We’re now into the second half of my Counties Championship project on Football Manager 2017. If you were with me last time, you’ll remember just how hectic a month December was. You can revisit all the action in these links to Part 1 and Part 2.

If December was packed with fixtures, though, then January is even more so. Our teams will play as many as NINE matches over the course of a month that really could make or break their play-off hopes.

Be aware, though, that there are a few database quirks with January’s fixtures. Round 26 clashes with the County Cup Quarter Finals, so the eight teams involved in cup action have had their league games from that round postponed until February.

Also, Round 32 is played on Tuesday 31 January, but because the West division plays midweek games on Wednesdays, you won’t find out its results for that particular round until next month’s update.

As with December’s round-ups, I’m splitting the January updates across two posts, with this one covering the North and East divisions. I’m saving the South and West results for another post later this week.

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NORTH DIVISION

ROUND 24 (3 January)

Greater Manchester got a New Year’s surprise, failing to beat North Yorkshire despite ‘dominating’ the match stats. Zach Clough’s goal just before half-time was cancelled out in the 66th minute by North Yorkshire striker Charlie Wyke, whose team-mate Ben Godfrey was sent off late on.

Despite that, GM now had a 15-point advantage on West Yorkshire, as Northumberland forward Mark Cullen’s brace condemned the 2nd-placed visitors to defeat in Blyth. South Yorkshire won 2-0 against Cumbria, with Lee Gregory scoring both goals to lift them into 3rd ahead of Merseyside, who lost 3-0 in Cheshire.

Lancashire moved closer to the play-off places after Anthony Pilkington and Marc Pugh got on the scoresheet to beat Tyne & Wear. It was a more positive day in the north-east for County Durham, who thrashed East Yorkshire after a Harry Chapman hat-trick.

ROUND 25 (7 January)

Tyne & Wear began 2017 with back-to-back home defeats, their second coming against Greater Manchester. Clough started the scoring in the 13th minute and ended it in the 87th, with Marcus Rashford sneaking in a goal just before Zach’s second. Unfortunately for Gary Neville, his mercurial attacking midfielder Ravel Morrison sustained a knee ligament injury.

A goalless draw between West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire sent the Mancs even further clear at the summit. In fact, none of the other teams in the top half won their matches. Joey Barton’s early opener for Merseyside was only enough for a draw with Northumberland, and Lancashire had Oliver Norwood sent off in a 2-1 loss to East Yorkshire.

Cumbria became increasingly distant at the bottom of the table after Marcus Maddison and Gary Martin delivered the decisive goals for County Durham. A second-half goal blitz ended with North Yorkshire striking another killer blow in Cheshire’s play-off ambitions.

ROUND 26 (10 January)

After their early-year struggles, Tyne & Wear got themselves going again with a clinical display in North Yorkshire. Danny Graham led the way with two of their four goals, while captain Jordan Henderson found the net for just the second time this season.

Lancashire recovered from 2-0 down with eight minutes remaining to draw 2-2 against County Durham. Jamie Vardy was at the double for an excellent South Yorkshire side in East Yorkshire, and Grant Holt secured Cumbria’s second league win of the season against Northumberland.

ROUND 27 (14 January)

When Greater Manchester’s aggressive midfielder Ben Pearson was sent off 32 minutes in against West Yorkshire, I was surprised to find it was his first red card of the campaign. Even so, the Mancunians showed they only needed 10 men, with Clough scoring twice more to move them another step closer to the North title.

South Yorkshire took 2nd place from their rivals in the West, surviving a red card of their own (thanks, Mason Holgate) to beat County Durham 2-1. 4th place was still held by Merseyside following their 2-1 win at Tyne & Wear. They too had a player sent off, but Martin Kelly’s injury-time dismissal didn’t really matter.

Cumbria didn’t have long to celebrate victory before Cheshire brought them back to earth. Northumberland and East Yorkshire contested a thrilling 3-3 draw in the bottom half, while mid-table North Yorkshire and Lancashire drew 1-1.

ROUND 28 (17 January)

You might remember Northumberland were as high as 4th in September. They dropped into the bottom four for the first time since the opening week after a truly madcap north-east derby where defending seemed optional. Tony Humes’ side succumbed 4-3 to County Durham after Elliot Embleton scored an 82nd-minute winner.

Greater Manchester were typically professional in a straightforward 3-0 away win over Cumbria. They were also pleased to find that South Yorkshire had only managed a 1-1 draw in Lancashire.

West Yorkshire got their first league win of the year, as Duane Holmes and James Husband saw them home against Tyne & Wear. Cheshire were utterly ruthless against East Yorkshire, but neither Merseyside nor North Yorkshire could inflict the decisive blow in Liverpool.

ROUND 29 (21 January)

Nobody’s stopping Greater Manchester any time soon. They stormed to a 2-0 lead in the first quarter-hour against East Yorkshire after defender Ben Mee provided assists for Rashford and Clough. A third goal arrived late on from midfielder Cameron Brannagan, who volleyed in Kieran Trippier’s right-wing cross.

The top four all won their matches. Billy Sharp took just 14 seconds to score for South Yorkshire, who led 4-0 inside the first 19 minutes against Northumberland before going on to win 4-2. West Yorkshire were 2-1 winners against rivals North Yorkshire, and Merseyside overcame Lancashire thanks to an own goal from Kyle Bartley.

It might take a monumental effort for Cheshire to get back in the play-off picture now. Nevertheless, a solid 2-0 win over County Durham did give fresh hope to the home fans in Warrington. Cumbria looked increasingly hopeless at the bottom after being cut open by the big Tyne & Wear strikeforce of Graham and Andy Carroll.

ROUND 30 (24 January)

Billy Sharp was VERY sharp for South Yorkshire when they hosted Cheshire. The former Sheffield United and Doncaster frontman helped himself to a hat-trick, with Vardy having scored the opener before Louis Reed capped off a perfect day. Well, near-perfect day, as Max Clayton did get one goal for Cheshire.

5-1 was also the scoreline when West Yorkshire played host to Merseyside, but it was Karl Robinson’s Scousers who ran riot. David Nugent – the man with one of the best goals-to-games ratios in England history – stole the show with a brace. Lancashire also enjoyed a comfortable victory, beating Northumberland 3-0.

Danny Drinkwater might have dislocated his shoulder, but Greater Manchester did even greater damage to County Durham’s hope with an excellent display in Darlington. Tyne & Wear edged a five-goal battle against East Yorkshire, while Cumbria succumbed to North Yorkshire’s Bradley Fewster 10 minutes from time.

ROUND 31 (28 January)

We were expecting goals aplenty when Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire crossed swords, right? Well… what we got was a stalemate where neither of the top two could make the breakthrough. Centre-back Craig Dawson was the ‘man of the match’ for GM, which just about sums it all up.

West Yorkshire had their sights set on 2nd again after James Milner got a goal and an assist to beat Lancashire. Merseyside tightened their grip on 4th after teenager Jordan Rossiter extinguished Cumbria’s last mathematical hopes of making the play-offs.

Jesse Lingard was the star performer as Cheshire made easy work of Northumberland, who were now down in 10th. East Yorkshire got another point on the board at North Yorkshire, and Tyne & Wear won 3-1 against County Durham despite conceding first.

ROUND 32 (31 January)

For the second round in a row, Merseyside won 5-1 away from home. Nugent continued his hottest run of form since 2007 by grabbing a hat-trick and setting up Jonathan Walters for the final goal against East Yorkshire. The hosts’ midfielder Josh Windass scored an unlucky own goal for good measure.

Greater Manchester continued to destroy everything before them, as Rashford bagged a brace in Northumberland. Vardy was also banging everything in front of him for South Yorkshire, with Tyne & Wear goalkeeper Adam Smith his latest victim in a 3-2 home win.

Andre Wisdom showed plenty of that to head in a Tommy Spurr long throw and earn West Yorkshire a 1-0 win in Cumbria. Lancashire boosted their play-off ambitions by surviving a late fightback from Cheshire. Charlie Wyke kept North Yorkshire’s slim hopes alive when they defeated County Durham.

Greater Manchester are now miles ahead in the North division and need just seven more points to rubber-stamp a play-off spot. Attention will soon turn to whoever will win the battle for 2nd between South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and Merseyside. If any of those teams hit the rocks, the likes of Lancashire need to be well-placed to take advantage.

MANAGER OF THE MONTH: Gary Neville (Greater Manchester).

PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Marcus Rashford (Greater Manchester).

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EAST DIVISION

ROUND 24 (3 January)

Where else do we start the new year but Barleythorpe – and bottom vs top? Rutland did put up a fight against Essex in the first half, with Fabian Cole pulling a goal back after the visitors had gone 2-0 up. Normal service resumed after the break, though, as Richard Keogh and Benik Afobe completed a 4-1 Essex win.

Calvin Andrew kicked off his 2017 by scoring both goals for 2nd-placed Bedfordshire in their victory over second-from-bottom Norfolk. There was a change in 3rd, as Derbyshire’s 2-1 win in Leicestershire moved them above Hertfordshire, whose defender Jason Shackell gave away a costly own goal against Nottinghamshire.

Sean Dyche was more likely to get a job narrating audio romance novels than take Northamptonshire into the top four… but a 3-2 win over Suffolk revived his slim play-off hopes. You could probably forget about Lincolnshire making the off-season, though, especially after their stalemate with Cambridgeshire.

ROUND 25 (7 January)

Paul Warne’s Norfolk were blown away by a Gayle-force wind in Norwich. Dwight Gayle was at the treble for Essex in a resounding 5-0 away win, with Josh Cullen and Afobe also getting on the scoreboard.

Kel was undoubtedly delighted when Keinan Davis scored his first three goals for Hertfordshire in a 3-1 victory over Northamptonshire. Oliver Burke also put in a good day’s work, scoring twice for Leicestershire as they unexpectedly made light work of Bedfordshire.

Two goals in the 62nd minute – from Leon Best and Ben Woodburn – saw Nottinghamshire wipe out a 2-0 deficit against Lincolnshire and secure a point. Rutland picked up their second point of the season after shutting out Suffolk, and Stephy Mavididi’s strike for Derbyshire saw them through against Cambridgeshire.

ROUND 26 (10 January)

A 9th-minute penalty from Hertfordshire’s Cauley Woodrow kicked off a goalfest in Ipswich. Suffolk were leading 3-1 at half-time after a double from Chris Martin, but seeing the job out was the hardest part, as Davis and Nathan Byrne struck after the break to secure a draw. (I’ll stop the Coldplay puns one day, promise.)

The bottom two suffered 2-0 defeats on the road, as Norfolk were outclassed by Cambridgeshire’s 10 men, while Rutland were cut down by Nottinghamshire. Leicestershire recovered from a man down and a man down to draw 1-1 after Che Adams equalised in the closing stages.

ROUND 27 (14 January)

Derbyshire had gone 10 league games without defeat before running head-first into the unstoppable force that was Essex. Gayle bagged a couple more goals in the 12th and 19th minute before Alex Pritchard started the second half by banging in a free-kick. Rams to the slaughter.

Cambridgeshire’s Liam O’Neil might have scored after just seven minutes, but that was just a blip where Bedfordshire were concerned. Anderson responded with a brace before Jay Dasilva completed a 3-1 away win. One of their main rivals for 2nd place – Hertfordshire – left it late to defeat Leicestershire.

Lincolnshire appeared to have hit a purple patch, as a clean sheet in Suffolk made it three successive draws for John Ward’s side. Also adding a precious point to their record were Norfolk, courtesy of John Sutton’s penalty at Nottinghamshire. Sadly, Rutland couldn’t get any on the board against Northamptonshire.

ROUND 28 (17 January)

There was no luck for Rutland when Hertfordshire came to town either. Goalkeeper Von Gonzalvus held out for half an hour before Cauley Woodrow stroked in a square ball from Craig Mackail-Smith, who then got a second-half hat-trick.

Nottinghamshire made their play-off place breakthrough in Derbyshire – and at the expense of their local rivals. David McGoldrick notched a late brace for Notts after the hosts’ midfielder Lee Williamson was sent off for a late lunge on Lewis McGugan. Meanwhile, a knee injury to Gayle didn’t stop Essex from beating Bedfordshire in the battle of the top two.

Why pick up three points over three games when you can do the same over just one? Lincolnshire turned their recent run of draws into a rare victory over Northamptonshire. Suffolk’s Luke Hyam was sent off in a 1-1 derby draw with Norfolk, and Leicestershire were narrow victors over Cambridgeshire.

ROUND 29 (21 January)

What’s this? Essex didn’t beat Cambridgeshire?! Even after going 2-0 up through Pritchard and Gary Hooper? And they were still leading until the 92nd minute, when Cambs captain Alex Revell finished a through-ball from Teddy Bishop? HUGHTON OUT!

Hertfordshire’s supporters were probably thinking of calling for Kenny Jackett’s head after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Lincolnshire, who’d seemingly forgotten how to lose. Rutland certainly hadn’t, as they conceded an Adams goal after just 17 seconds en route to a 3-0 home defeat against Leicestershire.

Mavididi’s hat-trick sent Derbyshire on their way to a 5-0 destruction of Suffolk, who were dropping points with alarming regularity. Nottinghamshire dropped back out of the top four after a 2-2 draw with Bedfordshire allowed Derbyshire back in. Dan Holman dared to double for Northamptonshire as they beat Norfolk.

ROUND 30 (24 January)

Essex were in stunning form against Leicestershire, whose 17-year-old goalkeeper Dan Wallis looked like a boy amongst men. Scott Kashket wasn’t much older than Wallis, mind, when the former Leyton Orient forward opened the scoring. Three more goals followed in the first period before a late second-half Charlie Daniels penalty made it 5-0.

Bedfordshire stuttered against Suffolk, whose striker Martin flew through their defence at the speed of sound (sorry). 4th place flipped-flopped again when Nottinghamshire’s 1-0 win over Cambridgeshire saw them overtake Derbyshire, who were 2-0 losers against Northamptonshire.

Liam Mandeville’s double inspired Lincolnshire to a 3-1 win over Rutland, who fell even further behind their fellow stragglers. Norfolk captain Chris Cohen broke his foot, but his team still saved a draw at home to Hertfordshire, whose fans continued to sharpen their knives.

ROUND 31 (28 January)

Actually, I’ll tell you where Rutland’s next point was coming from. Even after losing their fearless but fickle defender Garryl Horvath to a red card, the Rutles ground out a draw against Norfolk. I make that THREE points from a possible… erm, 93.

Essex inflicted three cutlass blows on Nottinghamshire, who fell out of the top four again. Derbyshire were now back in the play-offs after Jordon Mutch scored the 45th-minute winner in Hertfordshire. Indeed, Nigel Clough’s boys overtook both Notts and Herts to move into 3rd place.

Cambridgeshire revelled in Revell’s late winner against a faltering Suffolk outfit. Bedfordshire’s recent struggles continued with a draw against 10-man Northamptonshire, and Lincolnshire shared points with Leicestershire.

ROUND 32 (31 January)

Hertfordshire’s anti-Jackett mob only grew louder and angrier after a 4-2 defeat in Bedfordshire. Woodrow had scored Herts’ goals in the 40th and 57th minute, but a missed penalty early on (saved by Simon Eastwood) had cost him a hat-trick. By contrast, Anderson did complete a treble for Beds, with winger Jernade Meade also scoring.

Essex finished the month unbeaten after Isaac Hayden clinched their latest victory against Suffolk. Who were the only other side in the East not to lose a league match in January? Why, it was none other than Lincolnshire, whose 2-0 win in Norfolk continued a fantastic run of form that had lifted them from 10th to… 10th.

Mavididi did it again, scoring his second hat-trick of the month as Derbyshire won 4-2 against Rutland, in spite of an Oliver Punter double for the visitors. Cambridgeshire survived the first-half dismissal of O’Neil to beat Northamptonshire, while Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire were locked at 0-0.

Essex remain the beasts of the East, and with a 21-point lead on Bedfordshire, they’ll surely secure the title before too long. Hertfordshire had looked comfortable as well until recently, but they’re now only ahead of 5th-placed Nottinghamshire on goal difference. This qualification race looks like going right to the wire…

MANAGER OF THE MONTH: Chris Hughton (Essex).

PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Alex Pritchard (Essex).

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The play-off picture is now becoming a lot clearer in the North and East divisions. As for the South and West divisions, don’t forget to come back on Friday for their January updates.