blake
School Cricketer
QUB: End of Season Update (2011/12)
Northern Irish Premier Division
Media Prediction: 4th
Premier Division: 1st
League Table
We started the season sluggishly with a draw, a win and a loss from our first 3 league games, and when we lost 2-1 to Linfield in our sixth game, we suddenly had just 10 points from 6 games and were sitting merely in higher mid-table - Linfield had gotten off to a great start and were way ahead of us. It seemed that this was definitely not going to be a walk in the park, with Linfield hungry to retain their title. We recovered with 4-2 and 3-1 wins over Portadown and Larne, but when we lost 3-2 to relegation-threatened Armagh, suddenly there were big doubts. What was going wrong? We were sitting in 4th place, and were quite a ways behind the leader Linfield. 4th place was hardly terrible, but compared to our glory last season it wasn't a great start. But from there, everything fell into place, as we won our next 12 consecutive league games in a stunning run of performance, and our unbeaten streak was 15 in all competitions before we were beaten 2-1 by Coleraine. With these superb results, you would surely think that we would be well on top of the league - we had scored 31 goals and conceded just 5 in our past 12 games, earning 36 points. However, Linfield were as desperate as ever, and they coincidentally went on a 9 match winning streak themselves, and when we lost 2-1 to Coleraine, the league was in an incredible tie after 21 games - we had 52 points, but so did Linfield, and they weren't looking like giving up. However, that is exactly what they did towards the end of the season, and we didn't lose a game for the rest of the year in the Premier Division - Linfield couldn't keep up in the end, as we burst away winners. It took a long chase of Linfield, but our end of season form was incredible as we took 60 points from our last 21 games, losing just one match and drawing none. We lifted the trophy once more, with a comfortable margin in the end.
Champions League: 2nd Qualifying Round
Our first ever entrance in the Champions League was a very exciting moment for all of us. We were $400,000 AUD in debt, so just participating would be brilliant for us and the finances. I eagerly awaited the draw - there weren't too many good clubs in the 1st Qualifying Round, and I was pleased when we drew Omonoia - a small club from Cyprus. However, a quick check on their history revealed they had drawn 1-1 with Sampdoria a couple of years ago in one match in the Champions League Qualifying, and this scared me a fair deal - if they could draw with Sampdoria, they couldn't be that bad. Our first match was at home, and I was nervously looking forward to it. The first game at home attracted a max capacity crowd of 1000 - the first time we had completely filled our stadium, and they were all keen to see how we would fare. Immediately from the get-go, Omonoia began to play a very free-flowing, attacking and high tempo match, and it looked like we might be in for a struggle - but our nerves were slightly erased after Jankiewicz scored from the edge of the box in the 12th minute, sending the fans into eruption. Omonoia continued pressing, but Andonov hit them on the break in the 37th minute, and when Piwowarczyk followed it up with a long range curling effort in the 39th minute to make it 3-0, I was over the moon. Despite that, they had the best of us in the second half, and scored to make it 3-1. I reminded myself of aggregate and told my players not to drop off, and was rewarded as Jankiewicz scored a 87th minute goal to give us a 4-1 victory in our first ever Champions League game - and what an effort it was. In the away leg, we were totally outplayed having just 2 shots in comparison to their 15, but our defence fought superbly and we lost just 2-0, seeing us through to the second round after a very nervous last few minutes - another goal for them would've seen them go through 4-4 on away goals. I was thrilled on going through to the second stage - and watched the draw with anticipation - however, the result was not great. We were drawn against Turkish giants Fenerbahe away. I told my team just to enjoy the experience (whilst I would secretly enjoy the incredible gate receipts that we would receive, totalling over 100K) and we delivered to expectations - a resounding 12-0 loss, as Fenerbahe simply destroyed us. We performed much better in the home leg, losing just 1-0, but I was happy with our performance and we were awarded $161,000 for playing.
League Cup: Winners
The League Cup, or the Intermediate League Cup as it had been when we were in lower divisions, had always been one of our favourite competitions, and after losing in the semi-finals last year we recovered with a strong win - an ideal warm-up to the start of the season. We were gifted a fairly easy group against Portadown, Dungannon and Institute, and advanced with 4 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss from our 6 games, with Portadown looking to be our only real contenders. We faced a tough test against Glentoran in the Quarters, but a brace from Kosecki saw us get through 3-1 and then we dispatched Linfield 4-0 away from home in a stunning performance - one that wasn't expected at all. In the final we reached Distillery, who had been gifted an easy draw to the final after matches against Ballymena Utd and relegation-threatened Carrick, but they met their makers in the final against us as we beat them 1-0, with one of our signings from last-year in Piwowarczyk scoring the winner in the second half.
Antrim Cup: Winners
We added to our silverware of the year with a superb victory in the Antrim Cup - a cup that has eluded us for the past few years, as we have produced some disgraceful showings. We got off to a smooth start, winning 2-0 at home against non-league side Raceview, in a match I took fairly easily, and we were then gifted the easiest match of the round, a home draw against another non-league team in the Quarters, whilst all other teams were in the Premier League. We went through 3-0, but were drawn a tougher match next round - an away game against Ballymena, a team who had been performing superbly in the Premier Division. The match looked set to head to extra-time, but my new signing, a 20 year old Bulgarian attacking midfielder, scored an exceptional 93rd minute goal, leaving Ballymena in disarrays as we went through 3-2 in a thriller. The final proved to be an tough match, as we went up against the Crusaders. They weren't powerhouses, but they had a good squad and it wasn't going to be easy. However, I was already celebrating a win after just 25 minutes, as Jankiewicz scored a quick brace early on to see us 2-0 up. It proved to be an extremely premature celebration though, as the Crusaders scored a quick counter goal to see the scores 2-1 at half-time. We were still ahead though, and I remained confident - wrong option. The Crusaders scored yet again and locked the scores 2-2 at full-time, seeing the final go to extra-time. From there, however, I told the team it was all or nothing, and some superb attacking display forced them to concede an own goal, and then just 3 minutes later my 24 year old centre mid/striker Gmaj scored, giving us a 4-2 lead after 95 minutes. The Crusaders scored in the 118th minute, but it was too little too late as we won a memorable 4-3 extra-time victory and our first Antrim Cup.
Irish Cup: Quarter Final
After our dismal Fifth Round exit last year, which was our first actual game in the Cup, I was determined for a better performance. This time we cruised through the Fifth Round against First Division side Newry with a 4-1 win, before we drew Linfield in the Sixth Round away - probably the hardest draw of the entire tournament, and it seemed like we might be heading home early. Linfield wasted no time getting the match underway, and they scored 2 early goals, leaving me in real trouble. Jankiewicz pinned one back for us, but Linfield scored yet again, giving them a 3-1 buffer at half-time and with all the momentum. We looked out of it - with the exception of one person. Jankiewicz played like a man possessed, scoring a long range bomb in the 53rd minute and then a lethal header with the match drawing to an end to pull it back to 3-3, a superb effort. The match was forced into extra-time, and it looked like it might be heading to penalties - until my 19 year old striker by the name of Branimir Mikov scored a stunning goal in the 117th minute, after he came off the bench, prompting me to give him a few more games in the league. We had beaten Linfield 4-3 in a thrilling match, away from home. It was all in vain though, as we got yet another terrible draw against Portadown away from home, which we lost 2-0, despite having a frustrating 18 shots (with 10 on target) to 9, and 64% of the possession. In truth, their goalkeeper was unlucky not to receive MOTM.
Transfers: I made just 7 transfers in for the season - a small amount compared to my recent spending. I farewelled a number of our youth and reserves players, also selling Maziarz and Kolakowski, two of the first ever Poles to play in the team and two key players in our earlier success - it was a sad moment to let them go. Out of the 7 signings I made, 2 of them proved to be very successful - Branimir Mikov, a 19 year old striker from Bulgaria, and Mihail Andonov, a 20 year old attacking midfielder, also from Bulgaria. Mikov originally came in just as cover for Jankiewicz, who broke his leg early in the season, but he ended up playing so well that I kept him in the team for a long time, and he rewarded me with many goals, whilst Andonov soon shut out Pluta completely for a place in the first team. I also signed a 16 year old defender from Malta, who looked very promising for the future. He spent the year in my reserves team, but earned a few caps for Malta including a game against Italy, which they only lost 2-0 with him at centre back. A good result. However, he still wasn't ready to play in my first team but he is definitely a decent prospect for the future.
Fans Player of the Season:
Hubert Gmaj (Age 24)
Appearances: 36
Goals: 20
Av. Rating: 7.33
In the end it was centre mid/striker Hubert Gmaj that won the award for Fans Player of the Year, narrowly beating Jankiewicz and Mikov. Gmaj proved a revelation with his ability to play in both midfield and as a striker, and he played in both positions for the season, scoring a lot of his goals in big matches and providing handy assists throughout the season. He also had a knack for finding the net from distance, and was a very good player for the year.
Best Eleven
History:
Code:
Season Team League Position Achievements
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2007/08 QUB NI Second Division 7th Intermediate League Cup
2008/09 QUB NI Second Division 1st League Champions, Intermediate League Cup, Intermediate Cup
2009/10 QUB NI First Division 1st League Champions
2010/11 QUB NI Premier Division 1st League Champions
2011/12 QUB NI Premier Division 1st League Champions, Antrim Cup, League Cup
