March to the Title? – PearceyPlays #FM19 Journeyman Part 136 – OS3 C2 S2 P35 – Berwick Rangers – League 2 Match Day 25 – Elgin City (A) 6th February 2021 15:00

Welcome to another week in my FM19 journey to the top. The Berwick lads have been sensational this season, 15 points clear with 12 games left and I’m beginning to plan out for life in League 1, with most probably the smallest wage bill, unless Buckie can stay up (9th currently in league 1 but its tight at the bottom).

Also my FM20 Journeyman save has caught up chronologically, and I plan to run this in tandem with it. So when I do a post in FM20 (Which is generally a month in-game apart from post & pre-seasons) I will do the corresponding posts with this series, so we stay in sync time-wise – it should be interesting seeing which teams finish where in the big leagues in FM19 & FM20.

So to today’s post – we face a decent Elgin side today, though they are 8th and have lost their last 3 games, the last 2 versus 2nd and 3rd.

Before then the normal, a Reserve game & and U18’s game.

The U18’s drew 0-0 with Strathspey Thistle Res, Aidan McIlduff with man of the match.

Transfer deadline day is here, and as such January is over, so here are the stats for last month.

Rises first – Great showings all around, Harry Nicolson (Who I’ll definitely try and get back or sign) is an absolute star. John Balde going well, as are a few more of the first teamers.

Not many falls, Aaron Ballantyne is on loan at Fort William so it seems their facilities and trainers are causing him issues, even though he’s on a 7.27 in 23 games in the league.

A superb month, 4 wins out of 5, has led to some superb stats. Passing was brilliant in January, 4 lads with well over 80% completion, our playmake Lewis Barr at almost 94% on 375 pass attempts. He’s interesting, in that he’s not now rated very highly in the squad, but like Kyle Allison plays well beyond those star ratings. Our Wingbacks are not completing many crosses – is it a case of cross less often, maybe getting them to put the wingers in?? Kieran McGrath starred with 4 goals from 4 shots on target, 2.4 goals per 90 minutes in January for him!! A very solid month all around.

So to transfer deadline day itself. Cameron McGinn has gone to East Kilbride in the Lowland League for the rest of the season, where I expect him to tear it up.

NEW SIGNING

We welcome Chris Henry to the club. A hot prospect, he will understudy Kyle Allison, and we will take a view on extending his contract in the Summer. Josh Donaldson (Of Civil Service fame from our time there) is available at the moment as well….

And with that the transfer window has passed, east Fife topping the movement charts for league 1 with 5 incoming and 1 outgoing.

Manager of the Month for League 2 🙂

Just the 4 lads in the team of the week as well 🙂

Our Reserves lost 2-1 to Coldstream Reserves – Ross Gilmour with the goal.

On the morning of the Elgin game Lewis has seigned a pre-contract keeping him with the club to the end of next season.

So we’ve made the 4hr 30min journey up through the Cairngorms to face an Elgin City side that shouldn’t pose us any trouble at all. We know what happens when this is the case.

If it aint broke… Really happy with how the boys shut the game down last time out versus really good opposition – hoping we can maybe get in amongst the Elgin side and make hay today. They go with a 4-2-3-1 Wide, we will go slightly narrower.

HT Elgin City 0 Berwick 2 (Nicolson 5, Cornelius 40)

We can’t get away from the rain. It doesn’t seem to matter though, 5th minute, a Barr free kick, Nicolson peels off at the back post and volleys in a screamer. 1-0 Berwick. I then notice somehow only Key Highlights are turned on (Explains the last game!!) – 40th minute it was 2-0, a crazy Cornelius drive from range. In between times McGrath has picked up a bruised thigh – I will get him through to HT. 2-0 at the break. Slaven on for McGrath.

FT Elgin City 3 (Brotheston 53, 90+5 Cameron 62) Berwick 3 (Nicolson 5, Cornelius 40, Wilson og 76) Att 441 (49 Away)

An OK start to the second half, then calamity – a long ball over and Allison completely misreads it – Brotherston with the tap-in, 53 gone. 2-1. Elgin look a completely different side now. And it was 2-2 in the 62nd – Cameron from the edge of the area – What the F**k is going on! Gardiner on for McIntosh, Barr to DLP(D), Gardiner & Cornelius now CM(A). Need to stop the rot. Barr off in the 73rd (Shattered) – Sutherland on as an AP(S) in attacking midfield. And we made it 3-2 in the 76th, a lovely break ending up in pinball and a Wilson OG. Back to Cautious. The game started getting a bit jerky (Like before a Penalty is given), and 5 minutes into injury time Dean Brotherston strolled through unchallenged and scored to make it 3-3. A stupid end to an equally retarded game, and the first time we’ve conceded more than 2 goals in a game all season…

Looks like it was a day for odd results – The top 3 all drawing means we maintain the 15 point gap with 11 games left.

Kieran McGrath – Out for 6-9 days with a bruised thigh, should be back for the game after next.

Next up is 4th placed Stranraer, who drew 2-2 with Stenhousemuir and it should be a good test. See you then.