Part 14: Chapter the Twelfth: Fledglings have to fly or die.

Chapter the Twelfth: Fledglings have to fly or die.
March 22, 2014-May 11, 2014

We've got a stocked youth system now, but that will be cold comfort if we fail to earn promotion. With seven games left we're three points back of Altrincham for the championship, and we've already qualified for the playoffs.

At AFC Telford, March 22, 2014
Skrill North



Callum Williams is clearly struggling. He lets two good chances go begging in the first half, and rattles a third off the crossbar. And of course we can't seem to help but give the other team a goal just before the half. Callum's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day continues in the second half as he misses another big chance. I finally pull him, but it doesn't do any good. We give up yet another late goal and take our third loss of the season, dropping us to six points behind Altrincham with only six more games to play. If we're going to get promoted it's probably going to be through the crapshoot that is a playoff.

AFC Telford 2-1 Tackleford City

vs. Bradford PA, March 29, 2014
Skrill North



Everything goes as expected when the team in 2nd place matches up against the team in 21st. Bradford get steamrolled, and we're deadly in front of the goal. Prior to the game I modified our main tactic slightly, setting the fullbacks to play a more limited and defensive role, and they reward me with a clean sheet. It baffles me that we have one of the best overall defenses in the league, having allowed the fewest goals of any team, but we seem to regularly allow other teams to score as the clock ticks down. I'll be going over our strategy more thoroughly during the summer break, but for now I'm trying to figure out what I can do to keep our defense from getting skinned and left for dead. Altrincham loses, and we're back to just 3 points behind them. We've got a better goal differential than they do, and we have an equal record with the same number of away goals, so we should have the tiebreaker if we're even on points.

Tackleford City 4-0 Bradford PA

vs. Stockport, April 5, 2014
Skrill North


Once again we keep a clean sheet, despite strong pressure at the end of the game by a team fighting to make the promotion playoffs. Rosetti remains mired in a deep slump, a major problem if we're forced into playoff matches. Altrincham draws, and we're now just a single point back of first place.

Tackleford City 1-0 Stockport

At Gainsborough, April 12, 2014
Skrill North



We come back from down one at halftime to tie the game on Callum William's first goal in eleven hours, and with Altrincham not active we move into first place. After Morris scores the winner fifteen minutes from the final whistle we are in first place by two points. The chase for the Skrill North title is coming down to the wire.

Gainsborough 1-2 Tackleford City



Altrincham stumbles against 7th place Brackley, losing one-nil. We now lead the division for the first time all season, and we control our own fate once more with three games left to play.

vs. Worcester, April 19, 2014
Skrill North


Andy Morris continues his torrid streak and bags a hat trick in the first half hour. We almost blow it in the second half, though, giving up 2 goals. Worcester peppers our goal with several good chances in the waning moments, causing me much concern. We escape with a narrow 3-2 victory, but points are points and we stay ahead of Altrincham.

Tackleford City 3-2 Worcester

At Gloucester, April 21, 2014
Skrill North


We nearly lost this game, saved only until a very late penalty call gives Rosetti a chance to equalize. He converts the penalty, and we take a point out of a match we had no business getting a result from. Derek McLaughlin, the 5k/week man, is our savior. I am furious with the team, and it seems like the players are doing their level best to give me a heart attack. I'm not joking, my family was wondering why I was cursing over my computer the day before Thanksgiving.

Gloucester 2-2 Tackleford City

At Colwyn Bay April 26, 2014
Skrill North



All we need to do to ensure promotion is to beat a team that's doomed to relegation. Even a draw will see us through. The only way we can make a hash of this is by losing. I relax when we take the lead 17 seconds in (yes, seconds) into the match. That doesn't last long as Colwyn Bay equalizes 42 seconds (yes, seconds) later. But I shouldn't have worried, we're able to pull ahead and then protect our lead. We win the game, and we win promotion. I tell the lads to enjoy it.




They're surprisingly bored. But I don't really care, we're moving up to the Skrill Premier! We'll actually be playing other full time professional teams! Break out the champagne!

Colwyn Bay 1-2 Tackleford City



The board is also somewhere shy of jubiliation, and they don't want the team to go overboard celebrating. To make them happy I throw the players into a fitness regimen over the last two weeks before they go onto their vacation. The board is happy enough that I request and receive a three year contract extension, with the added goal of playing possession soccer. I can't get them to agree to changing towards a youth oriented style, but with a three year deal I should be safe despite our inability to sign big name players.



I finally win a Coach of the Month award, which I'm grateful for even if I think it's long overdue.

Altrincham v. Worcester, May 10, 2014
Skrill North Promotion Final


Fourth place Worcester beats Altrincham in a barnburner to gain promotion to the Skrill North. Altrincham is a perfect example of why I was concerned about facing a promotion playoff- they lead the league from week 10 until week 37, set a scoring record for the Skrill North and finish with 89 points... and don't gain promotion because they lost a winner take all match.




Now it's time for the offseason, and over the next three months we'll be letting some players go, trying to resign others to longer contracts, and bringing in a few new faces in an effort to make it back to back promotions. I tell the players how proud I am of them, and set a goal of being at least mid-table at the end of next season. Many players fail to react well, which shows a lack of ambition. But for the moment, let's enjoy our success. I plan on it being merely the first of many.