The Career of a Football Manager

Season 2 - December

2010-01-16T10:43:00.008-06:00

December was upon us and i hoped we could shake of the blip in form we were having, just one point in our previous 3 games. I probably shouldn't be too worried though since the last 2 of those games we mor than doubled our opponents shots and were just a little unfortunate not to walk away with more. Anyway enough about last month, we had an away game to start the festive period. Our opponents today are Eastwood, a decent team who are underperforming so far this season in 18th place. We looked the better side from the kickoff, playing our usualcontrolling style of football. Michael Standing stepped up to take a free kick wide on the right just outside of their penalty area. rather than cross the ball as their defence expected he played it short to central defender Martyn Campbell who had time to shoot through the crowd of players and into the top corner past their blindsided keeper. We took the 1-0 lead into halftime allowing them just 2 shots on our goal so i was please with how we had played so far. The second half didn't go quite as planned, as they grabbed the equalizer on 55 minutes. We still looked the better team though but it seemed we would have to settle for the draw. It wasn't to be, as Timmons shot a 30 yard beauty in injury time to steal the game.

We hosted Rushden and Diamonds in the FA trophy 1st round, with them currently sitting in 4th place in the Blue Square Premier so i was not expecting us to fair well. We countered from the beginning and somehow went 2-0 thanks to Ben Wright on 23minutes and 1st half injury time to give us a suprise lead. Rushden got one back early in the second half with a Sam Smith goal and got the equaliser from a penalty, thanks to a soft call from the referee. We were left thinking about what could have been a nice upset, but would have to try again in the replay a few days later.

The replay could not have started better for us, we were up inside 2 minutes by virtue of a weak backpass totheir keeper. Craig King intercepted and shot into the empty net. We led at halftime and doubled our lead soon after, Ben Wright crossed from the left wing to Craig King who grabbed his second of the match on a nice counter attacking play. King got his hat-trick after 87 minutes before they got aconsolation goal in injury time. A shock 3-1 win for Corby and a nice viewing of what we are capable of if we can get promoted this season. One piece of bad news, starting right back Grant Gallacher is out for 7-8 weeks so Olly James will have to step up.

Our recent league form had left us in 2nd place, just ahead of our hosts 3rd place team Harrogate. It was a tight first half with few chances for either side, our best opportunites spurned by Ben Wright. Harrogate grabbed the lead with their first shot, from a corner kick. Rober Dale saved the day on 81 minutes when he finished a Kevin McCloskey pass off. Another game where we had way more chances to win the game than our opponents but couldn't, outshooting our counterparts 13 to 6...football can be a stressful game sometimes!

Our boxing day fixture was a home game against 12th place Redditch. We almost got an early lead but McCloskeys effort hit the bar in the first minute. They immediately got the ball down the other end of the pitch and scored, not the start we had in mind. Michael Standing got us back in it before half time finding some space out wide to shoot home from a narrow angle. It was a difficult match, Reddicth put up a good fight and probably deserved a point but it was out turn for some late dramatics. Ben Currie scored a sensatinoal long range effort on 90 minutes to get us all 3 points and break our 5 game winless streak.

The final game of the year pitted us against Chester who were the favourites win the league after they were relegated from the Blue Square Premier, but have been performing way below expectations sitting in 16th place. They must have been hungry to prove themselves as they ran up a 2-0 lead inside of 15 minutes causing me an unwanted headache. Craig King gave us a chance at getting something out of this one, with a powerful low struck shot that the keeper could not get to. The second half started great for us, King headed down a long ball into the path of fellow striker Ben Wright and he volleyed it in to make it 2-2. We had all the momentum now, firing off shot after shot at the Chester goalkeeper. We finished our superb comeback when they left Wright unmarked for a corner kick, and he does not waste opportunities like that , 3-2 to Corby!

We finished the year in 1st place with 42 points, 2 ahead of 2nd and 7 ahead of the last promotion place. The season is only halfway through and there is still a long and difficult 4 months of football ahead...hopefully we will be here at the end of the season.

Season 2 - November

2010-01-16T09:29:00.010-06:00

I hoped we could follow up a great last month with a similar run of results in November, a month in which we would face some tricky opposition. First up we met Alfreton who are currently in 9th position. Corby had the early pressure and earned ourselves a 2 nil lead in almost no time. John MacBeth exploited the space he was given on the left flank and found Craig King for number one; the asisster turned scorer for the next goal as he whipped in a cross right at their keeper who got caught offguard and turned it into his own net. Alfreton piled the pressure on us in the second half but our defense and keeper held strong once again to clinch a 2-0 victory against last seasons promotion chasers. One piece of bad news is that we would be without Craig King for 2-4 weeks.

Our next league game was against 3rd place Bishop's Stortford. If we could win this game we would be able to extend a gap between us and the rest of the pack...a vital game. We almost went ahead on 12 minutes after McCloskey hit a rocket of a shot goalward but their goalkeeper somehow managed to tip it over the bar. We also had a penalty decision turned down after 19 minutes much to the dismay of my players who surrounded the referee but he was having none of it. Ben Wright had a wonderful volley saved just before the break so we ended the half 0-0. There were not too many chances on goal by either team in the first half and hopefully the second half would be an improvement. The 2nd half played out pretty much the same as the 1st half had until about 70 minutes when the game got a bit crazy. Bishop's Stortford took the lead from a direct free kick from a dangerous position on the edge of our box. We grabbed an equalizer from a corner kick, Ben Wright tapped it home after a scuffle in the area on 75 minutes. On 83 minutes they grabbed the lead back again although the replay showed that it looked like an offside, my defenders could not believe it. we lost a hard fought game that in all fairness probably should have been a draw.

The first FA Trophy match of the season for us was a home tie against non league Bedford in the 3rd qualifying round. We got an early lead, Micheal Standing found some space in their area and placed a shot past the keeper from 10 yards out. Although we had the lionshare of possession and chances on goal thats the way it stayed until 60 minutes. We doubled our lead after a Ben Wright pass caught their defense flat footed as Paul Currie ran through unopposed and curled a beauty around their outstrectched goalie. Bedford clawed one back against the run of play on 70 minutes but it turned out to be nothing more than consolation goal, the game finished 3-1 and Corby marched onto the next round of the competition.

Hopefully we could bounce back from a tough loss in that last league game as we hosted 11th placed Gainsborough. Before the game we were sitting 4 pts clear of second place with a game in hand after Bishop's Stortford (who beat us last in the last league game) could only manage a draw. This was a golden opportunity for us to put some distance between us and 2nd place. After 25 minutes of the game we had already carved out 8 shots on goal, i hope we wouldn't rue those missed chances. In first half injury time Gainsborough took the lead depite hardly having a sniff at goal thus far. I was a little miffed because we had 11 shots and they only had 3, of course it only takes 1 shot to score :( The lads came out fired up for the second half and we got a deserved equalizer from a Ben Wright free kick after 50 minutes. We continued to control the game but we couldn't make our possession count for more, we ended the game with 61%! The game ended in a 1-1 draw but there was no doubt who the happier team was with the point. We had 16 total shots while Gainsborough managed just 4, i guess as long as we continue to have this sort of dominance the results should take care of themselves.

We were still sitting pretty at the top of the league as 14th placed Blyth came to the Rockingham Triangle. The first shot of the game went in, unfortunately it was not for us and we found ourselves chasing the game right from the beginning. We looked the more dangerous team in front of our home fans but went into the break still searching for an elusive equalizer despite our stranglehold in this match. Robert Dale almost goton the scoresheet today but it was not our day as his volleyed effort just scraped over the bar, leaving us to wonder how we did not manage to get anything out of this one. Blyth had only 5 shots of which 2 were on target whilst we had 17 but could only get 4 on target. I was a little dissapointed with the amount of wasted shots we had but thats football.

With another month over we are still sitting in 1st place by 2 points. I have to say that I am a litle dissapointed though because we have only managed to get 1 point in the last 2 league games despite dominating both of them. If we won both of them like i think we deserved to we would have an 8 point lead...hopefully we can shake off the last couple of games and get back to winning ways.

Season 2 - October

2010-01-15T22:13:00.019-06:00

The season was moving along and it was October before we knew it. Our first game of the month was a league encounter at home to Southport, who lost in the playoff final last year after being pipped to the title on the final game of the season. We came into the game with a perfect home record and Southport a 3 game unbeaten streak...so something had to give today. It was a fairly dull first half which ended 0-0, both teams having trouble getting chances at goal. It was a tight game but Corby got into it more in the second half. Craig King had a breakaway chance but their keeper saved the one on one to keep the score level. We finally broke the deadlock when Brian Gilfillan found himself in the right place at the right time to head home the winner from a Paul Currie corner kick.

We had a tricky FA cup 3rd qualifying round tie away to league leaders Bishops Stortford who are flying high after just getting promoted into our division. They looked dangerous infront of goal and we could consider ourselves lucky that their 10th minute goal was disallowed for being offside. We took the lead on 13 after jack Defty (only playing because starting strikers Wright and King are ineligible) latched onto a 25 yard long ball to give us a 1-0 lead that we took into halftime. To be truthful we were a little lucky to be winning, and Bishops Stortford got a deserved equalizer on 55 minutes from their troublesome striker Sheringham. Both teams had crucial chances for victory late on in the game; Robert Dale missed a one on one and just moments later our keeper Michael Dormand saved a penalty to keep the score level. It was a good game which could have gone either way but neither team could complain to much about the draw.

Just a few days later we played the replay, this time i hoped our fans could make the difference for us. It did not start out too well do us as Kevin McCloskey gave away possession cheaply and Ricky Holmes gave Bishop's Stortford the lead. It was a very entertaining match with several chances from both teams, the goalkeepers kept very busy today. We went into the break chasing the game 1-0 but we but up a good fight in the second half. Robert Dale had a nice opportunity to equalise on 53 but shot straight at the keeper. We started to dominate as the second half advanced on and finally got the equalizer when Diggin recieved a pass in the box and fired it into the corner of the net, 1-1. The match finished at 1-1 and it was onto a tense overtime. We passed the ball around despite our tired legs and looked like we could grab the winner. Our best chance of the first extra time period was wasted by Robert Dale as he again was denied by the keeper on a one on one breakaway. We pretty much camped out infront of their box during the second half of overtime but could not finish them off. We had 24 shots with 10 on target and they managed 8 shots with 3 on target all game, so we definetly had our chances to win this cup tie. We would have to hope that we could win it on penalties. As often seems to be the case the best team on the day did not win the shootout, it ended 4-2 to Bishop's Stortford.

We had to put that unlucky loss out of our minds and conentrate on our next league game. Our opponent for this away game was newly promoted Nuneaton Town, who have only won once this season and are in dead last. We controlled from the get go and it seemed to be only a matter of time until we would score. They were reduced to 10 men after 21 minutes worsening their chances to grab anything from the game. We had many chances but just couldn't hit the back of the net, although i had a feeling that if we could get one goal more would follow. Ben Wright finally got us going with a quality effort from the edge of the box. The 10 men of Nuneaton Town crumbled after the first goal went in, backup central defender Starkey getting on the scoresheet from a corner and then Craig King headed a Graham Tatters cross home to make it 3-0. Then Robert Dale got a much needed confidence boosting goal after he finished a nice one two move with Ben Wright to place a shot past their keeper. Ben Wright put the icing on the cake as he made it 5-0 thanks to a Brett Solkhorn pass.

Next up we hosted another struggling team, 21st placed Workington who were facing an injury crisis with 5 players out injured. We controlled the first half and got a derserved lead by virtue of a quickly taken Michael Standing corner kick finding Brett Solkhorn unmarked for an easy tap in for his first goal of the season. I was happy with our performance, that was until they equalised after we somehow left one of their players totally unmarked on an indirect free kick to let them back in the game cheaply. Fortunately Robert Dale saved the day when he got us an injury time winner after some left wing trickery by McCloskey to give us the 2-1 victory.

We finished October by travelling to 18th place Worchester. It was a good away display by my lads the highlight of the first half a McCloskey through ball that found Ben Wright who managed to turn their last defender and power a shot past their helpless keeper. We continued to look comfortable in the second half and got a second when Craig King chested down a McCloskey cross (his second assist of the game) and shoot into the roof of the net. Another quality Corby performance showing that we were dangerous both at home and on the road.

October was a great month for our promotion aspirations, as we looked impressive in all of our league outings. We have a 5 point lead over 2nd place and are 8 points clear of the last playoff position. I won the manager of the month award for guiding us upto 1st place winning all four league games managining to score 10 times and only conceding 1 goal. I was particularly impressed by our stingy defence, we had so far only allowed about a goal every 2 games.

Season 2 - September

2010-01-15T00:02:00.013-06:00

September would begin with an important away game at undefeated Braintree, who are sitting in second place on goal difference just one point ahead of us. They have a very tough defense so far, and haven't conceded a goal in 279 minutes. As expected the game was a close affair with very few opportunities early on. They came closest in the early going with a free kick that hit the bar from 30 yards out. Just when it seemed the half would end in a nil-nil stalemate Craig King played a poor pass back to our defense and their young striker Bolger picked up the ball and shot pass our goalie to give them a 1-0 lead at the break. The momentum was in Corbys favor for much of the second half, and we had several chances to score. Perhaps we would have even been ahead but their goalkeeper was earning his pay today by keeping his team ahead. We fought hard to peg them back and scored with just minutes remaining, only for the ref to call it offside, leaving my players insensed about the decision. It looked like we had lost this one, but lady luck shined on us as we profited from an error on their part. Micheal Standing curled in a corner towards the front post and their scorer Bolger tried to clear it from danger but the ball skimmed off the top of his head and into his own teams goal. A bit fortunate perhaps, but a fair result in the end.

After the late drama of the last game i hoped we could continue the good run of form into the next game as we hosted 6th place Solihull who beat us both times last season. It was a clse game with both teams looking like they could score. Fortunately we did thanks to a McCloskey through ball for Craig King to put away on 37 minutes. Michael Standing doubled our lead minutess later after left back Graham Tatters crosse over a nice ball for him to place in the back of the net. After the break we kept our composure and defended the lead well, giving them few chances to get back in it. Our better quality of possession paid dividends in this victory.

Just 3 days later we travelled to 16th place Stalybridge. These are the type of games we would need to win over the season if we are to gain promotion, something we did not do enough of last season. We got an early goal with a Robert Dale penalty and ended the half 1-0 up. Craig King had a nice headed goal denied for offide after the restart but it didnt matter as one goal was enough to take home all 3 points. After this victory we climbed upto the top of the table on goal difference.

On to our first foray into the FA Cup, a 2nd round qualifying round game at home to non league Waltham Abbey. My starting strikers are both ineligible so i looked to Robert Dale who has not really got going yet after his pre-season injury, and Jack Defty. The underdogs took a shock lead from their first effort, a volley from a corner kick. Jack Defty pulled us level soon after to reduce the chances of an upset. He grabbed his second of the game later on in the half, this time from a corner kick which he headed home. Waltham Abbey tried to take the game to us after the break but we got a third to remove any doubt from sub striker Diggin, who latched onto a long ball to finish of a nice counter attacking move and give Corby the 3-1 win.

Back to the league once again, as we travelled to struggling Vauxhall who are sitting in 16th place but have a much better squad than their lowly position would suggest. We got off to a bad start, conceding a goal within 10 minutes from the opening kickoff. We had opportunities of our own from King but their goalkeeper made an excellent save, and from Ben Wright who managed to beat the keeper but not the post as his effort rebounded to safety. The second half was ours for the taking but a 30 yard strike from them against the run of play put the game out of reach. We had a similar amonut of shots as Vauxhall but our finishing infront of goal cost us a share of the points.

With that loss we ended the month in 4th place only 2 points behind first placed Bishop's Stortford, with the top two still undefeated after 9 games.

Season 2 - August

2010-01-12T17:14:00.012-06:00

The media gave us odds of 20-1 for the title this season, saying that while we were not favourites we should be lingering around the top half of the table most of the season. The board agreed, but i want to at least reach the playoffs this time around after getting so close last year. We had 5 games scheduled for August and i wanted to get some early momentum for what i hope will be a successful season.

We opened our season with a home game against newly promoted Nantwich Town. I was looking forwards to getting the season started in a positive manner in spite of the fact that last years top scorer Robert Dale would be out of action for a month due to a pre-season injury. That left the task of scoring upto my pair of loanee strikers Craig King and Ben Wright. I was pleased with the start we made, we looked comfortable on the ball as we passed and probed the ball around the field looking for opportunities on goal. Our first goal of the season capped off a nice move that was started on the left touchline by John MacBeth who found Michael Standing with space in centerfield who fed a first touch through ball for Craig King to slot home on 38 minutes. Nantwich did not manage a single shot on goal on before halftime and they continued to struggle as we dominated them all over the pitch. The score should have been much higher than the final 1-0 result showedbut we could not turn or 18 shots into more goals. Either way its still a win and a nice way to start the season.

Next up was the first away game for us as we faced last seasons 11th placed team Hyde. We took the bull by the horns in this one, almost scoring after 19 minutes when Ben Wright powered a shot that rattled the crossbar. We finally did take the lead after continued pressure when Paul Currie broke down the right wing and passed to the edge of the box for Ben Wright to slot home. Craig King had a chance to double Corbys lead just minutes later but his effort hit the post so we took a 1-0 lead into halftime. We continued to control the game and got a deserved second with a 25 yard scorcher from Paul Currie just after the hour. Hyde never looked threatening, and we could have scord a third on 80 after Ben Wright threatened their goal again as he hit the post from a direct free kick. A well earned 2-0 away victory to Corby.

We entertained Ilkeston, last seasons 4th place finishers at the Rockingham Triangle in a game which would be an early example of our chances for promotion. First blood went to Corby as Craig King took advantage of a quality Ben Wright pass after only 10minutes. It was a back and forth match, with the pivotal moment of the game coming after we were awarded a dubious penalty. Right winger Paul Currie stepped up to give us the 2-0 lead at halftime. Ilkeston tried to get back into the game but we hassled well and did not allow them many chance to do so. They did pull one back after 84 from a corner but it was just a consolation goal as we held them of for the win, 2-1.

We took our 100% record to Fleetwood who were continuing to be one of the better teams just like last season. Their pacey strikeforce was giving us trouble and they took a deserved lead on 35 with a goal from in form striker Daniel Nardiello. At halftime i told the lads we could win this game, and they tried their best to find an equaliser. Captain Brett Solkhorn had the pick of our chances but unfortunately shot straight at the keeper. A 1-0 loss, our first defeat of the season.

Our final game of the month would be at home to Droylsden who are dead last in 22nd and winless so far. This should be the perfect team for us to play to get back to winning ways. We got a goal from Craig King on 14 minutes and never looked back from there. Kevin McCloskey doubled our lead on 25 before defender Brian Gilfillan scored from a corner to give us a comfortable 3-0 lead at the break. Droyslden scored a penalty just after the restart but we went goal crazy after that. Ben Wright grabbed himself a nice solo goal on 56 minutes, and Brian Gilfillan got his second of the game to make it 5-1. Craig King was ran their defence ragged today, getting 2 late goals to complete his hat-trick. The final score was 7-1, a league record for the highest scoring game!

August ended with Corby in 3rd place and just 1 point hehind joint leaders newly promoted Bishop's Stortford and Braintree. We also got our first accolade of the season as central defender Brian Gilfillan earned the player of the month award with 2 goals and an average rating of 7.54.

Season 2 Pre-season

2010-01-12T16:31:00.019-06:00

Hello again :) and welcome to the start of my second season in charge of Corby Town. The squad returned from vacation looking much different from that which ended last season in 8th place just outside of the playoffs. Alot of my team had contracts expiring so i decided to just keep those key players to my starting eleven and allow the backups to leave so that my wage budget could be kept to a minimum. This allowed some more wiggle room with which to bring in new talent for the upcoming season. With all of the expiring players and the incoming youth players (none of which were decent enough to make the team) released we had a squad of just 14 players.

I had to bring in quite a few players to make sure we could compete but since money was tight the board did not allow me any money in the transfer kitty, so it was much the same as last season with free transfers and loans. Here's a list of everyone who joined us over pre-season:

Martyn Campbell - Will be used in central defense to play alongside defensive mainstay from last season Brian Gilfillan. The 29 year old has previous playing experience with Ayr in the scottish second division.

Paul Currie - Bought in as backup for the right wing slot usually occupied by Michael Standing who will also be used in central midfield when neccessary for injuries and when others are in need of a rest. The scot had a successful spell on loan last season at Berwick in the scottish third division before we picked him up on a free transfer.

Grant Gallacher - The 19 year old will be competing at right back with Olly James who returns from last season. The youngster was released be Celtic after he did not make the grade.

Craig King - One of my two season long loans, will be expected to help last years top goalscorer Robert Dale with the goalscroring burden.

Hector Mackie - Youngster who was bought in from Blue Square South side Weymouth and has alot of experience in the lower leagues of england despite being just 22. Will start at left wing.

John MacBeth - Expected to offer backup to Mackie for the left wing position. Has previous experience with several lower league scottish clubs.

Ben Wright - If you've read the preious posts you will recognize him from last season. Brought in to play up front along with new fellow loanee King and last years star Robert Dale. Did well for us last season with 15 goals and 4 assists in 36 appearances.

We played several pre-season friendlies to whip the boys into shape. We played against weaker opposition than we will be facing week in week out in the league but it has hopefully helped the team to gel together faster than last seasons opening games where we struggled to get out of the gate. I won't go into much detail with the result but we were undefeated and looked impressive, allowing just one goal.

Season 1 Part 4

2010-01-09T19:04:00.000-06:00

Hi and welcome back to The Corby story. Last time round we had some good form at the end of the year but suffered a bit from those pesky new years jitters. Im hoping we can shake it off and challenge for promotion as we are sitting in a decent position just a few points behind 1st place.

It was 5th verus 3rd as we played against Solihull, who beat us in a close one last time around. We had a chance to take an early lead but hit the bar on 6 minutes, and then fell behind to a 14th minute effort that my defenders thought was offside. We went in at the break 1-0 down and it got worse soon after the restart as central defender Brian Gilfillan made a rare mistake to gift them a 2 goal lead. We tried to reduce the deficit but could not work any magic in this one and it stayed 2-0 to the home team.

We had to pick ourselves up from that last result a few days ago when we travelled to Eastwood who were winning the league not so long ago but now languishing in 13th place. We got an early goal from loan striker Ben Wright who could have made it 2 but for an excellent save from their goalkeeper to keep them in it. We again lost a lead just after the second half started when they got back i the game with a goal on 50 minutes from a corner kick. It went from bad to worse at right back Paul Mayo was sent off on 65 for a second yellow card offence. We did our best to hold them off but they broke us late on to snatch it 2-1.

We now had a home against league leaders Southport who are top by 3 points. We needed a win as we were down to 9th place, we got one but i could never have expected to guess the result in a million years! They were down to 10 men for a professional foul just 3 minutes in, and Robert Dale put away the penalty to give us the lead. He scored his second of the game after 5 minutes, his 10th of the season since he joined Corby. Dale got his hat-trick on 14 after a ncie Solkhorn pass put him through one on one with the keeper. We were really coasting against the league leaders now and scored two more before half-time with a Ben Wright double..5-0! Our scoring was not done yet though, and neither was Robert Dale as he scored on 61 minutes and in injury time to grab himself 5 goals for the day (a club and league record) as we ran riot in this one winning 7-0...the stuff dreams are made of!

I hoped we could follow on from that historic win against lowly 17th placed Vauxhall. We had more chances at goal but could not conjure up any of the magic from the previous game, and it unfortunately this one ended in a 0-0 stalemate. At least we did not lose any ground on those above us as there were lots of draws in this weeks fixtures.

It is getting to be crunch time now with just 6 games to go in the league season. We are at home to mid table Hyde and just 4 points behind the last promotion spot. Robert Dale got on the scoresheet once again after he pounced on a McCloskey shot that their keeper could not hold onto. We led 1-0 at halftime and were in control of the game. I had to sub out our top goalscorer Robert Dale on 57 minutes due to injury, i hope it is just a short term knock as we will need his goalscring presence down the final stretch. His replacement Jack Defty put us 2 -0 up after putting away a cross from right winger Standing after the hour. They clawed one back but we held on for a win to keep us in touch of the pack. Unfortunately after the physio had looked more at Robert Dales injury he would be ruled out for 8 weeks to 2 months which is the rest of the season. This is a huge blow to our promotion chances and i hope we can manage to stay in contention without him.

We travelled to 18th placed Redditch who were 13 games without a win so we should be able to get an easy 3 points in the bag and move closer to those promotion spots. We played terribly in this one and got exactly what we deserved...nothing. Redditch led 2-0 at halftime and dominated the game from start to finish.

I consider every game from on asmust win if we are to reach my aim of getting into the playoffs. Gloucester was our opponent today, in 14th in the table with little to play for but pride. Gloucester took a lead early on with a cracker from 25 yards out and we could have tied it up before halftime but Ben Wrights shot cannoned off the crossbar. I upped the tempo and it seemed to work as we began to gain the lionshare of goal chances for the rest of the game. Our persistance paid off as sub striker Steve Diggin headed one home from a Steve Towers cross. The game ended 1-1 which i guess was not too bad since we were on the road.

We are currently in 9th and hosted 7th place Alfreton knowing that these are the games we must win to have any chance of sneaking into the playoff with only 4 games left. It was 0-0 at halftime but held them to no shots at all so far and should probably have been leading after wasting some good goalscoring opportunities, if only Dale wsa not injured im sure he would have scored one of them. Alfreton took the lead on a breakaway, dissapointing since they have only had a few chances thus far. Diggin saved the day for us again with a late equaliser but they could not have any arguments to be honest as we were the better team on the day. Only wins are good enough for us now as with this draw our chances of making the playoffs are slim.

We were at home to Stalybridge who are in 17th and have nothing to play for since they are well clear of relegation. They hammered us 3-0 the first time we met so i wanted revenge in this crucial match. We are 4 points behind 5th with 3 games to go, we must find a way to win to keep our dreams alive. We played with fire in our bellies but went into the break tied at 0-0. Wright almost gave us the lead after 54 minutes when his header from a cross just skimmed over the bar by a whisker. Our dreams went up in flames when they got us with a suckerpunch goal from basically their only chance of the entire game. It was a dissapointing 1-0 loss as we deserved at least a draw from this one.

we have to travel to 4th placed Telford with us now 6 points behind the last promotion spot. The only way we can make it now is by our better goal difference so as unlikely as it is if we win today we are still not totally out of the race yet. It was a tight game with neither team giving up much in midfield as you might expect from two teams so close together at this point of the season. I risked it and pushed at them with everything we had and it paid off as Ben Wright grabbed us all 3 points by virtue of an 83rd minute goal.

Our final game of the season would be infront of the Corby faithful as we played Farsley who are sitting dead last in the table and have been doomed for relegation a longtime since they started with minus 10 points due to financial irregularities. I know that our fate was out of our own hands as we needed the 3 teams above us to all lose but i guess stranger things have been known to happen in the beautiful game. All i could hope for was that we would at least do our part by winning our game and just wait to see if it was good enough. We got the lead before half time with a Solkhorn headed goal to lead at halftime 1-0. Our chances of winning improved as they were reduced to 10 men just before the hour which allowed the floodgates to open. We ended up winning 4-0 after Strachan, Diggin and Wright all got on the scoresheet. Not a bad way to end the season :)

Unfortunately we did not manage to sneak into the playoffs as i had hoped but there were many positives for the season. We finished in 8th place just 3 points behind the final playoff spot at 12 behind eventual winners Hinckley who snuck the automatic place on the final day of the season. We had the 5th most goals, the 2nd least allowed and tied for best goal difference. Hopefully if i can bring in some new talent we can push for the league title.

Here is Corbys form over the season if your interested. You can see that after a rough start we had our moments but just fell a little short when it mattered most at the end of the season. Most of my regular starting 11 had an average rating very near or over 7 so weplayed pretty well overall. A few people who did particularly well are Robert Dale who finished one goal away from being the leagues top scorer, earning himself a place on the league player of the year shortlist, as well as my captain Brett Solkhorn who had the highest average rating with a 7.17 and was the fans player of the season.

Season 1 Part 3

2010-01-09T10:53:00.000-06:00

Hello again everyone its time for the 3rd of 4 updates for my first season in charge of Corby Town. So far we have managed to crawl our way up the Blue Square North table after a bit of an early injury crisis and a slow start. Lets hope we can continue with our good run :)

It was Droylsden's turn to visit the Rockingham Traingle ground which was becoming something of a fortress (5 straight wins at home). Since we got knocked out of the FA Trophy so early my lads had a nice 14 day rest to start the month of December. The game should be a close one as we were just 3 points behind league leaders Droylsden who were on a 3 match unbeaten run. We took a deserved lead on 27 minutes after Robert Dale picked the ball up on the halfway line and ran through to score a 35yard effort he lobbed over their charging keeper. It got better for us as they were reduced to 10 men after Dale was fouled trying to get onto a nice defense splitting pass. Just after halftime we scored again, this time Ben Wright had to just tap in a Chris Herd corner that landed right at his feet. They pulled one back after 64 minutes but we held on for a crucial win 2-1 win.

we were upto 5th place now and played host to 11th placed Gainsborough who had won 3 straight without conceding. The game started out vey edgy with neither team making too many opportunities. After 27 minutes they scored a header from a left wing cross, i noticed my right winger Michael Standing was carrying a knock and was getting burned on the wing so i had to replace him as they were getting to many chances in this area of the pitch. Ben Wright equalized for us just before the half when he jumped onto a poor backpass to their goalie to tap into an empty net. The halftime teamtalk wasnt pleasant for the lads and i told them i was dissapointed and expect nothing less than a win. Seems like they listened because we got a fast goal from a wonderful direct free kick by Ben Wright that flew into the top corner. I was happy with my boys and looking forward to another 3 points until a lapse in concentration in injury time cost us the win with a sloppy goal...my fans weren't happy about this one either, and the game ended 2-2. After the physio had gotten a better look at Standing's injury he told me we would be missing him for 4-5 weeks...i hope my backups can fill his boots as he has done well for us so far this season.

We travelled to 5th place Ilkeston for the last game of 2009. We were just one place and one point behind them and i wanted a win since they pipped us the 1st time around 1-0 in a game we should have drawn. Steve Towers took his opportunity to start of the right wing (in place of injured Standing) wonderfully with a goal on 27 minutes to give us the lead ater he punced on a rebound from Ben Wrights powerful shot. We were looking good for our 1-0 lead for much of the match but it got a little nerve wracking near the end as they piled on the pressure. Right at the death, in the 5th minut of injury time sub forward Jack Defty capitalized on a mistake to make it 2-0 and guarantee us a nice away win :)

This win actually moved us upto 1st place for the first time (only on goal difference but it still counts), hopefully we could stay there for the rest of the season. It seems like every game theres a new leader since no team has stretched away from the pack after 24 games. Just to give you an idea of how close it is in the Blue Square North theres only 3 points seperating us and 12th place! I also got the manager of the month award for December for winning 4 of the 5 games and drawing the other :)

Our new years day game was against gainsborough at home, a team we had just played a few games ago and gotten a point against. We started out well early on as Paul Mayo playing at right back for injured Olly James put away a 7th minute penalty. unfortunately for us Graham Tatters gave the ball away and they got an equalizer on 27. Tatters made another mistake before halftime by fouling one of their players to give away a penalty, we went into the break 2-1 down. We came out looking for an equalizer and got it when McCloskey passed to Robert Dale who rounded the goalie to make it 2-2. We just didnt want to win today it seemed as we let in their striker Luke Beckett to complete his hat trick. We managed to scrape a draw out as we had a dubious penalty decision go our way and Mayo scored his 2nd of the day to tie it up 3-3.

We wre now 6 games unbeaten as we hosted Blyth who are a few places below us at the moment. We went ahead on 27 minutes with a nice Gavin Strachan pass that was finished off by Ben Wright. We controlled this one not looking troubled by Blyths front line for most of the game but we allowed a goal which the replay should was way offside, they must have slipped the linesman some cash at halftime i think. Unfortunatley we couldn't retake the lead and it finished a 1-1 draw.

We were still on a nice unbeated run but hadn't won for a few games now so i was eager to get Corby back on trak with a win against 10th place Hinkley. Did'nt quite turn out that way for us today as we got outclassed in the rain and deserved to lose the game perhaps by more than the 1-0 goal showed. Hopefully we could bounce back with another win next game as we are starting to slide back down the table and are winless so far this year.

We were now down to 6th and playing 5th placed Solihull next, just oone point separating the two teams. We knicked a lead just before halftime through Robert Dale after Ben Wright set him up nicely. I told the boys not to get complacent at the teamtalk,although it seemed like they didnt pay much attention as we let them tie the game up with a headed goal from a corner. We had a couple of decent chances here to take the lead again but then we fell behind 2-1 after they scored a cracker from 25 yards out that my keeper Dormand could do nothing about. We were unfortunate not to at least take a point away from this game but thats football.

I was hoping we could break our new year duck by getting our first win away at 17th place Harrowgate. We did not start out too well, going down to a 4th minute goal so we had to roll our sleeves up early on and chase the game. Wright got us back in it with a free kick goal, that his 10th for us this season. I told the team i exopected a win today and they replied to my request by going ahead on 52 minutes when Chris Herd finished off a move set up by captain Brett Solkhorn. It looked like we finally would get a much needed win but i spoke to soon as they equalized just before the death...very disapointing :(

We had now slipped to 8th in the league and i badly wanted to stop the rot (5 winless) as we entertained Fleetwood who were on a 5 game unbeaten streak and lying in 4th place. Michael Standing capped off a nice passing move by Corby to give us a 26th minute lead. At halftime they only had 2 shots which were both off target, looking good so far against an in form team. We double our lead when they scored an own goal from a Chris Herd corner. Robert dale put the final nail in the Fleetwood coffin with a placed finish on 71 minutes to give us the much needed 3 points. It was an impressive corby performance as we kept them to just 3 off target shots all game.

Next up was Workington who are underachieving in 16th place. We dominated the first half and looked to be up 1-0 when Ben Wright scored but it was called for offsides, my players could not believe it. We finally got on in the net that counted when Michael Standing slotted home after a nice one two with sub gavin Strachan on 75 minutes. We got the win we deserved in this one holding them to just a few shots at our goal.

That brings us upto 31 league games played, and the end of part 3 of the season. Corby are sitting in 5th place, the last promotion spot just ahead of a whole host of teams within a few point of us. If we are to make a playoff spot we must get a good run of results going as there is just 10 games left to play and so many teams with a chance. Stay posted for the final part of my first season in charge at Corby Town.

Season 1 Part 2

2010-01-08T18:23:00.001-06:00

Hello again, Im back with the latest update for Corby Town! Hopefully we can improve on our 16th position in the league and get a decent FA cup run going, we could definetly use the money :)

.Our first game with my new tactical change would be away at underperforming Droylsden who were lying in 12th place but expected to do much better by the media. They must have been fired up as they scored after just 4 minutes leaving us chasing the game from the get go. We had several chances from many players including Solkhorn and starting striker Jason Lee who had still yet to score after he was through one on one but had his effort blocked by their keeper. We were a little unlucky to lose as we had more than twice the efforts on goal they did but again our poor finishing costs us the points.

Next we had an FA cup 2nd rounnd qualifying match against non-league Cambridge City so i hoped we could boost our confidence by getting an easy win in front of the largest crowd of the season we have had so far of 436. Jason Lee finally did what he was being paid for and scored after their goalie deflected a shot into his path. This was his first goal in 11 hours!!! I think i will have to start giving more chances to my other forwards because thats terrible dont you agree? Either way we won the game only 1-0 but could have scored many more as we never looked in trouble against weaker opposition. Jason Lee could have scored again but actually hit the woodwork for the 4th or 5th time this season.

Back to the league, and a home game versus Eastwood who were in 1st place with just one loss so far. Hopefully my lads would be feeling good after a good fa cup performance. It was also the debut for Graham Tatters who came in on a free to play at left back. Eastwood almost took the lead after 13 minutes after Olly James made a mistake but lucky for us they missed a glorioud chance. Ben Wright stepped up to take a free kick just outside the box and bent it around the wall past the goalkeeper on 39 to give us a halftime lead against the league leaders! We controlled most of the second half too and managed to pull of a surprise win against an in form team. So far this new tactical change was looking good as we had many more shots than in other games and are harder to creat chances against, we had 15 shots and them just 4 all game. We definetly have a chance in this league if we can do this to the top teams, hopefully we can get some sort of run going!

Back to the FA cup, this time we played at home against non league Bedford in the 3rd qualifying round. We took the lead after just one minute as recent left back signing Graham Tatters crossed from the left wing for Solkhorn to head home. We almost went 2 up after Gavin Strachan scored but he was judged to have fouled a player. It didnt matter though as Steve Diggin a backup forward scored on 26 minutes for his 1st of the season with a well placed shot. We ended up deserved 2-0 winners thats now 3 wins in a row.

We travelled to 17th placed Hyde who were just a few points below us. We take the lead on 43 minutes as in form midfielder Solkhorn plays a great through ball for Ben Wright to hit home, one that the commentaor said no keeper in the world would have saved, lets hope he can do this more often! I was hoping we could protect our 1-0 lead for the rest of the match but they scored a by a quick counter attack just after the restart. The game finished 1-1 but i felt we should have won this one as we looked the better side, but at least we are now unbeaten in 4 games the best run so far this season.

This time around in the 4th qualifying round we would have to play much stronger opposition as Rushden and Diamonds who were in the playoff places in the league above us, visited the rockingham triangle. We were big underdogs for this one but we had already met the fans expectations for the FA cup so there was nothing to lose infront of a bumper crowd of 781 (not much really but our stadium only holds 3000 people). Rushden scored 2 early goals after 10 and 25 minutes but we managed to put up a good fight against our local rivals and ended the game fairly equal on shots which was the one promising sign of the defeat.

I was a little shocked at what comes next because its not like my team were lighting up the league or anything but the media was saying that i was odds on for the job at struggling Newport County who had just sacked their manager because they were stuck in the relegation zone over in the Blue Square South. Of course i turned it down as i do not want to jump ship, the Corby fans were happy with my decision to stay :)

Lets see if we could bounce back with a win against Telford who are sitting in 4th place and unbeaten in their last 7 league games. So far we seem to do better against the higher up teams which is a little strange, hopefully we could do it again. the first half ended 0-0 after we both had a few close chances but the goalkeepers were earning their money to keepit goaless so far. On 66 minutes Brian Gilfillan scored a diving header from the front post on a corner by loanee Chris Herd. They came at us with all they had and we doubled our lead to 2-0 through sub winger Steven Towers after they made a mistake at the back. Another shock win for us :)

We tried to continue our good league form as we go to Farsley who are relegation candidates with no wins in their last 7 games. We missed an early chance to take the lead as ben Wright shot against the crossbar after only 6 minutes. Brian Gilfillan was our saviour again as he headed a goal in from a Chris Herd corner. Thats now 2 in a row for the central defender! We held on from a late onslaught to get a 1-0 win.

October was a good month for us as i got my first manager of the month award leading Corby to 3 league wins and 1 draw. More impressive was that our central defender Brian Gilfillan was the player of the month, he was looking to be an impressive signing with an average rating over 7 and a couple of goals to his name :)

I also managed to sign promising player Robert Dale from Blyth Spartans, he was someone i looked at early in the pre-season but i waited to see first how our forwards did as he would cost alot for what money we had. I decided it was worth the risk as i need someone who could get us some goals so i splashed out a club recored 40 thousand pounds for him(previous record was only 3,000), all of it over installments over 48 months. He can play both at left wing and upfront and was Blyths top scorer so far this season with 8 goals, their fans were not happy to see him go :)

In form Corby played host to Stafford in this Dale's debut game lets hope he can provide us the goalscoring presence we needed. Corby to the lead after Jack Defty scored from the penalty spot on 22 minutes and Dale scored on his first game for us with a low driven shot from a pass by left winger McCloskey. Then Michael Standing put us 3-0 up with a powerful volley after evertualman of the match Jack Defty chiped a nice ball over their defender. Just when it looked like we would cost to an easy win they pulled 2 goals back on 80 and 82 minutes but we wrapped it up for good to make it 4-2 after Jack Defty got his 2nd assist of the game when Olly James tapped one in.

Next up was struggling Northwich away who beat us 1-0 the first time we played so i was looking for revenge from our lads. They scored after 6 minutes through the same person who scored past us last time we met, forward Jon Newby. We pulled it back almost right away on 11 minutes with yet another Gilfillan header from a Chris herd corner! Thats the 3rd time thats happened in just a few games...footballs a strange game sometimes :) Unfortunatly we couldn't score again and the game ended 1-1 which was probably the right result. At least our unbeaten league form continues and we are now upto 12th with a record of 7 wins 3 draw 7 losses and an even goal difference. We are closing the gap on the last playoff spot(5th) just 3 points behind.

We played hosts to highflying Workington who were in 3rd place and doingmuch better than the media predicted pre-season. Corby come into the game unbeaten in 6 and looking to maintain our excellent home record. We couldnt have started better with Dale scoring from a pass by McCloskeyafter just 32 seconds! Dale scored his second on 3 minutes after a long pass from center back Gilfillan set him through on goal with just the keeper to beat. Corby were really coasting now and scored a 3rd on 25 minutes as Dale completed his hat trick after midfielder one a well timed tackling and played a one time perfect through ball. Seemed like other players on my team wanted to get in on the action including my other foward Jack Defty after gavin Strachan played him through on goal. we led at halftime 4-0 and i couldnt have been happier. Unless a miracle came for them they should be done for. Workington managed to pull one back just after halftime but we scored number 5 through sub striker Diggin after another Strachan assist. As if 5-1 wasnt embarassing enough their goalie fluffed a corner and scored an own goal. 6-1 easily the best performance ive seen from us this season with several player ratings over 8 and Dale getting man of the match with a 9.4...incredible :)

We hoped to carry this incredible form into the FA Trophy 3rd qualifying round as we met Hampton and Richmond in what promised to be a tough game as they were leading the Blue Square South. The game was a tight one with very few chances on goal. It was a 0-0 bore draw which meant we would be heading to their place 3 days later for the replay.

We showed some signs of promise early on in this one but came a bit unstcuk against Hampton and Richmond who were very tough to break down at the back yet again as they played a 5-3-2 formation with wingbacks and a sweeper. They took the lead on 25 minutes with a scorcher from Yaku who fired into the top corner from 30 yards out.Herd almost equalized on 37 minutes but his effort smacked the bar and then it was all downhill for us from there. We ended up losing 4-1 with McCloskey getting the consolation goal for us after an excellent cross from ever present right back Olly James. I was dissapointed with our performance as we had 68% possession but did not do much with it, and now had to worry about tired legs for the next league game in a few days. To be honest i would rather have just lost the first time around at least the players would be in better shape :(

The 19th league game of the season for us was away to Southport who were sitting 5th in the table. Hopefully we could continue our 7 game unbeaten streak in the league with a somewhat depleted squad due to fatigue. First blood went to Southport as they took an early lead on 14 minutes. I told the lads i was unhappy with their first half display and it seemed that they had taken it to heart as just 2 minutes into the second half we scored the qualiser with a pass from substitute central defender Gulliver assisting Diggin (a backup forward) who side stepped their keeper and slooted home. We managed to hang on until the 85th minute but our tired team could not keep their attacks at bay. A little sad to lose this one but hopefully we can bounce back with a win next game.

Corby were ready to go after some much needed rest, and would have to be as we entertained 3rd place Redditch who were one of the big surprises of the season so far.They had a chance to go top if they beat us today as they were one point behind the top two with a game in hand. We are currently in 13th but just 6 points from 5th place so we could do ourselves some good with a win here. We started strongly with a goal by central defender Gulliver, who tapped home from close range after a Chris Herd corner was parried by their goalkeeper. We held them to just 1 off target shot in the first half and i wanted the boys to continue to dictate the 2nd half. This is exactly what we did as they only had a total of 3 shots by the final whistle and none on target to trouble our goalkeeper. On 58 minutes we wrapped it up with a Ben Wright goal, he later hit the crossbar but by then the game was all but over...a comfortable 2-0 win for Corby.

This game would mark the halfway point of the season. We played away at Vauxhall who are unbeaten in their last 4 games and are doing well considering they were predicted to be relegation candidates. Defender Gilfillan scored after 5 minutes from a defensive mistake by them on a poorly cleared corner. We controlled much of this game and doubled the lead with a Ben Wright penalty near the hour mark...another nice win for us as we continue to move the right way up the table. Unfortunatley my right back Olly James who had played in every game so far would go down with a torn calf muscle and be sidelined for 4-5 months :(

Its now the halfway point of the league season and we are doing much better than when we began. I feel like my lads have started to play very well together over much of this part of the campaign, we are now within touching distance of not just the playoff spots but also automatic promotion. If you look at the table it is very close as anyone of about 10 teams are in contention for the promotion places. If we can avoid too many injuries i think we can finish up there somewhere...and who knows with some luck maybe we can win the whole thing!

Season 1 Part 1

2010-01-07T23:35:00.000-06:00

The media predicted we would finish this season in 13th place and our board and fans agreed with this mid-table expectation, hopefully we can do better and reach my personal goal of getting to the playoffs which means a top 6 finish. We had 7 fixtures scheduled for the month of August so it promised to be a busy start to the campaign.

The season opener at home against Harrowgate started out well enough as we passed the ball around fluently and peppered the away side goal with several shots including one in the first half from ex Nottingham Forest striker Jason Lee who is also affectionately known as “pineapple head”, he hit the post with a long range effort just minutes before on loan central midfielder Herd scored before the half time whistle. Harrogate pulled back an equalizer just after the second half began and the fired in a second goal home on a counter attack after 69 minutes. Our hard work almost paid off as we had a chance to tie the game through Jason Lee who again hit the post and not the back of the net. I think we were unlucky to lose as we had more opportunities and dominated much of the game but just couldn’t get that elusive equalizer even though they were reduced to 10 men after 76 minutes for a professional foul. A tight loss in our season opener against a team the media predicted to finish around mid-table.

Just 3 days later we had an away game versus Stafford. After 10 minutes winger Michael Standing burst down the right flank and whipped in a cross for Kevin McCloskey who had snuck in unmarked at the back post to power home a header past their helpless goalkeeper. We dominated the first half as we only allowed Stafford one shot on goal which was off target. Mid way through the second half substitute striker Jack Defty put one away to double our lead. Stafford scored a consolation goal near the end and we had to hang on to a late barrage of shots to walk away with the well earned win.

Next up was away at Stalybridge Celtic were near relegation as they had lost both of their games so far so I was looking to make it 2 wins in a row for Corby. Apparently they had other ideas as we were crushed 3-0 and never got ourselves in the game. They had the lead after just 5 minutes and we never recovered from there, a game I’d rather not remember, just 2 shots on goal for us and none which troubled the keeper.

I was hoping we could recover from last games abysmal play with a win at home against promotion chasing Ilkeston. The match was pretty even with very few decent efforts on goal. Just before the break my team were caught napping at the back as they played a nice through ball behind my defense for a nicely worked injury-time goal. We came out pushing in the second half but couldnt find a way to break through their solid defenses, a game which could have easily been a 0-0 draw but sadly wasnt, hopefully this isnt a reocurring theme :(

We travelled to Blyth Spartans looking to prevent a three game winless streak in the Blue Square North. much of the first half was dominated by Blyth who had several shots on goal but luckily our goalkeeper for the game Ross Gibson was upto the task as he kept it goaless at halftime. We came out for the second half with much more gusto and were finally starting to make our superior possession payoff as we had chance after chance to take the lead. Jack Defty stepped up to the plate for us, he stuck one in the old onion bag on 69 minutes after a tasty through ball from right winger Michael Standing who impressed the Corby faithful yet again. Our defense managed to stand strong as we walked away with a tight 1-0 win against a team who were favourites to beat us.

We had a weeks rest before our next game as we entertained Gloucester, which was just as well as several first teamers had picked up knocks over the past few games and in training so they were not fit enough to play. Our weakened team did their best but couldnt get anything going in this one...luckily neither could they sothe match ended in a 0-0 bore draw. A point is better than nothing though so we will take what we can get!

We had a few more players out injured for this one, starting to look like an early season injury crisis at Corby could leave us struggling to meet expectaions! We travelled to Alfreton Town and i was hoping one of my well rested backups would make a cause to make my starting 11 with a good performance. It wasnt to be as we felt the loss of several of our attacking options who were still nursing injuries. We were outplayed by a better team on the day as they dominated us with more possession and chances on goal, 12 shots to our 7. The team did a decent job and just when i thought the makeshift side was going to pull off a perhaps undeserved draw disater struck in the 89th minute as their in form striker Steven Hearn put one away to give them all 3 points.

If we were struggling our next opponents Northwich were much worse, they had been in the relegation zone almost since day one and showing no signs of escaping any time soon. I was hoping the home crowd could spur us on to a much needed win as we were already starting to lose ground on the promotion contenders. Northwich took an early lead after just 9 minutes with a well crafted goal and ended up winning it 1-0 as Corbys strikers could not find the target today. These were the sort of games we would have to win, i was starting to think my tactics needed some tweaking as we werent making enough chances to score, its now 3 games in a row with no goals do us.

We had another home game, this time at 2nd place Hinckley who are one of the better teams in the division if the media are accurate in their predictions. based on our performance over the last few games i was not sure how we would do but at least a couple of my injured players had returned including ben Wright would help provide us with a much needed threat upfront.Thats exactly what he did as he put us ahead on 18 minutes after deep lying playmaker Brian Solkhorn passed a delighful ball on to him to tap home! I was kind of surprised but we continued to dominate and had a chance to make it 2-0 after a questionable foul in the box by one of their defenders. Left back Paul Mayo stepped up for the spot kick but couldnt put it away as their goalkeeper guessed right to keep it 1-0 at the half. We continued to frustrate them in midfield and although they through everything but the kitchen sink at us we held up for a vital win. After a few games my team was finally starting to mesh together and several players were giving impressive showings include man of the match in this one my captain and center midfielder Solkhorn who had an assist.

Just 3 days after that great win we played at Fleetwood who were in the playoff spot and playing some decent football early on in the season. It didnt start out too well as my best central defender Brian Gilfillan went out injured after only 2 minutes. we went in at the half lucky to be drawing 0-0 as we had few opportunities to score aside from an offside goal scored by backup midfielder gavin Strachan, if only it counted :( Our defense could not hold them off as they got a deserved lead after 59 minutes which we could not pull back. The final scoreline was only 1-0 but they could have easily won by more as they ran us ragged all match. I think my team was tired from the short rest after our previous gameas we only managed 3 shots which was dissapointing.

So here we are with 10 games played so far in the league, which is a quarter of the season already. It is not looking promising so far as Corby are in 16th of 22. There were a few injuries to some of my better players such as Wright, Dent, and Gilfillan which did not help but they are all back now so hopefully we can make a march up the table. I noticed that there have been too many games where we have made far too few chances so im going to change from my attack at home contain away policy to a control both home and away because according to my backroom staff we have one of the best passing teams in the division. Lets hope it works! I'll be back with the next update soon, where i'll take Corby upto the halfway stage of the league season and hopefully we can get a decent FA cup run going!

Season 1 - Pre-season

2010-01-07T22:48:00.000-06:00

My first day in charge would be a busy one; I had much to do if I was going to reach the boards expectations of a top half finish in my first season in charge. The club finances were looking in decent shape, although the board only allowed me three thousand pounds in the transfer kitty so I will have to rely on loans and free transfers to bring in a good enough quality of player to meet the expectations for the season. I began by offloading many of my youth players who were to put it frankly talentless wastes of space. I first offered them to clubs and after receiving no offers simply released them on frees for a settlement of 1,000 per player. This worked well with my plan to keep a lean squad of just 22 players, plus any long term contracted players who would become deemed surplus to requirements by new arrivals at the club whose contracts I was unable to afford terminating. Heres a list of the transfers that came in:

Kevin McCloskey - Northern Irish central midfielder who will be playing on the left wing slot. Signed on a free from Cinncinati, an obscure semi-pro team in the United States.

Ross Gibson - 19 year old gk bought in on a free transfer to share playing time at goalkepper position.

James Dormand - free transfer who will share playing time with my other gk Ross Gibson.

Michael Standing - one of the few full timers in the squad, bought it to play right wing for free, has had spells at Brighton, Aston Villa, and Bradford amongst others.

Bryan Gillfillan - central defender with 9 Northern Ireland youth caps to his name, learned his trade at several scottish lower division clubs before joining us on a freebie.

Olly James - right back previously of Tranmere and several semi-pro teams in the past.

Ben Wright - striker who i will be looking to lead the attack fo Corby, signed on a season long loan from Birmingham.

Chris Herd -midfielder who will start in the central midfield support role, will be looking for him to be the lynchpin of my team as he is on paper one of the best players in the squad. Signed on season long loan from Aston Villa.

Graham Tatters - joining on a free from US team Wilmington Hammerheads once his contract ends on October 1st. Will replace current starter Paul Mayo at left back.

Pre-Season was not terrible but it could have been better, i guess i shouldn't be surprised as the new players who joined the ranks would take time to gel together.We started with two narrow losses to non league teams Braintree and Dorchester, but I was hopeful we could improve as the players were still adjusting to the setup and removing those start of season cobwebs. Corby won the next two games 2-0 against Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic and 4-0 against the Glenn Hoddle Academy before losing our final pre-season game against Blue Square Premier side Histon in a narrow 2-1 loss. Overall pre-season was not too bad with 2 wins and 3 losses, and my lads had shown some promise that we could be a hard nut to crack.

Formation and Tactics

2010-01-07T22:38:00.000-06:00

For the most part my starting eleven is all new arrivals so I hope they can mesh well together in my 4-4-2 formation before the season starts so we can hit the ground running in our first season in the Blue Square North. Heres my formation and tactics, which i plan on starting out with. I plan to use an attacking mentality at home and contain when we play away. Depending on how the results go i might have to tinker with it here and there but i'll post any major changes i make.

Welcome!

2010-01-05T22:24:00.000-06:00

Welcome to my career in football manager 2010, this blog will take you through my entire career as a manager, including every high and low although im hoping its mostly sucess, heres hoping its an enjoyable read for you all. I have decided to use the following leagues to test my managerial mettle: England, Scotland, Italy, Spain, and USA.

My first managerial post will be at Blue Square North side Corby Town, which happens to be my hometown even though I am now living in the United States. Corby were promoted into the Blue Square North for the first time ever last year so this is the first time that they have been a manageable team in any of the football manager series. The club is enjoying its most successful run of results since it formed in 1948. They were recently bought out by a new chairman, once of fierce rivals Kettering Town, who has big plans including building a new professional standard football stadium. Hopefully this can become a reality if I can manage the Steelmen to a promotion or two over the next few seasons.