retired_amyslack

Just managed to work my way throught this and it is a first rate story. Unusual to see so many posts in such a short time and to be honest that will put a lot of people off reading this and that would be a mistake. Hoping that you will continue but at a slower pace that will allow us to keep up.

:thup:

BarryLFC

You posted this all at once? Wow, been working on it long?

retired_crazyjmiles

Sorry about this, but I post this story somewhere else as well, and I figured I would just get them both caught up. The pace doesn't go this quickly, I can assure you, and it will slow down from now on.

I apologize for the huge rush, but I didn't have the patience to slowly work my way back up with this thread, so I just pasted it all in one sitting. There is no rush to read all through it, take your time if you are a reader!

retired_crazyjmiles

After a few weeks of training, Eastbourne Borough started their pre-season friendlies. Their first encounter came at Priory Lane against League One club Peterborough. A Stuart Tuck free-kick seperated the sides, giving Eastbourne the victory in a match that gave the Borough supporters their first views of Scott Corbett, Gavin Worboys, Chelsea defender Michael Mancienne, youth player Kevin McMahon, and record signing Carl Rook all in Sports kits. And, on the other end of the spectrum, it was the final match of John Veldman's career. With a great applause by the small crowd, Veldman walked off the pitch for the last time.

Brighton and Hove Albion returned to Priory Lane in another pre-season friendly that saw the two East Sussex clubs on the opposite ends of the footballing world collide. Gavin Worboys found the net for Eastbourne in the 2-1 loss to the Championship side.

The last three friendlies before the annual Eastbourne Invite Cup saw the visits of Halifax, Hailsham and Risborough Rangers. The Sports fell to Halifx 1-0, drew against Hailsham in a goalless match(a team Eastbourne beat 4-0 last season in the Eastbourne Invite, third place match), and a Gareth Graham goal led to a 1-1 draw against Risborough Rangers.

With the five friendlies out of the way, the Eastbourne Invite was looming with the Eastbourne derby leading off the weekend Cup.


---

Michael Hall nervously looked at his watch. He had found out there was nothing more unsettling as a manager than watching a side dominate a match yet the scores remain even. Penalties loomed, and Hall couldn't bare the thought of watching Eastbourne Town sneak out another victory over his side.

Kevin Doyle and Carl Rook had had numerous chances, but the great goalkeeping of Russ Tanner had kept the Sports out of the net. With only three minutes left, Michael Hall took a risk, there was no better way to add confidence to a squad than to beat their local rivals, and the American manager felt that the risk was worth it. He could not let the match fall into penalties, they were the better side all match, and he couldn't let Town escape. Throwing four strikers to the top, the Eastbourne formation resembled a 3-3-4 formation with Kevin Doyle, Carl Rook, Adam Arthur, and Scott Oakes up front.

Adam Arthur dribbled the ball forward, Kevin Doyle supported him to his right as Rook made a run down the left. Unable to decide, Arthur hesitated just long enough for a Eastbourne Town defender to slide in and steal the ball. In a classic counter-attack, Steve Poole sent the ball down the field toward Town's midfielder Matt Archer. Though, Kevin Hemsley made a huge interception on the ball, and sent the ball back the other way. A pass to the feet of Phillip Gilder, and with no pressure on his back, Gilder turned on the ball and took off down the right wing. Darting inside, he slid the ball to David Barron, the young Scottish midfielder sent a through ball down towards the left side of the box where Carl Rook pounced on it. Cutting inside the defender and out towards the edge of the box, Rook sent a short pass to the feet of Kevin Doyle. And Doyle did what fan favorites do best, buried their club's rivals. Doyle smashed the ball in the top right corner of the net and the celebrations began.


---

Eastbourne added a goal in the dying minutes to top Eastbourne Town 2-0 in the derby, while on the other side of the cup S****horpe(where former Eastbourne Borough goalscorer Danny Marney now showed off his trade) eased by another former Eastbourne player Darren Baker's Hastings United squad, 3-1. This win set in motion a final match-up between Eastbourne Borough and the Sports' all-time leading goalscorer Danny Marney.

In a great match, despite being considered an exhibition, Eastbourne Borough battled the League Two club for the Eastbourne Invite Cup trophy. A small trophy, but it was their tournament and the Sports wanted to win it. In a bitter end to last season's cup, Eastbourne Town, their local rivals, had walked away with it in with huge smiles, and now two former Eastbourne Borough players(Scott Ramsay, Danny Marney) on the opposing side looked to take it from the hosts.

A penalty in the 25th minute was converted by Scott Oakes, and after some great defensive play, the upset was made and Eastbourne had clinched the victory. Michael Hall and the Sports had won the 2nd Eastbourne Invite Cup.

And with that victory, the squad now looked to the league season.

retired_destiny1124

Quite a rush there This is a good story roll_tide (and so you know, not all the stories on here are about instant success )

KUTGW

retired_crazyjmiles

With two seasons under Michael Hall, the team looks very different than it did when he first took over. The only players remaining from the original Eastbourne squad are captain Lee Hook(Gk), Stuart Tuck(FB), Kevin Hemsley(CB), Danny Chapman(CB/DM), and Yemi 'Trainwreck' Odubade(F).

New faces filled the past off-season with the injection of new blood with players like 'A.A.' Adam Arthur, David Barron and Eastbourne teenager Andrew Fox. Matty Warner and Phillip Gilder established themselves as key players, while the charismatic Gareth Graham controlled the midfield. Role players like winger Ashley Vincent added depth while Lee Connell had a surprise breakthrough into the first team and the midfield. In a team now built around Michael Hall's players, the introduction of a goal scorer like Kevin Doyle was a key addition in the second season due to the loss of the dramatic Danny Marney.

Now with a nucleus of decent players, Michael Hall now has a two years of rebuilding under his belt. With the new additions of a veteran like Scott Corbett and Gavin Worboys, the potential of record signing Carl Rook, and the loan move of a highly rated youngster from one of the best clubs in the world, Chelsea's Michael Mancienne, the American manager has a squad that he can call his own, and a squad that should expect more than just a relegation fight.


The Squad


Goalkeepers

Lee Hook is again back behind the post. His third season under Michael Hall after a great run last season, Hook looks to remain injury free for a second straight season. In only 15 more matches then the previous season, Lee Hook doubled his amount of clean sheets from 8 to 16 and if this number can be improved even more, Eastbourne will find themselves moving up the table. Michael Harrington, now 21, has steadily improved under Hook, but still has a long ways to go. An injury to Hook could be crucial, as the jury is still out on Harrington's ability.


The Defenders

The greatest improvement between the first two seasons at Eastbourne for Michael Hall was the defense. The experience of John Veldman proved invaluble as the number of goals allowed by the club decreased dramatically. But the surprise retirement of Veldman has put the backline in question again while Kevin Hemsley enters his third season as Michael Hall's backline, now 25 and two seasons under his belt, Hemsley is expected to lead from the back. The loaning of 19 year-old Michael Mancienne looks to be a great move to bolster the central defense. While those wo players are expected to play well throughout the season, the depth of the backline comes into question with the new Eastbourne teenager Kevin McMahon joining the club and utility man Danny Chapman returns for what might be his final year.

The two performances of full-backs Stuart Tuck on the left and Richard Holmes on the right have been bright spot in the defense, and with Lee Connell now able to focus himself to his natural fullback position, this area of the Sports does not lack talent, but depth. The departure of Ollie Rowland gives Michael Hall only three natural full-back players and any injuries would put the Sports in a tough position.



The Midfielders

Matty Warner earned his 'Player of the Year' status after having an amazing season out on the left wing. Phillip Gilder fought off competition from the new-boys 'A.A.' Adam Arthur and Ashley Vincent to hold onto his position on the right. The wings looked to be the strongest point of the Eastbourne squad with Warner and Gilder supported by two players in Arthur and Vincent that add another dimension if brought on.

The make-shift combination of Gareth Graham and Lee Connell last season proved to have it's up and downs, and more often than not, the center of the midfield struggled to control the tempo of the game. Ryan Peters failed to impress and was released in the offseason and Andrew Fox failed to work his way into many matches. Gareth Graham is back, looking to recapture his spark and form he showed in his first season at Eastbourne and with the addition of Scott Corbett, a veteran defensive midfielder, the midfield looks to improve greatly. David Barron struggled with injuries last season but he is expected to learn from Corbett and to fill in for the aging Corbett when needed. Jimmy Smith, a young attacking midfielder from Chelsea, has been loaned in for the season to add depth.



The Attackers

Last season didn't see much improvement from the sporatic Eastbourne attackers. Yemi 'Trainwreck' Odubade struggled to find the net all season after a great end to the first season, he only disappointed. The loss of Danny Marney raised eyebrows as the former Eastbourne forward was the only one finding the net on a regular basis. Kevin Doyle, who originally came in on loan, quickly erased Marney from the Eastbourne faithful's minds and after securing a permanent deal, Doyle looks to lead the attacking line again. Scott Oakes, who has announced his retirement at the end of the season, is back after struggling with injuries for most of last season, and the addition of Gavin Worboys, a veteran striker, and record signing 18 year-old Carl Rook, Michael Hall expects big improvements from his striking force.


Squad List

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Name Position Age NationMichael Harrington GK 21 EnglandLee Hook GK 27 England Richard Holmes D R 25 EnglandLee Connell D RL 25 EnglandStuart Tuck D LC 31 EnglandKevin Hemsley D C 25 EnglandMichael Mancienne D C 19 EnglandKevin McMahon D C 18 EnglandDanny Chapman D/M C 31 EnglandScott Corbett DM RC 31 EnglandDavid Barron DM C 18 ScotlandAndrew Fox M C 18 EnglandPhillip Gilder AM R 19 EnglandAshley Vincent AM RL 21 EnglandMatty Warner AM L 21 EnglandGareth Graham AM C 27 Northern IrelandJimmy Smith AM C 19 EnglandAdam Arthur AM/F RC 20 EnglandScott Oakes AM/F C 34 EnglandKevin Doyle F RC 22 EnglandYemi Odubade F LC 22 EnglandGavin Worboys S C 32 EnglandCarl Rook S C 18 England </pre>

retired_crazyjmiles

Eastbourne Borough - Where are they now?

2004 Depatures

Matt Crabb was the first ever sell by Michael Hall. The left winger was considered a critical part of the club's plans, but never played a match for Eastbourne as he was sold almost right away to Chester for £2k. Matt Crabb's move has not exactly been a good transititon. He made 6 appearances his first season, and then fell into the reserves after performing poorly. He spent his whole second season in the reserves, and now entering his third season at the club, he is currently transfer listed.

Richard Brady also left during the first season to Boston United for £6k. The striker scored a total of 4 goals in 17 appearances(12 starting, 5 subs) for the Sports. He managed to score one goal in the last half of the season(he moved midseason) and made 2 starting appearances(9 off the bench). He only made 4 appearances in his first full season at his new club, all of which came off the bench, and now finds himself in the reserves and transfer listed.

2005 Departures

In the 2005 off-season Matt Smart left to Scarborough for £2k and made 24 starting appearances for his new club. He managed to score a goal and managed to tally one assist, but did not impress his new manager and now, like Brady and Crabb finds himself on the transfer list.

Danny Simmonds left the club on a free transfer to Dagenham and Redbridge where he made 11 appearances in his first season, but has announced his retirement from football and will retire at the end of the season.

Scott Ramsay joined S****horpe for £3k, but unfortunately for the striker, his lack of goals has effectively killed off his chances at yet another club. He made a total of 20 appearances for S****horpe and like Eastbourne, he has yet to find the net. In fact, he has not scored a goal in over 4 years, not good for a striker. He's now transfer listed and in the reserves.

Seb Barton, the 16 year-old goalkeeper, retired from football shortly after his contract was not renewed by Michael Hall.

After making 38 appearances for Eastbourne, defender Stuart Playford moved to Woking for £1k. He made a 8 appearances for the club before being loaned out to Harrogate Railway where he only managed 3 appearances. After his return from the loan, he was sold to non-league side Hampton & Richmond where he made a total of 11 appearances and is currently in a back-up role. He plans to retire at the end of the season.

Paul Stevens was given a free transfer to Glapwell, and the full-back made a total of 11 appearances but was released at the end of the season. He is now a free agent but has set his retirement for the end of the season at the age of 41.

Darren Baker, a back-up center back for Michael Hall, moved to near-by club Hastings United where he has actually done well. In his first season at the club he made a total of 20 appearances and scored a surprising four goals. He now wears the captain's armband for Hastings.

Danny Marney, former Eatbourne Player of the Year, made the switch to then league one side S****horpe for a club record £70k. He made a total of 28 appearances in the relegation battle scoring 8 goals, but S****horpe were relegated and now Marney enters his first full season at the new club in league two.

Ollie Rowland requested a transfer out of Eastbourne and got it in the form of a £2k move to Halifax. He wanted playing time and he got it at Halifax with 21 appearances where he scored four goals, but he seems not to be in the manager's first team plans and now sits in the reserves where he is transfer listed.

retired_crazyjmiles

Eastbourne Borough openned up the league season at Woodside Bridge in an away match against Bishop's Stortford. In the past three matches, the away team took all the points in the fixture, and Michael Hall went into the match hoping to continue the streak. Record-signing Carl Rook found himself on the bench for the match while Gavin Worboys, Michael Mancienne, and Scott Corbett all made their debuts. Kevin Doyle almost gave Eastbourne the lead late in the first half when he recieved the ball at his feet in the box, turned, and fired, but his shot hit the crossbar. With the early chance, Eastbourne began to take control and the second half a goal by substitute Jimmy Smith gave Eastbourne the lead when he headed in a Matty Warner cross past the goalkeeper. Carl Rook made the perfect debut when he came on late for Eastbourne, was sent through on the right by Ashley Vincent, skipped by the keeper, and finished deep into stoppage time to give Eastbourne a 2-0 win to start the season.

Eastbourne then met Halesowen in their home openner, but Eastbourne's troubles of creating chances looked to have returned when the game ended 0-0 at Priory Lane. The Sports' next match also came at Priory Lane with a fixture against Lewes, a team that already achieved two victories over Michael Hall in four matches, and their advantage continued when they came out of Priory Lane with a 1-0 win. An early goal by Amos Foyewa seperated the sides, and Eastbourne were never able to recover.

After the loss, Eastbourne traveld to Weston-super-Mare. Michael Hall had yet to beat the club with Weston notching 3 victories our of the four meetings. The match went all Weston-super-Mare's way, but great defending by Michael Mancienne, Richard Holmes and Lee Hook kept the scores level going into the final minutes where Kevin Doyle stole the points. A Phillip Gilder shot was deflected by the keeper in the 87th minute and Doyle was there for the rebound and he grabbed the winning goal.


With confidence high after the winning at Weston, August ended and September started with a home fixture against Basingstoke. Michael Hall, after watching his team struggle to create chances was glad to see the home fixture against a club that had seen Eastbourne score 7 goals in 4 matches in the past. More goals were to come for the Sports against Basignstoke when Carl Rook led off the scoring as he continued to impress and Kevin Doyle added two to his season tally to hammer Basignstoke in a 3-0 victory.

Traveling to Kingstonian, Eastbourne hoped to add to their winning streak and an early goal by Matty Warner looked to have them cruising, but two goals for Kingstonian in the 74th and 77nd minute flipped the game completely on the other side. A goal by Scott Oakes in the 89th minute grabbed a point in a match that Eastbourne would be happy with a draw, but possibly should have had more.

Eastbourne made it two straight victories against Newport County with a 3-1 victory at Priory Lane. In a crowd pleasing match, Matty Warner converted a free-kick but Newport Count quickly equalized. As time wore down, a 10-man Newport County squad looked to have earned a hard fought draw, but an own goal off a Matty Warner cross and a stoppage time goal by substitute 'A.A.' Adam Arthur earned Eastbourne a deserved 3 points.

After the dramatic winner, Eastbourne traveled to Westleigh Park. The Sports had come out 3-2 winners their last time at Westleigh and they brought their goal scoring boots again. An early goal by Michael Mancienne led the way and Matty Warner shortly followed with a goal of his own. Carl Rook continued to impress Eastbourne faithful when he grabbed two goals within 5 minutes of the restart and a late goal by Havant's David Town only slightly lessened the blow. A 4-1 win for Eastbourne and they were flying just in time for their FA Cup: Round Two Qualifer against Stafford Rangers.



---



The ball flew past Lee Hook and as it fell to the ground in the back of the net, Michael Hall's heart sank. After last year's great Cup run that actually saw them qualify for the actual Cup rounds, this free-kick in the 90th minute had buried Eastbourne in only the 2nd qualifying round. It had been a roller-coaster of a match, and the goal by John White seemed to be the most injustice thing Hall could imagine.

Stafford had taken a huge early lead, two goals in the first ten minutes, and Eastbourne had been reeling. Throwing on Scott Oakes paid off and the veteran forward had equalized after two goals int he 51st and 71st minute. Now, as John White raced off in a chaotic celebration and the supporters at Marston erupted in cheers, Michael Hall could only look at his watch.

Off the restart, the American watched as Kevin Doyle sent the ball out to Matty Warner. Warner, exhausted as he had run the entire match, looked up and sent a hopeful long ball forward. Michael could not believe his eyes when Scott Oakes latched onto the ball, skipped by the defender marking him and smashed the ball into the top left corner of the net. Nick Greenwood jumped from his place on the bench, grabbed the pacing Michael Hall with a giant hug. The final whistle blew shortly after the goal and the players walked back to the bench as they prepared for extra time.

The FA Cup is full of surprises, great moments and in only the two matches so far this season, Michael Hall had seen two. Just to be in the replay, Carl Rook had scored a goal in the 94th minute to earn a 1-1 draw and the replay at Stafford, and now Oakes had scored another last minute goal to see the teams enter extra time.


---

An event free extra time led the teams to penalties, a very mentally crushing affair that Michael Hall witnessed for the first time in his management career. After Eastbourne's hero of the match scored the first penalty, the rest of the team were unable to convert and Stafford ran out winners, and Michael Hall felt the true cruelty and pain of the FA cup for the first time.

After the heartbreak of the FA Cup run ending, Eatbourne battled for two 1-1 draws against Hornchurch and Gravesend before going back to their winning ways in a match against Thurrock. A very open game, both squads were unable to find the net and the game had looked destined for a draw until a wonder strike by Jimmy Smith stole the points for Eastbourne, and Priory Lane were couldn't believe their eyes as Eastbourne looked to be contending for promotion.



---


Michael Hall, for the first time, could look back as October ended without frustration or worry. The club had started off with a great run of form and to the delight of their fans and the surprise of the other clubs in the Conference South, Eastbourne were stunning the league. As November began, Eastbourne sat second in the league table, their highest mark ever, with the win at Thurrock, morale was high yet again.

The heartbreak of the FA Cup had faded, and now the focus on the other cup was Michael's main priority. Their upcoming match at Dulwich Hamlet was only two days away, and Michael Hall was busy going through line-ups in his small living room.

All the moves he had made were starting to pay-off, the strikers were starting to find the net on a regular basis, the addition of Namibian defender Mlungisi Ngubane in September had proved invaluable as Eastbourne were proud to hold the best defensive record in the league. With the goals starting to come, everything was looking up.

The brighest spot was, like last season, Matty Warner. The left winger was in great form and looked to improve on a great season last year. A twisted ankle had left him out for two weeks earlier in the season, but the injury did not hamper his performances when he returned. In only 11 appearances he had already scored 3 vital goals and assisted on 9 others. The fans loved him, the squad had grown used to his almost stand-offish, confident attitude, and even Nick Greenwood had become fond the winger. At only 21 he was wow'ing the fans, earning the respect of his teammates, and driving the team forward in every match he was in. Many of the supporters had claimed Warner to be the most talented and influentical player they had seen at Eastbourne. While Lee Hook was the captain of the club, Matty Warner had become the captain without the armband.

The first name after Hook on the teamsheet, Matty Warner was undroppable to Michael Hall, in any match, big or small, Hall wanted Warner in the match.

He penciled another line-up for the upcoming Dulwich Hamlet match. He had figured an aggressive tactic would be the best choice, Carl Rook, the record signing was on fire, Scott Oakes was giving Hall headaches with the goals he scored off the bench, and Kevin Doyle added so much more than just goals that Michael Hall had a massive striker dilemna.

As he mixed and matched the proposed starting strike force, the phone rang and Benny Bailey quickly picked it up. It was early in the morning, not even 8 o'clock and Michael was startled by the phone ringing.

"It's for you, sir!"

Getting up, Michael walked over to the kitchen where Bailey handed him the phone.

"Hello?"

"I know it's early, lad, but this couldn't wait," Len Smith's voice was quick, a slight concern on his voice. "We just recieved a fax from Oldham."

"What, what's Oldham want?"

"They want Matty Warner."

Michael Hall was quick to answer, "Well, they can't have him, he's too vital. There's no way we can sell him, Len."

"I understand this, lad, but you have to realize what type of financial situation our club is in. The wages have gone up, the squad numbers have gone up."

"We can't let Matty go. We sold Danny for a hefty amount, where's that money? We can't let Matty go, Danny was replaceable, he is not. There's no way we sell Matty for that same amount, we can't Len, we just can't."

"This isn't Danny Marney money, lad..."

"How much are they offering?"

"Too much to refuse."

retired_crazyjmiles

With the news of Oldham's bid for Matty Warner, the club struggled to stay focused on their match at Dulwich Hamlet. With Phillip Gilder being sent off for a professional foul in the first half, Michael Hall's squad was lucky to escape to a replay with a 0-0 draw. In the replay at Priory Lane, Scott Oakes put the hosts up, but a mistake by Lee Connell allowed Dulwich Hamlet to equalize and as the referee blew the whistle after a quiet extra time, Eastbourne found themselves in another round of penalties to keep their cup run alive.


---


When Scott Oakes' penalty hit the crossbar, the heads of Eastbourne supporters, coaching staff, and the players went down. Deja vu struck everyone's mind as Oakes made the slow, agonizing walk back to where his teammates waited. Arms over eachother, they let him back in their chain, but the heads still stayed down. Michael Hall didn't flinch, not because it didn't hurt him, but because his mind was elsewhere.

The belief went up when the Dulwich player's penalty went flying over the bar, and Gareth Graham converted his to give Eastbourne hope. Lee Hook made a save to keep Eastbourne's slight advantage but Scott Corbett couldn't keep his cool and punish the away side. Another poor penalty by Dulwich and now Eastbourne had a chance to put the game away and up stepped Matty Warner.

Michael Hall watched as the player confidently walked toward the penalty spot. For the first time as a manager, Michael Hall was doing interviews for newspapers and football league magazines. The questions rushed in about Matty Warner. "Who was this young english kid?" "Was he really worth the quarter of a million that Oldham had rumored to big for him?" While the team was obviously affected but Warner was not. He was a player that was rising out of non-league football to a world where he could make a name for himself. While people were stunned by the price Oldham bid on the players and the expectation to perform would be huge, Michael Hall had no doubt this player would succeed. His ambition and skill were surely enough that Hall knew he could succeed anywhere.

Only the night before, Hall and Warner had talked about the move. Warner had grown to love Eastbourne, but the thought of League One Football and playing infront of 10,000 fans rather than the 900 that currently occupied Priory Lane was such a great offer. His heart was with the club, but if he wanted to make a name for himself and moving up to Oldham was the only way to do it, he had to take it.

While Michael Hall dwelled on the transfer, Matty Warner, who seemed to not have a care in the world, blasted the ball to the top right corner of the net. The squad joined him in the celebrations as he ran over the core supporters of Eastbourne and pumped his fist.

They were through to the second round of the FA Trophy Cup, the fans cheered, a huge injection of money would soon enter the club, a player Michael Hall had brought up through his squad was now making a name for himself, and the squad was at its' highest point in Eastbourne history. And Michael Hall couldn't figure out why he was so unhappy.

retired_crazyjmiles

Sitting in the small room, Michael Hall starred up at the ceiling. His ironed white dress shirt and tie were neatly in place, but largely contradicted his slouching posture in the chair. Lighting the cigarette that sat in his mouth, he took a short drag then leaned forward, focusing on the small paper that sat infront of him.

On the paper sat several statements that Hall had jotted down the night before. Explaniations, reasonings, the details of the Matty Warner saga filled the notebook paper. He read them off to himself, in an attempt to memorize them word for word, but all the sentences sounded too formal for his liking. They spoke of numbers and impersonal information that didn't express the amount of stress, pain, and negotations that had occured since the Oldham fax had come into Len Smith's office.

These little statements were prepared for the formalties of a press conference. A press conference that had been called yesterday, it would be Michael Hall's first of his management career. Throughout his first two years, he had only had to deal with questions from one or two newspaper writers and Benny Bailey, but now with league football and £250,000 involved, an official announcement was required from the club. And now outside of the small room, where Michael Hall looked over his statements he had prepared for the occassion were half a dozen writers, several supporters, and an assortment of other interested spectators.

With a disgusted sigh, Hall crumbled up the piece of paper before him and tossed it toward the general direction of the waste basket in the corner of the room. Smoothing out his tie, Hall tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for the go ahead, his thoughts were only on getting this out of the way. As on command, a man entered the room and spoke,

"They're ready."

Michael Hall looked up to see Len Smith, his chairman, took one last drag of his cigarette and put it out on the ash tray on the table. Standing up, he patted his shirt down one more time, ran his hand through his hair, adjusted his glasses and headed for the door.

As Len Smith led him out of the small room, toward the conference area, Michael Hall asked a question.

"Are you sure this is the right move?" the American, searched for one last grasp of reassurance but Len Smith did not hear him and was out of the room.


---


The conference started with Len Smith welcoming the reporters and stated that the press conference would start with a statement from the Eastbourne Borough manager Michael Hall, then there would be a question segment for open questions toward the manager. The last note of Len Smith's introduction was that winger Matty Warner would not be in attendance for the conference. Great, Michael Hall thought sarcastically. He figured Matty Warner would probably be able to handle all the questions alot better than the reporter shy Michael Hall

Michael Hall walked up to the center of the table, sat down, and began his statement,

"We can confirm that Oldham Athletic has made a bid for Matty Warner. The bid was for £250,000 and the financial boost that would result from this move would put this club in a fantastic economical position. The ambition of Matty Warner cannot be rivaled, he's a great, young English talent, and there is no doubt in my mind that he will make a name for himself. He had been a key part of our squad for the past two seasons and his determination and will to win cannot be rivaled. Eastbourne Borough is a club on the rise and this recent saga only confirms that we are now a club that is moving up in the English leagues. It's a great compliment to the staff and players that other clubs are willing to bid a sum of that much money for our personnel. It just reaffirms our position that with the help of our fine chairman, our excellent coaching staff and our loyal supporters that we are moving in the right direction.

That being said, we will not be accepting this bid for our player and Matty Warner has recommitted himself to the club by signing a 5-year extension to his contract last night."

The questions hit Michael Hall like a tidal wave.