Day 292

With one game to play, my Under 18s climbed to third in their group today. It will be a fantastic achievement if they can hold the position.

Meanwhile, the seniors faced off against Darlington for their final game of the season.

I decided to field an almost-full-strength team, with my first-choice back four—Kanouté, Gowling, Marques, Billington—and strike-pairing—Koroma and Barnes-Homer—supported by midfielders Shuker, Woods, Olembé, and Power (with Halstead in goal). Power got the nod because he was a key player for us through the first half of the season, and he’s made a few vital contributions since falling back to fringe status.

Power’s actually only missed one game in the league all season. He started 21 (soon to be 22) matches and came off the bench in 23.

Youngsters Robert Taylor and Karlton Watson took their place on the bench with Diagouraga, May, and Nutter. I chose not to put a second goalkeeper in the 16, leaving us vulnerable if Halstead were to get injured or sent off.

We went close twice in the opening few minutes, with good efforts from Koroma and Shuker. It looked as though we’d be in charge of the game. We were helped by Darlington’s defensive misfortune moments later. A Billington corner from the left bounced off one Darlington player’s back and off another’s—James Gray’s—heel, before rolling over the line.

Koroma should have doubled the lead in the 34th minute, when he dispossessed Ziggy Gordon inside the box and slid a shot across goal. It was off the mark, however. I wondered whether the striker would break his goalless streak today—he’d gone more than 12 games without scoring.

He got it. Koroma picked up Power’s pass on the edge of the box on 60 minutes, fought off the challenge of Balotoni, and calmly placed the ball in the bottom corner. His 20th league goal of the season sure was a long time coming, and you could see the relief on his face to finally break the drought.

Young centre back Karlton Watson replaced Kanouté in the 67th minute, with Gowling moving across to right back. Then Power went down injured in the 76th minute. I picked John Nutter as his replacement, since I wanted the club captain on the pitch at the final whistle. Olembé took on an unfamiliar central midfield role to accommodate Nutter.

Darlington pulled a goal back in the 81st minute. Unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box, Bridge-Wilkinson volleyed Foster’s free kick goalwards. Halstead was beaten, but the ball cannoned off Billington on the near post. Felice Coppola was perfectly positioned to tap the rebound in, adding a disappointing note to our title celebrations.

We held on for a deserved victory, however. Koroma took man of the match honours, while we all got to celebrate the Conference crown. Our next league game will be in the division above—League 2. I’m especially pleased that we hit 100 points, scored 106 goals, and conceded just 43 times—less than once a match.

We smashed our season record for attendance—6,538 people turned out to see us raise the trophy and accept our winners medals (and watch some football too, presumably).

The play-offs are scheduled. Wrexham face Mansfield, while Grimsby go toe to toe with Gateshead.

Day 291

Voting started today for Blue Square Bet Premier Player of the Season. Two of my players were nominated: striker Matthew Barnes-Homer, who currently tops the league in average ratings, and midfielder Chris Shuker, who leads on assists. I abstained from voting, since I’m not allowed to vote for one of my players (and I think Barnes-Homer deserves the nod).

Apparently Shuker and Ebbsfleet’s Michael West are considered front-runners for the award. I think it’ll either go to Barnes-Homer or West—who’s been something of a one man army this season, bagging 19 goals, 21 assists, and seven best-on-ground honours in 45 appearances. West is also second to Barnes-Homer on the average ratings.

I’m disappointed that Salomon Olembé wasn’t nominated, but I guess it’s because he missed so much football—just 29 (soon to be 30) appearances.

The board are expecting a season-record attendance for tomorrow’s match against Darlington. Around 6,000 people could turn up to watch us lift the Conference title. It’s about bloody time more of Lincoln’s fans bothered to show up.

We’ve been given odds of 4-7 to win the game. But it’s all academic, of course, because neither side stands to gain or lose much—we could hit 100 points, and they could climb one place to 17th (or fall one spot to 19th).

Those scout reports I requested yesterday came through this evening. Juan Carlos is slightly better than Olembé, I’m told. This has me thinking of a possible Carlos/Olembé partnership on the left flank next season—Olembé at left back and Carlos at left midfield. That could be a formidable force if they work well together. I offered him a contract.

The report on Laurent Hervé was similarly positive. He could play regular first-team football in League 1, scout Ian Gardner says. And he’d make a fine calming influence to either our defence or midfield. I tried to offer him a contract, too, but wasn’t willing to give him a “match highest earner salary” clause. He walked away. I’ll try again later.

Meanwhile, Blackpool asked for £8,000 for veteran Maltese striker Daniel Bogdanovic. I countered, “Nothing or nothing!” If they understand my new bid, I’ll either be in talks with Bogdanovic soon or I’ll have to fight off other clubs when his contract expires at the end of June.

Day 290

We held the last backroom meeting of the regular season today. I had to take striker Matthew Barnes-Homer off his composure training—an individual regime intended to improve his effectiveness in front of goal—because the workload was too high.

My staff recommended several potential signings. I was not familiar with any of them, so I told them to write up reports. Three of these were on my desk by the evening, alongside a scout report on veteran Maltese striker Daniel Bogdanovic. At 32, Bogdanovic is past his prime—but he’s still much better than any of the forwards at the club at the moment. I’m told his only real weakness is a lack of pace, and with his Blackpool contract soon to expire I might be able to sign him on a free transfer.

He’s unwanted at the club, too—listed for both transfer and loan. I put in a somewhat cheeky bid of £0.

The other reports left me unmoved, but a scouting update from Mark Bradshaw caught my notice. Laurent Hervé and Juan Carlos—both veteran (35-year-old) players with pedigree in the top leagues of Europe—have been playing in Scotland and will soon be in need of a new club. I asked Bradshaw to take a closer look, since his early impressions suggest they could be great signings.

Day 289

Wrexham, Grimsby, Gateshead, and Barrow made up their remaining game in hand today, finally placing every team under the same number of games played—I don’t think this has happened since Christmas. The final standings look to be pretty much set with a game to play. No team can climb more than three places, and most cannot even move up one.

In the play-off zone, where position dictates who plays whom, it seems likely that the pecking order will stay as it is now—Mansfield, Gateshead, Grimsby, Wrexham. Yep, Wrexham went from serious title contenders to fifth place with a difficult home game against Mansfield that must be won if they are to improve their lot. I think the play-offs are likely to be Wrexham versus Mansfield, Gateshead versus Grimsby. I’d tip Mansfield and Grimsby to win those ties, with Mansfield just edging out Grimsby in the play-off final.

I checked out the past positions in the league this season. The top five teams have been in the top five since round 14. Four of these five—Gateshead are the odd ones out—were there by round 8. That means the top end of the Conference League has been a fortress this season, impenetrable to nearly all of the 24 clubs.

The bottom end tells a similar story. Kettering never climbed above second last place. Barrow fell into the relegation zone in round 8 and never made it out. Braintree started poorly, rallied well, then slipped back into the relegation zone (and stayed there) after 18 matches. Stockport started strongly, then sunk into the horrid red zone in round 15—never to return.

While teams in the large middle section—from sixth all the way down to 20th—have exchanged positions and ebbed and flowed with the home and away schedule, the bookends of the table have held remarkably solid. I find that fascinating—this idea that there are five or six teams considerably better than the rest, four or five teams considerably worse, and a dozen or so that are fairly similar in ability.

Day 288

Chris Shuker returned to training today, after three weeks out with a thigh strain. This means I’ll have the midfielder available for the last game of the season. I’m not sure if I’ll play him yet, though. With the title won, I must look to the future. And it may be more beneficial to play youngster Robert Taylor instead.

I’m caught in two minds. Shuker sat in the stands when we confirmed the title, but he was instrumental to us getting there, so I’d love him to be on the pitch for the final-day celebrations. But there’s a very real chance that young Taylor will replace Shuker as first-choice on the right flank by the end of next season, if he gets the minutes that enable him to grow as a player.

Day 287

I’m not sure whether to be amused or annoyed that the youth candidates who’ve been on trial for the past month are all terrible. Assistant manager Martin O’Connor seemed downtrodden that he couldn’t recommend a single one of them for a permanent contract. The super-talented Samuel Hancock came to the club with that lot, though (even if I did sign him on the first day), so I guess we should be pleased.

I’ve done well with signing young players this season. All of the fantastic loan signings were under 25. The core of my team is composed of more experienced players, but they’ve been surrounded by talented youngsters—Koroma, Kanouté, Woods, Power, and Bore are all under 25, and they all played vital roles over the course of the season (even if Power and Bore fell out of favour towards the end).

I’m trying to get the club into a position where the younger players force the veterans out of the team, then a few years later a new batch pushes them out. Lincoln is not a rich club; if we’re to climb through the leagues, we have to be smart about building a squad. We don’t have much of a youth system, so I don’t want to be a glorified feeder for the big clubs—poaching our best couple of players every year. The trick is to sign them young, develop their talents, then either sell them just beyond their peak or keep them around to help the next generation reach its full potential.

At the same time, I want to sign outcast former stars—supposedly washed up and years beyond their best—to carry the team. This is the strategy I employed to such phenomenal success this season—young talents and old coots. Guys like Olembé and Marques are still brilliant players, but they need to be given responsibility and a chance to prove themselves.

I have full confidence that I can keep it going. It’s anyone’s guess how far we can get, but I’ll take the same philosophy as I did here—build up to something big, breaking it down into many smaller chunks. All I have to do is take it one day at a time. At least I hope so.

Day 286

I’ve made a few decisions following yesterday’s defeat. Sam Smith, Alan Power, Peter Bore, Francis Laurent, Simon Russell, Jean-François Christophe, Paul Robson, and Nialle Rodney will all be released at the end of their contracts this summer. Next season I’ll rebuild around the core of my current first team—Marques, Olembé, Birchall, Woods, Shuker, Barnes-Homer, and Koroma.

I will try to add left back Alex Billington on a permanent contract, too. Diagouraga and Atkinson haven’t done enough to convince me they’re worth the trouble. It’s my understanding that attacking midfielder Robert Taylor is on a two-year loan deal, so I’ll still have him around next campaign.

It’s a very different squad today to when I started. I’ve offloaded nine players and brought around 20 on board—although several of those were short-term loans. It was always a matter of me racing against this idea that the team just wasn’t good enough—that our early wins were lucky (they were, but because we had weak opposition rather than because we punched above our weight), that at some point we’d collapse and sink down to the lower reaches of the league table.

I thought our first defeat—0-2 at home against Gateshead—would be the straw that broke the camel’s back. A woeful performance all over the park seemed to reinforce my preconception that I was on borrowed time hovering around the play-off zone. It was actually the next day that I arranged the Ben May transfer, which didn’t go through until four months later. I had no faith in my attack.

I thought Koroma was still a year away from being ready for regular first-team football, and I expected Barnes-Homer to struggle with consistency. I was wrong on both counts, which is why May struggled to break into the team when he did finally arrive in January. Oh, how wrong we can be.

Day 285

I fielded a stronger team for the match against Grimsby than I expected. Young full backs Kanouté and Billington returned to the starting eleven, with Bore and Nutter making way. Alan Power came in to the centre of midfield for Toumani Diagouraga—perhaps a harsh move given Diagouraga’s recent upturn in form, but one that gives Power a chance to earn a new contract.

Meanwhile in attack, Sam Smith got his last chance to prove he’s good enough to stay at the club. Our goalscorer against Mansfield, Ben May, dropped out of the team. And youngsters Karlton Watson, Samuel Hancock, and Robert Taylor took residence on the bench, alongside Matthew Barnes-Homer (there solely for if the match turns sour).

The reason for the relatively minor changes is that most of my young players are actually pretty terrible, now that I think about it. The ones with real potential are all in the sixteen here, except maybe midfielder Chris Atkinson—who is on a season-long loan and probably won’t be asked back for the next campaign.

Watson and Hancock were looking at competitive debuts if they came off the bench. Both could have very bright futures ahead, so I’m eager to give them first-team exposure.

All eyes turned to Michael Woods and Grimsby striker Liam Hearn, however. Either player could hold the keys to winning in their hands.

Woods exerted more influence in the early stages of the game. He put Smith through with a half-chance in the seventh minute, then won a decisive tackle in the centre of the park a few minutes later.

Koroma went on a brilliant solo run through the middle in the 13th minute, firing off a shot that the keeper fumbled in the rain. Only quick reactions from Grimsby defenders kept the striker from pouncing on the rebound.

Despite looking the weaker of the two sides, Grimsby broke the deadlock in the 39th minute. Aaron Brown lost his marker and powered a Soares corner beyond Halstead with an excellent header.

Annoyed, I told my players to attack. Rui Marques nearly scored a header of his own two minutes later, denied only by the woodwork. But the momentum had shifted in Grimsby’s favour.

We may have the championship in the bag, but there was no excusing for the performance on display, I yelled at half time.

A few minutes into the second period, I brought youngsters Watson and Hancock into the fray. Gowling and Koroma weren’t playing to their usual standards, and they both looked tired, so they made way.

I finally bit the bullet and brought Barnes-Homer on with 15 minutes to go. Smith was struggling to make any sort of impact, and we needed some dynamism up front.

Hancock went close to equalising in the 86th minute. He turned well inside the box and fired off a quick shot that the keeper was stretching for. It sailed wide of the mark, however.

Then poor goalkeeping and subpar defending handing Grimsby their second goal two minutes into stoppage time. Townsend was given too much time on the left to line up his cross, while Halstead should have been able to hold on to the ball. Instead, the keeper parried it right into the path of Kirkpatrick—who said thank you very much and volleyed the ball into the back of the net. Nobody had picked him up.

A woeful performance in a horrendously-low-quality match of football. We were decent in the midfield, poor everywhere else.

For Grimsby the result is fantastic news, though. Their defence did a fine job containing my attackers, who have scored more than two goals a game this season. And they assured their place in the play-offs, meaning that they have a real shot at promotion.

At the other end of the table, Stockport secured their relegation with a match to spare—losing 3-2 away at York.

I was heartbroken to see that 16 year old forward Samuel Hancock left the game with a bruised rib. That means he won’t be fit to take part in the last game of the season. I was thinking about giving the youngster a run from the start. I feel awful for the lad.

Day 284

Grimsby are favourites to beat us in the league tomorrow. That’s hardly surprising, given that we have little left to play for and they’re looking to set themselves up for a good run in the play-offs. We beat them 3-0 last time, however, in a match that we dominated from end to end. I’m hoping my players will repeat that performance, but I don’t really care as long as they enjoy themselves and don’t give up any easy goals.

I’m still thinking about how the team should line up tomorrow. A part of me wants to field an entire team of fringe players and youngsters, while another part says I should let the guys who got us here enjoy their success. For the first time this season, they can play without any pressure on them—there’s nothing to lose except pride, now that the points don’t matter. There’ll definitely be at least a few changes, though.

Day 283

I’m running through key stages of the season over the next couple of weeks, on the quiet days (like today) where nothing much happens. Today I recall my arrival at the club, with the benefit of hindshight.

It took a while for me to settle in at Lincoln. New to the league, the club, and management in general, I stumbled blindly through the first week.

With a non-existent transfer budget, I soon realised that I needed every signing to be both free and important. I scoured the listings of known free agents, hoping to spot the diamonds in the rough.

Meanwhile, I went fairly hands-off for our first few friendly matches of the season. I needed to learn the strengths and weaknesses of the team. It took little time—or analysis—to see that the squad I’d inherited was going to struggle. So-called “first team” players could barely kick a football, so far as I could tell, and I needed to overhaul most of the squad.

I worried that we’d be sucked into a relegation dogfight, weeks before the actual season had begun. But then the names of two veteran former internationals came across my desk. Rui Marques and Salomon Olembé actually gave me the time of day. I couldn’t believe it. I can’t believe it. But Olembé agreed to come on trial, and then they both agreed to full-time contracts. Maybe we’d have a chance after all.

It helped, of course, that my scouts had recommended I give striker Matthew Barnes-Homer a close look. I was unimpressed by the lad’s pedigree, but he soon won me over (as you might have realised, if you’ve been reading along).

Barnes-Homer and a promising young striker called Omar Koroma were far from sure things at this early stage. My first week in charge saw several talented strikers arrive on trial, while there was hope that the players already under contract—Sam Smith, Richard Pacquette, Nialle Rodney, and injury-plagued Francis Laurent—might be good enough to mount a play-off challenge.

They weren’t. I’m still trying to get rid of Rodney, who was tipped for bigger and brighter things but couldn’t even hold his spot in the team—he would start as first-choice, then slip back to the bench, and finally rot in the Reserves for most of the season. Pacquette left on a free transfer; I released him from his contract a few months ago. Laurent’s contract will not be renewed at the end of the season, although I’m happy with his contribution. Smith might get to hang around a while longer; I haven’t decided yet.

Day 282

We’re in a quiet period at the moment. I’m thinking about which players to give match time to in the final two games, and what I need to do to prepare for next season. And there’s not much to talk about in the league until play-offs roll around in a few weeks. I guess it’s a good time for reflection on the last nine months.

I’ll be running back over some of the season—and diary—highlights over the next couple of weeks, whenever there’s nothing else to talk about, and weighing in on them with the wonderful gift of hindsight.

Day 281

Ben May’s goal against Mansfield yesterday set a new record for the number of goals scored in a season in the Blue Square Bet Premier. It had previously belonged to Barnet, for 103 goals in the 1990-91 season. Hereford United equalled it in 2003-4, but now we’ve done one better.

I made history. I’m feeling pretty chuffed about that. I owe it all to the fantastic strike partnership between Barnes-Homer and Koroma—they’ve contributed a combined 42 goals and 15 assists so far.

Wrexham finally secured their play-off spot this evening, beating Bath 2-1.

Day 280

I made three changes to the team for today’s big game against Mansfield. Peter Bore and John Nutter came in as full backs—both Billington and Kanouté weren’t deemed fit enough. Barnes-Homer dropped to the bench, out of concern that he would again buckle under the pressure. Ben May took his place up front.

True to the gravity of the occasion, where going behind could be devastating to either side and being ahead could bring enormous pressure to hold the lead, Marques and Mansfield’s goalkeeper, Alan Marriott, were singled out as key players by the match pundits.

We were strong out of the gates, with winger Salomon Olembé setting up chances from the left on two separate occasions in the opening three minutes. We’d already managed to get off three shots and a corner by the five-minute mark.

Mansfield were still a threat, though, and they made sure we knew it. The two sides traded blows, both looking likely to score with each attack. My boys had the each, though, and they really should have taken the lead in the 35th minute. Marriott couldn’t hold May’s long-range shot. Koroma and Woods both closed in on the loose ball, which ended up at the striker’s feet. Koroma hit his shot directly at Marriott, however, spurning a golden opportunity.

Central midfielders Woods and Diagouraga provided a calming influence in the second half, slowing down the play and distributing passes around the pitch. They were winning the battle against Roberts and Randall, too.

The match swung further to our favour in the 54th minute when Koroma won possession just outside the box from the midst of three Mansfield defenders. He slipped the ball forward to May, who was unmarked on the penalty spot. May calmly slotted his strike into the bottom corner. One-nil and in control. We knew holding on would render us champions.

Mansfield playmaker Gary Roberts was subbed off in the 67th minute. We had successfully frozen him out of the game. They were clutching at straws now.

May should have killed off the game with a second goal with around 20 minutes on the clock. Diagouraga played an excellent through ball for the striker, weighted perfectly and positioned for a first-time shot. But May was caught on his heels, and responded much too slowly, giving the goalkeeper time to come off his line and smother the chance.

Deep inside stoppage time, mere seconds before the final whistle, Mansfield striker Matthew Green ran onto a long ball. He looked offside, but he had timed his run to perfection. Green showed no signs of being under pressure, calmly taking a touch, lifting his head, and lofting a shot high above the keeper’s head. It went in—a dramatic equaliser; history repeating itself. For the second time this season, Mansfield had equalised against us in the final minute. I was livid.

It didn’t matter, though, because a draw wasn’t good enough for them. We’ve won the league, with two matches to spare. Fans, pundits, and Lincoln board members hailed me for doing what seemed to be impossible. I took a team barely good enough to finish mid-table, and I turned them into champions on a nothing budget.

A fans’ spokesperson announced that I’m “undoubtedly one of the best managers around.” We’ll see if you still feel that way if I struggle to keep the team free from relegation next season. Supporters are among the most fickle beasts in all the world. One minute you’re the greatest thing since sliced bread; the next your achievements are forgotten as they chant for your head on a pike.

Despite both managing draws, Barrow and Braintree secured their relegations. The final slot looks likely to go Stockport’s way, but Kidderminster could be sucked in if Stockport win both remaining matches.

I’ll be looking to give some of the younger players a run in the last two games of the season. Now that we’re champions, it’s time to start preparing for life in League 2. And I need to look to the future.

Day 279

Our home advantage marks us as favourites for tomorrow’s potential title-decider against Mansfield. All we need is a draw; they have to win. Our last meeting—back in late November (more than four months ago)—ended all square thanks to a stoppage-time equaliser from Mansfield’s Louis Briscoe.

Mansfield will be missing key striker and former Lincoln player (from the season before I arrived) Ben Hutchinson. Meanwhile I’ll be making do without star midfielders Chris Birchall and Chris Shuker. Olembé will be starting, however, and I’ll need him at his best.

I dove into the statistics, hoping for something that could give me an edge. Mansfield have scored more goals from free kicks than any other team in the league—four direct plus 12 indirect. Their record on corners is less than stellar—only eight of their 83 total goals came from corner set pieces.

Central midfielder Gary Roberts has been ever-present for his side, contributing 12 assists and five goals along the way. I must keep him quiet. Mansfield have a strong team across the board, with several players contributing in each area of the game. I couldn’t find any weakpoints, although I’m sure some exist.

My best bet may be to go for an early lead and then hold possession, trying to tire an already-weary team—perhaps turning up the tempo for a period towards the end of the first half.

Day 278

I made two changes to the team for today’s match against Forest Green. Alex Billington returned at left back, with John Nutter making way, while Simon Russell replaced Jean-François Christophe on the bench. Russell hasn’t played since he was a half-time substitute against Wrexham three months ago.

We came out the slightly stronger of the sides, but there was little between us for the first 20 minutes. Lax marking from Benjamin Laurant on a defensive corner gifted Forest Green winger Britt Assombalonga the opening goal in the 22nd minute, spurring my team into action.

Laurant almost redeemed himself ten minutes later when an excellent challenge just inside the opposition’s penalty area earned him a shot at goal. It beat the keeper but sailed wide of the mark.

Josh Gowling headed over the bar on 40 minutes, then Olembé pulled scores level with a brilliant left-footed strike on the brink of half time. The Cameroonian winger found himself in space following Billington’s short through ball, then peeled off a thunderous drive beyond the keeper on his near post.

I tried to make Forest Green work harder during the second half. A number of their players came into the match fatigued; if I could wear them down, I might blunt the danger.

News on the wire told me that Mansfield were two up and in control against AFC Telford. If we wanted to win the league today, we’d have to win the match.

My boys were a bundle of nerves. The gravity of the occasion was clearly getting to them. For the first time in months, three of them had made the referee’s book. I subbed Laurant and Barnes-Homer out for what I hoped would be cooler heads—Simon Russell and Ben May.

The breakthrough came three minutes later. Koroma came short for a throw-in from Kanouté, then turned and sprinted forward with the ball. He crossed to the near post, where Diagouraga had broken free of his man. The midfielder calmly nodded home, putting us ahead with 20 minutes to play.

A great passing play from Forest Green cut our celebrations short in the 85th minute, however. With quick passing from Imudia at right back to Bangura in the centre of the pitch, then forward to Collins, square to Forbes, and through a gap in the defence to Collins again, they carved us into pieces. It was fantastic football on their part, but I’m not too proud of our role in the goal. Poor marking contributed to the move, giving Collins space to run into.

I threw caution to the wind, sending players forward in an all-out attack. I wanted to win, and I wanted to see that my players had greater determination to bag the title than Forest Green did to stay in the running for a play-off berth.

In the end, both teams ran out of time. Neither will be satisfied with a draw, but that’s the card we’ve been dealt. Our next match is at home against Mansfield in just two days. A loss there will put us under tremendous pressure, while anything else will confirm the title—in front of our own fans, too.

I won’t be starting star striker Matthew Barnes-Homer for that game. His anaemic performance today reiterated that he simply cannot perform in big matches—and this will be the biggest match of the season for us.

In other news, Kettering are the first team to be officially relegated from the Conference National this season. That’s looked to be a dead-set certainty for several months, but now we have mathematical certainty. They’re not the first team in professional English football to have that dubious honour, however, as Championship side Coventry assured their relegation last week.

Day 277

We’re unsurprisingly favourites for tomorrow’s trip to Forest Green. My boys have twice the motivation to pull out a big win—not only do they have the opportunity to win the league, but also they have to redeem for defeat when the two sides last met. Forest Green won 4-3 in a thriller back in November, where we twice came back from behind and dominated on both possession and goal chances.

Leon Redwood was the man who tore us asunder that day, but he’ll be sitting out tomorrow—the versatile winger’s out injured. It looks like a number of Forest Green’s key men are suffering from significant fatigue, too, while my entire squad—short of sidelined midfielders Chris Birchall and Chris Shuker—is fit and raring to go.

Day 276

We held our regular fortnightly backroom meeting today. It was a quick and easy one; four players were put onto individual training regimes, while Jason Fowler wanted to make sure I knew that we need three points to guarantee we win the league. I don’t think I’d be very good at my job if I hadn’t been aware of that right after the previous match, but I appreciate the support. Fowler’s got my back.

This weekend’s fixtures could guarantee a number of notable things, actually. Kettering and Braintree must win their matches, or they will be confirmed for relegation. Even a win won’t be enough for Kettering if Kidderminster win, though. Two more teams—Gateshead and Wrexham—are likely to assure their playoff spots, with Grimsby potentially held in limbo only for the slim chance that Forest Green could make up a goal-difference shortfall of 20. And of course we could be crowned champions.

Day 275

Out-of-favour right-back Paul Robson came to me asking if he could leave the club today. He wants first-team football, and if he’s not going to get it here he’ll go. His contract runs out at the end of the season, and I had no intention of renewing it, but now we’ve popped him on the transfer list as well. Robson blew his chance to win a place in the team earlier in the season, and he hasn’t managed to get back in.

I’ll be happy to have the £400 a week we’re paying him available to give to somebody better; he’ll be happy to find a club that will let him ply his trade in the first team during the peak of his playing career. So that’s good news all round.

In other good news, Wrexham were beaten 2-0 by Alfreton this evening—knocking them out of contention for the title. That just leaves Mansfield to worry about, and we only need to get two points out of our remaining four matches to render that threat irrelevant.

Day 274

Matthew Barnes-Homer’s man of the match performance at the weekend earned him a place in the Team of the Week for the fifth time this season. I still find it astounding that the best-performing player in the league (that’s him) has only been rated in five of the 35-or-so weekly dream teams. His average rating of 7.42 blows away next-best Phil Airey’s 7.32, and yet the striker has earned just six man-of-the-match and five team-of-the-week plaudits.

Veteran central defender Rui Marques accepted my offer of a one-year extension to his contract. The Angolan also got a £100 a week pay rise—well deserved, given his scintillating form and exceptional leading of my defence this season. Hopefully he can reproduce this crucial defensive work for us next season in League 2.

Leading us straight to promotion to League 1 would be a wonderful send-off for his storied career, which has seen him play for Stuttgart in the Bundesliga, Leeds United in their darkest days at the bottom of the Championship and League 1, and the Angolan national team (19 times over six years).

Day 273

It sunk in today that we’re about to win the league. Either Wrexham or Mansfield must win all of their remaining matches, and we must lose all ours, for the title to go elsewhere. That’s possible, but if it came down to the final day of the season I would pull out all the stops to ensure we don’t lose.

I, Juan Day, the son of perhaps the only coupling between a Scot and a Puerto Rican alive today, am about to win the fifth tier of English football’s big prize—top spot in the Conference National, and promotion to the League 2 of the Football League. In my first season as a professional manager, plucked from obscurity—never heard of within the footballing world; experienced in management only of little computer people and my own existence. That’s the stuff of fairy tales.

Football management games are, I think, at the pinnacle of wish fulfillment. Football sims like FIFA and Pro Evo tend to get thought of in that way, but they involve you controlling footballers on the pitch as if a god—or puppeteer. You are not playing at your ability in FIFA, but rather that of your avatar. In Football Manager, however, they are one and the same.

When you win trophies in a football management game, you feel like you’ve earned it more so than in a football sim—or any kind of non-management sports sim, for that matter. You find yourself roleplaying, even when you’re plowing through months at a time. You don’t proudly say to anyone within earshot, “I just scored a 30-yard stunner.” You say we, or you just scream out the name of the goalscorer. You play football manager like a real coach; you play FIFA as a puppeteer. You share your glory with all your virtual players. We did it. And I masterminded our success.

Every self-respecting football fan has yelled their tactical advice at the TV, seemingly oblivious to the fact that the player on the receiving end likely wouldn’t listen even if he could. We’re all experts. We could all be Alex Ferguson or Pep Guardiola, leading a multi-million dollar team of egos to the treble, or Alan Pardew bringing a proud club out of its vicious downward spiral. If only we had the chance.

Football Manager is that chance, and we all like to prove it. We take big clubs and make them bigger, turn small clubs into giants, and achieve the impossible task of leading a group of useless miscreants—six leagues down with no money or fans—to the top of the world. Because we’re football managers, and bloody good ones at that. Or so we wish.

Day 272

Samba Kanouté’s run in the first team is paying dividends on the training ground. The young defender showed signs of improvement in nearly every aspect of his game in March. We’re expecting him to develop into a good League 1 player (that’s two divisions up from the Conference league) over the next few years; this is a great start.

Gateshead swept the monthly awards, with the top two spots in the Player of the Month prize, first place in the Young Player of the Month award, and the Manager of the Month honours all going their way. They also scored one of the three best goals in the Blue Square Bet Premier in March.

The club lost £44,818 last month. That’s an improvement on February’s £59,676. With promotion all but guaranteed now, I think we’ve turned the corner and will have little further reduction in finances. The current balance is £564,399 in the red; I’d say that’ll drop between fifty and a hundred thousand pounds more before swinging quickly in the other direction. Next season should begin with a positive balance, then the club can work on profitability.

Day 271

I offered veteran defender Rui Marques a one-year extension to his contract. He’s been crucial to our success this season, and at 34 years of age has yet to show signs of slowing down.

I made two changes to the side that beat Bath midweek. Mark Halstead came in between the sticks to replace the departed Elvijs Putnins—whose loan contract expired yesterday—and John Nutter returned to the starting lineup after left-back Alex Billington failed a fitness test—the youngster took a heavy knock in the last match, and it’s taking a few extra days for him to get his wind back.

We started brightly, with early shots from Koroma and Laurant. But Braintree snuck ahead in the 8th minute, thanks to an excellent direct free kick from Braintree midfielder Luke Denson.

My players gritted their teeth and got on with the show. An equaliser finally came in the 32nd minute when Olembé, Woods, and Barnes-Homer played an excellent triangle move to get the striker in behind Braintree’s defence. Barnes-Homer’s deft finish silenced the previously-excited home fans.

Koroma should have put us ahead five minutes later, but he struck a gild-edged chance wide of the goal. A clever chip followed in the 41st minute, which went just wide of the post. He looked hungry for a goal.

A spot of bad luck prevented Rui Marques from scoring from a corner in the 50th minute. His powerful header beat everything but the crossbar. Goalscorer Luke Denson went off injured after 56 minutes, his contribution made in style. And still we fought for the lead.

It finally came in the 78th minute when Koroma exposed Braintree’s lack of pace at the back with a counter-attacking run from the halfway line. He cut the ball back from the byline, where Barnes-Homer slid in to grab his second goal of the game and 25th of the season.

Braintree threw men forward in search of an equaliser. This left extra holes in their defence, and we twice should have sealed the victory with incisive break-aways that fizzled out at the final third.

I ruffled a few feathers at the full-time team talk, telling the boys that their victory was “a bit of a let-off.” Most of them were fired-up, but a few—including Barnes-Homer—took an angrier tack. Club captain John Nutter was the most upset—fitting, given his name—so I took him aside for a chat and calmed him down.

High-fliers Wrexham and Gateshead did themselves no favours dropping points against inferior opposition. Wrexham lost their match, leaving their hopes of second place under threat, while Gateshead’s three-all draw ruined their opportunity to put pressure on Mansfield for that very spot.

We passed a pretty exciting milestone, though. With four matches left to play, we’ve scored 101 goals in the league this season. That’s 2.4 goals a game. Not half bad, if you ask me.

Day 270

We’re expected to clean up against Braintree tomorrow. The part-timers are languishing down in 23rd place, six points and 26 goals from safety, with relegation looking all but a foregone conclusion. We beat them 2-0 last time out—back in early November—despite a 49th-minute injury to Koroma and a 51st-minute red card for Rui Marques. I expect a similar level of comfort tomorrow.

Braintree’s key man, I’ve been led to believe by the media (I’m personally not convinced), is Craig Hinton, a 34-year-old central defender with little aerial or physical presence and no pace whatsoever—he’s rated at a measly 2 out of 20 on Pace. If we don’t exploit that, I’ll be fuming.

Struggling Alfreton Town are rumoured to be under scrutiny from a consortium of businessmen interested in taking over the small club. I have no idea why anyone would want to buy them—perhaps the rock-bottom price?—but it could shake up the Conference league next season if it goes ahead.

Elvijs Putnins finished his three-month loan spell at the club today, after making 17 appearances with an average rating of 6.78. It falls to January signing Mark Halstead—who spent time on loan with us early in the season—to take over between the sticks for the remainder of the season. He’s still recovering his match fitness after injury, but it looks like he’ll be in decent shape for tomorrow.

Mansfield faltered against Grimsby this evening, being held to a draw at home. That means we’ll be ten points clear if we win tomorrow, which would leave us needing just two points in the final four matches to guarantee the title. It’s so nearly in my hands; I’d be heartbroken if it slipped away now.

Day 269

The free transfer and loan transfer deadlines passed today. I refrained from making any last minute deals—there’s no need, as I’ve got the squad I want to finish the season with already. I won’t be able to sign new players—in any form—until the first of July, which is just over three months away. I’m anticipating lots of wheeling and dealing before then, however, as I look to build my squad up (on a tiny budget) for life in League 2.

Wrexham finally broke their six-game streak of draws this evening, beating Southport 2-1. That puts them back in contention for second place. If they win their two games in hand, they’ll leapfrog Mansfield—who have a very tough finish to the season, with matches against Grimsby, Telford, Lincoln (that’s us!), Kettering, and Wrexham. I doubt either of them can catch me now, but second spot on the table could be decided on the final day of the season in a match between its two contenders.

Day 268

I took a look at some Blue Square Bet Premier statistics today. Wrexham may be having a major downturn in form, but they’re still at an impressive fourteen games without defeat. Grimsby have that bettered with a fifteen-match unbeaten run. Gateshead’s run is perhaps the most impressive, though—they’ve won seven straight matches. If they can keep their run going, they might even sneak into second place.

Wrexham rather comically hold second position on the “games without winning” charts, too, thanks to their six successive draws. Kidderminster haven’t won in a month, with a woeful record of just two league wins this calendar year.

We’re one goal shy of a century, sporting an incredible goal difference of +63. That means my boys have scored nearly two-and-a-half goals a game, and conceded less than one a match.

My players take out five of the top six places on the Average Ratings table. Barnes-Homer, Olembé, Shuker, Koroma, and Gowling are all up there. Rui Marques and Peter Bore aren’t far behind, in equal thirteenth and seventeenth, respectively. Shuker’s still top of the assists charts, while Rui Marques has been on the field for every single one of our 99 goals.

I was also interested to see that Marques leads the league on “key” headers by fifteen—his 80 is followed next by Danny O’Donnell’s 65. It shows what a huge role he plays in my defence.

Day 267

Benjamin Laurant returned to the starting eleven today after sitting out the past six matches. Injured winger Chris Shuker made way for the Frenchman. Peter Bore and Ben May made the bench following their recent period of exile from the first team. I fielded an otherwise-unchanged side from the one that lost to Hayes & Yeading three days ago.

Our opponents Bath set out to crowd the midfield and keep us from playing our natural game; they lined up in a 4-5-1 formation.

With Birchall and Shuker both missing, the weight fell on Michael Woods to pull the strings in midfield. If he were to falter, I expected a tough encounter; if he were on form, I anticipated a big win.

Bath almost took a shock lead a single minute after kick off. A direct free kick from the edge of the area hit the bar, bounced off goalkeeper Elvijs Putnins, and was cleared away by my defenders. At the other end, Olembé crafted the first real chance of the game. An excellent run and cross along the left wing teed up Laurant at the edge of the six-yard box, but the Frenchman’s shot was blocked. He perhaps should have done better.

We dominated the next 20 minutes, managing several attempts on goal in the process but nothing clear-cut. It looked like Bath were going to frustrate us today, especially when Koroma was stretchered off the field after 40 minutes. He looked to be in pain; I hoped it wasn’t serious—the poor lad’s missed enough football this season through injury. Ben May replaced the young striker, necessitating a slight change in tactics.

May lined up as a target man, tasked with bringing his attacking teammates into the play. But it was he who had the best chance of the first half. Olembé and Barnes-Homer combined to slip the ball through to May, unmarked in the penalty area. He looked certain to score, but he snatched at the chance and put it wide of the post.

We came out strong for the second half, and managed to open the scoring in the 52nd minute with a bizarre goal. Kanouté threw the ball in to Laurant, who crossed to the near post. It bounced off a Bath defender’s back, then May picked it up on the byline. He dribbled into the box and passed low across the face of goal. The ball struck Sekani Simpson and bounced loose towards the edge of the area, where Woods raced in and fired hard at goal. Barnes-Homer found himself directly in the path of the shot, which took a huge deflection off the striker and flew into the back of the net. The poor goalkeeper had no idea what was happening, left wrong-footed and out of position by the game of pinball in his area. Barnes-Homer claimed the goal as his own, as any striker would.

Olembé doubled the lead ten minutes later, just as I was preparing to take him off the pitch. You couldn’t wish for a better final contribution. Woods made it, though, showing great vision to thread the needle between two Bath defenders and find the run of the evergreen Cameroonian winger.

I subbed Woods off five minutes later; he’d done his job, and done it well. Now I needed him fit and ready to repeat the performance in four days.

Left-back Alex Billington went off injured with ten minutes to play, which put us down to ten men for the final stages. I got worried when Marques went down hurt three minutes later, but he dusted himself off and returned to the match after some treatment on the sidelines.

My boys held on for a clean sheet and a two-nil win, with Woods deservedly-crowned man of the match. His two assists made the difference.

In other results, Mansfield won comfortably away at Darlington; Wrexham faltered again, however, with a draw at home to Hayes & Yeading. Wrexham are now out of the title race, leaving only eight-points-adrift Mansfield within shouting distance. If we win our next two league matches, we’ll be Conference champions. Even if we don’t, however, the remaining games look to be only a formality at this point.

The excellent news post-match is that Koroma and Billington are both fine. Koroma should be fit to start on Saturday, while Billington is unlikely to recover his condition in time—he’s looking exhausted and stiff. Barnes-Homer and Gowling have started showing signs of fatigue, too, so I’ll need to consider resting them against Braintree.

My scouts have spotted a very promising fifteen-year-old Northern Irish striker by the name of Roy Edgar. He’s got decent pace, incredible natural fitness, and solid technical and mental attributes for a boy his age. They think we should sign him, and I’m inclined to agree, but we can’t afford to pay his club the £96,120 they’d be due in compensation. Ian Gardner thinks we could probably buy him for less, but that’s still money we don’t have. Maybe next season.

Day 266

We’re being touted as “comfortable favourites” for tomorrow’s home game against Bath, but the odds strike me more as “slight favourites.” In any case, we have a point to prove following defeat at the weekend. My players tend to respond well to surprise losses, so I’m hoping for a big show. We beat Bath 4-1 in the reverse fixture back in November, with goals from Woods, Olembé, and Gowling.

My Reserves hosted Bodmin in a friendly match today. I put Halstead and Russell in for their first run-outs since returning from long-term injuries. Fringe players Sam Smith, Chris Atkinson, Nicky Nicolau, Jean-François Christophe, Karlton Watson, and Paul Robson all started, along with youngsters Will Rawdon, Karl Cunningham, and Sam Hancock—the latest recruit with potential.

It took less than five minutes for Smith to open the scoring, running onto a long ball and slipping his shot through between the keeper and the near post.

Karlton Watson made it two after 49 minutes, showing fine anticipation and desire to attack the ball from deep and nod it in from close range.

Hancock added the third ten minutes later with a brilliant volley from Russell’s right-wing cross.

I was pleased to see Russell performing so well on his first game back. With Shuker injured we need Russell to provide his excellent wing play off the bench as soon as possible. It was great to see young Hancock playing so comfortably with the senior lads, too. I’m thinking about giving him a run off the bench for the first team before the end of the season now.

Day 265

Coach Grant Brown had some thoughts to share about the development of midfielder Michael Woods today. Why I had to hear them second-hand from Martin O’Connor is beyond me, but apparently the lad has been training well. He’s improved his anticipation and composure, in particular. And he would be well served by an individual training regime to improve his passing. Great, I said. Let it be so. And just like that Woods was focusing on his passing ability.

Young Latvian goalkeeper Elvijs Putnins’ next game for the club will be his last—for this season, at least. His loan spell is due to end on the 30th of the month, and we can’t extend it until the end of the season. Mark Halstead will need to be ready to take over shot-stopping duties for the final five games of the campaign.

We’re approaching the point in the season where I need to think about life in League 2. My scouts sent word of a French defender by the name of Steven Thicot who may be a fine addition to the side next season. A product of the FC Nantes youth system, he was a part of the side that won the European Under 17 Championship in 2004. He appears to have been plying his trade as a squad player for Scottish Premier League team Hibernians for the past few years, although this season he’s been at Second Division side Brechin. With decent athleticism, solid technical ability, and fairly well-rounded defensive attributes, he’s a potential partner for Rui Marques—who probably has one good season left in him before Samba Kanouté takes his place.

Day 264

I made just one change to the starting lineup for today’s match against Hayes & Yeading. Toumani Diagouraga came in for the injured Chris Birchall. Injury returnee Mark Halstead was deemed fit enough for a place on the bench, while out-of-favour forward Francis Laurent also came into the 16.

We traded blows in the first few minutes, with both teams testing their opposing goalkeeper’s reflexes. It didn’t take long for one side to find the back of the net. After just five minutes, Hayes & Yeading centre-back Pelé headed a corner against the crossbar. His teammate Cristian Baz climbed high to meet the rebound, sending a looping header over the goalkeeper, under the bar, and beyond the goal-line. Pelé’s aerial prowess was almost our undoing last time the two sides met. He’s becoming a bit of a nemesis.

Michael Woods squared up the scoreline on 27 minutes with a ferocious right-footed drive from just inside the box. We started to take control of the match.

Koroma was twice denied during a period of domination over the following five minutes—once by quick hands from the goalkeeper and once by a timely challenge from Pelé.

The remainder of the first half was an even battle, but Hayes & Yeading reclaimed the advantage deep into stoppage time thanks to that man Pelé. The defender rose once again to meet a corner ball, and this time his header found the top corner rather than the woodwork. We were devastated to go a goal down with the last kick of the half.

I warned the players that their performance was unacceptable and sent them out to turn the game around. They did no such thing. And to compound the misery, Chris Shuker went off injured with ten minutes to go.

The problem was Pelé. Every time we looked like scoring, he was there to clear the danger. Unstoppable in the air, he towered over everybody. Meanwhile, his positioning was inch-perfect. Hayes & Yeading were ordinary; Pelé was extraordinary. That made all the difference. We lost 2-1, shell-shocked at the way the game transpired.

Thankfully Mansfield and Wrexham also faltered. Mansfield were beaten 2-1 by relegation-candidates Barrow, while Wrexham were held to a nil-all draw by York. Gateshead climbed to third, with 76 points from 39 games. Wrexham slipped to fourth, with 75 points from 37 matches. We remain eight points clear at the top, with 89 points over Mansfield’s 81.

Chris Shuker probably won’t play again this season. He’s sidelined for four to five weeks with a thigh strain.

Day 263

We’re clear favourites to beat 14th-placed Hayes & Yeading tomorrow. We beat them 4-2 in a thrilling encounter back in November (five months ago), thanks to braces from Koroma and Barnes-Homer. We’ll be at full strength, aside from the absence of central midfielder Chris Birchall—who picked up a strained knee ligaments injury in the previous match.

I’ll be watching the goal updates with great interest. Third-placed Wrexham will be hosting playoff contenders York, while second-placed Mansfield travel to Barrow. If either of them drop points and we win, that’ll just about knock them out of the title contest. Our lead is edging ever closer to unassailable.

Day 262

We had a backroom meeting today. Mark Halstead has been unhappy with his high training workload. I took him off the extra handling practice we’ve had him on, disappointed that he doesn’t have a greater drive to improve. Grant Brown coldly suggested that I change winger Simon Russell’s squad status from “backup” to “no longer needed.” I refused—he’s still useful, and will continue to be until the end of the season. I did agree, however, to bump young central defender Karlton Watson up from “hot prospect” to backup.