Lord Crumb

Hornchurch 0) 1-1 (0 Hayes

Yet another team comes to us with a negative attitude and gains an undeserved draw. Hayes were a team I really wanted to defeat, they inflicted upon us our first defeat of the season!
The first half was a very dull affair with very poor chances on goal. The second half was played in a very similar spirit, except both teams took full advantage of the few chances they received. We took the lead when Law latched onto a superb Culshaw long ball, they equalized minutes later from a header at a set piece situation.
The game stumbled to a 1-1 draw. I seriously need to tighten up my set piece defending.

Burwood is feeling the strain, I’ll probably rest him soon. Our injury woes continue with an injury to Danny Vella, I must hope that Heathcote doesn’t get injured for a while.

Hornchurch’s success has brought me to the attention of bigger clubs. Macclesfield and York both tender offers for my services, I of course refuse.

We are currently 14 points ahead of our opposition. We only need a draw at Weston Super Mare to win promotion to the Conference. I have faith in my players, they will do the business. I try and give my team a ‘feelgood’ factor by praising Phil Salt in the press.

Weston Super Mare 2) 3-0 (0 Hornchurch

A virtually full strength team took the field for this match. Weston have had an indifferent season but were determined to make us sweat. They began brightly and blazed a shot over our bar very early on. Just four minutes into the game we fell victim to a free-kick. Michael Jackson has scored a number of these this season and he added Hornchurch to his list of scalps.
Our best chance of the half fell to Woods who under pressure from the defence blazed the ball over. At the other end Weston were more dangerous and just before the half hour mark Jackson doubled their lead with a shot from the edge of the area.
We went in 2-0 down at half time, possibly our worst half of the season so far. We had nothing to offer. I would have to change things in the second half.
The second half was even more dire than the first. We offered nothing at all and on 60 minutes Jackson completed his hat-trick with another free-kick.
A truly dire game, I could take nothing positive away from this match at all. I have no idea why my team played so poorly. Discipline will be handed out! Allaway and Heathcote were poor but Buckley was truly dreadful, the worst performance of any player this season.

Despite our crap performance none of our rivals could better Hornchurch’s result. We are Champions and are promoted. It doesn’t feel good at the moment though.

Lord Crumb

Grays Athletic 0)0 -2 (1 Hornchurch

A week of rest and hopefully a better performance in the offing from us. Marshall had just recovered from his injury but for now Mas would remain in the team, no changes were made following the defeat at Weston.
The first twenty minutes were very worrying, McLean had a hat-trick of chances, fortunately he blazed them all over. The rest of the half settled into a dull routine. We received a lucky break when Carl Emberson fouled Law when going for a cross. Burwood stepped up and blasted the ball in. Before Grays could launch any counter-offensive the whistle blew for half-time.
Grays did launch their attack in the second half but we were not exactly idle either. Salt and Woods both had good chances, I had to take Salt off soon after due to a slight knock, I replaced him with Skelton.
A few minutes later my strikers combined. Law set up Woods , who beat the keeper with a fine strike. In theory the game should be save now.
The rest of the game was a stroll for us, a much better performance than that travesty at Weston.

I was interested to note that Michael Jackson had another very good game for Weston Super Mare, this time getting 2 in a 4-2 demolition of Sutton Utd, suddenly they are in Play-off contention.

Hornchurch 3) 4-0(0 Thurrock

My triumphant team enjoyed grandstanding at their home ground. One player above all others would enjoy this game. Ben Woods had taken half a season to break into the team and cemented his place due to his impressive performances as a sub. He finished the game off for us by half time, having grabbed a hat-trick. Each goal showcased his excellent ability to beat players.
The second half was just as comfortable as the first. We only added a single goal though, thanks to some excellent poaching by Law.
What a way to return home, our second comprehensive victory against local rivals in a row!

With two games left till the end of the season I intend to give some of my smaller stars a run-out. Next is a home game against improving Cambridge City. Unfortunately Shaun Wray is ruled out, he picked up an injury during training and wil be out for two weeks.

My scouts are busy searching for Youth Talent and Jon Laidlaw doesn’t take long to find me a potential player. Peter Wilkinson is a left sided defender who played for Wellington Rec in Northern Ireland. May be good backup.

Hornchurch 1)3 -1 (0 Cambridge City

Cambridge needed a good result to stay in playoff contention. They must have been happy when they saw my team sheet. six of the players were not regulars.
We didn’t do badly in the first half , we restricted Cambridge to half chances and had some good oppotunities ourselves. Duerden hit the side netting and on 39 minutes Beckford managed to stroke the ball through a crowded defence and put us in the lead. Cambridge were unable to respond before half time.
I brought on both Tolley and Skelton for the second half, taking off Duerden and Beasley. I wanted to play as many irregulars as possible.
The second half continued in the same vein as the first. Cambridge were unable to break through our defence whilst we had a number of good chances. Beckford grabbed his second on 60 minutes, a rebound from a Tolley shot.
Lee Marshall took the field on 68 minutes, the fans were happy to see him return to the fold. The referee wasn’t so happy however and gave a foul against him soon after his arrival. A very dubious penalty. Scott made no mistake from the spot and suddenly we had a game on!
Cambridge went on an all out offensive. They were unlucky to have a goal ruled out for offside on 82 minutes, they continued the pressure but left themselves open. They paid for that just before the death, Marshall intercepted a throw-in and released Beckford, who jubilantly claimed his hat-trick.
Another good result for us, Beckford joins the Hat-trick club.

Peter Wilkinson signs for us. Now I have some decent cover at left back.

Dorchester Town 1)2 -1 (1 Hornchurch

Vella returned to the team and Peter Wilkinson made his debut in this, the last game of the season and the last game (hopefully forever) for Hornchurch in the Conference South.
Dorchester were in real danger of relegation at one stage but recovered superbly. Their good results included a credible 2-2 draw at our place. I wasn’t expecting an easy ride.
Dorchester made a dream start, within three minutes they had taken the lead. Their free-kick struck the bar and Peter White pounced on the rebound.
Things went from bad to worse, Vella disputed a decision with the referee, even after being yellow carded he didn’t stop. After only 13 minutes we were down to 10 men.
Before the half had ended Dorchester would hit the bar again, and force a few good saves from Ovendale. However despite our disadvantage we were not without threat. Tolley found space on a few occasions and just before half time he managed to level the game. Things were looking up for us.
We didn’t last the second half, we fell victim to bad marking at a free kick. Ovendale was poorly positioned and Groves found it very easy to round him and score. After that chances were few and far between.
It wasn’t a bad performance but Vella’s absurd display didn’t help us. Wilkinson had a decent debut though.

Once we return to Hornchurch I invite Vella to my office. He doesn’t take his official warning well and finds himself listed.

The season is at an end for us, it didn't finish the way I wanted it to but at least we have achieved something of note this year.

Lord Crumb

HORNCHURCH FC: THE SEASON IN REVIEW

My first season as a manager, I was thrown in at the deep end. Not a single player on my books and a substandard coaching staff. I would have only two months to build up a full squad!

We played several friendlies, they did not give me much cause for optimism. My trialists played very averagely against lower league opponents. However by the start of the season I had a full squad to select from. Every position was well covered, all that remained to be discovered was whether I had put together a quality side.

AUGUST-SEPTEMBER

I should never have doubted my players. They got off to a fantastic start, winning 6 out of 8 games and remaining undefeated. My forward line wasn’t overly prolific, averaging 1.6 goals a game but my defence was resolute, having only conceded 3 goals.
Most of my players put in decent performances but the star was without doubt Gareth Law, he notched 7 goals in 7 appearances. A truly prolific scorer.
By the end of this period my Defence and midfield were pretty much solidified. My attackers and Goalkeepers were experiencing a lot of rotation however. Goalkeeper would remain a problem position for the rest of the season.

OCTOBER-NOVEMBER

We lost our aura of invincibility in these months and my players were fatigued by a hectic schedule. We were more effective in front of goal however.
We played 6 cup games in this period, enduring replays against Guisely and Dover. We really came undone at Dover and were knocked out of the FA Cup. We returned to winning ways in the FA Trophy though, beating Wealdstone and Folkestone. We weren’t entirely convincing though.
Our league form wasn’t as good, though we still managed to maintain our lead at the top. We fell to our first defeat at Carshalton.
Phil Salt cemented his position as an invaluable player, Woods earned his place as my second starting attacker with Law. The goalkeeping situation was still problematic. Nobody had performed badly yet but I hadn’t been especially impressed either!

DECEMBER-JANUARY

Hectic horrible months, the Christmas season wasn’t a time of goodwill for us. Our form over that period was truly dreadful.
We went out of the FA Trophy against Hemel Hempstead. Ovendale was poor in goal and Beckford handicapped us by getting sent off. Now we could concentrate in the league.
Our league form degenerated as well. A lot of this was down to poor goalkeeping. It was around this time that I fell out with Nicholas Stones. He joined Jon Willis on the transfer list and was soon out of the club, along with Willis.
By the end of January our form had begun to pick up again. We had been bested by Hayes, Thurrock, Dorchester and Bishop’s Stortford.
We were actually knocked off the top at one stage by Grays, they suffered a few blips though and we fought our way back to the top.

FEBRUARY-MARCH

We regained some of our old panache during these months. We suffered a defeat at nearest rivals Margate but managed to hold on to our lead. In fact we increased our advantage!

APRIL

The month we clinched the championship, we won the league on the day that my players offered up their worst performance of the season, a ghastly defeat at Weston Super Mare.
Game wise a very mixed bag. We were poor at Dorchester and Weston but played superbly against Grays and Thurrock.
PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

I am reasonably happy with my lineup, all I need to do purchase a decent goalkeeper and strengthen the centre of my defence.
I would love to build up a youthful Reserve team for Next Season. The youth setup is our future because we’ll never be able to attract many decent developed players to our ground.

OUTGOING

Danny Vella has already agreed to join Aldershot for 14k. I am toying with moving Ian Duerden on as well, he hasn’t been prolific enough. I’ll see how he gets on in the friendlies then decide his future.

CONCLUSION
A very good season for us and I have a solid foundation to build upon.

Lord Crumb

THE TABLES

Premier League Final Positions.

Championship Final Positions

Division 1 Final Positions

League 2 Final Positions

Conference Final Positions

Conference North Final Positions

Conference South Final Positions

Lord Crumb

Chelsea had a very good year, winning the double. They comprehensively defeated Birmingham in the final 3-0.
The fourth round was very fruitful for upsets. Arsenal were knocked out at Bristol City 2-0. Reading won at Bolton and Crystal Palace crashed out at Plymuth in a thrilling match.

Man Utd desevedly won the League Cup with a comfy 1-0 victory against Newcastle.

Bayern Munich triumphed in Europe, defeating AC Milan in the final 1-0. It took them until the ssecond half of extra time to prevail though.

The Euro Cup was an all English affair, Arsenal defeating Man Utd on penalties following a dull dull match.

Lord Crumb

Summer is now in full flow and it is time for me to ring the changes. I fully intend to build up a Reserve team full of youngsters. They will pave the future for me.

The fans decide their player of the year and it is no surprise to anyone whom they choose. Gareth Law started the season as a bit player, he ended it as our indispensable top goalscorer. We are counting on him to continue his good form in the conference.

Bob Calder was away for a month, holidaying with his lover in some Spanish hideaway. When he returns I am dismayed to discover that he has blown a lot of the clubs money on various booze cocktails. Consequently I have a mere 3.8k to spend on my wage budget. I will have to let people go, first on my list is Ian Duerden. Darren Beasley soon joins him on the list!

I set about strengthening other parts of my team. Phil Townley and Lee Grant join me early in July. Phil Townley Liverpool and I intend to use him as a utility player, since he can play on either wing and can use both feet. Grant is a tall Central Defender who I signed from Aston Villa. He was loaned to York for a good portion of the season and played respectably, so I know he can perform.

I also intend to sign a whole heap of Youth talent. Their numbers will be legion, those who impress me will merit a mention.


Entering Mid July our Friendly season begins. We start of at the slightly Northern Hinckley, who just missed out on a playoff place the previous season. I fielded a virtually unfamiliar team, only Ovendale Wray, Rickers and Mas had appeared for the full team.

Hinckley 1-0 Hornchurch

It was a relatively equal sided game, my reserves did themselves credit, it was one of the regulars who proved the weak link, Ovendale not exactly commanding his box.
The goal when it came was a second half penalty. Stuart Storer took it, his shot tore through Ovendale like a hot knife through butter.
Of my reserves Nick Mitchell and Phillip Cousins impressed the most. Mitchell is a Central Defender who at 15 years of age could have a great future. Cousins is two years older and has decent all round midfield skills.

Duerden ad Beasley both leave the club for better things. Neither of them did badly for the club, though there is something unsettling about Beasley I just can’t put my finger on. They have both signed for League 2 clubs, Duerden to Darlington, Beasley to Stevenage. I wish them well.

Nortel 2-0 Hornchurch

A very poor game for us, we faded away in the second half and were bested by very average opposition. Not such a good turnout for my prospective players.
Allaway and Cousins were very poor i this match. In the next game I will be playing a full strength team. I’ll be interested to see how they fare.

Hitchin 1-4 Hornchurch

An assured performance from my regulars, Law and Woods finished the game off by half time with 2 and 1 goals respectively. Our final goal was scored by trialists Ian Clarke, who is a young striker. Their solitary goal was a long range strike that beat Allaway.

Buckley and Tolley sustained light injuries during the match and will be out for a week.

Hornchurch 2-0 Aston Villa Reserves

The game started off badly for us, Villa showed their class, I made a few changes to counter Villa’s 5-3-2 and we had no problem containing them after that. Law and Beckford scored for us and Clarke had a few good chances. On the minus side both Salt and trialists Kemp picked up injuries.

Both Salt and Clarke are out of action for a week. These friendlies have been pretty competitive so far. Hopefully no more knocks will be sustained, I’m already 3 first teamers down.

Eleven new players have joined the Hornchurch family this season. I’m not far over the wage budget either, so I’ll be able to sustain the squad.

Scott Woods
A Left sided defender who can also play in midfield, though he doesn’t have any real strengths in that area of the field. What he does bring is excellent tackling, decent defensive qualities and good distribution.

Richard Carter
A very youthful 15 year old Central Midfielder. A good passer of the ball, he is undeveloped in his other skills. He has plenty of time to develop though. What I like about him is his superb work ethic.

Ian Clarke
A striker. Not particularly outstanding but also has time to develop. Good aerial presence shame that he can’t direct the ball. Can use both feet, which is handy. Very well developed physically for a youngster. My illustrious chairman has already taken an interest in him, Carlos may become jealous.

Danny Harvey
Another left sided defender capable of playing in midfield. A superb crosser of the ball, I’ll have to see how he develops.

Wayne Barnes
A left sided attacking midfielder, the best crosser of the ball in my team. Decent all round midfielder attributes, though very average at beating players.


Ed Brand
Signed on a free from Chelsea. Will be the understudy to Marshall at Right Back. Will be competing with the reliable Tolo Mas.

Phil Cousins
A similar player to Beasley, though he is more technically minded. Very young and a real talent.

Colin Doherty
An attacking midfielder. Not very good on the ball and a poor passer, he has two things going for him. His youth, he is only 15 and the fact that he is the most creative player to come to Hornchurch. I’ll keep an eye on him.

Tom Kemp
An exciting forward, very good technical skills and a decent finisher. The only downside is that he is a little slow. Looked dangerous in Pre-season but has recently picked up a knock.

So I have a large squad. I wonder who will develop out of the newbies. I can’t wait to find out.

Spav

Congratulations on the championship in your first season, LC. I'm always impressed by people who can build an empty team up to league winners. Good luck in the Conference National - I'll be following your efforts. :thup:

Lord Crumb

Our friendly season continued. Next up was a taster of things to come. A game away to ex Conference side Farnborough.

Farnborough 0-5 Hornchurch

A superb performance, our strikers were really on form. Woods who grabbed 2, was superb and was showered with praise by the press. Mitchell a trialist who I was looking at as a prospective attacker scored 2 as a striker. Tolley scored the other. A very comprehensive win.

Next up was our showcase friendly, a home friendly against Tranmere Rovers, who had just been promoted to the English Championship. I decided to field a first and second XI for this match, I wanted to give as many players as possible a chance to shine

Hornchurch 1-1 Tranmere

The game got off to a very exciting start, with two goals in the first 5 minutes. Tranmere began brightly and had 2 chances in the first minute, we took a surprise lead though, thanks to Ben Woods capitalizing upon a bizarre defensive header that looped back towards him in the box. It wasn’t long before Jason Howarth leveled for Tranmere with a snazzy finish though and we were on the backfoot for the rest of the half.
My second XI came out for the second half and performed very respectably. Neither side enjoyed decent chances but we finished with a credible 1-1 draw against a Full Strength Tranmere team.

Now that the Friendly season is over it is time to gear up for the real deal. The bookies are confidant that we don’t have what it takes to survive.

Soon after the odds are released I am approached by a member of the Upminster Gazette, he suggests that my team needs some major reinforcements to survive the season. I disagree with him and state flat out that Hornchurch are strong enough to survive this season!

Lord Crumb

Thanks Spav. In some ways having no squad is easier, since I don't have any of the previous managers deadweights to deal with. Any mistakes purchasing wise are entirely my own!

Lord Crumb

I continue my search for a new keeper, Joe Murphy, released on a free from West Brom looks very promising. Unfortunately a number of clubs are after him and he rejects my advances. He signs for Bournemouth, unsurprising really, considering they offer £1000 per week.

So the season gets underway. We are away to Hereford, who are expected to push for promotion. My team is identical to the one that finished last season, with the exception of Ovendale in goal.

Hereford Utd 0)1 -0 (0 Hornchurch

We made a solid start to this match, succeeding in stifling the home teams attacks. Sadly our attack was as impotent, Gareth Law providing the best chance of the half with a effort from the edge of the box that went just wide.
Hereford made the brighter start in the second half and had two good chances from corner kicks, Ovendale saved well to deny them.
Hereford continued to pressure us and in the end their corner taking proved to be our downfall. Carey Bartram ultimately gifting them victory.
Not a bad performance from us, though our lack of an attacking edge is cause for alarm. Maybe our next game home to Barnet will be kinder.

Hornchurch 2) 2-2 (0 Barnet

Barnet made all the running in the first half and had numerous chances to score. Nick Bailey even missd a penalty!
It was against the run of play that we scored, with our only chances of the half, on both occasions we counter attacked Barnet and Gareth Law cowed the opposition with his finishing. We held onto our undeserved lead at half time.
Barnet attacked us from the off and only took six minutes to claw one back, Bailey making amends for his penalty miss. Scant minutes later they leveled the match, Clist equalizing from close range.
The rest of the game died down. Salt and Law both had chances to win the game but their keeper defended stoutly.
Very disappointing to draw this game, even if we didn’t really deserve to win. Gareth Law continued his superb attacking form.

Northwich Victoria 1)1 - 1(1 Hornchurch

Maybe a good chance for us to pick up points. Northwich were expected to be fellow Relegation battlers.
We made a superb start, Gareth Law putting us ahead on 5 minutes, thanks to a counter started by Heathcote.
We couldn’t maintain the good start. Once again the opposition dominated us and a half hour into the match Northwich grabbed a deserved equalizer. Our only other chance before half time was a Woods shot from close range which was woefully inaccurate.
Northwich began the stronger in the second half. I noticed that our problem was a lack of cooperation between the defence and midfield and adjusted the attitude of my midfielders accordingly. I cut back on their attacking runs. This helped my team immensely and we held on for a draw.
My defenders played superbly but Salt won the plaudits, commanding the midfield in the second half. Law remains prolific but Woods is yet to get on the scoresheet.

Not the best of starts to the season, however I’m not panicking yet. Time is on our side.