January 3

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A happy new year to everyone!
we are into January and it's the season of snow,y weather, postponed games and usually, a run of fixtures that will either make or break your season
the lads are stocked up on turkey and pigs in blankets and have come back in virtually perfect condition
I'm surprised
With an FA cup 3rd round game for the first time in the clubs history, 2 big away games against Newport, who we should be beating comfortably and then Swindon, who will be very difficult to beat we have the chance to cement a  playoff place, but could equally find ourselves down in mid-table
lets get to it




Adrian!
i nearly dropped my laptop when Adrian rodrgiues scored his first goal for the club
the man the fans hated early on have now come to adore this clumsy yet loveable rogue in his new back three role and he repaid everyone with a bullet header 3 minutes in
a brace from the ever reliable Redshaw, another from in form Rabbi and a cameo goal from the now fringe player Riqui Puig gave us the 3 points at home to southend
Lets keep this going lads!




It would have been his first Hat-trick since his debut
Redshaw took a step to the side and gave Rabbi a 95th minute penalty to complete it
and it still hasn't come down
we had been in control since the 5th minute opener but it always felt nervous until Rabbi scored twice in 2 minutes to see the game off
the Hat-trick would have been a nice touch, but the 3 points and the clean sheet will do just perfectly
now onto a bigger challenge
Swindon away...





What a result!
Jack, Rabbi and Rhys are the new DPR
they cant stop scoring, and this is the best we have ever played since i took over
Swindon had the lions share but we were clinical
this plucky little team of free agents and loans are showing league 2 exactly what we are all about and i couldnt be more proud
Speaking of proud

can the boys do the unthinkable and beat championship side Ipswich?

can we earn ourselves a 4th round tie and hopefully get a huge draw?












So close
So So close
the boys tried their hardest but quality soon prevailed and Ipswich spend the majority of the game in our half
we got 2 goals, and played with the spirit the team is now full of but just could get it done in front of nearly 5000 fans at moor lane
still a 3rd round appearance in a tournament we were expected to lose in the 1st round is a great achievement
let's hope this game doesnt have a negative effect on our league form 




Rabbi!
he finally got his hattrick and is slowly becoming a club icon after this run of performances
5 goals from 7 shots from the lads but Crawley to the sword and we pick up another 3 points in front of the loyal home fans
how long can we keep this run going?


Gillingham are one of the bigger team in the league and to get a thumping 4-1 win away from home is an exceptional effort
Rabbi yet again scored, and unsung hero Sangster, who has been absolutely phenomenal in this last 2 months got a well deserved goal
what a month!

and to top it off...


An early birthday present for me
another contract extensio, but this time i decided to forgo a big pay rise
i was offered 1.5k but as the club is trying to keep costs down, i didnt think it was fair doing so
i took a couple of hundred quid a week of the contract but added a decent sized promotion rise for myself
i can't believe im even planning for promotion this season
and to help with that push i managed to bring in one more player on Deadline Day 


Young Kian Flanagan is very similar to Sangster and Kehinde, and will provide stern competition for places, although at the minute even Kehinde cant get a look in past Sangsters form
all 3 will have a part to play though im sure
with no wage or loan costs too, a free player is always a good player

But as every door opens..


A young academy player who had been playing very well this season as was ready to make the step up in the near future Joe Seal had scored 25 in 27 in all competitions this season and was subsequently snapped up by Bradford
it's a record sale for the club and for a player valued at 1.2k getting 27k up front and a potential 40k overall is a good bit of business
also, a clause i demanded was the 50% sell on, as i really do think that if he hits the ground running at Bradford theres a chance he could move on for even up to a million or so, of which we will get half
it's a long shot, but i wanted it covered as i didnt want to see him go for big money after this step and us see none of it


100%
we got 100% in the league this month and have found ourselves
TOP OF LEAGUE 2
i can't believe it
A squad that was expected to get relegated comfortably has pulled together, worked their socks off and found themselves top of the pile
It's a tough league and theres a pack chasing, but with 3 automatic promotion places up for grabs, we are in the driving seat and another good couple of months could see us go up AGAIN!
not bad for a team that cost £0
Next month will be HUGE!

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