Welcome back to my new Football Manager 2017 project. Over the coming weeks, I’ll be finding out what would happen if English football had a county league where all the teams could only use the best players and managers to come out of their counties.
Last time out, I summarised the first month of Counties Championship league matches. August’s recaps will bring good news if you’re from Essex (like me), but probably not if you’re from North London (like… er… me). Hey, I’m from Romford, so I technically qualify for both those counties.
August also saw the start of the County Cup, which will be our main focus today. Here’s the lowdown on Round 1…
ROUND 1 DRAW
I’ve already explained the rules right here, but here’s a quick summary. The County Cup is a straight knockout competition with a free draw – no regionalisation, and no seeding (as such). All ties are settled in one leg on the day (by extra-time and penalties if necessary), and teams must name at least four players aged 23 or under in their starting line-up.
Now, we have 48 teams in the competition. That meant some teams would have to go straight through to the last 32 while the others battled it out in the first round.
I’ve given byes to the 16 teams that were predicted before the season to finish in the top four of their respective divisions. Those teams automatically progressing to Round 2 were:
North Division: Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, West Yorkshire
East Division: Derbyshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Nottinghamshire
South Division: Hampshire, Kent, North London, South London
West Division: Shropshire, Somerset, Staffordshire, West Midlands
Everyone else went straight into the hat for Round 1. Here’s the draw:
Oxfordshire vs Rutland
Bristol vs Herefordshire
Gloucestershire vs West Sussex
Buckinghamshire vs East Sussex
Cambridgeshire vs Wiltshire
Tyne & Wear vs South Yorkshire
Cornwall vs Cheshire
Bedfordshire vs Dorset
Worcestershire vs Cumbria
Berkshire vs Warwickshire
Lincolnshire vs Northumberland
Leicestershire vs Devon
Northamptonshire vs East Yorkshire
Norfolk vs Surrey
Suffolk vs County Durham
Isle of Wight vs North Yorkshire
The tie of the round was arguably the all-North affair between Tyne & Wear and South Yorkshire. With two strong strike forces going head-to-head, at least one big name would fall at the first hurdle.
The only other tie between two divisional rivals was in the west. Keith Curle’s Bristol would be red-hot favourites to dump out a Herefordshire squad that mainly consisted of part-timers.
A hotly-anticipated match-up saw Berkshire (with Theo Walcott et al) take on a Warwickshire side fronted by the on-fire Will Grigg. Two of the best young managers in England went head-to-head when Eddie Howe took his Dorset team to Bedfordshire – the home of Garry Monk.
Of course, the Cup also offered a chance for some of the ‘weakest’ teams in the Counties Championship to get in the headlines. The Isle of Wight hoped to send Steve McClaren’s North Yorkshire packing early, while Rutland looked to surprise Oxfordshire. Either Lincolnshire or Northumberland would sneak into Round 2 – and a potential date with one of the big guns.
All those matches were scheduled for Tuesday 16 August. So, without further ado, let’s find out who’ll be making early progress, and who’ll be saying goodbye to their hopes of cup glory…
ROUND 1 RESULTS
OXFORDSHIRE 1-0 RUTLAND
Oxfordshire might have been given perhaps the easiest draw on paper, but Rutland wouldn’t let them coast into Round 2. While not providing much of an attacking threat themselves, the minnows were strong at the back, with centre-halves Garryl Horvath and Craig Stone proving especially difficult obstacles.
After several missed opportunities, Oxon finally broke through on 78 minutes. Winger Callum O’Dowda was tripped on the edge of the box by Stuart Lewin-Warner, which allowed ex-Reading wideman Jordan Obita to score direct from the free-kick. Rutland’s resistance had been broken.
BRISTOL 2-0 HEREFORDSHIRE
Two of the West division’s lesser lights clashed in Bristol, and it was the hosts who dominated against Herefordshire. 22-year-old Joe Bryan led their charge with two goals midway through the first half thanks to assists from Reuben Reid and Bobby Reid (no relations).
Herefordshire were lucky not to fall further behind, as several later efforts from Bryan and Reuben Reid were saved by Lee Burge. At the other end, Connor Wickham’s finishing was profligate and Jarrod Bowen hit the bar as their county slipepd to an early cup exit.
GLOUCESTERSHIRE 1-0 WEST SUSSEX
West Sussex might have been going strong in the league, but their cup exploits were brief. Gareth Southgate’s team enjoyed plenty of possession and could have got themselves into a comfortable position against Gloucestershire if they had taken their chances.
By the closing stages, though, the southern side were noticeably fading, allowing Gloucestershire to take full advantage. In the 87th minute, a cross from Zack Kotwica found midfield playmaker Ryan Burge, who sent a stunning 25-yarder into the top corner to put Ian Holloway’s charges through.
BUCKINGHAMSHIRE 1-0 EAST SUSSEX
We also said an early farewell to East Sussex, who put up some resistance against Buckinghamshire but eventually crumbled. After a dire first period, it was in the second half when the Swans’ form started to really pick up.
Bucks boss Sam Ricketts threw on his former Wales colleague Simon Church in the 61st minute, and it paid off instantly. The experienced striker latched onto an excellent long ball from Harry Forrester and cut it across to captain Sam Baldock, whose tap-in was enough to send the hosts through.
CAMBRIDGESHIRE 2-1 WILTSHIRE
Wiltshire took the lead midway through the first half of this cup tie, as George Moncur drove in an audacious shot from just outside the ‘D’. Cambridgeshire fought back just before half-time, with Alex Revell coverting a penalty after he had been fouled by Matt Mills.
American-born defender Will Seymore put Cambridgeshire 2-1 up on 63 minutes, finishing a goalmouth scramble from Todd Kane’s corner. However, their lead was jeopardised first by a red card for midfielder Liam O’Neil, and then by Kane’s trip on Billy Bodin in the penalty area. Fortunately for them, John Ruddy saved Yan Klukowski’s spot-kick to break the Moonrakers’ hearts.
TYNE & WEAR 2-0 SOUTH YORKSHIRE [after extra-time]
A tense all-North contest ended with both teams out on their feet after two hours of action – and with Tyne & Wear victorious over South Yorkshire. It was a frustrating evening in Newcastle for the visitors, who paid the price for wasting several opportunities.
Following 90 tense minutes, South Yorkshire’s defence began to crack early in extra-time. Marc Roberts’ slide tackle managed to keep T&W midfielder Remie Streete’s through-ball away from Daniel Barlaser, but Danny Graham stabbed in the rebound. He then scored again in the second extra half to seal victory.
CORNWALL 0-4 CHESHIRE
There wasn’t much of a contest in St Austell, as Cornwall were overwhelmed by their northern opponents. Youngster Devante Cole (son of Andy) and beanpole veteran Peter Crouch set up goals for one another to put Cheshire 2-0 up after just 21 minutes. Josh Brownhill then converted a couple of penalties, effectively sealing victory before half-time.
Cornwall stemmed the bleeding in the second half, but it still wasn’t a pleasant experience for them. Compounding their misery were a couple of late bookings for Kieren Conibear-Trathen – the first of TWO red cards that the young defender would receive in August.
BEDFORDSHIRE 2-1 DORSET [after extra-time]
Luton hosted a real battle between two evenly-matched sides which eventually went the way of the home team. It was actually Dorset who had taken the lead early in the second half, as Sam Hoskins pounced after Beds goalkeeper Simon Eastwood had fumbled Brennan Dickenson’s cross.
Eastwood’s blushes were spared nine minutes later, as an excellent equalising strike from Daniel Powell put Bedfordshire back on track. Extra-time beckoned, and when Powell headed Jernade Meade’s byline cross home eight minutes from time, Dorset were left distraught.
WORCESTERSHIRE 0-1 CUMBRIA
It was a tale of two penalties in Kidderminster. The first was awarded after 31 minutes, when Worcestershire vice-captain Nathan Baker tripped up Cumbria’s star striker Glenn Murray. Forward came the visitors’ left-back Danny Grainger, whose ice-cool low penalty broke the deadlock.
Worcestershire then won a penalty of their own in the 57th minute, after Grant Holt tried to demonstrate his wrestling abilities on Alex Nicholls. Luckily for the visitors, Scott Carson was a rock between the posts, and his save from Joe Lolley left Worcs stone-cold dead. Send for the undertaker. (Yes, if you must know, I stopped watching WWE in 2004.)
BERKSHIRE 3-1 WARWICKSHIRE
Jake Cooper must have been hearing, “na na na, na na na na, na na na, na na,” in his head in the 36th minute. That was when Warwickshire striker Will Grigg took the ball of the hesitant Berkshire defender’s feet and went clean through to open the scoring. Cooper was a relieved man, then, when Theo Walcott equalised within three minutes.
That leveller swung the pendulum towards Paul Clement’s team. Teenager Dominic Solanke completed their turnaround in the 75th minute, volleying in Sam Hutchinson’s left-wing cross. Solanke also set up an injury-time clincher for Walcott, when his flick-on was buried by the lightning-quick England winger.
LINCOLNSHIRE 4-1 NORTHUMBERLAND
Despite losing all their opening five league games in August, the cup offered Lincolnshire some much-needed comfort. John Ward’s outfit were in excellent shape against Northumberland, taking a 2-0 half-time lead through excellent finishes from Tom Hopper and Patrick Bamford.
19-year-old Liam Mandeville had set up the opening, and Hopper returned the favour with two assists for the ex-Doncaster striker in the second half. In between those strikes was a fantastic pot-shot from Adam Campbell – the only thing Northumberland fans could celebrate in their cup adventure.
LEICESTERSHIRE 3-2 DEVON
In one of the ties of the round, Leicestershire battled past Devon to reach the next phase. Jonson Clarke-Harris had opened the scoring in the 18th minute – 11 minutes before rising star Harvey Barnes rounded off a breathtaking passing move with a second goal.
At that point, Devon looked dead and buried, but Joe Mason delivered fresh hope when he squirmed a shot past Chris Kirkland in the 68th minute. Though Joe Mattock soon restored Leicestershire’s two-goal cushion, Nicky Law’s 25-yard screamer made it clear that the boys from the south-west wouldn’t give up until the very end. They didn’t.
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 1-2 EAST YORKSHIRE
Northamptonshire will be kicking themselves. They had put themselves into a strong position after just four minutes, when Callum Robinson powered Marcus Kelly’s killer pass home. However, Sean Dyche’s counter-attacking plans would soon be unravelled by a couple of impressive moves from East Yorkshire.
Six minutes before half-time, the visitors cut Dyche’s men open with some intricate passing, ending with 18-year-old Daniel James finding the net. Another of East Yorkshire’s young guns went for it just 19 seconds into the second half, as Jack Marriott scored what proved to be the winner from Peter Pawlett’s through-ball.
NORFOLK 1-0 SURREY
In such windy and rainy conditions in Norwich, it was no wonder this match failed to deliver much excitement. There were only five shots on target all game long – but Norfolk crucially made one of theirs count to knock Surrey out.
In the 57th minute, a clever backheel from Norfolk midfielder Tom Adeyemi found the experienced Ian Henderson in the box. Though his shot was parried by Suffolk goalkeeper Alex McCarthy, the rebound fell invitingly to John Sutton, who lashed it home. His dad Mike and his brother Chris were very proud, I’m sure.
SUFFOLK 1-2 COUNTY DURHAM [after extra-time]
Elsewhere in East Anglia, there was extra-time heartbreak for Suffolk. They had done so well to get back in the tie through Scotland striker Chris Martin in the 75th minute following Grant Leadbitter’s first-half opener for County Durham. Alas, another player who shares his name with a British singer would put them in their place in extra-time.
On 102 minutes, Durham winger James Morrison decided to put down his guitar (with its broken strings) to cross Andrew Taylor’s throw into the box. Harry Chapman stroked the ball home with his left foot, and the north-easterners held on to win 2-1.
ISLE OF WIGHT 0-2 NORTH YORKSHIRE [after extra-time]
The Isle of Wight looked set to spring a cup surprise, having kept North Yorkshire goalless for 90 minutes. They even had a few chances to open the scoring themselves. Alas, extra-time exposed the islanders’ fitness issues, allowing their more established opponents to take control.
Less than a minute into the additional 30, North Yorkshire had broken through at last, courtesy of Jordan Hugill. His initial strike from Sam Byram’s right-wing cross was returned Stuart Moore, and the rebound ricocheted off the post and into the net. Byram caused more problems right at the end of extra-time, as his cross deflected in off an unlucky Zak Harris to write off Wight for good.
ROUND 2 DRAW
With our Round 2 line-up confirmed, let’s find out what’s next in store for the 32 survivors when they return to cup action next month. The draw has thrown up some very interesting ties indeed:
East Yorkshire vs Norfolk
Kent vs West Yorkshire
North London vs Bedfordshire
County Durham vs Berkshire
Buckinghamshire vs Staffordshire
Oxfordshire vs Hampshire
Tyne & Wear vs Cheshire
Bristol vs West Midlands
Somerset vs Gloucestershire
Derbyshire vs Hertfordshire
Leicestershire vs Cambridgeshire
South London vs Merseyside
North Yorkshire vs Essex
Lincolnshire vs Greater Manchester
Shropshire vs Cumbria
Lancashire vs Nottinghamshire
If you’re like me, there’s one tie that jumps right off the page. It’s South London vs Merseyside. Wilfried Zaha vs Wayne Rooney. Stormzy vs The Beatles. Erm… Alan Pardew vs David Nugent.
I’m also really looking forward to seeing who prevails between Buckinghamshire and Staffordshire – two strong sides with plenty of bite. Lancashire’s meeting with Nottinghamshire is another one that really could go either way.
Unlike in Round 1, we’re not short on division derbies. Each of the four regional divisions have at least two of their teams crossing swords with one another.
Tyne & Wear will battle it out with Cheshire for northern pride, while Derbyshire will hope to consign eastern foes Hertfordshire to an early exit. Oxfordshire will need to make home advantage count against Hampshire in the south. Meanwhile, Bristol will fancy their chances against the West Midlands.
And that’s your lot for the first round of Cup fixtures. I’ll be back next week for a Round 2 recap – and ahead of that, a summary of September’s league results. Until then, keep well and stay safe.
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