Southern League Cup and FA Vase.
