Against all Odds - Odds Down F.C (FM 11)

[MacroGuru]

Joel Sutton, a name that is not well known...if at all, is being tabbed to become the new coach at Odds Down FC a team in the Western Premier League in Division 9.

Joel comes to the team as a former player, with a very short life span in the league. The 27 year old suffered a career ending injury before playing 1 match. You see, he was the victim of a mugging that left him beaten and battered on the side of the road. The villains only took a few bounds and his electronics. He was in the hospital for weeks and his back was broken to the point the docs didn't think he would walk again.

He managed to parlay his soccer knowledge into a scouting role for clubs, then into an assistant role but ultimately his goal was to manage a club. Odds Down had the position open and he jumped at the chance.

*I know FM 12 is coming out, but I doubt I will get it for a while and honestly, I haven't been able to play FM 11 yet, so I am going to run this Dynasty, and Joel will stay with the club regardless, until he is fired.*

[MacroGuru]

Club History

As far as can be traced the club was founded in 1901 by Fred Weaver and brothers Walt and Stan Noad. Odd Down, then a self-contained village on the outskirts of Bath in Somerset, played in the Bath and District Football League. In 1920 Odd Down won the Bath City Knockout Cup, but in all its playing years the club has had little success in winning cups.

Odd Down FC spent their formative years on pitches at Stirtingale Farm and at the Quarr Ground, before moving to Combe Hay Lane in the 1930s. The club was finally able to purchase the ground in 1952 and it was re-named in memory of long-serving former President Lew Hill During the 1920s the club played in the Wiltshire Football League, but prior to World War II had graduated to playing in the Somerset Senior League. Re-grouping after the war,

Odd Down started off again in the Somerset Senior League and in the 1946-47 season finished as runners-up to Somerton. They also won the Mid-Somerset Football League that season, a league formed to make up for the shortage of Somerset Senior League fixtures at that time.

Following a bad report into the facilities at Odd Down the club were expelled from the Somerset Senior League, whereupon an application to join the Wiltshire Football League was accepted. A few years later the Wiltshire League voiced disapproval of Somerset based teams competing in their league and Odd Down found themselves re-admitted to the Somerset Senior League.

From 1967 to 1972 the club formed a steering committee which worked hard to provide a social club, eventually opening one on April 5, 1972. The hard work paid off as Odd Down gained admittance to the Western Football League for the start of the 1977-78 season. However, it was to be season 1991-92 before the club won its first major honour, lifting the Somerset Senior Cup, and further success was to come the following season as the club won promotion to the Western League Premier Division, finishing as the 1992-93 Division One Champions.

In their centenary year of 2001 Odd Down reached the final of the Somerset Premier Cup for the first time, losing 1-0 to Southern League side Clevedon Town. The feat was repeated in 2004, this time going down 5-0 to Yeovil Town at the club’s Huish Park home.

They remained in the Premier Division until relegation to Division One in 2008, but were promoted back to the Premier Division in 2010, where they remain to this day.

Club Pitch
Lew Hill Memorial Ground
Ground details
Capacity: 1,000
Seats: 160
Floodlights: Yes
Founded in 1901, Odd Down FC spent their formative years on pitches at Stirtingate Farm and at the Quarr Ground, before moving to Combe Hill Lane in the 1930s. The club was finally able to purchase the ground in 1952 and it was re-named in memory of long-serving former President Lew Hill, did much to sceure the site for The Down.

In the early days at Combe Hay Lane players changed in a small shack and washed by means of milk churns full of cold water, brought down from the Burnthouse Inn on the main road. After WW2, a redundant building which stood at the back of a house called The Limes was transported across and used until it burnt down. Today, the dressing rooms, which date from the mid-1980s are situated outside the ground itself.

Also outside the ground is the clubhouse, built by members over a five year period and opened in 1973.

The fact that the above facilities are outside the confines of the ground itself, means that the latter has a somewhat spartan appearance. The pitch slopes upwards towards the top end, as evidenced by the slightly stepped perimeter wall that encloses it.

Two rather lonely-looking dugouts straddle the half-way line on one side; whilst there is a rather basic shelter that stands behind the near goal.

Midway along the touchline opposite the dugouts is a modest, yet rather neat stand, albeit with a view slightly obstructed by supporting pillars.

The stand is named after Paul Richards, a former club member, who was also a founder member of the social club. It dates from around 1993 when the club gained promotion to the Premier Division of the Western League. Midway through the 2002-03 season it had to survive a fire after vandals broke in and set it ablaze. Fortunately, it was repaired and as a consequence, an eight foot high wall now surrounds the ground.

If visiting in winter, be warned: Odd Down is situated high above the the city of Bath to the north, and can be rather chilly.

[BYU 14]

Nice "Grandstand", looking forward to this, good luck!!

[MacroGuru]

Originally Posted by BYU 14

Nice "Grandstand", looking forward to this, good luck!!

I did what I could here at work...Laptop is at home and when I get home tonight, I will get this thing going...I really loved doing my Diss Dynasty and hope this hits home for me as well.

[ntndeacon]

Let's Go Odds Down! I love these dynasties. do they have a nickname?

[MacroGuru]

Originally Posted by ntndeacon

Let's Go Odds Down! I love these dynasties. do they have a nickname?

They do, from what I can tell, they are called the Downers...

[MacroGuru]

Initial Staff Meeting

Joel meets with his staff and takes a peek at their resumes and talents...

Job / Role	Name	Gk	Att	Def	Fit	Men	Tec	Tac	Man	Youth
Asst Coach	Jamie Hammond	1	2	4	2	3	3	3	2	4
Physio	Kris Gittings	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	7
Scout	Ross Driver	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	12

He quickly makes a decision to let them all go and begins a search for new coaches.

He quickly makes offers to..

Scout - Kerry Moore from Wales
Physio - Andy Harwood from North Ireland
Assistant Coach - Dave Harlow from England

Introduction to the Press

Obviously being down in the lower Division, Joel wasn't going to have a ton of fan fare and it wasn't impressive. Just a face to face with the journalist from The Non-League Paper. The journalist asked Joel about his approach and was flabbergasted when Joel said he was going to reshape the club from top to bottom.

Young GK Adam Hunt wasn't to pleased with the comments and is probably the sort of bloke who doesn't like change. He better get used to it.

[MacroGuru]

Meet the Players

The initial squad intro:

Name	Position	Nat	Height	Weight	Age	Value
Robbie Hegarty	GK	ENG	185 cm	86 kg	27	-
Adam Hunt	GK	ENG	182 cm	78 kg	16	-
Patrick Collins	GK	ENG	180 cm	73 kg	15	-
Danny Partridge	D (RL)	ENG	180 cm	77 kg	17	-
Chris Woodley	D (R)	ENG	174 cm	70 kg	16	-
Neil Laird	D (RC)	ENG	188 cm	82 kg	16	-
Chris Tooth	D (RC)	ENG	201 cm	96 kg	17	-
Simon Charity	D (LC),WB (R),M(C)	ENG	176 cm	71 kg	35	-
Jason Williams	D (LC)	ENG	188 cm	89 kg	22	-
Julian Keeling	D (LC)	ENG	194 cm	87 kg	16	-
Paul Porter	D (C)	ENG	185 cm	86 kg	26	-
Gary Gray	DM, M (C)	ENG	174 cm	73 kg	17	-
Robert Lake	M (RL)	ENG	169 cm	69 kg	22	-
Joe Johnson	M (RL)	ENG	171 cm	72 kg	27	-
Andrew McCoy	M (R)	ENG	178 cm	73 kg	17	-
Robert Hobbs	M (C)	ENG	171 cm	71 kg	21	$240
Nick Spray	M (C)	ENG	170 cm	66 kg	16	-
Jordan Bentham	M (C)	ENG	177 cm	72 kg	16	-
Justin Pritchard	M (C), ST	WAL	184 cm	84 kg	34	$250
Christopher Lever	M/AM (L)	ENG	181 cm	72 kg	15	-
Richard O'Grady	AM (L), ST	ENG	189 cm	88 kg	22	$160
Matt Rawlins	ST	ENG	168 cm	70 kg	34	-

There is some talent in the MF and Attacking for this team which fits the 3-4-3 style that Joel likes to run.

Current Reserves

Name	Position	Nat	Height	Weight	Age	Value
Karl Allsop	GK	ENG	180 cm	82 kg	25	-
Lewis Willis	GK	ENG	186 cm	85 kg	17	-
Keith Wright	D (RLC)	ENG	177 cm	76 kg	17	-
Neal Shelton	D (RC)	ENG	179 cm	77 kg	17	-
Roy Pearson	D (LC)	ENG	181 cm	80 kg	18	-
Connor Whelan	D (C)	ENG	189 cm	90 kg	24	-
Craig Law	D (C)	ENG	182 cm	82 kg	18	-
Shandel Gonsalves	DM, M (C)	ENG	181 cm	83 kg	19	-
Ian Pitt	M (R)	ENG	176 cm	76 kg	28	-
Steve Ince	M (RC)	ENG	176 cm	74 kg	17	-
Matt Carr	M (LC), AM (L)	ENG	171 cm	74 kg	18	-

Current Youth Squad

Name	Position	Nat	Height	Weight	Age	Value
Craig Taylor	GK	ENG	175 cm	71 kg	16	-
Chris Branson	GK	ENG	180 cm	75 kg	16	-
Gary McCarthy	D (RC)	ENG	196 cm	92 kg	16	-
Peter Stanhope	D (RC)	ENG	180 cm	72 kg	15	-
Ashley Smith	D (RC), M (C)	ENG	177 cm	67 kg	15	-
Chris Lee	D (L)	ENG	178 cm	72 kg	16	-
Joseph Hunt	D (C)	ENG	182 cm	75 kg	15	-
Andy Garner	D/WB (R)	ENG	167 cm	62 kg	16	-
Michael Ward	DM, M (C)	ENG	175 cm	67 kg	15	-
Rhys Field	M (R)	ENG	170 cm	61 kg	15	-
Tom Jones	M (RC)	ENG	182 cm	75 kg	16	-
Lee Judd	M (RC)	ENG	172 cm	65 kg	15	-
Luke Moore	M (C)	ENG	182 cm	77 kg	16	-
Danny Cowan	M/AM (RLC)	ENG	162 cm	57 kg	16	-
Steven Stallard	AM (L), ST	ENG	180 cm	79 kg	17	-
Lee Riley	ST	ENG	183 cm	82 kg	17	-

Joel has a big decision on whether he wants to go youth or a solid mixture.

[MacroGuru]

Current League Table

Pos	Inf	Team		Pld	Won	Drn	Lst	For	Ag	G.D.	Pts
1st		Barnstaple		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2nd		Bishop Sutton		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3rd		Bitton		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4th		Brislington		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
5th		Bristol MF		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
6th		Corsham		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
7th		Dawlish		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
8th		Hallen		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
9th		Ilfracombe		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
10th		Larkhall		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
11th		Longwell Green		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
12th		Odd Down		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
13th		Radstock		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
14th		Sherborne Town		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
15th		Street		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
16th		Wellington		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
17th		Wells		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
18th		Welton Rovers		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
19th		Willand		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

[MacroGuru]

Downers Announce New Staff

Joel had a ground breaking moment for Odd Down with the addition of the new staff. All three of the staff members he had targeted agreed to join Odd Down.

Job / Role	Name	Gk	Att	Def	Fit	Men	Tec	Tac	Man	Youth
Asst Coach	Dave Harlow	1	4	4	1	3	4	4	8	9
Physio	Andy Harwood	1	6	4	2	5	6	6	10	7
Scout	Kerry Moore	3	2	3	1	2	2	2	3	12

Job / Role	Name	Ada	Det	Judge A	Judge P	Dis	Phy	Mot	Tact
Asst Coach	Dave Harlow	5	13	3	4	13	1	11	4
Physio	Andy Harwood	13	14	5	5	10	15	4	4
Scout	Kerry Moore	9	3	10	7	10	2	3	3

Joel also spoke with the board and they are allowing the hiring of a coach and he feels he should target a coach that has an emphasis on Fitness and GK.

He promptly calls up

Kevin Fallon from New Zealand and places an offer...Fallon accepts and the Staff is in place for the season.

[MacroGuru]

Friendly Matches

Big believer at bring in cash through playing international friendlies away. So the lineup of friendly matches are

6/28 - Tilford Zebras - Away
7/3 - Gungahlin Juventus - Away
7/8 - Cardiff Draconians - Home
7/12 - Egham - Home
7/14 - Viersen - Home
7/16 - Brading Town - Home
7/18 - Christchurch - Away
7/20 - Lakena Utd - Away
7/26 - AFC Womburne Utd - Home
7/29 - Heath Hayes - Home
7/31 - Fairford - Home
8/3 - Somerset - Away
8/8 - Odd Down Reserves - Home

Then we roll into the season matches

[MacroGuru]

Player Movement
Heading into the new season there were some scout suggestions on signings on forwards and listings or releases.

Signings
ST - Aaron Baldwin
ST - Joe Danvers
AM - Jeff Thomas

Both are young talented strikers picked up from their last clubs and looking to get eventually playing time and growth with this club.

Released
D - Jason Williams

22 yr old Jason Williams was given his release.


It is also becoming quite apparent that Harlow and Fallon are not going to agree on anything...we will see how it pans out through the season.

[MacroGuru]

Odds for the Season

Toolstation League Premier Division Promotion Odds from Sky Bet

Ilfracombe have been made 5-4 favorites to gain promotion. The rest of the main contenders are: Bishop Sutton (6-4), Willand (7-4), Bitton (7-4), Odd Down (3-1) and Street (5-1)

I like the look of things, smart moves and we can promote.

[MacroGuru]

I forgot to adjust the Team Settings and so Dave Harlow coached this game.

Tilford Zebras 6 : 2 Odd Down

Statistic	Tilford Zebras	Odd Down
Shots	10	12
On Target	7	4
Off Target	2	6
Blocked Shots	1	2
Woodwork	0	0
Clear Cut Chances	4	1
Long Shots	4	7
Possession	59%	41%
Corners	1	3
Free Kicks	12	9
Throw Ins	18	17
Fouls	8	11
Offsides	1	1
Passes Completed	76%	65%
Crosses Completed	15%	33%
Tackles Won	63%	64%
Headers Won	87%	69%
Yellow Cards	1	1
Red Cards	0	0
Kilometers Run	87.7	88.2
Average Rating	7.28	6.12

Robert Hobbs was injured in the 27th minute

Justin Pritchard was booked a yellow card in the 46th minute

Goal Scorers were

Matt Rawlins put one in at the 24th minute, 1st goal of the game.

Richard O'Grady kicked one home in the 62nd minute.

[MacroGuru]

A rough match against the Zebra's. No injuries, but no real read on the players. Traveling to play Gungahlin Juventus in 3 days allows Joel to plan a little more.

There are 5 players with contracts expiring.

ST Richard O'Grady does not want to talk contract and will more than likely be released on a free.

27 yr GK Robbie Hegarty has been offered a spot

26 yr DC Paul Porter has been offered a spot

23 yr MF Robert Lake thinks he can do better somewhere else.

27 yr MF Joe Johnson has been offered a spot.

One thing that was forgotten, everyone plays / works for free as this club is in Level 9, they are playing to promote to generate additional revenue and bring in more talent.

[MacroGuru]

Going into the match, CMF Robert Hobbs is out for 2 to 3 weeks due to a twisted knee.

The formation that was suggested by both coaches is the 4-3-1-2 and the starting line up is as follows

GK Adam Hunt
DR Chris Woodley
DCR Chris Tooth
DCL Paul Porter
DL Danny Partridge
MR Simon Charity
MC Jeff Thomas
ML Christopher Lever
AMC Joe Danvers
STCR Aaron Baldwin
STCL Justin Pritchard

Most of the team will rotate in as subs through the game. 19 yr old ST Tyler Devlin is in on a 4 wk trial for the club and depending on how he plays, he might get an offer.

Match Time

Gungahlin starts out in a 4-4-2, and in less than a minute Odd Down are down 1-nil as Cattanach is fed a beautiful pass and hits it in from the top of the box. 5 minutes into the match Odd Down give up another goal as Smith man handles Porter to get the ball and score.

6 minutes in, Pritchard generates a great move and rockets a shot off the cross -bar. 16 minutes in Baldwin shoots toward goal and just misses to the side of the net.

30 minutes in Popovich for Juventus crushes one in, to the side net and they take the lead, 3-nil. In the 33rd minute Simon Charity with a header and the keeper just deflects it out. During the 38th minute Juventus' Nash is taken down hard in the box by Woodley and is taken off on a stretcher. Meanwhile De Felice nails the penalty shot to take Juventus up 4-nil.

In the 44th minute a magnificent cross by Simon Charity hit Lever right at the foot, a quick step and a shot and he drills it home. Juventus 4: Odd Down 1 at the half.

In the 55th minute Downers Spray heads it just over the cross bar and then in the 57th minute, Nicholas Spray gets a great centering pass from Devlin and one time's it to the net, it bounces off a Juventus player and the Downers are only down 2.

Juventus' Smith pops one out from about 25 m over the head of the Downers keeper. Juventus is up 5-2 The 75th minute Spray is issued a yellow card for tripping. In the 76th minute Rawlins has a shot go wide.

Tooth misplays a ball and is punished by Cattanach and Juventus goes up 6-2 during the 80th.

Gungahlin Juventus 6 : 2 Odd Down

Statistic	Gungahlin Juventus	Odd Down
Shots	19	10
On Target	10	2
Off Target	8	7
Blocked Shots	1	1
Woodwork	1	1
Clear Cut Chances	5	1
Long Shots	6	1
Possession	51%	49%
Corners	3	2
Free Kicks	13	10
Throw Ins	19	21
Fouls	6	12
Offsides	4	2
Passes Completed	66%	67%
Crosses Completed	22%	42%
Tackles Won	75%	74%
Headers Won	62%	94%
Yellow Cards	0	1
Red Cards	0	0
Kilometers Run	95.8	97.3
Average Rating	7.55	6.20

Not to upset by this result. Juventus was a far stronger team and we played decent against them. A few of the errant shots hit their mark and we are at a tie game.

Neil Laird sustained a damaged elbow and will be out 2 to 3 weeks due to it.

[MacroGuru]

The sharks are circling and Simon Charity's play in the past couple of matches. The clubs are all a level or two higher than where Odds Down is playing.

An offer is made to trial player Tyler Devlin, he has talent.

2 players are promoted up from the defensive side of the reserves.

[MacroGuru]

And the Downers are playing their first home game this season, a friendly match against the Cardiff Draconians from Wales.

Going to try the standard 3-4-3.

GK Adam Hunt
DCR Simon Charity
DC Chris Tooth
DCL Keith Wright (Newly promoted from Reserves)
MR Joe Johnson
MCR Jeff Thomas
MCL Jordan Bentham
ML Christopher Lever
STCR Justin Pritchard
STC Tyler Devlin
STCL Aaron Baldwin

Again a deep sub team due to the amount of friendlies and how close they are. This team needs to get into football shape quickly.

Match Time

Cardiff comes out in a standard 4-4-2 setup. In the 9th minute Cardiff forward just lazily put one in the goal. Cardiff goes up 1-0. In the 40th minute Baldwin sends one over the cross bar. Halftime the score is only 1-0, for Cardiff.

In the 60th minute, Devlin is fouled in the box. Rawlins nails home the penalty kick and the game is all tied 1-1. In the 67th minute Lever puts one over the cross bar.

In the 71st minute a long pass, set up the counter attack and Rawlins grabs it and pushes it home to take the lead, 2-1.

The game goes for 8 minutes into extra time, but the Downers walk away with a 2-1 win.

Odd Down 2 : 1 Cardiff Draconians

Statistic	Odd Down	Cardiff Draconians
Shots	7	16
On Target	3	4
Off Target	4	7
Blocked Shots	0	5
Woodwork	0	1
Clear Cut Chances	1	1
Long Shots	3	8
Possession	36%	64%
Corners	1	4
Free Kicks	12	21
Throw Ins	19	26
Fouls	21	11
Offsides	0	2
Passes Completed	48%	67%
Crosses Completed	44%	20%
Tackles Won	70%	63%
Headers Won	76%	72%
Yellow Cards	1	1
Red Cards	0	0
Kilometers Run	99.4	99.0
Average Rating	6.63	6.47

Not bad to come away from this game with a win. We were picked to lose by 1 point.

[MacroGuru]

A young 19 yr old striker is brought on to help this team...Spencer Wakeman.

Simon Charity leaves the club to move on to Ardley. You can't blame the man moving up to a PT contract making some money playing the game he loves.

Expect more talent to leave as they get better.

[MacroGuru]

Egham comes to visit Coombe Hay Lane and they will hopefully help this team get into game shape.

Odd Down is going with the 3-4-3 for this game.

GK Adam Hunt
DC Paul Porter
DCR Keith Wright
DCL Chris Tooth
MR Joe Johnson
MCR Jeff Thomas
MCL Justin Pritchard
ML Christopher Lever
STCR Joe Danvers
STC Aaron Baldwin
STCL Matt Rawlins

Egham is coming out in a 4-2-1-2-1 formation, which is a new one for this entire team to see.

Match Time

9 minutes into the match J Pritchard is injured and has to be replaced. In goes Gary Gray for him. In the 17th minute Rawlins take a shot from the middle of the box and it is blocked.

A corner kick in the 23rd minute sees a scramble in front of the net. A shot by Rawlins is deflected off of a Egham player and picked up by the keeper. In the 33rd minute Andrew McCoy commits a penalty inside the box. Egham's Oldbury lines up the shot and sends it over the crossbar.

In the 38th minute Chris Tooth is injured and has to come off the field. He is replaced by Connor Whelan. In the 42nd minute Cunningham crushes one home from a perfect centering pass in the box. Egham is now up 1-0. Another long pass in extra time, the 46th minute, Cunningham knocks a 2nd goal home. 2-0, Egham.

Still extra time in the 1st half and Danvers gets the rebounded shot off their keeper and drills it home. Score is now 2-1 going in at the half.

In the 60th minute a beautiful centering pass hits Hope and he puts it in. Egham is up 3-1. McCoy is booked with a yellow in the 67th minute. In the 75th minute a diving header by Charleton puts Egham up 4-1.

Newly acquired Wakeman in the 82nd minute gets the long pass, dribbles around the defender and sends one in from about 8 out, score is now 4-2 for Egham. The whistle blows final.

Odd Down 2 : 4 Egham

Statistic	Odd Down	Egham
Shots	7	11
On Target	6	6
Off Target	0	5
Blocked Shots	1	0
Woodwork	0	1
Clear Cut Chances	3	2
Long Shots	1	2
Possession	50%	50%
Corners	4	4
Free Kicks	16	22
Throw Ins	21	15
Fouls	22	15
Offsides	1	1
Passes Completed	63%	59%
Crosses Completed	20%	80%
Tackles Won	78%	62%
Headers Won	50%	80%
Yellow Cards	2	0
Red Cards	0	0
Kilometers Run	86.3	87.4
Average Rating	6.44	7.05

Pure domination was the name of the game today. This team needs to get in a better mood, but it is hard to do while they are tired.

[MacroGuru]

ST Tyler Devlin that was on a trial which was quickly offered decided to sign with Long Buckby and get paid to play soccer, even if it is a PT contract.

Right now, it looks like the reserves will get called up to travel with the squad as well because Viersen is played only 2 days after Egham and there is friendly upon friendly every 2 days until the 20th, 4 matches.

[MacroGuru]

Reader question...

Do you like the special events during the match breakdown or would you like to see just the stats and my input on the match?

[Alf]

I suggest you use Radii's format. He nailed down what I am looking for in a dynasty thread.

[MacroGuru]

Odd Down 2:0 Viersen

Statistic	Odd Down	Viersen
Shots	10	7
On Target	5	0
Off Target	3	5
Blocked Shots	2	2
Woodwork	0	0
Clear Cut Chances	2	0
Long Shots	3	4
Possession	44%	56%
Corners	2	5
Free Kicks	15	17
Throw Ins	24	25
Fouls	16	7
Offsides	1	8
Passes Completed	56%	64%
Crosses Completed	26%	21%
Tackles Won	69%	69%
Headers Won	70%	65%
Yellow Cards	1	2
Red Cards	0	0
Kilometers Run	95.1	95.5
Average Rating	6.72	6.53

[MacroGuru]

Another home game and this definitely get's the team used to playing in front of the home crowd.

Steve Pembleton suffered a broken arm in the last match and will miss 6 to 8 weeks.

In order to have a healthy rested squad and see what everyone can do, there were a lot of reserve and youth players called up to step in and help, and see if they can do anything.

Having Brading Town come in, we are now odds favorite to win the match.

Lineup

GK Hegarty
D Partridge/Porter/McCarthy
DM Wright
MF Lever / Jones / Johnson
AM Thomas
ST Baldwin / Rawlins

Match Time

3' Brading Town is offside with a shot that rebounds off the cross bar

8' Johnstone of Brading Town is open in the left side of the box and completely unchallenged. His shot hits the side of the net.

17' Odd Down had a chance as Johnson took the free kick and hit it towards goal where it was deflected.

20' Johnson of Odd Down made a long run down the right side of the field and centers it. His centering pass was received by Rawlins and the shot went wide of the goal.

28' After a throw in, Brading Town takes the ball down the right side and centers it into the box where Nick Golding strikes a wonderful header over Hagerty and scores the first goal of the game. Brading Town is up 1-0.

34' What appeared to be an offside play wasn't as Mutch of Brading Town received the long pass, took it into the box, dribbled past the goalie and put it home. Brading Town 2-0.

36' A nice counter attack move by Odd Down left Baldwin alone moving forward when he was taken down from behind by Anthony. Anthony was immediately served a Red Card and Brading Town is now down a man.

37' The free kick was taken from the top of the box and the keeper managed a fingertip save.

40' A great centering pass from Johnson into the box allowed a one timer from Rawlins that went just wide.

45' Another centering pass, this time from Baldwin, that was deflected by Woodman straight to Jones who drove it home for Odd Down. Score is now 2-1 for Brading Town.

55' Field of Odd Down had the ball from a deflected shot out in the right and he took a powerful shot just outside the box on the right and barely missed the goal.

64' A soft shot from Rawlins at the top right corner of the box goes over the Brading Town keepers head and into the net. Goal for Odd Down. Score is tied at 2-2

81' A great pass from Danvers to Carr on the left side set up a great shot. It was followed by a great save and Odd Down get's a corner.

85' An all out assault on Brading Town has several offside calls happen against Odd Down within a 1 minute window.

Odd Down 2 : 2 Brading Town

Statistic	Odd Down	Brading Town
Shots	12	9
On Target	5	4
Off Target	5	3
Blocked Shots	2	2
Woodwork	3	1
Clear Cut Chances	1	2
Long Shots	5	4
Possession	58%	42%
Corners	4	0
Free Kicks	12	25
Throw Ins	16	17
Fouls	19	9
Offsides	6	3
Passes Completed	74%	56%
Crosses Completed	31%	25%
Tackles Won	73%	65%
Headers Won	82%	52%
Yellow Cards	2	0
Red Cards	0	1
Kilometers Run	100.3	96.3
Average Rating	6.70	6.68

Definitely a rough match at the beginning as the team started out rough. Some moves were made in the 2nd half of the game that saw the youth and talent come out and even the game out.

[MacroGuru]

A decision has been made. The club will more than likely stick with the players they have and not bring others in. They are thinking along the lines they have enough Reserve and Youth Talent that they could potential create the wins that is needed for that.

Also, as Joel has been trying to find the right formation, he has been working on several formations, and he likes the ones that take advantage of narrow fields, so when the grounds crew called him about the dimensions he asked for the narrow field, 106 m Long and 55 m W.

[MacroGuru]

An away game for Odd Down. Odd Down has decided to use a variant of the 3-4-3 for the game.

Lineup

GK Hegarty
D Partridge / Porter / Wright
MF Lever / Cowan / Johnson
AM Thomas
ST Baldwin / Pritchard / Rawlins

Christchurch is going to play with a 4-4-2. The game is being predicted as a draw.

Match Time

9' A great centering pass to Howey of Christchurch shooting into the box, where he slides and hits the shot home. Christchurch 1-0.

39' Porter of Odd Down has been having a horrible game, after being issued a yellow card earlier, he suffers his 2nd of the game taking down a player from behind. Odd Down are now a man down.

42' a free kick by Odd Down creates some mayhem in the box when an Odd Down player is knocked down hard and a penalty is called. Pritchard lines up the shot and nails it home. The game is now tied 1-1.

48' A centering pass from the right side is headed home by Christchurch and they take the lead 2-1.

58' Cowan takes down Self in the box and a penalty is called. Self lines the shot up and kicks it home. Christchurch 3-1.

73' Danvers receives a great pass from Hooper which causes the goalie to misplay the ball leaving the net wide open and Danvers forces the shot and misses to the left of the net.

77' Another cross and another goal for Christchurch. 4-1

80' Danvers misses a shot just above the cross bar.

Christchurch FC 4 : 1 Odd Down

Statistic	Christchurch	Odd Down
Shots	15	4
On Target	7	1
Off Target	7	3
Blocked Shots	1	0
Woodwork	0	0
Clear Cut Chances	2	2
Long Shots	4	1
Possession	53%	47%
Corners	5	1
Free Kicks	15	12
Throw Ins	24	13
Fouls	10	13
Offsides	3	3
Passes Completed	73%	66%
Crosses Completed	14%	0%
Tackles Won	77%	72%
Headers Won	94%	53%
Yellow Cards	2	2
Red Cards	0	1
Kilometers Run	95.2	89.7
Average Rating	7.02	6.23

A rough game for the team as the ref did not like their style of play and was on top of everyone from the get go and the amount of cards and penalties dished out made the game almost unbearable to watch. Joel did come unglued on the team at the end of the game.

[MacroGuru]

The last match after a grueling stretch. After this game it will see several players head back to the reserves and U18 squad.

Joel is looking at trying a 4-3-3 lineup in the game. Odd Down is the favorite here to win by 3 or 4 goals.

GK Rusling
D Partidge / Wright / Porter / Metcalfe
MF Morris / Murray / Johnson
ST Baldwin / Pritchard / Rawlins

Lakena will be playing a 4-4-2.

Match Time

2' Lakena gets a breakaway counter on Odd Down. Grant breaks free and sends it into the back of the net. Lakena is up 1 - 0.

14' A great cross by Grant to Warner and Odd Down is now down 2-0.

18' An amazing shot from Johnson at the right sideline bends into the box, off of the outstretched hands of the keeper and Odd Down is closer to squaring it up. 2-1.

42' Rawlins had a clean shot, but it was cleanly played by Lakena's keeper.

68' Danvers is fouled inside the box and a penalty is called. Bentham lines up for the shot and hits it home. The score is now even 2 - 2.

73' A deflected pass puts Rusling out of position and Hunter strikes it into the net for Lakena to take the lead 3-2.

77' A scramble in the box and a large collision in the air leads to a penalty being called on Lever. Lakena's Griffin lines up for the shot and scores! Lakena is now up 4-2.

84' a free kick ends up into the neck off of a crossing pass to Hunter. Lakena is up 5-2.

86' Kelley slides in on Wakerman inside the box and there is another penalty. Bentham lines up for Odd Down and scores from the spot. 5-3.

Lakena Utd 5 : 3 Odd Down

Statistic	Lakena Utd	Odd Down
Shots	16	9
On Target	8	5
Off Target	4	0
Blocked Shots	4	4
Woodwork	1	0
Clear Cut Chances	7	2
Long Shots	5	2
Possession	54%	46%
Corners	5	4
Free Kicks	19	10
Throw Ins	8	21
Fouls	9	16
Offsides	3	4
Passes Completed	71%	59%
Crosses Completed	30%	6%
Tackles Won	52%	77%
Headers Won	69%	70%
Yellow Cards	2	1
Red Cards	0	0
Kilometers Run	97.4	97.6
Average Rating	6.86	6.29

What a brutal game to watch as an Odd Down fan. The team just did not have it in them. But it could have been the new players not meshing well or sour beer..who knows.

[MacroGuru]

A week off for this team was needed. But it is becoming apparent who the players are.

Odd Down welcomes AFC Wombourne Utd.

Odd Down will be running a 4-1-2-1-2 and take advantage of the narrow field.

GK Rusling
D Morris / Porter / Hobbs / Metcalfe
DM Wright
M Pritchard / Murray
AM Thomas
ST Baldwin / Rawlins

AFC Wombourne come out in a 4-4-2. Odd Down is the favorite for the match.

Match Time

8' Thomas gets a centering pass and his shot rockets off the bar

23' Lukic of AFC hits a great shot from the right side of the box but Rusling bears down on it and cradles it in.

30' A long pass from a stolen ball, Rawlins out run the defense and sinks it into the back of the net from about 6 m out. Odd Down is up 1-0.

42' Matt Rawlins is given a yellow card for persistent fouling.

47' Wood of AFC was given a yellow card for tripping.

50' a lot of fancy footwork and play in front of the net equates to nothing as Baldwins shot goes wide.

54' Danny Gregory of AFC was whistled for off side as his shot rebounded off the cross bar.

87' Hopper receives a heading pass into the center of the box and his shot sails on him above the goal.

89' Benthem snags a rebound from a Lever shot and sends it into the back of the net, securing the lead for Odd Down. 2-0.

Odd Down 2 : 0 AFC Wombourne

Statistic	Odd Down	AFC Wombourne Utd
Shots	10	2
On Target	3	0
Off Target	5	1
Blocked Shots	2	1
Woodwork	0	1
Clear Cut Chances	2	0
Long Shots	4	1
Possession	47%	53%
Corners	1	5
Free Kicks	16	16
Throw Ins	28	32
Fouls	14	14
Offsides	2	2
Passes Completed	67%	68%
Crosses Completed	40%	7%
Tackles Won	64%	71%
Headers Won	84%	55%
Yellow Cards	1	1
Red Cards	0	0
Kilometers Run	97.9	96.9
Average Rating	6.81	6.33

The game was sloppy wet, but the new field dimensions helped this team and the unorthodox style Joel ran. It confused AFC and helped the team to the win. A shift at half to a 4-2-4 threw AFC for an even bigger loop.

[MacroGuru]

Another home game and the team is starting to flesh itself out.

Running the 4-1-2-1-2 again...with an emphasis on Counter Attacking.

GK Rusling
D Metcalfe / Porter / Wright / Morris
DM Gonsalves
M Murray / Hobbs
AM Thomas
ST Pritchard / Rawlins

Heath Hayes is running a 4-1-4-1. Even with a defensive formation, Odd Down is pegged to win.

Match Time

6' Rawlins makes a positive spin move on Heath's Wood who slips and falls on the wet pitch. Rawlins is wide open and misses the shot.

7' Another counter move and Murray shoots from the top of the box missing the goal.

16' A break away for Rawlins sees him missing another opportunity.

23' Gonsalves sets up a great counter off of a failed Heath corner and Rawlins screws this one up as well.

34' Hobbs takes a clean shot missing just to the left of the net.

43' Heath Hayes had Woody open in the top right of the box and he drills a shot wide.

44' Heath is pushing the attack again and they had Hewitt miss a shot from the top left of the box.

58' Lovely move by Odd Down Rawlins who hits a shot and Heath GK Wareham barely gets the save pushing the ball out for a corner.

67' Warner from Heath hit's a straight shot to GK Rusling who casually brings it in.

79' Multiple shots from a Odd Down corner bounced off the side bar and defenders.

82' A long shot from Danvers at 25 m out has the keeper out of place but hits the crossbar. More plays happen around the net an a header from Danvers is knocked out for the corner.

88' Chris Tooth pushes his shot wide!

89' Heath had Joe Simpson receive a yellow card due to rough play.

Odd Down 0 : 0 Heath Hayes

Statistic	Odd Down	Heath Hayes
Shots	19	4
On Target	2	1
Off Target	9	2
Blocked Shots	8	1
Woodwork	2	0
Clear Cut Chances	2	0
Long Shots	4	4
Possession	62%	38%
Corners	7	2
Free Kicks	16	12
Throw Ins	26	25
Fouls	11	14
Offsides	1	2
Passes Completed	76%	62%
Crosses Completed	27%	12%
Tackles Won	72%	58%
Headers Won	77%	57%
Yellow Cards	0	1
Red Cards	0	0
Kilometers Run	100.6	99.4
Average Rating	6.76	6.40

What a crazy disappointing game. So many shots, most of them off target and just going wide or right off the bars. I do not think I have seen that many shots hit the posts in my life.

[BYU 14]

Lot of woodwork that last 11 minutes

[MacroGuru]

FA Vase drawing happened today and Odd Down picks up Stratford Town from the Baker-Joiners Midland Football Alliance.

The Lineup for the match will still be the 4-1-2-1-2 counter attacking.

GK Rusling
D Morris / Wright / Tooth / Metcalfe
DM Gonsalves
M Hobbs / Murray
AM Thomas
ST Rawlins / Pritchard

Fairford is going to be interesting and is running a 4-2-4 formation. Odd Down is picked as favorites to win this match.

Match Time

13' Rawlins misses a solid centering pass and Hobbs goes for a sliding kick and it is knocked out for the corner.

31' A free kick taken by Hobbs bends away from the goal.

32' Thomas as a great through pass to Rawlins who is one on one with the keeper and he sends his shot wide.

39' Thomas takes a shot from the top of the box and it looks like it goes in, but it didn't, it hit the side of the net.

64' Paul Porter takes Ashton down from behind and is immediately issued a Red Card. Odd Down is now down a man. Hardy lines up the free kick at the top of the box and takes the shot, missing just right of the net.

69' Lewington gets the pass and dribbles through the Odd Down defense and shoots from the top of the box, pushing it past Rusling and Fairford goes up 1-0.

71' Danny Partridge had an open lane to shoot from the top left of the box and he missed his shot.

73' Rusling blocks a shot from Lewiston and the rebound was picked up and hit home by Roper, deflecting off of Benthems leg, the statisticians are calling it an own goal. Fairford is now up 2-0.

80' Benthem had a shot just miss the upper right V.

89' Muldowny from Fairford misses his shot from the top of the box.

Odd Down 0 : 2 Fairford

Statistic	Odd Down	Fairford
Shots	14	10
On Target	1	4
Off Target	7	6
Blocked Shots	6	0
Woodwork	0	0
Clear Cut Chances	0	1
Long Shots	7	5
Possession	52%	48%
Corners	5	1
Free Kicks	19	18
Throw Ins	20	25
Fouls	16	14
Offsides	2	5
Passes Completed	68%	62%
Crosses Completed	6%	15%
Tackles Won	71%	61%
Headers Won	59%	76%
Yellow Cards	0	0
Red Cards	1	0
Kilometers Run	98.7	95.8
Average Rating	6.37	6.64

This was a brutal match, watching shot after shot miss their mark and then seeing Fairford take advantage of their opportunities hurt. The Red Card changed the entire dynamic of the game. That is 2 Reds for Porter in pre-season, he might not make the team if that is going to continue in the regular season. He will get sent to the reserves real quick like.

[MacroGuru]

Originally Posted by BYU 14

Lot of woodwork that last 11 minutes

Rawlins is killing me...He has the plays, and he isn't finishing..I might have to sit him the next game just to see if someone else can pick it up.

[MacroGuru]

As August begins, some monthly house keeping news.

Board is satisfied with what has happened so far. They do feel I had poor judgement letting Simon Charity go (as if I had a choice, they offered to pay him). However, through my shrewd moves of playing overseas friendlies and getting our asses handed to us, we made a profit of 50K in July.

Stallard is healthy with his leg...the only injury the team has now is Pembleton's broken arm which has another 3 to 4 weeks until healed.

Joe Johnson is named Captain of the team and Paul Porter is his Vice Captain.

Important August Dates

8/3 Somerset (friendly)
8/8 Seniors vs Reserves (friendly)
8/10 Western League Les Phillips Cup First Round Draw
8/11 Stratford (FA Vase)
8/14 Bedworth (FA Cup)
8/15 FA Vase Second Qualifying Round Draw
8/21 Bishop Sutton (Western Premier)
8/24 Western League Less Phillips Cup First Round
8/25 Western League Les Phillips Cup Second Round Draw
8/28 English FA Cup Second Prelim Round

[MacroGuru]

As a reward for the harsh travel and rigorous training regimen, our last friendly before the intra-squad scrimmage is against Somerset in Australia.

The team lineup will still be the 4-1-2-1-2 counter attack style

GK Hegarty
D Morris / Tooth / Wright / Metcalfe
DM Gonsalves
M Woods / Murray
AM Banton
ST Gibb / Pritchard

Brought in some new talent and benched Rawlins. Hobbs was wore down.

Somerset runs a 4-4-2 and both teams are evenly match and the play can go anyway. Skybet has Somerset as a favorite.

Match Time

8' Somerset sends a fast cross from the left to the center and barely misses the goal. On the corner kick O'Neil misses the header shot.

13' There is a scramble for the ball in the box and the Somerset player goes down and a penalty is called. The ref issues a red card to Chris Tooth and Odd Down is now down a player. Dodd lines up for the penalty and misses the shot!

17' Murray is issued a yellow card for a rough tackle. Hagerty stops the free kick as it went to the left side of the goal but he was unable to control the rebound and Nastevski sends it in. Somerset is up 1-0.

27' O'Neil shoots from a weird angle on the right side of the box and it curves in for goal. Somerset 2-0.

31' O'Neil has his shot stopped by Hegarty.

33' A great centering pass into the box from Metcalfe deep on the right side had Gibb open and his header just went over the bar.

45' Thompson of Somerset is issued a yellow card for his rough challenge on Gibb.

55' Wakeman had a great opportunity for Odd Down and pushes it just wide..

58' A freekick for Somerset from about 29 m out was burning towards the goal and Rusling was able to turn it.

63' Pritchard hit's his shot from the right side of the box off the post.

68' Reed hit it from the top of the half circle and bent it into the net, making Rusling look silly. 3-0 for Somerset.

81' Lever hits a slow roller and it nicks the edge of the post and rolls to the left of the goal. Another miss...

Somerset 3 : 0 Odd Down

Statistic	Somerset	Odd Down
Shots	13	7
On Target	8	1
Off Target	5	4
Blocked Shots	0	2
Woodwork	1	2
Clear Cut Chances	4	2
Long Shots	6	3
Possession	52%	48%
Corners	6	3
Free Kicks	16	7
Throw Ins	22	20
Fouls	6	12
Offsides	1	5
Passes Completed	71%	64%
Crosses Completed	26%	16%
Tackles Won	65%	78%
Headers Won	56%	83%
Yellow Cards	2	1
Red Cards	0	1
Kilometers Run	100.9	92.9
Average Rating	7.16	6.37

The early red card doomed the Downers this game. Combine that with the missed shots and this team is definitely looking snake bit.

[MacroGuru]

It's close, this last game between the squads to determine who stays up and who drops down. This is the match to prove who wants to take this team to the next level.

Coming out for the Senior Squad

GK Rusling
D Morris / Porter / Tooth / Metcalfe
DM Hobbs
M Woods / Murray
AM Banton
ST Gibb / Pritchard

The Reserves has

GK Collins
D Kelly / Keeling / Laird / Smith
DM Gray
M Whelan / Field
AM Carr
ST Wiles / Tudor

Match Time

11' Wiles has a shot from the top of the box miss

19' Tudor has a shot just go wide of the goal. The reserves are proving they are the better squad so far.

26' Gibb makes a move, cuts to outside in the upper left of the box and takes a quick step to the inside beating his defender completely. His shot goes just wide.

43' Metcalf cranks a shot from about 30 m out and it goes over the outstretched arms of Collins who totally misplayed that. Odd Down Seniors go up 1-0.

48' A free kick from the half has Gray sending it into the box and Rusling scrambling to get the ball out. He misplays it and manages to block the second shot from point blank range from Tudor.

56' Offsides takes away the score from the Reserves Kelly...and Joel has to be pissed that was allowed.

79' A mad scramble saw several shots and passes into the box blocked and cleared out, but a great pass from Cowan to Johnson, with Johnson collecting and sending the ball into goal, puts the Seniors up 2-0.

86' Baldwin receives a pass from Danvers but his half-hearted shot went out of bounds.

Odd Down Seniors 2 : Odd Down Reserves 0

Statistic	Odd Down	Odd Down Reserves
Shots	7	6
On Target	2	2
Off Target	3	2
Blocked Shots	2	2
Woodwork	0	0
Clear Cut Chances	0	0
Long Shots	3	4
Possession	54%	46%
Corners	4	4
Free Kicks	9	17
Throw Ins	29	26
Fouls	16	5
Offsides	1	4
Passes Completed	67%	62%
Crosses Completed	20%	0%
Tackles Won	75%	69%
Headers Won	79%	60%
Yellow Cards	0	0
Red Cards	0	0
Kilometers Run	94.0	91.9
Average Rating	6.81	6.42

Not a great match by the senior squad, they have shots, but none of them are going on target. I don't know what to think about it, they have the talent and abilities, it's just not there right now.

[MacroGuru]

The time is here, a time to prove himself to the world. The Downers are ready for the 2010 season and they start it with the FA Vase heading to Stratford-upon-Avon to take on Stratford Town.

Right now, the Downers are the dogs and will be looking to shock the local footy community with a win.

In the pre-match meeting Kevin Fallon likes our Aggression, Flair and Touch over Stratford but feels they are our superior in Strength and Fitness.

Odd Down Lineup:

GK Rusling
D Morris / Tooth / Hobbs / Metcalfe
DM Wright
M Woods / Murray
AM Banton
ST Gibb / Pritchard

Subs: GK Hegarty, M Thomas, M Johnson, ST Baldwin, D Porter

Stratford is running a 4-1-4-1 and are the odds favorite win this match.

Match Time

2' Odd Down mid Murray takes a shot near the half circle at the top of the box and barely misses the goal. Great set up from a corner kick.

7' James Gibb the striker for Odd Down is injured and can not continue, he is replaced by Aaron Baldwin.

20' A long pass down the right flank of Stratford to Baldwin sees him run down the ball and dribble pass his defender and nailing the shot in the lower left corner of the net. Odd Down is up 1-0.

32' Hobbs receives a yellow card.

34' Stratford's Gilbert takes a shot from the top right corner of the box sending it over the net.

41' Baldwin had his chance at his second goal of the game but was called offside as his header went into the net.

At the half, Jeff Thomas is subbed in for Lucas Banton. Joel is taking his chance with Woods and Hobbs both having yellow cards.

46' Pritchard gets a shot from the middle right of the box, just missing the goal.

52' Woods receives his second yellow and is now gone for the game and Odd Down are officially a man down. It makes the match a little harder to win. Hobbs is subbed for so there is no quick risk of going down another man. Paul Porter comes on so there is now a 5-3-2 style lineup.

53' From the free kick in the result of the foul that sent Woods off, the crossing shot goes from right to left, inside the box and a header from Kelly goes wide of the goal but he is also whistled for offside.

55' Jeff Thomas of Odd Down blasts a shot from the top of the box sending it wide.

66' Murray strikes a solid shot from within the right middle of the box, just missing the goal.

68' A beautiful corner almost sees Stratford level the game but the header from Herlihy goes over the crossbar.

75' Baldwin is injured and has to go off....Odd Down subs him with Joe Johnson.

77' Stratford's Carter fights Morris for the ball and gets a shot off missing the goal.

85' A shot from Stratfords Carter has Rusling leave his feet to block it, he was unable to control the rebound and a diving Belgrave manages to kick in the shot to even the game. Replays show Belgrave was offside.

90' Pritchard is injured and has to come off. Odd Down are now officially down another man and they are heading into extra time.

107' Joe Johnson is taken down and sustains an injury. Odd Down is now down 3 players.

110' Stratfords Herlihy misses a header from in the box.

115' Downers Morris receives a pass in the box, close to the net and his shot hits the side of the net.

116' Carter is offside for Stratford, Rusling makes a great save for Odd Down.

And the game goes into PK's

PK1: Gilbert for Straford hits the Crossbar. Downers Murray strikes his straight and true. 0-1 for Odd Down

PK2: Startford's Belgrave hits his. Tooth for Odd Down hits his. 1-2 for Odd Down.

PK3: Robinson of Stratford sends his wide! Metcalfe of Odd Down sends his home. 1-3 for Odd Down.

PK4: Avill of Stratford hits his in. Downers GK Rusling sends his wide. 2-3 for Odd Down.

PK5: Dootson scores for Stratford to keep them in. Thomas for Odd Down is up for the win, and he strikes it home! Odd Down wins 3-4 off of PK's!

Stratford 1 (3) : 1 (4) Odd Down

Statistic	Stratford	Odd Down
Shots	11	10
On Target	2	1
Off Target	7	7
Blocked Shots	2	2
Woodwork	0	0
Clear Cut Chances	2	1
Long Shots	5	5
Possession	59%	41%
Corners	8	4
Free Kicks	11	14
Throw Ins	33	31
Fouls	7	10
Offsides	7	1
Passes Completed	73%	60%
Crosses Completed	24%	20%
Tackles Won	68%	70%
Headers Won	63%	70%
Yellow Cards	0	3
Red Cards	0	1
Kilometers Run	131.3	117.0
Average Rating	6.96	6.66

The counter attack philosophy worked here with against the strength of Stratford. The team took way to many injuries and if it keeps up will definitely be digging into the Reserves soon.

What an emotionally tiring game. Seeing the team go up, and then lose a guy to a penalty, then lose 3 to injuries and playing the game and still taking the win.

OOC: This has to be one of my favorite matches I have ever played.

[MacroGuru]

The fallout from the Stratford game is pretty serious.

Ben Woods is suspended for the next match, which is the FA Cup match against Bedworth.

Joe Johnson broke his foot and will miss between 4 to 6 months.

Aaron Baldwin has a torn calf muscle and will miss 5 months.

Both were promising players that were great on the rotation, this hurts the team big time.

[bbgunn]

Man, that's a lot of serious injuries.

[MacroGuru]

Originally Posted by bbgunn

Man, that's a lot of serious injuries.

Yeah, I went to bed frustrated and happy at the same time, then woke up pissed about the injuries...it's what I love about this game.

Friday night will be a long play night as I have my kids, weather is supposed to be shitty so we will watch movies until they crash, and then I will be playing out a couple of months (hopefully).

[MacroGuru]

This is a match where there will be 4 players out due to injury...Baldwin, Johnson, Pembleton and Stallard. Woods is suspended for this match too.

The players are all beat from the Vase victory. Some of the reserves have been called up and will more than likely see action in this game.

Odd Down Lineup:

GK Rusling
D Morris / Porter / Shelton / Partridge
DM Gray
M Hobbs / Jones
AM Thomas
ST Danvers / Wakeman

Subs: GK Hegarty / DR Metcalfe / M Cowan / ST Gibb / DC Wright / AM Lever / DM Gonsalves

Bedworth is coming out in a 4-4-2, The Non League Paper is saying this shouldn't be a contest, Bedworth will control and the score will be equal to a Basketball scoreline. Declan Ford is refereeing this game and he has given out 7 yellows in his 2 matches.

Match Time

4' Timmins of Bedworth hits a great crossing shot which is headed and the shot rebounds off the top post.

8' Hobbs steals an inbound pass, dribbles and feeds it to a slashing Danvers who is set up one on one with Bedworths keeper and he knocks it in. Odd Down is up 1-0.

10' Partridge is given a yellow card for persistent fouling.

14' Thomas shoots at the Bedworth net from the top of the box and the ball just sails on him over the keeper and the goal.

15' Bedworth makes a great move and centering pass on the ground but Rusling sorts it out and collects the shot.

16' Partridge lines up for the free kick at about 25 m out and rattles it off the woodwork and Wakeman going for the ball is whistled for a foul.

29' Bedworth had Riley receive a clean pass from the top of the box. He lobs the shot and Rusling catches it cleanly.

39' Partridge is issued his second yellow for a penalty in the lower left goal line area. From everything that was seen, it looked clean and if there was a penalty it was a dive. Partridge is issued the red and Odd Down is down a man again.

51' Wakeman receives a great pass from Hobbs, he turns and fires from the top of the box and the Bedforth keeper did his best to turn it away. Sets up a corner for Odd Down.

53' Wakeman receives a long pass from Shelton and is called offsides.

60' Gibss sustains an injury and has to be subbed out.

61' Riley of Bedworth had a great shot turned away by Rusling.

66' Porter is beat by a long pass and takes down Twigger from behind and the ref immediately issues a red card. Odd Down is now down 2 men.

73' Shelton passes to Thomas who has a shot blocked by a defender and Bedworths keeper pounces on the ball.

74' Bedworth's Ramsey has a shot rebound off the top part of the woodwork, he follows the play up and tries to score right at the line and Wright clears it cleanly.

78' Ramsey Scores for Bedworth, BUT offsides is called and it is waved off.

85' Lever has a free kick from 25 m out that sails over the top.

86' Shelton is issues a yellow card..this ref is card happy. Timmins takes the free kick hitting Riley who managers a rocket header and Rusling turns it over the post. But Riley is whistled for off sides.

91' A solid effort by Riley and a solid hit from the top of the box, but Rusling catches it clean.

Odd Down 1 : 0 Bedworth

Statistic	Odd Down	Bedworth
Shots	8	11
On Target	2	5
Off Target	5	5
Blocked Shots	1	1
Woodwork	1	2
Clear Cut Chances	0	1
Long Shots	5	4
Possession	44%	56%
Corners	2	2
Free Kicks	19	19
Throw Ins	29	28
Fouls	17	13
Offsides	2	6
Passes Completed	56%	71%
Crosses Completed	20%	43%
Tackles Won	75%	76%
Headers Won	57%	73%
Yellow Cards	3	4
Red Cards	2	0
Kilometers Run	88.6	98.8
Average Rating	6.78	6.62

What another brutal match. 2 red cards, another injury and an assortment of yellows to both squads. 7 yellow cards (3 for Odd Down, 4 for Bedworth, 2 Reds for Odd Down). As you can tell, Odd Down wanted it more and playing a counter attacking game is benefiting them so far.

[BYU 14]

Way to gut that win out in the Cup, even though the prize money is small it sure helps squads at this level...

[MacroGuru]

Originally Posted by BYU 14

Way to gut that win out in the Cup, even though the prize money is small it sure helps squads at this level...

Yeah, between the Vase and the Cup...I know I have some fighters that can play controlled ball...I just need to temper their emotions sometimes.

I issued a warning to Partridge and I am appealing Porters suspension and I doubt it will go through. But Partridge took his warning and admitted he was wrong.

[MacroGuru]

Heading into the game, Odd Down will be without Porter and Partridge due to suspensions. Also out due to injuries are Pembleton, Baldwin, Johnson, Woodley, McCoy and Stallard.

Odd Down Lineup:

GK Rusling
D Morris / Wright / Tooth / Metcalfe
DM Gray
M Woods / Murray
AM Banton
ST Gibb / Pritchard

Subs: Hegarty / Shelton / Thomas / Danvers / Hobbs

Bishop Sutton is running a 4-1-2-1-2 as well. This will make the match interesting. Bishop Sutton are picked as the favorites for the match.

Match Time

6' Hawkins from Bishop Sutton clears out the corner kick but Banton recovers it and sends an amazing cross pass where Pritchard goes up over the defense and heads it into the lower left corner for the goal! Odd Down up 1-0.

12' A long pass has Bishop Sutton's Jenkins break free and end up on a 1 on 1 with Rusling. Rusling plays it perfect and forces the shot wide.

18' Gibb receives a long pass from Rusling and he spins and dodges a tackle, sending it to Pritchard who has broke free. He slips it right past Bishop Sutton's keeper and Odd Down are now up 2-0.

22' Metcalfe fires a shot from the top of the box and it sails on him.

26' A centering pass to Bishop Sutton's Turner has him close to Rusling and the header is taken away.

46' Tooth receives a yellow card for tripping.

48' Hobbs sends a centering pass to the middle of the box from the left side and Banton slides in with the kick, sending it into goal! Odd Down is up 3-0!

51' Bishop Sutton's Hawkins is issued a yellow card for tripping.

59' Bishop Sutton's Jenkins fires a shot from the top left side of the box missing the net wide.

69' A misplayed ball by Metcalfe leaves Hawkins one on one with Rusling and again, Rusling makes an amazing save.

81' Banton centers a pass to Shelton who heads it over the cross bar.

Bishop Sutton 0 : 3 Odd Down

Statistic	Bishop Sutton	Odd Down
Shots	6	11
On Target	2	3
Off Target	4	4
Blocked Shots	0	4
Woodwork	0	0
Clear Cut Chances	2	3
Long Shots	3	5
Possession	48%	52%
Corners	0	3
Free Kicks	12	18
Throw Ins	20	25
Fouls	17	7
Offsides	1	5
Passes Completed	56%	64%
Crosses Completed	28%	31%
Tackles Won	70%	74%
Headers Won	71%	55%
Yellow Cards	2	1
Red Cards	0	0
Kilometers Run	104.2	104.0
Average Rating	6.00	7.33

I don't want to call it domination but it was close. The Downers looked on fire and determined to make others eat crow about how poor of a team they were. Ian Greene started the talking off in the week by calling out their new coach. They weren't going to have anything to do with it and placed this one as one for their coach.

And the video highlight of the first goal scored by Pritchard.

[MacroGuru]

Heading into the match with Hallen there are still injuries to deal with. Baldin, McCoy and Johnson are all out. The positive for the week is Tom Rusling was named as the GK for the Western Premier Team of the Week.

Odd Down Lineup:

GK Rusling
D Metcalfe / Tooth / Porter / Morris
DM Gray
M Murray / Woods
AM Banton
ST Pritchard / Gibb

Subs: Hegarty / Partridge / Thomas / Danvers / Wright

Hallen runs a 4-2-1-1 and they are picked as the dogs for this match. The Downers have not been the favorite yet. This is new ground.

Match Time

4' Woods lines up for a free kick from the top left half of the box and his shot misses.

7' Gibb receives a pass from Morris in the top of the box, he turns, dribbles a little and shoots, his shot hits the upper right V and rebounds back into the net for the goal. Odd Down is up 1-0.

10' Gray receives a yellow for tripping.

18' A goal kick gone bad leaves Pritchard one on one with the Hallen keeper who makes a great save.

25' A corner kick from Woods is crossed right to Tooth who heads it straight to goal. Hallen goalie is out of position but it is attempted to be cleared out by Goodwin. Gibb intercepts the clearing pass and rockets it home for a goal! Odd Down is up 2-0. Hallen's Carragher is issued a yellow card for harrassing the ref. It appears he thought Tooth had a handball in the box.

31' Hallen's Goodwin crosses a pass to Harrop who heads it directly to Rusling who catches it cleanly.

46' Lucas Banton is issued a yellow card and will immediately be replaced. Wright replaced Gray at the half. Connoly's free kick catches Quirk in the right spot for the header but an amazing save by Rusling shuts down the Hallen attack.

47' a precision counter attack off of the save has Rusling kick deep and over the heads of the Hallen defense as Pritchard rushes to the ball, he fires the shot from the half circle hitting it in off the lower right corner. Odd Down is up 3-0.

49' Gibb receives a clean pass from Morris and dribbles toward goal. His shot hits the side of the net.

59' A give and go between Woods and Pritchard sees Woods shoot from the top of the box and send the shot high over the net.

69' A quick in from Metcalfe to Prictchard back to Metcalf sets up the cross to Gibb who heads it in towards the goalies feet and hits a goal! Gibb scores a hat trick and the Downers are up 4-0.

72' Danvers, who subbed in for Gibb went to work immediately, taking the ball away from a Hallen defender in the top of the box. His shot is turned by the Hallen keeper and it goes to a corner.

Odd Down 4 : 0 Hallen

Statistic	Odd Down	Hallen
Shots	19	4
On Target	9	3
Off Target	6	0
Blocked Shots	4	1
Woodwork	0	0
Clear Cut Chances	1	2
Long Shots	6	1
Possession	54%	46%
Corners	8	3
Free Kicks	9	11
Throw Ins	30	22
Fouls	10	9
Offsides	1	0
Passes Completed	74%	62%
Crosses Completed	37%	33%
Tackles Won	62%	86%
Headers Won	72%	69%
Yellow Cards	2	1
Red Cards	0	0
Kilometers Run	91.7	92.1
Average Rating	7.58	5.85

If there ever was a definition of dominance in a match, this was it. Hallen did not know what to do. They could not stop the attack and could not pass into the box to get a clean shot. Gibb was spectacular, the defense and midfield were having their way with clean passes. All around a great game.

Pritchards Goal in the 47th was the Goal of the Match

[MacroGuru]

The past two opposing managers have lashed out at Joel after the match...I guess getting your arse kicked tends to piss them off. Thing is, Joel is a media darling and has no problem talking with the press and expressing his feelings and he has to the other coaches. We will see how this goes later in the season though.

[MacroGuru]

Rolling into September, Joel has the confidence of the board and he has also helped them generate 35K in profit in the month of August.

Joel took second place in the Coach of the Month award. It's ok, he wouldn't trade it for the 1st place spot he is holding for the Western Premier League.

Important Dates in September

9/8 - RC Warwick (FA Vase)
9/12 - FA Vase First Round Draw
9/15 Ilfracombe (Western Premier)
9/18 - Wellington (Western Premier)
9/22 - Somerset County FA Premier Cup First Round Draw
9/25 - English FA Cup Second Qualifying Round, Brislington (Western Premier)

[MacroGuru]

Still dealing with the same long term injuries. Going into the Vase match against RC Warwick we find out the ref, Matthew Bristow, has issued 14 yellows and 1 Red in his 3 matches...it does not bode well for the Downers.

Odd Down Lineup:

GK Hegarty
D Morris / Porter / Tooth / Metcalfe
DM Gray
M Woods / Murray
AM Banton
ST Gibb / Pritchard

Subs: Rusling / Hobbs / Thomas / Danvers / Wright

RC Warwick will run a 4-4-2 and they are the dogs in this match. The Downers are picked to win.

Match Time

7' RC Warwick's Beckett manages a long pass and is able to get past the defense. His shot went over the cross bar.

14' Woods from the lower left side of the box hits a low centering pass and Pritchard gets his foot on it in the middle of a group and sends it into the back of the net. Odd Down is up 1-0.

22' Gibb shoots from about 25 m out and sends the shot high over the bar.

23' Banton has a great pass, sending it just ahead of Gibb. He runs past his defender and shoots, his shot hitting the lower left post and rebounding out.

29' Beckett manages a knock towards goal and outruns the defenders and makes his shot. Hegarty played it smartly and forced him to push the shot wide.

32' Metcalfe pushes a beautiful long ball from the right rear up the flank. Pritchard out runs his defender and jukes him setting up a one on one and he strikes true. Odd Down goes up 2-0.

36' RC Warwick's Harris receives a short throw in, dribbles into the box and shoots, missing the goal wide to the left.

52' Pritchard receives a long pass from Wright, he pushes it into the box and sends a crossing pass low to Woods who hits it right to the RC Warwick keeper who stops the shot.

59' Gibb is injured by RC Warwick's Hogg. Hogg is issued a yellow and Gibb has to be subbed by Danvers.

65' A long pass that cleared from the Downers box to Pritchard set up a 1 on 3 attack and forced Pritchard to take his shot wide.

71' A heading pass that set Pritchard up for a one on one was ruined as Pritchard rushed his shot. He was excited for the Hat Trick.

Odd Down 2 : 0 RC Warwick

Statistic	Odd Down	RC Warwick
Shots	11	7
On Target	3	1
Off Target	7	5
Blocked Shots	1	1
Woodwork	1	0
Clear Cut Chances	3	0
Long Shots	4	4
Possession	53%	47%
Corners	3	2
Free Kicks	11	10
Throw Ins	27	33
Fouls	8	8
Offsides	2	3
Passes Completed	71%	63%
Crosses Completed	6%	10%
Tackles Won	75%	57%
Headers Won	75%	66%
Yellow Cards	0	1
Red Cards	0	0
Kilometers Run	100.9	98.2
Average Rating	7.15	6.33

Although the Downers were picked as the favorites here, the way the match played it could have just as been the reverse. The attack chances were missed on the Downers side, and if RC Warwick was on track, they could have ended up the victors here. Pritchard was right on target at the beginning but his anxiety to get a hat trick ruined his chance later as he rushed his shots.

Pritchards goal in the 32nd minute is the Goal of the Match

[MacroGuru]

A great draw for the FA Cup sees Odd Down away against Penzance. The long term injuries are still there to Johnson, Baldwin and McCoy. There are no suspensions.

Odd Down Lineup:

GK Rusling
D Morris / Porter / Tooth / Metcalfe
DM Gray
M Hobbs / Murray
AM Banton
ST Gibb / Pritchard

Subs: Hegarty / Woods / Thomas / Danvers / Wright

Penzance comes out with a 4-4-2 and dog status. Odd Down will approach this game as they have any other. Important.

Match Time

4' Banton's shot from the middle of the box ricochets off the left post.

5' Banton gets a direct crosser to Gibb who one times the shot but it is blocked by the defender. Pritchard scoops the rebound and fires it into the back of the net from the middle of the box. Odd Down is up 1-0.

21' Gibb is able to take advantage of a poor pass and is dribbling into the box when his shot bounces off the top cross bar.

22' Metcalfe lofts a great pass to Pritchard whose shot goes wide just as he is whistled for off side.

34' Gibb gives a good lead to Pritchard. Pritchard speeds around the defender and his shot is barely turned by the Penzance keeper.

35' The corner by Banton is headed by Tooth and is turned out of the net. Another corner.

41' Pritchard gives to Gibb and he takes it down the left flank, his shot goes wide left of the net.

44' In a throw in, Penzances Palmer pushes Pritchard inside the box and the penalty is called. Pritchard lines up for the kick and he sends it into the lower right corner of the net! Odd Down is now up 2-0.

46' A clean crossing pass from Pritchard to Banton sets his shot up. It just goes wide of the net.

51' Some clean, direct passes leads to Hobb passing to Danvers who spins and is running with his defender. He takes the shot, squeezing it into the left side of the net past the Penzance keeper. Odd Down is now up 3-0.

60' Penzance's Toal receives a floating cross, Metcalfe does everything he can to get into the way of the header and he takes the shot off his shoulder and it goes out. Corner to Penzance.

61' The corner sets for a scramble in the box and a Penzance player tries to get it back out to Darby and he accidentally puts it out.

65' Banton is injured and will be replaced by Thomas.

66' Hindmarch of Penzance receives a yellow.

83' Metcalfe crosses to Danvers in the 6 m box. Danvers goes to shot and is knocked down. He asks for the foul but it is not coming. Danvers steals the pass and turns around and puts it in goal! Odd Down is running away with this one 4-0.

Penzance 0 : 4 Odd Down

Statistic	Penzance	Odd Down
Shots	2	16
On Target	1	6
Off Target	1	9
Blocked Shots	0	1
Woodwork	0	2
Clear Cut Chances	0	5
Long Shots	1	4
Possession	46%	54%
Corners	5	2
Free Kicks	18	12
Throw Ins	20	20
Fouls	12	11
Offsides	1	7
Passes Completed	59%	68%
Crosses Completed	11%	16%
Tackles Won	71%	71%
Headers Won	63%	58%
Yellow Cards	1	0
Red Cards	0	0
Kilometers Run	95.5	98.0
Average Rating	5.69	7.43

Penzance shouldn't have been in this game and they knew that coming in. This team was worked over from the beginning. Joel Sutton refuses to go into a defensive mode as it allows the other team chances to try and get back. He stayed counter attacking all day and it had benefited his squad. Danvers and Pritchard are the main scorers for the day with Danvers getting the goal of the match.

[MacroGuru]

It is now the 3rd Western Premier match for Odd Down, just shortly after the FA Cup match. Some of the players will be tired, but they have to go. Wellington is now 1st in the table with 9 points.

Odd Down Lineup:

GK Rusling
D Morris / Porter / Tooth / Metcalfe
DM Gray
M Woods / Murray
AM Thomas
ST Danvers / Pritchard

Subs: Hegarty / Hobbs / Banton / Gibb / Wright

Wellington runs a 4-2-1-1 and are the favorites in the game. Odd Down will have their hands full.

Match Time

2' Woods fires a shot from 25 m out and Wellington's keeper deflects the shot. Pritchard rounds up to shot and misses wide.

13' Thomas works the ball around his man and takes it into the top part of the box where he shoots quickly, catching Wellington off guard. Their keeper barely turned the shot. Corner Kick.

14' A header by Tooth off of the corner kick is deflected out of the box.

21' Pritchard receives the ball right in the middle of the box and his shot goes straight into the keepers chest.

22' Wellington's Whelan passes around the Downer defender and Gray has no choice but to clear it behind and give up the corner. From the corner Whelan crosses it right in the middle to Herrod and he cranks the ball in. Wellington is up 1-0.

34' Woods takes a shot from the top of the box, missing completely.

40' A lot of precision passing sets Metcalfe up for an open run to the goal, his shot hits the right side of the net.

46' A long pass from Woods sees the sub Gibb break free and push the shot just to the left of the goal.

62' Wellington's Dale hits a shot above the crossbar.

63' Thomas receives a perfect pass from Wright. He takes a shot from the upper right side of the box and the Wellington keeper was lucky to turn it out. Corner kick.

64' From the corner it's a great cross and Tooth gets his head on it down to the keepers feet who coolly collects the ball.

Odd Down 0 : 1 Wellington

Statistic	Odd Down	Wellington
Shots	16	4
On Target	8	2
Off Target	5	2
Blocked Shots	3	0
Woodwork	0	0
Clear Cut Chances	2	0
Long Shots	8	2
Possession	52%	48%
Corners	3	2
Free Kicks	6	15
Throw Ins	26	32
Fouls	14	5
Offsides	1	1
Passes Completed	71%	61%
Crosses Completed	22%	25%
Tackles Won	72%	48%
Headers Won	76%	53%
Yellow Cards	1	1
Red Cards	0	0
Kilometers Run	94.3	94.0
Average Rating	6.50	6.60

What a rough game for the Downers. They had their chances, they just couldn't convert on any of them. It was almost like they forgot how to shoot straight. Every shot, contested or not, went every direction except for the goal. This loss is a set back for the Downers.

As much as this hurts to post, the goal of the match from Wellington.