[Greyfriars Bobby]

4 October 2014
Andover Town 1-1 New Milton Town
FA Vase, Second Qualifying Round
New Milton Town are a very competitive Level 10 side, so we didn't expect them to roll over for us. They scored first; Paul Watson's clumsy challenge of New Milton winger Rob Canham inside the 18-yard box gave the visitors a penalty, and Canham drilled it home.

Joe Clarke opened his Andover account by lashing home Adam Hamilton's well placed corner.

I'm a bit alarmed by the fact we managed only two shots against a team from a lower league, but one of ours went in the goal. We'll travel to New Milton for the replay.


7 September 2014
New Milton Town 1-2 Andover Town
FA Vase, Second Qualifying Round Replay
A brace from Adam Hamilton, one on each side of halftime, put us into the First Round Proper. The Linnets pulled one back in the waning moments of the match, but it wasn't enough. The board were delighted, and we put a much-needed £800 into our coffers.


10 September 2014
I've had "versatile defender who can do something with the ball besides hoof it up the pitch" on my shopping list for a while now. I think I found a player who fits that description as well as anyone...that is, as well as anyone who will play for a team in the Wessex Premier.

John Barton is young (age 20). He can play either left or right back, and he has the size (6'1") and attributes to do a job at center half, too. He is hard-working and determined. John was willing to accept a non-contract deal, so I wasted no time adding him to the squad.

Paul Watson is still the first team left back, but I won't hesitate to give Barton a shot if Paul's form continues to slip.


11 September 2014
Andover Town 2-1 Bournemouth F.C.
Six minutes into the match, Mark Wetherald leaped to head a cross and missed it. He also screened Charlie Webb, who was unable to see the football until it caromed off his leg, past a helpless Jamie Overson, and into our goal.

For most of the remainder of the match, it looked like that bit of luck would be our undoing. Youngster Mark Wallace, who'd come on as a substitute, changed the narrative with a well-taken goal in the 73rd minute, and our loanee forward, Darren Rees, finally got his first Bluebirds goal.

Rees' strike turned out to be the decider. The three points put us into the top half of the table!


14 September 2014
Lymington Town 1-2 Andover Town
Fixture congestion? No problem!

Adam Hamilton pounced on a terrible back pass from a Linnets (yes, more Linnets) defender and drilled it past their 'keeper to give us an early lead. Lymington came back with a vengeance, and we spent the next hour absorbing one attack after another before they finally broke us down and drew level.

I brought Jack Walker on in the 77th minute, and Jack made me look like a genius. He took a pass from Alan Barrett on the left side of the area, made himself some space, and lashed a hard left-footed shot past a sprawling Linnets goalkeeper. Three more points for the Bluebirds!

New man John Barton made his Andover debut, and handled it well.


17 October 2014
For a team that was predicted to battle relegation, we're doing very well. Still, I can't help thinking we could easily be a better team than we are.

Danny Hutton sprained an ankle in training, and it looks like he might be out until Christmas. I'd been thinking we needed to reinforce our midfield anyway, and Hutton's injury made it a priority item.

I checked with our scouts to see if they'd discovered any central midfielders with game. I was delighted to learn they'd found four such lads. I signed two of them today.

Darren Davies, age 25, is an active, intelligent player who can perform a variety of tasks in the middle of the park. He's a lot like Hutton, with a little less attacking flair and a bit more savvy.

Our other new arrival is even more exciting. Alan Morton looks like he'll be an absolute beast in our league. He doesn't possess great pace, but he is very fit and as strong as a bear. For a player his age (22), he demonstrates a rare understanding of the mental aspects of the game. He's a bit rough technically, with the exception of a very good first touch, but he's far from a brute. If he were fast, he'd be playing League football. And, he can play M(C), AM(C), or striker.

Alan will be on the team sheet, somewhere, every time.


18 October 2014
Andover Town 1-5 Blackfield & Langley
When we are bad, we are very, very bad. We were bad today.

No Bluebird played all that well, but Mark Wetherald was absolutely horrific. The fans are clamoring for Mark's departure from the first team, and I'm thinking a break might do the lad some good myself.

Both Darren Davies and Alan Morton started the match. They both finished with ratings of 6.5, which were as good as anyone in the team save Darren Rees, who got a 6.7 for scoring a goal that spoiled Lewis Smith's clean sheet.


22 October 2014
Last week, I offered a contract to a midfield destroyer from up in Warrington called Ashley Brassington. He wanted more money than we could offer him, and ended up signing for Mole Valley instead.

We need to be much harder for opponents to break down. We allow them to waltz through our midfield too easily, and we permit them to take way too many good shots. We need a bloke like Brassington, who can boss the midfield, smashing apart attacks before they pose any real danger.

I can't have Brassington, so I found a similar player. He lacks Ashley's unbridled passion for defending, but he might be a better all-round footballer, with the ability to make a clever pass. He can play several positions, which Ashley cannot do well. He's three years younger, too, 29 to Ashley's 32.

Welcome to Portway Stadium, John Mortlock.


25 October 2014
Brockenhurst 2-1 Andover Town
We looked a lot better today, playing a decent Brockenhurst side at their grounds. The lads played hard to the final whistle, on a rainy, gusty afternoon. Alan Morton played in Adam Hamilton, who slotted home during stoppage time; we'd honestly played too well to lose 2-0, so Adam's goal made the scoreline much more reflective of the match as a whole.

My team looked rather different from the usual lineup in August:
GK: Jamie Overson
D: Paul Watson/John Barton/Darren Almond/Charlie Webb
M: Joe Clarke/John Mortlock/Darren Davies/Martin Parkin
ST: Alan Morton/Adam Hamilton
Subs: Francis Bartley, Jack Walker, Paul Jones, Jack Taylor, Alan Barrett


Once this group gels, I think they'll be very good. And, even after some fits and starts, we're still in the top half of the table.