JimBobDunnie
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Post by JimBobDunnie on Sept 12, 2009 22:28:16 GMT
I have saved quite a bit, training only the few that are required. However, I've been lucky as due to good matches my players form have been pretty high so training can be skipped. Plus I ended up with 2 million after the two week SiF Holiday break - which I still can't remember how I got whether I did that Sponser Activity before it or whatever
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Rhodri
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Post by Rhodri on Sept 14, 2009 22:56:40 GMT
Well my training strategy has bitten me on the arse as I've 'overtrained' a player, causing his form to drop! D'oh!
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JimBobDunnie
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Post by JimBobDunnie on Sept 15, 2009 16:03:57 GMT
Just for a heads up, Cup Matches are tomorrow with Davies and Halford come out from their the Press Releases and finally take it out on the pitch whilst in the other Semi AF(or P now if your halford ;D)C Knapford take on Salford Athletic.
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Rhodri
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Post by Rhodri on Sept 16, 2009 10:32:32 GMT
The results for the first leg of the SIFA Cup Semi Finals are in.
Ffarquhar Masons - Mons Patro Vise 2 - 0 Salford Athletic - AFC Knapford 0 - 1
Masons bounce back from their defeat and prove their worth against the formidable MPV. Knapford's single goal is highlight of an otherwise non event match.
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Post by Cläy on Sept 16, 2009 22:06:12 GMT
Well, I'm not very happy - nor am I terribly surprised, to be honest. I did promise to try some new things in the Cup, and there we go - 4-3-3 not as good a formation for me as 3-4-3. I would like to get me a new backup goalkeeper at some stage though... Working on the club history at the moment, it's amazing how indepth I'm thinking this thing out - almost like a miniature Island of Sodor project, haha. What I really like about this is that it gives you the opportunity to practice your writing as well with the press releases. Great fun. Oh yeah. I don't know why but I've read it as APC the whole time Jimbob. That's a bit dumb of me, if I do say so myself. Whoops
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Rhodri
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Post by Rhodri on Sept 28, 2009 0:38:50 GMT
Round 5 is gone. The first season of the SIFA Premier League is half over. Here are the results
Wellsworth Wanderers - Salford Athletic: 1 - 1 Mons Patro Vise - Ffarquhar Masons: 1 - 1 AFC Knapford - Tidmouth United: 4 - 1
While league positions remain unchanged, Wellsworths and Salford claim their first points of the season with a draw. A freekick in injury time saves the Masons from a defeat at the hands of MPV. Knapford reinforce their place at the top with their convincing win against Tidmouth.
EDIT:
The Semi Finals for the SIFA Cup are over. The results give the score of the second leg of the matches and the overall score.
AFC Knapford - Salford Athletic: 1 - 1 (2 - 1) Mons Patro Vise - Ffarquhar Masons: 0 - 1 (0 - 3)
ANOTHER EDIT
Round 6 was on Saturday. The scores are:
Salford Athletic - Wellsworth Wanderers: 1 - 0 Ffarquhar Masons - Mons Patro Vise: 4 - 1 Tidmouth United - AFC Knapford: 0 - 1
Salford claim their first victory in the season and move up to 5th with Wellsworth dropping to 6th. Mons Patro Vise thumps the Masons and move to 2nd. A defeated Tidmouth sees them to slip to 3rd. Knapford and the Masons remain at 1st and 4th.
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Post by Cläy on Sept 30, 2009 23:02:18 GMT
Just so people are aware, we will be recruiting players for the second season once the first is done - which will be in 4 weeks. So if you want in, let me know. Also, Rhod, Jimbob and myself have been doing a detailed history of both the league and our teams. If people want to see them, we'll post them up for all to see.
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Post by Simon A.C. Martin on Sept 30, 2009 23:07:10 GMT
Just so people are aware, we will be recruiting players for the second season once the first is done - which will be in 4 weeks. So if you want in, let me know. Also, Rhod, Jimbob and myself have been doing a detailed history of both the league and our teams. If people want to see them, we'll post them up for all to see. I'll see...suffice to say it would be a laugh and I do enjoy my footie...
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Post by StarTodd on Sept 30, 2009 23:56:12 GMT
I'd be very interested in seeing the history of these teams too. Nice little side project we have going here. 'Football Special' anyone?
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Rhodri
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Post by Rhodri on Oct 1, 2009 0:09:59 GMT
Like Clay said, we would post our club histories. I wrote up a history for the team and football on Sodor in general, some of which was incorporated by Jimbob in his own history essay. So minor details have yet to be worked out, but I think we nailed most of it down. Ffarquhar Masons: A History EARLY YEARSThe Ffarquhar Masons was formed on January 1st 1879 as the Ffarquhar and Hackenbeck Cricket Club by a group of local farmers. Based out of the back room of The Three Beatles pub in Hackenbeck and playing on the meadow of the local vicar, the team played at irregular intervals, mostly when the farmers weren’t on the mountains tending to their sheep. Due to the then poor transport infrastructure on the island, they rarely traveled, most of their matches being against Elsbridge or Ulfstead with the occasional tour of towns and villages lining the Mid Sodor Railway. However, during Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 1897, the team made a tour of the island, managing to venture as far as Kildane. In 1910, disagreements with the then recently arrived Vicar over access to his meadow saw the team moving to the Village common in Ffarquahr, where they have remained ever since. The arrival of the First World War saw play suspended as the leagues were postponed for the duration and team members were called up. Post war, the team struggled to continue with the death of five of its members in France. FOOTBALL ARRIVESIn 1921 the change began. The Croarie family, powerful land owners in the area, (even owning the common where the club played) started working the deposits of Sandstone on the mountainside of Anopha Fell. This saw the family opening a quarry; bringing employment to the area, which was further boosted with the arrival of the North Western Railway in Ffarquhar. The following surge of the population of Ffarquhar saw the club boom as fresh blood was brought in. However, not all were satisfied. A growing percentage of people wanted the inclusion of a new sport: Football. Football was a rising sport on Sodor. Following its introduction to western parts of the island by English drainage workers in the 1890s, it was a mere curiosity with most locals until the war, which brought in many English soldiers and railway workers to defend the coast from German raiders and to build the North Western Railway. While off duty, the two groups faced off each in football matches. This exposure started convincing locals to the sport’s appeal, with the island’s first dedicated football club, Tidmouth United forming in 1919. With English workers turning up for work at the Quarry, demand grew for the Cricket Club to include a football team. After an appeal to the club committee, the club’s football branch was formed on March 3rd 1923. Named Ffarquhar & Hackenbeck AFC, their first match was away at Morecambe in the 1924 – ‘25 season of the Lancashire Combination Football League. They won 1 – 2. The new amateur team got to a flying start in their first season, finishing 9th in the league. Over the next years, the Football branch of the club outgrew its Cricket cousin as a loyal local fan base was developed, seeing the village common crowded with supporters. In 1927, the Phillip Johns Pavilion (named in honour of the vicar who permitted play on his meadow), was built. With a capacity of 1,500 persons, it hosted the match which saw the club win the league in the 1928 - ’29 season – the first team from Sodor to do so. THE CROARIE YEARS As Ffarquhar & Hackenbeck AFC entered the 1930s, the world was in an economic crisis. As the construction industry faltered, so did demand for Ffarquhar stone, with many workers becoming redundant; the men who were the life blood of the amateur team and its core base of supporters. The Cricket team suffered worse, with the club committee voting in favour to abolish it in 1932 to focus on the football. Despite this, many team members and fans left Ffarquhar looking for work. By 1933, with its team decimated and income falling, the club was on the verge of collapse. However, a saving hand came from the Croaries. Realising how important the club was to the morale of their workforce in the dire times, they took control of the club and ensured its survival. Part of their plan for the club was to build on its connection to the quarry. As a result, the club was renamed Ffarquhar Masons in 1936, with the team’s playing area on the Common being formally enclosed and the new private ground rechristened Anopha Park. However, it would be a slow recovery, with the club constantly finishing in the bottom end of the league table. With the intervention of the Second World War, the Croaries focused attention to the quarry as building material was constantly needed to repair bomb damage throughout the country. While the league was postponed for the duration of the war, The Masons and several other Sudrian teams played constantly in charity matches to raise money for various wartime causes. From these matches, enough money was raised to buy a Supermarine Spitfire for the RAF. After the war, and Croarie pockets loaded from their war contracts, the Masons were ready for the new season as they headhunted the best amateur players in the North West counties. This was the beginning of a golden age, with the Masons winning the League 9 times over the course of 17 years. In 1951, the club invested in a massive upgrade to the grounds with the demolition of the pavilion and replacing it with three new stands; The Croarie Stand (north end), The Felgoods Stand (south end) and The Arlesburgh Road Stand (east end), all together capable of holding 5,000 people. As the 60’s arrived, trouble starting falling on the club again as the Croaries started losing interest in it. Team performance fell in line with investment. The problems came to a head when the club was relegated to the second division of the Lancashire Combination at the end of the 1965 season, the first time such a thing had happened to it. The Croaries, finally realsing the problems they had, started thinking of ways to salvage the situation. At this point, the British Government redrew the County boarders, granting Sodor its own county council. However, Sodor remained part of the Lancashire Combination, causing mild controversy within Sudrian Nationalist circles. In 1968, when 5 clubs defected to the newly formed Northern Premier League, the Sudrian teams watched on with interest. The Croaries proposed the idea of breaking away from the now weakened Lancashire Combination to form a Sudrian league. Not only was the idea universally accepted by teams and fans, but plans went further to break away from the English FA altogether, and so The Sodor Island Amateur Football Association was born. However, during the first Annual General Meeting of the SIAFA in 1971, it was ruled that the Masons would start in the new league in the 3rd Division. For the Masons fans, it was the ultimate insult. Blaming the Croaries for the club lowest league position in history, they decided to take matters into their own hands. TROUBLED TIMESIn 1972, the fans, lead by Jermyn Felgood, the owner of the local brewery (and sponsors of the south end stand), brought the club from the Croaries, ending their 39 years of ownership. With the new management and renewed financial support, the Masons started the first season of SIAFA 3rd Division with confidence. There was disappointment all round when they fell just short of a play off position. However, in the 1973 –‘74 season, the football club’s 50th anniversary would prove to be better, when they achieved promotion to the 2nd Division. The form didn’t continue though, as they couldn’t progress any further up the league. Despite the problems, the Masons keep sprits high as the 100th anniversary of the Cricket Club’s formation was nearing. Celebrations, including a midnight party at Anopha Park were planned to commemorate the club’s history and the birth of a new year. However, disaster struck on the stroke of midnight at the Arlesburgh Road Stand when a dropped cigarette fell through holes of the wooden stand and ignited the accumulated rubbish below. Joy turned quickly into panic as the stand was consumed by flames. The disaster claimed the lives of 28 people. The following enquiry placed no blame on any individuals but made it clear that the ground was in need of redevelopment. The fire had a dramatic effect on the club, who as well as being forced to play all their games away, were relegated at the end of the season. Plus, the club was short on funds, making redevelopment difficult. As a result, it accumulated a massive debt to finance the redevelopment. By 1984, the new stands were complete. The Memorial Kop (site of Arlesburgh Road Stand), The Felgoods Stand and The Town End (site of Croarie Stand), all constructed with best Ffarquhar Stone could hold 7,500 people and while the team and fans were overjoyed to be back at a better than ever Anopha Park, they remained oblivious to the club’s financial state. By 1988, the club had stormed into the SIAFA 1st Division for the first time. However, this achievement was overshadowed. As management struggled with their loan repayments, Felgood decided to sell Anopha Park to raise the funds necessary to keep the club alive. While Felgood’s reputation was damaged, the announcement of the sale rallied surporters to start the ‘Lets buy back the Park’ campaign, which saw donations coming in from fans as well as the Croaries to raise the necessary funds for the Masons to buy back the ground. THE MOVE TO PROFESSIONALISMAfter Anopha Park was brought back, The Masons put the troubles of the past 10 years behind them and won the league in ‘89, ’91, ‘93 and ’94, plus the cup in 1992. Many were thinking that the good days from the 40s and 50s were back. However, a question was increasing splitting the league: Professionalism or Amateurism? When Wellsworth Football Club collapsed in 1992, there were solid claims that if the Association were professional, the team would have survived. The question was raised again when Rugby Union went Professional in 1995. The debate grew intensely, dominating the whole game. At the1996 AGM, the Association’s Governing Board decided that a decision was needed. The resulting ballot saw Professionalism win by a narrow margin. The restructuring of the Association saw it emerge as SIFA, with players being legally paid at the start of the 1997 – ‘98 season. The new system was a near death kneel for many clubs as the increased costs cut deeply into their profit margins. Combined with circumstances, the two rival Knapford teams (Harbour and Town) were forced to merge to stay afloat. For the Masons, they were forced to sell top players to keep pace with costs. These measures came at a cost, as the reduced strength team plummeted out of the 1st Division in the 1998 – ’99 season and struggled in the 2nd as the 21st century dawned. ENTER THE DUKE On the final day of the 1999 – 2000 season, when the Masons made a great escape and avoided relegation to the 3rd Division, a savior arrived and brought the club from a debt ridden Felgood. This turned out to be Richard Norramby, the Earl of Sodor, known to Sudrians as ‘The Duke’. Following a complete change of the backroom staff and team, The starting 11 of the 2000 –’01 team was full of untried, yet promising young players wanting to prove themselves. The gamble almost paid off, as ‘The Babes’ finished the season in 3rd. In the 2001 –’02 season came the club’s longest run of games without a defeat, a grand total of 11. Such a run saw the season ending with the Masons as champions and a promotion back to the 1st Division. Unfortunately, the good form didn’t continue as several of the babes were poached away by English clubs. This resulted in the Masons struggling in the league, often spending time in the relegation zone. These situations became more frequently as more players were cherry picked by the English giants. The Masons were thankfully fortunate, as these issues were being felt by all the Sudrian clubs. In a move to protect the clubs from losing players, SIFA managed to secure a lucrative TV rights contract with British satellite channel Sky Sports in 2005. With the royalties distributed between the clubs, they kept players loyal to them with larger pay packets. Also, to promote Sudrian Football aboard, SIFA rebranded the leagues to make them reconisable to potential English fans. As such, the 1st Division became the Premier League. Despite this, The Masons continued to struggle. With the 2006 – ’07 season heading for disaster, Norramby fired the manager and sent out scouts to search the country for a caretaker manger to see them through the season. On the recommendation of the Football Association of Wales, The Masons turned to a former player of Carmarthen Town AFC, Rhodri Davies. Following several knee and ankle injuries that ended his playing career at an early age, Davies had been doing Managerial Consultancy with the Welsh Premier League sides before getting his first managerial position as caretaker at Cardiff Bay Harlequins in the 2005 – ’06 season, saving a team which had been running on reserves and the youth team from relegation. Davies’s arrival at The Masons saw a massive turnaround, with the team winning seven of the last ten games of the season and ensuring another year in the top flight. Impressed with Davies’s work, Norramby offered him the position of full time manger, which he accepted. Davies’s first full season saw the team rejuvenated, finishing 4th. Inspiration taken from: Bradford City: Stadium Fire Cardiff City: Falling strength in economic downturn Hundred of football clubs: Starting life as a Cricket team, The Great Escape Manchester United: Renaming of club after investment from businessman, the Babes Watford: Let’s buy back the park
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Warrior
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Post by Warrior on Oct 1, 2009 0:31:24 GMT
*Jaw drops*
All that for FOOTBALL?!?
Dude, that's just awesome. Good luck in the finals!
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JimBobDunnie
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Post by JimBobDunnie on Oct 2, 2009 21:56:27 GMT
Well Warrior, us here in Newport do live simple lives... Here's a football history of Knapford for anyone interested EARLY DAYS The town of Knapford in the late 1800’s was one of the most industrious towns in Sodor. As the location of a major port, major manufacturing works of important materials and goods were located in or near to the town and with this brought about a lot of employment. When football started to become a popular and more prominent event, games used to be played amongst the different factory, miners and drainage workers and the like in the Belle Vue Park. The fast growing regularity of these matches prompted the creating of the ‘Knapford Cup’, or nicknamed by workers the “Working Man’s Trophy” in 1891 where the teams would play competitively in the summer months instead of the occasional friendly. This meant a greater amount of seriousness was brought to the game and with it a lot more public attention in the town. Factories would be known to poach the best players from rival companies into working at theirs for a slightly bigger wage than the one they would receive if they were to play in the company’s football team. However, it was the Dockers at the town’s harbour that were the dominant force in the cup. The team, known for their physical presence, won the cup a total of 16 times in the competitions 23 history. A CLUB IS BORN Football in the west of Sodor was fast becoming a phenomenon. Amateur teams like Tidmouth United, the Crosby Corries and Dyraw Rovers were set up in a space of only a few years all around the town. With Knapford being the only major influencing town without a team and there being no demanding call for one, the successful dockworkers took it upon themselves to set up Knapford Harbour Football Club on 24th June 1923. The club was backed by companies who operated with or had links to the harbour as they felt that this was a good employer moral boasting association. Lead by Chairman Ken Shankley, the first match was played at Belle Vue Park in a scheduled friendly match against a Knapford XI (made up of players from the other teams who played in the Cup apart from the Dockers), with the ‘Harbour Men’ winning 3-1. Knapford Harbour, unlike teams such as Tidmouth United and Ffarquhar & Hackenback AFC, were rejected from the Lancaster Combination Football League. The reasons given (the league committee deemed the clubs structure too ‘unstable’) offended Shankley who fought this constantly. The club without a league to play in became a ‘travelling team’ within Sodor, regularly being invited by local club teams to play them in hope of drawing crowds for competitive games. The team acquired a set-up that they would tour once in each of the four seasons of the year, each in a different area of Sodor. Harbour was a regular appearance in the Sodor ‘Wartime Games’ during WWII. ANOTHER CLUB IS BORN Shankley departed the club in 1941, leaving the role of Chairman open. The election of the new Chairman would see the board being entirely split. A number wanted Graeme Paisley, a close aide to Shankley who wished to keep the sides tradition of being a touring invitational side. However, near enough an equal amount backed Peter Holdsworth who strongly believed that the side should become an English Counties League side. The debate forced open cracks within the relations inside the board right to voting day. Paisley won the vote by a near margin, which infuriated Holdsworth and his supporters. With financial backing, they left the club in April of that year and formed Knapford Town Football Club, with intentions of creating a strong Knapford force to compete in the leagues. Threatened, those still within Harbour started to panic and, even though they had supported the initial idea’s of keeping tradition, persuaded Paisley to reconsider the future of the club. They suggested the club could potential lose its already committed and large following (at this point, the Harbour Men had already moved to their 14, 000 capacity Somerton Road which the team were regularly filling up in home matches). Insulted at the lack of faith being shown in him Paisley left the club being only in the role 5 months. Knapford Harbour took two years from touring as a new chairman was elected and the clubs situation was sorted out. Meanwhile, Town were accepted into the League being granted a place in the Lancashire league in 1946 after the war with an exciting, young team with a mixture of veterans who were disillusioned with the current state of Harbour. Knapford Town commanded a respectable charge for promotion. Two years later they were joined by Harbour, who had made a return to touring the season before their inclusion into the league. THE SODOR ISLAND AMATEUR FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION ERA In the Oxbridge Hotel, Tidmouth on the 12th April 1971 the first Annual Meeting of the SIAFA took place. The governing body was formed after Sodor was declared recognising as a separate county and the teams, lead by the Croarie Family of Ffarquhar Masons FC, sought football independency. In the discussion of the formation of the leagues Knapford Town, who were at this point a dominant force in the leagues, were granted Division 1 status whilst Knapford Harbour were only given Division 3, the lowest of the divisions. Harbour fans were furious at this, suggesting that the Association had shown a total negligence to the clubs historic value. Knapford Town closely battled for the title with Tidmouth United in the first SIAFA League Season, but only came second. However Harbour just about made the promotion places gaining a ticket in the 2nd Division. It was in the third season; however, that was the next interesting chapter in Knapford’s football history. The SIAFA had organised the first Sodor Island Cup tournament, and it was in the fourth round that both Harbour and Town were drawn together. In the clubs bitter hatred filled past, never had the sides ever played each other at this point. The game drew a lot of media and public attention within the island. The match was played on the 2nd February 1974 at Holdsworth Parade, but however the game ended in a 1-1 draw with the reply being played at Somerton Road. The game ended in a dramatic circumstance when Knapford Harbour goalkeeper Danny Reid scored the winner for his team from a corner in dying moments of the game after going up for a corner kick. This is what many Harbour fans consider pay-back for the betrayal of Town and Reid went down as a Harbour legend, despite being a keeper of no great skill or ability. PROFFESSIONALISM, COLLAPSE AND REFORM In 1992 the long founded and well respected club Wellsworth FC folded due to financial complications. The loss of the first club in Sodor began a debate within the island of whether the Association should follow the English clubs example and go professional, many arguing had it already been Wellsworth could’ve potentially survived. This debate was only strengthened by the professionalization of Rugby Union in 1995. After a ballot poll, in 1996 saw the formation of the Sodor Island Football Association and with it Professionalism. By this point Knapford Town were a title challenging side, having won the title five times in ’76, ’82, ’86, ’88 and ’92. Harbour were a mid-table Division 2 side, but had had experience of Division 1. Both teams when inspected by the league were deemed fit to support the new financial demands of professional football. However, Harbour struggled to keep their best players who opted for much higher wages with other teams in aid to support their new life’s as full time footballers than Harbours ‘just adequately’ higher wages, as described by then captain Sam Pennock. Harbour struggled to hold their position in the league and was relegated; causing havoc to the 5 year financial plan they had in place. Town, on the other hand, had no worries keeping their best players. Backed by fan, local-boy-done-good and lifelong fan millionaire Michael Booking they were able to stay afloat. However, in 1996 Booking’s health took a turn for the worst. Un-expectantly in August that year Booking was rushed into hospital and was there diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Throughout his therapy he still continued to fund the club, but doubts were cast about the long term stability of his financial backing. Booking was said to be responding well to his treatment, but in February 1999 Booking was found unconscious in his holiday home in Norramby. He was taken to the nearest hospital and soon after this his lawyers suspended his finances going into Knapford Town FC Plc. Booking was announced dead only a few hours later. In the space of a few hours Knapford Town were penniless. They entered administration in March, but were declared bankrupt in April. Only a few weeks from this devastating announcement, Knapford Harbour announced that they were on the brink of collapse themselves. Horrified at the prospect of losing both teams, the Knapford Town Council stepped in to take control of the situation. Realising that there was no way for both teams to be saved separately; they presented the proposal of a merger between the two sides. This was immediately rejected by either side, both arguing that there was still a possibility that their side could see through their problems. However, despite this set-back the council were adamant that they wanted to secure a football club in their town. They sought out a potential buyer, which came in the form of entrepreneurs Ian Gallagher and Noel Brown. Brown and Gallagher agreed to fund a proposed new merged team between Harbour and Town, agreeing to pay off debts and see them prepared in the professional era. When the idea of either this or closure was once again proposed to both teams, they reluctantly agreed. 58 years after they initially split from each other, Knapford was now united into one club. Associated Football Club Knapford was born. A NEW ERA AFC Knapford started life in Division 4, despite arguments by the board to start in the Division 1. The club managed to hold onto either of the ex. sides top players of the time. The first season was a success, with the Harbour Men dominating a league that struggled to match the quality of players used to playing in higher divisions. The problem, however, was securing the fan base. Playing at the Somerton Road ground, many of the fans still had bitter taste about how their clubs had turned out. However, as the team’s success continued through to promotion to Division 3 in their second season they were slowly convinced and soon returned in their droves. After two seasons in the second division in 2003 AFC Knapford reached the top division. The club initially struggled to make an impact, brushing with relegation in the lower half of the table. However, they stayed in the division long enough to see the benefits of the television money in the new SIFA Premier League. ---- And for anyone who is thinking about signing up, please do! Pleasepleaseplease! The more the merrier
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Post by Cläy on Oct 7, 2009 5:47:13 GMT
Round 7 has come and gone, and there's been no change whatsoever in the league table. Results were: Tidmouth United FC - Wellsworth Wanderers 1 - 0 (0 - 0) Mons Patro Visé - Salford Athletic 3 - 0 (3 - 0) Ffarquhar Masons - AFC Knapford 0 - 3 (0 - 0) The table as stands is: AFC Knapford - 19 Mons Patro Visé - 14 Tidmouth United FC - 13 Ffarquhar Masons - 8 Salford Athletic - 4 Wellsworth Wanderers - 1 So it looks as though Knapford are home and dry, 5 points up with 3 games to go. In the Cup Knapford also won the first leg 1-0 against Ffarquhar, and the decider is to be played on Wednesday. Good luck guys. And yes, I echo Jimbob's statement about pleasepleasepleaseplease sign up or at the very least send me a PM if you're interested so I can remind you in 3 weeks when the season's over. I'll post up part 1 of 3 of Mons Patro Visé's history tomorrow. The three-point plan is: - Two clubs merge - Team becomes unsustainable in current guise - Belgian bloke saves the day
As promised, here is the first of 3 parts of MPV’s history. Vicarstown’s history is up next, then the Vikings/MPV FOUNDING AND INITIAL YEARS Kirkronan Roamers Association Football Club was formed in 1919, in an attempt to return the area to somewhat normality after the Great War. Kirkronan had previously hosted several unofficial matches, but with their own club playing in the Leagues for the first time the town felt a greater sense of ownership. KRAFC was formed by local businessman Donald “Ol’ Thackers” Thackwell, who had played for Manchester United before the war – a grenade explosion cost Thackwell his left arm and he could not return to the field afterwards. Having moved to Kirkronan for his recuperation he recognised the need the area had for the football team, and hence financed the Roamers’ forming. The Roamers were consistent performers in the league, rarely finishing last in the 3rd Division, and on occasion being promoted to 2nd Division. The first instance was in 1924, followed by stints in 1931, 1934-5 and 1938. However, with the shadow of war looming, Kirkronan took the step of recessing for the duration, paying £300 per year to the league to keep their spot open on the understanding that they would resume in 3rd Division. POST WAR BOOM THANKS TO “LAUREL & HARDY” Kirkronan resumed playing in 1946, and Thackwell immediately started an aggressive recruitment drive. Among the players targeted was English legend Stanley Matthews, who was allegedly about to sign when his club came back with an offer which matched the Roamers. Undaunted, the Roamers showed that the years off had not dimmed their skills, winning promotion to 2nd Division in 1948, and for the first time reaching 1st Division in 1951. The 50s were a boom period for the Roamers, winning their first league title in 1954 and being a consistent presence in the 1st Division. This was in no small part due to what is widely agreed to be the finest midfield pairing to play for Kirkronan in Alec Bennett and Roy Gray – known as the “Laurel & Hardy” of the midfield. In 1957, Thackwell, knowing his health was in decline, set up a succession plan for ownership of the club and stepped down; although he remained a popular fixture at home matches. Despite the club’s success, Kirkronan was starting to feel the financial pinch as travel costs increased and players’ demands rose in accordance with their performance, winning their second title in 1958. THE KERREN ERA - DARK TIMES In 1962, Thackwell passed away. The club was now in a dire financial situation, so the Thackwell family decided to sell to respected Lancastrian businessman David Kerren. Unfortunately, Kerren was not skilled in people management, and after a blazing row midway through the season, legendary coach Roy Shilton left for greener pastures. Bennett, who had planned to retire after one more season, left with Shilton in a show of solidarity, and morale of the club plummeted. Kerren did well initially, but on field performance suffered dramatically after his taking over. The Roamers were relegated in 1963, and down to 3rd Division in 1964 while more and more players left, upset at the direction the club was going. The nadir came in 1966. Kirkronan managed a total of 4 points from their 38 games for the season, ending with a goal difference of -82. The combination of poor performance and community disapproval of Kerren led to him selling the club, this time to a coterie of Birmingham investors, who would go on to be known as the “Brummagem Knights”. BRUMMAGEM KNIGHTS SAVE THE DAY... THEN LOSE IT The Knights’ first move was to ensure that Kirkronan, which had been in poor health financially since the death of Thackwell, would not fold. Asking the League for a £2,000,000 loan to bring the club back up onto its feet (with a five-year limit for repayment), the Knights quickly swept a broom through the club. Junior footballers in the area were given increased match time, and while results improved only slightly, the feel around Kirkronan was that they had turned the corner. The Croarie-led move to the SIAFA in 1971 was a Godsend for the Roamers. After finalizing their payment to the League in 1970, they were invited into the AFA in the 2nd Division as both recognition of their previous form in the 1950s and their improved form over the last few years. With Roy Gray returning to the club as manager, the Roamers played well enough to be promoted for 1st Division in 1972. Among the youngsters given their first games in the late 60s in the post-Kerren era was Glenn Williams, who quickly set up a reputation as one of the most feared strikers of the time. In 1974, the Williams legend became real when, in the last match of the season against Knapford Town to decide the championship, he kicked the famous ‘corner curl’ goal, directly from the corner as he was corralled by two Town defenders, around and over the goal area and into the net. Williams was reticent in later years, saying he only ever aimed to cross the ball, but contemporaries say that this was a calculated shot he had been practicing for years to perfect. With their first championship in Division 1 in the history books, Kirkronan were fully entrenched as a power club. However, in 1977 it all came crashing down. Two of the Brummagem Knights, Dale Beresford and Peter Kendall, were revealed to be millions of pounds in debt after other investments they had made had plummeted. As a result, they were forcedly stood down as owners of the club, although the remaining three Brummagem Knights stayed onboard. With the income from Beresford and Kendall now gone, Kirkronan began another steady decline. SLOW DESCENT INTO NOTHING The falls from grace of both the Brummagem Knights and David Kerren meant that few prospective owners were interested in purchasing the club and taking on their millions plus debt. Nonetheless, Kirkronan kept plugging away on the field, only briefly dipping into 3rd Division once, in 1981. However, by 1983 the club’s position was untenable, and a merge was mooted with Norramby FC. The fans of both Kirkronan and Norramby took great umbrage at this, and in a joint march, forced the merge to be defeated at a vote of members on 15 July. The money tipped into the club during the “Kirkronan Rallies” quickly ran out, and the SIAFA issued an ultimatum to the remaining Brummagem Knights – merge, and the debts are written off, otherwise fold. At this, the Brummagem Knights made what was, at the time, the only decision, and looked for suitable clubs to join forces with. Vicarstown FC, a consistent high performer for many years, was willing to help Kirkronan out, and indeed, the merge was arranged, so that Kirkronan Roamers and Vicarstown FC became one entity on 24 September, 1984, known as the Vicarstown Vikings. Inspiration taken from: Marco Van Basten’s goal in 1988 Euro Cup Final against USSR Footscray/Fitzroy aborted merger 1989 (VFL) George Harris’s failed business dealings (Carlton President, 1979)
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Post by trainzfan on Oct 10, 2009 12:14:22 GMT
The results of round 8 are as follows:
Salford Athletic 1-0 AFC Knapford (Hiles 10) Wellsworth Wanderers 1-4 Mons Patro Vise (Shamrock 1; Oostrom 22, 54, Van Oranje 43, 66, Voorhees s/o 90+4) Ffarquhar Masons 4-0 Tidmouth United (Johnston 6, Pratchett 17, Bigglesworth 67, Gornall 74)
So, despite no change in position, AFC Knapford's shock defeat at the hands of Salford sees the gap cut to 2 points with just two games left to play.
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Rhodri
Goods Engine
You spin me right round
Posts: 407
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Post by Rhodri on Oct 10, 2009 19:34:53 GMT
A shock defeat indeed! Only in the eighth round of the League does Knapford lose it's first competitive game! And only after just winning the SIFA Cup! MPV now has a chance of being crowned League Champions!
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JimBobDunnie
Branch Line Engine
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Posts: 1,002
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Post by JimBobDunnie on Oct 11, 2009 9:20:05 GMT
For the sake of the league, the loss is a good thing as it means the league is now more open and the winner can now be decided on the final game, as opposed to if I had won at Salford all I had to do was beat Wellsworth and I would be declared champion. Now this is going to go to the wire, brilliance For my own sanity, this is the worst thing that could have happened and I no-no like
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Post by Cläy on Oct 11, 2009 18:22:12 GMT
Wacko. First up,congrats Jimbob on winning the Cup, well deserved. Secondly - that's thrown a huge wrench into the works of the league - should next week's matches go to form we'll have a spectacular last round on our hands for the league title. trainzfan, you do good things of course, I'll have to come to the party as well next week and make sure I get the 3 points to set this up... very exciting now ;D And Jimbob, I'll recommend a good doctor who's currently looking after my sanity. It's in a small basket somewhere, I believe. Or maybe I'm a fish, you never know.
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Rhodri
Goods Engine
You spin me right round
Posts: 407
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Post by Rhodri on Oct 13, 2009 18:15:03 GMT
Well, with two rounds of matches till the end of our first season, we have started our recruitment campaign for the next season. We have a new team in the League, managed by Jaquin. For those interested in joining us for the next season, you can sign up at: www.xperteleven.com/Once signed up, enter our League ID "213987" in the "Search" menu to join the Sodor Island Football League! Hope to see you all there soon!
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Post by Cläy on Oct 17, 2009 19:33:23 GMT
Round 9 has come and gone, and there is a change in the league table! Results: Ffarquhar Masons - Salford Athletic 3 - 1 (2 - 0) Mons Patro Visé - Tidmouth United FC 3 - 0 (2 - 0) AFC Knapford - Wellsworth Wanderers 4 - 1 (2 - 1) The Masons move to 3rd after their defeat of Salford, while Tidmouth drop to 4th. AFC Knapford is still 2 points ahead of MPV, with MPV needing to win to take the title. It's all set up for a big finish ;D Round 10's fixtures are as follows: Salford Athletic (5) - Tidmouth United FC (4) Wellsworth Wanderers (6) - Ffarquhar Masons (3) AFC Knapford (1) - Mons Patro Visé (2) - MATCH TO DECIDE THE LEAGUE And again, feel free to join the league - Rhod's given the link and League ID above, and the more players the better
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Post by Cläy on Oct 27, 2009 4:36:27 GMT
The "Change Report" has come through for the season, and prizemoneys have been awarded as appropriate. I did pretty well - 5 skill points up as against 2 down = 4 up in total (not sure how that works, maybe my "ups" were bigger than the "downs" ). I still don't have any 7 stars though How did the rest of you do? Also, the transfer market is back in business, so if you want to spend spend spend, go nuts! Once we have an 8th team I'll restart the league and we'll go from there, aye?
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