For The Football

[Conte]

At the end of the 2003/04 campaign, Hornchurch Football Club were officially declared bankrupt. The club was to be shut down on the 21st July 2004 by the English Football Association (FA). The FA and PFA also reached an agreement with the released players and compensated them duly depending on the size of their wages and the length of their contract. Upminster Stadium was put up for sale, which really marked the end, as Hornchurch were one of the only non-pro sides to own a ground rather than rent one.

The only way Hornchurch could be saved was if someone came up with £2.3million to pay off the club's debts. As well as providing money for wages to sign a whole new squad and supplying funds to keep the ground. All this had to be announced by the 31st July, so the club could announce to the FA they would be competing in the Conference South. If they failed to sign enough players by the deadline, they would be demoted to the Essex Senior League. It seemed that playing in the Essex league would be the best case scenario.

A Supporters Trust was founded. The loyal fans of Hornchurch raised an incredible £750,000. But it wasn't enough, and the clock was ticking.

Steven Collins, who owned 43% of Sky TV, was a lifelong Hornchurch fan. No one knew this obviously, apart from his closest friends. But Mr Collins got in touch with the head and co-founder of the Trust, Gary Parrington, and donated a huge £3million. Hornchurch were safe.

As the saying goes, nothing is impossible in the football world. Miracles had passed over Upminster Stadium.

[Conte]

I was sick and tired of football management. A stage I thought would never get to me, as football was my life, and being no good as a player, management seemed the only way to get involved. But, as I thought the night after I resigned from my post as Luton manager, there was another way. I wanted to be a fan.

I wanted to be able to sit freely in the Stretford End of my beloved Manchester United's fantastic Old Trafford ground. Going to watch my first game out of management, I got tickets for United v City. The game ended as a 1-1 draw, but the atmosphere, to be part of that crowd, was brilliant.

Reading the sports section of the Express the next day I saw a column on a Conference South side, called Hornchurch. I had heard of the name, but knew nothing of what was going on in Essex.

From what I gathered, the club had nearly gone bankrupt and been saved partly by a Supporters Trust and partly by a rich bloke who owned a big chunk of Sky. They had no players because all of them had been released, and the board (consisting of the main faces in the Trust and the Sky man) had a whole new team to build. Would take a brave manager to try that.

On BBC's internet sports pages I found this article:

'Miracle club Hornchurch, newly named AFC Hornchurch by the fans who invested a massive £750,000 to help keep the club alive, have announced some names they wish to target as their new boss.

'A few names sprang up, such as free agents Bobby Williamson, Tony Pulis and Dave Stapleton. Whether any of these managers will be interested in taking on a Conference South side remains to be seen.'

It's incredible how you can be thrown into these things so easily. Just weeks ago I had announced I would be having a break from football management. That night my phone wouldn't stop ringing.

'Is it true you are being lined up as the next Hornchurch boss, despite managing many top professional teams?'

'I've had no contact with Hornchurch, I don't plan to have any in the future, so will you leave me alone and stop calling. And you can tell all your newspaper friends to stop phoning as well. It's one in the morning for god's sake.'

How they'd got hold of my mobile number I don't know.

At 3 o'clock the next day, I was really fed up of the calls. One, however, surprised me a little.

'What the hell do you want!?'

'Sorry to bother you Mr Stapleton, but this is Gary Parrington from AFC Hornchurch speaking. We were wondering whether you would be free to attend a meeting here in Essex on Friday.'

'Mr Parrington, I'm really not interested...'

'Just hear us out. We'll be at Upminster Stadium on Friday. If you decided to show, give the club secretary a call on this number and we'll tell you what we are proposing.'

He gave me the number and hung up. I really had to think some things over. Was I prepared for a sudden return to management? In the division below the conference?

The papers would have a field day. Blacked out windows on the car, I think.

[Conte]

I drove to Upminster Stadium for the 'interview', although I doubted there would be much chance of me agreeing to sign for Hornchurch.

The stadium was being expanded, as it only seated 300 people, with a total capacity of 3,000. Terracing had recently been banned in the Football League. Hornchurch's board was obviously an ambitious one, if they were planning a return to the Football League.

I was escorted in by a club official and into the office of Steven Collins. Gary Parrington, who I had spoken to on the phone, was also seated behind the desk. I had noticed only a few offices when I was walking down the corridor, but this one was far from the expected Semi-Pro tacky sort of place that you'd expect to find some hermit living in.

This one had a fresh lick of paint, with a huge Hornchurch crest painted on the far wall. A smart wooden desk sat at the other end of the enormous room, behind which Collins and Parrington were seated. A new wooden floor ran across the room, also with a large Hornchurch crest on.

'Please, Mr Platt, have a seat.'

I sat down, with a short contract on the table. I quickly scanned through it, and noticed one thing. I would not be paid. I must have looked alarmed, because Collins said:

'Please let us explain the contract, Mr Platt. I can understand you're doubts.

'It is correct that you would not be paid, but this would only be for your first campaign in charge. The contract would be a year long. We cannot afford to employ unsuccessful managers, so the terms you have seen come into the contract', Parrington added.

'This is what we are offering. You manage us for a year, unpaid. If you fail to gain promotion, you will be removed from the job. If you gain promotion, then you will be offered a new three-year deal, on full wages, which details of are included in this contract. I'm sure you can find them later.'

'And we will give you the main details of the footballing side. Obviously, we have no squad. You will be given a very large transfer budget of £2million. But we feel that you should only spend a large portion of this budget if absolutely necessary. We have gathered a large collection of possible free transfers you could look at.'

By this time I was thinking; 'Wow, what a way to convince someone'. No pay, free transfers and the sack after one year unless you win the league. Great tactics so far.

'We ask you to do this for football. The game needs something to liven it up. With rising ticket prices and lowering attendances because of defensive football in the Premiership, the game needs rescuing. We think, with a few promotions and some attractive football, we could do just that. Bring back the beautiful game.'

Those words convinced me. This wasn't about money and winning everything, like the Chelsea revolution. This was about influencing changes being made. Football back being played the way it should be. And, as Parrington said, winning a few promotions too.

On the 17th of July I signed to be the manager of AFC Hornchurch. It was the best decision I ever made.

[Unused User 1]

This is a very good start. I hope you can keep it up

[Conte]

I had been spotted. Five, just five metres to walk from the car to the club entrance. And some passer-by had seen me, and, sadly, recognised me. The Sun and Express paid him £300 apiece. For a Conference South managerial appointment.

So no one seemed surprised to see myself sitting next to Gary Parrington at the small press room the club had never used. To say it was crammed full was like saying Chelsea 'had a decent chance' of winning a match in the next season. A big fuss was being made of the conference, because of everything that had happened in Upminster. It was like AFC Wimbledon + FC United x 100.

'AFC Hornchurch will today begin a new era in football. Obviously the happenings here in Upminster have been well publicised, and admittedly, it did a seem a very long shot when we opened the Trust, for what is about to happen in a few minutes, to actually take place. Before I introduce our new manager, I would like to thank Mr Steven Collins. Without him, none of this would have ever even begun.

'The new manager of AFC Hornchurch will be Mr Oliver Platt.'

The cameras started flashing, questions were fired.

'Please one at a time', Parrington declared slightly feebly.

'Mr Platt, what are you're aims for the season?'

'Firstly we need to build a strong side. Starting from scratch it will be tough, but we already have a few players at the back of our heads.'

'Could you name any of those players?'

'No, not until we feel necessary.'

'And over the long term, what is planned?'

'Premiership football.'

There were murmurs at this statement. Obviously to them, it didn't seem possible. It would be the greatest football tale of all time. And to be honest, I wasn't exactly positive it would happen either.

Those players 'in the back of our heads' happened to be rather good. Steffen Freund was one of the best case scenario players. If we could get him, he would be my ideal captain. Liverpool had released young goalkeeper Paul Harrison, who I felt would make a decent No. 1, if we could get some experienced backup to urge him along. And finally Drissa Diallo, who was available cheap from Ipswich Town.

There was a lot to do. Maybe too much.

[Conte]

On the 25th July I signed seven players. I maybe didn't know just how well we were going to do in the transfer market, so some players weren't up to the standard I initially had in mind. These were some notes from the first training session we had.

Steffen Freund - Ex Tottenham defensive midfielder, would-be captain.
Michael Jeffrey - Average striker, good enough for Conference South, with excellent finishing skills.
Mark Ovendale - Experienced goalkeeper. Probably not first choice but would give experience to the younger keepers.
Matthew Ghent - Young goalkeeper. Looked a bit uneasy during the first training session, dropped a few he should have caught.
Terry Streeter - Released from Brighton about six years ago. Looked extremely unfit and didn't seem to really want to be at the club.
Stephen Hart - Young centre-half, not ready for first team football yet, but the first addition to my youth squad.
Mark Earnshaw - Works very hard. Maybe not the most accomplished technically, but always puts in 100%.

My assistant Brian Croft said that players of this calibre would get us through the Conference South, but we would only be a mid-table side in the Conference National. He also added how Steffen Freund could play way above this level.

After training the players were off for the pub. I would usually complain about this with a Championship side, but could not comment after what we had just put them through. Every footballer dreads pre-season. And we put them through hell. There was some technical stuff on the ball in the afternoon, but we did a whole lot of physical work. We needed to assess just how fit the players were. Mark Earnshaw was in fantastic shape, and Steffen Freund wasn't looking too bad either. But Terry Streeter would really be wishing he had put in more in his first session. He was the most unfit player I had ever seen, basically asking for an injury.

The next day another seven players signed. Three were very good, two were average, and one was our next generation star striker.

Ignacio Conte had something special about him. Every time he got the ball you could sense he would do something brilliant, he could get out of any hole. The downside was he was 35, so only had three years maximum left, before he lost his pace and instinct. Yiotis Panayiotou was a solid centre-half, and would be first-choice at the back. And Stevie Searle was excellent on the ball, although with the formation I had planned he could face a fight with Conte to get in the team. Matt Stowell was an average but versatile defender, maybe a utility player. Tony Eccleston was signed as cover for the strikers we would later sign. And Darren Gwyther was the best 17 year old at putting the ball in the net in England. He may not be a complete forward, but he has this amazing rifle shot.

A couple of days later Bernard Diomede signed. Some might remember him as the flop at Liverpool - he was released by Ajaccio at the end of last year, and although slightly lazy, had a killer cross.

At about 10 o'clock that night I was up deciding on a formation. Obviously it was tricky to decide at that stage because I didn't have a full squad. I wanted my team to be attractive and attacking, partly because we already had players for that (Diomede, Searle, Conte) and partly because I was sick of watching 4-5-1, and understood what the fans were complaining about. In the end I decided on a 4-1-3-2* formation that looked like this:



Drissa Diallo became our first money signing, even though it cost us a massive £1,000, plus a friendly with Ipswich if they wanted one.

At 7am the next morning (!) Gary Parrington phoned to say I had a press conference to announce the new signings tommorow. I could ask two to be there at the announcement, with the rest not in the conference but at the stadium for pictures at the end. I decided on Diomede and Freund, as Conte didn't speak English and Searle had come down with a cold.

We faced Newport County on our first day of the season, of whom I knew nothing about. I watched them play a friendly that night and noticed Scott Davis, a young 17 year old central midfielder, and Ashley Williams, also young at 18, making some good runs down the right wing. I felt experience would overcome these two, with Freund probably coming up against Davis, so felt there wasn't much to worry about, and even though you should never underestimate a team in football, I felt we were good for a win in our opening match. Despite wins against Notts County and Chesham in previous friendlies, they were thrashed 4-1 by AFC Wimbledon. And I learnt from one 'Non-League' newspaper journalist, that they had been outplayed at Notts County as well.

We had the problem that we had no friendlies, and no time for them anyway. We would have to train really hard, and we decided when the squad was built up, to have a couple of matches against the Reserves, to see who could manage 90 minutes.

To cap off a hectic week, I embarassed myself by walking into the low changing room door. Exciting, I know.

*Credit for the formation goes to The Yank. Go to 'The Yank's Tactic' on the Drawing Board for more specific instructions on the tactic.

[Korrekt]

Nice start (for a Manchester United supporter), KUTGW.

[Conte]

The pre-season went by without any major events taking place, although a huge amount of new players were signed:

First Team
Freddy Cass - F LC - 19
Mohamed Emara - D/DM L - 30
Mbaye Badji-El-Hadji - D/DM RC - 28
Paul Harrison - GK - 19
Lee Sims - D/DM RC - 20
Ilan Bakhar - D R - 29
Scott McCordick - S C - 17 - £18,000
Christopher Ohen - S C - 33

Youth Team
Tom Jebb
Robert Perry
Steven Clark
Simon Parkin
Steven Murphy
Mark Allen
Christopher O'Connel
Lewis Travers
Tom Picard
Steve Freeman
Tom Groves
Micky Moore
Phil Lumsden
Billy Abbott
Lee Endersby
Brian Hardie
Wes Rutherford
Ian Bennett
James Coomber
Jack Welsh
Matt Woolley
Phil Holder
Matt White
Stuart Attewell
Clovis Konsodiani-Kanda
Matthew Wilkinson
Curtis Jackson
Lloyd Sewell
Gareth Williams

And so a grueling pre-season came to an end. Spirits were high travelling to Newport. The team looked strong in all areas. In the changing room anticipation was high. The first game for the 'Impossibles' as the media now called us. Over 4200 people turned out to see Newport County v Hornchurch. Just a year ago this fixture would have attracted maybe a maximum 500 spectators. There were just 34 seats empty at the Newport Stadium.

We came out to a roar from the Hornchurch end. I took my seat in a rather muddy dugout, to expected shouted insults from the Newport fans seated behind me. The Newport manager, John Cornforth, was also young, at 37. He was a Player/Coach until being appointed manager at the start of the season. He knew the place, having played there for 12 years.

There was an expected fast paced start. Despite being up for the game on the coach, the nerves had now kicked in. This could be a complete disaster for players like Freund's reputation. On 3 minutes a free kick from their right-back Lee Phillips missed Harrison's left hand post by inches. Eight minutes later an identical free kick from Scott Morgan forced Paul Harrison to scramble onto a ball he didn't see until the last minute.

Minutes later they were at us again. After a completely pointless throw from winger Matthew Worthington, Jason Bowen fired a long shot at goal which Harrison held on to well. We needed a kick up the backside.

Which was duly supplied by Freund. He took a Roy Keane role of firing the players up as much as he could. We started winning the ball, and looked confident when we got it. Bernard Diomede's curling corner was tipped over by the Newport keeper.

More chances flooded in. Chris Ohen was set free on a counter attack, but his shot was rushed and straight at the keeper, partly because Michael Jeffrey's pass was well behind Ohen.

Into the second half we were nearly instantly down as Mohamed Emara hooked a header off the line. And again Newport threatened with a shot just off target, but the major breakthrough would be made a minute later.

After a Emara throw Stevie Searle played a fantastic through ball, which Jeffrey met with a first time shot from 20 yards. We had scraped it.

After the goal we didn't seem on edge. In fact it seemed to improve us. Ohen went close three times, and Searle was acrobatically denied by the Newport keeper. When David Unsworth blew the final whistle, the looks of triumph on all the players faces showed our feelings. Basically, we were thinking; 'Ave It'.

I didn't want to spoil the emphatic feelings of the players, but I knew we needed to be better than that. It could wait until training on Monday. I needed to watch some videos and review the game anyway.

Newport County 0 - 1 Hornchurch
Newport Stadium, Newport
Attendance: 4266
Referee: David Unsworth

Hornchurch: Harrison; Bakhar, Emara, Panayiotou, Diallo; Freund; Worthington, Diomede (Conte 45), Searle; Jeffrey (Streeter 66), Ohen.

Subs not used: Ovendale, Earnshaw, Badji-El-Hadji.

So maximum points from our first game. But we needed to improve. Next up were Eastbourne Borough, supposedly 'relegation battlers'. Eastbourne being a tough team, we needed to solidify the defence, as well as sharpen the forwards. The midfield looked okay. Eastbourne was midweek, so there was a lot of work to be done.

[Conte]

Bishop's Stortford 4-0 Dorchester
Bognor Regis 3-0 Hayes
Cambridge City 2-1 Welling
Carshalton 2-1 Basingstoke
Eastbourne Boro 2-0 Sutton Utd
Havant & W 2-3 Lewes
Maidenhead 3-1 Weymouth
Newport County 0-1 Hornchurch
St Albans 1-1 Redbridge
Thurrock 2-2 Grays
Weston-super-Mare 3-3 Margate

1) Bishop's Stortford
...
20) Sutton Utd
21) Dorchester
22) Hayes

[Conte]

Just thought I'd post some pictures of the Starting XI - I couldn't get pictures of Conte or McCordick, so Stevie Searle replaces Conte and one of my future signings replaces McCordick. You might recognise him...















From the top:

Bernard Diomede, AM L
Chris Ohen, S C
Drissa Diallo, D RC
Ilan Bakhar, D R
Jamie McMaster, AM/F RC (loaned a day after the Newport game)
???
Mohamed Emara, D/DM L

[Conte]

Yiotis Panayiotou, D C

Stevie Searle, M C

Steffen Freund, DM C

Paul Harrison, GK

[Conte]

The Eastbourne game came around very quickly. Two changes were made from the Newport side, with Mbaye Badji-El-Hadji replacing Matthew Worthington on the right wing and Ignacio Conte replacing Stevie Searle in the middle.

We were up after three minutes. Conte drove home a pass from Badji-El-Hadji, but it wasn't the goal which got the fans up. It was the celebration.

Conte ran towards the corner flag, performing 3 flips, Lua-Lua style. He jumped into the stand and started high-fiving fans. Cult Heroes - every club needs one. He got away with it, no yellow card. The crowd were up.

In the end we ended up with two 'Cult Heroes'. Chris Ohen joined in with Conte's antics, Ohen screaming at an Eastbourne player that he was accusing of diving after a tackle from Conte. To finish a unique display from Ohen and Conte, a late cross from Conte was met by an acrobatic overhead kick by Ohen. It rattled the crossbar. By the end of the game, two names were being chanted around the stadium:

Ohen, Ohen, Ohen

and...

Conte, Conte, Conte

We even made the BBC round-up at the end of the day. It hadn't been a great game itself, finishing 1-0 with Conte's goal the deciding one. It was actually Bernard Diomede who was awarded Man of the Match, for a superb crossing display from the left wing.

Hornchurch 1 - 0 Eastbourne Borough
Upminster Stadium, Upminster
Attendance: 2,100
Referee: Chris Francis

Hornchurch: Harrison; Bakhar, Panayiotou, Diallo, Emara; Freund (Worthington 77); Badji-El-Hadji, Conte (Searle 54), Diomede; Jeffrey (Streeter 77), Ohen.

Subs not used: Ovendale, Earnshaw.

The team spirit was considerably better the next day at training. The lads seemed to know each other properly, and friendships could be identified. We had a little column in The Mail the day after the game:

Conte stars in Impossibles
win
There's a new Crazy Gang in
town as Ignacio Conte produced
some superb celebrations to
go with a superb goal as
Hornchurch triumphed 1-0
over Eastbourne Boro. Conte
struck after three minutes, and
went on a run of flips to get the
Urchins fans going. Chris Ohen
joined in the antics of Ohen
with a crossbar rattling
overhead kick late on. Eastbourne
were outplayed and Hornchurch
should have taken the game
by a larger scoreline.

It was the goalscoring, as the papers correctly pointed out, that was the problem. Michael Jeffrey I decided would be dropped for more pace with Freddy Cass coming in. Sutton Utd were our next opposition. Their stadium was the biggest in the League, and they were never short on support. But they were only a mid-table side, so a victory was expected.

Looking forward to collecting my wages in a week's time, I was momentarily disappointed when I remembered I wouldn't be getting any. Only for a year, anyway. We won promotion, I would be paid, if not, I would be out of the job.

Later that week we were drawn out against St. Albans in the FA Cup 2nd Qualifying Round. We had to win three games to reach the First Round proper, where we had a possible draw against a League One side. That could really test just how good we were.

Our support was growing. We were getting large attendances for our level. At an average Conference South match, the attendance would be around 800. We were attracting crowds of around 4,000.

But we needed to play better. 1-0 was not good enough, especially against two mid-table sides. Margate would be a tough game, and we might need to score more than one to get through.

The thing that attracted the fans to us the most I think was the fact that we played for the fans, for the football. Not for ourselves. Attacking formation, entertaining tactics. The crowd appreciated it. They were genuine fans. No glory-boy would come down to our level just because we were getting publicity.

Football should be about attraction, goalscoring, entertainment. A strong defence was obviously part of the game, there would be no success without one. But listen to any attacking great, like Johan Cruyff, for example. 'Total Football' was a revelation at the 1974 World Cup. Football is a show. 'The Greatest Show On Earth'.

[Conte]

Basingstoke 1-0 Newport County
Dorchester 1-0 Carshalton
Grays 0-2 Bishop's Stortford
Hayes 0-1 Havant & W
Hornchurch 1-0 Eastbourne Boro
Lewes 0-0 Weston-super-Mare
Margate 2-1 St Albans
Redbridge 0-2 Thurrock
Sutton Utd 2-2 Maidenhead
Welling 2-0 Bognor Regis
Weymouth 2-1 Cambridge City

[Conte]

We comfortably beat Sutton Utd, with another early goal from Conte (42 seconds) setting the tone of the game. Mbaye Badji-El-Hadji added on 17 minutes, and the game was wrapped up.

The team was beginning to gel, and although we were defensively solid, we needed to start scoring more goals. Four goals in three games wasn't going to be good enough, so we started some new training schedules.

The goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders and attackers (including wingers) would all train on seperate schedules. When I spoke of my concerns that the team wouldn't build a good spirit together, my new assistant Dave Ryan (I was disappointed with Brian Croft's defensive approach to training) said that Mondays and Fridays we would train together on a First Team/Reserves schedule, which would mainly concentrate on the mental and physical side of the game.

The Sunday night after the Eastbourne Boro, the squad had hit the town, to celebrate their second win. I didn't mind the odd night out, as long as the lads didn't glue themselves to the bar.

Ignacio Conte got himself into a spot of trouble. A Chelsea fan was in the same pub with a few mates, and recognised Ignacio from the paper, as a little picture had been printed beside our report. The Chelsea boy started teasing him about playing for us, at such a low level. Ignacio was reported to start calling him a glory-boy and related terms. The Chelsea fan threw a punch, and the two were finally split up by a couple of locals and Steffen Freund.

The papers had their story. We were a big thing at the minute, with our seemingly impossible signings. Conte faced an FA rap, and I faced an interview. A huge fuss was being made of something that happened every day. Part and parcel of the modern game.

[Heat]

a very good story, I am glad I read it, and re-building teams, i have found is always enjoyable!

KUTGW

[Conte]

Thanks for the comments.

[Heat]

I think the photos ruined it, but still good,

[Conte]

In FourFourTwo magazine (October 2004) this article was published.

Thank You for attending, Mr Platt. How are you enjoying Hornchurch so far?
Footballing wise I'm having a great time. It is a dream job to be able to build your own squad. We have won our first three games this season, so in that sense, I'm very happy.

And how have you found Upminster?
It's not your dream holiday destination but it's very close to central London which is extremely useful for me, footballing and personal reasons. I am from down south so I moves up north don't really appeal to me. Ipswich is just two hours in the car from my home, and Luton is the nearest major club to my birthplace so they were jobs I enjoyed a lot.

How are the team settling in - there is obviously a few foreigners in the side...
Most of them are European so England is just another country for them. A couple are having trouble finding a house but I'm sure they'll settle in quickly. And it's all part of the challenge of football - going to other countries and testing yourself all over the world.

Were you surprised by the number of players interested in a move to Hornchurch?
There was obviously a lot of publicity about our story, so I knew that there would be a bit more interest than usual, but I never could have expected the players we have signed to want a move here. Drissa Diallo for example took a huge risk in dropping to our division. But that's what seperates our players from normal ones - it's about the football, not the money.

The media have reported trouble with Ignacio Conte last week - what was your response to this?
As a footballer, and being made out as one of our star players because of his performances this season - a fuss is going to be made about something that happens every day with normal people. Ignacio was provoked in a bar after a few drinks - something thats not exactly uncommon these days. And as for a rap at the FA - it's completely ridiculous. A simple warning to both lads from the police would have been fine - instead Ignacio faces a fine from the FA and a load of nonsense publicity.

What are you're ambitions this year?
To gain promotion, and a good cup run would be nice. If we avoid injuries we could go a long way in the LDV Vans Trophy too.

There has been a lot of criticism of football in general - do you share this opinion?
I think football has one main aim - to entertain the fans that pay to watch it. I don't think clubs like Chelsea play with this approach, which is a bit disappointing. Premiership players recieve a lot of stick and I feel for them when it gets serious, but if they didn't they would basically have the perfect job. They get paid millions a year to play football, a dream job. The stick comes with the game, and if they can't take it, then they might as well quit now and get some normal job as an estate agent or something. I won't take any nonsense from my players - I want 11 Roy Keanes, obviously not all doing the same job, but all in the same frame of mind. We should be a skillful side, but one that is for the football, for the fans. Not a bunch of showponies, who are unprofessional and think that really, there job doesn't matter to the world and the fans will eventually get over failure in the game. At Hornchurch it doesn't work like that.

[Conte]

Originally Posted by HEaT

I think the photos ruined it, but still good,

Looking at it now it is a waste of space, but just a look at the team really.

[OliP05]

Kutgw

[Conte]

BREAKING NEWS

Recent phone-in traffic reports have notified the BBC on a crash on the M1 motorway just thirty minutes ago.
The Hornchurch FC team coach, on it's way to Basingstoke for a league match tomorrow, was hit by a drunk driver, and swerved over onto the lanes going in the other direction.

The hard shoulder collapsed under the coach's weight and was hit by three more swerving cars. Players and staff have already been admitted to hospital, with manager Oliver Platt and defender Matt Stowell losing conciousness. They are being treated at this current time. The hospital has prevented any interviews with players as they are in a state of shock.

Hornchurch had won their first three games of the league season, and were strong contenders for the Conference South title. Tonight's incidents could prove a stumbling block in the ambitions of the club. The match against Basingstoke is likely to be cancelled, although no official announcement has been made yet.

Platt and Stowell's conditions are reported to have been stable, and there are no signs of critical injury to the players. However, Stowell suffered a blow to the back and may not return to the game for the rest of the season. Medical reports show that the injury could keep him out for that period, or even end his career completely.

More news will follow.

[Conte]

I opened my eyes, feeling very groggy. As I began to sit up, I felt a sharp pain in my stomach and was quickly pushed back down.

'Whaat', I murmured sleepily.

'It's okay, Mr Platt, you are fine. Just relax.'

I heard the soft voice of the nurse above me. A nurse? And then it all came back.

The coach had crashed, been hit by some idiot driver. We had swerved into the hard shoulder, and smashing my head against the window, at that moment, everything blacked out in my mind. The only thing I could remember in detail was the blue and yellow striped shirt of the driver in the small Ford Ka. Basingstoke's home shirt.

Obviously he was drunk. Not even the most die-hard supporter would risk their life just to injure a few opposition players and staff. We weren't even rivals, although, like Manchester Utd in the 1990's, some hadn't exactly been fond of us having a little more money than average.

I turned my head, and made out some straw coloured short hair. Looking down I saw that this person was still out cold. I recognised a corner of an Umbro crest under some sheets, and realised that it was Matt Stowell. I had no idea what was wrong with him, but my initial thought was that one stupid driver could end his career.

As clear vision finally came back to me, I had a good look around. I recognised a logo on the end of one bed and figured I was in Royal London hospital. It's amazing how so much can happen, lives can be changed, in one trip across London. I saw two nurses glancing at us and talking to each other. Another was on one of those walkie-talkie like phones to reception, to let a doctor know I had woken up. I put my head back down and closed my eyes, thinking about the events of the night. How were the rest of the players? I assumed okay as Matt was the only one with me, in a large private ward.

The doctor arrived.
'How are you feeling, Mr Platt?'
'Not too bad', I replied.

He ran a few ordinary tests, took my blood pressure, temperature, etc. I asked him how the rest of the team were.

'Oh don't worry, they're fine, a bit shocked, but nothing serious at all', he told me in a posh London accent.

'And what's wrong with Matt?'

'He was originally awake, and had a small fit, complaining about his back. But we advised him to relax, and he soon fell asleep. We haven't been able to properly look at his back yet, but I'm sorry to say, it doesn't look great for a footballer', he told me.

Half an hour later, I was asked if it was okay for a couple of people to come in. I agreed, and was cheered up when Steffen Freund and Drissa Diallo walked in.

'How arz yu, Boss?' my captain asked. Steffen, although fluent, never really got the hang of pronouncing English.

'Not bad, Steffen, not bad. I think Matt's the one we should be more concerned about', I told them.

At that moment, a loud groan was voiced by Matt.

'Eh, Doctor', Drissa said loudly. Unlike Steffen, Drissa had picked up the accent perfectly.

I had a feeling that I had done exactly the same thing when I woke up, judging by the way I was rather violently shoved down by the teenage nurse I had a feeling was only on work experience. Steffen and Drissa had looked rather apprehensive when they came in, so I presumed they had been told that I wasn't at my best. I felt fine though, apart from a pain in my stomach, which could well have been just a pull if I had been whipped around when we crashed. Remembering how I had banged my head, I touched the side the window had hit, to discover a large lump. I noticed Drissa had a small cut on his cheek, too.

Matt soon came to his senses, greeting the three of us with smiles. He seemed to be suffering a bad pain in his back.

'Don't think I'll be playing tommorow, lads', he grinned.

Matt was a real character. Although not really a regular in the squad, he was always the life and soul of the party, the noisy one on the training ground, the one grinning his head off even if we were just about to start a five mile run.

I asked if I could go and see the other lads. I felt fine standing up, although I still had that pain in the side of my stomach. The doctor said this would be a good idea, as he needed some space to examine Matt.

We were sorry to leave Matt, but he seemed okay when we left. Steffen and Drissa showed me the way to where we were gathered. I got a few smiles from doctors as I walked down the corridors. Finally, Drissa pushed the door open to a cramped room. There was an outbreak of cheers as we entered.

'Alright lads', I said with a smile.

[Heat]

very good, Hope you can keep it up, potential great here

[Jimmy Floyd]

This is excellent, I must say.

[Conte]

The next day we made one of the most controversial decisions in football. We asked the FA if we could play the match against Basingstoke the following day.

Some called it brave, some called us heroes. Some called us stupid, and one particular paper criticised me for 'forcing' my players into taking part in the fixture, something I would never, ever do.

We took to the Basingstoke pitch, and from the silence in the dressing room, I knew the players really wanted this one. They wanted to show people that we could take anything. Knock us down, and we'll come back stronger, was the message coming across from the expressions of the players.

Famous for early goals, and having a brilliant game, Ignacio Conte had scored twice in the first 15 minutes. The second goal was absolutely sensational. Lee Sims, who had replaced Ilan Bakhar, who had suffered a gash to his leg in the accident, found Conte about 35 yards out, in the middle of Basingstoke half. He took a couple of touches, and struck a beautiful curling lob into the roof of the net. Pure genius, and we were two up.

The fans were brilliant that day. The noise made when we scored was incredible. I could have drove to Carlisle and heard us score.

The game finished 4-2 in our favour. At last the goals had arrived. Jamie McMaster added to Conte's brace before Christopher Ohen began a sensational run of form, latching onto Drissa Diallo's seventy yard pass. Martin Whiddett got two soft ones for Basingstoke.

Cheered off by a total attendance of 6,000, we were straight off to the hospital, where we would find the results of the tests run on Matt Stowell. The news was not good.

'I'm afraid Mr Stowell's career may be over. He has suffered a serious blow to his spinal cord, which, if in top-class rehabilitation, would keep him out from 13 - 18 months. In a standard rehabilitation unit, he may never fully recover.'

I told Matt the club would pay for whatever unit the doctor reccomended. But he refused, telling us that at 27 years old, it just wasn't worth it. His wife had given birth to their first child just 6 months ago, and he wanted to spend more time with the child. The club, in the end, paid him a sum rather larger than his contract pay-off, a figure reaching £125,000.

Matt told me that he wasn't a footballer really anyway. He was 27 years old, and had made only five professional appearances in his whole career. At Bristol City and Slough he had been released, having played no games. The same thing happened at Rushden and Diamonds, where he made his only ever appearances. He currently ran an electrician's with his father, so he was fine for money.

And so Hornchurch FC lived on. We were an amazing club, in terms of what we had experienced. I went to a board meeting a few days after Basingstoke, to be told I had the full backing of the board, and they were extremely pleased with the progress we had been making. They were also delighted with the new faces we had brought in.

I began to realise though, I could take nothing for granted. There was something special at this club, and I learned, that at Upminster Stadium, anything could be around the corner.

[Conte]

This team played against Dorchester the next week:

Harrison; Sims, Emara, Diallo, Panayiotou; Freund; McMaster, Diomede (Searle 45), Conte; Streeter (Jeffrey 7), Ohen.

We beat Dorchester comfortably 3-1, despite going down after 10 minutes. Christopher Ohen and Drissa Diallo got the goals. Dorchester had a fantastic striker called Juan Ugarte up front, who was marked out of the game by Panayiotou, getting no credit for all the unnoticed work he does.

We were drawn out against St. Albans in the FA Cup (2nd Qualifying Round), who were in the same division as ourselves. I was confident of getting through all the qualifying rounds, but we could face a League One side in the First Round proper.

Mbaye Badji-El-Hadji had his contract terminated by mutual consent. Mbaye was having trouble settling and missing training, so he asked to leave the club, which we allowed him to do. He returned to Senegal, his home country, to look for a team there.

I was living in a nice little flat just outside of London. It was a simple place, living room, two bedrooms, kitchen, one toilet. I never seemed bored, it was hard to get bored, being so near to London. I had only been to London for day trip type things, and never had time to see it all. It is a wonderful, if busy place, and I grew to love it.

I was content. My team were doing well, I was enjoying living in London. I was controlling myself though, although young, I tried to avoid nightclubs - with the media all over you, you had to be careful. On matchweeks, a midnight curfew applied to my players - and I knew if they had broken it. I sent my coaches to watch just where they went, how late they stayed. I didn't want to be invading my players' privacy, but I also didn't want to have players out until four in the morning. The players tried me on at first, but learnt that if they broke a rule, I will find out. But now I have a trust in my players, I no longer need to send coaches out.

We were progressing well. The team was a team in training, not 11 individuals. We maybe weren't Premiership yet, but I wanted this team at the top. So that is what we went out to every game thinking.

Let's get to the top.

[Conte]

The following weekend, I saw one of the best performances I had ever seen from a club I managed.

Grays Athletic had been denied promotion to the Conference National last season due to finances. Still with a fairly strong side, this would easily be our toughest game so far. They had one very good striker, called Leroy Griffifths, who we would have to watch out for.

We thrashed them 6-0. Ilan Bakhar scored after four minutes, with Bernard Diomede and Scott McCordick, making his debut, adding before half-time. We had taken the game comfortably already, but I warned the players not to let complacency kick in. They didn't. We gave the second half as much as the first and a Chris Ohen hat-trick took us to six. Griffifths was sent-off.

Grays ended the game with nine men, when an injury to their midfielder Stuart Thurgood, after they had made three subs, resulted in him being taken off too.

We were superb. In particular, Steffen Freund won every tackle in midfield, Ignacio Conte started or played the final ball of the move that gave us six, and Chris Ohen, of course, for a tremendous hat-trick. Ohen got man of the match for the three goals.

All three of Ohen's goals were superb finishes. You wouldn't have bet on Ohen to bury any of them so comfortably, yet he confidently did.

Diomede's goal wasn't really deserved. Although he had been playing well, Jamie McMaster made a superb run, beating five or six players, before his lob was tipped away, into the path of Diomede, who dispatched.

This cheered me up after a bad week. I had had a rock thrown through my window by local drunks. They didn't know I lived there - as far as I know it wasn't to do with football, I just had the misfortune of being the first house after the discovery of the rock. The woman in the apartment next to me had seen them and reported them to the police. They were eventually spotted, and fined the amount it would cost to get my window fixed, plus a few hundred quid more for criminal damages.

I wasn't really bothered, as I called some window people in the next day to fix it. I was on the third floor, so I wasn't in mass danger of a robbery that night. Unless they brought a ladder, I grumpily duct taped the window up at one in the morning. Hooligans.

I let some youngsters go that week, who were on a month long trial. I wasn't particuarly impressed by any of them. One of them, Christopher O'Connel, earned a last minute contract after a superb week in training, where he really showed potential. Terry Streeter was placed on the transfer list, and we completed the signing of Mads Timm was signed from Man United.

This caused a lot of excitement at Upminster Stadium. Timm had been transfer listed after being jailed for six months, after he had crashed his car while drunk. Usually, this would earn a hefty fine. Timm's jail sentence came as he was already banned from driving.

Mads cost us £200,000, and was injured for four weeks. He was expected to be back for a possible FA Cup 3rd Qualifying Round, depending on our result against St Albans in the 2nd Qualifying Round.

Top of the league, things were going well. Margate and Cambridge City (not United) as well as Bishop's Stortford would be our toughest games of the season. We had Margate in ten days time, a game that was getting hyped up by the Margate manager Chris Kinnear. It was unneccesary stuff, about how confidence in the Margate camp was high, they were expecting victory, etc, etc. Who cares? We'll play our game, you play yours. It ended when I was publicly quoted to have said 'who really cares what's happening at Margate?', resulting in a telling off from Parrington. I wasn't afraid of the media.

[Spav]

Another great start, United4Ever.

Keep the quality of all your stories up to their current standard and we could well be hailing the best new writer of 2005 at this rate.

[Conte]

I'll be writing another bit of this shortly.

[Conte]

We won our next ten games. We scored 28 goals, and conceded just two. We were well on our way to the title.

The highlight of this run was the 5-0 wins at Hayes and Maidenhead. Drissa Diallo, of all people, scored three of the ten goals in those two games. We were flying, all right, but we had our toughest game yet coming up.

In that ten game run, we won three FA Cup matches, taking us through to the First Round proper. We drew a very difficult draw, against a stubborn Bradford City side, who were chasing a playoff-place. We were a stronger team, but Nicky Summerbee could cause us problems and they had a talented young striker called Danny Forrest.

In a fairly boring game, Bradford advanced, beating us 1-0 with a Tom Penford goal. We were out of the FA Cup, a potentially exciting competition for us. It was the only place we could really test ourselves.

The lads were really disappointed afterwards. Heads were down, and although we beat Weymouth 3-0 the next weekend, it was a poor performance and we didn't manage a goal until the 76th minute. The ten game run seemed to have given us an 'invincible' frame of mind. We had a tough game against second place Cambridge City next, and we needed to be in the right frame of mind.

We walked out onto the rather immaculate City Ground pitch at Cambridge. Once again, nearly 5000 people had turned out, and the atmosphere was fantastic. Jamie McMaster did his usual three hops before going onto the pitch, Ignacio Conte with the usual sock straps with CONTE 9 printed on them. Tension was high, a result was needed. The game kicked-off, and I took my seat in the dugout.

We were playing beautifully. Jamie McMaster put us one up in the added minutes of the first half, with an amazing goal. Freund's header clear found McMaster at the halfway line, and he took it from there.

On another day I would have shouted at him, but on another day, he might have missed. McMaster brought the ball past two players into the middle, before turning on another, and holding two more off, striking the ball low and hard from 18 yards. It would have been wrong for the keeper to save it, with the delightful piece of play that started it. 1-0.

We were all over them. I could only encourage the boys on at half-time. Our 17 shots to their 6 told the story of the game. In an average match six shots in the first half wasn't bad - the fact that we had been given openings 17 times showed differently.

The referee. Chris Francis, was abysmal. He had made numerous decisions that everyone else in the ground would have done the opposite with. The free-kick that Freund headed away to start up McMaster's goal should never have been a free-kick. And on 79 minutes, I completely lost it.

To be fair to Robbie Simpson, he had played decently and never gave up on the ball. But with Francis half way down the other side of the pitch (he maybe would have belonged more at McDonalds), Simpson hurried Ilan Bakhar in playing it back to Paul Harrison. Harrison lined the ball up to clear it away, when Simpson came lunging in.

The tackle was brutal. Luckily Harrison escaped unscathed, as the padding in his goalkeeper shorts took a lot of the blow. The the intention was there. Francis was either not paying attention, or looking the other way. The linesman maybe got it at a difficult angle, and after Simpson had slotted the ball home, told Francis there was nothing in the tackle.

We had lost a game to a stupid decision. I was furious. I was straight onto the pitch, screaming at Francis. 'Your a this and your a that' style. I went on to comment on a visit to the opticians, and pushed his right shoulder.

No matter how bad something is in a game of football, no one has the right to throw verbals at an official like that. I was off before the push, which just added on a one game ban from the dugout. I was into the stands, although I ended up in the changing rooms. I wouldn't have been able to keep my voice down.

The players walked in after the final whistle.

'Sorry Boss', said Harrison.

'Why the hell are you saying sorry Harrison?', I asked more aggresively that I meant to. Looking around at all of them, I continued.

'You lot played your hearts out today. They were poor, you know that, and I don't want to make excuses, but we lost the game to a referee. I lost it. I shouldn't have burst like that, but that's how it is sometimes. Well played, lads.'

Seeming a bit relieved that I wasn't going to scream at them, they got changed. I went round and patted a few on the back, before continuing to the officials changing room.

Chris Francis opened the door, standing in his boxers. Of all feelings, I wasn't expecting laughter at that point. I stifled my laughs.

'Oh, Mr Platt... bad time mate', he said, feeling a bit embarassed.

'Bad time, sorry. I just wanted to apologise about earlier', I said, trying to hide the laughter, now reaching an impossible point to handle.

He reached down and pulled some trousers on.

'That's better. And don't worry about it. The heat of the game, it gets to you, y'know? It's a tough job, what you've got, with the burden after the papers liked your story. Forgive and forget, eh?', he finished.

I smiled. 'Thanks', I said.

Feeling happier than I had done all day, I continued back to the changing room, to be cornered by Gary Parrington.

'Gary...', I started.

'That's Mr Parrington, to you mate. What the hell were you doing today? We don't want to lose even more money, with a fine from the league an'all. Do you know how much it cost us to sign a whole new squad? The wage budget? I'd not get blamed for sacking you on the spot', he said angrily.

Bloody hell, I thought. Taking it a bit seriously! Sacked for losing my temper with a referee.

'Go on then, Mr Parrington. See if any other half-decent managers want to come to you, with a record of sacking for shouting', I replied.

'Go and do your job', he said, pointing to the dressing room.

I walked in, trying to keep a smile on my face. Who did he think he was? Who was the one trying to convince me to sign on a few months ago, when I hadn't even wanted to come here?

There was a lot on the my mind that night. Parrington and referees mainly, actually. The January transfer window was also edging nearer. I could only currently sign other players playing in England. I wanted to continue scouting, maybe send some scouts abroad. I was seriously considering the US as a scout destination.

Another day in the life of a Hornchurch manager.

[Conte]

I loved that song. I thought Coldplay were awful, but I just loved that song. Fix You, it was called.

Lights will guide you home,
and ignite your bones,
and I will try, to fix you.

Sounds really corny, but plays fantastically. My run in with the Chairman seemed to have blown over, we were normal by Monday. Life goes on.

We had drawn Gainsborough in the LDV Vans Trophy, after beating Croydon in the first round. We could win this tournament, we all knew that. So, unlike the FA Cup for a lot of Premiership clubs, we approached it eagerly.

We advanced with an easy 4-0 win. Jamie McMaster, and Mads Timm double and Ignacio Conte got the goals. That night the draw was announced, and we got Leigh RMI, a pretty poor Conference National side. Gainsborough were twice as good as them. They were considerably worse than most clubs in our division too, and were extremely young. We had a month to wait until that match, which was away at Hilton Park.

We kept going in the league, with an injury/internationals crisis taking place. We beat Havant & W 2-1, then thrashing Bognor Regis 6-0. The St Albans one was the problem, with half the players knackered, and some only half-fit.

We played a full-strength side, but lost our first ever league match under my management. On 82 minutes it was goalless, before James Smith put them ahead, followed by a Corey Campbell penalty kick wrapping it up late on. To rub salt into the wounds, Smith and Campbell were both centre-backs.

The most important thing was that we kept our composure and forgot about the defeat going into our next match. We didn't, and got a rubbish 1-1 draw at bottom of the table Weston-super-Mare. Steffen Freund was sent off, and banned for three matches. Diomede and McMaster were both absent, but at the end of the day there was no excuse. If we couldn't deal with two injuries, we might as well quit now. Fortunetely, Cambridge went five games without winning. Although St Albans and Margate overtook us, they were far behind us. Cambridge had blown a basically guaranteed second place. If we weren't in the league, and they hadn't had that slump in form, they would have been runaway winners.

We were back at Thurrock. Although Weston-super-Mare had overtaken them and they were now bottom, they were a physically tough side. We played excellently, although we only managed two goals. Like the super-Mare game, Conte was brilliant. He was the best player Hornchurch had ever had under contract. We offered him another year, as over 30s were only offered one-year deals. He accepted, and we had our star player for another year.

We followed the Thurrock win with a 3-0 victory of Bishop's Stortford, before drawing against Carshalton, when a last minute goal denied us victory. We were back on track with a 4-0 win over Newport County.

And that brings us to the present day. We lead St Albans by 15 points. 22 games played, 20 to go. 60 possible points, we currently have 57. I targeted 100.

So we travelled to Sutton for our second match against them. We switched to a flat three in midfield, as McMaster was injured. Diomede started on the bench, so our new loan signing Lassana Diarra, Stevie Searle and Ignacio Conte were a central trio in midfield, Freund in his normal position.

After three minutes we were up. A defence-splitting pass from Conte set up Timm, who easily buried the pass. That summed-up Conte's game, he could turn a match with one turn, touch or run. On the half hour mark Conte scored his own, a header from Searle's cross. Sutton midfielder Paul Honey had been sent off shortly after Timm's goal.

Into the second half, substitute Michael Jeffrey secured the win. Drissa Diallo was sent off in the 88th minute. Game over, and off to the changing room.

'Well played lads', I said, patting a few on the back.

'You know your the best team in the division. You can all play way above this level. But what seperates the winners from the losers is this lads - do you want to jump straight there, or work to get there, and really feel success?', I asked them.

There was a murmur of the latter.

'Good. Then we need to wipe out the draws. Cancel the losses. If we draw to Carshalton, how are we going to beat someone in the Championship like Leeds?

'I want 100% dedication. I think I'm getting 95% at the moment. Just put in that bit extra, and we'll get there', I finished.

And I believed every word I said. It wasn't a pep-talk, or an 'inspirational' speech. The first rule of football:

You get out of football what you put into it.

[Jimmy Floyd]

This is very good, you know. You're the best new writer for a good long while, I reckon.

[Conte]

A board meeting was arranged on Wednesday afternoon, after training. I attended, dreading the 'vote of confidence' punishment, which effectively meant that you would be out of your job by the end of the season. I needn't have worried.

Sitting at the head of the table, owner Steven Collins started the meeting.

'I thank you all in advance for attending. We would like to start this meeting off by discussing the football, and then moving on to the finances.

'We sit atop of the league table. That is what is expected.' He turned to me. 'Mr Platt, we would like to put a three-year deal on the table, which we would allow you to sign at the end of this campaign, if the league title is won, which we are sure it will be.'

He passed it over to me. £7,500 a week. Blimey. That beat my pay at Luton by far. I knew for a fact that Mike Newell was now on about a third of this.

'But there is a twist', he said, obviously reading the expression on my face. 'Players must be sold or released. The wage budget is far too high. I realise, that the highest wage at the club is just £2,000 a week. But with such a large squad, you know some youngsters have to be let go. Some of the more experienced players will have to leave too. We are not suggesting you sell Conte, Freund and Diallo, but backups must be released. As well as helping us on the financial side, it will allow you to try out some youngsters.'

I understood. I had a few names in the back of my head who I knew could leave at the end of the year. Terry Streeter was already transfer-listed. Matthew Worthington, although only 21, had only played 35 minutes since as far back as October. He didn't fit the formation. Mark Earnshaw, the sub centre-half, could easily be replaced. We had already agreed and told Mark Ovendale that his contract would not be renewed at the end of the year. We had four young goalkeepers to replace him. Michael Jeffrey, although scoring when called on, and having two years on his contract, I knew would attract interest. He was a very good player for this level. There was a whole host of youngsters that would go at the end of the year.

Leaving the meeting, I was doing some scouting on Leigh RMI, just browsing fansites, finding out who was there key link. I was shocked to find that there manager, Phil Starbuck, was on wages around £50 a week.

Basingstoke were next. There was a tense atmosphere at Upminster Stadium. Matt Stowell was on most people's minds. Matt was actually in the dugout with us for that game.

We walked out along the icy pitch, taking our positions. Ohen, McMaster and the suspended Diallo were unavailable, so we stuck with our slightly different, narrow formation.

Mads Timm was looking very sharp. He latched onto a Conte pass, only to see a goalbound shot skid wide on the frost. He then worked a ball down the line to create another chance, which was well saved. Steffen Freund was also making an impact, with some superb corners.

They paid off on 19 minutes, when Stevie Searle headed home a near post corner by Freund. 20 minutes later and Conte seemed to have picked up a knock. Not wanting to injure our star player, he was substituted and Diomede came on. Conte had come off early due to the same niggling injury against Sutton Utd, and he was sent up to see the physio.

Diomede had an immediate impact, playing a clever one-two and with Bakhar, resulting in a long ball that Timm shot, and was again, denied.

Half-time and we were one up. Watching the first-half, I had noticed a young central defender, playing out of position at right-back. Although he was playing all right, he was nothing special. There right-winger seemed to be able to do nothing right on the ball, so I told Diomede to go wide left and expose them.

It's amazing how little things like this can change a game. Diomede bombed it out left straight from the kick-off. The right-back, Williams, wanted to play his usual position and got dragged into the middle. With Diomede wide open at the back post, the defence was a shambles and about three Basingstoke players ran over to mark him. Williams didn't know what was going on, and put Diarra's cross into his own net. 34 seconds into the second-half, and we had doubled our lead.

Diomede, although unnoticed, was sensational. Again, after a run wide, dragged the defence back in central. Freund on the ball had plenty of time, and picked out the completely unmarked Diarra, who shot from 25 yards and beat the keeper. Fantastic.

Ten minutes later the Basingstoke defence was in a shambles again. A rash challenge from about three players brought Jeffrey down for a penalty. Yiotis Panayiotou, in the absence of Diallo, made sure our 100% penalty spot record stayed alive.

And a fifth time. A clearance from 'keeper Tarr was headed fairly tamely by Bakhar. The ball rolled by about four players, and Timm was on the end of it to put us five up. The defending was absolutely shocking. An U10 Sunday League team could have kept that one out.

For our last, Mads Timm scored an amazing goal. Holding off two defenders, he played a fantastic lob from 25 yards to beat Tarr. Basingstoke couldn't wait for the final whistle. The fans were delighted, and singing:

Brazil,
It's just like watching Brazil!

More like watching a completely poor defensive side. But we took control of that. It was a team effort. I got so carried away with our five goal second half I forgot about subs. Which was a bit irresponsible. Michael Jeffrey had a slight limp, but waved me off when I shouted to him. I should have still taken him off. I had Scott McCordick on the bench.

Mads Timm had been awarded Man of the Match, although Lassana Diarra had been the star of the show. Two assists and a spectacular goal. He would definitely be a possible buy if we had the money at the end of the year.

And the FA Cup seemed to be back too. I was really sad we weren't experiencing it. Lewes, the only side below the Conference National still in it, had made Stoke fight to put them out. Stoke took it 2-1. Derby also shocked Man United with a 2-1 win. The big one was Chelsea v Arsenal, which a late Damien Duff goal sealed for Chelsea. Again, the final score 2-1. In another 2-1 scoreline, an 86th minute goal had denied Halifax a replay against Fulham.

Mansfield held Newcastle to a goalless draw, while Darlington had briefly lead at Villa Park. Two goals in two minutes had ensured West Brom avoided embarassment against a stubborn Hereford side.

Football looked back, for the better. The FA Cup Third Round had been a blessing for the FA. With bigger teams getting shocked, it might knock some sense back into the showponies.

[Conte]

We cruised to a 3-0 win in midweek against Eastbourne Boro. Phil Holder was in as I rested Ignacio Conte, and produced a superb performance from central midfield, bagging a 25 yard goal in the process. Best of all, he was only 20.

And then it was 'the big one'. I didn't see it as a big one at all. Leigh RMI in the FA Trophy 3rd Round. Leigh RMI were a bad side. In the Conference National relegation zone, they had nowhere near the quality we possesed. But they did put out a fight.

More often than not, in a team, you have a star player. No matter how much you tell your side to play as a team, in the dying moments of the game you're losing you'll be thinking 'come on, so and so, give us some magic'. In our case it was probably Ignacio Conte, although Jamie McMaster's form had been better. Jamie was playing absolutely brilliantly, and Leeds had started to regret selling him.

Leigh didn't have a star player. Their best was a lower-league merchant, called Craig Mitchell. Despite being only 19, he had played for three different Conference National clubs in four years. He was a striker.

Chris Simms would have been better. He was 20, very good in the air, very strong. And he had a decent shot on him. He was injured though, for another six months, with a broken leg.

Conte was recalled for the game, with Stevie Searle dropped. Bernard Diomede and Chris Ohen were injured, and Jamie McMaster only fit enough for the bench.

It was a very dull affair. We took it in the 87th minute when sub Michael Jeffrey scored. Phil Holder had again been outstanding in midfield, and Conte, who had been unstoppable, recieved Man of the Match.

Holder had created the goal, starting a run from midfield. He skipped past one, before slipping a ball through to Jeffrey, who shot into the bottom corner perfectly. Holder showed the same instincts as Conte - ability to change the game in a second, with one good decision and a little skill.

On the following Wednesday the replays were played. We had a league game against Dorchester, who had been the first side to score against us, and had contributed that goal to the significantly small total of nine in our goals against column. Our goal difference was +65. We had scored 74 goals in 25 games - nearly three goals a game on average.

Lewes, in our division, had a replay against Hemel Hempstead. They drew 4-4 in a fantastic game - and Lewes took it 5-4 on penalties. That game had everything - Lewes had taken a 3-1 lead, before Hemel came back, with a last minute equaliser taking it to extra-time. Then there was two goals in two minutes in extra-time, before Lewes finally beat their stubborn opponents on penalties. Premiership clubs - take note.

We kicked-off against Dorchester, on a miserable January night. About 3 degrees and raining. Lovely.

We were up after five minutes. Steffen Freund played a long ball, with Jamie McMaster, who was playing as a striker, latching onto the pass, before dribbling around the keeper and passing into an empty net.

20 minutes gone and McMaster was at it again. A good run into the box saw him chip to Mads Timm. Timm faced an empty net and duly... head against the bar. A couple of minutes later Phil Holder turned and belted a pass into the box, which McMaster shot just over.

Watching the video after the game, I laughed when the commentator (why did we have a commentator?!) said that McMaster was having trouble living up to the recent hype. He was shut up five minutes later when McMaster smashed his second into the net.

Holder put through Timm, who beat the keeper but his shot skimmed the bar. But just before the break David Laws gave Dorchester a goal back with a powerful shot from 20 yards, which made them (so far) the only club to score in both of their league games against us. Holder was struggling with a knock on his knee, and substituted at half-time.

Their goalkeeper, Craig Bradshaw, was having a good game. At one point he turned McMaster's cross away, before saving a 20 yard shot from Lassana Diarra when it was cleared. Then Mads Timm was denied from six yards in an impossible save. I had never seen us have so many clear chances in one move and not score.

McMaster completed his hat-trick when Conte put him through. He finished beautifully, and again referring to the video, I was furious when the commentator went on to comment on how outstanding McMaster had been. You weren't saying that half an hour ago, when he was playing just as well.

We had a new option up front. Ohen was a week away from returning, although he may not be included in the starting side against Grays.

After the game I laughed when someone from the Hornchurch website told me that it was now impossible for us to get relegated. I had never even considered relegation from the day I met Gary Parrington.

[Spav]

Lovely work, really well done. It's easy to read, but you still get all the necessary information to follow how Hornchurch are performing.

KUTGW

[Conte]

Coming up. A revealing interview with the Hornchurch manager.

[Conte]

I walked into the waiting lounge of the FourFourTwo magazine building. I had done a couple of interviews for them now, as well as a short one for kids football magazine Match.

I had barely opened my mouth at reception when;
'Mr Platt. We're a bit ahead of schedule today. You can go in now, if you want.'

I was guided in by another receptionist, going along a stream of corridors, all with the same blue carpet and cream paint. Up two staircases, turn left... it was like linking up the London Underground tunnels. Eventually we reached an office, and I opened the door and walked in.

'Ah, good, you've arrived. We are ahead of schedule today. Paul Gasciogne's interview was a very short one, when his phone went off and he realised he had an urgent doctor's appointment. Obviously Paul isn't one you'd expect to check his calendar daily.'

I laughed at this. Paul Gascoigne. He had made it seem so casual, as if Gasciogne was popping in for a cup of tea or something. One of, if not the most gifted player ever to pull on an England shirt. A doctor's appointment!

Two weeks after I had my interview, the article appeared in FourFourTwo.

Are you still enjoying Upminster?
Yeah, it's going well. It's not obviously the nicest place to live in the world, but its very close to London and that is useful for me.

Are the reports true that a rock was thrown through your window?
[Laughs]Yeah, a few drunk lads were walking by, and just by chance, thought it might be funny to throw a rock at a window, which happened to be mine. It wasn't the best time of day, at three in the morning, but it was fixed the next day.

Hornchurch are obviously flying in the league; what do you put this down to?
A lot of things really. I always demand dedication in training, even if its something the players don't enjoy. But I think the players have liked the way we've started to do it recently; we now split into positional groups, so the programmes are more to the player's needs. For example, if we were working on tackling as a whole team, it would be a waste of time for the strikers. Although an occasional session is needed for defenders, on shooting,for example, there is no point wasting a session every week on a pointless activity for some players.
Also, I think we are skillwise, above the teams in this division. Although we are going to need replacements for certain players that are growing older, the current side is very strong.

A while ago you went on a difficult run where you suffered two defeats; St Albans in the league and Bradford in the FA Cup. Did the players find it difficult to regain the confidence?
I don't think confidence was an issue; it was more shock that we had lost, after going so long unbeaten. I think we were only truly bettered by St Albans, who we know we can beat, as we did in the Qualifying Rounds of the Cup. The Bradford game was very close, and one, with a few injuries, we were unlucky to lose. But you can't make excuses; you have to move on. After a few wobbly draws we have, and we look like we are back to normal.

More to follow later.

[Korrekt]

The quality is still high on this story. Great work United4Ever.

[Conte]

As you can see, my name has changed.

[Conte]

Continued.

Who are the real characters in the dressing room?
Oh, easy. Mark Earnshaw and Stevie Searle are a right pair. I think they once put a few rabbit turds in Jamie (McMaster) and Scott's (McCordick) locker. Luckily they dry up quite quickly and don't...[laughs]. But yeah, they're the jokers. Drissa Diallo does the music.

What is the atmosphere of the club like?
You get people saying that Manchester United is like a big family, from the players' wives to the tea ladies. I'd like to think ours is like that too - there's a good atmosphere around the ground. Another benefit is that all the foreign players at least speak basic English. Mads Timm is particuarly good with languages; he's only 20 and speaks about five different languages.

You recently spent a bit of money on a few players; one signing was criticised. What are your reasons for the signing? I assume you're talking about Jamie McMaster as the criticised one. £1.2m was a massive fee to pay for a club of our stature. We set the Conference National record too with that signing. He hasn't disappointed, and I think, if he stays, could well be our captain and star player in a few years. If we make it to the big time I think he could be the key link that takes us there. Also Chris Morrow and Allan Creer were signed; I expect that Chris will break into the team fairly soon, he is a very talented player. Allan is potentially a good stopper, but Paul Harrison's record this season is second to none and Allan needs to work hard to get into the team. Allan is only 18 though, so there is a lot to be shown. We also signed another young keeper, Nic Jones, on a free.

With January the 1st passing, you can now legally talk to players who are out of contract in the summer. Will you be exploiting this part of the market?
For our first year a fairly large transfer budget was allocated, but next year it will be much different. I think if its within the laws of football, then it should be used if it benefits the team. I won't be adding another 10 players; in fact a lot of people will probably leave at the end of the year, whether it is age, or just not getting a first team slot.

Apologies, I'm having trouble finding time to write this, so its in chunks. Also I'm on holiday for the half-term week so there may not be updates for a while. Hopefully it won't slip completely off the board.

[Heat]

It will be tough to continue, hope you can though, why did you change your name?

[Conte]

Originally Posted by HEaT

It will be tough to continue, hope you can though, why did you change your name?

How do you mean 'tough'?

And as for my name, I felt like having an actual name ie. Hughesie, Spav instead of a phrase.

[Conte]

Hello...

I've managed to locate a PC at some friends' house. I won't be able to write the next section on this but I just wanted to make sure it didn't completely disappear.

Cheers,
Conte

[Conte]

The club financers were having trouble. Due to having a very large collection of youth players, our wage budget was massive. We slipped into debts of about £7m.

And so, Steven Collins, who now had about £165m in the bank now due to Sky TV, invested another £15m into the club to keep the ship afloat.

The TV man was a hero with the fans. He had rescued them in the first place, and although they weren't initially aware that we were in debt, when his new investment was announced everyone loved him even more.

I decided to only make one signing in the January transfer window, and that was bringing in Morten van den Burgt, a 17 year old Norweigan winger on a free transfer. As this deal was completed when we were still in debt, it consisted of his previous club, Arvoll, getting 15% of his next sale. They could also arrange a friendly with us next summer.

We beat Grays Athletic 3-0, meaning we had scored nine goals against them in the two league encouters. Phil Holder, Ignacio Conte and Scott McCordick got the goals.

Redbridge were our next opponents, managerless, and sitting in the relegation zone.

We were fantastic on the day, and won 4-0. There were two goal of the season contenders, one being Michael Jeffrey's 30-yard screamer, the other a superb free-kick from Mohamed Emara. It was one Beckham would be proud of, curling around the wall into the top corner. As we struggled in the free-kick department, Mohamed had been asked to take them, although it wasn't his strongest point. He had looked like the best set piece taker in England on that goal though.

A second from Michael Jeffrey, as well as one from Bernard Diomede, gave us the victory. And that game also marked the return of Chris Ohen, who had been out for a month with a hamstring injury. Although not fit enough to start, he came off the bench to make an appearance. It was only a month long injury, but it felt so long, as the busy schedule had seen us play ten games without him.

With the trauma of debt due to the wage budget, we agreed that trying to get most of the reserves out on loan was the best idea. A few would be placed on the transfer list. In the space of a week, four players were out on loan.

Before the game against Margate, I was doing some research on the league. I was amazed with some of our stats; like the one that said we had only managed one league goal with Ignacio Conte out of the team. The top four in the assists rankings were all Hornchurch, being Freund, McMaster, Diomede and Conte. We had the highest average attendance, despite having a ground that seated only 300. The actual figure was 1501. I was also pleased to see that we were the second cleanest team in the league, behind Newport County. Suspensions had very rarely affected us, and we had only had two red cards all season. Eastbourne Boro had recieved eight reds, in comparison.

The Margate match was being heavily hyped by C. South followers. Margate manager Chris Kinnear stated that Margate were hoping to 'knock us out of the fast lane' and that 'teams were too easily intimidated' by us. That was confirmed when Margate top scorer Rocky Baptiste said that 'you stepped up a gear' for Hornchurch matches and that players are 'always going to get nervous' when waiting to come out onto the pitch. The media then asked me f I was confident of beating Margate, which was being made out as an easy victory for us. I said that I thought we had the team to win, but Margate weren't a bad side.

The day of the match came quickly. With a few minutes until kick-off I walked out to my dugout. Normal game. With a few steps until my dugout, I heard some screaming. 'You...'. I felt a sharp pain to my back, and passed out.

[Conte]

I woke up with large commotion around me. I was still lying on the concrete path that lead from the tunnel to my seat, and my back was killing me.

I twisted an arm round to touch the spot of agony, and through blurry vision, saw a new red gleam on my hand. With that, I closed my eyes.

Still conscious, but in unbearable pain, I tried to listen to the shouts I was hearing close by. I couldn't make out anything though; whenever I got a word of what someone was saying, someone else would shout out.

Eventually I felt someone touching my back, and something soft sliding underneath me. I was lifted up and taken into an van, which I assumed to be an ambulance.

As I was laid down on a bed, I managed three words.

'Let them play', I breathed out to the paramedic.

'Just relax', he replied.

It was a very brief drive, around the stadium building to the first aid room. I slowly opened my eyes, and saw the outside of the stadium. HORNCHURCH FOOTBALL CLUB. I smiled and closed my eyes.

[Conte]

We lost. I was later told that the lads played with their hearts on their sleeves, and had been incredibly unluckly not to take the game by two or three goals. We hit the bar once and the post twice, and had a total of 16 shots but rarely hit the target. Margate, meanwhile, had two shots on target, and scored one.

Rocky Baptiste scored the 88th minute clincher against the run of play, after a defensive mix-up. A long ball by the Margate keeper was played downfield, with Che Stadhart flicking it on. Drissa Diallo missed the header, and was rescued by superb defensive play from Ilan Bakhar. Bakhar played the backpass, and instead of using the wings, Harrison panicked a booted it straight at Baptiste, who controlled and converted.

I was devastated with the result. Only our second league loss this season, our third in total, and only one of those we had deserved to lose. At Bradford we played well enough to earn a draw, but lost to a single goal, and the Margate events had repeated that. Although, I conceded to myself, St Albans had beaten us and deserved it.

There were other worries on my mind. After a medical examination, the doctors left me for a few hours to examine the x-rays of the attack. I felt wide awake now, and I was physically fine, excluding the sharp pain I still had in my back. The two doctors returned, with serious expressions.

'Is there anything wrong?', I asked.

'No, no, you'll be just fine. A couple of days and you'll be able to fully stand up, although crutches will be necessary for a few weeks', he answered.

The second physio continued.'You were stabbed in an area with nothing in it, basically. You were very lucky, because two centimetres higher, and you may not have ever walked again. In a severe situation, you may not have lived.'

'What we are worried about, is that fact itself. A couple of centimetres from a critical spot on your spine. Accidental? We don't think so.'

'So you mean...'I asked slowly.

'Yes. That this man was a professional, and was sent to do a job. End your days of walking.'

'Why?', I said, stunned.

'In the world of football, Mr Platt, there are extremeists. Just like there are in politics. Different races, who don't think they're getting a fair deal. A very small minority of hooligans, as they're known in the footballing world. We believe that this was almost certainly a professional's work. If he somehow escapes major punishment by the police, his employers will refuse to pay him, and he will suffer even more severe punishment than that he missed out on with the police.'

'Basically, he'll be begging for a life sentence at the moment.'

I was shocked. Scared. Why? Why would anyone hate the manager of a side of our stature? It was extremely, extremely rare for anything to happen to the most hated managers in the top divisions. I just didn't understand.

I was driven home in a police vehicle. I don't think I spoke to anyone on that ride home, anyone since the doctors had finished speaking.

Of course, he could be wrong. But if they had thought at any moment they were wrong, I think they would have kept their thoughts to themselves and the police. It just didn't seem possible.

When I arrived home, the doctors fears were confirmed.

Death threats had been found cellotaped to my window by a neighbour earlier in the day. There was one, simple message.

Watch Out.

Not very convincing, until you see the signature on the back of the paper.

It was instantly recognised as the signature of a criminal I had never heard of. The police told me he was kept quiet from the press. His full name was not known. But scrawled in that familiar signature was this:

Nenad.

The police told me he was a Serbian, who had moved to London about eight years ago. After a job he would often leave London for a couple of weeks. He had been spotted on the motorway in his black Subaru sportscar leaving London many times after a mysterious attack. He had never been caught.

This man had sent the person responsible for killing me. Maybe next time, he would do the job himself.

[Conte]

I came into training, which was being taken by my assistant Dave Ryan in my absence, about midday on Monday. I had decided to be straight with the players. If they didn't want something like this related with the club they played for, then they would leave the club.

I called them over, and started my talk.

'Lads. We all know what this is about. And I want you to know the facts, so nothing false goes around the media. So I'll start with this - the man who stabbed me was not drunk, or out of his mind. He was a professional.'

Several players, who had either been looking at a football in their hands or at the ground, stared suddenly at me.

'He was sent to kill me by a Serbian serial killer. This Serbian is based in London, but as he usually does, has fled the city for a few weeks after a job. This man is ruthless, and I don't want any of you to get involved. So, this is what I'm saying. If you want to get out of the club now, then I will bear no grudge at all. No one would want to be in this situation. So tell me now - is there anyone who doesn't want to be near this?'

That was my proudest moment in my whole spell at the club. Not one, single player, raised there hand.

'We're with you, boss', said Drissa Diallo.

I smiled.

'Right then. that's sorted. Back to the football please Dave.'

And that was that.

The weekend approached, and so did, suitably, I thought, a cup game. Bracknell had had a good run in this competition - the FA Trophy - and had beaten Chorley, Halesowen and Horsham to reach the Fourth Round. The highest league entry for the competition was the Conference sides - who we had managed to avoid, excluding the Leigh RMI game.

There was a huge roar when we walked out, or hopped on crutches in my case, into the tiny stadium that had become our home. Due to the railings where most fans stood being so close to the pitch, when the attendance was high, the atmosphere was fantastic. Especially with such a loyal bunch of supporters.

In fact, it was our lowest attendance of the season. 607 turned out to see us thrash the Non-League side 4-0, with goals from Phil Holder and Chris Ohen in the first half, before a quick brace of penalties from Drissa Diallo. Steven Clark, making his second appearance, was sent off, as was Tim Hambley for Bracknell. The young Norweigan Morten van den Burgt made an impressive debut.

It was a fantastic day. We marked a disappointing defeat in the league, as well as the events during the match, with a classy four-goal victory to take us closer to our first taste of silverware. With the league in our grasp, and the Cup not out of reach, it was gearing up to be an exciting conclusion.

[Spav]

Nenad the Serbian assassin!! Sounds like something from a Vic Flange story to me. KUTGW

[Heat]

I seem to have fallen behind in reading this, but I will make sure I do when I get back in england, what I have read is still good though

[Conte]

Originally Posted by Spav

Nenad the Serbian assassin!! Sounds like something from a Vic Flange story to me. KUTGW

Inspiration came from the Liverpool-Anderlecht match-report. I was desperate for a name and thought 'Nenad' sounded pretty sinister. He was actually sent off for racial abuse to Sissoko in that game.