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As the players and staff embarked on a well-deserved summer break, Sandy and his Chairman Mirco Giovanelli sat down to discuss their goals for the next season before they too took a little time off. Mirco was keen to understand how Sandy viewed the previous season and what his intentions were for this year.
“So Senor Sandy, are you very much disappointed that we deed not make it to Serie B”?
“It’s always disappointing to lose Mirco, but in the circumstances I’m not too upset. We did very well to get to the final in the first place and I think that it illustrated that the club doesn’t have enough quality in the squad yet.”
“So you want to bring in some new players?”
“I certainly do. A couple of quality defenders and a proven goalscorer would be a good start.”
“Well we have really done very well financially, mainly through our improved gate receipts, and we have over €1.2M in thee banca. I propose that you can have about one theerd, say €450K, in transfer funds. We should also geev a leetle increase in thee wages budget too so that you can pay thee right money to get thee players you want.”
“That’s great Mirco. Now I know what I’m working with I can get the scouts out and about and see what they can come up with.”
“And Senor Sandy, you theenk that my Fano can get her promotion thees season?”
“It’s my main objective Mirco. If we can find the right players then I think that we can go all the way this time.”
“That would be wonderful Senor Sandy. Well you know that you have my full support – everyone at Fano is totally behind you and we theenk that you are doing a great job.”
“That’s good to hear Mirco. I just hope that I can get you what you want.”
“I am sure that you can Senor Sandy. Remember you are bellissimo manager and you will make my Fano very beeg.”
Marino D’Aloisio retired as planned and, their contracts having expired, Sandy also released Marco Trufelli, Hashimu Mast Garba, Francesco De Luca and Nicola Vitali. Marco Pelliccia also left on his pre-arranged transfer to Prato. The youth programme produced its first batch of youngsters with no less than half a dozen lads graduating. As Sandy read Peter Beardsley’s notes on the graduates he liked what he was seeing.
Antonio Corti Age - 15
Position - Goalkeeper
Antonio has shown up well in the academy and even though he may be a little small for a keeper he shows some potential. A good shot stopper but he may be caught out on crosses and high balls.
Nicola Fabbro Age 15
Position – Attacking Midfielder
Determined and hard working, Nicola could develop into a good backup depending on how well he adapts to our training regime. Not the most skilful but shows an excellent attitude.
Carmine Lorenzini Age – 16
Position – Defender
Carmine is fast, strong and fit and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him develop into an effective full back. He can play in the centre but may not be strong enough in the air to dominate in this position.
Alessandro Modica Age – 16
Position – Defender
Pacey and with good marking skills, Alessandro is naturally two-footed and could prove to be a versatile full back.
Matteo Visentin Age – 15
Position – Striker
Matteo is hard working and has excellent close control. Not the best finisher I have seen but with the right support he may just make the grade.
Gianluca Amadio Age – 17
Position - Defender
This boy could go places and in my opinion may develop into a very cultured centre back. With luck he could well be pushing for a place in the first team this season.
As the summer progressed and everyone at the club returned to their usual routines, Sandy was having some success in bringing in new playing staff. First to arrive was experienced central defender Paolo Bravo (31) who came in for free having been released by Rimini. Unfortunately he suffered a nasty back injury in an early training session and would require a course of physiotherapy before he would be fit enough to play. Next up was versatile midfielder Davide Andorno (26) for a fee of €18K from Castelnuovo. Sandy was pleased with his next two signings and they had already created a buzz around Fano. San Marino international striker Andy Selva (29) would certainly strengthen the attack and was available from Spal for €35K. Central defender Andrea Faccini (24) looked like a class act and Sandy was prepared to spend over half of his transfer budget to bring him from Cagliari for €240K. The final addition was striker Daniele Bacchini (18) on loan for the season from Bellaria.
This season Fano would once again be involved in Cup action before the league programme got underway but on this occasion it would be the Italian Cup and not the Serie C Cup that would engage their attention. They had been drawn in a tough group with opponents Genoa, Piacenza and Venezia all coming from Serie B. It would certainly give Sandy an early indication of his team’s capabilities and would serve as an excellent curtain opener to the season proper. The first match would be at home to Genoa and new signings Faccini, Andorno and Selva would all start.
Sandy’s Journal
Sunday August 21st 2005
Italian Cup Group H Game 1 Fano 2 Genoa 0
It was an impressive start from two of our new boys with both Selva and Andorno marking their debuts with goals. Faccini was less impressive but he may need some time to settle as it’s never easy trying to slot into a new team. The visitors had the bulk of the possession and created most of the chances but Orlandi made a great start to the season to keep a clean sheet. All in all a satisfactory opener indeed despite Selva having to come off at half time having picked up a bit of a knock.
After a good week on the training ground Sandy was able to take an unchanged team to Piacenza for their second Italian Cup group game.
Sandy’s Journal
Sunday August 28th 2005
Italian Cup Group H Game 2 Piacenza 3 Fano 1
The final scoreline doesn’t really do justice to the story of the game as we fought back well after conceding an early penalty only to concede twice in stoppage time. We were also affected by several minor injuries that caused players to be replaced and upset our rhythm. Having said that several players did play poorly, notably Magnani and Stefani, and that didn’t help our cause either.
With the summer transfer window now closed, the Fano squad was as strong as it could get for the moment and for the opening league match of the new season, a trip to Pistoiese, Sandy could once again field an unchanged lineup.
Sandy’s Journal Sunday September 4th 2005
Serie C1/A Game 1 Pistoiese 0 Fano 2
Two goals from Andy Selva in 5 second-half minutes finally turned our possession and pressure into a winning position. The San Marino international took his chances well although he is still struggling for match fitness currently. We looked pretty solid at the back, restricting the home side to a few off-target efforts that never troubled Orlandi.
The establishment of the Youth Academy meant that for the first time in Sandy’s tenure Fano had enough youth players to put out a team in the Under 20 competition. The boys had already been in action twice and young striker Matteo Visentin had impressed on both occasions. But at just 15 it would be some time before the lad would see any first team action. For the visit of Prato, Fano would be without Andy Selva, the striker on international duty with his country. Loanee Daniele Bacchini would make his first start having already seen some action from the bench.
Sandy’s Journal Saturday September 10th 2005
Serie C1/A Game 2 Fano 0 Prato 0
With better finishing we would certainly have taken maximum points from this game as we had more than enough chances to secure the win. We missed Selva up front as Bacchini struggled to make an impact. Pazzi is playing well but has yet to really find his goal touch but hopefully that will come with time.
Italy moved nearer to World Cup qualification with a solid 3-1 win in Slovakia as did Scotland with an impressive 3-2 defeat of Denmark at Hampden. There was no joy for Andy Selva however as San Marino lost 2-0 in Holland. After a slightly disappointing display at the weekend Sandy was faced with a midweek game as Fano welcomed Venezia for their final Italian Cup group match. He decided to try to put out as strong a team as he could for this game. Magnani was absent with a thigh strain picked up on Saturday so Giacomo Biagi would replace him and Cristiano Luconi would start instead of Bacchini.
Sandy’s Journal Wednesday September 14th 2005
Italian Cup Group H Game 3 Fano 1 Venezia 2
Having managed to come back from conceding an early goal with an equaliser from Luconi, there seemed to be every possibility that we could at least hold on for a draw. But then the striker had to leave the field with an injury and that seemed to disrupt our flow and we conceded a decisive second goal a few minutes later. So the defeat eliminates us from the main cup competition with our opponents qualifying as group winners.
With the Italian Cup now behind them, Fano were quickly back into league action with a trip to Pavia. Andy Selva was restored up front but Sandy had a problem on the left side of midfield. Magnani had not yet recovered from his injury and Biagi was struggling for fitness so Tommaso Colombaretti was asked to play out of position on the left.
Sandy’s Journal Sunday September 18th 2005
Serie C1/A Game 3 Pavia 1 Fano 3
A poor first half was enlivened by a goal from the in-form Selva when his free kick took a fortunate deflection to leave the home keeper stranded. Things improved in the second half and Andy scored his second of the game before limping off with a knock. Pazzi secured the win with our third goal before the home side scored a late consolation goal.
By virtue of their high league finish last season, Fano had been spared the group stages of the Serie C Cup and would see their first action of the competition in the First Round proper. They would face Spezia of the C1/A division with the first leg being played at the Stadio Mancini. Sandy had no hesitation in selecting a second choice team for this game, preferring to keep his first choice for the league.
Sandy’s Journal Wednesday September 21st 2005
Serie C Cup 1st Round 1st Leg Fano 3 Spezia 3
This was a lively encounter between two fairly well matched sides and I was somewhat surprised to see us take a two-goal lead in the first period. But the visitors came storming back after the break to score three unanswered goals. But full marks to Fredi Carelli who popped up with a late equaliser. It isn’t easy going in to a match like this knowing that you have been selected as a second choice player and that your manager doesn’t really care about the result. But Carelli played well and is clearly trying to demonstrate that he deserves a shot back in the first team.
The appearance of Alessandro Modica in midweek set a new record for the club, the 16-year-old becoming the youngest player to make a competitive appearance for Fano. For the visit of Carrarese in the league Sandy reverted back to his first choice, with the exception of Cristian Pazzi. The striker had picked up a knock in training and would be replaced by Cristiano Luconi who was now fully fit.
Sandy’s Journal Sunday September 25th 2005
Serie C1/A Game 4 Fano 2 Carrarese 0
This was a dominant performance today and, on chances created, we should have had a much more comprehensive margin of victory. It was very good to see both of the front players find the net but considering the number of opportunities that they had they should perhaps have done better. However, we got the win and that’s what really matters and we finish the month unbeaten and in second place on goal difference.
The month ended with the return fixture in their Serie C Cup encounter at Spezia and Sandy reverted back to the same lineup that contested the first leg.
Sandy’s Journal Wednesday September 28th 2005
Serie C Cup 1st Round 2nd Leg Spezia 2 Fano 1 (Spezia win 5-4 on aggregate)
Once again we took an early lead but were unable to hold on to it under pressure from the home side. The boys worked hard but were outplayed and can have no complaints about the final result.
It had been a long month and Sandy’s team was not really used to playing twice a week. But with the distractions of the various cup competitions behind him, Sandy could now turn his full attention to the league programme. The month opened with a visit by Giulianova, a team that Fano had never met previously.
Sandy’s Journal Sunday October 2nd 2005
Serie C1/A Game 5 Fano 1 Giulianova 0
The fact that the visiting goalkeeper was later hailed as Man of the Match says much about the balance of play in this encounter. We had by far the greater share of possession and had we shown greater composure in front of goal the winning margin would have been much greater. As it was we had to settle for a single strike from the excellent Roberto Magnani to give us full points.
Fano’s next game was a visit to Reggiana, one of the main promotion challengers in the division. Sandy would have preferred that the game was not so soon after their last match as he felt that, even this early in the season it would be a very important contest. Luconi had to be rested and replaced by Bacchini but Sandy resisted the temptation to make any further changes.
Sandy’s Journal Wednesday October 5th 2005
Serie C1/A Game 6 Reggiana 3 Fano 0
Frankly we were never at the races as we put in one of our poorest displays in some time. I felt that it wasn’t going to be our day when we lost Marco Marinelli very early on. Roberto Magnani did our cause no good at all by taking an early bath after two yellow cards but he wasn’t the only culprit. Below par performances throughout virtually the entire team meant that we failed to get a shot on target all evening and gave our opponents a very easy win indeed.
Team Selection
Orlandi (6), Tomasetti (4, sub 56), Giangolini (5), Faccini (5), Marinelli (5, sub 7), Andorno (6), Magnani (5), Riccio (7), Stefani (5, sub 56), Bacchini (7), Selva (7)
Subs – Pomante (7), Calanchi (6), Carelli (7)
Sandy was furious with his players after their tame display in midweek, feeling that they showed very little relish for the contest and gave in far too easily. He made it quite clear to then that he expected a much-improved performance in their next game at Treviso. The team should be boosted by the return of Pazzi after injury and with Magnani suspended, Biagi would start on the left.
Sandy’s Journal Sunday October 9th 2005
Serie C1/A Game 7 Treviso 3 Fano 0
Although not as dire as in midweek this was another subdued and toothless performance. We were comprehensively outplayed by a team that we should be capable of beating and in the entire 90 minutes we registered just two scoring attempts. I need to do something to nip this in the bud but right now I’m not too sure what that will be.
Sandy was glad that his team had a weekend off because of World Cup qualifiers. It meant that he could really put his players through their paces on the training pitch and work on some ideas to turn their recent poor form around. Italy secured their place in Germany next summer with a 1-0 win in Austria but Scotland fell at the final hurdle, losing 3-1 in the Ukraine to allow Holland to overtake them. The Scots would have to face a two-legged playoff to try to book their place in the finals. San Marino finished their campaign off with a fine win, beating Northern Ireland 2-0 at home.
Sandy hoped that the visit of Padova would give his players a chance to redeem themselves. He decided to bring in the experienced Riccardo Rocchini in midfield as Stefani was clearly not at his best.
Sandy’s Journal Saturday October 22nd 2005
Serie C1/A Game 8 Fano 4 Padova 0
It seems that our hard work over the last fortnight may be paying off as the players put in a much better performance and showed the sort of play that they are capable of. I was beginning to wonder if we were once again fated to have a poor result in the first half. Having taken the lead early through Selva we scored twice more only for the referee to disallow both efforts. But it all came good after the break as we really pushed our advantage home and killed off the game.
The last league game of a mixed month was at struggling Pro Patria and Sandy was hopeful that another victory would ensue. But the team would be without Roberto Magnani after what initially looked like a badly bruised arm turned out to be a hairline fracture and he would be out for several weeks. Sandy decided to switch Davide Andorno to the left and bring in Luca Puccinelli on the right.
Sandy’s Journal Sunday October 30th 2005
Serie C1/A Game 9 Pro Patria 3 Fano 3
A couple of very uncharacteristic mistakes from keeper Orlandi allowed the home side to race into a two-goal lead inside 30 minutes. Pazzi then pulled a goal back before half time before things took a turn for the worse when Rocchini was dismissed just after the restart. At his age he should know better than to talk back to the referee after he has been booked and his mistake resulted in a second yellow and an early bath. Despite this setback we showed no little character to get back on even terms with goals from Selva and Riccio. Fortunately Orlandi made up for his earlier mistakes with some stunning saves late on to secure the point.
With the season now in full swing and his young team doing reasonably well, Sandy was feeling fairly content with life in Fano. He was now comfortable enough with his Italian that he no longer needed to have Giacomo as a full-time translator. He still allowed Dario to run a number of the training sessions but he made sure to take charge of his fair share. He continued his daily language lessons though as he was keen to extend his vocabulary and he did not yet regard himself as anywhere near fluent. He was comfortable in his apartment and although sparsely furnished it was cosy enough for his needs. But his domestic skills did not extend to cleaning, washing and ironing – those tasks were undertaken each week by yet another of Giacamo’s extended family, his aunt Sophia. Neither was Sandy at home in the kitchen but with a wide choice of inexpensive and top quality restaurants in town it was no hardship to eat out most of the time. The Scotsman was by now a well-recognised figure in Fano and rarely lacked for conversation, even when dining alone. The locals were not shy in coming forward and offering their opinions on the team and the players. He was a changed man indeed from the lonely and reclusive figure that he had become in Glasgow. He still had his dark moments but these came less and less these days. Even better, he could deal with his more melancholy moods without resorting to alcohol-induced oblivion. All in all life in the small town of Fano was pretty satisfying.
Despite failing to show the consistency that Sandy had hoped for his team sat 4th in the table at the start of the month, just three points behind leaders Cremonese. As fate would have it, the first game of the month saw the leaders visit Fano, giving Sandy a chance to close the gap. With Rocchini serving his suspension Stefani was brought back into the team in midfield.
Sandy’s Journal Sunday November 6th 2005
Serie C1/A Game 10 Fano 4 Cremonese 0
Despite losing Davide Andorno with a minor injury for the second game in succession we played extremely well today to brush aside the league leaders. Inspired by young Massimiliano Riccio, striker turned midfielder, we played exciting attacking football and were certainly not flattered b the scoreline.
The excellent win took Fano to the top of the table on goal difference but with just four points separating the top ten teams it would be very easy to plummet downwards. The forthcoming trip to 5th place Monza represented the type of game where it would be all too easy to suffer a defeat and Sandy was pleased that he could take an unchanged lineup.
Sandy’s Journal Sunday November 13th 2005
Serie C1/A Game 11 Monza 1 Fano 3
Despite the margin of victory there wasn’t actually a lot to choose between the two teams today. Our first half goals had an air of good fortune about them. The opener came about when Selva was in the right place to fire home the rebound from a Pazzi header and then Paz himself capitalised on a defensive mix up to get the second. There was no arguing with the third goal though, Paz finishing off an incisive passing move to secure the points.
Team Selection
Orlandi (7), Tomasetti (6), Giangolini (4, sub 53), Faccini (7), Marinelli (8), Puccinelli (8) Andorno (7), Riccio (7), Stefani (5, sub 53), Pazzi (9*), Selva (8, sub 89)
Subs – Rocchini (7), Carelli (7), Luconi 6
Goals
Selva 23, Pazzi 36, 63
Sandy and his players had a weekend off because of the World Cup qualification playoffs. The Scotsman was disappointed to see his country fall at the final hurdle, losing 4-2 on aggregate to a hard working Swedish team. When Fano returned to league action, welcoming struggling Cesena, they did so without top scorer Andy Selva who had pulled a hamstring in training. His place was taken by Luconi with Bacchini taking a seat on the bench.
Sandy’s Journal Sunday November 27th 2005
Serie C1/A Game 12 Fano 4 Cesena 0
This was another assured performance as we easily disposed of the relegation strugglers. An early penalty tucked away by Davide Andorno settled any nerves and despite losing Pazzi to injury on the half hour we continued to dominate. Young loan signing Daniele Bacchini put in his best performance of the season and wrapped up a fine display with a late goal. Luca Puccinelli provided two assists and showed that if he can stay fit he is a very useful player to have in the side.
At the end of the month Fano were holding the top spot in the division on goal difference over Cremonese and both teams had opened up a little daylight over the chasing pack.
Fano’s first match in December involved a visit to bottom of the table Fermana. Andy Selva was not quite fit enough to start so Bacchini kept his place up front. Paolo Bravo made his first start since joining the club, replacing Giangolini at left back to allow Sandy to evaluate his performance.
Sandy’s Journal Sunday December 4th 2005
Serie C1/A Game 13 Fermana 1 Fano 2
We did well not to be too disrupted by the loss of not one, but two central defenders during this game. Firstly Marco Marinelli had to leave the game and then substitute Daniele Sgammini was carried off within 10 minutes of his appearance. Rocchini showed his experience and versatility by filling in at centre back and doing a decent job of it. Bacchini found the net once more and Riccio kept up his run of excellent performances in midfield. Paolo Bravo played well enough at left back to warrant another start next week.
The prognosis on Sgammini wasn’t good – a torn groin muscle would sideline him for up to 2 months. Marco Pomante would take his place on the bench for the visit of Pisa and Selva would be back in the starting eleven.
Sandy’s Journal Sunday December 11th 2005
Serie C1/A Game 14 Fano 7 Pisa 0
We seem to have made a convincing recovery from our scrappy patch earlier in the season and are now playing with a lot of imagination and attacking flair. Riccio is looking more and more comfortable playing in midfield and the change of position is beginning to look like a very smart move. Pazzi scored a great hat trick and it was as good an all round team performance as I have seen so far.
In fact the 7-0 scoreline was a new record victory for the club and Chairman Mirco Giovanelli could barely hide his delight at how well his team were playing. Sandy hoped that the trip to Rimini would see his team’s form continue and he was able to name an unchanged side for the game.
Sandy’s Journal Sunday December 18th 2005
Serie C1/A Game 15 Rimini 0 Fano 1
It may have been too much to expect for the team to reach the heights of last weekend but this was a very uninspiring show by both teams. A scoreless first half seemed to drag on for hours with neither side giving much in the way of entertainment. Thankfully Pazzi managed to find the back of the net in the second half for a narrow win and three points.
One thing that was worthy of note in Fano’s previous game was that keeper Frederico Orlandi set a new club record when he made his 112th league appearance. At just 24 Orlandi looked set to play a role at the club for some time to come. In the final game before the short Christmas break the team would be hosting a visit from Torres but they would do so without Andy Selva. The striker had twisted an ankle in training and would be replaced by Bacchini.
Sandy’s Journal Friday December 23rd 2005
Serie C1/A Game 16 Fano 2 Torres 1
It was very satisfying to finish the year off with a win and, to use the old cliché, this was certainly a game of two halves. We dominated the first period, despite losing Andorno after half an hour, and took a deserved two-goal lead into the interval. But the visitors were on top after the break and had they shown some better finishing we may not have taken full points.
Fano ended 2005 sitting at the top of the table with a 6-point lead over their nearest rivals. Their win set a new club record of 7 consecutive victories and things were looking pretty good for Sandy and his team.
With the winter transfer window now open, Sandy stepped up his efforts to find some new talent for the squad. One player that had been on his radar was Brazilian winger José Reis Odair and Director of Football Loris Servadio negotiated a €35K fee with his club Alto Adige to bring the player to Fano. Sandy decided against putting him straight into the team for the game at Prato but Andy Selva would be a definite starter now that he was fit. One further change was the inclusion of Riccardo Rocchini for Danilo Stefani, the midfielder having suffered a mild groin strain in training.
Sandy’s Journal Sunday January 8th 2006
Serie C1/A Game 17 Prato 0 Fano 1
If a team is going to win the league then in my opinion they have to able to grind out results when they are not playing too well. And that’s exactly what we did today so although there wasn’t too much excitement and attacking flair we still gained a fine result. Paz did what was required by scoring the only goal of the game in the second half and we saw out time quite comfortably to take another three points.
In the week leading up to their next game Fano gained another recruit for their youth programme, 19-year-old defensive midfielder Leonardo Collacchioni joining from Pistoiese for €4K. But the team for the visit of Spezia would be without Luca Tomasetti as the young full back had hurt a foot in training and would be replaced by Francesco Giangolini.
Sandy’s Journal Sunday January 15th 2006
Serie C1/A Game 18 Fano 0 Spezia 0
This was a well-contested game by both sides but on the balance of play we just about deserved a win. The visiting keeper denied us on several occasions and made some good stops to keep a clean sheet. Had we been a little sharper in front of goal then we would have taken full points but it was not to be.
Over the next week Sandy concluded two more transfer deals that would be finalised in the summer. Forward Mirco Di Fiandra would join from Carrarese for €30K and striker Marco Pierobon, well known to Sandy from his loan spell last season, would move from San Marino for €75K. Tomasetti was fit enough to be selected for the visit of Pistoiese in their next game.
Sandy’s Journal Sunday January 22nd 2006
Serie C1/A Game 19 Fano 5 Pistoiese 1
After a slow start we gradually began to assert ourselves with Riccio and Pazzi giving us a nice 2-0 lead to take into the break. We grew stronger in the second half and Riccio was deadly, completing his hat trick. Selva was also on target and despite the visitors getting a consolation goal we ended with a comfortable win.
Fano’s latest win set a new club record of 12 consecutive unbeaten games and saw them maintain their 7-point lead at the top of the table. Having just returned to the lineup, Tomasetti would be absent once more serving a one-match suspension when Fano completed a hat trick of home games against Pavia.
Sandy’s Journal Sunday January 29th 2006
Serie C1/A Game 20 Fano 0 Pavia 0
The game was not without incident and we had slightly the better of things but just couldn’t find the attacking inspiration to get a winning goal.
Whilst it was true that Sandy felt a great deal of contentment with his life in Italy he was still acutely aware of a gaping void inside of him. The personal humiliation that he had endured as his final season at Rangers collapsed around him was not forgotten. What Mirco Giovanelli had rather astutely recognised in their early contact was a burning desire to redeem himself in the eyes of the football world. Sandy himself had refused to acknowledge this need but it was there nonetheless. And as he slowly rebuilt his managerial career so the ambition for success burned brighter and brighter. It was taking time but Sandy was also learning more about himself – his motivations, his strengths and also his weaknesses. And he was learning how to deal with all of that. How to reconcile his intense passions with a more balanced outlook on life. Determined as he was to succeed, he was equally determined that failure would not destroy him. As part of his healing process Sandy had taken to reading – a pleasure that he had rarely allowed time for in the past. He was particularly struck with a Rudyard Kipling poem that he had come across entitled “If”. On first reading he had felt an immediate affinity with the sentiments expressed, especially the lines
“If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same”
He instinctively recognised how relevant that was – don’t get too carried away by success and don’t let failure ruin your life. Great idea, but could he put in into practice?
Fano’s next game was at Carrarese, a team well known to Sandy over the last couple of seasons. On the fringes of the playoffs they would be tough opponents with Fano’s task not helped by the absence of keeper Frederico Orlandi who was out with a groin strain. Emilio Cionfrini would deputise with 16-year-old Antonio Corti drafted in from the youths to sit on the bench.
Sandy’s Journal Sunday February 5th 2006
Serie C1/A Game 21 Carrarese 1 Fano 1
I wasn’t happy with the opening goal as Cionfrini spilled a shot to gift the home side but the response was excellent, Riccio putting us back on terms within three minutes. The sides were as well matched as the scoreline suggests with both midfields cancelling one another out. Although Puccinelli did have a pretty poor game and had he been on form it might have been a little different. We had to take Pazzi off as a precaution after he took a knock but he looks to be OK.
Team Selection
Cionfrini (6), Tomasetti (7), Bravo (6), Faccini (7), Marinelli (7), Puccinelli (4, sub 67) Andorno (7), Riccio (9*), Rocchini (7), Pazzi (7, sub 58), Selva (7)
Goals
Riccio 17
Fano’s next game was going to be one of their most important of the season in Sandy’s opinion. They faced Reggiana, their closest rivals for the Serie C1/A title. Fano currently had a 7-point lead over their rivals but Sandy was aware that team had lost all three of their previous encounters. But anxious not to get his players too tense he was keen to downplay the game. Refusing to acknowledge the claims in the local press that the match was a title decider, Sandy tried to deflect some of the pressure that his players were feeling. It helped that his first team squad was now much more experienced and he didn’t have to play the raw teenagers that had featured so prominently in his first season in charge. His squad building had focused on just that aspect and generally he was happy with the older players that had come to the fore. So, naming an unchanged side he got ready to welcome Reggiana to the Stadio Mancicni.
Sandy’s Journal Sunday February 12th 2006
Serie C1/A Game 22 Fano 2 Reggiana 2
It’s never a good idea to give your opponents a goal start but that’s exactly what we did, allowing Reggiana to take the lead after just two minutes. Thankfully we got back on terms quickly thanks to a penalty converted by the excellent Davide Andorno. But early in the second half the referee evened things up with a penalty award to the visitors and we fell behind once more. As we pushed hard for an equaliser there was always the danger of getting caught on the break and I have to say that Cionfrini kept us in the game with some fine saves. We finally got rewarded for our efforts when Selva found an equaliser 9 minutes from time. Given the circumstances a draw is a decent result and it helps us more that it does our opponents.
With keeper Frederico Orlandi now fit again for the rip to struggling Giulianova Sandy was optimistic of a good result against a side deep in the relegation dogfight. Full back Luca Tomasetti had been set for a recall but a training injury meant that Francesco Giangolini would keep his place in the starting eleven.
Sandy’s Journal Sunday February 19th 2006
Serie C1/A Game 23 Giulianova 1 Fano 8
A fine solo effort from Luca Puccinelli virtually straight from the kick-off got us off to a flyer and when the home side had a man sent off shortly afterwards the writing was on the wall. Pazzi and Riccio put us further ahead before the home side scored a goal of their own. But Andy Selva struck back almost immediately and Puccinelli scored his second just before half time to take us into the break 5-1 ahead. Our demoralised opponents offered little resistance in the second half and Puccinelli completed his hat trick with Pazzi and Riccio both scoring once more. This was a very impressive performance and it has underlined just how good the team can be when everything clicks.
Fano’s 8-1 win entered the record books as the club’s highest scoring victory but Sandy cautioned his players not to get carried away with themselves. There was still a lot of football to be played and there was no room for complacency. As the team prepared for the visit of Treviso there were the first signs of disharmony in the squad as Danilo Stefani was quoted in a local newspaper complaining about his omission from the first team. Sandy took the player to one side for a quiet word, explaining that in future he would appreciate it if the player spoke to him first before mouthing off to the press. It was a conversation in which his excellent knowledge of colloquial Italian was fully exercised as he made his position clear to the midfielder.
Sandy’s Journal Sunday February 26th 2006
Serie C1/A Game 24 Fano 1 Treviso 0
The visitors have been in good form recently and have established themselves as genuine playoff contenders so it was never going to be easy. But there was no excuse for squandering a number of excellent scoring opportunities in a goalless first half. However on the hour mark central defender Marco Marinelli showed how it was done, firing home from distance in impressive style. It proved to be the only goal of the game and brought us a welcome three points.
Another productive month ended with Fano still top of the table, maintaining a 7-point lead over Reggiana. With ten league games remaining Sandy’s team looked odds-on to make the playoffs but if they could hold their form then automatic promotion was certainly not beyond them. There was more good news for the club as Luca Puccinelli’s opener in the demolition of Giulianova was celebrated as the Serie C1/A Goal of the Month.
hope you can do better next year :thup: really enjoying the story so far 
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