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Spoiler alert: This update will be sad.
Excellent! Another good training report. Having great fitness coaches sees us having good performances on the Physical Abilities side.
More excellent news! We made a profit of £22,734 last month. Our season tickets sales helped contribute but the visit by West Ham’s U23 really made the difference.
Despite the puny profit, having that Sugar Daddy allows us to offer £105k for a squad bonus if we win the league. For cup competitions we are allowed up to a crazy amount of £525k but I selected the Low end of £225k. Quite the nice bonus!
No change seeing as we are still in the pre-season.
It’s good to have more Influential Players. Going to need them when O’Donnell flies the coop.
I’m gonna take a moment here to examine the differences between our start-of-the-season Starting XI and how things changed from last year.
The first difference you’ll notice is the switching of the preferred formation. Then you’ll notice that changes are strictly on defense. Pretty neat that one of the changes came from a kid working his way into the lineup. The other two are imports.
At GK, Legg was just sitting out there ripe for the plucking so I could not resist. Primarily I snagged him because in Training Camp next season he should be old enough to tutor Webb, or, preferably a wunderkind who comes in on Youth Intake Day. Despite being our Vice Captain, I moved on from Day as our starting right DC half way through the season as he just wasn’t all that good. He was kind of a desperation purchase I suppose. Al-Ziod was a minor upgrade at DL but at this point I view him as a potential large profit yet to be realized. Our midfielders remain static as do our attackers though I eventually moved O’Donnell to AMC.
If I were a betting man (I’m not) I’d wager next year we won’t have Kirkpatrick, Pearson, and Duckett. I can see Paul Taylor, Andy Robinson, and Ashley Hibbert moving into those starting spots. Hibbert will have to work on his AML (Accomplished right now) unless we get a Youth at the end February who blows me away and keeps Hibbert on the right.
It’s time to kick off the cup season and we have the Southern League Cup up first. Drumroll, please… We travel to Newmarket, two levels below us on the English football pyramid. Wish we got a harder team and at home; I need those fans in the stadium.
Before we can get to that match and the league fixtures, we still have two friendlies to wrap up.
And now the real games begin. I feel confident of winning the league but not keeping O’Donnell (obviously) and Kirkpatrick.
at Bishop’s Cleeve, 11 August 2018
Formation: Spade (GK, DR, DC r, DC l, DL, MC r, MC l, AMR, AMC, AML, ST c)
Starting XI: Legg, Maguire, Spearing, Carroll, Al-Ziod, Barlow, Smith, Pearson, O’Donnell, Duckett, Kirkpatrick
Subs: Webb, Parker, Pilcher, Day, Jefcoate, Harding, Cullen, Hodgson, Nixon, Hibbert, Taylor, McAdam
My worries of O’Donnell phoning it in are relaxed in the 9th minute. As they are with Kemar one minute into extra time in the first half. We do get a little sloppy in the second stanza but that’s alright when 13 of your 19 shots are on target.
POM: Steve Pearson (1 assist, 6 key passes, 1 chance created)
It’s FA Cup draw time! We get to host Glossop North End who are in a league at the same level of the pyramid as us. None of the players in their senior squad are Greys so they should present somewhat of a challenge.
We beat Salisbury last year 4-1 in the Third Round of the FA Vase. Let’s hope we can do the same or better.
at Salisbury, 14 August 2018
Formation: Spade
Starting XI: Legg, Maguire, Spearing, Carroll, Al-Ziod, Barlow, Smith, Pearson, O’Donnell, Duckett, Macey
Subs: Webb, Parker, Day, Pilcher, Jefcoate, Harding, McAdam, Hodgson, Nixon, Rae, Kirkpatrick, Thompson
Macey is healthy so he gets the start and also starts the scoring 1:10 into the match. Smith of all people gets a brace in under two minutes, the second being a beautiful header in traffic from a Duckett free kick. That height of his is a real difference maker. In the second half Benny scores, showing again that his desire to leave doesn’t affect his play; high Professionalism that one.
POM: Connor Smith (2 goals, 2 key passes)
Another draw! This time for the FA Trophy. We travel to Liverpool. Don’t worry, we are taking on AFC Liverpool, the minnows of the Mersey.
In order to avoid further headaches about young, promising players wanting to leave, I am now offering contracts to the kids who turn 17 and are worth keeping. Case in point, Connor Smith now makes £425 but I didn’t get an extra year out of him. It’s more realistic this way.
So many offers have come in for Benny that I’ve given up keeping track of them. The good thing is that after each offer the following team ups the ante by £5,000 while still maintaining the 40% of the next sale and £5 million buy-back clauses.
Now onto our first cup match.
at Newmarket, 18 August 2018
Formation: Spade
Starting XI: Legg, Maguire, Spearing, Carroll, Al-Ziod, Barlow, Smith, Pearson, O’Donnell, Duckett, Kirkpatrick
Subs: Webb, Pilcher, Nightingale, Day, Jefcoate, Thompson, Cullen, Jones, Donaldson, Macey, Taylor, Harding
It takes almost 30 minutes but Duckett finally gets us on the board with his first goal of the season. A few minutes later Kemar gets his second of the season, both have been headers. Repeat that sentence but with “third” instead…for realz! What I’m saying is that it was a convincing win, as expected.
POM: Steve Pearson (1 assist, 5 key passes, 4 chances created)
Two more cup draws come our way. We’ll host two matches: Beaconsfield Town in the Southern League Cup and Guernsey in the FA Vase. Mo’ money, mo’ money!
(Guernsey is a pretty neat team. They play on one of the Channel Islands, English islands just off the French coast around the bend from the beaches of Normandy. I’d like to get there one day.)
As I expected, offering that new contract to Connor Smith has opened the gates for others wanting in on the good stuff. Spearing is one of them. I made him our starting right central defender back in January and he has been solid ever since. I promise I’ll offer him a contract, figuring he’ll be cheaper now.
Speaking of expected…21 August 2018 will go down as a very sad day. Ben O’Donnell a wunderkind who cut his teeth in Brixton is heading for the south coast of England. He has signed with Brighton & Hove Albion. I’m sad to see him go but this is what he wanted. In return we get £45,000 and 40% of any sell-on fee. Once we get to the Premier League I will activate his £5 million buy-back fee. I do not know if that will be available if Brighton sell him on though. Bugger. (He’s making £775/week and was immediately dumped into their U23s. Le sigh.)
Al-Ziod wants a new deal too. I’m thinking that because he didn’t come from Brixton’s Youth Academy he might ask for more money so I’m going to hold off until the end of the season. (His contract runs out at the end of the season but it has a one-year option.) I promise him a contract at the end of the season and he goes away happy. He’s already League Two quality so I hope someone comes swooping in, if I’m being honest with you, Ricki.
Oh yeah! Big crowd expected today! Almost 2,300 fans!
vs. Glossop, 25 August 2018
Formation: Spade
Starting XI: Legg, Maguire, Spearing, Carroll, Al-Ziod, Barlow, Smith, Pearson, Nixon, Duckett, Kirkpatrick
Subs: Webb, Parker, Pilcher, Nightingale, Jefcoate, Donaldson, Harding, Jones, Cullen, Macey, Rae, McAdam
A strange thing happened on the way to the Forum. I had my first tunnel interview. They wanted to know why Daniel Duckett got the Captain’s armband. I didn’t have an option to say, “I need Eddie as a left wing sub and Day is also a sub...so..."
My faith in Duckie is rewarded as at 6’ his cross to Pearson’s head bounces off the underside of the crossbar and into goal. Four minutes later we get a penalty shot and Duckie converts. In the 24th Pearon’s free kick from 19 yards out goes to the upper right where maybe only Bigfoot could have stopped it. Kemar wasn’t impressed so one-ups him with a placed shot from 19 yards out on a great breakaway. And it’s not even the half! The rest of the match is Duckie and Pearson schooling Glossop and by 54’ we’re up 7-0 so I do a full squad swap less Legg.
Wow. Just wow.
POM: Daniel Duckett (3 goals, 2 assists, 2 key passes, 2 chances created)
In financial news, that big home crowd alone brought in around £25,000 in gate receipts and concessions. We are running a good profit, mostly due to the sale of Benny. Woe is me.
Okay, that was a slaughter. Brixton is just too good for this level even with O’Donnell’s departure. I think to level the field I’m going to change course and bring in two new tactics so at least we won’t be so Fluid. That should make us not such a threat. I’ll wait until the start of September; still trying to get Pearson Natural at AMR.
Another week, another draw. For the FA Cup First Qualifying Round we get to host Stocksbridge or Waltham Abbey, both are theoretically equal to us.
Well, this is good news: 805 fans attended our U23s match against Barnet’s U23s on a Monday night. We netted £6,000 for that. We might actually make a profit this season!
So more good news rolls in just before our match against Evesham. Eddie Macey is now a Team Leader. Excellent. Looks like I’ll be making him a regular starter again.
I’m going for heavy rotation again as some of the non-starters are down in the low 80s in Match Fitness. Also I hope to make the game a bit more of a challenge. I also don’t suit up the max number of subs.
at Evesham, 29 August 2018
Formation: Spade
Starting XI: Webb, Parker, Day, Nightingale, Jefcoate, Thompson, Donaldson, Jones, Cullen, Macey, Rae
Subs: Legg, Maguire, Al-Ziod, Harding, McAdam, Hodgson, Nixon, Taylor, Kirkpatrick
In the 7th minute it appears like this might be another easy game. Hearing about the 19-yard special in the previous match, Donaldson matches that effort. Rae’s header off a Cullen cross in the 16th adds insult to injury. Rae gets a brace 16 minutes later. But just before 45’ Eveshame draws blood on a counter-attack!
Cullen restores our three-goal lead right at 49’ and Macey makes it 5-1 exactly 10 minutes later. After some midfield swapping Rae picks up an injury in the 69th and I have to bring in Kemar. Things get exciting in the final 10 when Evesham strike again off a slow build-up. Don’t know why the defense turned off there. A few minutes later Hodgson gets his first Brixton goal and victory is sealed.
POM: Teddy Cullen (1 goal, 2 assists, 5 key passes, 4 chances created)
The news on Rae is almost bad. Damaged foot from being tackled, out 11 days to 2 weeks. Yikes.
Something is wrong with my save. I keep getting £4,500 offers for Pearson so I always so no and select the option that reads, “Reject all offers of equal or lower value” but teams keep coming in with the same offer. (This is not happening with other players.) I manually change his asking price to £100,000 and then I get successive offers of £8.5k, £9k, then £9.5k. You’re getting closer, chaps, just at a glacial pace. Then things get real weird a few hours later. Offers of £12.25k, £13k, £13.75k. By 1900 hours Reading is offering £21,000. The transfer window is closing. Will someone offer £100k before midnight? Turns out the answer is no.
So much sad. Good bye, Benny. I hope you make millions so you can build that Spaceship. Spaceship! Spaceship!
At least we had a good month on the pitch.
