The Journeyman - A FM 21 Story

[jasontoddwhitt]

That 4-4 draw sure is looming large right now.

This place is always exciting after a victory. We played very well today; a 4-0 drubbing of Solihull Motors. We weren't exactly at the races in the first half, but we went into the locker room up 1-0 and I assured the guys that we were in good shape. They responded by banging in three goals in the second half. A huge result, considering that Wrexham lost yesterday 2-0 to Stockport.

We are only two points behind Wrexham for first place. Is this even real? This season has surpassed all of my drunken expectations, much less my realistic expectations. The fans, the local pundits, and even the board are hailing me as some tactical genius. I really don't think I am. It's not like I'm reinventing the wheel here. I guess most people expect teams at this level to just hoof long balls up the pitch and try to get behind the defense.

Over the second half of the season, we are tied with Wrexham for most points with 30. Both clubs are 9-3-1 over the last 13 matches. So it's only fitting that we are 1-2 in the standings.

That 4-4 draw against Wrexham last month sure is looming large right now.

Only two things left to do now. The first is to sign my name on this piece of paper I've been reading over the past hour. The second? Well, that will have to wait for a couple of months.

[jasontoddwhitt]

CLUB NEWS

Meekings signs permanent contract

Wealdstone announced today that central defender Josh Meekings has signed a permanent contract for two years worth $46k.

Meekings had been working for Wealdstone on a by-appearance deal after injuries had plagued the defender the past five seasons. This season has been a return to form for the defender, who has made 35 appearances for the club, the most Meekings has had since making 44 appearances for Scottish side Inverness CT back during the 2014/15 season.

"It was a no-brainer for me to sign this contract," said Meekings. "This club gave me a chance when everyone else had pretty much written me off as a player. I'm glad that I was able to repay that faith they showed in me."

Welch signs new contract

The club has finalized a contract extension for manager Drew Welch, signing the manager to a two-year extension worth $119k.

"It was imperative to get this deal done," said general manager Michael Shaw. "Drew has done a fantastic job with the club this season. This season has gone beyond our imaginations and it was only right to give him the job security that a two-year extension brings. We want our manager's full attention on the final two months of this season as we chase for the title. We didn't want him wondering where he was going to be in two months."

Welch, who is in his first season at Wealdstone, took over the club and has led the club to a fantastic season. The club currently sits two points behind Wrexham for the top of the table in the National League.

"It was a no-brainer for me," said Welch when asked about signing the extension. "The negotiations were quick and easy. I absolutely love it here, and I wanted to repay the faith that the club showed me in handing the reigns of this club over to an unknown American who had never managed anything outside of amateur football. But the ride isn't over yet. Not by a longshot."

Cukur recognized by National League

Forward Tiago Cukur was recognized by the National League today, finishing third in voting for the National League Young Player of the Month award for the month of March. The Watford loanee played a huge role for the club, scoring four goals and registering two assists in five appearances with a match rating of 7.94.

Altrincham forward Joe Piggot won the award, scoring five goals and recording one assist in five appearances with a match rating of 7.58. Wrexham forward Micah Obiero finished second in the voting, scoring five goals in five appearances with a match rating of 7.38.

Yes, we feel Tiago was robbed.

Welch recognized by National League

For the second straight month, Wealdstone manager Drew Welch finished second in voting for the National League Manager of the Month award. Wealdstone earned 13 out of a possible 18 points for the month, climbing from 3rd to 2nd in the standings.

Wrexham manager Dean Keates won the award, also earning 13 out of a possible 18 points as Wrexham maintains the hold on 1st place that they have had since the middle of February. Chesterfield manager David Irving finishes third in voting for a second straight month, earning 13 out of a possible 18 points as they've climbed from 19th place to 15th place.

After spending nearly half the season at the very bottom of the table, Chesterfield has excelled under Irving's leadership, earning 28 points in the second half of the season.

Fans Choice Voting

1. ST Tiago Cukur - 5 apps, 4 goals, 2 assists, 2.80 xG, 7.94 rating
2. ST JJ McKiernan - 4 apps, 1 goal, 1 assist, 0.94 xG, 7.18 rating
3. GK Harry Isted - 6 apps, 3 shut outs, 3 conceded, 23 saves, 4.17 xGA, 7.30 rating

[jasontoddwhitt]

CLUB NEWS

Wealdstone secure playoff spot

In spite of today's 0-0 draw against Weymouth, Wealdstone has clinched a spot in the National League promotion playoffs. Wealdstone joins Wrexham and Stockport as the only other clubs to have clinched a playoff spot.

As a reminder, the league champion gains automatic promotion to League Two while clubs placed 2nd through 7th will contend in a playoff to determine the other club that will gain promotion.

League Title Race
1. Wrexham - 87 points (4 points to clinch title)
2. Stockport - 79 points
3. Wealdstone - 78 points

Playoff Race
2. Stockport - 79 points (clinched spot)
3. Wealdstone - 78 points (clinched spot)
4. Barnet - 71 points
5. Notts County - 69 points
6. Bromley - 64 points
7. Aldershot - 63 points
***
8. Sutton - 63 points
9. Maidenhead - 61 points
10. Torquay - 61 points
11. Yeovil - 58 points
12. Eastleigh - 58 points

Relegation Battle
15. Altrincham - 46 points
16. FC Halifax - 44 points
17. Chesterfield - 44 points
18. Dag & Red - 43 points
19. Hartlepool - 42 points
20. King's Lynn - 40 points
***
21. Boreham Wood - 36 points
22. Woking - 36 points
23. Weymouth - 30 points (clinched relegation)

Wealdstone hire Brabin to scouting staff

With the end of the season fast approaching, Wealdstone Director of Football Michael Shaw is preparing for the summer transfer period by expanding his scouting staff. Today, the club announced that they had signed Gary Brabin to a one-year contract.

"Gary brings a lot of experience to the table, both as a scout and as a manager," said Shaw. "We feel his expertise will be invaluable as we gear up for the summer transfer period."

Brabin was last seen at Championship side Luton last season, where he served as the assistant manager under manager Graeme Jones before both were sacked towards the end of the season. The last time Brabin had served as a scout was in his first stint at Luton back during the 2009/10 season, when he served as their chief scout.

Holland returns to TNS

Midfielder Tom Holland's eight-month loan has come to an end and he returned to The New Saints, dealing a blow to Wealdstone's promotion changes.

"We tried to extend his loan to the end of the season, but TNS wasn't having it," said manager Drew Welch. "It's a blow as Holland was instrumental in our play this season. But, we'll soldier on."

Holland made 34 appearances for the Stones this season, scoring three goals and collecting five assists with an average match rating of 7.22 across all competitions. He was very tidy with the ball all season, completing 91% of his passes.

We wish Holland all the best in his future endeavors.

Fans Choice Voting

1. ST Danny Parish - 3+1 apps, 3 goals, 1 assist, 1.76 xG, 7.28 match rating
2. WB Michee Efete - 4 apps, 1 assist, 0.05 xG, 7.28 match rating
3. CB Fin Back - 4+1 apps, 7.22 match rating





And with that, our title aspirations are pretty much done barring an epic collapse by Wrexham. We simply ran out of gas. The matches have been coming hot and fast since about December, and after playing brilliant football for much of that stretch, my guys finally hit the wall.

Still, we have a lot to play for. We clinched a spot in the playoffs. That was definitely not in the club's five-year plan. So while the competitor in me is going to be bummed that we didn't win the league, we still have a ton to be thankful for.

The plan for the final four games is to take maximum points and try to gain the top seed in the playoffs...or win the title if Wrexham drops four straight games. Hey, a man can dream.

[jasontoddwhitt]

CLUB NEWS

Wealdstone finish 2nd

Defying all preseason expectations, Wealdstone has finished 2nd in the Vanarama National League, securing the first seed in the promotion playoffs.

"It's been a tremendous season for sure," said manager Drew Welch. "I know it would've been awesome to have won the title, but we still have plenty to play for."

Wealdstone had been on a 20-game unbeaten home streak, before heavily rotating the squad on the final day of the season with second place locked up.

Wealdstone face selection crisis

One problem that has crept up is that several players were on contracts that ran out on May 30th. This would not have become a problem if the Stones had not made the promotion playoffs. Director of Football Michael Shaw realized last month that this had the potential to become a major problem and worked to rectify this both through the FA and the individual players.

Unfortunately, several players opted to leave the club when their contracts expired, despite the club's best efforts to either sign them to long-term extensions or short-term extensions to make it through the playoffs.

"It's definitely not ideal," said manager Drew Welch. "We can still field a full side. That won't be an issue. But we lost some guys that played some key minutes."

Michael Phillips, Ashley Charles, Jacob Mendy, Daniel Green, Ross Lafayette, and Jerome Okimo all left the club when their contracts ran out. Okimo is the biggest loss, as the club captain decided he was just going to ride off into the sunset and retire rather than play in the playoffs. Wealdstone was also hit with the departures of Joseph Olowu and Harry Isted, who played key roles all season. Their loan deals expired, and both Arsenal and Luton were unwilling to extend the loans.

"I would've hoped for a little more loyalty, but it is what it is," said Shaw. "Obviously it will make it more difficult for us to gain promotion, but we will do our best."

Feud between ownership and supporters?

Sky Sports is reporting that the supporters of the club are banding together in an attempt to buy the club from Rory Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald called the report rubbish, saying that he would never sell the club and that the majority of supporters are happy with his running of the club.

It seems very unlikely that Fitzgerald would sell the club, given the success of the club both financially and on the pitch under his ownership.

It's definitely a headache the club doesn't need, considering it already has enough heading into the promotion playoffs.

[jasontoddwhitt]

[jasontoddwhitt]

CLUB NEWS

Wealdstone set to face Notts County in playoffs

Notts County's 1-0 victory over Sutton United has advanced them to the semifinals where they will face Wealdstone, who received a first-round bye for finishing 2nd in the league.

Wealdstone beat Notts County both times the two teams met by scorelines of 2-0 and 1-0.



Wealdstone lock up two players to extensions

The club announced today that wingbacks Dan Wishart and Alex Dyer both signed two-year contract extensions. Wishart signed a two-year deal worth $47k while Dyer signed a two-year deal worth $55k.

The club also announced that Dyer would be missing their match against Notts County as Dyer is on international duty with Montserrat, as they attempt to qualify for the FIFA World Cup. This will add more selection headaches for manager Drew Welch.

[jasontoddwhitt]

MATCH REPORT | Wealdstone 0-1 Notts County
National League Playoff Semi Final

The weather was perfect for the capacity crowd at Grosvenor Vale as they witnessed a hard-fought match between Notts County and Wealdstone. Unfortunately for fans of the Stones, a poor shooting game would be their undoing as Sam Dalby's header in the 78th minute off a corner kick would be the sole goal of the game as Notts County advanced to the promotion finals with a 1-0 victory over Wealdstone.

Perhaps the extra week off did no favors for Wealdstone, as they were not sharp at all today. Despite registering 15 shots on the day, only three of those were on target. This is in spite of the majority of those shots (10) coming from inside the penalty box.

Wealdstone: Askew, Back, Meekings, Cawley, Efete, Wishart, Lench, Smith, McKiernan (Dyer), Parish, Cukur (Lewis)

Subs not used: Everett, Hughes, Slew

Manager Drew Welch: I kind of have mixed emotions about today. On one hand, nobody expected us to be where we were today. On the other hand, we came out flat for a huge game that we could've and should've won. We have the expression of the bye week in America. I think having that week off did more harm than good because we definitely weren't sharp out there today.

We'll take a week off and celebrate our successes this season. Because ultimately, this was a successful season all things considered. We'll celebrate and also focus on what we can improve and get ready for next season.

[jasontoddwhitt]

Club Memorandum

* The board has decided to use our right to postpone the league-required stadium expansion until next season, providing the club is able to retain its current category. National League bosses have communicated to the club that at the moment we need to increase our ground overall capacity by 800 to match the league's minimum requirement. We have one year to comply with the requirements outlined and the board has decided that the cost of the proposed work would be too much to incur at this point in time.

* The board has set the initial payroll budget for the coming season at $647k and the transfer budget at $43.86K. We currently have $210k committed to spending next season with personnel decisions to be made over the coming weeks.

* The board thoroughly enjoyed the past season. They noted that the high-tempo pressing football we played was a hit with the club supporters. They also noted how excited they were at how defensively solid the club was, which should bode well for the future.

* Announced the club vision going forward is to solidify the club's position in the National League.

***

Our five-year plan is to solidify the club's position in the National League?

I came out of that meeting flabbergasted. Here I was thinking that considering how close we came to promotion, the board would want us to push forward. It's why I signed a new contract.

Michael just shook his head. "I think the board is just worried about going up the ladder too quickly. They want to make sure the club is solid financially. Don't stress yourself out about the financial side of things Drew. That's my job."

Michael Shaw has been a godsend as director of football while I acclimate to professional football. He lets me focus on the football side of things while he handles the business side of things. Our conversations about players are always very informative. I tell him what I need, he tells me what he can get.

Unfortunately for us, because of the pandemic messing with the scheduling the past two seasons, the National League has determined this year to go straight back to the old schedule format instead of using a couple of years to ease into it.

We get one week off, and it's on to preseason work.