Dec Saved Game Challenge - Winner

Congratulations to Joe Rojek-Smith who has won the first saved game challenge on FM.net. Joe your entertaining piece charting life at Leigh was the pick of the bunch, so there's a goodie-bag on it's way to you as we speak.

Want to try this month's challenge, which is based in Italy? Then just click here

DECEMBER WINNER

And so the story begins. Leigh RMI my chosen team, to steer clear of relegation my goal - if only it were that easy. I like a challenge, I was once challenged to sit in a corner in a round room, it is from that very corner that I am writing this story.

Well, nine games left to save Leigh's season and the blushes of embarrassment. The squad looked, at first glance, small, and the players I did have weren't that good at all.

However, it all started well with a 3-1 win over Barrow, despite them missing a penalty and at least ten other decent chances - we had three.

Worcester came next, a particular bogey team of mine. They walloped me 3-0 and I had a man sent off, which started a pattern you shall hear more about further on.

Before the Worcester game I had brought in Marek Szmid on loan, actually an Englishman, though you wouldn't have guessed from his name. However, after the defeat it was clear more names had to come in so I invested in some more loan deals. Stuart Elliott came in, not THE Stuart Elliott, but a central midfielder from Northwich Victoria. Alex Taylor swiftly followed, as did the pick of the bunch Stuart Tomlinson, a young 'keeper from Crewe. Now he looked good!

With these boys on board, I then drew 0-0 with Hinckley in the most boring game I've ever seen, though it was a decent result considering they were 2nd in the table. However the run didn't last as Lancaster, (who I really needed to beat) then beat my ten-man side 2-0.

I wasn't creating chances, so I went a bit Gung-Ho Sam Allardyce style, and it paid off with a 2-1 win against Vauxhall Motors. Despite this win, I was still 9 points adrift of safety, and still sitting rock bottom. A 2-2 draw with Scarborough in my next outing meant winning my last three games was a necessity, but I needed the three teams above me to all lose. I also needed to turn a -20 goal difference, into +3. A veritable miracle was required, so had a beverage.

Against Scarborough, I had another (yes another!) man sent off. Do you see a pattern emerging? I have half a man sent off every game!

We then beat Redditch 1-0; spirits were high, until the league table showed what we all expected - relegation for Leigh RMI. It was a sad day. We played the last two games of the season anyway, and lost them both convincingly.

So, I won three, drew two and lost four, and I felt slightly aggrieved. For the bottom of the league club who have won just 5 games all season, those last nine games were very impressive. Of course, the teams directly above me also had good runs and trod all over my glory. Bottom of the league was the best I could manage. I feel like a younger, better-looking, well-liked version of Mick McCarthy. The End.

PS - This is a true challenge. Try it now

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