April 2013

We made it two wins in a row with our first game of the final month of the season against Newport County, in a 2-0 victory. Denis Behan grabbed both goals; his 16th and 17th of the season, in a match which we dominated. Newport rarely threatened our defence, with no shots troubling Alex Cisak in goal. An away fixture at Rushden and Diamonds followed. Rushden had been in the play-offs for the majority of the season, and were currently occupying 5th spot, so it was going to be a tough game. However, Behan scored his 4th in 3 games to give us the lead after only 15 minutes. Rushden responded with 5 minutes left of the first half, and despite them losing a man on 60 minutes, that was the way it finished; 1-1.

We hosted Kidderminster Harriers next, who had beaten us 4-0 when we played them at their ground. This time it wasn't much better either; they scored an early goal, but Ryan Charles levelled things up for us in the first half. Alex Cisak then put the ball into his own net to give the Harriers the lead, and their victory was completed with a stoppage time goal in the second half. If I was to choose our 'bogey team', it would definitely be them.

Forest Green Rovers were our next opponents in a fixture that had to be rescheduled from last month due to a waterlogged pitch at their ground. It was a comfortable victory for us; Ryan Charles grabbing both goals in a 2-0 win. Two more wins followed this; away at Burton Albion (2-1, with goals from Charles and Richard Offiong) and home to Grays Athletic (2-0, with two goals from Charles). Incidentally, Ryan Charles' second goal in the Grays match was his 20th of the season, and 6th in 4 games. He really does seem to love the end of the season.

Despite a run of three victories, we still found ourselves in 9th place, and with only one game to go, we couldn't make the play-offs this year. This was disappointing but at the same time it was encouraging; if someone had said to me at the start of this season, "you're going to finish 9th", I would've bit their hand off, as the saying goes.

The final game of the season saw us travel to Altrincham. Simon Davis started at centre back, as it was his last game of his loan spell before he returned to Crewe. He left us with a bang though; Lewis Montrose laid the ball off to Davis on the edge of the box from a free kick, and the defender smashed the ball into the back of the net. It was his first goal for us, and unless I decide to bring him back on loan or permanently, it would be his last as well. Denis Behan doubled our lead on 64 minutes with his 20th of the season, and that was the way things stood. Davis received the Man of the Match award for his performance.

We finished the season in 9th place; a commendable and respectable position if I do say so myself. Once the play-offs have finished next month, I will do a season summary with screen shots.

March 2013

After the convincing win at Ebbsfleet, we hosted fellow play-off contenders Shrewsbury Town the following weekend. Adrian Nevins was missing due to a thigh injury so Graham Coughlan, an ex-Shrewsbury player himself, returned to the side to partner the in-form Mark Arber at centre back. It was an overall even match, and we should've come away with at least a point. However, Shrewsbury winger Damian Scannell dealt a cruel blow to us in the 93rd minute by rising at the back post and heading past Alex Cisak to win the match for his side. It was practically the last kick of the match. Very annoying, to say the least.

Jake Simpson returned to the starting line up after injury for our next game at struggling Chester City, after coming on off the bench in the previous match. Lewis Montrose grabbed his first goal for the club on 12 minutes with a neat close range finish, but the home side responded with two goals either side of half time. Ryan Charles levelled things up for us on 67 minutes with an effort from the edge of the box, but once again, Chester got their noses in front less than 10 minutes later. They held on, and we were denied even a point in a match which we had 18 shots to their 10, as well as 60% of the possession.

2nd in the table Aldershot were our next opponents. Just what we needed; a tough match after two disappointing, morale-denting losses. Two defeats in a row had turned into three by the end of the game, as we lost 2-1 despite taking the lead in the first half through Michael Noone. Aldershot equalised on 60 minutes, and got the winner on 81 minutes. Lewis Alessandra was also carried off with a twisted ankle towards the end of the match. This saw us drop to 11th in the table; our lowest league position of the season.

Our losing streak came to an end in our next game, though. Our opponents were Barrow, who were 22nd in the league, off-form and looking pretty likely for relegation. On paper, an easy victory. However, it was Barrow who opened the scoring on 18 minutes. Ryan Charles was brought on on 68 minutes, and our formation changed to 4-3-3. Almost immediately, the change had made a difference; Jake Simpson crossed for Netan Sansara who headed in from close range to draw us level. Despite the introduction of another striker, Richard Offiong, we just couldn't manage to grab a winner. Nevertheless, we had a point in the bag, and that was good for morale, if nothing else.

The final game of March was against Fleetwood Town, who found themselves clinging onto their Blue Square Premier life by the skin of their teeth, as they stood in 23rd place, a fair few points from safety. Graham Coughlan and Adrian Nevins started together at centre back for the first time since the 6th of February, William Mellors-Blair (whose loan had just recently been extended for another month) started on the right hand side of midfield, with Jake Simpson dropping to the bench, and Richard Offiong and Denis Behan started up front. It was the latter, Behan, who opened the scoring for us on 32 minutes, only for the away side to reply shortly after half time. Netan Sansara restored our lead with his second goal in as many games, and his 5th of the season, and substitute Ryan Charles made sure we came away with 3 points in the 4th minute of stoppage time, after latching onto Lewis Montrose's flick on. This goal was a milestone for the striker, as it was his 32nd AFC Telford goal; making him the club's all-time leading goalscorer since their foundation in 2004. Montrose came away with the Man of the Match award, after setting up two goals and making some key tackles in midfield.

March started off very badly, but the win against Fleetwood in the final game made sure we didn't go into April with our heads down and our confidence deflated. Next month will see the culmination of the 2012/13 season, and we currently sit in 9th place. Reaching the play-offs is still mathematically possible, but it would be pretty unlikely. I think everyone at the club will be pleased if we managed to finish in 9th, or anywhere above that, considering it is our first season in the league. We'll see what happens anyway.

February 2013

After the disappointing month we had in January, February started brightly with a win against 9th placed Barnet. The starting line-up included 20-year-old right winger William Mellors-Blair who had joined the club on loan from Walsall a few days earlier, and whose named sounded like it should be preceded with 'Lord' or 'Duke'. After only 50 seconds of the game, Ryan Charles headed in off a Netan Sansara cross for the opener and his 12th goal of the season. Barnet then levelled things up shortly after half time, but Denis Behan won it for us with 11 minutes of normal time to go.

An away fixture against Woking was next. They were 18th in the league, but were on a relatively good run of form. After two impressive substitute performances, Mark Arber started his first game for us at centre back, alongside Adrian Nevins. It looked as though we had the game under control when Netan Sansara scored after half time. However, the home side cancelled our goal out 20 minutes later, and that was the way it finished. At least we didn't lose anyway.

We did lose our next match at home to Gateshead, who were dwindling around in mid-table, and not really doing much in terms of pushing for promotion, so it was a bit of a disappointing result. We had a fair few shots (13) so on paper it looks as though we should've scored at least one, but I guess that's football for you!

We did manage to find the back of the net in the final game of the month against our old enemies Ebbsfleet, three times in fact. It was our fourth game against them this season, after we played them twice in the FA Trophy last month, and we hadn't managed to get the better of them on any occasion. However, this time was different; Richard Offiong ended his goal drought with a 25-yard finish on 11 minutes, and William Mellors-Blair got his first goal for the club just before half-time with a tap in at the back post. Denis Behan converted a penalty in the final few minutes to make the final score 3-0 to us.

We finished February in 8th place, 9 points off Shrewsbury who were occupying 5th place, the last play-off spot. I think the play-offs are still achievable, especially since we'll be graced with Jake Simpson's presence in March, after his return from injury. Hopefully we'll get a few wins together and put pressure on the teams above us, but we'll see.

January 2013

The new year began with a 2-0 defeat, away to our one-time Blue Square North compatriots Southport, who it's fair to say, hadn't had as good a season as us so far. We conceded an early goal after just 7 minutes, when Southport striker Scott Vernon scored with a powerful effort, and then conceded another with 20 minutes left, which left us with too much to do.

After the disappointment against Southport, we hosted top-of-the-table York City the following Saturday. Adrian Nevins and Richard Offiong were still missing, meaning Simon Davis filled in at centre back, with Lewis Alessandra and Denis Behan leading the attack. Ryan Charles had returned from injury, and made it onto the substitutes bench. It was Alessandra who opened the scoring, after 6 minutes, with a low shot following Lewis Montrose's through ball. Behan then doubled our lead on 38 minutes with a spectacular 30 yard effort. York pulled one back shortly after the break, but Behan doubled his tally and put the game beyond doubt on 64 minutes; getting onto the end of Jake Simpson's cross, which was Simpson's 12th assist of the season; a new record.

Ebbsfleet United were our opponents in the 2nd round of the FA Trophy. They'd had a similar season to ours; finding themselves in 9th place in the Blue Square Premier after occupying the play-off spots for the majority of the season. We went behind after 9 minutes, but Jake Simpson levelled things up for us 20 minutes later with a rebounded effort after Lewis Alessandra's initial shot. However, Simpson's game was ended prematurely when he fell awkwardly in the second half, spraining his ankle and as a result, ruling him out for 2 months. It was a massive blow for us; Simpson had been brilliant all season, and was certainly one of our unsung heroes. The Ebbsfleet game finished 1-1, meaning we had to replay the match four days later at their place. Jon Adams replaced the injured Jake Simpson, and Adrian Nevins returned and took his place at centre back. Ebbsfleet's Magno Vieira was once again our downfall, as it was the Brazilian's two goals that took the game away from us, and despite a consolation from Ryan Charles, it was them who progressed to the next round.

We only had the league to concentrate on after the defeat at Ebbsfleet, but at least there were no other distractions. Surely a clash against bottom-side Chelmsford City would provide us with a morale-boosting win? No, unfortunately not. We just couldn't hit the back of the net; but saying that, we only had five shots throughout the whole game though, whilst they had nine. It was a terrible performance in hindsight, and one the whole team would like to forget.

We went from playing the team at the bottom of the league one week, to playing the team at the top the next, as we faced Accrington Stanley (who had took over from York City as leaders of the pack). Some good news prior to kick off was that Richard Offiong had returned from injury, and would start up front alongside Lewis Alessandra. We were dealt a massive blow in the first half of the game; Max Wragg was stretchered off after 25 minutes, and scans later revealed that he had damaged his cruciate ligaments; an injury which could see him out for anywhere up to a year. Things went from bad to worse for us, when Accrington opened the scoring after 33 minutes. However, a Lewis Alessandra goal, his 5th of the season, brought us back on level terms on the stroke of half time. Things looked pretty equal for the rest of the match, but once again we were on the receiving end of some bad luck when Accrington scored with 3 minutes left of normal time; not long enough for us to come back. Very annoying, and we were beginning to be brought back down to earth pretty heavily after a fairly 'dream-like' start to our life in the Blue Square Premier.

To cope with Max Wragg's injury, two new players were brought in, with less than a week until the end of the transfer window. Ex-Lincoln City full back Paul Green and South African centre back Mark Arber were both released by their clubs at the end of last season, and were therefore signed on free transfers. Green slotted straight in at right back for the game against 16th placed Histon, whilst Arber was on the bench. The home side went ahead after 18 minutes, but two horrific pieces of defending in the second half meant Ryan Charles put us 2-1 in front. Both goals came from short back passes to Histon 'keeper Joe Welch; the first from left back Nathaniel Knight-Percival, and the second from their captain, Matt Langston. On both occasions, Welch was given hardly any time to control or clear the ball before Charles had tackled him, and passed it into an empty net. Maybe our luck hadn't run out after all. Actually, it had; after being on the field for a matter of minutes, Carl Tremarco fouled a Histon player in the box and the referee award them a penalty with 8 minutes left on the clock. They scored it, and things were level, and once again we couldn't come up with a winner, meaning the two sides shared the points.

We finished January in 8th place, which is good considering we'd been playing pretty poor of late. The month as a whole was disappointing, with the injury to Max Wragg a cruel blow to our ambitions. I can only hope that February will be much, much brighter.

December 2012

December didn't start too well, with a 2-0 defeat away to Grays Athletic. We had a few chances to find the back of the net, but somehow didn't manage it. Grays' Norwegian striker, the almost unpronounceable Petar Rnkovic, bagged a brace and the Man of the Match award. The following game against struggling Altrincham brought us back to winning ways, with Jake Simpson grabbing the only goal in a 1-0 win; his fifth goal of the season. We moved one place up to 7th after the victory.

We had an FA Trophy 1st round tie the next week, against Blue Square North side Nuneaton Town. Realistically, we were in with a chance of winning the competition; far stranger things have happened in football. I fielded a less-than-full-strength side, including rare starts for Alex Cairns in goal, Lee Vaughan at right back, Simon Davis at centre half and Jon Adams in centre midfield. The game also saw the return of Lewis Montrose after injury. We were 2-0 up after half an hour, thanks to goals from Richard Offiong and Denis Behan, and went into the break ahead. Despite a goal from the visitors in the second half, we held onto our lead and booked our place in the next round, in which we later learned we'd be facing Ebbsfleet.

Stevenage Borough were our next league opponents, in what turned out to be a bit of a goal-fest. Richard Offiong opened the scoring for us after 7 minutes with a close range effort. Veteran striker Paul Benson then equalised for the home side, but Offiong quickly restored our lead 5 minutes later. Two goals in 10 minutes for Stevenage then put them ahead; the first after a goalmouth scramble, and the second after a mistake by Simon Davis. However just 2 minutes later, and with 2 minutes left of normal time, Offiong completed his hat-trick and grabbed the equaliser with a curling shot from the edge of the box. The game finished, and Offiong went away with the match ball and was rightly given the Man of the Match award, after his second hat-trick of the season.

We finished 2012 with a game against mid-table Wrexham, who had won three matches in a row going into our fixture. It was the Welsh side who broke the deadlock; Lewis Codling scoring after 19 minutes. Then, on 56 minutes, Max Wragg picked up the ball on our penalty spot after a poor Wrexham corner, and lofted the ball 50 yards to where Lewis Alessandra was running. Midfielder Edward Moss missed the interception, and Alessandra was allowed to run through, cooly slotting the ball past the Wrexham 'keeper. Just 4 minutes later, we went into the lead when Jake Simpson's passed the ball into the net at the back from a Matthew Duffy cross. Our lead only lasted 8 minutes though, as Codling equalised with his second of the game. However, with 4 minutes to go, Max Wragg crossed for Netan Sansara who volleyed in for his 2nd of the season, and to seal our win.

We finished December, and the year, in 6th place; a point behind Shrewsbury in 5th. We're now into the second half of the season, and I think I'm speaking on behalf of everyone at AFC Telford when I say how impressed I am with our current league position. The transfer window re-opens next month, and there could possibly be a few new faces at New Bucks Head over the next few weeks.

I will leave you with a couple of screenshots of my profile, and history. Click on the pictures to enlarge them.

December 2012: Manager Profile

December 2012: Manager History

November 2012

A 2-1 home win against lowly Barrow began November, taking us up to 4th in the table. Goals from Michael Noone and Ryan Charles won it for us, after an early goal from the visitors. We then travelled to Fleetwood Town, who were also struggling and found themselves in the relegation zone. It was a game which we were expected to win, obviously, and an early goal from Richard Offiong, his 10th of the season, gave us the advantage going into half time. We had the lead until the 65th minute when Fleetwood equalised through former Faroe Islands international Claus Jorgensen, and then gave it all away 10 minutes later when they scored again. Although the stats showed we had wasted several chances, we just didn't really have enough fight towards the end to overcome our visitors.

Our next game gave us a chance to forget about the league, at least for a week or so, as we hosted Hartlepool in the 1st round of the FA Cup. They were obviously favourites for the game, but weren't doing anything special in League One, so we knew we were in with a chance. And it was us who drew first blood; Lewis Montrose played the ball to Ryan Charles' feet, who turned and shot from the edge of the box, and into the top corner. A perfect goal. However, we were brought right back down to earth in the first attacking move from Hartlepool's kick off, just 2 minutes later, when James Brown (Jeff Stelling would be making some sort of joke at this point) found the net to level things up. Things looked destined for a replay back up north when, with a minute to go our hearts were shattered when Ritchie Jones hit a first time volley from 25 yards after Adrian Nevins' failed clearance, and the ball whistled past a hapless Alex Cisak. With hardly any time left on the clock, a late surge was out of the question, and the final whistle went to signal our exit from the competition. However, it wasn't the end of the world; at least that was one less thing to concentrate on.

As if we weren't drained enough after the loss against Hartlepool, we found ourselves up against top-of-the-table Rushden at New Bucks Head. Things started badly; Lewis Montrose picked up a yellow card early on, meaning he'd miss our next game, but was then carried off injured with a twisted knee, leaving him out for upto five weeks. Rusden midfielder Ryan Brobbel then opened the scoring 2 minutes later. However Jake Simpson equalised on 26 minutes after his first shot was saved by Dale Roberts. We had a massive chance to take the lead on 51 minutes when Curtis Osano brought down Netan Sansara in the box, and we were awarded a penalty. Denis Behan stepped up, only to have his spot-kick saved by Roberts. Neither side had any real chances for the rest of the game; Michael Noone and Jake Simpson had the best ones for us, although they were from some distance and never really troubled the Rushden 'keeper.

An away trip to 4th placed Kidderminster followed, and it was an overal disappointing game, in which we were totally outplayed. Lewis Montrose missed his first match of the season through suspension (although he was injured so wouldn't have played anyway) so Adrian Nevins stepped up from centre back to replace him in midfield. We ended up losing the game 4-0, the biggest defeat I'd endured whilst manager of AFC Telford.

Lewis Alessandra returned to the squad, and the starting line up, for our final match of the month against Burton Albion. It was the 100th game of my managerial career, so that added a little more incentive to come away with three points. We had a good start; Ryan Charles netted after only 5 minutes but the visitors drew level shortly after. Charles was then taken off injured and replaced by Richard Offiong, leaving him out for upto 6 weeks. However, Offiong proved to be a more-than-capable replacement for him, as it was his two goals in the space of 3 minutes that sealed the win for us.

The victory left us in 7th place at the end of November, a standing which has been greatly helped by our superb home record, the best in the league; we'd played 11 at home and were unbeaten, winning eight and drawing three, whilst scoring 26 goals, and conceding just the nine. Next month brings my tenure at AFC Telford to its year anniversary, so everyone will be hoping to continue our good set of results.

October 2012

The start of October saw a new face, and an old friend, added to the coaching staff. Ian Cox, captain of my Harrogate team, was brought in as a coach and Steve Wynn's contract was terminated.

I was able to choose from a full strength squad for the first match of the month against Chester, who were sitting in the relegation zone in 22nd place. However it was the visitors who got the first goal; former Everton striker Nick Chadwick scored on 42 minutes to give his side the lead going into half-time. Shortly after the restart, Chester went down to 10-men, and then less than 10 minutes later we made the extra man count, with Jake Simpson firing in from the edge of the area to level things up. Lewis Alessandra, back from injury, replaced Richard Offiong after 65 minutes, and the striker took only 7 minutes to get himself on the scoresheet for what was his first goal of the season. Considering he was so clinical last season, it was pretty hard to grasp that he'd only just scored in what was his 13th game of the campaign, although the majority of those appearances were made as a substitute. Michael Noone then fed in Ryan Charles 4 minutes later to make it 3-1 to us, and the rout was completed with 2 minutes to go; Alessandra getting his second of the game.

Play-off contenders Aldershot were out next opponents, and to be fair, we didn't have the best of outings. After a goalless first half, the home side opened the scoring shortly into the second, and although we got a goal back on 71 minutes through an own goal, they managed to grab a winner with 15 minutes left, and we just didn't have enough fight to draw level. To add insult to injury, Lewis Alessandra twisted his ankle, an injury which would leave him out for up to 7 weeks.

The squad were determined to bounce straight back after the disappointing result against Aldershot, with Forest Green Rovers providing us with our next test. They were on form; they'd won their last three games, leaving them mid-table. An own goal broke the deadlock in the first having and gave us the lead, and Denis Behan's 10th goal of the season in the second half sealed the victory. We won by the exact same scoreline the following game, against struggling Newport County, with Jake Simpson and Richard Offiong getting on the scoresheet.

We were given a break from the league in the next game, as we faced Stafford in the FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round. Stafford were in 5th place in the Blue Square Premier, but despite this, we were 2-0 up after only 13 minutes, thanks to two goals from Richard Offiong. Stafford managed a goal back on 40 minutes, but our two goal lead was restored in the first minute of first half stoppage-time through Netan Sansara; his first goal of the season. Offiong completed his hat-trick, and indeed the victory for us, in the 74th minute with a spectacular curling effort from 25 yards. Predictably, he went away with the Man of the Match award, although it was a brilliant team performance, and we were given a home tie against League One's Hartlepool in the 1st round proper next month.

Right back Max Wragg was given the Player of the Month award, showing that it wasn't just our attacking players drawing all the plaudits. Wragg had had a solid month, with some very good consistent performances, and thoroughly deserved his award. We finished October in 6th place, with next month possibly providing us with much sterner tests; we played top-of-the-table Rushden, and also Kidderminster, who lie in 4th. This is as well as the FA Cup game against Hartlepool. I'm sure you'll admit though, AFC Telford are certainly showing they're no pushovers in this league.

September 2012

After an unbeaten August, September started with a defeat away to Accrington Stanley. Denis Behan's goal was not enough for us, as we lost 2-1 and slipped to 6th in the league. Our winning ways were restored a week later though, in a 3-1 victory at home to Histon. The visitors broke the deadlock after 5 minutes but Jake Simpson levelled things up shortly after with a header at the back post off a Carl Tremarco cross. Tremarco was making his first start of the season, in place of Matthew Duffy, and impressed throughout the game, narrowly missing out on the Man of the Match. Two goals from Denis Behan in the second half, his 5th and 6th of the season, ensured that we went home with 3 points in the bag.

A midweek game at Barnet followed, in wet and windy conditions. A neat finish from Richard Offiong and a close range effort, yet again, from Denis Behan, gave us the victory, either side of a solitary Barnet goal. Promotion contenders Ebbsfleet were our next opponents, and it looked as though we had the game under wraps after goals from Behan and Offiong gave us a 2-0 lead after 48 minutes. However, Ebbsfleet's Brazilian striker, Magno Vieira, grabbed a 4 minute brace to level things up, and leave us with just one point, in a game which we felt we should've won.

A very frustrating game against Woking followed. They were 18th in the league, and should've been a team we were able to beat, but after they opened the scoring from a free-kick in the first half, we seemed to be always on the back foot. Despite an equaliser from Denis Behan, his 6th in 5 games and 9th of the season, we just couldn't find the back of the net again and squandered several good chances. We finished the game with four strikers on the field; Lewis Alessandra and Ryan Charles, returning from injury, were brought on, but it still wasn't enough to get the win.

A trip up north to Gateshead was the penultimate game of September; and yet again it was a game that we should've won. After going 2-1 up thanks to goals from Ryan Charles and Michael Noone, we took our foot off the gas, so to speak, and let Gateshead come at us, and subsequently take the game to us. They scored two second half goals to give them the 3-2 victory, and the full set of points, much to my displeasure.

We hadn't won in three games, and to make matters worse; we were up against top-of-the-table Shewsbury, who up until playing us, had won 8 games out of 11, and lost just the once. Things didn't start off well for us; Shrewsbury's James Spray scored on 17 minutes, and then just after the break, got another one to double his team's tally. On 69 minutes, Richard Offiong and Lewis Alessandra were brought on for Denis Behan and Carl Tremarco, and I changed the formation to 3-4-3, in a bid to get two goals back. Literally two minutes after coming on, Alessandra combined with Lewis Montrose and Ryan Charles, who fed in Richard Offiong for his 4th goal of the season. This gave us some sort of hope. With 5 minutes of normal time to go, I told the team to go full throttle and go for an equaliser. It worked; in the 4th and final minute of stoppage time, Ryan Charles picked up the ball in the centre circle and once again played it through to Offiong who, in an almost identical finish, scored his 5th of the season, and the leveller for us. We came away with a point, although it did feel like a win, against a very good Shrewsbury team.

The draw meant we finished a fixture-congested September in 7th place, but next month's games are, on paper, easier than what we've just played. But then again, as everyone says, football is not played on paper, and as I know from experience, anything can happen.

August 2012

The big day had finally arrived; Saturday the 11th August 2012 saw us play our first game in the Blue Square Premier against Southport, who had won the Blue Square North the previous year. Our starting eleven included four of the six new signings, with Richard Offiong and Denis Behan on the bench. We opened the scoring after only four minutes; Ryan Charles continuing his good form from last season by scoring from close range. We looked comfortable throughout the game, and Southport rarely threatened Alex Cisak in our goal. With 15 minutes to play, we were awarded a penalty which Charles duly converted to double his own, and our tally. Offiong and Behan were brought on in place of Charles and Alessandra, and in the first minute of stoppage time, Behan headed in off a Jake Simpson cross for a debut goal and to make it 3-0 at full-time. Simpson had played well; he was the one fouled in the box for the penalty, and he contributed to two assists as well. A good all-round performance from the team which left us in 2nd place.

Our next game was against Stevenage; a side who this year were battling some major financial problems. Michael Noone opened his Telford account on 14 minutes after a scramble in the box, and Denis Behan got his second in as many games, in his first start for the club, shortly before half-time. More or less straight after the restart, Jake Simpson played in Ryan Charles who easily slotted the ball past the Stevenage 'keeper. Despite getting a man sent off with five minutes left, Stevenage managed to grab a consolation goal in the 89th minute, to make the final score 3-1 to us. Another convincing victory which took us up to the top of the table.

Wrexham were our next opponents, in what would be a much tougher match than the first two. They had narrowly missed out on the play-offs for the past three seasons, and were a side who could potentially cause us an upset. Things were level for 77 minutes of the game, until Alex Cisak fumbled the bal into his own net to give Wrexham the lead. This came shortly after Ryan Charles had been taken off with a pulled hamstring, meaning he'd be out of action for upto a month. Lewis Alessandra and Richard Offiong were both brought on, and an attacking 3-4-3 formation was put in place. Almost immediately after his introduction, Alessandra received the ball on the right wing, took it to the byline and crossed for Michael Noone who was stood unmarked in the Wrexham box. Noone calmly placed the ball into the net to seal the draw for us.

A 1-1 away draw at York City followed, with Denis Behan equalising for us from the penalty spot in the 70th minute. We had slipped to 5th in the table, but a home game with Chelmsford City gave us another 3 points and meant we finished August in 3rd place. Richard Offiong grabbed his first goal for the club in a 2-0 win, with captain Graham Coughlan getting the other.

I'm sure you'll agree; we've had a very good first month in the Blue Square Premier. 3 wins, 2 draws and no losses so far; hopefully we can continue the good form. The transfer window closes in the first week of September, and I'm hoping to bring in a centre back before that. 18-year-old Simon Davis was signed on a season-long loan from Crewe Alexandra as cover for Coughlan and Adrian Nevins, but ideally I would like a bit more experience.

June/July 2012

When the players returned from their break on the 25th of June, two new faces had already been brought in. Two strikers; 28-year-old journeyman Richard Offiong and 28-year-old former Ireland youth international Denis Behan both joined the club on free transfers. They were brought in to act as more-than-capable competition for Ryan Charles and Lewis Alessandra, who were both so good last year. The fixture list for the coming season had also been revealed; we started with two home games, the first against fellow ex-Blue Square North outfit Southport, and the second against cash-strapped Stevenage. This was followed by an away trip to Wales to play Wrexham.

Our first friendly came in the second week of July against League Two side Morecambe. The two new boys started on the bench, but came on at half time; Richard Offiong scoring the third in a 3-0 victory.

Steve Jagielka, Aidan Sherlock, Jack Watkins, Daniel Cable and Craig Gott were released on free transfers on the 1st of July, after their contracts had expired. Two more transfers were made after the Morecambe game; Right Back Max Wragg and Defensive Midfielder Lewis Montrose were both signed on frees, the latter coming in after an impressive trial, shortly before the next fixture at home to West Brom, our parent club. We ended up losing 9-0 on the day, although my excuse is I fielded a weakened side, which I did. Anyway, it was only a friendly. Lewis Alessandra strained his groin after coming on as a substitute, an injury which would see him miss the rest of the pre-season.

Australian Goalkeeper Alex Cisak and Michael Noone, a former Glenn Hoddle Academy player, were signed on free transfers and went straight into the side to face Stourport, our feeder club. We won the game 4-0, with goals from Ryan Charles, Denis Behan, Danny Carey-Bertram and Barry Madden (own goal).

We were on the receiving end of the same scoreline just three days later, against League One side Oxford United, but got back to winning ways against Taunton, where we won 2-0 thanks to goals from Richard Offiong and Denis Behan. The scoreline flattered our opposition though really; we had a total of 20 shots to their 4, so they were lucky to have only conceded two.

Our penultimate friendly came against the Glenn Hoddle Academy, in which we won 5-1, in a very convincing victory. Danny Carey-Bertram continued his impressive pre-season form by bagging two goals and the Man of the Match award. Netan Sansara and Denis Behan's brace completed the scoring.

Sheffield Wednesday were our final opponents before the competitive games began. We were holding them to a goalless draw until 15 minutes before the final whistle when they broke the deadlock, and then with two minutes to go, scored another to seal the win. An encouraging, if not disappointing game.

A bit of a mix-and-match pre-season in terms of results, as I'm sure you'll agree. I'm happy with the players I've brought in, although we could maybe do with a centre back to act as cover for Graham Coughlan (incidentally, the new club captain) and Adrian Nevins. I was surprised to see that we were tipped as promotion contenders at 14-1. Well, the bookies are rarely wrong, are they? Bring on the Blue Square Premier!

May 2012

This month was potentially the toughest of my short managerial career. In the five months I'd been in charge of AFC Telford, I had won 19 out of 26 games, losing just twice, escalating them from 18th in the table, to the play-offs. For another manger, these achievements might've been enough, and the play-offs might be regarded as an 'added bonus', with most people expecting to fall at the first hurdle. Not for me. I believed we could go all the way. Why not? We'd beaten most of the teams above us all season, so what's different now? The fact that we're in the play-offs is the difference.

A record 4,956 fans packed into the New Bucks Head for the home leg of our Play-off Semi Final. Expectations were high, as were nerves. Ryan Charles had recently spoken to the media about how he was getting on top of the media hype surrounding him, which was good. The only absentee from the starting line-up was Netan Sansara, who was replaced by Carl Tremarco. It was Droylsden who got first blood in the tie, with former Hibernian and Coventry midfielder Guillaume Beuzelin netting after 34 minutes, and we went into the break behind. Things got worse for us when Lewis Alessandra was taken off injured with a gashed leg, shortly after the restart. However, just 3 minutes later, Ryan Charles levelled things up with his 20th goal of the season. We were unusually ill-disciplined in the match, with six of our players receiving cautions. Ryan Charles went from hero to villan in the 79th minute, when a late challenge saw him pick up a second yellow card, an offence which would later warrant a two-match ban. The game finished 1-1, but Droylsden had the upper hand with the away goal, and the fact they still had a home leg to play.

Things looked grim heading into the second leg. Charles and Alessandra's absences left us with only one recognised striker in Danny Carey-Bertram, leading to a change of formation; 4-1-4-1; the formation I used at Harrogate. How on earth were we going to cope without the firepower that had produced 36 goals in 26 games? Things really did seem like they were going against us. This was until the game started however. Jon Adams grabbed an early goal on 9 minutes after a scramble in the box, and Carl Tremarco headed in Carey-Bertram's cross for his first Telford goal on 25 minutes. A Droylsden penalty shortly after meant we went into half-time 2-1 to the good, and 3-2 on aggregate. It also meant that Droylsden had to score at win today to progress, as we now had two away goals. The game was all but finished 10 minutes into the second half when Carl Tremarco scored an almost identical goal to double his tally, and increase our lead. For the rest of the game, we basically just sat back and made sure we didn't make any silly mistakes. Droylsden did have to score three times to win after all. The final whistle went and our place in the Play-off Final was confirmed. The win just proves that three players (Charles, Sansara & Alessandra), even though they are very talented, don't make a team. Tremarco received the Man of the Match award; and to think, he wouldn't have played if Sansara would've been fit.

Our opponents in the final were Worcester City. They had beat Hinckley in the other Semi-Final in what was somewhat of an unexpected result, considering Hinckley had held the top spot for the majority of the season. Netan Sansara and Lewis Alessandra both returned for the Final, although the latter only made the bench as he had only just come back. Sansara's return meant Carl Tremarco had to move to left back in the same 4-1-4-1 formation, with Matthew Duffy dropping to the bench. Baring in mind it was a Final, with the winner sealing a place in the Blue Square Premier, it was a pretty dull match. Worcester had a goal (correctly) ruled offside, and Danny Carey-Bertram squandered numerous chances to win it for us, and the match ended goalless after 90 minutes. This lead to extra time and then if we were still level, the dreaded penalties. It looked as though this was the way things were going to go, until we got a corner in the 114th minute. Jake Simpson stepped up and floated the ball into the box, and who was there at the back post, unmarked, to head in? 37-year-old captain-for-the-day Graham Coughlan. The crowd went wild; it was the stuff dreams were made of. It really was like something out of Roy of the Rovers. Unbelievable. The final whistle went and we had done it; we'd achieved promotion to the Blue Square Premier.

I came runner-up in the Manager of the Season awards, and Ryan Charles' end of season flood of goals saw him grab the Golden Boot for the league with 20 goals. He, along with Alessandra, Simpson, Sansara and Coughlan all earned new contracts as well, the latter signalling his intention to see out the rest of his career with Telford. Despite bringing the team from 18th place to winning promotion, the board are still only 'satisfied' with my management. Bit annoying really; a little bit of praise wouldn't go a miss! And correct me if I'm wrong but there isn't really that much I could do better? Ah well, a good season overall. A very good one in fact. The players are off on holiday now, until the end of June. I might go away somewhere as well. Lincoln seems nice. Or perhaps Hull...

The final standings in the Blue Square North at the end of the 2011/12 season (click to enlarge).

AFC Telford's league positions throughout the season. I was in charge from the 17th game (basically where they started going up!).

April 2012

A 0-0 draw with Braintree Town kicked off April; in what was the final month of scheduled fixtures. Considering our form going into the game, we really should've beaten them, especially since they were just below half way in the league, with nothing much to play for except their own pride. It really was a boring game, with only seven shots between the two sides. A very uncharacteristic performance by us.

We were back to winning ways two days later against Vauxhall however, with an assured 3-1 victory. Ryan Charles was the star performer on the day; grabbing his second hat-trick of the season, and consequently the Man of the Match award.

We achieved the exact same scoreline the following week against a poor Stalybridge side. Cheung Ka Ho, the opposition's 'keeper, put the ball into his own net after 9 minutes, and we were in full control from then on. Despite Stalybridge's equaliser, two neat finishes from Lewis Alessandra and Ryan Charles gave us the 3 points, with Charles once again receiving the Man of the Match award.

Two 3-0 victories against Tamworth and Eastwood left us in 3rd place going into the final game against Hinckley. Ryan Charles grabbed two goals in both games, and the Man of the Match award, to make it four in as many games, with eight goals coming in that time. He was on form, there was no doubt about that. However, the expectancy to perform well did seem to be getting to him. He was starting to feel the pressure from the fans and the media, who all predicted him to carry on scoring goals. Hopefully it won't be too much of a burden to his form though.

Despite lying 3rd in the table, our place in the play-offs wasn't cemented. 6th placed Nuneaton could still make them if results went their way, and if results went against us, we could drop out of the top 5 altogether. We basically needed at least a point from the Hinckley game, and a point was what we got. As with most 'big' games, it failed to live up to the expected heights and ended with a very poor goalless draw. Nevertheless, we had made the play-offs, although we had dropped a place to finish the season in 4th place.

We were drawn against Droylsden in the semi-finals, a team who have in recent years gotten the better of AFC Telford in the majority of the encounters. We are on form though, and I believe we can win. If only I was offered the job earlier in the season; we might've well been promoted automatically. Then again, things could have been so much different. I love the play-offs, but not when you're involved in them yourself. Wish us luck...

March 2012

After a 100% record in February, I was hoping for more of the same in March. Unfortunately, things didn't get off to the best start. An away game at Droylsden provided me with only my second defeat as manager of AFC Telford. Two first half goals finished us off, and the own goal in the second half was merely a consolation in a 2-1 loss.

Lewis Alessandra was missing through injury for the Droylsden game, and was absent once again for our next fixture against bottom-of-the-table Hednesford. It's fair to say that we didn't miss our top goalscorer that much though, as Ryan Charles stepped up to the mark. It was his first half hat-trick that sealed a comfortable 3-0 win against a very poor Hednesford side (who incidentally had confirmed their relegation by the end of the month).

Fellow promotion contenders Ilkeston were our next opponents. Lewis Alessandra was back in the team for the game at New Bucks Head, and carried on where he left off by bagging a couple of goals. Ryan Charles, continuing his own good form, also scored twice in a 4-0 victory, with his second of the game marking his 10th goal of the season.

We moved up to 4th in the league after the win against Ilkeston; Telford's highest position of the season. 5th placed Nuneaton Town made the relatively short journey over to Shropshire a week later, in what was another tough encounter for us. Ryan Charles opened the scoring from 25 yards just after the half hour mark, for his 6th goal in 3 games. Lewis Alessandra then doubled our lead shortly after, and we managed to hold on despite a second half goal from Nuneaton, which was the first goal Alex Cairns, who reclaimed the number one spot against Hednesford, had conceded in over 350 minutes of football.

As if we hadn't already had a pretty tough month in terms of fixtures, our next game brought us up against league-leaders Southport. We were leading 2-0 thanks to goals from Alessandra and Netan Sansara, until the a 70th minute penalty brought Southport back into the game. They then equalised 10 minutes later and that was the way things finished. A good result, but it was slightly disappointing that we couldn't hold onto our lead.

The final fixture in March was against Redditch, a game which we comfortably 2-0 through two Jake Simpson goals. We finished the month in 4th place, three points off 3rd placed Stafford, nine points off 2nd placed Southport and 11 points off the leaders Hinckley. Next month will see the climax of the Blue Square North season, and realistically, I think we should make the play-offs. With six games left, the gap is probably too big to win the league and claim the only automatic spot. I was 3rd in the Manager of the Month awards this month, but Ryan Charles was awarded with Player of the Month. All of the teams we have left to play are currently in the bottom half of the table, with the exception of Hinckley, who we play on the final day of the season. That could definitely be interesting.

February 2012

We had won three on the bounce going into our first match of the month against Corby, who were sitting comfortably in 12th place, two places below us. Goalkeeper Alex Cairnes was injured towards the end of the previous game against King's Lynn, so Ryan Young stepped in to replace him, in what was the only change. Ryan Charles played in Lewis Alessandra on 12 minutes for the striker's 8th goal of the season, and then in the second half, Charles himself got on the scoresheet to double our lead, and seal the victory.

A hard-fought 1-0 victory against Blyth Spartans followed, with Alessandra once again grabbing a goal; this time an 87th minute near post header off Netan Sansara's cross. Stafford Rangers provided us with a much tougher test in our next game. They were 3rd in the league, although they were in a bit of a poor patch of form. Nevertheless, we weren't going to be too complacent, despite our brilliant form. Stafford opened the scoring on 5 minutes, but a Matthew Duffy free-kick levelled things up mid-way through the first half. Two Ryan Charles goals either side of half-time completed the comeback and the win. The second was Charles' 5th goal of the season, and he was rightly given the Man of the Match.

A week later, we hosted Gainsborough, who were struggling in the league, and luckily for us, had a few key players missing, including striker Luke Beckett. Ryan Young's record of conceding only one goal in three appearances meant he started his fourth game in a row, even though Alex Cairnes was back to full fitness. Lewis Alessandra scored his 10th of the season, and in fact, the only goal of the game, in a 1-0 victory. We had now won seven on the trot, four of which were 1-0 victories.

Needless to say, I once again won the Manager of the Month award. We're now 6th in the league, 12 places above where we were when I started, and level on points with Redditch in 5th. Since I took over, we've played 14 games, won 11, drew twice and lost just the once. Quite a good record if I do say so myself. Let's just hope it continues.

January 2012

A home game against top-of-the-league Hinckley provided us with our first test of the new year. I went with an unchanged line up, and it was Lewis Alessandra's close range effort from Jake Simpson's cross on 30 minutes that broke the deadlock. Hinckley then equalised shortly before the break after a scramble in the box and some pretty lack-lustre defending. Alessandra managed to double his tally 10 minutes after the break, to put us in the lead. Shortly after, he completed his hat-trick following Netan Sansara's flick on. He had deserved the match ball. Ryan Charles completed what was now a rout, in stoppage time, with his first goal for the club. A fantastic team performance.

Five days later, we hosted Alfreton, and it was the away side that took the lead in the first half. However, just before half time, Lewis Alessadra, continuing his good form, grabbed a goal to draw us level. He then turned provider with 20 minutes left on the clock, when his cross was met by Ryan Charles' head to complete the come back, and indeed the win.

The next game was quite strange. We travelled to a Workington side who were 19th in the league, and not in good form, yet we managed to lose the game 4-0. We just didn't turn up, and were totally outplayed for the whole game. Luckily, it was just an anomoly in terms of our good form, as we beat Solihull Moors 2-1 the following week, thanks to goals from Jon Adams and Netan Sansara.

Worcester City were our penultimate opponents of the month, and for the most part of the game it was pretty equal. Both sides missed opportunities to win the game; they failed to capitalise on the fact they had an extra man after Sansara was dismissed, and Ryan Charles missed a penalty for us after 68 minutes. I brought Danny Carey-Bertram on in place of the uncharacteristally-poor Charles after 75 minutes, and it was the subsitute's goal 10 minutes later that sealed the win for us.

The final game of the month brought us up against King's Lynn at New Bucks Head. A solitary Lewis Alessandra goal on 23 minutes was enough to see us through to victory, and subsequently move us up to 11th in the table.

I was presented with the Blue Square North Manager of the Month award; the icing on the cake in a very successful month. AFC Telford United are going from strength to strength, and I hope we can simply keep on doing right whatever we're doing right, basically! The team is gelling very well, and everybody is playing as though they want to progress, which is good, and perhaps something that the players at Harrogate lacked. Here's to another good month...?

December 2011

Telford were in 18th place when I took over, after 16 games, with 2 wins, 8 draws and 6 losses. Surprisingly, they'd won the previous match against Braintree 2-1, but I believe they had a caretaker manager in place at the time. I didn't have a match for ten days, which gave me a bit of time to look at the squad I had been given, and potentially bring in some new faces.

Wolverhampton Wanderers were our parent club, but the link between the two purely consisted of an annual pre-season friendly. To get a bit more money, and perhaps some loanees, I asked the board to look for a new parent club, and they came up with West Brom. Unfortunately, they didn't send any players on loan though.

My first signing as Telford manager was Alex Cairns, an 18-year-old goalkeeper who quickly established himself as the number one ahead of Ryan Young. Several failed loan attempts for various players followed, and it wasn't until the day of our match against Vauxhall Motors that two signings were completed. 21-year-old right midfielder Jake Simpson was brought in for £4,000 from Shrewsbury, and 22-year-old pacey attacker Lewis Alessandra was signed for a club record £10,00 from Oldham Athletic. Both went straight into the starting line up for the game, despite having only officially been at the club for a matter of hours.

Vauxhall were, when we played them, in 16th place, two above us, and it was them who opened the scoring on 18 minutes through midfielder James Holden. However, we managed to grab an equaliser 10 minutes before half time when centre back Matthew Duffy got on the end of Jon Adams' corner. That was the way it stayed, and apart from an injury to Steve Torpey in second half stoppage time, it was a fairly uneventful second half. However, it was my first game, and we didn't lose, so all's ok.

The next fixture against Stalybridge saw three more new faces in the squad. Ryan Charles (£1,500) and Netan Sansara (£1,000) were signed from Luton and Walsall respectively, and 37-year-old Graham Coughlan joined us from our rivals Shrewsbury for £1,000 to add experience, reliability and perhaps more importantly, a bit of competition to the existing centre back pairing of Matthew Duffy and Adrian Nevins. The game saw all six new players starting in a 4-4-2 formation. We took the lead after 41 minutes; Ryan Charles was brought down in the area and the penalty was converted by Jake Simpson for his first Telford goal, and we went into break in front.

Carl Laurie, the Stalybridge player who gave away the penalty and was booked for the offence, received his marching orders on 78 minutes to send the home team down to 10-men. We made them pay just two minutes later when Graham Coughlan, on his debut, headed in from Jon Adams' corner. It then all got a bit scrappy. At this point there had already been one red card as I mentioned, but as well as this, there'd been no less than eight yellow cards. With five minutes to go, Stalybridge's Paul Ennis caught Jake Simpson with his elbow and was given a straight red to reduce them to 9-men. Then, in the 91st minute, Matthew Duffy got his second yellow for a foul and he too had to leave the field. The game finished with only 19 players on the pitch, after a total of 11 bookings and 3 red cards.

6th in the table Tamworth were the next team to travel to New Bucks Head, and with the exception of Adrian Nevins replacing the suspended Matthew Duffy, I stuck with the same team that beat Stalybridge. Lewis Alessandra grabbed both our goals, as well as man of the match, in a 2-0 victory; his first coming on 11 minutes in a swift counter attack, and the 2nd on 82 minutes from a Jake Simpson cross. 3 points and a pretty convincing victory, if I do say so myself.

Our final game in December, and indeed 2011, was away to Eastwood on New Year's Eve. The game finished 1-1, although judging by the stats, we should've won. Adrian Nevins got the goal for us, and ex-Harrogate striker Danny Maw came back to haunt be by equalising for Eastwood.

The draw left us in 15th place, 3 above where we were when I took over. I couldn't have asked for a better start as Telford manager to be quite honest. Things look promising, but as I know from my time at Harrogate, things can easily change month-to-month, so I'm not predicting anything for January... not yet anyway.

May 2010 - November 2011

I wanted to get straight back into football after leaving Harrogate, but I had to wait until the end of the 2009/10 season had finished for the job offers to come in.

Applications were sent initially to Staines, Hyde and Dorchester, who had all sacked their manager at the end of the season. However Boston Utd and Nuneaton Borough, both promoted to the Blue Square North for the 2010/11 season, approached me and asked me to fill their vacant managerial positions. I mulled over it for quite some time, and looked at both their squads. They were pretty weak, and it would be a big job just to keep them in the division. The three teams I applied for earlier did look more appealing, so for that reason I decided to reject the two offers, a decision which I would sincerely regret for over a year after.

It seemed as though my greed had got the better of my when Staines, Hyde and Dorchester all found new managers. Unsuccessful applications were then sent to Tonbridge, Cambridge City and Sutton United, and I even sent a bit of a cheeky application to the Brazilian, Italian, Spanish and Argentinian national sides. I was rejected from all. Things were getting tough; the papers were beginning to talk, "Alex Blackburne's career is over" they said. But it wasn't, and I knew that.

The next realistic position came in November the next year, when Bath City sacked their manager. I applied, only to be rejected again. I was literally on the brink of retirement when AFC Telford came calling. The small club from Shropshire were sitting in 18th in the Blue Square North, and had recently parted company with their manager. They offered me a decent wage, and the squad actually looked pretty decent. I accepted the offer and was unveiled as their new manager on the 7th of December.

April 2010

I'm not going into much detail in this chapter of my managerial career. Purely because it's been a very tough month, and I now find myself without a job. Three defeats and two draws left Harrogate in 20th place, and relegated. A 0-0 draw away at Northwich was the tip of the iceberg. The board had no choice but to get rid of me. I understand that. I'm already looking for my next challenge, and I'm open to any offers.

Apologies to all the Harrogate fans, and everyone associated with the club, for what was an extremely disappointing season.

The footballing world has definitely not heard the last of Alex Blackburne.

March 2010

An away fixture against Stalybridge was our first test in March. Nic McDonnell, Simon Heslop and Sonny Cobbs were all still missing due to injury, so it was a bit of a make shift team that started the game. Stalybridge were sitting fairly comfortably in mid-table, whilst we were placed fairly uncomfortably in 16th. We didn't play well, and ended up losing the game 2-0, thanks to goals on either side of half time.

We were desperately seeking a win, and our next game brought us up against Fleetwood Town, who we had beaten 3-1 earlier in the season. Fleetwood were currently 2nd in the league, so it was going to be a tough ask to repeat our previous success. We couldn't have asked for a better start though; after six minutes, the returning Simon Heslop hit a first time shot from 30 yards that whistled past the Fleetwood 'keeper and into the back of the net. Apparently, we would be seeing that goal for some time. Brian Dutton doubled our advantage 20 minutes later with a strike from a narrow angle. We looked very comfortable, I must say. Someone who hadn't seen the league standings would've probably placed us in 2nd, and Fleetwood in 16th, not the other way round. This is what I don't understand about Harrogate. We go and do the double over one of the best sides in the league, yet we slip up against Solihull Moors and teams who look destined for relegation. It is really annoying.

A week later, we travelled to Ilkeston, who were 5th in the league and going strong. We were buoyed by our somewhat unexpected victory the week earlier, and we did have a good record against teams in the top six, so the whole team were expecting to get something from this game. Partnering Harry Hogarth at centre back was new recruit Joshua Vermooten, a South-African signed on a free after his Leeds United contract expired. He had a solid debut, but we ended up losing the game 2-0. Brian Dutton was given his marching orders with five minutes left on the clock, in what was a bit of a harsh decision. However, I kept my mouth shut this time though; I'd already been warned twice by the FA for comments made about refereeing decisions.

So that's March. Only three games this month, and only one month left of the season. Ideally, I'd like us to finish above 10th place, but somehow I don't think that will happen. Our run-in until the end of the season is pretty generous though; we still have to play Hyde who are bottom of the league.

February 2010

No sooner had we won 3-0 against Corby, we were on the wrong end of the same result against Alfreton, a team who we really should've beaten. Sonny Cobbs was brought off after half an hour after he fractured his ribs, an injury which ruled him out for two months. After going into the break goalless, Alfreton managed three second half goals to earn them the win.

We travelled north to Cheshire three days later, to face play-off contenders Vauxhall Motors. A goal after only two minutes gave them the lead, and despite being a man up for over 85 minutes of the game (Vauxhall's James Holden was sent off after four minutes for a two-footed lunge on Simon Heslop), we failed to make them pay, and disappointingly, lost the game to that solitary goal.

It's fair to say that at this point morale was pretty low. It wasn't the same as earlier in the season when we'd been playing pretty well, but losing; no, we were actually playing quite bad and then getting the results to prove this. However a trip to AFC Telford, who at the time were sitting in 20th place, had the potential to raise our spirits if a victory was achieved. We went into the game without Nic McDonnell, who twisted his ankle against Vauxhall, meaning Luke Dean started up front on his own. The game, as the commentator described it, ended in a goalless "bore draw".

Gainsborough were our next opponents, and more injuries came our way. Luke Dean, once again playing ahead of the ankle-twisted McDonnell, ironically twisted his own ankle, ruling him out for a month, Simon Heslop gashed his leg, and Danny Rowe fractured his arm. Unfortunately I had to send Rowe back to Stockport, as he wasn't able to see a Harrogate specialist due to the fact he was on loan. To add insult to the literal injury, the game once again ended in a feeble 0-0 draw.

As if things weren't going bad enough for us, our next game was against Gloucester City, leaders of the Blue Square Conference North. Brilliant, eh? However, we battled until half time and managed to keep the scores goalless. It looked as though we'd handed the victory to our opponents on 57 minutes, when Leon Scott was adjudged to have held back a Gloucester attacker, and a penalty was awarded. However Neil Mustoe's penalty was saved by Gareth Stewart, and we still had a chance in the game. Ten minutes later, we were given our own penalty when Lawrie Dudfield was brought down. Alex Smith stepped up, and slotted the ball away for his first goal in Harrogate colours. Our celebrations were short-lived though; they equalised five minutes later, and ten minutes after that, grabbed the winner from a free-kick.

Overall, February was a poor month, as we only managed 2 points from a possible 15. It still leaves us in 15th place though, but we're slowly but surely slipping away from a possible top-half finish. I believe we can still do it, it's just whether the players do. It's a bad time to have an injury crisis, I'll tell you that for free.

January 2010

A new year may have begun, but everyone at Harrogate Town was hoping that our good form in December would very much continue into 2010. A New Year's Day meeting against Farsley Celtic at Wetherby Road provided us with our first test of the calender year. They stood at the bottom of the table after a ten point deduction at the beginning of the season, but without this, they would probably have been pretty close to where we were. Farsley opened the scoring just after the half hour mark, but this was cancelled out by Nic McDonnell's 9th goal of the season shortly before the break, and despite a late surge from us, this was the way it finished.

Just three days later we were facing Farsley again, this time at their place, in a rearranged fixture from earlier on in the season. Our fixture list has seemed to be a bit dodgy (see November 09). The game was pretty dull, and despite being a man up for the last 40 minutes, we failed to capitalise, and it ended goalless.

A trip to the Midlands was in order next, as we took on Solihull Motors, who were bottom of the league, and this time they were actually bottom. No points deductions, just poor form. However, the way we played, a neutral would've thought we were in their position. We took the lead in the 19th minute thanks to Luke Dean's first goal for the club, but things went downhill from there. Solihull equalised with a very dubious goal 15 minutes later. I was warned by the FA after my comments about the goal, which I thought (and still think) it was a mile offside. Nevertheless, the goal was given and Solihull went on to score a penalty just after the break, and add a third with 10 minutes to go. Very disappointing.

A player I'd been looking at for a while, on the advice of my scouts, was 19-year-old central defender Harry Hogarth. Ian Cox hadn't been playing too well, so I snapped the youngster up on a free transfer, and put him straight into the team to face Stalybridge a few days later. We were losing 1-0 and tried to push for an equaliser in the closing stages, only for our defence to become exposed and leak another goal. However, Hogarth impressed on his debut.

A week later we travelled to Stafford, and it was Hogarth's first goal for the club that sealed a 1-0 victory. He was named Man of the Match in what was a very convincing team performance. The final game in January lined us up against 5th placed Corby, whom we played on the first day of the season, and lost 2-0 to. It was time for revenge, and from the kick off it was clear my players were thinking this as well. After only 30 seconds, David McTiernan received the ball on the right wing and put in a low ball towards Nic McDonnell who was lurking in the area. It was McDonnell's presence that lead to Phil Gulliver putting the ball into his own net. An excellent start. Things got even better just before the interval when McDonnell's low shot hit the left hand post and rebounded into the net off a hapless Mark Osborn in the Corby goal. Nic McDonnell should've had two goals, instead he had two assists to his name. However his efforts were rewarded with two minutes left to go with a powerful finish. McDonnell was deservedly awarded the Man of the Match.

The 3-0 victory was the final game in January, and left us in 14th place. It's tight though; we're only 2 points off 8th place, which is encouraging. We do seem to perform better against the better teams, and at the minute I have no idea why.

December 2009

An away draw with Blyth Spartans kicked off December. Simon Sturdy grabbed his first goal for us on 26 minutes from the penalty spot and it looked as though that was enough, but Blyth pulled level in the 81st minute to make it 1-1. To be quite honest, neither team were outstanding, so a draw was probably a fair result.

Eastwood Town were our next opponents. They found themselves in 16th place, just one spot below us, and we really needed to win. Nic McDonnell, who was back in the starting line up after being rested against Blyth, opened the scoring on 15 minutes, and that was the way things finished. McDonnell could've doubled his tally in the second half, but his penalty was well saved by the Eastwood 'keeper. It's fair to say that we were quite lucky to come away with three points though; Eastwood had 14 shots in the game, double what we achieved, and they had a goal ruled out for offside with ten minutes left to play. I wasn't complaining though; three points is three points, no matter how you get them!

Just before the next game against Kidderminster in the FA Trophy, I signed 18-year-old attacking midfielder Luke Dean on a loan for the rest of the season from Bradford City. My scouts had recommended him to me earlier in the season, and his introduction to the squad would provide Brian Dutton and Simon Heslop with some competition. Kidderminster were very much favourites for our 1st round tie, but with no goals for either side at half time, we felt we were in with a chance. However, they opened the scoring on 70 minutes and it looked as though they'd booked their place in the next round. We piled on the pressure in the last ten minutes, and our efforts were rewarded with a penalty in the 90th minute, which Nic McDonnell cooly converted so earn us a replay back at Wetherby Road.

A few days later, the media approached me about the vacant Newport County job, to which I denied any speculation linking me with the job. Needless to say, the Harrogate board were delighted. The FA Trophy 2nd round draw took place, and us or Kidderminster were given a home tie against either Kettering or Rushden. Just the small matter of beating Kidderminster first though, before we could think about that. The replay was postponed due to a flooded pitch and rearranged for a few days later, and it was pretty disappointing. Kidderminster ran out 2-0 victors, and comfortable ones at that. Once again though, at least we can now fully concentrate on the league.

Leauge leaders Gloucester City were our next opponents at Wetherby Road. We managed to hold them to a goalless draw, thanks to stand out performances from Matt Bloomer and Ian Cox at centre back. Both Bloomer and Cox were swiftly awarded new contracts, along with several other players, most notably David McTiernan, Dan Broadbent and Simon Sturdy.

A 1-0 home win against Workington saw the month, and indeed the year out for Harrogate. Brian Dutton's header off Alex Smith's corner won the game for us. It was a man of the match performance from the midfielder and also his first goal for the club.

December was a good month for us, and perhaps the best since I took over. 8 points out of a possible 12 in the league, including a draw to the side who were top of the table, is very positive. The fact we're out of the FA Trophy isn't so good, but we did put up a good fight against a tough Kidderminster side. The end of 2009 sees Harrogate placed 14th in the league, with New Year's Day bringing bottom of the table Farsley to Wetherby Park. Without sounding too over-confident, I'm quite up for a belated Christmas present. See you all next year!