sherm

I know that a lot of people have probably written stories about Juventus, and their adventures with them, but as I have never tried the Italian league I thought I would give it a go. I know that Juventus have a 17 point deficit, but I do expect a few easy victories in Serie B. I have English leagues up to Championship and Italian Serie A and Serie B loaded, using original game without patch

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Everyone knows about the match-fixing scandal in Italian football that recently occurred. Juventus, Fiorentina, Lazio and Milan all punished severely, although Juventus were punished more than anybody. They were demoted down to Serie B with a 30 point deduction (although this was later reduced to 17) but it was still a difficult proposition for the Old Lady of Italian Football to return to Serie A straightaway. The core of the team had gone, Cannavaro, Vieira, Thuram, all moved onto different clubs. Admittedly players like Buffon, Nedved, Trezeguet and Del Piero had remained, and would be far too good for Italy's second division. The question lingered though, how long would they be there? The entire board had resigned, and now with a new Chairman, new Directors and whole new boardroom the club had a massive revamp. The financial situation wasn't brilliant, the club heavily in debt and losing money constantly, and it was vital that the new manager, whoever that may be, would get the team back into Serie A. It was more than likely that the club wouldn't be able to afford to get a high-profile or well known manager, but they would still need somebody with the capabilities to take them back to the top.

Nicholas Simpson was a 37 year old Englishman, a former professional footballer and football coach. He had played until the age of 28, when a snapped knee ligament ended his career prematurely. Having played 234 games in his career, for Aston Villa and Crystal Palace, he was experienced in the way football should be played. He gained his UEFA coaching badges by age 32, and got himself a coaching role at then Serie B club Modena. He was there for two seasons, before the Modena manager moved to Ascoli, taking Nick with him. Nick had aspirations of managing one day, and he was always confident in his ability to do it successfully, but he had never dreamed he would be in the position he was in currently. He had applied for the Juventus job when he heard about the new board and in truth, he hadn't expected to even be considered for the job. I mean why would Juventus, 29 Serie A titles, 2 European cups, several Coppa Italia trophies, a recognised giant of Italian football, employ an inexperienced English manager who had only previously had coaching jobs at relatively small clubs. Well he was sat here now, in the Interview suite of the Olimpico, being interviewed for the job of Juventus manager. He knew they were struggling in terms of finances but he hadn't had any idea it was this bad. Nick wasn't going to complain, this was the chance of a lifetime, a chance to manage one of the biggest clubs in history. He wasn't going to pass this opportunity up, not a chance.

A couple of hours later it was official. Nicholas Simpson was the new Juventus manager. There was shock from all parties, including the players, the press and the public, but Nick received a full backing from the Juventus board. He was confident that he could be the man to take Juventus back to the top, which was where they belonged. With the current squad they were more than capable of making up the -17 point deficit, and maybe, just maybe pushing for promotion automatically. The board had, at least, taken the -17 into account and hadn't forced the issue of promotion, although had strongly hinted that they did want the promotion at the end of the season. Nick didn't begrudge that, he felt it was a real possibilty. He had money to spend if need be, and he didn't need to spend all of it. His main priorities were a central defender, a goalkeeper to back up Buffon and a left winger to rotate with the ageing Pavel Nedved. His first training session with the players was on Monday morning, which was where he could put his formation and tactics into effect. The press conference to officially announce his appointment was the next day, and Nick was intent on making a lasting impression on the press, and give them his ambitions for the Juventus side he had inherited.

sherm

The coaching staff, although not terrible, was a little light on numbers, so Nick was determined to add a few more coaches to the backroom team. He scanned the unemployed list and found 3 coaches who came at a fair price, and no compensation was required to snap them up. He duly made offers for all three of them, and they were quick to accept. Giorgio Pelizzaro was an Italian coach that specialised in goalkeepers, although had excellent all-round ability. His previous employers included Lazio and Parma, and Nick had no worries about him stepping into the coaching staff with ease. The other two coaches were also Italian, Angelo Antenucci and Mauro Scardigli. Scardigli was excellent at working with youth players, so he was offered the role of Youth coach, while Antenucci (who had previously plied his trade at Roma and Milan) was offered a regular coaching role. Nick was happy that his coaches were in place, and now all he had to do was to scour the transfer market for potential signings to bolster his promotion chasing squad. With £8.5million to spend he felt that he had more than enough to attract a few quality players to the team, although he knew that until they were back in the upper echelons of Serie A then they wouldn't be able to attract any real World Class prospects.

During the course of the week Nick had found himself extremely busy, and had only managed to find two players who he felt were good enough to provide back-up in the positions he wanted. A young Brazilian 'keeper called Marcelo Grohe, who was currently playing for Gremio, and Debrecen's Hungarian winger Peter Halmosi. Offers had been made for both players, and although Gremio were being stubborn, holding out for an extortionate sum, a deal of £1.9million was finally struck, with Debrecen happily accepting £170k for Halmosi. Also, two of the scouts had been sent out to try and find some players who would fit the perspective that Nick was looking for in his club, and in his attempt to build Juve back into the top-flight club that they should be.

Nick had also been at the helm for two friendly matches, his first two matches in charge of the team. He had used these games to get a good look at some of the reserve and youth team players, trying to see if any of these players were ready to step up and take a spot in the Serie B squad. It was a pre-arranged tour of Spain, which would see the side travel to 4 different destinations, starting at Curro Reyes and finishing up at Primera Liga side Recreativo Huelva. For the Curro Reyes game Nick went with his strongest available team, as he felt that these players needed to gel together and learn how each other played. It was a game that his side controlled with ease for the 90 minutes, creating 16 chances to the Spanish minnows' 3, although they were only able to find the back of the net on one occasion, Alessandro Del Piero curling home from the edge of the box on 24 minutes. Nick had been a little concerned with his side's inability to finish their chances, although he had hoped he could put it down to pre-season and lack of match fitness. The next game was 3 days later, away at Second division Real Oviedo, who Nick felt would provide a much sterner test than Curro Reyes. He was right, as the Spaniards' came out and stormed into a lead after 6 minutes. It didn't take long for Juve to get back into it, Jonathan Zebina heading home from a Mateo Paro cross 3 minutes later. David Trezeguet put his side in the lead on 18 minutes, breaking through the defence and easily slotting home past the Oviedo keeper, and it was Trezeguet who added a third 6 minutes before half time, ramming the loose ball home from a Del Piero free-kick. Oviedo did score a second on 76 minutes through an Igor Tudor own goal but there was never any danger that Nick's side wouldn't make it 2 wins from 2

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It hadn't taken Peter Halmosi long to agree terms with Nick, saying it would be an honour to play for a club as big as Juventus, and he would do his best to take the club back into Serie A. Brazilian Marcelo Grohe agreed terms 3 days later, and this was a signing that really got the fans watering at the mouth, and praising Nick's foresight for bringing such a talented youngster to the club. On the same day of one Brazilian agreeing terms, another Brazilian was in town to discuss terms with the club. Dagoberto, who was currently plying his trade at Atletico Parananense, was a former Brazilian Under 21 international who had real talent and would fit into the team in midfield or upfront, although Nick had intention of using him as a back-up. He was valued at around £4million by his club but there had been a £1.4million minimum fee release clause installed in his contract, which was an amount that was quite happily matched by Nick, who would be delighted to gain Dagoberto's services.

Dagoberto had agreed terms that very same day, and Nick was delighted to announce the new signings to the press. He felt that these 3 players, in particular Marcel Grohe, would be excellent additions for the squad who could carry the club for years to come. Nick's main priority was at least one, if not two central defenders, as he felt he needed more strength in depth in this particular area. He had specifically instructed his chief scout to go and look for central defenders who were young, talented and well within his price range. In terms of transfers, he had also agreed two transfers out of the club. Veteran defender Nicola Legrottaglie had offers from several Serie A clubs, and after a few days of negotiations he agreed a move to Lecce for £500k. Striker Marcelo Zalayeta had also agreed a move, this time to French club Rennes, a move which bagged Nick £625k for the transfer kitty. It was more a case of trying to get some of the higher paid players who were not going to play off the bill, therefore freeing up room for players to be brought in to the club.

The Spanish tour drew to a conclusion for Nick and his side, with games against Cartegena and Recreativo. The Cartegena match was a walk in the park, and allowed Nick to field a completely different eleven in the second half for the final 20 minutes. He had seen enough in the first three games to confirm his starting XI, which was the team he started with in this friendly, but he also added his three new signings to the squad, and all three made an appearance at some point. Nedved opened the scoring after 45 seconds, reacting first to a parried shot from the goalkeeper. The Czech international could have had 2 more before a second was scored, this time the other winger, Mauro Camoranesi popping up at the back post to send his side two up at the break. Nedved added a third (and his second) on 68 minutes before he was substituted and replaced by new signing Peter Halmosi, who along with the other two signings Grohe and Dagoberto, had an impressive showing. The final game of the tour was a lot more testing and really made the team work hard for the victory. It took 39 minutes to break the deadlock, Alessandro Del Piero breaking the offside trap before firing past the keeper. Just before half time though Recreativo equalised, a defensive mistake from Jean-Alain Boumsong allowing Raul Tamudo to nip in and send the home side in level. Juventus sealed the game in the second half, with goals from Del Piero and Dagoberto eventually sending the Spanish side to defeat, but it wasn't easy, and Nick was pleased his side came through a tough game as well as they did.

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Nick was delighted that he managed to find his centre back, and he knew that he was good enough to go straight into the team as first choice. That man was 20 year old French defender Younes Kaboul, who currently played for Auxerre. This was a French team in a perilous financial position, and Nick's £4million offer was quickly accepted by the management team. He invited Kaboul for dinner, and talked contract terms with him over the meal. It was easy enough to agree a deal, and Kaboul was more than happy to sign on the dotted line. He was a big powerful lad, standing well over 6 feet tall, and at only 20 he had plenty of time to develop into a world-class centre back. He would play a fair share of games this season and would be the backbone, the spine of the team, and Nick was delighted to have captured the young man's signature. Kaboul went straight into the squad for the Hannover friendly, taking his place on the bench, although he wouldn't have to wait long to get on, Igor Tudor limping off after 23 minutes. It was a dull game against the German's, who seemed intent on nullifying the Juventus attack from the word go, and at every opportunity they put ten men behind the ball. It looked as if the game was heading for a 0-0 stalemate but in the 83rd minute young midfielder Sebastian Giovinco fired home a 25 yard drive to win the game for his side and keep up their 100% pre-season record.

Transfers In

Peter Halmosi from Debrecen £170k
Marcelo Grohe from Gremio £1.9mil
Dagoberto from Atletico Parananense £1.4mil
Younes Kaboul from Auxerre £4mil

Staff In

Giorgio Pelizzaro Free Transfer
Angelo Antenucci Free Transfer
Mauro Scardigli Free Transfer

Juventus' final pre-season game was at the San Siro, against Milan's reserves, although that was a word that could be used lightly. It was a team that would walk into half of the Serie A squads without thinking twice, so it was a game that Nick wanted his team to stamp their authority upon and show the world that they were ready to be back in the big time. His side took the game by the scruff of the neck, and took a third minute lead through Raffaele Palladino's free-kick. They could, and probably should, have had 3 or 4 more that half, but it wasn't until the 67th minute that the next goal came, although it came for Milan, Serginho jinking through and firing home past Marcelo Grohe. 1-1 was how it finished, despite both sides hitting a post before the end and Trezeguet having a deft little chip cleared off the line. Nick was still a happy man though. An undefeated pre-season, and a solid foundation on which to build the league and cup season upon. Nick was confident his side would do the business when they needed to

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The pre-season for Nick and his team had gone well, undefeated in all 6 games, winning 5 and drawing one, and conceding just 4 goals. He was happy with his new signings, although he felt that maybe some more strength in depth was needed, whether it be before the transfer window closes or in the January transfer window. The strike force he had available, with Trezeguet and Del Piero first choice and then Bojinov and Palladino behind them was good enough for most Serie A clubs so he didn't have any problem with the goal scoring, and really he didn't have any problem with any position in the squad, the only concern he had was age. A lot of the first team members were over 30, and Nick knew he needed to bring in some quality young players who could fit straight into the first team squad, or maybe even the starting XI. This was his priority, and he was working on getting some in for the start of the next season.

Pre-Season Round-Up
(Juventus scorers listed only)

Curro Reyes 0-1 Juventus Del Piero (24)
Real Oviedo 2-3 Juventus Zebina (9) Trezeguet (18,39)
Cartagena 0-3 Juventus Nedved (1,68) Camoranesi (35)
Recreativo 1-3 Juventus Del Piero (39,56) Dagoberto (66)
Hannover 0-1 Juventus Giovinco (83)
Milan Reserves 1-1 Juventus Palladino (3)

The draw for the qualifying rounds of the Coppa Italia had been made, with Nick's Juventus side drawn against the minnows of Martina. In reality it should be an easy game, and an easy path into the next round, but anything can happen in the cup, as we all know. The scouts were still around the continent, seeing if there were any players available for transfer that were good enough for Juventus, and to wear the black and white striped shirt of this once great Italian club. For the cup match Nick decided to go with his strongest possible side, as he wanted to set the tone for the season. Matteo Paro picked up a slight knock in training before the match, so this meant that Giuliano Giannichedda stepped into his place in the centre of midfield while Paro took his place on the bench. As soon as the game kicked off, Juventus controlled the game, and it didn't take long for the first goal to come, David Trezeguet heading home from a Nedved cross on 14 minutes. Provider turned scored 6 minutes later, Nedved firing home from 25 yards to double his side's lead. They went in at half time 2-0 in front, but in the second half they really turned the style on, scoring 4 goals to wrap up a comprehensive victory. Bojinov scored the 3rd 2 minutes after half time, which all but wrapped up the win for his team. The substitute Matteo Paro scored the 4th goal, while Del Piero put the icing on the cake with two goals in 5 minutes in the 78th and 83rd minutes, to secure a comprehensive and easy 6-0 rout.

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The second qualifying round saw an away trip to Mantova, a Serie B side who Nick and his side would be seeing a bit more of this season. It was still a game that his team should win easily, and because of this factor Nick decided to make a few changes to the team, bringing in Valeri Bojinov, who started up-front in place of Trezeguet, Peter Halmosi starting in place of Pavel Nedved and Igor Tudor taking Younes Kaboul's place in the centre of defence. It was another simple game, and although not a rout such as the previous one against Martina, a 2-0 win was more than good enough for Nick. Goals from Mauro Camoranesi, rifling home a free-kick from the edge of the area, and Igor Tudor, converting a penalty that was won by Del Piero in the 31st minute. After the second goal there was no need for Juve to get out of second gear, and the game was completed into an easy 2-0 win, with Nick and his side just one game away from the Coppa Italia competition. A good run in this cup competition would provide some much needed revenue for the team, as the insecure financial situation was really troubling, especially for a club of this size. The money would be handy, and with a stadium holding less than 30,000 the gate receipts were not really providing enough revenue for the side, and with a move back to the new stadium delayed until 2008 the money would not be coming in regularly enough.

The third and final round of the qualifying round had provided Nick with his toughest test yet in his management career, albeit his relatively short one, with a home game against Lecce to earn their place in the 1st round of the Coppa Italia. It wasn't a game that Nick could afford to lose, so he played his strongest possible team in the match. For the third successive game, Juventus made a super start and scored another early goal, Del Piero winning and converting a 12th minute penalty. It was Del Piero who doubled the lead 14 minutes later, rounding the Lecce keeper after intercepting the defender's cross field ball. The 3rd goal of the game came after 33 minutes, Cristiano Zanetti slotting home after Nedved's ball across the box, and that 3rd goal wrapped up the tie. There was a 4th added, Del Piero completing his hat-trick in the 36th minute. Once again, Nick's side were able to take their foot off the gas, and after completing the job professionally and keeping a third clean sheet on the run, they had advanced into the Coppa Italia 1st round, and this was a competition Nick wanted his side to do well in, and advance as far as possible.

August 2006 Summary

Coppa Italia 1st Qualifying Round Martina 0-6 Juventus Trezeguet (14) Nedved (20) Bojinov (47) Paro (75) Del Piero (78,83)

Coppa Italia 2nd Qualifying Round Mantova 0-2 Juventus Camoranesi (24) Tudor (pen 31)

Coppa Italia 3rd Qualifying Round Juventus 4-0 Lecce Del Piero (pen 12, 26,36) Zanetti (33)

laziofan_horia

Good start mate. I'm keeping a close eye on this story.

sherm

laziofan_horia - Thanks mate, glad you like the start. Hopefully I'll be able to keep you interested for a while yet

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After a very promising start to the season, with 3 games, twelve goals and no goals conceded, Nick was confident his side could push on and make a significant mark on the league. The first task was obviously to make a major inroad into the 17 points that had been deducted for last seasons 'MoggiGate', and if his side got 6 wins early on, preferably in the first 6 games, then that would be mission accomplished. If somebody had said to Juventus two seasons ago that they would be hosting Albinoleffe, Mantova and Arezzo in their first three home games then they would have been laughed off, but that was the reality that faced Nick and his side. He was confident however that his side would do what was necessary to win these games which, quite frankly, should be simple for them to gain three points from. The first game, which was at the Olimpico, saw Albinoleffe make the trip to face Nick's side. Del Piero, who had been on scintillating goal scoring form so far this season, had picked up a thigh strain in training so that meant Valeri Bojinov stepped into his place in the team. Younes Kaboul took his place at the centre of defence with Jean-Alain Boumsong, while Matteo Paro and Cristiano Zanetti took the central midfield positions. It wasn't a difficult game by any stretch of the imagination, and Juve controlled it with ease. David Trezeguet opened the scoring after 11 minutes, picking up the ball from Camoranesi's pass and slotting it under the on-rushing keeper. Trezeguet himself could have had three, maybe four more in that second half, but no more goals were to come until the second half, in the 54th minute to be exact, Valeri Bojinov volleying home from the edge of the 6 yard box after the ball came loose from the corner. Bojinov hit the post twice after that, while substitute Raffaele Palladino forced a good save late on from the Albinoleffe keeper. Nick was happy with the overall performance, even if his side could have scored a lot more than the two goals that they did.

Triestina were the hosts four days later, and it was another game that Nick expected his side to win with ease, especially considering that they were considered relegation favourites. Triestina seemed intent on causing the first upset of the season and putting the first dent on Juventus' promotion hopes, and after 7 minutes they took the lead, breaking Juventus' defence and slotting underneath Buffon. It wasn't long before Juventus showed their quality, Valeri Bojinov netting his second goal in as many games to draw his side level. 20 minutes later Trezeguet put Juve in front, rising highest to head home Nedved's corner. Once again though, Nick's side seemed incapable of finishing their created chances, after creating at least another 5 or 6 good chances in the rest of the game. It was Triestina who scored the next goal, in the 83rd minute, to deny Juventus all three points and claim a point that, in reality, they didn't deserve at all. In normal circumstances, 4 points from three games would be acceptable, but in their current situation they needed every win they could muster in the early part of the season, particularly against the smaller teams in the league.

Mantova were the next visitors to the Olimpico, and this was a team that Nick and his Juve side had already met (and beaten) once this season, so there was the benefit that they knew how the visitors were going to come out and approach the game. To counter this, he swapped Cristiano Zanetti for Giuliano Giannichedda, just to shore up the midfield a little bit more, although he kept the rest of the team the same as usual. Trezeguet and Bojinov seemed to be performing well together, which would give Nick a selection headache. although it is a selection headache most managers would love to have most days, three strikers who were in form. Mantova never really put any resistance up to the Juventus attacking force, in a similar fashion to the cup match. It was Younes Kaboul who opened the scoring for Juventus, rising above his marker to head the ball home in the 13th minute, his first goal for the club. On the half hour the lead was doubled, Pavel Nedved curling home a free-kick from just about 30 yards. It stayed 2-0 through till half-time and it wasn't until the 62nd minute that another goal was scored, Dagoberto scoring his first goal for the club, and all but securing the three points for his side. Mantova did pull one back in the 79th minute, a defensive error from substitute Igor Tudor allowing the Mantova striker to nip in and dink the ball over Buffon, but it made no difference to the result, as Juventus walked away with all three points.

sherm

Genoa were next up, and Nick knew that this would be a difficult test, especially away from home. Genoa were considered genuine promotion contenders, and had won two of their first three games, sitting pretty in second place. They had a few good players, and Nick felt that they would be there or thereabouts come the end of the season, so he had no doubts of the credentials of their team. He fielded an unchanged team for the match, with Bojinov keeping his place in the side despite the return to full fitness of Del Piero. Bojinov it was who had the best chances of the first half, twice being clean through on goal and hitting the left hand post on one occasion and putting wide of the right hand post on the second attempt. Trezeguet had a couple of chances, although they were more half chances than real ones, turning in the box and firing straight into the keepers arms on both occasions. The teams went in level at half time, with Juventus having controlled the majority of the play, although the breakthrough hadn't come. In the second half, it was pretty much the same, although Genoa proved to be a greater attacking force than in the first 45 minutes, creating three very good chances, all of which were foiled by Buffon. The best chance of the match came for Juventus though, and it came in the 78th minute, substitute Del Piero striking the ball from 25 yards and forcing a world class save from the Genoa 'keeper, who tipped the ball wide of the post. Neither side managed to find the breakthrough, and the game petered out into a dull goalless draw.

After the draw with Genoa Nick knew his side needed all three points at home against Arezzo, and he drummed this message home to his side, who duly delivered the goods, romping home, although the one goal win may suggest otherwise, but it was a simple and easy victory for Juve. Raffaelle Palladino opened the scoring on 14 minutes, making his first start of the season in place of the injured Nedved, and he cut inside from the left hand side before rifling his shot home into the bottom right hand corner. Bojinov added a second just before half time, running clear through and slotting the ball home from Giannichedda's pass. Bojinov had two other chances, and Trezeguet had two more chances in the second half, although he was nullified for the majority of the match. Palladino had a great chance for a second, volleying from the edge of the box and forcing the 'keeper to pull off a top-class save. Arezzo did pull a goal back, scoring in the 88th minute, this was due to a lapse in the Juventus defence, but it made no difference to the result, as Juventus picked up their third straight home win to bring them ever closer to closing that 17 point deficit.

September 2006 Summary
(Serie B unless stated, Juventus scorers only listed)

Juventus 2-0 Albinoleffe Trezeguet (11) Bojinov (54)
Triestina 2-2 Juventus Bojinov (16) Trezeguet (36)
Juventus 3-1 Mantova Kaboul (13) Nedved (20) Dagoberto (62)
Genoa 0-0 Juventus
Juventus 2-1 Arezzo Palladino (14) Bojinov (41)

League Position : 22nd

sherm

September had gone well, although Nick would have preferred 5 wins, but 3 wins and 2 draws is not to be sniffed at. His team seemed to be gelling well, although there was still the fact that they weren't putting enough of their created chances away, which could come back to haunt them later in the season, but for now he was happy. He was still on the look-out for players that would improve the squad, particularly if they were to gain promotion this season. The opening game of the month started with a visit to Cesena, another game that could prove tricky, but one that Nick thoroughly expect his side to gain the full quota of points from. They started this game as well as they had all through the season, which had seemed to be a feature of Nick's side, scoring early goals and taking advantage of them. This game was no different, Peter Halmosi scoring his first goal for the club after 3 minutes, rising above everybody to power the ball home from Camoranesi's cross. They had more chances in that opening half, but it wasn't until stoppage time that the second goal came, the in-form Valeri Bojinov sweetly finishing from a nicely worked move, picking up Giannichedda's ball and finishing it off. The team were able to drop down a gear or two in the second half, and although no more goals came Nick's side strolled to a comfortable 2-0 win.

Vicenza were the next visitors to the Olimpico, and once again it proved to be a simple and easy victory for the team. The returning Alessandro Del Piero, who was making his first start since picking up a groin strain. It was the returning Del Piero who opened the scoring just after the half hour mark, curling the ball home from a 20 yard free-kick that was won by Nedved. By the time he scored his and the team's second goal right on half time he could have had two more than that, but on half time Del Piero played a beautiful one-two with Trezeguet before firing the ball home into the roof of the net. Nick was delighted with his team's performance, and told his side not to drop their levels down. This was exactly what happened, and 3 minutes after the restart Vicenza got back into the game, a cross coming in from the right hand side and the attacker beat everybody to the ball at the near post. It was only 4 minutes later that Juve got back their two goal lead, Mauro Camoranesi jinking through three defenders before placing his shot beyond the keeper, all but sealing the points for his side. There were no more goals in the game, as both sides were unable to find the breakthrough, and Nick's team picked up another valuable three points. They had another home game three days later, Treviso the opposition this time, and it should have been a game where Nick's team gained there first three points to go into positive figures for the season, but for several reasons they only came away with one point. Treviso's keeper had probably had the best game of his life, almost seeming to have superglue on his gloves, everything Nick's side tried was foiled by the defence or the keeper. The post came to the rescue of Treviso twice, and somehow they came away with a point and a clean sheet, certainly one that the keeper deserved his man of the match award for, and Nick had to accept that it was just one of those games.