18. Championnes!

 

Game Moves to FM24

I have successfully transferred The Ultimate English Pyramid Game from FM23 to FM24, which was a surprisingly seamless process given the amount of editor files there are on this game. Therefore all play and screenshots will now be from FM24.. Judging by today's news it will be played on the latest version of FM for some time yet!

Match 20: Morley Town v Wortley

Hide your daughters, Wortley are in town and they want revenge for the hammering we gave them earlier in the season. We are five points clear at the top, while the visitors from up t’ring road are in a middling 9^th. We are unchanged from the thriller against Leeds University.

Team: McLachlan, Busfield, Clappison, Dempsey, M.Smith, Wright, A. Smith, Grantham, Rowe, Ellis, Preston

Match Action

It is the visitors who make the early running in this one and a snap shot brings out the best of McLachlan as he turns the ball round the post for a corner. At the other end, Ben Clappison hits the side netting with a header from a Wright corner when he perhaps should have done better. On the half hour we finally show our class. Courey Grantham makes progress down the right flank after being set free by Busfield. His cut back is swept home by The Angel for his 20^th goal of the season. We gain further control when McKenzie Smith cuts infield from left back before feeding Aaron Smith. His perfectly weighted through ball gets the impressive Corey Grantham galloping into the box, before emphatically smashing the ball into the top corner to double our lead. The unusually quiet Kevin Preston suddenly springs to life down the left wing. He gets to the byeline and his low near post cross is turned into his own net by their defender, Viana. Three nil to Morley at half time. The fourth goal comes from a corner, the ball is cleared to Preston on the edge. He passes to Aaron Smith on the edge of the area who blasts home from range into the top corner. Brilliant!

Final Score Morley Town 4-0 Wortley

Ellis 32

Grantham 38

Viana (og) 41

A.Smith 57

Dave Hunter Leaves Morley Town

Who? Was my reaction when I heard the news. I’d forgotten this guy was even at the club, but apparently he was our U18s Assistant Manager. Anyway he has become the new manager of Ashbourne of The Staffordshire County Senior League.. well I wish him the best of luck..

Craig Thomas Leaves Morley Town

My U18s Manager has followed his assistant out the door to Bishop’s Cleeve of the Southern League Division One South which sounds like a long way from Morley.

Board & Supporters Confidence Update

In true Yorkshire style both the board and supporters are only mildly enthused by the job I am doing at Morley Town, despite us being five points clear at the top of the table and on course for back to back promotions. They have both graded me a C+, which round these parts translates to a vague acknowledgment that while they don’t completely hate me, they hardly think I’m Pep Guardiola just yet... 

New U18s Manager

We give a big Yorkshire welcome to Irishman Roddy Hyland who joins us to manage the U18s team. Our youth team currently lie rock bottom of the North Eastern U18s League, but two straight wins against their counterparts from Alfreton and Darlington have closed the gap to the other teams above them. They have at times punched above their weight against sides based at much bigger clubs than ours and they should be proud of their efforts so far, despite the league position.

Match 22- Bradford United  v Morley Town

It’s the big one! Win this and with just four games left virtually assures us the title and promotion to Level 10. Lose and it puts second placed Bradford United right back in the hunt to steal the crown. They have Sebastian Uda who is the Supreme Division Number 1 player with 25 goals in 21 games and tore us apart earlier in the season. My players must be on their mettle to prevent a repeat performance. A tricky trip down the M62 Westbound into the depths of Bradford awaits. An unchanged XI are charged with bringing three points back through the notorious Chain Bar junction.

Team: McLachlan, Busfield, Clappison, Dempsey, M.Smith, Wright, A.Smith, Grantham, Rowe, Ellis, Preston

The team sheets are exchanged... and what’s this? Where’s Uda? He’s on the bench, with a player called Marley Cannonier taking his place..? What’s going on here?

Match Action

It’s even Steven in the opening exchanges and the hosts look dangerous on the break, while we knock the ball around confidently without creating much. We keep possession well in their half, but like Southgate’s England the ball ends up back with our centre back, Matt Dempsey. The journeyman defender finds his inner John Stones as he sprays a lovely ball to the left where Kevin Preston scampers after it. He beats the defender to the ball and takes it into the area before finding the top corner with a powerful lofted finish.  Not bad for a 17 year old! The same player nearly scores again moments later when from a cleared corner, the ball is fed back left by Louis Rowe. He cuts inside and smashes the ball off the underside of the crossbar, straight to The Angel.. who somehow heads over when it was easier to score. On 33 minutes from a throw in, Sam Wright picks up the ball and strides forward before unleashing a sizzling shot which nestles in the bottom corner from the edge of the area. What a goal Sam Wright! It gets better. Grantham and Busfield combine on the right before laying it infield to the impressive Sam Wright. The midfielder sprays the ball left to Kevin Preston who has ghosted into the area. His first time shot nearly breaks the back of the net. Three nil! We look like scoring every time we attack. This time The Angel receives the ball in the left channel before laying it off to the unplayable Preston on the corner of the area. The teenager drops his shoulder and darts past the defender before coolly lofting the ball past the keeper for a brilliant hat-trick. Think Lee Sharpe all those years ago against Arsenal in the League Cup! Uda’s replacement, Cannonier who has done the square root of nothing for the hosts does manage to clip the post from a free-kick, but otherwise have so far looked a shadow of the team who pulverised us at Glen Road. Sebastian Uda looks on dejectedly from the subs bench. Half time. Morley 4 Bradford United 0. Into the second half and Bradford United have an early corner.. which is nutted in by Caine Sartini.. 4-1... We needn’t worry though because Aaron Smith has not scored his customary goal yet. This comes from when a flowing move started at the back by Clappison finds Wright, then onto Courey Grantham. The right winger turns inside before releasing Smith with a brilliant reverse ball and the attacking midfielder coolly sidefoots the ball past the onrushing keeper into the corner for 5-1. The game stops and Bradford will make a substitution. Enter Sebastian Uda. Already he makes a difference and McLachlan is forced into a couple of fine saves. Then sub Harrison Blakey’s poor clearance is seized upon by Mills who crosses in for Smith, who finds Uda to score with a first time low shot into the corner. 5-2. We can score when we want though. Grantham retrieves a cleared cross before firing in a low near post cross for the Angel to divert first time to complete a comprehensive 6-2 win.. Or was it? Look at the stats on the screenshot below and you will see they had 25 shots to our 17.. but we were far more clinical and that was the difference.

Final Score: Bradford United 2-6 Morley Town

Sartini 49                                           Preston 5,38,44

Uda 80                                                Wright 35

                                                             A.Smith 50

                                                             Ellis 82

League Table After 22 Games

1^st Morley Town 60

2^nd Bradford United 50

3^rd Middleton 45

4^th Stanley United 42

5^th Glasshoughton Welfare 35

6^th Leeds City 33

7^th Lepton Highlanders 32

8^th Route One Rovers 27

9^th Wortley 27

10^th Littletown 22

11^th Calverley 20

12^th Farsley Celtic Juniors 18

13^th Alwoodley 15

14^th Leeds University 7

McKenzie Smith leaves Morley

Strange one this, my full back, McKenzie Smith out of nowhere threw all of his toys out of his pram. The reason? I had not strengthened the number of goalkeepers at the club... Strange because Ben McLachlan has been brilliant since he replaced David Reay and Colum Whing is an able back-up. We also have two young keepers in the Under 18s, Jonathan Tiernan and Paul McGovern who have the potential to make the first team in the future. So bye bye. I don’t care whether I promised to strengthen the goalkeeping department or not when I signed you.. you do not get to dictate transfer policy to me!

 Match 23: Morley Town v Littletown

The mission is simple, beat the team from Heckmondwike and the Yorkshire Amateur Supreme League title is ours. Littletown on the Prairie visit Glen Road in 10^th but are safe from relegation. We are ten points clear and one more win will secure the title and promotion to The North West Counties League Division 1 North in Level 10 of the English football pyramid. Youngster, Peter Rigby is given the chance to take part in the celebrations should we win, due to the actions of McKenzie Smith.

Team: McLachlan, Busfield, Clappison, Dempsey, Rigby, Wright, Smith, Grantham, Rowe, Ellis, Preston

We attack, they defend. It takes us 19 minutes. A corner is cleared as far as Busfield who lays it forward for Clappison, who passes infield to Aaron Smith. He has only one thing on his mind as he hits the ball first time and the ball careers into the bottom corner for one nil. Littletown, clad in their Aston Villa-esque claret and blue strip, are here to spoil the party. They suddenly dominate and create a couple of half chances. It has been coming on the stroke of half time, a deep cross by Hudson is headed home by Nicky Harratt. One each. Into the second half and young Pete Rigby lets fly from 30 yards out, which is acrobatically tipped over the bar. Then a brilliant move ends up with Smith’s efforts well saved by the keeper. On 72 minutes a low cross from the angle sees Ellis tripped as he goes for the ball. Penalty.. Big moment as Courey Grantham steps up to take the penalty..........  Scored! Never in doubt.. 2-1 Morley Town and the title beckons. Littletown will not lie down though and we have to batten down the hatches to keep them out. But they failed to create a serious chance and we see it through to the end. The final whistle is blown.....That’s It! Morley Town are the Supreme League Champions! Jonny Rudd’s Barmy Army echoes around Glen Road from the Ultras, along with that immortal chant of a club on the up..

“Ee-i-ee-i-ei-o

Up The Football League we Go”

A chant which was heard for the first time ever at Glen Road.

Final Score: Morley Town 2-1 Littletown

Smith 20                                     Harrat 45

Grantham 73 (pen)

The Morley Town Team Lift The Yorkshire Amateur Supreme League Trophy!

Morley Town have won the Yorkshire Amateur Supreme League Title! Onwards and upwards for the club... Where will Morley be playing next season and will this breakaway from the amateur leagues mean the beginning of semi-professionalsm? Find out next time on The Ultimate English Pyramid Game!

Read Part 19 End of Season 2 Here!