retired_manpk1

Dear Diary,

17 April 2006: Finalists

We’ve done it. Made it to the final of the Maranhão State Championship that is, thanks to finishing top of the table for the closing stage of the normal competition.

Following the win over Moto Clube, we travelled to Maranhão. With only one fit centre-back, Ricardo Araújo again had to fill in the role in emergency capacity, allowing Ronnie to start in the centre of the park.

Our defensive frailties weren’t tested too much though as we set our attacking stall. Márcio Carioca had us ahead ten minutes before the break, and we were helped further when the home side had Pires sent off just before the half time whistle went.

The Maranhão players were getting frustrated, on with 52 minutes on the clock, we were up against only nine men thanks to Laionel receiving his marching orders. Antônio Alex scored from a free kick soon after to put us in the driving seat, and Araújo wrapped things up late on.

We welcomed Antônio Carlos Júnior back into the centre of the defence for the home game against Chapadinha, and that meant Ronnie returning to warm the bench. André Lima was drafted in to replace the crocked Márcio Carioca

Things didn’t go to plan though as we fell behind in just the seventh minute to a Souza strike. André Lima made his claim for a starting berth with an equaliser soon afterwards, but we couldn’t turn our superior quality into further goals.

That meant that we went to Santa Quitéria needing to get something from the game to confirm our final place. It was an unchanged line-up from that which faced Chapadinha. This time though they didn’t slip up; André Lima and Everaldo scoring late in the first half to send us through to a two-legged final against Moto Clube.

Closing Stage
<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | 1st | | Sampaio Corrêa | | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 4 | +10 | 17 | | 2nd | | Maranhão | | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 7 | +4 | 15 | | 3rd | | Moto Clube | | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 3 | +8 | 13 | | 4th | | Imperatriz | | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 15 | 6 | +9 | 12 | | 5th | | Comerciário (MA) | | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 11 | -4 | 7 | | 6th | | Chapadinha | | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 10 | -5 | 6 | | 7th | | Juventude (MA) | | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 15 | -9 | 4 | | 8th | | Santa Quitéria | | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 19 | -13 | 4 | </pre>
Overall State Table
<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | 1st | | Moto Clube | | 14 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 28 | 6 | +22 | 34 | | 2nd | | Sampaio Corrêa | | 14 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 35 | 9 | +26 | 33 | | 3rd | | Maranhão | | 14 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 27 | 15 | +12 | 28 | | 4th | | Imperatriz | | 14 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 29 | 18 | +11 | 23 | | 5th | | Comerciário (MA) | | 14 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 16 | 22 | -6 | 16 | | 6th | | Chapadinha | | 14 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 12 | 26 | -14 | 9 | | 7th | R | Juventude (MA) | | 14 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 11 | 33 | -22 | 6 | | 8th | R | Santa Quitéria | | 14 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 15 | 44 | -29 | 6 | </pre>

retired_manpk1

Dear Diary,

8 May 2006: The final

I was thinking about giving away the result in the title, but decided against it. :p

Of course, the final was to be played twice in the same stadium, but that’s due to the silly rules of having to have a two-legged final.

The first game was the “away� game, and we were unchanged from the Santa Quitéria match. With the game being a big derby match as well, it was no surprise to see the tackles flying in early on. That led to Everaldo having to come off after just thirteen minutes of play, and Rony came on after missing most of the season so far to injury.

The game itself wasn’t great, although Moto Clube probably shaded the opportunities early on. Just before half time we suffered a second injury as Antônio Alex had to come off, and our day was summed up seven minutes from time when Vieira had to come off. Having already made our third substitution, we finished the game with just ten men on the field, but neither side had scored, and it was going to go to the wire in the second leg.

André picked up an injury in the build-up to the second leg, and so we had to draft in Barão into the right-back role. The other two injured players were replaced by Rony and Ronnie, which was quite amusing to my English friends. Also back in the line-up was Márcio Carioca, relegating André Lima to the bench.

We couldn’t have got off to a better start as captain fantastic Araújo had us ahead inside the first minute. Needless to say the fans went into raptures, and our confidence soured immediately.

Nine minutes later though Israel levelled the scores up, and suddenly it was game on again.

The game flowed from end to end, and just before the half hour Araújo had us ahead again.

We played very well in the second half, especially the centre-back pairing of Ramires and Antônio Carlos Júnior who withstood some incessant pressure late on.

We kept them at bay, and the final whistle came and went without further score, leaving us to celebrate long into the night as Maranhão State Champions.

retired_manpk1

Dear Diary,

20 June 2006: The mid-season break

Thank goodness we had that final. It’s been nearly seven weeks since we won the final, and I’ve been getting withdrawal symptoms.

It’s been a frustrating time as well in the transfer market as I’ve looked to bolster the squad. Our big problem though is that we are already around our wage budget for our season. Finances are poor, and so free transfers and loans are my only real option.

But even those are difficult to secure. There are loads of clubs in the country, and we’re just not up there with the more illustrious teams in the Third Division.

I did though manage to secure the signing of one player, and it is that of ageing left-back Ranielli. I finally have a backup for the excellent Almir, and it’s a big relief.

One bit of good news came through from the Brazilian FA was that our performance in the State competition has seen us qualify for the Brazilian Cup next season. It guarantees us another two games, and probably against one of the bigger sides in the country. :thup:

Attention now turns towards the Third Division, and it’s going to take a mammoth effort for us to get promoted.

We have been placed in group 3 along with 7 other teams, whom we will play both home and away. I’m reliably told that the groups have been drawn on a regional basis; so we have derby matches against Moto Clube and Maranhão again.

There are no fewer than 16 groups, which means that there are 128 sides in the division. The bottom two in each group are relegated, and the top two go through to the second round.

Those 32 teams are whittled down to 8 via two rounds of two-legged playoffs. Those 8 play each other home and away, with the top four winning promotion to the Second Division.

First things first though, and we will be looking to make one of those top two spots in group three.

retired_manpk1

Dear Diary,

30 June 2006: Indifferent start

It’s not often that we’re going to be playing two matches in a week; at least not in this group stage. But our first two games were played just three days apart, and we looked tired, especially after 49 days between our final victory and our first game.

We were almost at full strength for the first game of the season, a trip to Ferroviário. Ramires was called upon to play at centre-back with Antônio Carlos Júnior injured, and Rony deputised for the injured Everaldo on the left-wing.

It wasn’t a particularly good match, as neither side looked particularly fresh. Twenty minutes from time we brought on two substitutes to freshen things up, and it helped when André Lima sent us into the lead just three minutes after coming on.

And our first game wouldn’t have been complete without the sending off of Cassiano five minutes from time, but a win was secured nonetheless.

A trip to River came just three days later, with Joel filling in for the suspended Cassiano. Three minutes in though and Rony had to leave the field with an injury, meaning Alysson had to come on. But he picked up a knock and had to be substituted at half time, with Ranielli replacing him and thereby making his debut.

By that stage though we were already 2-0 down to goals from Cleiton Cearense and Pantico, and we had no fight in us to come back. Fred completed the rout in the final minute to put us firmly in our place.

retired_manpk1

Dear Diary,

10 July 2006: Home sweet home

There’s no place like home. So says the famous song anyway. And it’s proven true for us as well over the past few days with two victories and two clean sheets to put us in contention for the knockout stages.

The effects of playing so three games in a week were beginning to show, and so Barão, Ronnie and André Lima were drafted in to play ahead of the rested Cajuru, Antônio Alex and Márcio Carioca. Alysson started on the left in place of injured Rony as we hosted Parnahyba, but he was taken off after just 10 minutes.

With no other recognised left-wingers in the squad, Almir was pushed up from full-back, with Ranielli coming on to play in the defence. Thankfully, our play wasn’t disrupted too much, and just before the break Ronnie thundered in a free kick to give us the lead.

Cometh the hour, and we were 2-0 up thanks to Barão’s effort, and it was plain sailing thereafter. Parnahyba had Rogers sent off two minutes from time, but by then the game was well and truly over.

The following week saw Moto Clube come to town, desperate to avenge their loss in the State Championship final. We welcomed back Cassiano from suspension, and Cajuru, Antônio Alex and Márcio Carioca were all cleared to start. Almir started from the left of midfield, with Ranielli continuing at left-back.

The return of our first-teamers clearly galvanised us, and Márcio Carioca had us ahead with just fifteen minutes on the clock. We could, and probably should, have added to our tally, especially when Moto Clube’s Joélson was sent off early in the second half, but we did enough to claim all three points, and at the end of the day, that’s all that matters.

retired_manpk1

Dear Diary,

25 July 2006: Momentum building

In this tight group phase, you only need to put together a few good results to see yourself climbing up the league. And that’s what we’ve been doing over the last few days.

Our fifth game of the season took us to Flamengo. Not THE Flamengo from Rio, but the ones from the PiauÃ* state. Antônio Carlos Júnior was finally fit enough to take his place back in the centre of defence, and his inclusion for Ramires was the only change to the line up.

The match was over thanks to a three-minute blitz midway through the first half when goals from the strike pair of Márcio Carioca and Araújo put us in command. We sat back on that lead for much of the rest of the game, and we survived a late onslaught from the home side once Coreano had pulled a goal back for them. We did just enough though, and claimed the three points.

That evening, we welcomed another central midfielder to the club. Paysandu were happy to let Rocha go for no initial payment, although our future performances could see them earning a little bit from the deal.

Rocha started on the bench for the home tie with Potiguar. Araújo and André Lima had both picked up knocks in the week, so Cajuru moved up front and Barão came in on the right side of midfield. Antônio Carlos Júnior had also picked up yet another injury, and so Ramires was speedily recalled to the starting line-up.

It’s probably possible to write an entire book about this match, but I’ll try to keep it as brief as possible. Just two minutes into the game we had the lead thanks to Márcio Carioca. Twenty minutes later though Barão saw red, and suddenly we faced the prospect of playing three-quarters of this match with just ten men.

But having the lead seemed to help us, and ten minutes before the break we won a free kick that Ricardo Araújo smashed beyond the Potiguar goalkeeper to put us two goals ahead.

It could have been even better at half time, but Vieira hit a tame penalty in stoppage time, and we had to be content with a two goal lead.

Naturally, we tired as the game went on, and so some fresh legs were called for, including debutant Rocha and 16-year-old striker José Everaldo. And it was a day to remember for the youngster as he scored his first professional goal to wrap up a 3-0 victory to maintain our challenge for the knockout stages.

retired_manpk1

Dear Diary,

10 August 2006: Still holding in there

We’ve just gone over the midway point of this group phase, and we’re in a pretty nice position at the top of the league. But there’s still a long way to go, and that’s even more true if we do manage to qualify.

The end of July saw Márcio Carioca’s loan contract run out. I wasn’t able to come to an agreement with his club to extend the deal, so we’ll just have to do without him.

Cajuru moved back onto the right wing for the home game with River, and I went with the young duo of José Everaldo and Marciel up front in an otherwise unchanged line-up.

The game wasn’t a classic by any means, but we needed to exact revenge for our defeat earlier in the season; our only dropped points of the campaign to date. With two young strikers up front, we didn’t give them much to feed off, but Antônio Alex’s free kick on the half hour was enough to give us the win and strengthen our hopes of reaching the knockout phase.

Prior to the return trip to Parnahyba, there was a bit of transfer movement in the club. Out went right-winger Bira to Campinense, and in came Brasiliense’s central midfielder Coquinho. Both deals were completed for free, despite the agents’ protestations.

Coquinho came straight into the starting line-up to take the place of the crocked Antônio Alex. But things didn’t really go to plan as we played poorly right through the side. Goals from Puxa and Jarró within seven first-half minutes of each other gave the home side a deserved victory, and suddenly we’re asking questions of ourselves again.

Still, eight games gone and 18 points accumulated is a pretty good return thus far. If we can just keep our heads together over the next few matches, we should secure our berth in that knockout round.

retired_manpk1

Dear Diary,

22 August 2006: Almost there now

The knockout stage is within sight now, following some more excellent results recently.

For the trip to Maranhão we welcomed André Lima back up front, and I decided to stick with Marciel alongside him, relegating José Everaldo to the bench. We were also able to bring Rony back onto the left-wing, allowing Almir to return to left-back. And even more importantly, Antônio Carlos Júnior was able to come back into the centre of defence alongside Cassiano.

It was a tight first half, as would be expected in a derby match. Marciel had us ahead midway through the first period, but we were pegged back just eight minutes later by Carabina.

The game continued to be a tough game, and both sides had chances that went begging as the game wore on. I threw caution to the wind by bringing on José Everaldo on, and it seemed to spark us. Nine minutes from time Marciel had us in front again, and José Everaldo scored a third three minutes later to complete a fantastic win for us.

Although the two young strikers had been playing well, it was still a relief to welcome back Araújo up front for the home tie with Ferroviário. And we started well when André Lima netted just nine minutes into the game.

We probably should have scored a few more, but the news was bad when Coquinho had to come off, and will now miss the rest of the season. And if that wasn’t enough, Cajuru saw red just two minutes after the injury, and all this before half time.

Still, we should have been good enough to hold on, but we couldn’t as Tales scored an equaliser late on. Nevertheless, top spot is still firmly in our sights, and we only have another four games to see off.

retired_manpk1

Dear Diary,

7 September 2006: Stage 1 - Completed

It’s been a hectic few nights as I’ve allowed the boys to go out celebrating as we secured our progression to the knockout phase with two games to go in the league.

There’s still a lot of work to be done, but I’m proud of them, and they deserve a short break.

The trip to Moto Clube saw us make two enforced changes, with Rocha and Barão starting in place of Coquinho and Cajuru. The former is out for the rest of the season, whilst the latter was suspended.

We were far from our best though, and had Diogo in goal to thank for keeping us in the game on too many occasions. Just before the break the home side, and fierce rivals, went ahead through Fábio Ricardo. Barão reacted angrily to going behind, and we went into the break with just 10 men left on the field of play.

Somehow we kept things tight in the second half, and Araújo scored a magnificent equaliser to gain us a point that had looked exceedingly unlikely at one point.

Everaldo was fit enough to come back into the side for the home game with PiauÃ* Flamengo side. That meant Rony moving over to the right flank in place of our two suspended right midfielders. Joel was given a start at the back with both Cassiano and Ramires at home recuperating from illness.

Our celebratory party was well and truly under way after just ten minutes when Ricardo Araújo hit one of the sweetest freekicks you’ll ever see. Their keeper didn’t stand a chance.

We were fantastic all over the pitch from start to finish as we created chance after chance, and restricted to visitors to virtually nothing. It did though take until eleven minutes from time for Araújo to wrap up the three points and secure our passage through to that knockout phase.

retired_Kemp

Good luck with winning promotion from the Brazilian 3rd Division. It's one the hardest places to progress from.

Nice writing style too :thup: