So this time last year, we were out of all the cups at the first hurdle possible. This time we had Turriff United of the Never Heard of Them league in the Challenge Cup. At home, against one of the two non-league teams what could possibly go wrong? Apart from losing 1-0. Sigh. According to the cup draw we were the weaker team anyway! With no better results in the other cups we move on to a record of 6 cup games played all-time, with 0 matches won.
As for the league, this time last year we had 22 points from 18 games. This time out, W6 D5 L7 for a haul of 23 points. A minor increase! 6th in the table though, so a point better but a place worse. This does put us just 3 points away from the playoffs, but on the flip side just 4 points away from a relegation playoff. Another season of mediocrity beckons, but a good or bad run could well get us involved in a good or bad end of season scrap.
The Nathan Blockley situation has sorted itself out, it may have taken him 10 league games of being disinterested but he is back onside with the team effort now and the squad is more balanced for it. Speaking of team balance, we picked up a new goalie for the season, Kevin Walker. Obviously he wouldn't be a Peterhead goalie without picking up a rubbish injury, and with 7 days of blisters Walker is no exception. The fans aren't too happy with the capture but to be honest, sod them. He's conceded fewer than I'd have expected with the crap defence in front of him.
The other transfer of note was Mark Hill in on loan from Celtic to bolster the centre of midfield. Nothing spectacular from him but he is putting in the legwork in the centre of the park cutting out attacks, and the fans love having him around. And as a loan player, he won't be getting anywhere close to legendary status!
For the second half of the season I'd love to hold the ship steady. Getting a promotion could be a disaster for us, we would surely struggle, the infrastructure just isn't in place to compete in the Championship. 5th place would suit me, and should result in a minor boost to the sponsorship deals. The other thing to look at is why my left winger is scoring more goals than my striker. Maybe that is ok for my winger, after all my "striker" is operating as a target man, with my left winger operating as an inside forward and likes a good strike anyway. 5 goals from 73 shots just isn't good enough though. Things have to change I reckon. Rory McAllister is not only poor up front but is also 29 years old and his wages account for 14% of the entire wage spend. Time for the door?
Finally I'd also like the board confidence message to change. My decision to let Kevin Dzierzawski go was apparently an "aberration". I offered him myriad contracts, his misplaced hatred for me made him leave! With a job security of 51%, holding the ship steady is the aim.
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