I’m back with another installment of my FM21 journeyman series, as Shama Deadman heads into a “make-or-break” third season at Cambrian & Clydach.
In the previous chapter, Shama brought in several new faces for the 2022/2023 campaign. Will those recruitments make the difference as they seek that elusive promotion to the Cymru Premier?
Today’s chapter will take us through the entire first half of the season, which has been crammed into about three months ahead of Qatar 2022. The heat is on…
AUGUST 2022
Unusually, the new Cymru South season began in midweek, as we hosted Carmarthen on a Tuesday night. This was the first of 17 league matches we would play in the space of 82 days, before a World Cup-enforced winter break.
It… could’ve gone better. As soon as Liam Edwards drove in a 25th-minute opener, our defence switched off and conceded twice over the next nine minutes. After a dreadful second period saw us whimper to an opening-day defeat, I ‘treated’ my players to an impromptu game of what I like to call ‘water bottle bombardment’.
Our poor start continued at newly-promoted Llanidloes, who took the lead after just 10 minutes. We were very wasteful in search of an equaliser and never looked confident. Indeed, only two players posted match ratings above 6.6 – defenders Regan Fear and Darren Robinson. Cue more bombardment.
It was more of the same at home to Undy, as we again struggled up front – so much so that when 19-year-old Dylan Reid won us a penalty, he screwed it wide. With the scores still goalless at half-time, I could’ve lost my rag once again… but I calmed down, tried to reassure the lads, and then…
…BAM! In the 58th minute, just as I was getting ready to sub off Reid, he ran onto an Edwards flick-on, sidestepped the keeper, and finally broke through! He then added another goal, with Edwards also scoring twice, as we stormed to a 4-0 win!
However, I wasn’t satisfied with our midfield, so I signed Portuguese teenager Lassana Mendonça on loan from Cefn Druids. Though most comfortable as a deep-lying playmaker, I reckoned he had the work ethic and technical abilities to play a more attacking role.
Lass debuted in another crazy match at Caerau Ely, who’d knocked us out of the League Cup on penalties a few weeks earlier. They took the lead on 17 minutes, only for Reid to reply instantly before defender Jarrad Wright gave us a 2-1 half-time lead. It looked like we would cling on for a narrow win until Wright’s sloppy clearance exposed us to a last-minute counter-attack, from which Ely snatched a 2-2 draw.
That slip rattled our confidence as we went to Pontypridd. We created chances galore but again failed to take them (goodness knows how many times we struck the woodwork!). Our breakthrough finally came on 77 minutes, when a Pontypridd defender was sent off for a professional foul on Reid, and midfielder Callum Sainty tucked the penalty away.
Despite being so underwhelming for almost the entire month, we finished August just about in the top half. While we were already six points adrift of top spot, I believed we could build up some more momentum and continue climbing the table.
SEPTEMBER 2022
So of course, we nearly lost to another promoted team in our next home game! Monmouth showed no discipline, conceding 31 fouls and picking up TEN yellow cards, but their bullying tactics worked when they went ahead late in the first half. We then pushed hard for an equaliser before Mendonça half-volleyed in an Edwards cross in the 90th minute.
Buoyed by his first Cambrian goal, Lass then got his first assist in the 17th minute against Afan Lido, delivering a corner that captain Kyle Jones headed home. Our lead lasted exactly 45 seconds, when left-back James Parry failed to intercept a through-ball that Lido winger Alex Boss drove home.
That was the last straw for me. I subbed Parry off immediately – and then sacked him at half-time! Think John Sitton at Leyton Orient in 1995, but with less swearing… and more water bottles.
Unlike Sitton, firing a player in the dressing room managed to fire up AND inspire the rest of the squad. Llyr Morris restored our lead 10 minutes after the restart from a killer ball by Mendonça, who then completed a 3-1 win with another screamer two minutes later!
We followed that up with back-to-back away wins. It took us 85 minutes to crack a stubborn Goytre United side open before Sainty’s 30-yard drive slipped past the goalkeeper. We went one better at Llantwit Major, with Reid scoring in both halves to show that he was ready to replace an out-of-form Jamie Wilson up front.
Reid’s purple patch continued against Briton Ferry, as goals from him and Robinson just before half-time put us on course for a fourth straight win. Obviously, we didn’t make life easy for ourselves in the second period. Ferry grabbed a goal back on the counter before we held on for a 2-1 win, which moved us to the top of the table…
…until we got a visit from title favourites Swansea University. With a fearsome attack fronted by former Wigan striker Louis Robles, they annihilated us from start to finish and arguably should’ve won by much more than 2-0. Churchill saved a penalty and Robles missed a couple of sitters to keep the deficit low.
Though that defeat ended our mini-surge, I still won my third Manager of the Month award. We were still right in the promotion hunt too, only three points behind Swansea and four adrift of Haverfordwest. However, we badly needed to shore up that defence, so it was time to raid the loan market again.
OCTOBER 2022
His name might sound like a 90s boyband reject, but I hoped Kian Owen would be the answer to our left-back woes following Parry’s sudden exit. The 20-year-old arrived from top-flight Newtown with a reputation for being a strong tackler and a tactically sound defender.
Or maybe he was just another dud. Even without the now-retired Lee Trundle, Ammanford clinically ripped Owen and the rest of our defence to pieces, scoring FOUR goals from just seven shots. Edwards did get one goal for us, but that only papered over the cracks.
This latest catastrophe was the last straw where Kyle Jones was concerned. A few days later, I took the captain’s armband from our consistently inconsistent midfielder and gave it to right-back Paul Morgan, who was more experienced, more determined, and more of a team player.
In another big call, I dropped Churchill to the bench at Cardiff Draconians… only to throw him straight back on when backup goalkeeper Phil Moore conceded twice in the first 25 minutes. We were much happier with Harry in goal, but our direct counter-attacks were consistently frustrated.
It wasn’t until I switched to an ultra-attacking, counter-pressing approach that we turned the game around, with Morris and Reid each scoring late on to make it 2-2. Morris even found the net for a second time but was caught offside, denying us an incredible victory.
With Haverfordwest next up at home, New Captain Morgan was ready to lead by example… by which I mean Paul posted a 6.2 rating in a 2-1 defeat. County got their goals at the start and the end of the first half as they (along with Swansea) moved further clear of us at the top.
At least Reid scored again, upping his tally to eight league goals this season. For the record, that was eight more than Wilson, who’d played like Ian Rush last season but had returned from his summer break as the new Jermaine Easter!
More misery followed in Round 1 of the Welsh Cup, as we twice threw away leads before Goytre United knocked us out in extra-time. This was another tough contest where we paid the price for wasteful finishing – and even worse defending. Seriously, take a look at Goytre’s winning goal!
Yes, that is our former captain Ceri Morgan leading the way for Goytre, while our new skipper Paul Morgan stands at the post like a bloody statue! As Kelly Jones from Stereophonics would say, “There’s more life in a tramp’s vest!”
As for ‘Sir Winston’ Churchill, I’m not even gonna speculate about what the hell Harry was doing in goal there! What an absolute farce!
We showed rather more spirit at Port Talbot, battling back from behind to claim a point. We then fared even better at Carmarthen, with Wilson finally ending his goal drought to seal the points after a Simon Heslop penalty had put us ahead. That was Simon’s first goal for Cambrian…
…and it was also his last. On the evening before our final match of the year, the 35-year-old decided he’d had enough – and retired completely out of the blue! I just LOVE how loyal and committed my players are to the Cambrian cause!
Simon’s bombshell was still reverberating across the M&P Group 3G the following afternoon against Llanidloes. Wilson had two goals disallowed for offside, and we struggled to create legitimate chances before the Daffodils launched a devastating counter-attack to snatch an undeserved victory in stoppage time.
Our FOURTH home defeat of the season left us reeling in mid-table ahead of the winter break – and NINE points adrift of leaders Haverfordwest. We all knew that things couldn’t possibly carry on like this.
BOARDROOM SHOWDOWN
Yeah, I had a feeling that was coming. I wasn’t too surprised when chairman Phill Williams called me into his office an hour after the Llanidloes defeat for an urgent meeting.
“Look, Shama… things aren’t working out. We’ve lost five of our last eight games, and we’re falling from grace faster than Chico Slimani’s music career! Can you please explain to me what has gone wrong?!”
“I’ll admit I’ve made some mistakes tactically, and with our summer recruitment. Just give me a bit more time, please. This is my first job in management, and this is the first long run of bad form I’ve had.”
“I get that you’re still quite new to management, but that doesn’t excuse your mistakes. Also, congratulations on getting your National A Licence, but in light of recent results, I’m afraid we won’t be funding any more coaching courses for you in the near future.”
“Yeah, I understand. But if you’re not going to support me through this tough run, then I might as well resign. After all, I promised you that we’d win the league this year…”
“What’s all this about winning the league? We agreed that our target would be a top-four finish! Or was it the top two?”
“Actually, it was the top three, wasn’t it?”
“Ah, yes. Silly me. I’m getting forgetful at my old age, aren’t I? Look… we’ll give you some time to think things through over the winter break, but if results don’t improve in January, I’m afraid we’ll have to part ways.”
“I can’t do that, Phill. I think it’s best that I leave right now. That’ll give you more time to find a new manager who can rebuild this team and take you into the Cymru Premier.”
“Shama, let’s not be too hasty…”
“Sorry, Phill, my mind’s made up. Believe me, this is the best decision from both of us.”
[Sigh] “Okay, Shama. We’ll let you go, in that case. All the best for the future, mate.”
Let’s be honest. We are not good enough or consistent enough to win the league this season, especially not without any actual team leaders who won’t suddenly bail on us. In hindsight, I should have focussed on signing a more experienced and determined captain over bringing in yet another pair of average full-backs.
I also think that the players were struggling to cope with meeting my heightened expectations. Heck, I probably put myself under too much pressure at times! I was also far too quick to reach for the water bottles – but when you’re a young football manager trying to stamp your mark on your team, you can sometimes be too brash and act without thinking.
[Plus it’s more productive to take your frustrations out on virtual footballers, rather than actual, expensive computer peripherals. Those bottles were the only things stopping me from hurling my mouse at the wall or slamming my keyboard onto the desk – again.]
Other than that, though, I’m leaving south Wales without many regrets. These two-and-a-half seasons at Cambrian have given me valuable experience, and I’ve learned a lot of lessons to take into my second job – wherever that will be.
SHAMA DEADMAN AT CAMBRIAN & CLYDACH
6 August 2020 – 29 October 2022 (814 days)
Played: 91. Won: 42. Drawn: 24. Lost: 25. Win Percentage: 46%.
Goals For: 146. Goals Against: 111. Goal Difference: +35.
Competitions Won: 0. Awards Won: 3.
So… that brings a sudden end to the first leg of Shama’s journey! Please come back next Friday to find out where he moves on next.
At this point, I would like to thank Cambrian & Clydach for their positive response to featuring in this story. I am grateful to the Cam Army for their support, especially after the first chapter was published. Though their real-life 2020/2021 season was sadly cancelled, I wish them all the very best when the Cymru South resumes in 2021/2022.
Thanks for reading… and hwyl fawr, Cambrian.
Fuller FM 
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