Góðan Dag and Velkomin back to Anglo Saxon times. It’s the turn of the year and we’ve managed to negotiate our way to the Quarter Final of the Champions League, where we’ve drawn Barcelona. We’re into the Quarter’s of the League Cup and are yet to make our bow in this years FA Cup. We’re in 5th place, 9 points behind Monkceaster who sit in top spot.

We start this week’s blog with our FA cup 3rd round tie at home to Sweyns-ey. We’re abysmal in the 1st half and it absolutely flies by. Half Dan does manage to find the back of the net in the second half but it gets ruled out. We have a couple of chances but cant finish any of them. Swansea barely muster anything of note and it’s an extra game we could probably do without.

We then make the short-ish trip to Loidis for the League Cup Quarter Final. Ribiero gives the home side the lead in the 27th min. We’re the miles better team but Capleton is equal to all we throw at him. Leonhardsen goes 1 on 1 with him in the 77th min and finishes with aplomb. We finish the stronger but it stays 1-1 at the end of the 90 mins. Gorgeous George scores in the 101st minute to give us a well deserved lead and makes the game safe with a minute left. We’ll face Estone in the Semis.

Following our conquering of Loidis, we decide to stay in the city and rest our weary bodies in readiness for our league meeting. It doesn’t work as everyone is still knackered and I have to ring the changes. George gives us the lead in the 4th min but Leeds level in the 17th min thanks to McGregor. Molnar gets injured in the 34th and his replacement Leonhardsen puts us back in the lead 6 mins after coming on but that’s as good as it gets. Andersen concedes a penalty which Lynch scores and then McGregor rushes through to get his second of the game a minute later. Andersen costs us again at the death as he miss-places a pass to Caskey and he rounds Jung to send us packing with our tails firmly between our legs.

We travel into Wealas for our FA Cup replay with Sweyns-ey. Ivar puts us in front in the 14th min but Morgan restores parity in the 41st. Once again we totally dominate but cant find a way past Freestone. We end up being wasteful with our shooting and despite hitting the post twice, we run through the rest of the second half and all of extra time without either side scoring. Onto the lottery of penalties….

Swansea go 2-1 up when TSL fluffs his lines. George then misses but thankfully so does Ward then Yates. Everyone else scores including the keepers, Pounewatchy misses his 2nd and CBA makes them pay. Phew!!! Ligeraceater await in the 4th round.

Back in the league, we entertain bottom club Totta’s Ham. Leonhardsen follows up 2 blocked shots to give us the lead in the 31st min. CBA scores just after half time but Dublin gets one back for Spurs straight from the kickoff. Bye Andersen gets his 2nd five mins later and George gets our 4th in the 68th. Probierz threatens to make things interesting by scoring 2 mins later but we hold out to win 4-2.

We’re straight back into FA Cup action as we travel into Mercia for our 4th round tie with Ligeraceater. TSL opens the scoring in the 16th min and then George gets sent off in the 31st min….thankfully it’s not our George and it’s Leicester who are down to 10 men. TSL then gets his and our 2nd just before half time. We see out the rest of the game and thankfully keep a rare clean sheet. We’ll face Berneslai in the 5th round.

Our next league game see’s us make our way to Wunnemanndunne. There’s an absence of quality in the first half which is narrowly bettered by CBA scoring the only goal of the game in the 49th minute. 13 shots and 4 on target between ourselves and Wimbledon tells you all you need to know. However, we come away with the 3 points and another clean sheet.

League Cup Semi Final L1 at home to Estone is everything a cup tie should be. Yorke gives the visitors the lead in the 5th min before Brandal equalises five mins later and then George puts us in front in the 14th and gets his second to make it 3-1 in the 21st minute. The game then settles after that frantic start until the last 10 mins when Blackwell handles in the box and CBA converts the penalty. He then scores his second 2 mins after that and Yorke gives Villa some hope by grabbing his second 2 mins later. Is this one foot in the final?

From 1 cup to the other as we host Berneslai in the FA Cup 5th round. Big Dave Watson is having his usual outstanding game in the Barnsley goal. It takes until the 65th min for us to break the deadlock when Ivar gets put clean through on goal. He then doubles our lead 7 mins later and we run out 2-0 winners which is nothing less than we deserved…. Barnsley barely ventured into our half. We draw Cofentreo in the quarters.

League Cup Semi L2 and we travel to Estone with a 3-goal advantage. George is still suspended so I decide to shore up the midfield by playing Bye Andersen as a lone striker and bringing in Half Dan to partner TSL in midfield. CBA gets us off to a dream start by scoring in the 5th minute. Yorke gets Villa level in the 11th and then they go in front in the 22nd through unlikely scorer Gary Charles. Collymore extends their lead lead 4 mins later and I’m starting to wonder if I selected a midfield (or defence) at all? CBA gets one back for us to take it to 3-2 at half time. Villa pile on the pressure in the last half hour or so but Jung remembers what his hands are for and we finish 7-5 winners on aggregate. Two great games worthy of a semi final. We’ll meet Mameceaster Utd in the Final.

We finally have a mini run of games in the league now starting with runaway leaders Monkceaster. I’m not surprised they’re where they are when they’ve the likes of Barthez, Denilson, Giggs, Gazza and Asprilla in their starting eleven. We’re also without our talisman CBA as he’s suspended for the next 3 games. When Gazza goes off injured and is replaced by Kevin Lisbie, I start to think that our luck might be in. That was until Lisbie rattled in a hat trick, scoring with every shot he had on target. We manage to grab a couple back but it’s not enough and I think that’s the end of our title hopes.

It doesn’t get any easier as we now face 2nd in the table Liuerpul. It’s a game where we more than outplayed them. England no. 1 David James is in imperious as he saves everything we throw at him. Fowler follows up a blocked shot in the 85th min for a proper smash and grab job. That’s a hard one to take as we were much the better team and we might now be struggling to compete for the last champions league spot.

We break our club transfer fee to bring in Bergdølmo to help shore up our leaky defence.

The team is completely on it’s arse when Deoraby roll into town. I tell the boys to muster what strength they have and to give it their all right from the get go and see where that takes us. Leonhardsen scores straight from the kick off and George doubles it in the 22nd. Ivar further extends our lead in the 35th. Harkin does get one back for Derby to make it 3-1 at half time. George gets his second shortly after the restart and Leonhardsen bags a brace of his own in the 66th. Not to be outdone, Harkin also gets his second in the 71st min. Jung has conceded both of their only shots on target. With big games coming up, do I risk Hollund going back between the sticks?

Our hugely anticipated Champions League Quarter Final is here and we’re away in the first leg. Giovanni wastes no time in putting us in our place giving the home side the lead in the 7th minute in front of a huge partisan crowd (to what we’re used to). We do give a good account of ourselves once we grow into the game but Vitor Baia is more than capable. Big Bad Bjorn then puts us level straight after the kick off for the 2nd half and we put up a decent fight. Luis Figo caps off his MoM display with the winner in the 77th minute. It’s advantage Barca but with that away goal in our pocket, could our heathen army cause a massive upset?

Back in domestic cup duty and our weary wanderers host Cofantreo in the FA Cup 5th round. We limber up and start relatively well but cant find a way past Kahn (yes Oliver Kahn) in the Coventry goal. CBA does manage to squeeze one in in the 37th minute and despite having plenty of chances to put the game to bed, Kahn is well up for the challenge. It proves to be all in vain as his teammates barely trouble us and we’re off to another semi, where we draw Monkceaster.

We’ve a couple more league fixtures now getting in the way of our cup jollies. First up it’s the might of Mameceaster Utd who travel in to town. They’ve dropped Molina in goal favouring a chap called Tyler? That’ll do for me as Molina has been a pain in my bum for 2 seasons now. TSL gives us the lead against the run of play just after the half hour mark following a change in personnel due to Bjorn going off injured. Brandal gets our 2nd in the 72nd minute and ensures our first win over Utd (and hopefully not the last) in this save. Unfortunately it’s the end of Bjorn’s season as he’s out for 6 months.

We’re at home again as Monkwearmouth sail down from (Upper) Northumbria. Leonhardsen caps his MoM display with another 72nd minute winner after Iga in the Sunderland goal played like a man possessed.

Arguably the biggest game in the club’s history now as we look to overturn a 1-goal deficit in the second leg of the Champions League Quarter Final. I let Bjorn deliver the pre-match team talk and the boys go out with fire in their bellies. We amass plenty of shots at the Barcelona goal but once again, the opposition keeper is playing a blinder. Bye Andersen sends the home crowd wild by scoring in the 60th minute, putting us level on aggregate but ahead with that away goal. We needn’t worry as Leonhardsen ensures victory with an 87th minute strike. Bootham Crescent is booming and what a night for our rag tag army of Heathens…

Just to prove it wasn’t a fluke result….we were well deserving of our victory.

We’re still in 5th place but could go 4th should we win our game in hand. Second is still a possibility but I’ve a feeling our cup runs will take it’s toll and cost us league placings.

Join us next week when we have the League Cup Final, the FA Cup Semi Final and a European Semi to look forward to along with striving to finish as high as possible.

Until then, Morna!