Happy 2020 everyone. We’re starting the blogging year with our newest guest writer Stephen, who will be bringing you some helpful guides this week.

Hi everyone, this is my first time blogging for CM9798 so bear with me. Despite playing the game since it was released I’ve never considered passing on my game knowledge or tactics until I discovered our CM9798 family on twitter.

I’ve got a series of different mini-guides to help new starters or players just rediscovering this wonderful game. One of my favourite things to do is to start off in the lower english leagues and make my way to glory at the top of the premiership. I normally set myself a 5 season target to reach a major trophy/title and all it takes is one bad season or a run of bad form to scupper it.

Either way there are some reliable figures in the game that I’d recommend to watch out for when starting your save. Bear in mind, these players are affected others in the team so it’s not a given they will save your ass every time but they should be a wise investment.

Bear with my screenshots, I’ve taken them from a save (with Chester) I’m a few seasons in to so players have shifted around. I’ll use their career history to demonstrate my points. Either way, here are the 5 best signings for low league starters.

Sean Devine

It’s a name you’ll hear crop up a lot and rightly so. Sean Devine is just that, a divine investment for your strike force. He’ll start his career at Barnet, barring any early transfers. If you can shell out around £1M for him he’ll have a banging first season, maybe two if you’re lucky. He can play as part of a front two or a lone SC, in front of a FC. He does have a tendency to fade away as the seasons roll on but if you want a goal machine straight away, call on Sean Devine.

Rory Delap

Pair Rory up with Sean Devine and I’ve seen amazing results in previous saves, but again, like Devine, he will trail blaze the front line to league glory and then fade into the shadows. Check out Carlisle United when you first start your save, but you may need to stick him on your shortlist as they are generally unwilling to sell straight away. The more interest you show the quicker they might sell up. Because of his ability and Irish heritage he can get called up to international duty alot which, when playing in the lower leagues, cause conflict, so make sure you’ve got some strong non-international SCs as backup.

Marc Emmers

You can tell how much I love Marc Emmers, I signed him straight away, can’t remember where from, but that’s why the search function is so useful. Either way he’s cheap and very consistent. He’s not a young spring chicken when the game starts out but rarely falls below a 7.20 for season average, which isn’t bad at all. Though he doesn’t contribute much to goals/assists, he always gets a solid performance which is rare to find in the lower leagues.

Fan Zihyi

Chinese defenders aren’t always the top of everyone’s agenda when starting a save but check out Fan Zihyi. He is dirt cheap, but again like Marc Emmers, so consistent and dependable. He doesn’t get grumpy when being left out but he’s a solid partner for a CB pairing. I’ve had him paired with Rio Ferdinand before and he wiped the floor with Rio’s stats. You should get a few good seasons out of him before decline.

Andrily Sevchenko

Debate goes on whether this is actual Shevchenko, but we do know this version is a lot cheaper. Again, hard to sign in season 1 might take some time to tease him over but £1-2M should do it and he really returns on those numbers fast. Always a lifesaver off the bench for me, he’s not that adaptable so make sure you always play him as SC or he’s useless. I’ve found him at Dynamo Kiev and Leeds Utd before hand, get him on your shortlist straight away if he’s not available.

Hope you’ve enjoyed this guide. Find me on Twitter @sjwalt2006 for more CM9798 chat. Use #CM9798 & follow @CM9798