Once More on the Management Merry-Go-Round

As the Poppies Ownership continue to root through, no doubt, a stack of admirable applicants for a new Manager, news that whoever is /was the Manager of Banbury United has filtered to the top of the pile.  One must assume that he interviewed well, has a good network of contacts and made it clear that he wouldn't necessarily mind the occasional player or three being foisted on him by eager Directors.

Is it just the Poppies that, in recent years, treated the end of the season like the fall of Rome?  Players  cast out, Management sacked and Volunteers burned.  Then the next manager comes in, complains about lack of players and preparation and assembles a team of stumbling nobodies.  Think about it.  Last season was our best in the last three.  Why?  Because of new ownership?  Perhaps.  But possibly more because Lavery was given the end of the season before and the Summer to put together the best squad we've had for several seasons.

Some clubs pick "their man" and then back him to deliver.  Why don't we?

Case in point.  Perhaps you've forgotten, but not that long ago AFC Telford squeaked back into National North against....someone.  They had backed and RETAINED their Manager Kevin Wilkin from when they were last at that level.  Whilst we burned through Lee Glover, Andy Leese, James Le Masurier, Richard Lavery and are casting about for our fifth Gaffer in just over two and a half seasons, Telford kept faith and were rewarded.

Think also of Paul Holleran at Leamington who has racked up over 700 games as Manager of a club roughly half our size and doing twice as well.  Leamington were relegated with us and Telford, and, with their Phil Mitchell look-a-like still calling the shots, went straight back up again.

But not for us such stability.  Not when we can have an annual bring-and-buy and see who fancies a year navigating the Burton bobbles before being given the boot.

Bake-Off Tent to Baked-hard pitch.
Is Hollywood swopping Prue for the Poppies?

2024-2025 So close to Perfection

Before we delve into the usual post-season glorious Poppies sh*tshow that's raging all around us, we thought we'd take a breath and take a cheery delve into the Top and Bottom Five of last season.  Who knows.  It might lighten the mood a bit as our players continue to drift away....

TOP FIVE MOMENTS

The FA Cup win against Farsley Celtic.  We absolutely bossed a team from the division we were turfed out of the season before.  The same team that had managed to hang onto their National North place season after season, finally at our expense.  It's sad what has happened to Farsley since, but we definitely gave them what-for when both them and us we're at full strength.

The FA Cup win at The Cobblers.  Well, duh.....

The league win away at Telford, when we completely wiped the floor with our promotion rivals.  They couldn't have complained had we doubled our score, so dominant we were on the night, outplaying them in every department.  That was the night when winning the League suddenly looked, if not a certainty, then at least a bloody good bet.

This season's Macaroni Cheese on sale at Sudbury.  After notching in our Top Five Moments last season with their spicy bean nachos, the cooks at AFC Sudbury had done it again!  The missus declared it "bloody delicious".  Not that I was permitted the opportunity of checking the quality of the repast for myself.  I'm sure it was far better than the game, although a dead rat on a stick would have been better than that game. 

The Play-Off Semi Final when we started to look the part again until.....

BOTTOM FIVE MOMENTS        

The Play-Off Final.

The Doncaster FA Cup game was close to making it into the category above, and if it wasn't for Troy Deeney's boyfriend Billy Sharp would certainly have done so.

Any of the dismal post FA Cup performances, such as away to Barwell, Harborough, Redditch, Banbury or Lowestoft or home to Bromsgrove, St Ives or Hitchin, where a couple of additional wins would have got us over the promotion line.

Isiah's bizarre departure to play for a crook whose team was headed for relegation.  Cost us BIG time.

The shilly-shallying about parking costs at Latimer Park.  Was it a charge?  Was it a voluntary contribution?  Months later and still no one knows - from Chairman down to supporters no one can say for certain.  All it did was raise a tiny amount of money at the expense of a lot of bad will.  An utterly avoidable own goal.

And a lovely little bonus bummer - 

An unnamed supporter known only as W*yne T*deswell helpfully suggesting to George that 60 is far too young to qualify for a concession ticket.  Obviously, always looking for that extra buck, George lapped up this suggestion like a man reaching an oasis after crawling on his belly for the full length of the Sahara desert.  And a big thank you to W*yne from all of us 58/59 year old supporters.

Connor Turns Terminator

After a dramatic, tension filled night at Latimer Park it’s certainly nice – and a great relief – to reflect on a performance that restored belief. Not to mention setting up an epic finale (we hope).

If there were home nerves before the game it was certainly understandable, as apart from one good win at Stourbridge we hadn’t really looked the part since Christmas. With nearly all the talent that took us to the heights still with the club it has been difficult to fathom the collective drop off. Discontent over wage demands?  Too much squad rotation?  New signings parachuted in?  Lavs and his touchline meltdowns?  The pizza van going missing for several crucial fixtures?  It all felt very ominous.  Many feared we were sitting ducks to be turned over by a brash and confident Harborough side.

But on the other hand, it was worth remembering that this was bloody Harborough Town, not PSG.  Yes they had a Brazilian, but a novelty version mostly there for media clicks. Over the course of the season they, like us, weren’t good enough to win automatic promotion. Liam Dolman wasn’t getting any younger, or less bulbous. And their fans, bless them, with their packet-fresh yellow scarves, were so new to all this they’d even made a sweet little banner that they tried to ripple overhead before folding it up and popping it in a nice quilted bag.

 Less tifo, more tea towel

Over the next two hours we saw a Kettering side seemingly revitalised, sweeping the ball to the wings, piling on the pressure and getting closer and closer without ever finding that killer finish. With just a normal conversion rate we’d have settled it long before the end, but thankfully our back five were also up to anything Harborough had to offer... with the odd scare. Lewis White’s phenomenal tackle close to the end literally kept our season alive.

And so to penalties. For us, the last thing we wanted. For Harborough, mission accomplished, judging by their efforts to eat up the clock and the hugs at the final whistle.

After 10 minutes to manage the fiendishly complicated business of two coin tosses, we were under way. Prayers were silently offered. Pints nervously sipped. Certain defeat was already being rationalised, to prepare for the blow. For those unable to bring themselves to watch, it went a little like this:

SAAAAVED

AAAAGH

SHIT!

NOOOO

DOUBLE SHIT

THANK GOD

YES!!!

YES!!!!!!

BOLLOCKS

COME ON!!!

YES BLOODY YES

NOOOOOOOOO

BAAAAAAAARRRRRRRR

BAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRR

Connor, what can you say.  It is of course inevitable that any home grown defender who carries on with a bloodstained head bandage is likened to Terry Butcher. But not only is Connor Johnson, despite his Kettering genes, far better looking than Terry Butcher, he topped anything Butcher ever managed by slamming home the winning pen with absolutely no hesitation.  In the process becoming both a genuine Poppies legend and an automatic pick for our 175^th anniversary game.

And now it’s time to rest, refocus, stitch up head wounds, find some spare parts for Wes, oil those tonsils and get ready to finish the job. 

Beat that Butcher