kopking2006

August started off well, good training sessions with the lads, media was there taking pictures. later that day i recieved a fax, we had been given the odds of 40-1 for promotion, much better than our 5000-1 last season. they expected us to finish mid-table. it was a good feeling. now it was back to business, i had a couple of offers for key players including star striker mirnes ibrahimovic and pacy winger Joe anyinsah, both offers i flattly rejected. i held a press conference the next day stating it would be in the teams best interests to aim for promotion to the football league rather than taking a mid-table position, i thought i had the players to do it.

First game of the season was a few days away. my 51st competetive game at the start of my second season as a manager and most important of all for crawley, the town i have adopted as my own. i had mixed emotions, i was nervous, excited and very optomistic. i wondered if the team could improve on last seasons accomplishments of a mid-table position after the press decided we would be relegated. it was a galliant effort and hoped for the same this season. also on my mind was whether we would get promoted, before i could have happy thoughts(you know what i mean ;))reality sunk in, 46 games away, 46 challenging, hard competetive league games. adding extra pressure if we had a cup run, which i have prayed for all pre-season.

Saturday arrived, 12.00 hours and sat in the bar having a meal with the lads. i looked up and noticed i wasnt the only person that was nervous, it was the whole club. players, staff, board members, the chairman and even the fans. the same fans that carried us through a tough season last year. as i read out the starting eleven, the door creaked open, in walked a dark man in a suit, it was the chairman Mr Azwar Majeed. he wished all the players good luck with the season, nerves were steadied a little, i was happy and the players were happy. we walked out to the terrace ready for the first game of the season, 'this was it' i said to my assistant. "this is the season Broadfield Stadium and Crawley town welcome the football league, this time next year i wantto be in league two". the players walked out to a standing ovation from the crowd. here it was the first game of a long old season and we were ready!!!

First up was Forest green, I had a full team available apart from mirnes ibrahimovic, who was sent off in the friendly against Newport and faced a three match ban. Kick-off and within a minute of the start i had an injury, i thought to myself 'here we go again'. Ryan gyaki was the man injured and i brought on Steve Evans in his place. Twenty minutes on the clock and we found ourselves 1-0 down due to a deflected shot off our own player. I wasn't to impressed and ten minutes later, the leg-end that is Marcus Richardson popped up with an equalizer, the fans went wild. It remained all square at the break and when the second half started it was announced a club record 1531 attendance for the match. fifteen minutes had passed without any progress when new boy Keith Barker set-up strike partner Richardson for his second of the game. two minutes after richardson grabbed his hat-trick and the match ball after intercepting a pass and sloting it past the keeper. We held on for the three points and richardson deservedly took the MOTM award with his three goals.

The next game was our first away game of the campain, we travelled to morcombe confident from our last game and wanted the win. both teams had started well, having shots within twenty minutes. from the half hour mark we were under the kosh but managed to hold on and go in 0-0 at the break. the second half began just like the first, both teams equalling each other out. it was a dull game to say the least until injury time when crawley were a warded a free kick in a dangerous position, a bit of pinball in the area and it finally broke to richardson who calmly slotted home but was ruled out for offside. we were all dissapointed but we deserved at least a point and thats what we got.

The whistle blew for the start of our second home game and within two minutes we had scored, Joel Grant with the goal. Boston restarted and we immidiatly put them under pressure and gifted us a throw in. one ball and we were in again, this time Keith Barker was there to net his first for the club. we were 2-0 up after just four minutes and the fans were delighted, once again we pressured them from the restart with good affect, richardson was on hand to slot home a goal, seven minutes played and 3 up, this was dreamland no-one could believe it. we started to relax a little and continued to dominate the first half and richardson scored again in the 42nd minute as some good work paid off. four up at half time i didnt know what to say. they managed to pull a goal back in the 59th minute but we managed to hold them off and collect three points and another win. simon cox ran the midfield and picked up the MOTM award.

I had a break until my next game so i decided to take the lads down the golf course and then i had time to see how my gran was getting on. the weekend arrived and business as usual. we had to play woking away from home, they were third after winning three on the bounce. you could cut the atmosphere with a knife, tommy forecast was doing a very good job in keeping us in the game and i knew it was nt long before we would concede. that moment came in the 29th minute. i was thankful, and i bet the rest of the team were, for tommy's saves or we would have gone more than one down into half-time. toumi diagouraga scored a free-kick in the dying moments of the first half, we went in one a piece. tommy forecast was called into more action to keep it 1-1 until travis binnion slice in his cross to make it 2-1 on 63 minutes. Joel Grant slotted home on the 79th to make it a glorious day for crawley town. marcus richardson earned himself and early shower and a probable three match ban when he intentionally elbowed an opposing player, his team-mates had to drag him away. no doubt who the hero of the day was when tommy forecast was awarded the MOTM.

I only made two changes going into this game and we gave away a silly penalty in the 23rd minute. crappy play and sloppy passing let them in as they punished us and went 2-0 up in the 37th. HT and my team was distraught, i needed a lifeline,i made a few subs and had to wait til the 77th when we were awarded a penalty which ibrahimovic calmly placed into the corner of the goal. we didn't go down easy but it finished 2-1 to gravesend.

The first competitive month of the year ahead was over and the chairman, players, fans and myself were happy wth the results. we had played five games, won three,drew one and lost one. Proudly sitting fourth in the league but knew we could do better and believed we could do it and we had 41 games to do it in.

remember those who fell

Huggy B FmF-UniT co-founder