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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Andybsg1:
Hmm, being a Canvey Island boy myself and seeing that opening post, I'm wondering how much of it is fantasy and how much reality!
Chances are, I'll know who you are if you've trained with Southend and played for the Gulls! <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Nah, i'm afraid the football side of the build up is a load of junk I dreamed up and wrote down one boring evening. Although I do work in a pub and I do have a dodgy knee. Hmm. Anyway apologies for the lack of updating of late but been working too darn much. There'll be more tonight or sometime tomorrow.
12-15-2004, 02:29 AM
The Only Way Is Up. No, seriously, it is. Post #47
Our good friend Daz Caskey bunks training once more, and it costs him another £1500. What a man. Meanwhile Derby appoint Bradford's Colin Todd as their new manager, leaving Bradford on the hunt for a new gaffer.
In the Inter Continental Cup, Colombian side Once Caldas defeat Porto 3-2 to take the crown as apparently the best club in the world.
December 11, 2004
Conference South
Wessex Stadium, Weymouth
Weymouth v Hornchurch
Goodfellow returns to the first eleven for the mid-table clash at Weymouth, with Lee Elam giving way out on the left for him. McCarthy is out suspended, and replaced by Lee Matthews alongside Elliott Ward in defence.
The match certainly began brightly, with Brayley coming close within 30 seconds, but then died almost as quickly. Weymouth took the lead in the 3rd minute of play and doubled the lead within five more. It was almost three or four before we reached double digits on the clock, but fortunately Bayes was the winner in both cases and kept the score at 2-0 for the time being.
The match was becoming something of a waste of time to watch though and indeed became 3-0 about mid-way through the first half thanks to Steve Claridge.
Finally we began to slowly wake up as the match moved along, but losing Birchall to a red card would do no favours at all. Purser was also removed with a minor injury, and I saw no option but to get the lads pushing forward. A lot.
By half time we'd finally opened our scoring, although not before Weymouth could hit yet another, and by half time they'd managed five. Having recently won 10-1, I was beginning to worry I'd end up on the receiving end of such a scoreline. Now I knew how the Beaconsfield boss must've felt like.
Weymouth continued the second half where they had left off, adding another before Brayley grabbed his 15th of the season to add a slither more dignity to our poor performance. That would once more be wiped away as yet another Weymouth goal concluded a quiet spell of the match. The final quarter was a quiet wind-down to the match, and we'd lost pathetically.
Weymouth 7 (Philpott 3, Buckle 7, Claridge 23, 40, 48, 73, Eribenne 43) Hornchurch 2 (Fowler 41, Brayley 55)
Attendance: 1428
Man of the Match: Steve Claridge (Weymouth[
What a humiliating defeat. I couldn't look the players in the eye after the final whistle. When I finally got home I could barely look at Sam. I thought this job was getting easier and a happier experience. This afternoon's events had shot that down in flames.
12-15-2004, 04:01 AM
The Only Way Is Up. No, seriously, it is. Post #48
AFC Wimbledon, the team we started my career against, come in with a £5000 offer for Mark Graham. The offer for the ever-out-of-favour left winger is happily accepted.
Bristol City and Carshalton both kick out the man at the top, with Brian Tinnion sacked at Ashton Gate and Billy Smith leaving Carshalton.
December 13, 2004
John Gregory bounces back to employment with Championship promotion hopefuls Wolves employing him as the man they hope can lift them from their slightly disappointing current 8th place.
Mark Graham quickly accepts the move to Wimbledon, and off he goes.
December 15, 2004
Andy Douglas does his ankle some damage and will miss a few weeks. I'd like to find someone who's bothered...
Sutton Utd fill their managerial vacancy following John Rains' sacking, bringing in former Southport man Liam Watson.
Elsewhere the EURO Cup enters it's final week of group phase matches. Newcastle win against AEK 3-1, but Millwall lose in Rosenborg. From Groups A-D Newcastle are the only qualifying Brit side, with Millwall and Hearts both bowing out.
December 16, 2004
European football closes for the winter with the last of the EURO Cup Group Games. Liverpool win 2-0 over Servette FC of Switzerland, while Middlesbrough take a 3-1 win against Portadown. Both of the English teams reach the knockout stages, while Portadown crash out without gaining a point. Suprise only comes in Group H with HSV, Kobenhavn and AZ beating Lazio and Dinamo Kiev to the qualifying places.
December 17, 2004
Kirk Jackson requests a transfer. With any luck he'll soon be sold to the highest bidder. And better news in midfielder Adrian Harris returning to basic training following his long term injury. The 23-year-old Welshman is expected to return full time early in the new year.
December 18, 2004
Conference South
Park View Road, Welling
Welling United v Hornchurch
Not the ideal match to try and bounce back from last week's humiliation. We visited the table toppers missing Birchall and McCarthy to suspensions. Taylor replaced Birchall up front, with Matthews remaining in defence. Seb Larsson was unfit and replaced by a rare start for want-away Darren Caskey.
Fortunately we weren't being ripped apart from the off, and in fact it was somewhat the opposite. Taylor and Fowler both came close in the opening stages and we looked like moving ahead. Cue someone to rain on that parade, I thought.
Step forward, Mr Caskey. The returning 'legend' went and got booked twice within the opening half hour and soon found himself taking the short walk back to the dressing rooms. Fortunately it didn't kill us, and Charlie Taylor made better use of his rare appearance in the side, putting us ahead a few minutes later. When Goodfellow rattled the frame of Welling's goal shortly before the break, this one was looking quite promising.
The second half was thrilling, with plenty of end to end action before Welling finally scored the goal that was almost inevitable one way or the other. Paul Booth the scorer of the equalising strike. The match continued in the same fashion, with both sides coming close as the seconds ticked away, but that winner would never come. Still 1-1 at the leaders aint quite losing 7-2...
Welling 1 (Booth 79) Hornchurch 1 (Taylor 31)
Attendance: 1648
Man of the Match: Bertie Brayley (Hornchurch)
We played well and picked up an important point to cling onto our 15th place for the 6th consecutive match. 2nd placed Dorchester visit on Tuesday, and we'll be looking to go into Christmas in a celebratory mood...
12-17-2004, 12:34 AM
The Only Way Is Up. No, seriously, it is. Post #49
Maybe, just maybe the last couple of managerial changes in 2004. Nigel Spackman returned to football at Bristol City, while John Rains took over at Haig Avenue - with Southport for those not in the know of Conference venues...
December 21, 2004
The final match before what will hopefully become a very merry Christmas...
Conference South
The Stadium, Upminster
Hornchurch v Dorchester Town
Town were second in the division going into this match, and we were badly in need of getting some form back. I took the risk and returned to the old 4-2-3-1 formation, with the team looking like Bayes; Locke, Stuart, Ward, McCarthy; Larsson, Fowler; Purser, Goodfellow, Birchall; Brayley. So not really different to the eleven that'd take part in the 4-4-2. Hey ho.
It looked to inspire some handy play, with Brayley heading just inches wide in the 56th second of play. Unfortunately the good start wouldn't be built upon, and a McCarthy own goal would put Dorchester ahead early on.
However we were clearly playing the better football and at half time we were unlucky to find ourselves behind to that single silly mistake.
The equaliser was so near yet so far as Birchall and Fowler came agonisingly close during the second half, and from somewhere I was getting that feeling it wasn't our day. It did eventually come, however, but too late to continue building on and push for the win that we so badly deserved for the performance we put in. We would go into Christmas having climbed a single place, however, and reached the dizzy heights of 14th place.
Hornchurch 1 (Birchall 86) Dorchester 1 (McCarthy og 12)
Attendance: 736
Man of the Match: Jordan Fowler (Hornchurch)
Once more we'd done well against superior opposition, but I'd leave with the feeling of 2 points lost, rather than the one gained...
12-17-2004, 06:19 PM
The Only Way Is Up. No, seriously, it is. Post #50
Lee Turnbull gets the boot from Conference North strugglers Barrow, with Steve Redmond of Leigh RMI linked to the vacancy.
Left back Jamie Stuart suffers a training injury to his froin and will be out of action into the new year.
December 23, 2004
Northampton Town fill their open vacancy for manager with former Bristol City gaffer Brian Tinnion.
And finally in dull transfer news, Bryan Smith joins Moor Green from Maidenhead for the sum of £1,000.
December 25, 2004
Just a couple of transfers in the news while I kind of drag myself from my job long enough to enjoy the annual badly-cooked turkey with Sam and our families. Weymouth had signed Matt Robinson, and Stafford Rangers landed Bolton's Andrew Brabbs on loan until March.
December 26, 2004
******* had come and gone, and it was back to business. Harrogate hired Billy Smith to their management job, 2 weeks after he'd been sacked at Carshalton. Weston-super-Mare kept the merry go round spinning, sacking Andy Llewellyn, and Craig Edwards was given the dreaded vote of confidence across town at Redbridge.
Conference South
Woodspring Park, Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare v Hornchurch
Having sacked their manager a matter of hours ago - in fact I heard the news on the coach to the south west - I was quite confident we could capitalise on the somewhat shaken state of some of the playing staff at WsM. As far as my team went, the lads all recovered from heavy eating and drinking, but we needed a couple of changes to the first eleven. Injured Stuart was replaced by Damon Searle - playing for the first time this season - and Bertie Brayley's suspension meant Birchall started as lone striker - with Caskey slipping into his role in attacking midfield.
Caskey would have the first good chance, a long range free kick which forced a good save from Weston-super-Mare keeper Ryan Northmore, but the home side would go ahead early on through defender Lee Jarman's headed goal. The first half continued in much less exciting fashion, neither side able to string together decent moves in the bad weather, and subsequently only a handful of half chances fell to anyone during the first 45 minutes.
The second half sadly didn't see any pick up with both teams playing with little bounce. Just 3 half decent attacking moves were made in the second half by each side. And none of those were good enough to conjure up a goal that had never looked like coming. It was a bad result, from a bad match. This one should have been one of those dull 0-0s everyone forgets about in an hour.
Weston-super-Mare 1 (Jarman 6) Hornchurch 0
Attendance: 736
Man of the Match: Michael Jackson (Weston-super-Mare)
It was a rather dull and hopeless trot towards the end of 2004 that we'd found ourselves getting into. We needed to pick up the pace to save half a chance of going up, and we didn't half need to do it pretty sharpish...
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