retired_charytine

Have you written any other stories? Besides this as I'd love to read more

retired_w0lfpack1

Its funny you should ask, I'd been debating whether to post this link or not.

I don't have any other FM stories that I've been happy enough with to start posting. However, I did a similar bit, polishing and posting the episodes of a Dungeons and Dragons campaign, which you can find at the enworld forums.

So, if you're willing to cross genres for some swords and sorcery..

www.enworld.org: Scourge of the Ratmen

Be warned, however, the campaign tapered off, and when it did I lost interest in posting, so the story doesn't particularly "conclude" as a proper tale ought.

I'd like someday to write professionally; I've been using forum posts to hone my writing skills.

retired_w0lfpack1

Cleon - thank you! I'll try to do you proud.

That was part of the reason I started it as a second thread rather than keeping it all in one thread; I wanted to pick up any Sheffield United supporters who may have given up on the tale.

retired_w0lfpack1

Wednesday, 9th May, 2007.

The anticipation built quickly, and by Wednesday morning the Steel City was buzzing. You couldn't walk the streets without hearing friendly banter between Wednesdayites and Blades supporters, and the papers were full of nothing else. If I stopped anywhere but at the ground, I was quickly surrounded by tens of peopple, either wishing me luck or telling how badly the Owls were going to demolish us - or worse.

I'd shortly stopped going out at all - Mister Dooley has provided a personal assistant who can do the simple things, like getting my morning coffee exactly the way I like it. Truth be told, I didn't mind much; my wife, Stacy, was still back at York finishing up school, so I was living out of a hotel room. There was still so much work to do, and nothing to come 'home' for, that I was at the ground 16 to 18 hours a day anyways.

If we were to earn promotion to the Championship, the fact that Crystal Palace and Norwhich had been relegated from the Premier League would be relevant to us. If we didn't, the fall of Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers from the Championship to League One would be. Perhaps the most surprising season belonged to Gillingham, who had earned promotion from the Championship to the Premier League for the first time in their history.

Left back Kevin Simpson's contract expired Tuesday, and I released him on a free transfer. The 19-year-old had started 17 games this season, including the seaon finale, and though he had played decently enough in the last match, his 6.29 average for the season was nothing to be proud of.

The Reserve match followed, and our Reserves continued to fail to impress, marking a dreary 0-0 draw against Burton Reserves. That was their final match of the year, and left them 5th out of 21 teams in Reserves Group 3.

retired_w0lfpack1

Friday, 11th May, 2007.

The big game drew ever nearer, and by Friday it was the only thing the local papers would talk about.

Sheffield Wednesday manager Chris Waddle made a point of telling the press that his Owls would be going all out to win in their clash with United, as there is nothing more satisfactory than getting a good result over their rivals. I answered that we'd do all our talking on the pitch, and added a bit about how I hoped they'd be going all out for any playoff match.

Disaster struck us during the build-up to our big derby: Peter Weatherson suffered a chest injury in training, a painful pectoral muscle strain, which would rule him out. He was bitterly disappointed, as you might expect, though physio Tom Mitchell thinks he might be back in time for the second game.

That left me with a nasty decision to make. I certainly didn't want to trust Dene Cropper up front in such a big game! Which meant either shifting to my 4-5-1 with only two decent central midfielders, starting Cropper up front, or reaching deep into the Reserves for Marcus Stewart or Chris Coupe.

My problems got worse when Darren Wrack joined him on the disabled list on Friday, having strained a calf. Tom Mitchell recommended therapy for the 31-year-old, and with his season effectively ended by the injury anyways, I sent him off for rehabilitation.

Unfortunately, that leaves me without a left back on the roster - it'll have to be somebody out of position, I'm afraid.

retired_w0lfpack1

Saturday, 12th May, 2007. League One Playoffs - Semi-final, First Leg, at Sheffield Wednesday

Sheffield Wednesday are the elder club of the rivals, dating back even before United's founding. Like United, they were founding members of the Premier League in 1992/93, but have fallen on hard times, relegated twice in the next ten years. They play at Hillsborough, a tradition-filled 39,859 all-seater venue. Significantly reconstructed after the tragedy of 1989 to such a state that it played host to matches for Euro '96, it is a fantastic modern facility set on the same site that Wednesday have always played. Our players are very proud of the fact that they took the season series, drawing at Bramall Lane 1-1, and winning at Hillsborough 1-0. Wednesday, of course, are looking at the playoff as a chance for redemption in the derby series. Sharpshooting Congo forward Guylain Ndumbu-Nsungu is their leading scorer, and captain Steven MacLean is second.

I started the best lineup I could cobble together. Allan McGregor stood between the posts. Rory Beanes, making only his second start all year, played left back though he's naturally right-sided. Steve Foster, Hayden Foxe, and Eric Deloumeaux rounded our the back four. Alan Quinn was almost exhausted at left wing, and if I could have spared him I would have, but we have no other left wings healthy and available. Paul Thirlwell, Jack Lester, and Chris Sedwick filled out the flat 4-4-2 midfield. Up front, leading scorer Billy Sharp was partnered with aged veteran Marcus Stewart. The retiring striker was making his first start of the year, so desperate was I to keep Dene Cropper on the substitutes' bench.

The proverbial phrase "wall of sound" doesn't do it justice: coming out of the tunnel to the noise produced by a capacity crowd of 39,827 was a dream come true, the sort of thing you imagine as a lad. My heart was racing: if I'd been nervous for the first two games, it was nothing compared to coming out to this. Many were in the blue-and-white vertical striped kits of the home side, but almost a quarter of the crowd were wearing our red-and-white stripes as well. They'd been singing and chanting four hours, and there was an extra police presence in case the fans got unruly. This was the atmosphere I'd wanted to manage in England for!

We got a lucky break when Wednesday announced their starting lineup, and Ndumbu-Nsungu was named on the substitutes bench. I wasn't the only one wrestling with injury-depleted lineups. The crowd were into a rousing rendition of
. Wednesday til I die, I'm Wednesday til I die,
. I know I am, I'm sure I am, I'm Wednesday til I die!
as referee Andy Woolmer lifted his whistle to get the match underway.

We got things off to a great start just after the kickoff, when Paul Thirlwell and Jack Lester combined on a nice pass to put Lester into the area out left, but he hit side netting from 10 yards. Young Rory Beanes launched a long pass in the 8th minute to lead Chris Sedgwick up the right wing, and his low pass found Marcus Stewart in the area. The veteran striker looked to have a goal on a wicked strike, but Wednesday keeper Lee Grant did fantastically well to get his fingertips to the ball and tip it over the bar.

We'd had the better of the opening sequence, but Wednesday adjusted quickly and began to push forward. In the 15th minute, David Cockerill played a ball into space for captain Steven MacLean, and he had only Allan McGregor to beat but our keeper pushed it away. A minute later, Zoltan Gera broke into the box up the right wing, but stalwart defender Steve Foster cut out his back pass to clear. In the 21st minute, a dangerous free kick was taken from 23 yards by Matthew Hamshaw, and MacGregor had to make a brilliant diving save to keep it out. He was slow to get up, and though he waved off our physios, he was clearly playing hurt the rest of the match.

The rest of the first half settled into a cautious fencing match, with both teams unwilling to take chances this early in a two-legged encounter. Each side's forays were met by the other, and Paul Thirlwell in particular in the defensive midfield role seemed key to my side. In the 38th minute, Jack Lester finally found the killer through ball, picking out the wily Stewart in the area. It was a great chance, but referee Andy Woolmer whistled for offsides just as he put it into the net. The sides went to halftime still scoreless.

Wednesday made the first substitution, and it was to bring Guylain Ndumbu-Nsungu on for the second half. The dynamic Republic of Congo international immediately changed the landscape of the game, as my defense scrambled to keep up with him. Just his ability to draw coverage and attention was making space for the other Wednesday forwards. In the 58th minute, he broke out wide to the left, trailing the play at the outside of the area. Then he lifted a cross into the box, picking out Steven MacLean eight yards from goal. The Wednesday captain drilled the header into the back of the net, and the crowd went crazy as we fell behind 0-1.

With some of my key players looking exhausted, and thinking of another ninety minutes to follow on Wednesday, I made two changes, bringing on youngsters Stephen Pearson and Ian Ross to spell Alan Quinn and Paul Thirlwell. Pearson, at 16 years, 5 months, and 4 days became the youngest player in Sheffield's recent history - and it was a pressure-packed game for such young players! Still, they held their own in defense; I wasn't about to order an all-out attack with a second game coming.

The crowd were now chanting
. Hark now hear what Wednesday sing,
. United run away,
. And we will fight forever more,
. Because of Boxing Day!
I didn't know what they were on about - Boxing Day?

In the 70th minute, I brought on Dene Cropper for Billy Sharp, conserving our leading scorer for the second game as well. Angry at having been left out, he immediately brought a sense of urgency to the offense, and the shift in momentum was clear.

In the 77th minute, Beanes again launched a long pass, this time over the top of everybody. Cropper had timed his run perfectly, onside, and reached the ball just as the onrushing Grant did. The big man hurdled over the keeper, and the ball carombed off of both of them, landing in his path. He took one touch to settle, and slotted it home from the 6-yard box right in front of the visitor's stand. He rushed to leap into the arms of our supporters - it was all even at 1-1, and we had a crucial away goal!

Wednesday finally broke out of their neutral shell, pushing forward to try and take advantage of the home field. Had we been in my usual 4-5-1, I might have had a trick up my sleeve to counter it, but everything I tried in the unfamiliar 4-4-2 just seemed to make the situation worse. The real problem was that Pearson and Ross were just completely at sea, and thus outmanned in the midfield we could do little to slow down Wednesday's assault. In the 80th minute, Lee Peacock threaded a pass through traffic to MacLean in the six-yard box, but somehow McGregor made the save. The Scottish keeper picked himself up slowly, visibly wincing - that injury was really beginning to tell.

We just had ten minutes to survive, now five.. MacLean launched a 16 yarder over the bar, and the vocal Wednesday support. We got one good counterattack right on 90 minute, but young Ross's half-volley from the 18 went wide left.

Injury time ticked away, and just as I was starting to feel proud of a job well done, and counting the away goal as a big advantage, Wednesday substitute Adam Proudlock spotted MacLean splitting my central defenders. With just a half-second before Hayden Foxe closed him down, the Wednesday captain drove a perfect first-touch shot to McGregor's left, a 15 yard strike which turned out to be the final touch of the match, giving the home side a 2-1 victory!!

Sheffield Wednesday 2, Sheffield United 1
MacLean 58, 90; Cropper 77
MoM: MacLean (Wednesday SC)

The jeers of the victorious Hillsborough crowd followed us down the tunnel, promising even worse to come, but we held our heads high and proud.

Wednesday captain Steven MacLean was a deserved Man of the Match for his brace, and had probably earned the honours before his late goal.

There was nobody in our locker room who felt we'd lost the two-legged tie however: a 2-1 deficit going to the home leg was something we knew we could overcome.

ponch62

Hope you get promoted, a great career record going from conference north to league 1...or championship maybe?! am not a sheffield utd fan but i think you could reach premiership if you stick with them they have potential.

retired_MikeMcC

im on tenterhooks

retired_w0lfpack1

Thanks, mikegoodman.. and cms, brilliant! I was, too, believe me!

retired_w0lfpack1

Tuesday, 15th May, 2007.

In my mind's eye that evening, every mistake I'd made replayed itself over and over. Leaving Dene Cropper, who had scored our goal, out of the starting lineup. Releasing Kevin Simpson, who would have started at left back when Wrack was injured. Putting Pearson and Ross into such a critical game. I tried to remind myself that resting Quinn and Thirlwell had been worth it - but the truth was, it would only be so if we could pull out the win at home.

It wasn't until he met with the physios post-match that I learned what had happened to Allan McGregor. He'd pulled an oblique, that muscle along the side of your abdomen and ribcage, but he growled that there was no way that he would let it stop him from playing. I wasn't certain - its quite possible that a 100% fit McGregor would have saved that second goal. Tom Mitchell recommended that he not practice between now and Wednesday, and that he'd evaluate it the day of the match to see if McGregor was fit to play.

Ironically, our Under-18 match on Saturday was scheduled to be at Sheffield Wednesday U-18's. The match was moved to Bracken Moor Lane, in Stocksbridge, rather than played at Hillsborough. The Wednesday youth outplayed a mostly amateur United side, 3-1. The lone goal came from Mark Murray, who was on as a late substitute, after the outcome was already beyond a doubt. That was the final match of the youth campaign, and left them 5th out of 13 teams in U-18 Group 4, which was won by Liverpool U-18s. The youngsters told me afterwards that the Wednesday players had been talking trash about what their senior side was going to do to us in the big game.

Elsewhere, Chelsea clinched the Premier Division with a 3-0 home victory against Blackburn in their final match, although Manchester United in second still had one match remaining. Everton were the third team relegated, a real embarassment for the 'other' Liverpool side, as it was the first time since the 1953/54 season that the nine-times champions been forced out of the top flight.

In Sunday's Semi-Final, Barnsley manhandled Oxford, 4-1, led by two goals from Nicky Wroe. It looked like they would be through to the final.

How meaningful is the Team of the Week when only four teams played matches? Eric Deloumeaux, Hayden Foxe, and Alan Quinn earned that "honour". That was three weeks in a row for Quinn, and I was spitting mad that previous management had let him go for free on a Bosman.

In other news, I'd started the great fire sale, trying to cut down the squad to consist entirely of players I intend to keep. I began offering players around on Friday, and was receiving and negotiating bids throughout the weekend. By Monday agents and teams were working on contracts for nine United players. There were no big names involved - it was all young players whom I've decided to get rid of. Mark Murray was the first of these to agree to terms, contracting with Ossett Town for next season.