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I've never done a story on here before, and this might be a little unconventional in that I don't have a great narrative as many on here seem to have. I hope this story can be allowed be told anyway
I start as out as an unemployed retired Sunday League-player of Danish nationality, and I'm thinking to myself "will I ever get a job with my desperate lack of credentials?" Some months pass, a few managers are fired, and I apply to everything under the Sun. In November, concurrently, two clubs offer themselves two me. One from the lowest rung of Danish football, and then Harrogate Town from Conference North. I take my time to mull the job offers over, but even though the Danish offer involved a transfer kitty, I plumped for Harrogate.
The reasons for choosing the Conference North rather than the Danish 2nd Division can mainly be contracted to one main reason: FM 2005. In that game I had a fantastic spell with Worksop Town, of the same division, as can be seen from the this link. I admit to being attracted to doing an emulation act with Harrogate.
We write mid-late November, and I take over an underachieving club. The board and supporters expect at least mid-table, but instead Harrogate have dipped into the relegation zone. I take over a rather sorry squad, with the bright spots mainly being young on-loan players. I use my Danish background to scour the Danish free transfer market, and I do manage to sign up quite a few reasonable players, that I'm confident will improve performances.
Interestingly my first match is against the abovementioned Worksop. I live through what was to be a common theme for my season: Going in front only to be beaten by late goals from my opponents. For this match I just pick a 4-4-2, as I've no idea about the strengths of my team. In time, and considering two of my signings are two decent Danish wingbacks, I try various wingbacks systems, without much luck. I at no point leave the relegation zone.
At about the turn of the year I get fed up. Hucknall beat me resoundingly 4-0, and I decide "right, something drastic needs to be done if this is to go anywhere." The next match I face Blyth, and when I said drastic before, I wasn't kidding. I imagine my very sparse home crowd for the game would've been quite confused, as they would've seen me line up with two defenders, three midfielders and five forwards in the following fashion:
FL-FC-FC-FC-FR
---MC-MC-MC---
----DC-DC-----
I feel a tinge of non-existing nostalgia for the English pre-War game, as I seem to recall reading that was a favoured formation in the time my favourite team Wednesday were actually part of the English elite of clubs.
My experiment work wonders. My team, at the time one of the least scoring in the division, hammer Blyth 5-2, all goals from central forwards. Overawed with the success of what was really just a frustrated and random hand at tactics, I of course carry on with it. It's not a uniform success, but I have results like for instance the following: 6-0, 3-5, 3-3, 3-4, 6-3. And in most matches between us the two teams have at least 25 chances, so the media always talk of 'epic football game' and 'that's how football should be played'.
As mentioned it's not the complete success I had hoped it to be. The board's and supporters' wishes for the season, mid-table at the least, were coming to haunt me. I checked my status and it said 'insecure'. "Bummer". Next thing I'll be given an ultimatum, I thought to myself. But that never happened. I would like to think sense prevailed with the board, and they could tell the squad never had the quality for their lofty goals in the first place.
Anyway, I'm still stuck in the relegation zone and I'm fast running out of games. I have found some players in my team to rely on, though, and I can be thankful for my agreement with Huddersfield to be their feeder club for getting my top striker in on loan. In my second game against my beloved Worksop I come out 6-3-winners, so I again begin to think survival possible. Then, despite getting to 2-2 after being 2-0 down, I get beaten 2-3 by Redditch. The next game I DO manage to hold onto
another 2-2 (against Barrow) recovered from a 0-2, but I feel disappointed I didn't get more out of it, despite Barrow being a top team. All hope of picking up form is dashed with a 2-3 loss at the hands of Nuneaton, though.
After that dreadful game (red cards and injuries everywhere), three matches remain. I am 21st out of 22 teams, and I have EIGHT points to safety, as Droylsden won 5-1 away at Vauxhall on the day I was beaten by Nuneaton. 20th is Leigh, and 19th is Alfreton. Reading that hits it home: WINS and nothing else counts now.
I take a glance at my program to see if it's at all realistic. Thankfully the first match up is against fellow strugglers Alfreton at home. That one I should win regardless. The next game seems harder, against midtable Worcester, but again out-of-skin form should see me salvage a win in another home game. The final match makes it all perverse, though: Table-toppers (but only by virtue of goal difference) Kettering Town AWAY. Oh well, got to give it a go.
I decide to drop my team talks. The team hadn't responded much to my yabbing lately anyway, and again in a display of frustration I decide not to talk to them. I guess I was a bit girly-offended at them not beating the teams they should be beating if they had their jobs at heart. To my joy that seems to work, or at least they're not blunted by my triviol: 4-1 is what I beat Alfreton with. I hasten to see if Leigh or Droylsden had prematurely ended my mission for survival. Leigh draw my
next opponents 1-1, I can afford that. And thankfully it's a Droylsden loss. Mission still ON.
Roll on the next week and the challenge of Worcester. Challenge is saying a lot: Shots statistic after the match says 20-6, and I'm just glad the end result was a 2-0 win to me. Again I shun the players, apart from another 'delighted!'-note to them at the end of the game. If it's tough love they need, it's tough love they'll get. Droylsden lose AGAIN (1-3 at home to Hinckley), and Leigh follow suit.
I try not to get excited, and as I look at the table I realise now that Kettering have lost a bit of form. Good for me, you might think, but it really isn't. It's meant that they're only leading the division with a single point and thus HAVE to beat me in the last match in their den to win automatic promotion. "Bugger". Again there's nowt to do but grind on. I should be able to get some job in the Danish 2nd division if all goes balls up.
Going into the last match, the standing at the foot of the Conference North table is the following:
My lovely 2-3-5 formation has had one significant and positive side-effect: A superior goal difference. So a win for me, and a loss for Droylsden and anything but a win for Leigh means SURVIVAL.
I consider for one brief moment, going into the Kettering match, if I should change my formation for this one match to secure something. But I think to myself: "It's either-or". 2-3-5 has gotten me where I am, 2-3-5 will get me further. Thankfully one of my experienced players go out to demonstrate a good dressing-room spirit at Harrogate, by saying everyone should give their all to secure survival. I praise Kettering, resulting in a barrage of 'is happy that the manager is trying to deflect media attention to other clubs' from my players. Good omen.
The Kettering match was probably the single match, where I've used 2-3-5, that had the fewest chances. Between the two teams only four shots were on target. My otherwise leaky defence (who can blame two guys in that Urias-post?) hold up excellently, dominating the air. My otherwise effective interplay up front seem to have vanished, though, and I get worried. To reassure me, though, Hyde quickly stick one past Droylsden in their match and have held onto their lead at half time. Leigh seem to have not turned up in Nuneaton, but still the hosts go into the break goalless. Hope is there yet.
Second half kicks off in the same vein as the first, with little play in front of either goal compared to what I've become accustomed to. Then news hits me that Nuneaton go one up, finally. Now, lads, it's all about you! Then shortly after that Nuneaton miss a penalty, and from the resulting goal kick Leigh go up and equalise with their first shot in the match. Arse, back on needles now.
The 82nd minute arrive and I must do something. Inspired by what Paul Sturrock did in Cardiff to win Wednesday the play-off final (doing a triple substitution when 2-1 down), I throw on three fresh faces, two of them in the five-man front-line. The clock keeps ticking and more and more balls are hauled towards my tower of a central forward. "Five minutes added on" I'm told. Good, time to score NOW. 3½ minutes later a customary ball is thrown into aforementioned central forward he flicks it on to a completely free Danny Holland, who slides it past the 'keeper and sticks it into the net. YES!!! Kettering vigorously signal for offside, but the ref says NO to Kettering and YES to Harrogate. Kettering just lost the division and automatic promotion, as Stalybridge had gone in front roughly ten minutes prior.
Nervously I check up on the other games, but Droylsden and Leigh behave according to my little plan. I get desperate for the match to end, as I have seen so many times during the season, my team lose leads of one, two and even (on a few occasions) three goals. Kettering give it their best. My defence, suddenly revitalised together with my goalkeeper, has none of it, though, and the FINAL WHISTLE BLOWS.
Results on the last day:
Kettering 0-1 Harrogate
Nuneaton 1-1 Leigh
Hyde 1-0 Droylsden
Gainsborough 1-2 Stalybridge
Meaning: I STAY UP!!! And Kettering lose the championship and now have to enter the play-off. Madness. I've never seen anything like it. Well, I've read of it: Wednesday's famous "Great Escape" in 1927-28 I think it was. This certainly has been my great escape, though in a lesser scale than that of Wednesday back then, but it has been mine.
As an ironic note Kettering choke in the play-off final against Hinckley. Reading the report from the Droylsden game, I can't help but smirk at reading what they did in injury time, after having a
man sent off, as a sign of desperation: "Droylsden changed to a 2-2-5". Ah bless!
The board seem overawed with what I've done, and go all the way to be "pleased" for the first time during my stay. At the beginning of the next season, still without a transfer kitty, they now only ask me to 'battle bravely against relegation'. So I will, so I have for almost an entire season. And succesfully. Here's hoping I might continue this little adventure a short while yet.
Originally posted by Educated Hick:
Been a while since you've done a story ain't it?
I've never done one, and as I explain in the opening sentence that means it might be unconventional. I just felt a need to share my tale, and I've achieved that
Liked reading your story as I manage Harrogate aswell, your formation sounds mental but hey if its working.. I had a similar first season to you taking over in late october and then going a conference north record 16 games without a win, despite this i still finished 15th after being 21st, nowhere near as nerve raking as your finish.
Looking good in season two with the board delighted im challenging for the league and Danny Holland has been a legend for me.
I wish you luck because with that formation your going to need it.
Harrogate Town - The Great Escape? 
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