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...?