CFA League Review (Part 2)

Originally written by Garry Pettigrew

Part 2 of the League Round Up.

Casual FA Division Two

-- Title Contenders --
El-Bombers lead the way in what is a very tight league. With only 8 points seperating the top 6 sides and FC Ajaxtreesdown in 6th place have 3 games in hand over the league leaders. It's anyones guess as to who will take the 5 promotion spots.

-- Relegation Battle --
Two sides without a win and both teams are on a point each - New Portsmouth and sonicgroove. TheMightyPenguins also find themselves adrift with only 7 points from 12 games. somerset sabers should have the games in hand to get themselves out of trouble which leaves Muppets Inc. and Longburton Wizards sweating.

-- Worth Mentioning --
El-Bombers currentyl on course for back to back League Titles.

-- Top Performers --
Most Goals - Marco Pérez 14 goals in 16 games (El-Bombers)
Most Assists - Mario Conti 13 assists in 15 games (Lanky Legs XI)
Best Average Rating - Marco Pérez 7.46 over 14 games (El-Bombers)

Casual FA Division Three

-- Title Contenders --
Spartak Nickow have a 4 point lead over 2nd placed Tricky Trees Utd and look assured of a promotion spot. Making up the rest of the top 5 are Whitstable Galaxy, Birchieboys & Ajax Trees. Although Sporting Delft and Cowderys Lillywhites will be pushing hard to steal one of those spots.

-- Relegation Battle --
I TAz Aston Villa, Cowdenbeef Albion, The Wizzards all have something in common - they have each only won 1 game and are certain for the drop. AFC Lions, Third Lanark FC and Foyle Athletic will be fighting it out as - 2 of the three will find themselves joining the aforementioned threesome in going down.

-- Worth Mentioning --
Tricky Trees Utd and Ajax Trees have two of the best defences in the entire FA with only 7 goals conceded so far.

-- Top Performers --
Most Goals - Gabriel Agbonlahor 16 goals in 14 games (Spartak Nickow)
Most Assists - Medy Elito 9 assists in 13 games (PNE_33)
Best Average Rating - Gabriel Agbonlahor 7.59 over 16 games (Spartak Nickow)

Casual FA Division Four

-- Title Contenders --
It looks like Arkham United can start celebrate promotion - with a 6 point lead at the top of the table. Newbury Pirates look likely yo make promotion as well - currently stitting in 2nd place. After that it's tight and only 7 points seperate 3rd from 11th.

-- Relegation Battle --
The Smurfs without a win - look destined for the drop. I Dont Care aren't fareing much better with just the 1 win. The othere 3 will come from O.P.E Apple Raiders, Chester Arrows, Rebel Pom United, Baby D Destroyers or Shepbecks County.

-- Worth Mentioning --
The Smurfs with only 4 goals so far are very weak in attack. With no wins yet this season - it's hard to see where that first win will come from.

-- Top Performers --
Most Goals - Roman Razdelkin 10 goals in 14 games (Morleys Magic Masters)
Most Assists - Saulo Rodrigues 7 assists in 15 games (eltham bears united)
Best Average Rating - George Boyd 7.52 over 12 games (Van Cortlandt Rangers)

Casual FA Division Five

-- Title Contenders --
The Bazmanauts currently lead the way in a very close league. Tels LUFC will be pushing them all the way to th finish line. Just 4 points off the pace but with games in hand are Nirvanas and Manor AFC. Skreemburn Spartans hold the 5th promotion spot for the moment.

-- Relegation Battle --
No relegation here - but Premier 11 courtesy of their -38 GD are the bottom team of the FA.

-- Top Performers --
Most Goals - Philippe Lassalle 10 goals in 9 games (Argentine)
Most Assists - Zeljko Loncarek 5 assists in 9 games (Argentine)
Best Average Rating - Sammir 7.51 over 7 games (Nirvanas)

Thanks for reading - as always feel free to reply with any feedback - good, bad or indifferent

CFA League Review (Part 1)

Heres the first of my promised season reviews - make of it what you will!

Premiership

-- Title Contenders --
Surprisingly Legless Ends FC lead the Casual FA Premier League 3 points ahead of nearest rivals Harlesden Harriers. Alea Iacta Est a side I had previously tipped for relegation find themselves in 3rd place, however they have played more games than anyone else in the league. Paddington Athletic hold the final Gold Cup place for the moment. My tip for the league title Razorshot FC find themselves firmly stuck in mid table - only just qualifying for the Bronze Cup.
-- Relegation Battle --
With only 5 points so far it looks like we will be saying goodbye to Real Garda Claudia. Anothe side that looks destined for the drop at this early stage is Seeteufel Konstanz. It looks to be a bit of a scrap for the other 3 spots and Donkey Rovers, Davos United, Hope Cove Utd and Tycoons Gunners will all be feeling the pressure.

-- Worth Mentioning --
Razorshot FC have won 7 of the last 8 Premier League titles (with 1 runners up spot) - 10th place - surely not good enough
-- Top Performers --
Most Goals - Bojan 10 goals in 11 games (Harlesden Harriers)
Most Assists - Lee Phillips 11 assists in 10 games (Legless Ends FC)
Best Average Rating - Bojan 7.71 over 10 games (Harlesden Harriers)

Casual FA Championship

-- Title Contenders --
The Birmingham Bearded Women lead the way just 3 points ahead of Little Badgers. Erdington Villans only 4 points of top place will fancy there chances as they have 2 games in hand on TBBW and 1 game on LB. Making up the top 5 as correctly predicted by me are Balls Of Steel and Ann Arbor Arsenal.

-- Relegation Battle --
At the other end of the table things don't look good for our 2 Swedish sides Windy Forest FC with 5 points and Gothia FC with 6 points - just 1 win each for both so far. Just a couple of points ahead and with the worst goal difference in the league are Basildon Town Y.F.C who have played a couple more games than Windy and Gothia. Se SK and Petworth Panthers make up the rest of the relegation places although eveybody up to PITSIOTA FC in 13th place will be feeling the pressure.

-- Worth Mentioning --
If you want excitement the The Wright Stuff is NOT the team for you - with only 7 goals this season they have the worst attack although they make up for this with the 2nd best defence having only conceded 7 goals - so a goal difference of 0 and only 14 goals in total in the games they have been involved in.

-- Top Performers --
Most Goals - Paulo Henrique 13 goals in 13 games (The Birmingham Bearded Women)
Most Assists - Arnaud Marchal 7 in 11 games (Balls Of Steel)
Best Average Rating - Paulo Henrique 7.71 over 13 games (The Birmingham Bearded Women)

Casual FA Division One

-- Title Contenders --
Old Avenellonians have made a good start to life in Division 1 with a 5 point lead over 2nd placed Throw In The Howell although they have played 2 more games. Belesta SV will also fancy their chances of winning the title - neatly placed in 3rd place. If Sloane Square Rangers can win their game in hand they can go within 4 points of the league leaders. Everybody as far down as Kung Fu Hamsters in 8th place will still be aiming for promotion.

-- Relegation Battle --
Without a win I think it's safe to say Rejects United are going down. Likely to be joining them are Smaley's Rams, Highbury United, Bill Quay Bombers FC and SV Furburger.

-- Worth Mentioning --
If your playing Relegation Fodder it's pretty likely to end up a point each - over half their games have ended in draws this season. However Arkadius United are yet to draw a game with 4 wins and 6 defeats.

-- Top Performers --
Most Goals - Daniel Morales 15 goals in 10 games (Throw In The Howell)
Most Assists - Pablo Alvarado 7 assists in 12 games (Kung Fu Hamsters)
Best Average Rating - Daniel Morales 7.98 over 10 games (Throw In The Howell)

Thats it from me for just now - Hope you enjoyed reading and Part 2 to come some time later today or maybe tomorrow

SFA Social Cup Season 8 Review

- Written by Lenny Bernstein (manager, Wandsworth Rovers)

The Social FA Cup once again proved this season why the competition is the most highly revered and respected cup competition in the Social FA. With cup upsets, penalty shoot-out drama and it's fair share of goals, it had all the ingredients of a classic cup. Well, until the final that is, which provided possibly the most boring 120 minutes of football that the Social FA has ever seen.

The matches in the first round went mostly according to form, although IMT Fairground came very close to knocking out eventual finalists Made in Beverly Drive, taking the Drive into extra-time in what was undoubtedly the match of the round, a 5-3 classic.

The second round also caused no major surprises, although it took an injury time goal from Neymar to seal Premiership side's Real Villains 2-1 victory over Championship new boys.

The last sixteen saw the first of the favourites knocked out - a very good Honka side beat Premiership champions Relegation Fodder 1-0. And both Made in Beverly Drive and Wandsworth Rovers warmed up for their eventual cup final shoot-out by beating Nottingham Arna and Polish Forest respectively on penalties after the ties were 1-1 after extra-time.

The quarter-finals saw another upset. In what was the match of the competition, Made in Beverly Drive came back from 2-0 down away from home against 4ytry to take the game to extra-time. The Drive looked dead and buried when Rudy Ahamada scored in the 12th minute of extra-time to reclaim the lead for 4ytry, but a last gasp goal from Medo pulled the score back to 3-3 and the Drive then sealed their upset by winning through on penalties for the second time in the compeition.

The first of the semi-finals saw Wandsworth Rovers upset London Town, once again winning through on penalties after holding the Town to a 2-2 draw, despite being out-played for most of the game. The Drive earned themselves the title of Penalty Kings when they beat Simons Staffy Bull Rovers in their third shoot-out in a row after a 1-1 draw in a game that was low on chances.


And so to the final. Perhaps predicting the boredom that was to ensue, only 7,016 fans turned up to watch one of the FA's biggest games of season. Those SFA managers who came along to spectate actually fell asleep in a turgid 0-0 draw that disappointed fans and neutrals alike. However, those that managed to stay awake/not leave/stay alive were rewarded with a fantastic penalty shoot-out, with both sides showing why they had been so lethal from the spot in previous rounds. Each side was clinical with their first five penalties before 'safe hands' Wayne Hennessey saved from Kim Heung-Keun, a cruel blow for the South Korean who otherwise had made such a great impression at the Drive since his £900,000 mid-season transfer from Mampa Miners.

The surprise top goalscorer of the tournament was 4ytry's DC Gérson, who scored an impressive 5 goals from 4 matches, which also earned him the Player of the Tournament award with a excellent 8.03 average rating. A spccial mention must also go to Honka's Gabriel Obertan who was man of the match in both his sides two matches.

SFA Premiership Season 8 Review

- Written by Amjad Parkar (manager, Made in Beverley Hills Drive)

4ytry proved triumphant in regaining the coveted title which had been surprisingly (yet deservingly) won by Dave Parker's Relegation Fodder last season. But manager Paul Innis didn't have it all his way, as Amjad Parkar's Made in Beverley Drive mounted a late surge, even having the audacity to thrash the eventual champions 5-1 on the final day of the season. Ultimately though, defensive errors earlier in the season proved costly for the Drive, and the team had to be content with a runners up spot.

Lenny Bernstein's Wandsworth Rovers also just missed out on a Gold Cup spot, being pipped to the post by Mark Lockie's London Town. But at least the manager from south London can be content with a place in the Cup Winners Cup, having edged a tense Social Cup final against Made in Beverley Drive.

SFA Premiership Awards:

• Manager of the Season - Paul Innis (4ytry)
• Total Football award - London Town who managed an average team rating of 7.06 for the season (4ytry only managed 6.88)
• Fair Play award - jointly shared by Yann Brunn's Polytech Grenoble and Joe Nico's Nottingham Arna FC.
• Hack and Slash award - goes to Liam Keane's Ajax Trees for managing to amass a spectacular count of 67 yellow and 4 red cards.
• Player of the Season - Jérémy Ménez (The Madrid Lions)
• Players' Player of the Season - Naldo (London Town) with 9 Man of the Match awards.
• Golden Boot - Graziano Lasalandra (Made in Beverley Drive) who found the net 26 times in 38 games. However, there is little doubt that had Nags Head Rovers' Anatoliy Romanyshyn not been injured for 4 games, he would have finished top scorer (25 in 34)
  
• Safe Hands award - jointly shared by José de Jesús Corona (KC Milan) and Wayne Hennessey (Wandsworth Rovers) who both managed 15 clean sheets each. Although a notable mention should go to Nottingham Arna FC's Dmitry Khomich who made some fabulous saves for his team to keep them in the hunt for a UFFA place.
  
  

Game of the Season: Mongiat Rovers vs The Madrid Lions
This cracker finished 5-3, and featured some fabulous scintillating attacking play between both sides, if not solid defending. Rovers raced into a seemingly untouchable 3-0 lead through goals from Anthony Modeste and a penalty from Chris Burke. It should have been game over, but Lion's Lionel Messi had other ideas. He waltzed through the Rovers defence to make it 3-1 before setting up Jérémy Ménez to make it 3-2. The Argentine superstar then equalised, ensuring the match had all the elements of a classic. However, just when it seemed Andy Cameron's side had the upper hand, up popped Everton Ribeiro who capped a lovely Mongiat move with piledriver into the top right hand corner, before Marco Martina Rini made the points safe.

David vs Goliath Award
So many contenders, not least Made in Beverley Drive who thrashed 4ytry at the Drive on the final day of the season (Made in Beverley Drive vs 4ytry - Overview). But the award goes to Adam Richardsons Ehcoelavon, who pulled off a major upset by beating Paul Innis' side 3-1 (Ehcoelavon vs 4ytry - Overview).

The writing seemed to be on the wall when 4ytry's Rudy Ahamada took advantage of a defensive error to slot in. But Ehcoelavon's Luis equalised from the penalty spot, before goals from Adam Lallana and Steven Langil, capitalising on some lacklustre defending from the opposition, made the points safe.


Team of the Season (based on a 4-5-1 formation)

• GK Dmitry Khomich (Nottingham Arna FC)
• DL Pietro De Zan (London Town)
• DC Naldo (London Town)
• DC Gérson (4ytry)
• DR Paulo Lopes (Made in Beverley Drive)
• ML Jérémy Ménez (The Madrid Lions)
• MC Rabiu Ibrahim (4ytry)
• DM Luca Cigarini (Relegation Fodder)
• MC Stephen Ireland (Nottingham Arna FC)
• MR Gabriel Obertan (Honka)
• S Graziano Lasalandra (Made in Beverley Drive)

Subs

• José de Jesús Corona (KC Milan)
• Lukas Sinkiewicz (Mongiat Rovers)
• Ramón Ribeiro (London Town)
• Kim Heung-Keun (Made in Beverley Drive)
• Riccardo Montolivo (Honka/Polytech Grenoble)
• Fabio Bernardi (Relegation Fodder)
• Anatoliy Romanyshyn (Nags Head Rovers)

*Eligible players must have played in at least 75% of their team's games

Union of Football Academies Season 5 Roundup

Division 1
Faversham Town claimed the UFA title for the 3rd time in their history, beating off the challenge of Relegation Fodder to top the table by 6 points having only lost four games all season. Strawberry Fields pipped Wymondham FC to third place by just a single point, resigning Wymondham to their worst finish in the UFA to date.

At the bottom of the table Queens Park Stone Age, Derry City and FC Dallas were relegated, with Linton Brown finishing 2 points clear of the relegation zone on 29 points.

• UFA Division 1 Player of the Season: Thom Bjork - for the second season running, an average rating of 7.90, including 49 goals and 6 assists from his 33 appearances for title winners Faversham Town.
• UFA Division 1 Golden Boot: Thom Bjork - An amazing 49 goals in 33 appearances for Faversham Town, his UFA second golden boot award.
• UFA Division 1 Golden Gloves: Saul Blanco - 15 clean sheets in 33 appearances for Wymondham FC.

Division 2
4ytry made short work of their first season in the UFA, winning the Division 2 title with a 9 point lead at the top of the table, they will be joined in Division 1 next season by The Mighty Iron and Wilbury Wanderers. Huish FC will be kicking themselves after missing out on promotion by just a single point following a final day showdown with Wilbury to decide 3rd place. A 0-0 draw was enough to see Wilbury retain 3rd spot. This is the second season in a row that Huish have Narrowly missed out on promotion to Division 1, but their young squad has time on their side yet.

• UFA Division 2 Player of the Season: Manuel Cagliano - an average rating of 7.33, including 2 goals and 14 assists from his 30 appearances for The Mighty Iron.
• UFA Division 2 Golden Boot: Rudy Ahamada - 33 goals in 33 appearances for 4ytry.
• UFA Division 2 Golden Gloves: Diego Hernandez - 19 clean sheets in 34 appearances for title winners 4ytry.

UFA Challenge Cup
Relegation Fodder met last seasons beaten finalists Hammers United in a final that got off to a slow start with both teams defenses dominating the opposition forward line. The first goal of the match came from a lightning quick counter attack, with Hammers' players commited up field for a freekick on the edge of the area, Fodder's Enrique Galvan intercepted the cross and hit a 40 yard pass upfield for an unmarked Lima Ferreira to latch onto and dispatch past Alan James in the Hammers' goal.

Relegation Fodder sealed their first Challenge Cup victory in the 82nd minute courtesy of an excellent goal from subsititute Marcelo. Following excellent work from Bernardi down the wing, Marcelo took a first time shot from just outside the penalty area smashing the ball into the far corner of the goal leaving James grasping at thin air.

UFA Super Cup
The UFA Super Cup saw this year's Challenge Cup victors Relegation Fodder attempt to defend the Super Cup they won against Wymondham last season. Meeting them in the final was Cat Vegas' Birmingham Bearded Women.

The capacity crowd only had to wait 10 minutes for a goal; Mariano Gamboa heading in from a corner kick to put the Fodder 1-0 up. Fabio Bernardi made it 2-0 shortly after the hour mark and it looked like BBW were going to be on the end of a heavy defeat at this point. On the 50 minute mark BBW thought they had pulled a goal back when Calle's deflected shot looped over Lynch in goal, but it was ruled out for offside. 10 minutes later, on 64 minutes they finally scored a deserved goal when Andre Teixeira broke the offside trap and slotted past the onrushing 'keeper.

With 15 minutes left to play BBW drew level when Mickael Forest rose above a flat footed defense to head in at the near post from a corner kick. From such a comfortable position Relegation Fodder looked in serious danger of capitulating under the pressure from BBW, however the Fodder's two star players linked up expertly to score the winning goal in the 77th minute, Teixeira's defense splitting pass to Bernardi allowing him to round the keeper and slot home experly from a tight angle for his second of the match.


UFA U19 Division 1
The UFA U19 Division 1 season saw the most amazing title battle this writer has ever seen, with a single point seperating the top five teams. Last years champion's, Relegation Fodder, defended their crown claiming the title by a single point over a chasing pack of 4 teams who all finished on 75 points -- Balls of Steel, Wandsworth Rovers, Strawberry Fields and Ariadni FC could only be seperated by goal difference after a 34 game long season. 2nd and 3rd place was only decided by +2 goal difference.

• UFA U19 Division 1 Player of the Season: Marcelo Souza Campos - an average rating of 7.52, including 33 goals and 7 assists from his 32 appearances for Wandsworth Rovers.
• UFA U19 Division 1 Golden Boot: Marcelo Souza Campos - 33 goals in 32 appearances for Wandsworth Rovers.
• UFA U19 Division 1 Golden Gloves: Davor Krajnc - 19 clean sheets in 32 appearances for Wandsworth Rovers.

UFFA Season 5 Round Up

Our sister publication, UFFA Legends, have completed their roundup of last season's UFFA cup finals, here we bring together their match reviews for the 7 games.

Grass Roots Cup
Winners: Camembert Harriers, managed by Tony McDermot - NFA
Runners-up: Centresbrough, managed by Adrian Harvey - XEFA

Before either team had time to settle, Djibril Cissé converted some good play between him, Ortiz and Delgado to head in the first goal of the game for the Harriers. And since they seemingly controlled proceedings in the first half, it came as a great surprise when Acuna, unmarked in the box, twisted and turned before firing home the equalizer. Even though many chances were created, few were good ones, so that the game went to Extra Time was no surprise.

At the beginning of the last 15 mins though, Camembert Harriers took advantage of some dreadful set piece defending from Centresbrough's side and Rajkovic could fire home the winner - a goal which gave him the Man of the Match award.

Read the full match report at UFFA Legends.


Cup Winners' Cup
Winners: London Town, managed by Mark Lockie - PFA
Runners-up: Sim City, managed by Craig Sim - PFA

In a tight game, Martínez opened the scoring for London Town when he fired in a long shot in the 1st half. Both teams managed to restrict each other from getting Clear Cut Chances, but London Town still had a hefty 9 shots on goal, with Sim City only having 2. This proved to be the difference, and De Luca fired home the winner after Kuzczak couldn't hold a corner.

Another Kuzczak error could have meant 3-0 after another corner, but Lequi's goal was ruled out for offside.

Read the full match report at UFFA Legends.


Silver Cup
Winners: Tycoons Gunners, managed by "Coach" Tycoon - CWA
Runners-up: Nerve Palace, managed by Sir Evren - XFA

In a tight game with no Clear Cut Chances, Coach's Tycoons Gunners held their cool in a tense Penalty Shootout. After Jacques Faty and the Man of the Match, Tuncay, had both missed their penalties for Nerve Palace, Emiliano Moretti didn't slip up and fired home in the decider - after 4 successive penalty goals, having missed none.

Considering that Tycoons Gunners also had a goal controversially ruled out for offside (by Walter), none can disagree with that the win was well deserved.

Read the full match report at UFFA Legends.


Game World Cup
Winners: Harlesden Harriers, managed by Pedro Quieroz - CWA
Runners-up: Camembert Harriers, managed by Tony McDermot - NFA

In a game totally dominated by Harlesden Harriers, it was by no surprise that they brought the Game World Cup trophy home to Scrubs Lane. Mathias Abel, the german DC, scored the only goal of the game off a corner, only challenge being from his own teammate Kjaer.

All in all, a good overall display from Pedro Quieroz' team that never really looked in trouble.

Read the full match report at UFFA Legends.


Gold Cup
Winners: Old Avenellonians, managed by Daniel Smith - PFA
Runners-up: Shaolin Avengers, managed by Matt Booth - MLFA

In a very tight Gold Cup Final, the defensive and offensive capabilities of Old Avenellonians' Household Name DC Federico Fazio turned out to be decisive. After having a few opportunities in the beginning, Fazio gave Daniel Smith's team the leading after converting an Indirect Freekick from Inan. And in the dying seconds of the match, he headed in a Gardner corner to send the PFA team into celebrations.

All in all it was a fair result, but it could have turned out differently if Diakhaté's strike at the end of the first half had ended up in the back of the net.

Read the full match report at UFFA Legends.


Game World Youth Cup
Winners: London Town, managed by Mark Lockie - PFA
Runners-up: The Birmingham Bearded Women, Cat Vegas - XFA

Having taken the lead after just 5 minutes and having been leading for most of the game, London Town must have been in shock when Birmingham's substitute Blauuw took advantage of some poor defending when equalizing the game to 3-3 at the end of the game. But London Town's Gabriele De Luca showed why he's been playing more and more Senior football lately, by cooly firing home the 4-3 goal to give London Town the win.

And considering that Mark Lockie's men had almost twice as many shots overall and on target, it's hard to say anything else than the better team of the day took home the cup.

London Town vs The Birmingham Bearded Women - Overview

Read the full match report in UFFA Legends.


World Youth Cup
Winners: Nags Head Rovers, managed by Rodney 'Dave' Trotter - XFA
Runners-up: Legless End FC, managed by Richard Millar - SFA

In one of the most exciting Youth games of all time, it looked all over when Legless End FC scored 3-2 after Mala's - apperent - hasty through ball ended up at Diallo's feet. But being only 10 men on the pitch after Leandro Silva had to go off injured 7 minutes after he was subbed in, Nags Head Rover could score an equalizer on stoppage time, after Koch found Aleksic with a superb pass, and he converted the 1-on-1 with the keeper.

He followed this up with missing his first Penalty in the Penalty Shootout, but it didn't matter - Richard Millar's men missed 3, Rodney Trotter's converted 3, and was officially the #1 Youth team in Clough in Season 5

Read the full match report in UFFA Legends.

XEFA Division 2 Update

STANDINGS

Current Top 3:
1. Bowdoin FC - 42 Games, 25 GD, 77 Points
2. Dynamo Dynasty - 41 Games, 23 GD, 76 Points
3. Makaveli The Don - 46 Games, 15 GD, 76 Points

Projected Top 3:
1. Dynamo Dynasty - 133 Projected Points
2. Bowdoin FC - 132 Projected Points
3. Makaveli The Don - 118 Projected Points


TEAM STATS

Top 3 Most Goals Scored:
1. Bowdoin FC - 42 Games / 72 Goals
2. 12 Angry Germans - 47 / 70
3. Rosyth Thistle - 49 / 65

Most Offside Runs:
Terrysmith Rovers - 185

Most Dribbles per Game:
Dynamo Dynasty - 26.56 / Game

Most Red Cards:
Bowdoin FC - 4
Dynamo Dynasty - 4
Terrysmith Rovers - 4

Most Penalties Recieved:
Rosyth Thistle - 5
Adrian Monk FC - 5

Most Goals From Corners:
Bowdoin FC - 22

Most Goals From Indirect Free Kicks:
Rosyth Thistle - 9

Most Goals From Direct Free Kicks:
Bowdoin FC - 5

Top 3 Highest Team Avarage Rating:
1. Dynamo Dynasty - 6.97
2. morley city - 6.96
3. Makaveli The Don - 6.92


PLAYER STATS

Top 3 Most Goals Scored:
1. Lionel Messi - 45 Games / 23 Goals
2. Michael Owen - 30 / 20
3. Hugo - 35 / 18

Most Goals Conceded:
Anton Amelchenko - 71

Most Dribbles:
Juan Carlo Mensegues - 9.53 / Game

Top 3 Most Assists:
1. Vitaly Denisov - 41 Games / 14 Assists
2. Gilles Yapi Yapo - 46 / 14
3. Hugo - 35 / 12

Most Commited Fouls:
Bruno Rafael - 100

Most Yellow Cards:
Francisco Molinero - 18

Top 3 Most Man of the Match:
1. Lionel Messi - 45 Games / 12
1. Aleksandar Mladenov - 45 / 12
3. Tavares - 34 / 8

Most Red Cards:
Mauro Minelli - 2
Ezequiel Carboni - 2
Tiago Silva - 2

Most Clean Sheets:
Jose Rafael Alamo - 17
Nicolas Puydebois - 17

Top 3 Highest Avarage Rating:
1. Lionel Messi - 45 Games / 7.37
2. Marti Crespi - 29 / 7.29
3. Marcus Vinicius - 36 / 7.27

Union of Football Academies Season 4 Roundup

Division 1
Wymondham FC regained the UFA title after 2 seasons in the shadow of Faversham Town, and did so in emphatic style, finishing on 88 points, 12 clear of last season's champions. Lenny Bernstein's Wandsworth Rovers were the surprise package of the season, claiming third spot with 67 points ahead of Relegation Fodder and Phantoms, both on 63.

At the bottom of the table Pompey PFC, Ragnarok FC and Tycoons Gunners found themselves a little out of their depth, managing just 9 wins between them and finishing 17 points away from safety.

• UFA Division 1 Player of the Season: Thom Bjork - an average rating of 7.61, including 47 goals and 5 assists from his 31 appearances for Faversham Town.
• UFA Division 1 Golden Boot: Thom Bjork - An amazing 47 goals in 31 appearances for Faversham Town.
• UFA Division 1 Golden Gloves: Leonardo Viera - 15 clean sheets in 30 appearances for Wandsworth Rovers.

Division 2
Hammers United FC claimed the Division 2 title with a 9 point lead at the top of the table, Waukesha 1834 and Sporting Nelson Cuevas claimed the two other promotion spots with a chasing pack of Huish FC and Team Awesome FC narrowly missing out on promotion by only 2 points.

• UFA Division 2 Player of the Season: Norbert Angyal - an average rating of 7.38, including 24 goals and 4 assists from his 27 appearances for Hillsboro'.
• UFA Division 2 Golden Boot: Danny Hoesen - 28 goals in 32 appearances for Sporting Nelson Cuevas.
• UFA Division 2 Golden Gloves: Alex Smithies - 13 clean sheets in 32 appearances for title winners Hammers United FC.

UFA Challenge Cup
Faversham Town & Hammers United met in a final that saw Division 1 runners up face Division 2 champions. Division 1 player of the season Thom Bjork underlined his excellent campaign with a hatrick to seal a second UFA League and Cup double for Faversham Town.

Two goals in 4 minutes from Bjork, just after the half hour mark saw Faversham take a commanding lead, but on the stroke of half time Danny Groves powered home a shot from the edge of the area to give the Hammers hope for the second half. Bjork effectively sealed the vitory for Faversham in the 66th minute completing a swift Faversham counter attack to claim his hatrick.

Hammers' fans may feel slighty aggrevied by the result as it was a much more closely balanced game than the scoreline woudl suggest, but with promotion to Division 1 already secured they will have their chance to avenge this defeat in the league next season.


UFA Super Cup
The UFA Super Cup saw the best teams from last season meet in this prestigous cup competition. Relegation Fodder met last season's runners up Wymondham FC in a forgetful final. Wymondham didn't manage a shot on target over the 90 minutes, and their famed rock solid defense nullified the threat of the Fodder's front 3 of Bernardi, Lima Ferreira and Teixeira.

In fact it was a defender that settled the match, with just 6 minutes left on the clock and extra time looming large substitute Sebastien Parodi, who had only been on the pitch 10 minutes, headed in a Gamboa corner to seal a victory that will be long remembered by Fodder fans, even if they'd rather forget the match itself.


UFA U19 Division 1
This season saw the UFA expand into under 19 competition for the first time and it proved to be an exciting addition to the organization. At the top of the table Relegation Fodder and The Birmingham Bearded Women fought took the title race to the final day of the season.

David Parker's Relegation Fodder went into their final two games of the season knowing they had to win both to stand a realistic chance of securing the title, but they would stillbe reliant on BBW dropping points. Their 5-1 thrashing of Phantoms and a 4-0 defeat of Faversham Town gave meant that BBW would need to claim maximum points from their final four games of the season to secure the title. A 4-0 win against Faversham Town was followed by a narrow 2-1 victory over Steaua Radoi Bucharesti, but in their penultimate game of the season Cat Vegas' team failed to break down Damaged FC's 10 man defense and their title dream was over.

• UFA U19 Division 1 Player of the Season: Fabio Bernardi - an average rating of 7.66, including 35 goals and 8 assists from his 32 appearances for champions Relegation Fodder.
• UFA U19 Division 1 Golden Boot: Fabio Bernardi - 35 goals in 32 appearances for Relegation Fodder.
• UFA U19 Division 1 Golden Gloves: Branislav Momcilovic - 16 clean sheets in 34 appearances for Wandsworth Rovers.

WCA Season Review

The Cups

The Premiership Cup Final - Crimson Fists 3 Whisp R.O.L FC 2 AET
A cracking game saw Crimson Fists come out on top. Crimson raced into an early 2-0 lead with 2 goals after 11 minutes. Whisp pulled 1 back after 18 mins. On the stroke of half time the Whisps equalised, the second half was goal less. Which meant extra time! Just as it looked like we would face the heart ache of a penatly shoot out, Whisps got a corner. From the corner Gary's Crimson Fists launched a lightning counter attack, Naismith fed Silva who showed remarkable composure to chip the advancing keeper for his second goal of the game and the Crimson Fists first major trophy .

Non Premiership Cup Final - LetsTalkAboutCesc 1 Bushby Babes 0 AET
A somewhat cagey affair with the less fancied Bushby Babes pushing LTAC all the way. No goals after 90 minutesmeant extra time. Merida floated in a free kick, Micah Richards unleashed a half volley, 1-0 and thats how it finished. LetsTalkAboutCesc had their first trophy of the season and a place in the UFFA Cup Winners Cup.

WCA Cup Final - Band of Brothers 2 Davos Utd 0
In an open game the BoBs came out on top. A goal in either half from Danny Swanson saw the BoBs go into a 2-0 lead. Despite Davos creating plenty of chances they couldn't convert any of them into goals. The BoBs could even afford to miss a penalty in the 86th minute, 4 minutes later the frustration got to Davos defender Lance Laing and he was sent off in the 90th minute. Davos finished the gamewith 5 up front as they desperatley tried to make a break through but the BoBs stayed strong and the Cup was theirs for the second time in their short history.

The Leagues

Champions:

• Premiership: Bandof Brothers
• Championship: LetsTalkAboutCesc
• League 1: Evro Utd

LetsTalkAboutCesc ended up finishing 23 points clear in the Championship. With 3 more automatic promotion places up for grabs it was an incredibly tight finish. Only 5 points split 2nd from 6th -- Crystal Pallice, Bushby Babes, Redhill Travellers and Yeti FC With a few decisions still to be made on some Premiership teams that have left the UFFA it may be that all of these valiant competitors gain promotion.

The Premiership as predicted went right to the wire! With one game to go both Crimson Fists and Band of Brothers were level on points although the BoBs had a slighty better goal difference. The BoBs kicked off their final game against Euclyidian Dynamo knowing that a win would virtually settle the title. ED took the lead and then went on to miss a penalty to put them 2-0 up! The BoBs won a penalty themselves and levelled the game at 1-1. ED again took the lead and in desperate circumstances the BoBs threw 4 up front. Luckily the tactic worked and 2 quick goals saw them take a 3-2 lead, knowing that the Crimson Fists still had to play Hamilton 1961 the BoBs fought bravely to secure the win. As predicted the Crimson Fists beat Hamilton but could not score enough goals so the BoBs were champions for the first time (double winners).

Brilliant runs of form saw Cheechsters and Papagaios do Rio grab 3rd and 4th place and the UFFA spots go with them . A slightly disappointing end to the season for Euclydian Dynamno drop to 5th but still qualify for the silver cup. 6th and 7th went to our two Cup runners up - Whisp and Davos, in a positive for them due to Crimson Fists and BoBs being in the Gold Cup both sides should qualify alongside LTAC in the CWC.

Relegation Issues - In a dogfight at the bottom of the Premiership Robs Decca side did drag themselves out. The unfortunate 4 were Nitros, Highbury United, Hamilton 1961 and Welwyn Wanderers. In terms of relegation from the Championship some issues are still undecided and could be affected by possible league reconstruction.

NFA Season Review - Youth Competitions

NFA Youth League

Scott Problems' Grabimbyda Scrufoviznek managed to defend his Youth League title this season comfortably, finishing the season 12 points clear of the chasing pack. The real battle was for second place in this league, with Dynamo Dragons, led by Jonathan Ditcher, pipping Dave Parrett's Hammers United FC by a single point at the end of the season.

This season's player of the season was, by some distance, Mario Balotelli of Grabimbyda Scrufoviznek. In his final season at underage level Balotelli managed 33 goals in just 19 appearances, and consistently put in top-notch performances all season long.

The goal of the season meanwhile goes to this thunderbolt volley from Jorge Obregón of Oracle.

NFA Youth Cup

In the Youth Cup Scott Problems' Grabimbyda Scrufoviznek emerged victorious with a 3-1 win over Dave Parrett's Hammers United FC in the final. This confirmed Scott's men as the top youth team in the history of the NFA as they toppled the defending champions to claim the youth double!

The player of the tournament was Gil Blumstein of Spartaq Sedgley who put in a number of top-notch performances in his team's run to the Quarter Final.

The award for goal of the tournament goes to this excellent strike from Sandecja Nowy Sacz Márcio, as he picked up the loose bal in his own half, powered through the middle of the park and showed great composure to slot the ball coolly into the net.

NFA Season Review - Cup Competitions

UFFA World Youth Cup

As well as completing the youth double at home in the NFA, Scott Problems' Grabimbyda Scrufoviznek flew the flag for the association by reaching the final of the World Youth Cup. Despite having the better of the match, Problems' men succumbed to a narrow 1-0 defeat against 4ytry of The Social Football Association in the final, and while we are all disappointed that they didn't get their hands on the trophy we acknowledge tha fantastic achievement that being a runner-up represents. Congratulations to Grabimbyda Scrufoviznek and to Scott!

UFFA Gold Cup

The final of the UFFA's most prestigious competition also saw an NFA representetive take part. This time it was Vasco Nunes' Dragon team but, like in the World Youth Cup, they were unable to overcome their opponents and were defeated by King Krimson FC of the Xtreme Evening Football Association. Again the NFA side were by far and away the superior team, dominating the match but failing to capitalise on their superiority in 90 minutes. While pushing for the wing in extra time Vasco's boys were caught out and eventually lost 2-0. Their performance in the tournament is nothing to be ashaed of however, and Dragon team are a credit to the NFA!


UFFA Silver Cup

Meanwhile in the Silver Cup there was better news for the NFA as Jonathan Ditcher's Dynamo Dragons lifted the trophy to become the first NFA representetives to get their name on the cup. It took extra-time for the Dragons to come out on top against Sloane Square Rangers, but they showed great character and nerve to survive a sending off and emerge victorious. We here at the NFA are extremely proud of this amazing achievement, and we wish to congratulate Jonathan and his team on their wonderful success!

Here's to even more success for the NFA in future UFFA competitions!

NFA Cup

This season's NFA Cup went to Jamie Cook's Chester Rats, who defeated James Harrison's Alrewas Athletic 2-1 in an all-Premiership clash. Indeed, having finished just 3 points behind Alrewas in the league, Jamie's boys will take consolation in knowing that they managed to defeat their rivals and bring some silverware home to Jamie Cook Stadium. Congratulations to Jamie and his squad!

The player of the tournament award goes to Alrewas Athletic defender Joseph Yobo, who not only played every game but also managed 3 goals from set-pieces to fire his team into the final.

The goal of the tournament also goes to an Alrewas Athletic player, with this fantastic volley from Gelson Fernandes being the pick of the finishes by some distance:
Gelson Fernandes's Goal.

NFA Non-Premiership Cup

The best of the rest this season goes to the deactivated Carter FC, as they defeated Rumi Nazgul's Se SK by 3 goals to 1 in the final. While it's a shame that Carter FC managed the Championship and Non-Premiership Cup double, Nazgul's men did the NFA proud in getting to the final and putting up a brave fight, so we at the Gazette congratulate them!

The player of the tournament however was without a doubt Wayne Rooney of Sandecja Nowy Sacz who managed an astonishing 7 goals in the 6 games played. His fantastic form throughout the tournament was unlucky not to be rewarded with a medal, but the England striker did net the goal of the tournament with this outrageous 40-yard lob:
Wayne Rooney's Goal


NFA Weekly Challenge #1

James Harrison's Alrewas Athletic's astonishing season began when they picked up the first silverware of the season by winning the first weekly challenge. A 3-1 victory over Vasco Nunes' Dragon team saw them lift the trophy which was the beginning of their most successful season ever.


NFA Weekly Challenge #2

Vasco Nunes' Dragon team showed great determination and character to bounce back from their final defeat in the first challenge to lift the Weekly Challenge #2 trophy. In an all-Portuguese final Vasco's men beat Jorge Nunes' All BiDoNs Fc in a tight 2-1 affair, with Dragon team only winning in extra-time following a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes.


NFA Weekly Challenge #3

Alrewas Athletic were back on top of the pile after their victory in the third weekly challenge this seaosn. A 3-2 victory over Scott Problems' Grabimbyda Scrufoviznek saw them lift the trophy and take the £100,000 prize, with Joseph Yobo knockimg in 2 of the goals.

NFA Season Review - Premiership

Well, after another fantastic season the NFA Premiership has finally drawn to a close, and what a season it's been! NFA Organizer James Harrison's Alrewas Athletic were all-conquering this season as they wrestled the NFA Premiership title away from All BiDoNs Fc for the first time. All BiDoNs Fc boss Jorge Nunes was quoted as saying 'this season you deserve....next one we will see!', and after a first trophyless season at Jorge Nunes Stadium he and his squad will be determined to get back on top in Season 5!

The NFA Premiership once again proved to be an intensely competetive affair, with just six points separating the top four sides. There was also a tight battle for sixth position and the final UFFA Silver Cup place, with four teams battling it out until the final matches to stake their claim to an inter-FA spot. At the bottom end of the league we know that we will have the two deactivated teams removed - the Spanish Armada of Arkadius United and Dies De Futbol are both gone - and with a number of teams in the Championship also going to be removed from the FA the fate of a number of teams remains uncertain. Wantage Town, Adam Sutcliffe's Tykes Go and NFA Gazette writer Geraint Williams' club The Team With The Drill finished in designated relegation spots but will all be looking on anxiously at the developments over the next few days.

So here's the final standings in the NFA Premiership showing the top 6:
1. Alrewas Athletic
2. Chester Rats
3. S.C.BEJECAS
4. All BiDoNs Fc
5. Grabimbyda Scrufoviznek
6. Camembert Harriers

And now for the player awards for the Premiership season three.

"Benni" Golden Boot award: Named after NFA goalscoring legend Benni McCarthy, the Benni Golden Boot is awarded to the player who hit the back of the net the most times in the season. This year there was one clear winner, and this season's Benni top 3 looks like this:

1. Mario Balotelli - Grabimbyda Scrufoviznek: 24 goals in 32 league games.
2. Tiago Luís - Chester Rats: 20 goals in 30 league games
3. Daley Mena - Arkadius United: 18 goals in 32 league games.

The exceptional goalscoring form of 21 year-old wonderkid Mario Balotelli sees him receive the trophy this season, and with his nearest rival Tiago Luís being only 22 years old himself, this could prove to be a rivalry to last for years to come!

Golden Gift award: The Golden Gift award is the prize given to the player who is attributed with the most assists in a single NFA Premiership season. Again, like the Benni, this season's trophy has one player head and shoulders above the rest:

1. David Beckham - Alrewas Athletic: 27 assists in 32 games
2. Dennis Aogo - All BiDoNs Fc: 18 assists in 32 games
= Jefferson Farfán - Chester Rats: 18 assists in 32 games

The astonishing statistic of 27 assists in a single season puts Beckham, in his final season of professional football, at the very top of our list. In fact, in honour of this achievement, we here at the NFA Football Writer's Association hereby name this award the "Beckham" Golden Gift award. In future, players will fight all season long for the "Beckham" as they create chance after chance in pursuit of this prize!

"Arnau" Best Goalkeeper award: The Arnau is named in honour of Spanish goalkeeper and Dylano Athletic NFA star Francesc Arnau, and is awarded to the 'keeper who conceded the fewest goals in an NFA Premiership season. This was a hotly-contested award this year, and in the end, with two goalkeepers tied on goals conceded, the decision was made on a superior amount of clean sheets recorded by the eventual winner.

1. Samir Handanovic - Grabimbyda Scrufoviznek: 31 goals in 32 games (14 clean sheets)
2. Renan - Dragon team: 31 goals in 32 games (12 clean sheets)
3. Fernando Muslera - All BiDoNs Fc: 32 goals in 32 games

With plenty of competition among the top keepers in the division, the Arnau is always a tough one to predict, and with it coming down to the wire this season we're assured of plenty of great goalkeeping performances in the seasons to come!


Last but not least, we come to this season's "Smiley Linekar" Fair Play award. This award is presented to the team with the fewest disciplinary points accumulated over the course of the season, with each yellow card being worth 1pt and each red card being worth 3pts. In the end it was a tie between two teams on points, but the teams were separated by a red card - having received no yellow cards to their rivals' one, this year's "Smiley Linekar" result looks like this:

1. Camembert Harriers - Tony McDermot: 36 points (36 yellows, 0 red)
2. Arkadius United - José Arquad: 36 points (33 yellows, 1 red)
3. Alrewas Athletic - James Harrison: 39 points (39 yellows, 0 red)

Tony McDermot's boys can now look forward to a season of looking smug while enjoying a big boost from crisp fans!

NFA Season Review - Championship

Like so many other competitions in Clough, this season's NFA Championship was blighted with deactivated teams skewing the statistics. In the end an exceptional Carter FC wound up taking the title, but the real champions are Polish manager R. Kogut's Sandecja Nowy Sacz.

The play-off competition will be contested by Rumi Nazgul's Se SK, Abbots Langley Athletic and Oracle, excluding the deactivated Spartaq Sedgley who finished in third.

The future of this competition could be in doubt however, as the NFA might be reliant on new managers entering into the FA over the next week. It remains to be seen whether or not the numbers will be maintained to support a two-tier divisional structure, and the NFA head honchos are already looking at alternative league structures should they be required.

The stats-based player awards for the season are as follows:

Golden Boot award: The golden boot award goes to the player who hits the back of the net the most times during one season. This year, it goes to a player who is truly playing beyond his level, and is clearly enjoying his football at the same time. The top 3 are as follows:

1. Wayne Rooney - Sandecja Nowy Sacz: 27 goals in 28 games
2. Robbie Keane - Forest Forever: 23 goals in 26 games
3. Fernando Llorente - Sandecja Nowy Sacz: 22 goals in 28 games

Clearly praise should go to R. Kogut who has managed to get the best out of both of his strikers at Sandecja Nowy Sacz. When playing with 2 up front the goals are often shared between players so to have two scorers in the top 3 is a great achievement!

Golden Gift award: This prize goes to the player who has created the most goals during an NFA Championship season. Only one remaining human boss managed to get a player into the top 3 here, and that player came top of the pile:

1. Sergio Suffo - Sandecja Nowy Sacz: 14 assists in 27 games
= Breno - Spartaq Sedgley: 14 assists in 25 games
3. Nikola Vujovic - Abbots Langley Athletic: 13 assists in 28 games
= Eduard Sergienko - FC Veldon: 13 assists in 28 games

The prize this season is split between Sergio Suffo and Breno. It's again evidence of the pre-eminance of R. Kogut that he has successfully steered a player in his side to the top of a player table, and proof that his automatic promotion spot is well-deserved.

Best Goalkeeper award: The best goalkeeper award goes to the player between the sticks who has conceded the fewest goals over the course of the season. This year there was one clear winner, but from a deacivated team:

1. Doni - Carter FC: 16 goals in 26 games
2. Roberto - Emile Heskey School of Football: 20 goals in 20 games
3. Renny Vicente Vega - Abbots Langley Athletic: 23 goals in 28 games

As this award is a player-based trophy, we have no hesitation in awarding it to Doni for his exceptional performances, but we Football Writers commend all the managers who fought hard to get the best out of their keepers in chasing this prize!


Finally, the NFA Championship Fair Play award goes to the team who have accumulated the fewest disciplinary points over the course of the seaosn, and the top manager was again alone as the human representetive in the top three:

1. Abbots Langley Athletic - David Proctor: 39 points (39 yellow, 0 red)
2. Spartaq Sedgley - Phillip Hardisty (deactivated): 39 points (39 yellow, 0 red)
3. Wardy's Warriors - Thomas Ward (deactivated): 43 points (40 yellow, 1 red)

Even though there was a tie in first place, the award goes to David Proctor's boys as we don't reward managers who jump ship here at the NFA Football Writers' Association. Congratulations to David and his squad!

Dennis Moberg's XEFA Division 1 Update

Today we have the Update on Division 1 on our hands, and we hope you'll enjoy it - as usual.

Contents

1. Standings
2. 10 Quick Questions
3. Team Stats
4. Tactics Corner
5. Player Stats
6. The Interview

1. STANDINGS

Current Top 3:
1. Queluz FC - 57 Games, 75 GD, 136 Points
2. Eleven United - 60 Games, 44 GD, 119 Points
3. Logic Athletic - 59 Games, 34 GD, 106 Points

Projected Top 3:
1. Queluz FC - 181 Projected
2. Eleven United - 119 Projected
3. Logic Athletic - 106 Projected

Current Bottom 4:
17. SELHURST STARS - 64 Games, -25 GD, 65 Points
18. Munich United F.C. - 63 Games, -26 GD, 64 Points
19. Barnsley Tykes - 64 Games, -22 GD, 62 Points
20. Beard FC - 61 Games, -40 GD, 54 Points

Projected Bottom 4:
17. SELHURST STARS - 77 Projected
18. Munich United F.C. - 77 Projected
19. Barnsley Tykes - 73 Projected
20. Beard FC - 67 Projected

2. 10 QUICK QUESTIONS

..with Anna Meakin, manager of Bump N Grind. Anna's the only female manager in the XEFA - as far as I'm aware of - and she's one of too many Meakins that have Clough as their homeworld. Has one of the better offensive records in Division 1 but also one of the worst defensive ones - perfect ingridients for a mid-table position.

* Relaxing on the beach or Skiing in the mountains?
- relaxing on the beach

* Offense or Defense?
- Offense

* Kindereggs or Snacks?
- kinder eggs

* Alexander Meier or Michael Ballack?
- michael ballack

* Bump or Grind?
- BUMP

* 4-4-2 or 4-5-1?
- 4-5-1

* Nintendo DS or Sony PSP?
- Nintendo DS

* Wealth or Success?
- Success

* Playing FML or Doing homework with the kids?
- Homework

* XEFA or Shaun?
- XEFA!!!

3. TEAM STATS

Top 3 Most Goals Scored:
1. Queluz FC - 57 Games/139
2. Wirral County FC - 63 Games/110
3. Logic Athletic - 59 Games/109

Most Goals Conceded:
Bump N Grind - 120

Least Goals Conceded:
Referee Dependence FC - 51

Most Dribbles per Game in Total:
Ravensbourne fc - 28.5

Most Corner Goals:
Queluz FC - 39

Most Goals from Direct Free Kicks:
Russian Circles - 9

Most Goals from Indirect Free Kicks:
EiJit Wanderers - 15

Most Shots on Target:
Wincheap Acidemicals - 472 out of 913, 52%

Top 3 Team Total Avarage Rating:
1. Queluz FC - 57 Games/7.07
2. Eleven United - 60 Games/6.97
3. Wincheap Acidemicals - 64 Games/6.97

4. TACTICS CORNER

..with Aidan Flanagan, manager of Dynamo Dynasty, former manager of FC Jardines Del Rey. Has been ranked #1 in several gameworlds, but have had a tough time getting success in Clough. Did win the XEFA Division 1 last season with Jardines Del Rey before they disbanded shortly after.

What is your tactical philosophy in FML?
If you cant beat em, join em. well thats what i do anyway

Which is your most used formation in FML and why?
4-5-1, because i find it the best for me to use at the start of a GW, and slowly change it over time

You've managed to become a consistant top 10 team in a few Gameworlds, have this been down to your tactic or is it because of your ability of finding the right players?
I would say more down to finding the right players, i generally know what to look for to help my tactic

In FML, what do you feel are the overall most important attributes that players need to perform?
Speed, and obviously each posistion has their own specific attribute, but i like to have speed if i can

Do you feel that it's a viable option to assign a Playmaker or Target Man? Since some tactical guides like to refrain you from using them.
I tend to not touch playmaker option, doesnt really work too well for me, i like having target man however and can get some pretty good scoring rates using the option

What are your best tips for tactical beginners that would like to be as succesful as you? Well maybe not as succesful has you have been with Dynamo Dynasty in Clough but...
lol, well, people obviously wont agree, but i would say play a solid all round formation to start with like (4-5-1), and obviously as you progress they should find it easier to work others

Alright, thanks for your time Aidan and good luck with Dynamo Dynasty in the future
I'll need it

5. PLAYER STATS

Top 3 Most Goals Scored:
1. David Villa - 47 Games/53
2. Jermain Defoe - 63 Games/42
3. Nikola Nikezic - 58 Games/34

Most Shots on Target:
David Villa - 141 On Target out of 245, 58%

Most Offside Runs:
Jermain Defoe - 194

Most Assists:
Bosko Jankovic - 47

Most Dribbles per Game:
Otacílio - 8.63

Top 3 Most Man of the Match:
1. David Villa - 47 Games/15
2. Daniel Agger - 56 Games/11
3. Bogdan Stancu - 63 Games/10

Most Clean Sheets:
Marcelo Grohe - 29

Most Yellow Cards:
Sérgio Mota - 30

Top 3 Avarage Rating:
1. David Villa - 47 Games/7.66
2. Tranquillo Barnetta - 57 Games/7.44
3. Bosko Jankovic - 57 Games/7.43

6. THE INTERVIEW

..with Chris Foote, manager of Wincheap Acidemicals. The home of english High Profile striker Jermain Defoe and a lover of Super Joe since 1998.

Alright, let's start by letting you tell our readers a little about yourself and your connection to football.
I'd like to say that "i'm the man" but that would be a slight exaggeration. at uni at the moment in my last year, and probably spending a bit too much time on fml rather than concentrating on finishing my degree. i support swindon town because they're my hometown club, although i seriously question why i've stuck with them all these years. and i have an unhealthy obsession with joe cole.

Yes, that Joe Cole fellow. What is the deal with that, really? Not every team on FML has a badge dedicated for one player...
I'm not too sure really. i started to love him when he broke through the ranks at west ham, and have just followed him ever since. i used to love it on soccer am when the showboat segment was essentially just the joe cole show. you think the badge is bad though... i have a figure of him above my bed at uni, and when i turn on my bedside lamp, it shines on him like a spotlight..

And now his owner in Clough is planning to sell him - do you have a secret plan in order to get your hands on him?
I did tell shaun that i'd do anything, but i don't think that interested him sadly. i've made some pretty stupid choices financially, so there's no way that i can afford him sadly

A shame. You're currently sitting at the top of the table in the Division 1, how do you feel the season has gone so far?
Yeah it's gone alright. thinking about it, i'm pretty pleased with how the season has gone; last season i was struggling to even stay in league one, and there has been a turnaround. i think that's probably down to the signing of Defoe, and a few of my youth players making the step up this season

Yes, Jermain Defoe. He's your star player, and the one who has scored the 2nd most goals in the Div 1 after Villa. But he has also run offside the most times - that kind of sums him up I guess?
I've always though that defoe was the sort of player that needs alot of chances to even get a shot on target, and then many shots on target to score, so i guess the stat about being offside goes hand-in-hand with that; we just try and bombard him with passes and let the law of averages work

Your Youth Team has total wages off 43k, and you have learnt quite a few Coaching Skills. Is developing future stars one of your goals in Clough?
I'd like to say that i put alot of effort into developing for the future, but i'd be lying. when clough launched, i decided to concentrate on youth, trying to learn from mistakes i made in Beta, but i quickly got bored of the youth team, and only decided to re-enter the youth leagues last season. although, like i said before, i've started to benefit from my youth team, so maybe i should pay a bit more attention to them

Do you think your team would be up for the challenge of Championship football if you ended up being promoted?
I'd like to think so, but i'm not 100% sure. i definatly have some quality in the team, but many of the players are starting to get on now, and if i do get promoted, i'd probably need to freshen up my first team with some younger players, and possibly look to bring in another superstar to compete with the teams in the championship. it's a great thing about the XEFA that there are great teams in the championship, as well as the the premiership, and i'd relish the challenge

Alright, thanks for your time Chris and good luck for the remainder of the season.
Cheers Dennis, I would wish you look for the rest of your season, but hopefully you don't go up into the premiership next season, so my boys can teach Pompey a lesson

Dennis Moberg's XEFA Championship Update

Alright, here we go with the 2nd update. Today we're taking a look at the Championship.

Contents

1. Standings
2. 10 Quick Questions
3. Team Stats
4. Tactics Corner
5. Player Stats
6. The Interview

1. STANDINGS

Current Top 3:
1. Relegation Fodder - 61 Games, 34 GD, 120 Points
2. Whitstable Galaxy - 59 Games, 33 GD, 109 Points
3. FC Cornelius - 56 Games, 31 GD, 109 Points

Projected Top 3:
1. Relegation Fodder - Projected 149 Points
2. FC Cornelius - Projected 147 Points
3. Whitstable Galaxy - Projected 140 Points

Current Bottom 4:
17. Tricky Trees FC - 57 Games, -20 GD, 67 Points
18. Killer Saints - 60 Games, -13 GD, 65 Points
19. Adrian Monk FC - 57 Games, -37 GD, 51 Points
20. Kavchester City - 57 Games, -55 GD, 25 Points

Projected Bottom 4:
17. Alchoholics - Projected 87 Points
18. Killer Saints - Projected 82 Points
19. Adrian Monk FC - Projected 68 Points
20. Kavchester City - Projected 25 Points

2. 10 QUICK QUESTIONS

..with Amjad 'The Flash' Parkar, manager of Made in Beverley Drive. Famous for losing big to me back in Season 1, and now runs the Cloughite together with Dave - "Clough's only tabloid news paper".

* Snow or Sand?
- snow

* Premiership or Championship?
- champ

* Coffee or Beer?
- none

* Youth or Experience?
- youth

* Tabloid Newspapers or Normal Newspapers?
- normal

* Stadium or New Signings?
- new signings

* Watching a movie or Reading a book?
- movie

* Winning all games vs. me in the Champs or Losing all games vs. me and winning every other game in the Champs?
- the first one

* Sleeping or Being Awake?
- being awake

* XEFA or Shaun?
- XEFA (after answering Shaun but changing his mind )

3. TEAM STATS

Top 3 Most Goals Scored:
1. Whitstable Galaxy - 59 Games/109
2. Relegation Fodder - 61 Games/109
3. Huish FC - 63 Games/101

Most Dribbles per Game:
Falmer BHA - 27.19%/Game

Most Yellow Cards:
Kop fc - 59 Games/128

Most Penalties Recieved:
Made in Beverley Drive - 8

Top 3 Most Corner Goals:
1. Kop fc - 59 Games/34
2. Whitstable Galaxy - 59 Games/30
3. Ann Arbor Arsenal - 61 Games/30

Most Goals from Indirect Free Kicks:
Whitstable Galaxy - 15

Most Goals from Direct Free Kicks:
Alchoholics - 6

Most Fouls Against:
Alchoholics - 871

Top 3 Team Avarage Rating:
1. FC Cornelius - 56 Games/6.99
2. Kop fc - 59 Games/6.92
3. Ann Arbor United - 60 Games/6.92

4. TACTICS CORNER

..with Dave "Cloughite" Parker, manager of Relegation Fodder, one of the wealthiest teams in the world. This has shown this season when they are on the course to playing Premiership football for the first time in their history.

What is your tactical philosophy in FML?
I value a a strong midfield over all else, I play thee central midfielders that most would consider defensive, but I think they're pretty complete players and can contribute as much going forward as defensively despite being labelled "DM". I rely on the full backs to provide support to a front 3, even though it can leave me short at the back I like to see goals. I'm happy to concede 4 as long as we score 5 ourselves.

When you make your tactic, do you design it after what you have at your disposal or do you like to decide on a tactic and then try and fill it with what you got?
I have a tactic in mind from the start and aim to sign players that fit my overall goal -- it's a rarity that I'll sign a player with low technique and/or passing anywhere on the pitch -- even at CB I look for players with high attributes in technique and passing. Occasionally a player does come along that I'll modify my system for slightly though, but I've seen the results of picking indivuals over forming a team from suffering through the last 6 years of supporting England

How do you go about setting up set pieces? A topic that always is hot is the one of the "corner exploit" - are you an "abuser" of this and what is your general tought on the subject?
I get my fair share from corners. I have 1 man attacking the far post, 1 the near post and the big CB challenging the keeper. I keep plenty back to prevent counter attacks and keep most of the midfield outside to area to pick up any lose ball to keep the pressure on even if the opponents do clear the initial corner.

As far as the corner exploit itself goes -- I've wanted it fixed since back in beta, it's far too often that goals are scored from corners in my opinion. But it's part of the game at the moment and as frustrating as it is seeing 2 out of 3 goals come from a corner it's in the game and I feel I've got no choice but to use it without handicapping myself.

For freekicks I rely on the brillaince of Edimar Teixeira ... no instructions needed

How do you think when setting up the Closing Down in your tactics? Do you let your strikers push hard, and then let the slider fall a little for every part of the team? Or do you do it differently?
My midfield three are charged with closing down the opposition, the three forwards have a free role pretty much with very little, if any, defensive responsabilities. The back 4 are all set to "normal" still, but tbh that's more because I can't decide what to do with them rather than any tactical insight into it's effectiveness. When they close down the get dragged out of position too early and when I tred setting them to rarely close down I think they took it a little too literally and ended up escorting the opposition into the 6 yard box more than anything

What are your best tips for tactical beginners that would like to be as succesful as you?
Aim higher :) Erm ... don't mess with things too much I guess would be the biggest tip. I found that keeping the tactical sliders between 25% and 75% worked best for me -- at the extremes the effects seemed to have more negative impact than positive.

Alright, thanks for your time Dave and good luck with winning the Championship - Cheers, no thanks to that 3-1 reverse earlier -- I'll be expecting a similar score when you face FC Cornelius tomorrow

5. PLAYER STATS

Top 3 Most Goals Scored:
1. Oscar Cardozo - 56 Games/46
2. Giampaolo Pazzini - 61 Games/40
3. Itamar - 62 Games/30

Most Penalty Goals:
Sejad Salihovic - 7

Most Dribbles per Game:
Sean Franklin - 8.91

Most Clean Sheets:
Gábor Németh - 20
Justo Villar - 20

Most Assists:
Wágner - 57 Games/35

Top 3 Most Man of the Match:
1. Oscar Cardozo - 56 Games/12
2. Fabricio Coloccini - 57 Games/11
3. Giampaolo Pazzini - 61 Games/11

Most Fouls Committed:
Rafal Kosznik - 143

Most Offsides:
Roberto Soldado - 151

Top 3 Highest Avarage Rating:
1. Wágner - 57 Games/7.36
2. Oscar Cardozo - 56 Games/7.29
3. Wilson Palacios - 58 Games/7.27

6. THE INTERVIEW

..with Daniel (El Niño) Sammut, manager of Kop fc. A lot has changed since last season, and that certainly merits an interview with the old Relegation King of the XEFA?

Hello again Dan. A lot has happened since last season - back then we were both in the relegation battle, next season we might both be in the Prem. In your case, what has happened?
Well not much has happend i discovered a new formation in late stages of last seasin wich saved me from relegation (yup i needed to win to be safe not like someone ) and have say too that wagner decided he want to have his best season so pretty much owe this to him being gr8

Yes, Wagner has been great this season, in many ways. Best avarage rating in the Champs, as well as most assists... And you're playing in the same league as guys like Pazzini and Cardozo. How important is he to you?
He's my gerrard he can turn games in 10 mins hes defenitly never leaving the club


You've recieved the most Yellow Cards in the Champs this season so far - have your team toughened up a bit?
Think it was like that even last season no ? well i try to stop that but with no success honestly think that divers are the problem not my defenders

So you're not using any Hard Tackling then?
Nah its set to normal i got enough problems like this imagine hard tackles would double the fouls

What are you hoping for now? Think you got what it takes to secure a top 3 spot?
I want 3rd place wont be easy tho was aiming higher before i lost a couple of games and some draws now ill be happy with 3rd place

Alright the newsletter is running out of space, do you have any last comments for our readers?
No, thats ur job mate lol

Dennis Moberg's XEFA Premiership Update

Hi all, and welcome to the first edition of the XEFA Updates. First out is the League I missed to do last time around - the Premiership.

I've added 3 contents this season. Firstly, we have the 10 Quick Questions. These are 10 random questions to a member, and they can only choose one option to answer. Then we have the Tactics Corner, were I speak to a top side about their tactical thoughts. And lastly, we have the Playtime Question, were I ask a random question and were the quickest one to answer the question correctly will be rewarded by having their name placed in the XEFA chatroom topic.

Contents

1. Standings
2. 10 Quick Questions
3. Team Stats
4. Tactics Corner
5. Player Stats
6. The Interview

1. STANDINGS

Current Top 3
1. Dueling Dragons - 54 Games, 34 GD, 106 Points
2. King Krimson - 55 Games, 36 GD, 97 Points
3. Smithson Town - 56 Games, 20 GD, 89 Points

Projected Top 3:
1. Dueling Dragons - Projected 149 Points
2. King Krimson - Projected 134 Points
3. Fro United - Projected 123 Points

Current Bottom 4:
17. Bakaz FC - 54 Games, -18 GD, 83 Points
18. Cambridge Casuals - 49 Games, -16 GD, 56 Points
19. Compit FC - 52 Games, -26 GD, 54 Points
20. Faversham Town - 59 Games, -44 GD, 46 Points

Projected Bottom 4:
17. Bakaz FC - Projected 83 Points
18. Compit FC - Projected 78 Points
19. Droitwich FC - Projected 77 Points
20. Faversham Town - Projected 59 Points

2. 10 QUICK QUESTIONS

...with Andrew Parkes, manager of Dueling Dragons FC - constant top 5 team in the world, currently ranked 3rd, only team in the world with a 4.5 team reputation.

All questions that are answered with "both" are given thumbs down

* Fastfood or Homecooked?
- Fastfood

* Diego Forlan or Dimitar Berbatov?
- Diego Forlan (with a hint of surprise)

* Summer or Winter?
- Summer

* Winning the Premiership or Winning the Gold Cup?
- Premiership

* Drama or Action?
- Drama

* Being Community Manager of the Season or Being Manager's Manager of the Season?
- Manager's Manager of the Season

* Working at work or Playing FML at work?
- Playing FML at work (with a hint of "lol")

* Buy Experienced Stars or Give Youngsters a chance?
- Both

* Quiet Evening at Home or Lively Evening at Parties?
- Parties

* XEFA or Shaun?
- XEFA (with a hint of indicisiveness and doubt)

3. TEAM STATS

Top 3 Most Goals Scored:
1. King Krimson FC - 111
2. Dueling Dragons FC - 97
3. ZenEagles - 80

Most Fouls Committed:
Droitwich FC - 778

Least Fouls Committed:
Wymondham FC - 499

Most Red Cards:
RockSteady FC - 5

Most Corners:
Dueling Dragons FC - 456

Top 3 Goals from Corners:
1. Dueling Dragons FC - 40
2. RockSteady FC - 35
3. King Krimson FC - 34

Least Goals Conceded:
Wymondham FC - 52

Most Goals Conceded:
Faversham Town - 108

Most Goals from Direct Free Kicks:
Nottingham Forest 1865 - 6

Most Goals from Indirect Free Kicks:
Fro United - 16

Top 3 Total Avarage Rating:
1. Smithson Town FC - 6.93
2. Fro United - 6.92
3. King Krimson FC - 6.91

4. TACTICS CORNER

..with Rafael Popovic, manager of King Krimson FC. Constant top side of the world, currently ranked 16th, and Rafael is facing his best Prem position ever, currently placed 2nd. Is set to play the Gold Cup Final against Vasco mendes' 4th ranked Dragon team.

What is your tactical philosophy in FML?
Of course the 4-3-3, attacking 4-3-3

How do you approach your tactics when you create them? Do you complete them at once or are they constantly changing?
Usually I try to complete my tactic and use it but during the matchesi see what happen on the pitch and change something , like pressing, def line, att mindset, and so on

Do you give all players a specific role to the team or do you believe in dividing the team in several groups - like Defense, Support, Attack?
I like the simmetry so i work on the specific groups, u never will see a player on the right not in line with the other on the left and so on, in my team at least, ^_^

Do you usually tick the Free Role and Hold Up Ball buttons on individual players? Do you feel they serve a purpose?
Yeah I use both... but i can't say if it work... I like to think yes!!!

What are your best tips for tactical beginners that would like to be as succesful as you?
Play the 4-3-3 of course with a TM in the centre and 2 fast forwards near him... very important to play the 4-3-3 are the WBs cos they have to go up & down on their side

Alright, thanks for your time Rafa and good luck in the Gold Cup Final
thx Dennis... I need it,

5. PLAYER STATS

Top 3 Goals Scored:
1. Dimitar Berbatov - 49 Games/49 Goals
2. David N'Gog - 60 Games/37 Goals
3. Jô - 50 Games/34 Goals

Most Dribbles:
Amaral - 9.39/Match

Most Fouls Committed:
Pavel Caicedo - 53 Games/148

Most Clean Sheets:
Germán Lux - 54 Games/23

Top 3 Most Assists:
1. Andrea Gasbarroni - 54 Games/47
2. Darijo Srna - 55 Games/35
3. Olexiy Godin - 49 Games/28

Most Man of the Match:
Andrea Coda - 55 Games/14

Most Yellow Cards:
Pavel Caicedo 53 Games/31

Top 3 Highest Avarage Rating:
1. Dimitar Berbatov - 49 Games/7.47
2. Cristiano Ronaldo - 59 Games/7.42
3. Andrea Coda - 55 Games/7.34

6. THE INTERVIEW

..with Matt "Dark Knight" Fletcher, manager of Droitwich FC. Famous for breaking the Not Winning Record in the 1st season. Our very own mod in the XEFA.

Dennis "The Riddler" Moberg says:
Since the XEFA was established 4 seasons ago, you have participated in 4 different leagues. Which have you enjoyed the most, and how do you feel the current one - the Prem - is?

Matt "Dark Knight" Fletcher says:
I guess enjoyed is a hard word, I really enjoyed winning my div1 that was tough and i went on a great run at the end to win it that was very satifying, But both the prem this season and the champ last were great for a challenge although the Prem seems too much for my little team

Dennis "The Riddler" Moberg says:
Yes, you are a little team but one can't think about you without thinking about Cristiano Ronaldo. Avaraging over 7.4 every season, one of the stars of the game, and now you're selling him. How do you feel about him and why is he departing?

Matt "Dark Knight" Fletcher says:
Abit sad i love him on the game he does cause such problems for defences in GW12 with Torres aswell he was unstoppable. I guess i want a change even if i don't get much money for im i want a new team a new challenge and a team that plays in a totally different style

Dennis "The Riddler" Moberg says:
You are currently projected to be relegated back down to the Championship. What has went wrong this season - or have you been expecting this from the beginning?

Matt "Dark Knight" Fletcher says:
I have had some unlucky results but the fact is I haven't had any money to improve my team due to stadiums therefore there still at championship level

Dennis "The Riddler" Moberg says:
Anything you think you could have done better now when you look back at the season - not that it's finished yet...

Matt "Dark Knight" Fletcher says:
not really i think its just that i couldn't improve my team to make the step up

Dennis "The Riddler" Moberg says:
Pavel Caicedo has committed the most fouls in the Premiership; 155. Do you feel you're too offensive and that this might cause it, or is Caicedo simply past his prime?

Matt "Dark Knight" Fletcher says:
lol didn't know that, fullbacks always seem to do the most fouls on this game though, prob his age is catching up with him

Dennis "The Riddler" Moberg says:
Now, since we're talking to XEFA's very own Mod... How do you feel the XEFA is as a community? And do you have any secret plans you wish to share with our readers?

Matt "Dark Knight" Fletcher says:
XEFA has a great community some very passionate and addicted users, its been a pleasure to be part of it tbh. Secret plans....like changing the name and kicking everyone out?....lol no no secret plans.

Dennis "The Riddler" Moberg says:
Thanks for your time and good luck with the remainder of the season - think you'll be able to survive?

Matt "Dark Knight" Fletcher says:
no , sunk, thanks Denny

Union of Football Academies Season 3 Roundup

Division 1
Faversham Town retained their UFA title, emerging as clear winners in the first UFA season where the title was decided before the final day of the season, finishing 11 ahead of second placed Wymondham FC, who led the chasing pack on 63 points, narrowly beating Relegation Fodder to second place by a single point.

At the bottom of the table Metairie FC and Hammers United FC failed to stay in touch with the rest of the league. But the final relegation place was a closely fought battle between Queens Park Stone Age, Strathmore Cloggers, Bradfax City & Wizardos with only 3 points seperating them at the end. Queens Park Stone Age had survivial in their own hands when they went into their final game of the season against Derry City, but unfortunately they succombed to a 1-0 defeat, with Smederevac putting the ball into his own net to send his team crashing down into Division 2.

• UFA Division 1 Player of the Season: David N'Gog - an average rating of 7.61, including 36 goals and 6 assists from his 34 appearances for title winners Faversham Town.
• UFA Division 1 Golden Boot: David N'Gog - 36 goals in 34 appearances for Faversham Town.
• UFA Division 1 Golden Gloves: David Onana - 13 clean sheets in 34 appearances for Cardiff United.

Division 2
Spaghetti Delight claimed the Division 2 title with a hefty 8 point lead at the top of the table, Carter FC took second place by 9 points from Ann Arbor Arsenal who claimed the final promotion spot to Division 1.

At the other end of the league True Blues FC had a truly dreadful season, claiming only 7 points from their 34 games. Langdon F.C. filled the final relegation spot, trailing 16th position Stoke City FC by 6 points.

• UFA Division 2 Player of the Season: Manuel Fischer - an average rating of 7.68, including 32 goals and 2 assists from his 29 appearances for Carter FC.
• UFA Division 2 Golden Boot: Manuel Fischer - 32 goals in 29 appearances for Carter FC.
• UFA Division 2 Golden Gloves: Frank Thijssen - 15 clean sheets in 32 appearances for title winners Spaghetti Delight.

Division 3
In a close title race Perfect Mic Habbit FC won Division 3 by just 2 points ahead of Wandsworth Rovers.

• UFA Division 3 Player of the Season: Reimond Manco - an average rating of 7.42, including 13 goals and 7 assists from his 14 appearances for CF Byzantium.
• UFA Division 3 Golden Boot: Reimond Manco - 13 goals in 14 appearances for CF Byzantium.
• UFA Division 3 Golden Gloves: Saliou Traore - 7 Clean Sheets in 18 appearances for Perfect Mc Habbit FC.

UFA Challenge Cup
Cardiff United & Phantoms met in the final. The result was never in doubt in the most one sided final in the history of the UFA, with Neil Roberts' team taking a 2-0 lead within 20 minutes that they rarely looked like relinquishing. A wonderful goal from Sergio Alvarez in the 46th minute put the result beyond doubt. With 10 minutes remaining Wilson Folleco nodded home a cross at the far post to give Phantoms a glimmer of hope, but 3-1 it ended, with Cardiff United claiming their first UFA trophy.


UFA Super Cup
The inaugural UFA Super Cup saw the best teams from last season meet in this prestigous cup competition. Strawberry Fields F.C. met Wymondham FC in a dramatic final. A 21st minute penalty gave Wymondham FC an early lead which they held on to until the 67th minute when Brazilian striker Gabriel Machado headed Craig "Tweej" MacLean's team level. With extra-time looming large Wymondham FC 'keeper Rhys Taylor parried a Javes Morrison freekick straight into the path of a grateful Wellington Peca who calmly placed the ball into the back of the net to put Strawberry Fields F.C. ahead with only 2 minutes left on the clock.

Union of Football Academies Season 2 Roundup

Division 1
Newly promoted Faversham Town backed up their reputation as the best U21 team in the world by claiming the UFA Championship.

Three draws in their last six matches, including a 2-2 draw against The Birmingham Bearded Women, conceeding a late equaliser in the 83'rd minute), followed by more dropped points in a 1-1 draw against Fen Ditton in their penultimate game of the season left Faversham manager Dan Wiles knowing only 3 points against Caius IV in their final game of the season would see them leapfrog Strawberry Fields F.C. and claim the title; a match they ran out convincing 5-2 victors.

Despite eight wins and a draw in the last ten games of the season Craig MacLean saw his side finish runners up for the second successive season.

At the other end of the table things were not quite so close, with 5 points seperating the relegated trio of Rushmore Academy, Salterbeck Snails and Kavchester City from the safety of 17th place.

• UFA Division 1 Player of the Season : Aaron Ramsey - an average rating of 7.35, including 10 goals and 8 assists from his 29 appearances for title winners Faversham Town.
• UFA Division 1 Golden Boot: Maicon - 27 goals in 33 appearances for Wymondham FC.
• UFA Division 1 Golden Gloves: Francisco Santana - 14 clean sheets in 37 appearances for Strawberry Fields F.C..

Division 2
A three horse race for the title saw Bradfax City pip Cardiff United and King Krimson FC to top spot. 7 points seperated the big three from the chasing pack.

• UFA Division 2 Player of the Season: Emiliano Alfaro - an average rating of 7.61, including 20 goals and 7 assists from his 19 appearances for Bradfax City.
• UFA Division 2 Golden Boot: Emiliano Alfaro - 20 goals in 19 appearances for champions Bradfax City.
• UFA Division 2 Golden Gloves: Kenni Furbo - 13 clean sheets in 19 appearances for KS Piast Nowa Ruda.

UFA Challenge Cup
The top two teams met in an epic encounter, after going a goal down following a (dreadful mistake by Faversham's 'keeper) the league champions proved, once again, why they are the team to beat at this level with two goals in 5 minutes, including a screamer by Paulo Henrique. With only 2 minutes to go Antero Ferreira da Silva found himself in space in the penalty area and made it count.

To penalties the game went and Vito Mannone emerged as the hero, saving 2 spot kicks to seal victory for Faversham Town.