County League - Animo et Fide

Nasty penalty makes you trip over Bolton, but the same three are keeping each other in check.

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@Danimal5981 wrote:

Nasty penalty makes you trip over Bolton, but the same three are keeping each other in check.

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Absolutely. One of the three is going to end up disappointed.

Your great defense might be the difference in winning the league. I agree with @CO88LER5 , I have never had a keeper lead in clean sheets either. That is impressive. 

With reaching the finals, does that congest your schedule at the end of the season or is it manageable still?

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@CO88LER5 wrote:
Don't think any of my goalkeepers have ever been the clean sheet leader, across a great many years of playing this game 🙂

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I actually seem to do this regularly, across various saves. I probably won't in the league this season, having sold my first choice goalie in January. But I don't concede too many goals, sometimes making streaks of 5 or 6 games without conceding a goal. I believe 6 is my record in this save, across competitions.

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@LABoog4 wrote:

Your great defense might be the difference in winning the league. I agree with @CO88LER5 , I have never had a keeper lead in clean sheets either. That is impressive. 

With reaching the finals, does that congest your schedule at the end of the season or is it manageable still?

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I think it's all right. I'm one match behind Blackburn, and it seems I could fall two behind soon. But coming from behind with a game (or games) in hand has never hurt anyone. Just ask Man City. So it's still very manageable, I'd say. 

Huge games coming up. So far you are taking care of business as expected but this is a make-or-break time. Losing to Liverpool will be expected so it's all down to the other results. 

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@LABoog4 wrote:

Huge games coming up. So far you are taking care of business as expected but this is a make-or-break time. Losing to Liverpool will be expected so it's all down to the other results. 

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Absolutely. Wouldn't want to do "an Arsenal" and be in pole position only to lose ground in the most important part of the season. Interesting few games ahead.

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@CO88LER5 wrote:
I'm predicting League 1 champions and BSM Trophy winners...

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Seems logical at this point. With the promotion becoming ever more likely, this will also be my final opportunity to win the BSM Trophy with this club. Unless we are relegated again (which isn't that likely).

That Liverpool match! That had to be so disappointing letting the lead slip and missing multiple chances in the shootout to win it. 

The team bounced back quickly and took care of business. A first cup win and now in league position to win it. 

Having your captain miss the chance to lift the trophy is terrible luck. One of those small things fans will always remember if he's a loved captain at the club.

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@LABoog4 wrote:

That Liverpool match! That had to be so disappointing letting the lead slip and missing multiple chances in the shootout to win it. 

The team bounced back quickly and took care of business. A first cup win and now in league position to win it. 

Having your captain miss the chance to lift the trophy is terrible luck. One of those small things fans will always remember if he's a loved captain at the club.

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Liverpool defeat was thrilling, yes. Went into the shootout with such a poor ability on penalties compared to them. I'm usually able to score still, but somehow they just kept hitting the post. Awful. But at least I went out with a bang against a superior side. In the end that's how I prefer it, rather than going out against West Bromwich or such...

Losing the captain to a straight red in the overtime of the league game just before the final was terrible to be honest. The squad's current appearance leader, he really should have been there to lift the cup. It was also a pretty harsh red IMO. He might have been the "last man", when he committed a rather soft foul on the attacker. But the fouled player had just passed the ball to a teammate, who was marked by another Stockport player. So even though Horsfall was the "last man", he absolutely didn't deprive him of a clear goal scoring opportunity. So no red in my book.

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@CO88LER5 wrote:
We're doing the same things, in this division...🙂

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Absolutely. I spent another season in League Two, compared to you, but apart from that we're staying on a similar path...

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@CO88LER5 wrote:
Late show at Notts County for both sides; that must have been interesting.
Must have been unbeaten in the league for a while, now?

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Yes, my last league defeat was Bolton in match 33. Before that Coventry in match 17 and Bolton in match 9. Bolton being the bogey team of the season. All three defeats being 1-0 defeats, how about that...

You made the last few matches interesting when only one win was needed but it took three games. It all worked out in the end though.

Interesting to see 5 repeats from last year. The fact they are all still at their respected clubs is a good twist, especially guys like Eze that I would think Premier League clubs would buy. The Championship is my favorite league to see teams try coming out of. I remember you ran through it pretty easily with Sunderland after building your squad in year one. I would not be surprised to see you in a playoff spot next season.

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@LABoog4 wrote:

The fact they are all still at their respected clubs is a good twist, especially guys like Eze that I would think Premier League clubs would buy.

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I agree. It's fun to play a team that is still somewhat recognizable to the real life version. When I played Liverpool recently, I could hardly recognize them, and I do believe that the Premier League teams tend to buy and sell players far too often, almost having their whole squad replaced only a few seasons in. But lower league clubs seem to be better in keeping their team together, which I find to be preferable.

Sunderland, yes, that was a good run. We'll see how I fare next. Most of my star players are in their late 20's, so this time it's not like I have a youthful side just waiting to explode onto the big stage. So the squad may need a number of changes to be able to take the next step.