It might be a bank holiday but Monday is always @SupernovaDragon day. His Manchester United B team is well into the second season but are they approaching promotion? Catch up with part 9 here.

Hey and welcome back to the Man United B Team story. Where we left off we were somehow still 3rd after a patchy start to the season and finally got to a bit of a run over December and with us being out of all the cups, there is just the league to concentrate on, this is our chance to stay fit and get the promotion we need.

Our parent club are continuing on their quest to win everything in sight.

Not Michael, he’s vital to our team:

We will definitely miss him.

Our first game of the update is at home to Bristol Rovers, I tell the lads that the win is the most important thing, I have to make a change, taking out the injured Clegg. At half-time we are 1-0 up thanks to Mulyrne playing Tomlinson through and his shot being parried and Nevland slotting into the empty net with ease. By full-time we won 3-1. A Cantona corner was headed in by Duncan, Bristol Rovers netted one back but was never really in the game, Twiss come off the bench and in the last minute, his low cross from the right and Tomlinson finished to win the match completely.

It was a deserved win.

Good Grief, I am out of centre backs:

2 matches? We were just getting somewhere, this is going to be tough for them 2 matches.

Up next is away to Millwall, I send the team out telling them that they know what to do. In 3 minutes Nevland put Cantona through to put us 1-0 up, then Millwall come back at us and equalise 10 minutes later and then, on the stroke of half-time, Duncan pushed Newman in the box, got booked and the penalty was converted. I tell them they can still win this match.

Within 5 minutes of the restart we go 3-1 down. I feel like this small unbeaten run is slipping away. We manage to get a second after Cantona fed Nevland who slotted nicely under the keeper. We then bring Twiss on for the last 10 minutes and he had a shot saved and in the last minute he found Nevland in the box, who equalised beautifully. We were lucky to get the point but I’ll definitely take it.

Just as Clegg returned from his injury, we get another to a vital player:

I swear this game is trying to ruin my promotion chances.

Up next is an away trip again, however this is our shortest trip as we visit Oldham who are 24th. I tell them they are have to win this one, show everyone we deserve to get promoted. In the first 5 minutes Oldham squander a number of chances, including the moment the ball bouncing around the box and Ritchie putting over from 5 yards. We broke away in the 17th minute and Tomlinson’s through ball found Nevland who smashed it into the corner. We then dominated as we had our chances to squander and hit the woodwork a lot. Second half and it was nervy as Oldham was all over us for most of it, we waste a few more chances and then with 9 minutes to go, they pull 1 back to really make me nervous. We hang on though and come through with a win.

As well as Nevland played, I thought Kelly deserved man of the match as he almost saved everything thrown at him.

It’s been far too long since I last saw this message and I am savouring every second it is on the screen:

Nice little pre-birthday present as for the first time this season we are in the top 2.

We have a 15 day gap until I next play so I look to the youth academy for a new centre back. Meanwhile our parent club continue to win everything:

We do bring in a new youth centre back:

Tackling high, aggression high and heading high. He could actually end up being useful. He will be starting straight away as Duncan is suspended for 2 matches.

Our next match, Cundy’s debut, is away to 19th placed Wigan. I bring Clegg onto the bench for O’Kane and tell the lads to go out and try and take the lead early and then have fun. This isn’t what happened, in fact it was just flying by until McGibbon gets himself sent off due to being the last man so I had to bring Clegg on to shore up the defence. A minute later and Cantona set up Nevland to put us ahead. We keep it at 1-0 at half time and I tell them to keep it tight and go for the win. Second half and Johnson is sent off for 2 bookings for Wigan and a while later, Tomlinson pulls the ball back to my lovely Trees who nets a screamer. We won 2-0 but now I will be missing McGibbon.

Cundy had a good debut to be fair.

It has been too long since they were very pleased.

It’s nice to see.

Our next match is at home to bottom of the table Oxford. We should win this as I name the same team again. When we go in at the break it is 1-0 to us, thanks to Cantona putting Nevland through who slotted beautifully. By the final whistle we won 4-2, Mulyrne put us 2-0 up but we then proceeded to throw it away as we got drew back level, only for Tomlinson to net another goal and then Ferdinand to get his first ever goal for us after Nevland put him through.

Nevland’s booking in the last match meant he was suspended from the 17th for 2 matches, we will probably miss him as our form is going well right now.

Meanwhile, Ronnie Wallwork is now definitely out of reach for us as he’s signed for Everton so that’s that over with. Good luck to Ronnie.

Our next match is at home to 4th placed Portsmouth. This is vital and our current run should set us up for another win but this is the first time we have met anyone this high up in the league for a while. At half-time it’s 2-2, Tomlinson put us ahead with a beauty of a goal only for Portsmouth to equalise straight away thanks to Aloisi and then they went 2-1 up. We managed to draw level thanks to Nevland putting Tomlinson through again who burred it.

Second half and Portsmouth took the lead late on and I could feel the defeat coming, only for supersub Twiss to come off the bench and net the last minute equaliser. To top it all, he almost scored again in the 90th minute but the keeper just about saved it. All in all, the draw was a fair result and at least we’re still unbeaten.

Our next match is away again, this time to 4th placed Brentford, I tell the lads to keep this run going and to go for the win. Level at 1-1 at half time thanks to Cantona getting the equaliser, second half and Brentford won the match after McGhee got his 2nd. To top a bad day, Cundy got sent off for deliberate handball.

Guess who’s in yet another final:

There is no stopping the domination.

Our next match is away to Carlisle. Nevland is suspended and Twiss is injured for a few days so a couple of changes are done. At half-time we are 1-0 down after Pilkington brought down their forward and got booked for the trouble and the penalty got converted. We picked up far too many bookings in that half and feel another red card coming and we created nothing in that half.

In the end we deserved to be beat, we created nothing, we playing awful and the worrying fact is, we have now lost 2 games on the trot now and I am getting worried what happened last season, is happening again.

How can missing Nevland make us play this bad?

End of the month and the end of this part and the board are still very happy:

As for the table?

As you can see, we are 2nd currently due to the 3 teams below us keep drawing or losing their last couple of matches. How we are still there I don’t know to be honest. Swansea are running away with this league and I wish it were us.

Join us next time to see if we can get back to winning ways and see if we can get automatic promotion.

BACK TO REALITY:

This week, John O’Kane:

John was at Man United until 1998 after failing to get into the first team, despite being a part of the 1992 Youth team that spawned Beckham, Giggs, Scholes, the Neville’s etc. He made just 10 appearances until leaving for Everton, where he starts CM9798. He played 14 times for them between 1998 and 1999 and still found himself being loaned out. After failing to really make headway until their starting line-up, he signed for Bolton. After Bolton got promoted in his first season he went on to make 36 appearances, scoring twice.

He left in 2001 and signed for Blackpool. However, this is another player who retired a little earlier due to injury. He did come back and play in the non-league for Hyde United and was even their captain but that was as far as he got.