retired_embartl

December 2001

As the new month broke out, 25 year old Davide di Terlizzi inquired about his first team prospects in the immediate future. However, seeing as he managed to name all the bandmembers of Steps and had displayed a lack of patience he was transfer listed. Cheeky bugger couldn't even wait 5 years for his chance. Idiot.

He clearly wasn't in the line up for the weekend's match at home to Thiene , but Rosler and Allegri, the former being given another chance to prove his competence and the latter to hand a breather to Perkovic. The same vivacious tempo saw the fans just assuming a goal was just round the corner as they controlled for large parts the game, and the defence tidying up where necessary marshalled superbly by Diego Caravan. Eventually, one arrived when sub Bucciarelli set up Negri, the clubs talisman to slot home what seemed a 78th minute winner. Sadly not
though as the visitors went gung ho and got lucky through Ivan Moretto almost immediately.

Thankfully the fact they had been really quite gash for most of the game didn't go unnoticed by The Fates, and in the 94th minute, with the ref about to blow up Passiatore received a shove in the area and a penalty was awarded. Last kick of the match, and it went to the only player who'd enjoyed every minute of the league campaign so far, Luigi Galli. He converted, the players forgot their age and displayed a level of appropriate youthful enthusiasm and
Pierluigi had no problem with that. After all, he allowed a caged beast within him to exercise fairly regularly didn't he?

The confidence was quite clearly back in the side, and it showed easily in the trip to Montova a side just outside the play off spots, where Dean Saunders was in magnificent form setting up both goals in the 2-0 victory. Firstly, he laid the ball off for Cesar Sampaio to continue his own run of good form, before heading a corner on for Marco Negri to lash in just before the half hour mark. The game thereafter was a smidge more competitive but as usual those oldies knew what they were doing. No lapses in concentration, another professional performance.


If there was a downside to that game it was the injury sustained by on loan midfielder Antonio Bucciarelli who was forced off in the first half with knee damage. However,given the upcoming winter break, his injury would only keep him out of action for one, rather than three matches.

For that final home match with Teramo though his spot was more than adequately filled as the side recorded a fine victory which due to some late sloppy defender made the scoreline much closer than it should have done. A dominant performance saw the Welsh Wizard set up Negri for yet another goal and a half time lead, before Azizi played in Sampaio whose own form was just as impressive to double the advantage. A rampant Rimini were then well rewarded a few minutes later as the Saunders-Negri combination worked a treat to set up the Italian for his 14th goal this season. Subs were made to offer a few fringe players a chance, and D'Angelo, being less than half the man Sampaio was, watched on guility as Teramo scored twice in the final 5 minutes.


So onto the holidays and Pierluigi was delighted. His side were well placed and the aging hipsters were clearly looking to go out with a bang. Many of their contracts were up in the summer, but renewal would be a last minute thing, especially with the current finances of the club weighing heavily on the board. As for Pierluigi Barbituarti, well he'd decided he needed a change of scenery, perhaps London, he wasn't too sure, but he figured he'd probably just trust to luck and enjoy the local cuisine wherever he ended up dining out.


Match Summary

02/12 C2/B Rimini v Thiene - won 2-1, Negri, Galli
09/12 C2/B Monteva v Rimini - 2-0, Sampaio Negri
16/12 C2/B Rimini v Teramo - won 3-2, Negri x2, Sampaio

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">********************************************* ************************************************** * Rimini - Wednesday 26th December 2001********************************************** ************************************************** ================================================== ============================================== 2001/2 Senior Club Stats============================================= ================================================== =No Name Apps Gls Con Pens Asts Yel Red MoM Av R--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Allegri, Massimiliano 13 (1) 2 0 1 (1) 4 0 0 0 6.71 - Antonioli, Mauro 5 (3) 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 6.50 - Azizi, Khodadad 5 (6) 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 7.00 - Battistini, Maurizio 20 0 14 0 0 0 0 2 7.45 - Bizzarri, Marco 0 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7.00 - Bortolazzi, Mario 5 (2) 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 7.14 - Bucciarelli, Antonio 8 (1) 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 7.00 - Caverzan, Diego 12 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 7.58 - César Sampaio 10 5 0 0 1 3 0 0 7.40 - Cipolli, Andrea 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6.00 - D'Angelo, Luca 4 (5) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 6.22 - Dedebant, Stéphane 1 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6.50 - Favi, Fabio 6 (7) 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 6.69 - Galli, Luigi 20 1 0 2 (1) 0 2 1 1 7.35 - Ioannidis, Vasilis 13 (1) 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 6.71 - Mezzanotti, Davide 6 (2) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6.75 - Negri, Marco 14 (3) 14 0 0 2 0 0 5 7.94 - Neri, Maurizio 1 (3) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7.00 - Passiatore, Francesco 19 1 0 0 5 0 0 1 6.84 - Perkovic, Borimir 5 (8) 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 6.85 - Rösler, Uwe 10 (4) 1 0 0 4 1 0 0 7.00 - Saunders, Dean 13 (5) 6 0 0 9 0 0 3 7.56 - Venturi, Simone 13 (1) 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 6.86 - Ziliani, Paolo 15 (1) 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 7.13 </pre>

retired_embartl

January 2002

The new year brought with it an invigorated sense of hope. The guys had all taken a much needed break from the action to rest up those limbs and now it was time to get back to the gritty work of grounding out results. Pierluigi, was feeling very satisfied, having enjoyed the tastes of an overcooked Chinese, a new english cuisine called Chavi, and a few nicely done Indians.

The first return to action saw a fresh burst initially but the shock of a break had actually proved a little hindrance as a lead provided by who else but Negri was cancelled out by a late strike from Brescello who gained a deserved point. A chance to share top spot had been wasted but Pierluigi was happy enough - once they were back in the motions they'd be able to see out games like this in the future.

Excellent news arrived within a day of that Thursday draw though as left back Luigi Galli signed a new contract to keep him in beyond the summer. His performances had been excellent and the 32 year old had proved himself an integral part of the side having mercifully avoided injury. It was even followed by approaches from other sides to loan out 27 year old defender Alessio Ballanti. It would be an excellent chance for the player to get some match experience under his belt as he continued his journey to adulthood and maturity.

After having picked up a yellow card in the previous match, Sampaio had notched up the suspension level and was absent from the trip to Guadio . In his place went Favi, with Bortolazzi coming in after a break for an out of sorts Allegri. Fears over how the side would hold up in midfield were eradicated within seconds of taking to the pitch - a masterful effort including a brilliant performance by Bortolazzi combined in a well earned 3-0 win. Negri, as is now custom scored twice, whilst Deano turned finisher for once to add gloss to an all round success.

In what turned out to be an overly generous move, Uwe Rosler was awarded for the start for the visit of 15th placed strugglers. Also starting would be back up goalie Marco Bizarri for the first time after patiently waiting his turn. Sampaio had also returned too as they looked to put pressure on Trento. As it turned out despite dominating the match, the ills of having a fat German in a position of responsibilty were all too evident. Miss after miss, the masochist clearly wanted a literal bollocking. Negri was trying, but after his riduculous exploits he was forgiven for not being inspiration this one time. It ended 0-0 and annoying points were dropped.

Still, on the positive side, Bizarri had performed very well, and was certainly a player Pierluigi felt confident enough to play again the following week against Imolese at home. Rosler unsurprisingly was dropped but the rest of the team were as normal. Bizarri though had a shocking start as he conceded a 5th minute penalty and was lucky to stay on the pitch as the play off hopefuls seized the initiative and took
the game to Rimini, but with the defence coping with the strain well enough, the home team fought back well, and Negri returned to form to equalise before half time. It was a crucial goal and turned the game, with the second half a one team game, and with pressure, goals soon arrived to win it, with Azizi and man of the match Bortolazzi capping fine individual games in the 3-1 win.

A massive downfall to that game though would be the loss of right back Simone Venturi. He'd broken his ankle in three places and would need at least three months to recover. With the side now only having one full back for either side, they were exceptionally vulnerable.


Match Summary

03/01 C2/B Brescello v Rimini drew 1-1, Negri
13/01 C2/B Guadio v Rimini - won 3-0, Negri x2, Saunders
20/01 C2/B Rimini v Fiorenzuol - drew 0-0
27/01 C2/B Rimini v Imolese - won 3-1, Negri, Azizi

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February 2002

Still sitting on the coat tails of Trento going into the next month Pierluigi strengthened the defence with the acquisition of free agent Gianluca Colavitto, a 30 year old right back. He was crap, but he knew what he was talking about, and would be reliable enough if the need arose - and he would be willing to play for a packet of crisps and a can of coke each week.

Against 4th placed Sassuoso was the knowledge that top spot could be attained with a win here and the gap to 4th would be enlarged even further and the side seemed to take that into the game initially as Azizi made a perfect start scoring inside three minutes, and could indeed have had further goals. Bortolazzi was proving a revelation on the right wing for a 37 year old, showing granddads really do know it best, though Perkovic was struggling in the Saunders holding role slot. The dropping of the Welshman had a rather evident effect on the creativity upfront. Still at 1-0, the game seemed to be in Rimini's hands, until they conceded not all that long into the second half. It was slightly unfortunate as Zilliani had tackled Isobella superbly on the edge of the area, but the loose ball was smashed in regardless. At 1-1, the hosts grew in confidence, whilst Rimini showed signs of fatigue once more. Subs were made to freshen up the side but it didn't prevent the home side scoring a winning goal. Caravan, a normally excellent performer in the centre of defence was beaten to a loose ball and the game was lost. With Trento also slipping up, a golden chance had gone begging.

Positives could always be taken from a defeat though, and Azizi was certainly developing into a fine strike partner for Negri, and compensated for Uwe being, well, Uwe. As he munched wistfully on 'lamb' shoulder, he realised defence was still his only serious concern right now.

As for the fans, their appreciation for the old style approach was finding favour in wider circles too, and other managers it seemed, put out by the ravages of youth were turning in ever larger numbers to a policy which seemed to be de rigeur in lower league football right now. A bit ironic then, that the 'instigators' of the policy seemed to have a a bit of a dip in form, highlighted by the scrappy 1-1 home draw with Alto Aldige . More poiints were dropped in this clash, which saw Sampaio pick up yet more yellow cards and another suspension, and he put through his own net inside 25 seconds too. It took a late strike from the saviour Marco Negri to salvage a point from the affair.

The dip now was a pain in the arse, given that it allowed Trento to create a 4 point gap at the top, but in general he could find little fault with any of the players on a serious level. Luck and fitness was the key issue here, and experience only helped so much it seemed. Right back Davide Mezzanotte has been slightly struggling, whilst the Caravan was a touch off form.

For Pierluigi petulance was an attribute only the young took control of, yet it seemed his french midfielder had thrown a hissy ift. Despite being transfer listed, and then given time off to adjust to his lack of football, he was now refusing to come back home, having sent a fax to the chairman, citing 'idleness' and 'there's something good on the telly so I'll get the next flight out' instead. Not a tack that went down too well with Pierluigi. He wasn't averseto a bit of prime meat, and he'd get his teeth stuck into the midfielder in more ways than one if the shenanigans continued much longer.

Thankfully the following week allowed for a more focussed return to football, and although the match was in every sense of the word a smash and grab win, it kept the side in touch at the top. Poggese were the hosts and were in control for most of the match, defied only by the brilliance of Maurizio Battistini in goal. They slipped up for two minutes and the game went away from them, to Pierluigi's delight. Two goals, one from Negri - his 20th of the season, and another from Azizi were sucker punches. As much as the home side tried, they couldn't get past Maurizio until it was too late, an 87th minute strike not enough to get them anything from a game they shouldn't have lost.

It was games like those which reminded all the fans why it was experience counted. Despite being under pressure the whole game, all the players knew they could win it and they did. No crumbling, no 'oh f*ck we're in for it now', just solid persistence and coolness under pressure.


Match Summary

10/02 C2/B Sassuso v Rimini - lost 2-1, Azizi
17/02 C2 B Rimini v Alto Aldige - drew 1-1, Negri
24/02 C2 B Poggese v Rimini - won 2-1, Negri, Azizi

retired_embartl

March 2002

On the first day of March, my great board said to me: "Hey we're f*cked, we have no money but a whip round has given us an extra 1.2 million quid to ensure we don't go bust - and to be honest, you deserve it as it's great to see all those men of honour doing the business."

Well, that was nice thought Pierluigi. Essential, but still a nice gesture all the same and a welcome boost ahead of the home match with Gubbio who were placed directly below them in 3rd spot so a win would offer a decent buffet as well. Random new guy Gianluca Colavitto started at right back, and performed well as the side were fairly dominant over their visitors. It was to be a frustrating evening though as despite the forwards best efforts, this time, it was the opposing goalkeeper who would be taking the plaudits in a 0-0 draw. Trento's win extended their lead to 6 points and taking the title was looking ever increasingly unlikely.

Back at the club, and Stephanie had decided to come back after all, to play a bit of footy, but Pierluigi still fined him anyway, for being an obnoxious prat, and moved on to soothing the concerns of reserve strikers Christiano Lucoli and Davide di Nicola. Both were 29, and the former would only have to wait 26 more days until he could be selected for first team duty, and Nicola about another month after that. He was as kind as possible, but despite his best efforts they simply couldn't get past the irrefutable logic they still weren't ready enough for the rigours of C2 football.

They were in the stands though, as the games got nearer until their eligibility, to watch Rimini obliterate [b] San Marino [b], in a game where the school could easily and fairly hit double figures, so as it was just the 3-0 seemed slightly flattering for the hosts. Magic Negri got his 20th league goal in it, whilst on loan midfielder Bucciarelli added another brace and Pierluigi was certainly hoping a more permanent arrangement could be sorted in time for the following season.

That win was followed up with an important home victory against Faenza , who were sporting their supposed prodigy striker, and it was the old Iranian Azizi who won out that battle, thanks to the evergreen Negri to secure the points, and with Trento slipping the gap was back within reach again, and guess who the next opponents were?

The big match away to Trento was eagerly anticipated by all the locals and media as a pivotal clash in the title race. Should the home side win, the league was really there's to lose, but if they lost, a 1 point margin meant bugger all with still plenty of games to play. Tactically, though he was tempted to exercise caution, Pierluigi kept the team unchanged from the previous match. This was no time for experiments, and the side which were unbeaten in 5 and hadn't conceded in three started off full of confidence, it was surprising how one sided the first half seemed to be as Trento were slow out the blocks.

The attacks were coming furiously, and on 31 minutes, Negri's snapshot was pushed out to Sampaio on the edge of the box, his pass found Bucciarelli and it was 1-0 and the least the game deserved. Trento improved slightly though and ensured that the damage wasn't any worse by half time. Colavitto the new right back was still doing a sturdy job and he certainly wasn't overawed by the task facing him, as Caravan had made a merciful return to form too, aptly demonstrated in the immediate minutes after the re-start, when the hosts were desperate to get back on level terms. After surviving that onslaught, they regained their cool and went looking for a second. Marco and Bucciarelli both forced fine saves, and then as the game entered its final minutes a free kick was won just outside the Trento penalty area. Swung in by Bortolazzi, headed in by Negri and the points were safe. An excellent victory had just re-ignited the title race and Pierluigi's feeling of utter vindication had never felt quite so sweet until now.

The good news kept coming too, as the day before the following match with Menstre, Master Cristiano Luconi turned 30. There were many congratulations and celebrations for the forward, who though he wouldn't be in the squad for the match with Menstre, he was assured consideration for the final run in. Davide di Nicola looked on enviously, but only a week later, the players would soon be welcoming him into the fold as well. Two new players for no extra cost - it was such a wonderful policy thought Pierluigi.

As for that match with Menstre on the final day of the month, well it almost threatened to go pear shaped. Despite dominating the game again in the early period, the players still weren't scoring, and the visitors desperate to try and steal one of the play-off spots were proving their tenacity, shocking the home fans by scoring just before half time through their talisman Ponisel. As per usual though, the wisened heads didn't worry too greatly, and a few minutes into the second half Negri equalised from a Bucciarelli pass. From there it was the home side in control - and sub Rosler, incredibly and to the amazement of crowd and players alike, came on for Azizi and scored not once but twice - setting up an unassailable lead and a vital three points. A perfect month then for the team, more or less, and now the heat really was on.


Match Summary

03/03 C2/B Rimini v Gubbio - drew 0-0
10/03 C2/B San Marino v Rimini - won 3-0 Negri, Bucciarelli x2
17/03 C2/B Rimini v Faenza - won 1-0 Azizi
24/03 C2/B Trento v Rimini - won 2-0, Negri,Bucciarelli
31/03 C2/B Rimini v Mestre - won 3-2, Negri, Rosler x2

retired_embartl

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">============================================= ================================================== = 2001/2 Table============================================= ================================================== =Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st Trento 28 11 0 3 24 10 7 5 2 19 9 59 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2nd Rimini 28 10 3 1 31 11 7 4 3 21 9 58 3rd Gubbio 28 8 4 2 22 10 6 5 3 23 16 51 4th Sassuolo 28 8 3 3 23 12 6 4 4 16 15 49 5th Mantova 28 7 3 5 25 24 5 4 4 19 17 43 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------6th Imolese 28 7 5 2 27 20 4 4 6 24 27 42 7th Teramo 28 6 5 3 19 17 6 1 7 19 25 42 8th Mestre 28 5 5 4 31 27 5 4 5 22 24 39 9th Sambenedettese 28 6 2 6 16 14 2 10 2 19 20 36</pre>

retired_embartl

April 2002

Excitement was brewing around town as the locals could sense this really was going to be a promotion year. Both Trento and Rimini had been by far the better sides over the season and whoever missed out on the automatic spot would certainly feel unlucky - but the growing sentiment was that Trento perhaps had peaked too soon. Their 6 point lead had crumbled to one, and the midweek fixture which pitted them at San Marino, with Rimini away to bottom side Montichiari was being seen as a chance for places to swap round.

For Pierluigi he made a couple of changes, Luconi made it onto the bench, whilst Rosler got a start after his amazing effort beforehand, but he didn't get much of a sniff in the opening period as the worst side in the league were really taking the game to Rimini and threatening to put a late spanner in the works for PB's side. Bizarri in goal was having a storming performance as the hosts with their slightly more youthful squad were running the old men ragged, and it was frustrating to watch. In first half stoppage time though Marco Negri continued to press his claim for legendary status at the club by handing Rimini an undeserved lead. For the duration of the second half, including the debut of sub Cristiano Luconi, it seemed as if the storm would be weathered, and a sneaky win was about to be grabbed. Sadly though, albeit deservedly, Montichiari scored in the 88th minute and a point had to be settled for.

The point did not turn out to be disastrous though, San Marino had beaten Trento and goal difference saw Rimini top for the first time this season. The players were suffering a bit with general tiredness now, but hopefully adrenaline would keep them pumped up for the final five league games of the season. If they did well enough, hopefully that would then be the end of it. It was tough going, and tense, even the kids who hadn't quite left yet were putting their personal woes behind them in support of the side.

In light of that, it was perhaps slightly surprisingly that Pierluigi handed a starting debut to Luconi, and a sub start to fellow new boy and latest entrant to the 30 year old plus club, Davide di Nicola at home to Sambenedettese who were probably unlikely to grab a play off spot, but would be trying hard enough nonetheless. The start though was terrific, Azizi crossed for Negri to score inside two minutes, and then Sampaio received a ball from Negri to double the lead only a few minutes later on, the visitors hit back on 19 minutes to reduce the lead before a revitalised Luconi sent in an excellent, mature cross for Sampaio to head in his second of the match. At 3-1, the explosive match began to calm down a bit thankfully, the defence sorted themselves out, and for a good half hour at least the heart beats were given a chance to slow down. Of course the visitors had to go and reduce the lead themselves to set tensions running again, especially with Sampaio also picking up a slight injury but mercifully the win was ground out, with time even for di Nicola to get his debut minutes on the pitch too.

Elsewhere, Pierluigi could have picked up and kissed Faenza's Thomas Testa as his late goal away to Trento earned his side a draw and handed Rimini a two point cushion. What he was also relieved about was the lack of wild talk about promotion - all of them knew the pitfalls of arrogance and complacency, as the same side were put out to face a tough match at Thiene . Their hosts had little to play for this season but would eager nonetheless to finish the season as strong as possible.

That determination showed to the horrified face of Pierluigi as within twenty minutes they were 2-0 down and sadly it had to be said that Bizarri had to be held to account for conceding the two goals. Perhaps the attacking emphasis had been overdone for such an important game, but he couldn't change that now especially as the side needed to get back into it as soon as possible. Negri duly finished another smart pass from Azizi to reduce arrears, and then fortuitously just before half time another Azizi cross found Bucciarelli and it was back to 2-2.

The comeback was only 50% there of course, and there was still along way to go. With news that Trento were losing to Sambenedettese, Pierluigi personally relaxed though he didn't tell the players the news, he needed them out there fighting for victory. A few minutes later though and it was 3-2 to the hosts, and agonisingly this time it was left back Gulli who was at fault, his first mistake of the entire season so far, and it set the hosts up to take charge of the second half as the same player Carlo Cunegato then made it 4-2 with twenty minutes to go. Defeat was inevitable, now and only an offside flag prevented it being any worse.

A strong comfort of course arrived with the knowledge that Trento had already lost, even if Sassuolo's victory meant that at just 4 points behind, they couldn't be discounted from making a late charge either. In training, the Caravan broke down sadly and would be out for the next game or two, but generally everyone was fit. Luconi was eager to keep his newly acquired place in the side, but PB was concerned his lack of guile in the Dean Saunders mould might hinder the side's promotion prospects.

At home to Mantova a side eager to confirm their play off status, Battistini and Saunders did return to the starting line up. The formers presence was especially felt in the early stages ad the visitors tried to capitalise on a perceived lack of confidence at the back. They didn't get through and Rimini were back up and running with their attacking play creating numerous chances in the half, Dean's incisive balls causing havoc, and moments before half time, his ball to Sampaio on the right was pulled back across goal and who else? Negri scored.

The 1-0 was fair enough so far, but no one was taking the foot off just yet. In the second half there were more chances to add to the lead, but despite growing weariness amongst some of the players Pierluigi refused to make any subs, not wanting to unsettle the delicateness of the game. As it was the game continued on edge throughout the second half, and eventually after what seemed an eternity the ref blew the full time whistle. The result was huge - elsewhere both Trento and Sassuolo had drawn their home games.

The table:

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st Pl Rimini 32 12 3 1 35 13 7 5 4 24 14 65 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2nd Pl Trento 32 11 2 3 26 12 7 5 4 19 13 61 3rd Pl Sassuolo 32 9 4 3 26 14 8 4 4 21 18 59 4th Pl Gubbio 32 9 5 2 27 14 6 5 5 25 20 55 5th Teramo 32 8 5 3 24 20 6 1 9 23 32 48 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------6th Mantova 32 7 3 6 27 27 6 5 5 23 21 47 7th Imolese 32 8 5 3 32 24 4 5 7 26 31 46 8th Mestre 32 5 7 4 33 29 6 5 5 25 26 45 </pre>

retired_embartl

With two more matches to play, Rimini would be away to Teramo, Trento away to Mantova, and Sassuolo ( more or less out now ) were at Menstre. There was so much to play for, for all the sides involved, not least Rimini - victory - or results elsewhere... and it was party time.

That match at Teramo saw three changes, with Bortolazzi returning to the midfield in place of Allegri, and Saunders, for reasons of tiredness dropped for Perkovic. Rosler also came in for another start. As the games all kicked off, and the fans whispering through results from elsewhere the players were soon made aware of the fact that Teramo had scored twice in the opening ten minutes. The team who had slid so dramatically from their top spot were not giving up just yet. Around about that moment though Luca Pelusi was spotted tugging Negri's shirt in the area... penalty!

Luca Galli stepped up, and Luca Galli scored! 1-0 and the fans were making tremendous noise in the crowd, they were so close now. Elsewhere, the late pretenders Sassuolo were being eliminated systematically from the title chase as Mestre were 3-0 up inside twenty minutes. It was back down to the two horse race. Just shy of the half hour and after some tetchy midfield battles, Bucciarelli broke free and found Rosler down the left flank of the penalty area... the German looked up chipped the ball across and there was Cesar Sampaio to head in a tension breaking second!

The hand was clasping firmly onto that title trophy now. It was all in their own hands and Pierluigi was getting rather excited. it stayed that way until half time, but he didn't need a team talk. The players knew what they had to, and so five minutes after the re-start it was suddenly 1-2. Caught cold by a counter attack, Massimilliano Zazetta scored, and that hand just threatened to lose its grip a moment. It was so nervy out there, and it increased when Trento scored a third - though of course it was also good news for Teramo. Azizi came on for Rosler to keep the attack fresh, as all the players were busting every gut and muscle to hold the score as it was.

In the closing stages though, the fans started singing - more subs were made as Saunders was brought on to warm applause, he deserved to be on the pitch at the title winning moment. Teramo kept pressing but their spirit was flagging. Imolese were also losing, so they didn't seem quite on edge and then suddenly, a sharp toot of a small whistle saw Pierluigi leap from the dug out in unconfined joy! They'd won the match and won the title! It had been a fantastic season for his seasoned warriors but they'd earned their just rewards as he hugged all the players, but especially making a point of congratulating Marco Negri. He may not have scored on the day, but it was his reward, his season and his glory. What a day.



Match Summary

03/04 C2/B Montchiari v Rimini - drew 1-1, Negri
07/04 C2/B Rimini v Sambenedettese - won 3-2, Negri, Sampaio x2
14/04 C2/B Thiene v Rimini - lost 4-2, Negri, Bucciarelli
21/04 C2/B Rimini v Mantova - won 1-0, Negri
28/04 C2/B Teramo v Rimini - won 2-1, Galli pen, Sampaio

retired_embartl

May 2002

With the celebrations still not having died down, and the fans still in exuberant voice after having won promotion, there was of course the small
matter of one more league match to play. Being a home game all the fans had packed into the ground to cheer on their veteran heroes, and they didn't stop
singing all afternoon. As for the side, well there were changes, and the two 'new' forwards were given a chance to play, warmly encouraged by all the
regulars. Bizzarri too started in goal, whilst there were other rare starts for Mezzanotti, Antonioli, D'Angelo, and Favi.

The fans were prefectly happy to see these guys get a run out what with the result being academic though the quality and lack of urgency was clearly in display as the visitors scored once in either half to secure a 2-0 win. Cipoli, Perkovic and the highly cheered Negri all came on as second half subs, but it was clear they weren't going to be getting a result out of the match. Elsewhere, it was Imolese who nicked the final play off spot for promotion, though Pierluigi had enough respect to hope that Trento would also make it up. They'd been fierce competitors but mercifully had peaked just too soon, as Rimini
made that wonderful late charge to the top of the table.

The issue now was forming a side for the next season ahead, contracts were up in the summer, and many of the players despite promotion wanted to consider their options as they were entitled to do so, but Pierluigi decided that could wait. He was off to Mexico for a two week vacation, sun sea, and masochistic sex.

05/05 C2/B Rimini v Brescello - lost 2-0

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">********************************************* ************************************************** Rimini - Sunday 12th May 2002********************************************** ************************************************** ================================================== ============================================== 2001/2 Senior Club Stats============================================= ================================================== =No Name Apps Gls Con Pens Asts Yel Red MoM Av R--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Allegri, Massimiliano 15 (1) 2 0 1 (1) 4 0 0 0 6.63 - Antonioli, Mauro 6 (4) 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 6.40 - Azizi, Khodadad 19 (9) 5 0 0 6 1 0 1 7.04 - Ballanti, Alessio 16 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 7.88 - Battistini, Maurizio 32 0 22 0 0 0 0 3 7.44 - Bizzarri, Marco 6 (1) 0 10 0 0 1 0 1 7.14 - Bortolazzi, Mario 17 (5) 2 0 0 9 0 0 2 7.09 - Bucciarelli, Antonio 23 (1) 6 0 0 4 0 0 2 7.08 - Caverzan, Diego 23 (1) 0 0 0 0 4 0 2 7.54 - César Sampaio 25 8 0 0 3 8 0 0 7.24 - Cipolli, Andrea 2 (2) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6.00 - Colavitto, Gianluca 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7.00 - D'Angelo, Luca 5 (9) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 6.21 - Dedebant, Stéphane 1 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6.50 - Di Nicola, Davide 1 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7.00 - Favi, Fabio 9 (10) 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 6.63 - Galli, Luigi 38 2 0 3 (2) 0 2 1 2 7.16 - Ioannidis, Vasilis 20 (4) 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 6.83 - Luconi, Cristiano 3 (2) 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 6.40 - Mezzanotti, Davide 11 (2) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6.31 - Negri, Marco 31 (4) 27 0 0 7 0 0 10 7.89 - Neri, Maurizio 1 (5) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6.67 - Passiatore, Francesco 24 (1) 1 0 0 6 0 0 1 6.80 - Perkovic, Borimir 7 (16) 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 6.70 - Rösler, Uwe 14 (10) 3 0 0 5 1 0 0 6.88 - Saunders, Dean 26 (9) 7 0 0 12 0 0 3 7.26 - Venturi, Simone 22 (1) 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 6.83 - Ziliani, Paolo 33 (1) 1 0 0 0 3 0 1 7.35 ************************************************** ********************************************** Italian Serie C2/B - Sunday 12th May 2002********************************************** ************************************************** ================================================== ============================================== 2001/2 Table============================================= ================================================== =Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st C Rimini 34 12 3 2 35 15 8 5 4 26 15 68 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2nd Pl Trento 34 11 3 3 26 12 8 5 4 22 13 65 3rd Pl Sassuolo 34 9 4 4 27 16 8 4 5 21 22 59 4th Pl Gubbio 34 9 6 2 28 15 6 5 6 26 22 56 5th Pl Imolese 34 9 5 3 33 24 4 6 7 27 32 50 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------6th Sambenedettese 34 9 2 6 23 15 3 11 3 24 25 49 7th Teramo 34 8 5 4 25 22 6 2 9 23 32 49 8th Mestre 34 6 7 4 37 29 6 5 6 25 28 48 9th Mantova 34 7 3 7 27 30 6 6 5 26 24 48 10th Thiene 34 9 3 5 32 23 4 3 10 16 33 45 11th Fiorenzuola 34 6 6 5 17 14 5 5 7 16 21 44 12th Brescello 34 7 8 2 29 20 2 8 7 23 33 43 13th Faenza 34 6 5 6 29 22 5 3 9 24 29 41 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------14th Pl Gualdo 34 8 2 7 26 23 4 3 10 22 29 41 15th Pl Poggese 34 4 7 6 16 19 6 3 8 18 18 40 16th Pl San Marino 34 6 3 8 22 27 2 5 10 12 32 32 17th Pl Alto Adige 34 5 5 7 22 29 2 4 11 23 34 30 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------18th R Montichiari 34 0 10 7 18 30 3 4 10 11 30 23 </pre>

retired_embartl

Awards Won

C2/B Manager of The Year - Pierluigi Barbituarti

C2/B Top Goalscorer - Marco Negri - 30 starts, 4 subs, 26 goals

C2/B Team Of The Year: Gk, Maurizio Battistini, SC, Marco Negri, Sub DF, Paulo Zilliani



European Round Up

Uefa Cup

Milan defeated Ajax on pens

Champions League

Roma defeated Man United 1-0 thanks to Batigol

Serie A Winners - Roma
Relegated: Piacenza, Torino, Verona, Chievo

Serie B Winners - Sampdoria, also Promoted:Vicenza, Reggina, Napoli
Relegated:Como Modena,. Siena, Messina

Serie C2/B Play Off Winners - Trento

English Premier League Winners - Aston Villa ( I kid you not )
2nd - 6th: Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea Fulham, Leeds
Relegated: Bolton, Everton, Leicester

Scottish Premier League Winners - Rangers
( Celtic finished 5th )
relegated: Dunfermline - by 19 points

World Cup 2002 Review

Winners = Argentina - over Brazil thanks to a penalty shoot out.

Notable Mentions: [b]Syria[/] qualifying for it in the first place, however no goals scored and twelve conceded saw them leave rather swiftly. Russia and Paraguay both made strong runs to the semis - the former defeating Italy on the way through but it was the latter who ended up claiming third spot.

Notable Failures: Spain and Czech Republic finished bottom in their groups. Portugal were thrashed 6-2 by Nigeria in the freak result of the group stages. Brazil went out in the quarters to France.

retired_aurie

Brilliant BoN

Congratulations on the promotion.
Now onto the next level :thup: