Bom Dia! and welcome to another Friday with Nick and his 87% Portuguese Wolves squad. After a tactical tweak last week, they have now kept 6 clean sheets in 7 games, but how will the new formation hold up against some of the top sides?…

We’re currently 7th, and 3 points outside the playoff spots with just under half the season to go, so plenty of time to turn things around and make a push for promotion…

We start at Forest, who are breathing down our necks, so it would be good to put some daylight between us. Manarte gives us a half time lead, but the new formation gets the first chink in its armour as a late own goal hands Forest the win after it had gone 2-2. Fml.

Coelho starts to get too big for his boots and hands in a transfer request. No chance mate.

We build a healthy 3-1 half time lead against QPR after goals from Boa Morte and the front duo, and Ian Rush proves that there’s still life in the old dog in between. I’m forced to play Barroso at sweeper after Afonso’s injury, but he does ok, and we’re back to winning ways.

With Afonso out for a month, I immediately bring in some cover for £750k from Lleida…

We’re behind at Walsall after making an early Rickett, but it’s a Desmond at half time with the front two at it again. Cavaco comes off the bench to return from injury, and marks his comeback by assisting Coelho’s winner, which puts us back in the playoff spots again.

Just as one returns, another gets injured, he was actually doing better than Coelho at the minute as well…

Our FA Cup campaign begins with Newcastle, and naming 5 subs feels like a real treat. Bully starts, and assists one of the 2 goals we lead by at half time. A Newcastle comeback looks on the cards, but Boa Morte lowers my heart rate again before Shearer nets a late pen. Get in!

Apparently that win it’s only a good result, and not even enough to warrant a giant killing defeat headline. The draw for the next round is done, and it’s Southampton away…

Eduardo joins Penafiel on loan. He looks too good to sell, so hopefully he gets some games back home…

We lead rock-bottom Bury, but then make a Small error and undo all our hard work. We have countless chances in the second half but can’t score, and Boa Morte misses the chance to win it from the spot. There is one silver lining though – Adie Mike didn’t score…

Fantastic…

Vidigal becomes my first Portuguese sale, as he departs for Lincoln. Thanks, Vidi!

Black Country derby time. All the clean sheets are a distant memory now, and we’re behind on 15, but Coelho and Cavaco turn it around before the interval. Bully then hits a second half hat trick with an Albion goal in between, as we leave The Hawthorns with the points…

Back to the FA Cup, and the first half at The Dell sees 14 shots on goal, only 2 of which are on target. Coelho is the man of the hour, and gives us a deserved lead. Our defence remains resolute for the remainder, and we’re through. This must be one of those cup run thingies…

It’s Everton next, which brings us nicely back to the league action…

We’re in a sticky situation against the Toffees, as Big Dunc opens the scoring, and we gift them a second, not that they need any help. We have our chances in the second half but never really look like scoring and I’m just glad to get the game out of the way come the end.

It’s an uninspiring first half at Port Vale, with a couple of chances but nothing of note. The second half is similar, and they lead much to my annoyance. We’ve a goal disallowed on 67 and Coelho nicks a point late on. Why do we struggle to beat the bottom teams so much?!

Everton again the cup. It’s a pretty even first half, but we get whacked in the face by a Branch and trail 1-0 at the whistle. We battle away in the second half, but Cadamarteri adds a second and it’s a repeat of the league score and our cup run is over for another year…

This new formation has no need for full backs, so Valente joins Eduardo on loan at Penafiel…

An eventful afternoon at Reading sees us lead 2-0, but we have not one but two goals disallowed, and lose Pinto to injury again. I should know by now that a clean sheet is out of the question, and the hosts pull a goal back to make it a tense ending, but we survive…

I’m rapidly losing patience with this f*cking bloke…

We’ve a slender half time lead against Oldham, as Manarte finds his shooting boots again and scores his first goal in 9 games. There’s no further action in the second half as we limit them to just one shot on target and keep our first league clean sheet in 12 games. Finally!

The first half against leaders Coventry is what has become standard for us, as we squander numerous chances whilst not letting our opponents have a shot on target. It finishes goalless and feels like a good point, but I’m disappointed not to win. Look at those stats…

We were 7th, but the point lifts us back into the playoff spots as Forest lose to Huddersfield, and there’s more good news as they also lose their midweek game in hand with Stoke!

Coelho is suspended for the next 2 matches, but Bully is more than happy to takeover goal-scoring duties, and puts us ahead against Oxford. That proves to be the only goal though, and we defend superbly in the second half to keep a third clean sheet in a row…

We finish at 2nd-placed Fulham. Capucho gives us the lead and Sá Pinto, who scored twice against them last time, doubles our lead. We look to be heading in for half time 2-0 up, but there’s always one Moody party pooper. The second half is quiet, and it’s a 4th win in 5.

So here’s how things stand after all that. It looks like it’s going to be a straight battle between us and Forest for that last playoff spot, which we occupy at the minute, but you never know what can happen in football…

Join us next week for what’s sure to be a dramatic end to the season, as we face some tough games against Birmingham, Man City, Huddersfield and Stoke, which will likely decide whether us or Forest sneak into the playoffs. Adeus!