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We earn a trip to another non-league side, Sittingbourne, for the first round of the FA Cup in November.

During the week leading up to our home game against Kingstonian, I ask my assistant manager and coaches to rate a few of the players, just to gauge how we’ve travelled since the inception of F1 Power back in July. They agree that Jacques Villeneuve and Juan Pablo Montoya both have positive effect on the team, while Michael Schumacher’s leadership and loyalty to the club provide a great example for the younger members of the squad. Fernando Alonso and Kimi Räikkönen are talented youngsters for whom we should do all we can to keep for the future. Interestingly, Mark Hughes, Karl Heinz Riedle and Jean Todt think that Jenson Button is overrated and will never be a consistent performer at the Conference level, but Gary Heath, Ron Dennis and Frank Williams reckon he is a useful member of the squad. Everybody but Mark Hughes feels that Ralf Schumacher is a useful member, but Sparky goes further, saying the winger plays an important role for the club, and that he’s very determined.

Conference - Game 15: F1 Power v Kingstonian

The game is effectively decided in the first eight minutes. After 6 minutes, Michael Schumacher sets up Fernando Alonso, and the young Spanish midfielder slams it past Steve Farrelly in goal for Kingstonian. Michael Schumacher then makes it 2-0 after good work by his brother and fellow striker Jacques Villeneuve. We keep dominating the game and we add our third goal on 35 minutes when Coulthard and Margas combine to send the ball forward to Michael Schumacher who puts it past Farrelly! I lose Jenson Button to injury just after the break, and with no natural right back on the bench, I’m forced to put Taribo West on at right back. But it doesn’t matter, since Kingstonian don’t put up a whimper. We add a fourth on 80 minutes when old boy Geoff Pitcher finds himself enough space to slot home Michael Schumacher’s pass. The only down side to the result was that Villeneuve, who played excellently, isn’t rewarded with a goal, since Farrelly decides the Canadian will be the one he stops.

F1 Power (4-3-1-2): Filan; Trulli, Coulthard, Margas, Button (West 48); Räikkönen, Alonso, R. Schumacher; Pitcher; Villeneuve, M. Schumacher (c).

Kingstonian (3-5-2): Farrelly; Allan, Johnston (c), Stewart; Pitman, Kelly, Beard, Bass, Neill; Partridge, O’Connor (Winston 54).

Final score: F1 Power 4:0 Kingstonian
MoM - Michael Schumacher

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We have a two week break until our next game, which is precisely the amount of time Jenson Button will miss with his thigh strain.

Not surprisingly, Michael Schumacher is named in the first eleven, along with Taribo West, who does well in an unfamiliar position for a half of the game.

We draw Stevenage in the second round of the Conference Cup to be played at F1 Glory in a few weeks.

I lose fourth choice striker Juan Pablo Montoya, who doesn’t like the fact he is fourth choice, for two weeks when he damages a shoulder jousting against David Coulthard in training this evening.

Dagenham & Redbridge’s Garry Hill is named as the manager of the month, while again Michael Schumacher misses out on player of the month, which goes to New Zealander Scott Smith of Woking. Kimi Räikkönen loses his award to Barrington Belgrave of Yeovil.

Chile and Canada call up Javier Margas and Jacques Villeneuve for games against Paraguay and St Vincent respectively.

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Conference - Game 16: Nuneaton Borough v F1 Power

We need to wait just over half an hour for the first goal of the game, but it’s a good time for David Coulthard, who scores his first goal for the club when he thunders a header from Pitcher’s corner into the back of Nuneaton’s goal! Eleven minutes later, Jacques Villeneuve scores a simple goal when he breaks free inside the area and skids a shot off the wet surface into the net! The second half is quite boring, punctuated only by two goals. We score the first on 71 minutes when Geoff Pitcher converts a free kick from 30 yards earned by substitute Fernando Alonso. The second is Nuneaton Borough’s consolation goal from only its first shot at goal in the game. That makes me unhappy, but still we have another good game in the bag.

Nuneaton Borough (4-4-2): MacKenzie; Burgess, Copley (Gittens 82), Tilbury, Thackeray; Sykes, Preece (c), Taylor (Brooker 59), Murray; Chadwick, Coote.

F1 Power (4-1-2-1-2): Filan; Trulli, Coulthard, West, Willmott; Räikkönen, R. Schumacher (Alonso 64); Pitcher; Villeneuve, M. Schumacher (c).

Final score: Nuneaton Borough 1:3 F1 Power
MoM - Geoff Pitcher

After I return to London, Bernie Ecclestone calls on me at home, ostensibly to begin strategising whom we’ll target for Bosman transfers next summer. But I really know why he’s at my apartment in Chelsea. While the board is generally pleased with my work as the manager, Bernie feels that I’m not consulting him enough and availing myself of his ‘expertise’ as Director of Football. I patiently hear him out and tell him that when I can, I do talk to Bernie, but we’re both so busy these days that it makes it difficult to keep in regular contact. Bernie seems happier after I make some excuses, but as soon as he leaves, I’m on the phone to Sparky and Riedle to tell them about Bernie coming over to have a whinge. :eek:

We’re drawn to play Stevenage in the second round of the FA Trophy in thirteen days time at F1 Glory.

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Conference - Game 17: F1 Power v Dover

We begin this game brightly as after just three minutes we’re in the lead, thanks to another goal from Geoff Pitcher, pouncing on the loose ball and banging it past Meara. On 20 minutes, Michael Schumacher forces Meara into dropping a sizzling header into the path of Chris Willmott and the young defender scores his first goal for the club! Schumacher almost scores our third goal a moment later, but we don’t have to wait too long, as Pitcher scores his second and the club’s third on 26 minutes by converting a free kick brilliantly! Although we keep up our domination in the second half, the goal-mouth action is less intense, but we still find enough in the tank to add a fourth, to Chris Willmott, in the 85th minute for another satisfying 4-0 win.

F1 Power (4-3-1-2): Filan; Trulli, Coulthard, West, Willmott; Räikkönen (Humphreys 55), Alonso, R. Schumacher; Pitcher; Villeneuve (Riedle 55), M. Schumacher (c).

Dover (4-4-2): Meara; Underwood, Warren (Virgo 55), Shearer (c), Kennedy; Vansittart, McRobert, Williamson, Clarke; Carruthers, Brown.

Final score: F1 Power 4:0 Dover
MoM - Geoff Pitcher

The team of the week reads like a squad list from F1 Power, with Willmott, Pitcher, Ralf and Michael Schumacher, and Fernando Alonso all in the first team, while Jacques Villeneuve snags a place on the bench.

I’m offered £45,000 for Giancarlo Fisichella by Serie C1/B club Sassari Torres. Bernie Ecclestone wouldn’t like me to sell an ex-Formula 1 driver to such a club, but, let’s face it, Fisichella isn’t good enough to ever break out of the reserves into the first team and we would only be kidding ourselves if we thought we did. So I manage to sweet-talk Max Mosley into accepting the offer and leave it to Fisichella to sort out terms with the little Italian club, which he does, and the former Jordan and Benetton driver will move to Italy in the new year. Fisichella then proceeds to injure himself, but not too seriously to put the move at risk.

Unfortunately, Geoff Pitcher does himself some damage in training and will miss a month, which is a shame, since he was in a vein of good form.

Keep smiling!
Dixie Flatline

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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by hermolt:
You played a friendly against Carta-who?

Great start Dixie, come to the G on Sunday to hurl abuse at Greg Stafford with me.. Or to Box Hill tomorrow..(actually PM me, I don't wanna hijack the thread..)<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Ah, sorry, mate. I didn't check the thread at all during the weekend so I didn't know you were up for it. I actually did go to the G yesterday. I was on the 50m arc of the grandstand side of the ground near gate 7 (I think it was, anyway). We were in the standing room only section - great atmosphere there!

Turned into a bit of a nervous wait for the final siren towards the end of the game. If it hadn't been for our great first quarter and good second quarter, we would have been done in. :eek:

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Schumacher's appeal for ignoring the chequered flag is next Tuesday...

We draw a visit to the English coast to play Third Division Torquay in the second round of the FA Cup, while either us or Stevenage will play either Morecambe or Kettering in the third round of the FA Trophy at home.

Javier Margas’ four month loan completes and he returns to West Ham to once again languish in the reserves, no doubt. His spell wasn’t exactly successful here, either: Javier Margas (31 y/o, CHI 58 caps, 4 goals, D C): 5 apps, 1 goal, 2 assists, av. rating: 7.00. I would have thought that somebody with his class would have dominated the Conference, but I don’t think you could really say he set it on fire at all.

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FA Trophy - Second Round: F1 Power v Stevenage

I don’t think Stevenage will be happy to meet us again. The first time we met them, we won 3-1 at F1 Glory. This time, we make it 4-0 and with what I consider to be our second eleven, as I continue to play players who normally wouldn’t play in the Conference. Ronnie Wallwork gets the ball rolling on 11 minutes, crashing home Michael Schumacher’s cleverly played pass past Neville Southall, and the 41 year old has no chance of stopping it. Ralph Firman does well to stop Stevenage hitting back on 15 minutes through a free kick struck well by Duckett, while Hay scoops a shot over the cross-bar on 19 minutes, but we’re back in control and on 40 minutes, Juan Pablo Montoya extends our lead to 2-0 with a speculative shot that ends up scoring. We put the match beyond doubt eight minutes into the second half when Ritchie Humphreys, operating behind the strikers, scores his first goal for the club by pouncing on the rebound from Barrichello’s shot. We fashion for ourselves a few more chances, and we finally take one on 75 minutes when Coulthard slips the ball through the Stevenage defence to find Humphreys unmarked, and the on-loan midfielder does the rest expertly to leave me with a happy feeling, even though the competition holds little meaning for me.

F1 Power (4-3-1-2): Firman; Trulli, Coulthard, West, Willmott; Webber, Wallwork (Button 71), Barrichello; Humphreys; Montoya, M. Schumacher (c) (R. Schumacher 71).

Stevenage (4-4-2): Southall (c); Duckett, Carr, Bunce, Heaton (Guyett 71); Clarke, McMahon (Graham 63), Metcalfe, Dyer; Field, Hay.

Final score: F1 Power 4:0 Stevenage
MoM - Ritchie Humphreys

So we go through to the third round where we will host Kettering.

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Conference - Game 18: Boston United v F1 Power

Against a club struggling to escape the relegation trapdoor into the non-league wilderness, I expect my players to come up trumps. And, in the end, of course they do. Michael Schumacher leads the way impressively. Only moments before, Villeneuve wastes a golden opportunity to put us ahead, but from the resulting goal kick, Hughes wins the aerial joust with Charlery and finds Taribo West steaming forward. The Nigerian looks to volley towards Humphreys, but fails to find his range and instead Ralf Schumacher takes possession. The younger Schumacher automatically looks for and finds his brother, and the ex-Ferrari and Benetton driver makes no mistake, planting an unstoppable drive into the back of Boston’s net after 19 minutes! In the second half, Villeneuve does a little better, making Steve Phillips scramble across his goal on 54 minutes, but the Canadian isn’t rewarded with a goal. John Filan’s goal comes under threat for a little period, but the Australian keeper is good enough to deal with the threat, and soon we’re purring again, especially when Adolfo, on as a substitute for the tired Humphreys, makes his presence felt, nodding home Trulli’s great cross on 74 minutes. Michael Schumacher’s second goal is denied for off-side on 79 minutes, but they won’t deny us a third goal, and Adolfo is the man to score it, as in injury time at the end of the game, he heads home Michael’s cross for another satisfactory result.

Boston United (5-3-2): Phillips; Childs, MacDonald, Gowshall, Hoyle, Minett; Charlery (Stanhope 41), Hayes (Fewings 54), Livett (Lucas 60); Power, De Souza (c).

F1 Power (4-1-2-1-2): Filan; Trulli, Coulthard, West (Button 70), Willmott; Hughes; Räikkönen, R. Schumacher; Humphreys (Adolfo 60); Villeneuve, M. Schumacher (c).

Final score: Boston United 0:3 F1 Power
MoM - Michael Schumacher

Again the team of the week reads like a who’s who of F1 Power’s squad, with Jarno Trulli, Adolfo, Kimi Räikkönen, Ralf and Michael Schumacher all making the first eleven, and John Filan sits on the bench.

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I’m satisfied to see that the FA awards me with the Conference Manager of the Month for November, while they can’t go past Michael Schumacher (finally) as Player of the Month. Robert Green takes out the Young Player of the Month award.

Conference - Game 19: F1 Power v Southport

As we head into winter, there is no place for Adolfo, despite his great performance last time out. We’re made to struggle a little bit this time, although we still manage to take the lead thanks to an own goal from former Aston Villa defender Shaun Teale on 15 minutes when he deflected Villeneuve’s shot past his own keeper. But try as we might, we can’t get that second goal to make the points safer, and on 62 minutes, Southport break through our defence via Wood, who scores from Furlong’s low cross. But we’re not to be denied and it’s Ralf Schumacher who bobs up with the winner on 75 minutes, tucking home Räikkönen’s parried shot past the sprawled Williams. Our lead stretches to ten points as Stevenage are surprisingly thrashed 4-1 by Doncaster Rovers.

F1 Power (4-3-1-2): Filan; Trulli, Coulthard, West (Button 79), Willmott; Räikkönen, Alonso, R. Schumacher; Humphreys; Villeneuve, M. Schumacher (c) (Riedle 79).

Southport (4-4-2): Williams; Porter, Teale, Bolland, Liburd; Elam, Woods, Gouck (c), Millington (Furlong 57); Arnold (Blythe 73), Parke.

Final score: F1 Power 2:1 Southport
MoM - Ralf Schumacher

Keep smiling!
Dixie Flatline

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And the first five places are filled by five different cars!

Conference Cup - Second Round: F1 Power v Stevenage

Quite frankly, it’s like leading lambs to the slaughter every time we play Stevenage. Prior to this game, Neville Southall, in goal for Stevenage, has picked the ball out of his net seven times, including a 3-1 win (to us) in the Conference and a 4-0 whitewash in the FA Trophy (to us, obviously). Today, it’s not much better for the veteran keeper, who must be wondering why he’s still trundling around at the grand age of 42. It begins on 20 minutes (although obviously we fashion chances we don’t take - thanks in part to Southall’s good keeping - earlier than that) when Mark Webber scores his first goal for the club by volleying home Barrichello’s superb cross-field pass!

One good goal deserves another, so Webber obliges on 25 minutes when Barrichello squares the ball from the by-line, and the Australian is in the right place at the right time to tuck it away past Southall. Michael Schumacher proceeds to waste two good chances before the break to really rub the salt in, but when Adolfo is floored in the penalty area, Jarno Trulli steps up on 61 minutes to convert our first ever penalty. Two minutes later, Karl Heinz Riedle does something to pay his way by dribbling the Stevenage defence and shooting home from 20 yards! It stays 4-0 to the end, and we put away another cracking victory, again achieved, by and large, by a second string. Firman is completely bored at the other end of the ground for Stevenage do nothing to even look like threatening his goal.

F1 Power (4-3-1-2): Firman; Trulli, Coulthard, West, Button; Webber, Wallwork, Barrichello; Adolfo; Riedle, M. Schumacher (c).

Stevenage (4-4-2): Southall (c); Duckett, Guyett, Carr, Bunce; Clarke (Dyer 4), Heaton, Metcalfe (Abbott 60), Miller; Hambi, Miller.

Final score: F1 Power 4:0 Stevenage
MoM - Rubens Barrichello