Round 13
SONM Premier League
Today's review is going to start off on a slightly different note. During the second half of the season Pyke Raiders have really picked up their form, after failing to win a game in the first half of the season Keely's side came into this match having won their last two games. Their bid for a third win in a row would have to be done without star midfielder Motley Cruz however...
Stormland Stags 1-1 Pyke Raiders
Kingston '81
The Lawler '2
Stormland Stags
01 Pratas
03 News Branston
06 Swagger
05 Guy Ryback
02 Clifton
09 Grubb (C)
04 Mejia
12 Kingston
07 E Langston
10 Axel
11 Breeze
Bench:
18 Corbin
20 Kitchen
13 Reijkaard
18 Zayn
Pyke Raiders
01 Steiner
04 Riggs
05 Mahal
02 Bagwell
07 Kelly
08 Farmer (C)
14 The Lawler
29 Shango
12 Marie
10 Vega
13 Dillinger
Bench:
31 Gooker
27 Dempsey
15 Ambrose
25 Samoan
Pyke Raiders took the lead inside the 2nd minute when Papa Shango set up Jerry The Lawler who put his side ahead, however Nicky Clifton's corner was headed into the net by Kofi Kingston to deny Pyke Raiders a third straight victory. Still, Keely's side are 5 points above the relegation zone and look like they are now really establishing themselves in this league.
Disco Ninja Frogs 0-2 Pokeforum Professionals
Brumwell '52, MacCreadie '81
Disco Ninja Frogs
01 Neff
05 Cruijss (C)
06 Oosting
04 van der Licht
07 van de Rijt
21 van Tessel
09 Slinger
28 Baas
10 van Buyten
19 Valdez
11 Loeffen
Bench:
20 Víctor
23 Vogel
27 Spijkers
02 Lönn
Pokeforum Professionals
01 Romay
06 Haystings
03 Babington
28 Carey
03 Brumwell
08 Sehgal
07 Tyler
10 Encarnação (C)
02 Fjeldstad
18 Vata
14 Maciel
Bench:
05 Spiggs
11 MacCreadie
21 Huenefelder
The Frogs lost Timo van Barneveld to injury in the run up to this match which resulted in Silver deciding to play Mischa Loeffen up front alongside Joan Valdez. However, Loeffen proved woefully ineffective up front and the Frogs were completely dominated by the Professionals. Sammy Brumwell gave the Pros the lead and Elvis MacCreadie then extended his goal tally for the season with his 8th goal. Curiously, MacCreadie has only started 3 games this season, most of his appearances and a good portion of his goals have come as a substitute.
Second Eleven 0-2 Nothing Toulouse
Oak '12, Nicholson '47
Second Eleven
01 Iniesta
02 Cardigos
04 Jorque
13 Vilas-Boas
15 Bellier
14 Jankulovski
07 Pimenta
08 Yajima
12 Kutcher
23 Peyraud
10 Travado (C)
Bench:
09 Ramstad
03 Azkoitia
05 Cruz
06 Amantidis
Nothing Toulouse
16 Loberg
02 Spano
04 Alesi (C)
05 Espinola
08 Grosjean
07 Ketchum
10 Proust
11 Akpa-Akpro
17 Oak
14 Nicholson
09 Briot
Bench:
22 Christmann
19 Salvador
03 Miguel Matos
06 Rosberg
After a week off and staring down the barrel of a 6 point gap to the Professionals, Nothing Toulouse got their season back on track with a 2-0 win over Second Eleven. Gary Oak returned for the French side, but not for long as he was sent off after two yellow cards, which means he'll miss the huge game against Pokeforum Professionals in the next round. He did however score one of the goals which sent NT on their way to victory against a struggling Second Eleven side, with Troy Nicholson scoring the other. Romain Grosjean also had an effort ruled out for offside.
Nattys Battys 0-2 Skills 4 Thrills
Yordi '10, Jamal '61
Nattys Battys
01 Lawson
29 Grave
07 Hacker
14 Brunswijk
03 Moxey
08 Danielson (C)
06 Zettergren
09 Farrelly
11 Espanca
25 Vitty
10 Borba
Bench:
21 Wilkerson
16 Pritchard
04 Beck
12 Lavrenev
05 Berenger
Skills 4 Thrills
01 Peake
06 Sæterbø
03 Hart
02 Torres
09 Figueiró
08 Loach
16 Irmer
12 Jamal
27 Winchester (C)
05 Damasceno
11 Yordi
Bench:
15 Merton
04 Uldig
14 Mentel
21 Hislop
19 Elliott
Finally, Skills extended their unbeaten record to 27 games following Santiago Yordi and Jaffar Jamal's goals against Nattys Battys. Despite the defeat, Stealth's team are still 4 points off safety. That said, despite the unbeaten run Scozza feels his side's title defence is over. They are still in mathematical contention but an 11 point gap would require a dramatic turnaround in form for both the top two.
MOTR Tally:
IamKinneas - 3
OmegaPit - 3
Scozza21 - 3
TheAPERSON - 2
LGonm - 2
Team of the week:
GK Aquiles Romay (Pokeforum Professionals)
DF Jean Alesi (Nothing Toulouse)
DF Thorbjorn Saeturbo (Skills 4 Thrills)
DF Terence Hart (Skills 4 Thrills)
DF Jarett Babington (Pokeforum Professionals)
MF Carlo Proust (Nothing Toulouse)
MF Ash Ketchum (Nothing Toulouse)
MF James Sehgal (Pokeforum Professionals)
MF Frederick Winchester (Skills 4 Thrills)
FW Santiago Yordi (Skills 4 Thrills)
FW Elvis MacCreadie (Pokeforum Professionals)
SONM Championship
This was an important round for Maniacs, as their nearest title rivals Slateport City FC were not playing this round. Meaning that if they beat Weyard Wanderers then they would go top of the league. That said, they did lose this fixture against Weyard last season...
Maniacs 1-4 Weyard Wanderers
Ferdinand '36
Boa '10, Andrew '26, Stone '55, Tomms '82
Maniacs
12 Setembro
30 Poole
03 Entwhistle
25 Turnball
02 Bax (C)
04 Rücker
26 Botham
22 Hawthorne
05 Allwood
16 Ferdinand
07 Beeby
Bench:
01 Wallbank
06 Holcroft
18 Tate
08 Afrasiabi
Weyard Wanderers
13 Conway
05 Wainman
31 Kipling
02 Upton
07 Catterall (C)
15 Andrew
09 Tomms
14 Boa
28 Bradshaw
12 Livingstone
11 Stone
Bench:
01 Lipsky
04 Heath
10 Towler
06 Haysbert
03 Krpan
Weyard did so again to add a huge dent to Maniacs' promotion chances, Poke's men just don't like playing Weyard it seems. Idalio Boa gave Weyard the lead before Randy Andrew doubled the lead with his first goal for the club. Rio Ferdinand rescued a goal back for Maniacs but Thomas Stone edged Weyard 2 goals in front again before Dylan Tomms ensured that Slateport would remain top and with a game in hand...
Alice in Sunderland 1-2 Magical Kicks
Danilson '67
Speering '71, Ivovic PEN '91
Alice In Sunderland
25 Youds
18 Day
29 Laurentino
27 Bird
28 Petcu
07 Holmes
14 Kvarnström
12 Khuso
09 Lumsden
15 Hallerström (C)
13 Danílson
Bench:
03 Howard
08 Skogheim
04 Belmont
05 Oliver
Magical Kicks
33 Marnoch
03 Celavac (C)
16 El Afandi
06 Brahe
02 Bratja
22 Bakir
08 Sen
20 Novy
04 Nielson
10 Speering
24 Proeski
Bench:
28 Hill
72 Paluch
99 Elmarac
15 Sun
11 Ivovic
That meant Magical Kicks or Alice in Sunderland could close to a point within Maniacs. Julio Danilson put Alice in Sunderland in the lead but Hugo Speering equalised in the 71st minute before a penalty from Ilija Ivovic saw the Kicks secured a crucial 3 points.
Nation of Domination 0-4 Bristol Wanderers
Tegz '16, Deco '81, Baba Ray '85, Austin '87
Nation Of Domination
01 Henley
04 Mustafa
03 Gornall (C)
05 Henry
02 Etherington
07 Johnson
11 Brown
12 Hart
10 Asaad
06 Wooten
14 Dee
Bench:
18 Narciso
08 Churchill
13 Poppe
14 Shanley
Bristol Wanderers
01 de Gea
02 Elijah
06 Edo
12 van Terry (C)
04 Naylor
09 Raymond
13 Halsall
08 Deco
15 Leyito
11 Yates
36 Tegz
Bench:
10 Starr
03 Avelar
07 Baba Ray
14 Austin
Bristol Wanderers also ensured Maniacs would pay for their defeat by thrashing Nation of Domination 4-0. Baba Tegz, Federico Deco, Don Baba Ray and Adrien Austin scored the goals which ensured that Leye's side are making the Championship promotion race ultra tight.
Her Majestys FC 0-0 Sol Star Republic
Her Majestys FC
01 Lancaster
37 Ackland
45 Howard (C)
03 Tabb
06 Edison
33 Rawcliffe
26 Billington
09 Robinson
93 Troughton
38 Shepherd
12 Ackermann
Bench:
50 Bale
02 Wiltershed
10 McCoy
Sol Star Republic
09 Morse
02 K Vasquez
04 Estrada
15 Villalba
25 Barry
05 McBride
14 Peters
98 Kidd (C)
63 Gill
07 Lang
17 R Vazquez
Bench:
11 Heath
12 Shearer
08 Tucker
10 Boone
06 Eia
Many might not have expected HMFC to do particularly well given their manager hadn't turned up for a while after founding the team, but here they are reaching 10 points for the season and sitting in 7th place after a 0-0 draw with Sol Star Republic. They could have gone ahead but Dominic Troughton's ball in the net was ruled out for offside. Otherwise, Sol Star generally edged the chances but could not break down HMFC so Richard's side take a point.
MOTR Tally:
Pokemaniac212 - 5
BicycleShirk - 3
Leye - 2
Dr_Hoyle - 1
Luitheminus - 1
RichardUK - 1
Team of the round:
GK Thibaut de Gea (Bristol Wanderers)
DF Salvadore Edo (Bristol Wanderers)
DF Justino Laurentino (Alice in Sunderland)
DF Vuksan Celavac (Magical Kicks)
DF John van Terry (Bristol Wanderers)
MF Alhaji Leyito (Bristol Wanderers)
MF Federico Deco (Bristol Wanderers)
MF Stu Tucker (Sol Star Republic)
MF Ilija Ivovic (Magical Kicks)
FW Thomas Stone (Weyard Wanderers)
FW Sekula Proeski (Magical Kicks)
Round 14
SONM Premier League
The big game this round goes without saying...
Nothing Toulouse 2-0 Pokeforum Professionals
Briot '28 '76
Nothing Toulouse
16 Loberg
02 Spano
03 Miguel Matos
05 Espinola
04 Alesi (C)
10 Proust
08 Grosjean
07 Ketchum
11 Akpa-Akpro
14 Nicholson
09 Briot
Bench:
22 Christmann
19 Salvador
06 Rosberg
Pokeforum Professionals
01 Romay
28 Carey
06 Haystings
04 Babington
03 Brumwell
21 Huenefelder
08 Sehgal
07 Tyler
10 Encarnação (C)
18 Vata
14 Maciel
Bench:
05 Spiggs
02 Fjeldstad
11 MacCreadie
It proved to be a frustrating day for the Pros. In a closely fought game with both sides having plenty of chances the away side lost their unbeaten record this season, losing 2-0 to NT thanks to an inspired Briot. The Pros had several chances to get back into the match but sheer wastefulness from an underperforming strikeforce severely cost them in the end, while Briot had one of those days where everything he touched turned to gold. The win is huge for NT and puts them 3 points behind the Pros and with a game in hand, it's quite possible that the two sides could end the season on the exact same number of points.
Skills 4 Thrills 2-1 Stormland Stags
Hislop '35, Saeturbo '40
Grubb '87
Skills 4 Thrills
01 Peake
03 Hart
06 Sæterbø
02 Torres
27 Winchester (C)
08 Loach
05 Damasceno
12 Jamal
21 Hislop
15 Merton
11 Yordi
Bench:
16 Irmer
14 Mentel
07 Brauer
10 McGuigan
09 Figueiró
Stormland Stags
18 Corbin
02 Clifton
03 News Branston
06 Swagger
05 Guy Ryback
04 Mejia
12 Kingston
10 Axel
09 Grubb (C)
07 E Langston
11 Breeze
Bench:
01 Pratas
13 Reijkaard
18 Zayn
20 Kitchen
Last season this fixture was a real landmark moment as Scozza announced himself by ending the Stags' then unbeaten record with a dominant performance, this time around it was much closer although Skills still ended up winning. They scored with their only two chances of the first half when Hislop and Saeturbo both converted. Stags got a consolation goal through Grubb late on but by then it was too little too late. With the Professionals' unbeaten record over Skills are now the only unbeaten team left in the top flight, if Scozza keeps this up they could end up having a decisive say in the title race...
Nattys Battys 3-4 Hopes Peak Academy
Espanca '25, Lavranev '56 '86
Wheels '13 '83, Medina '60, Kataoka '63
Nattys Battys
01 Lawson
29 Grave
02 Baquero
07 Hacker
14 Brunswijk
08 Danielson (C)
06 Zettergren
09 Farrelly
25 Vitty
11 Espanca
12 Lavrenev
Bench:
16 Pritchard
04 Beck
10 Borba
05 Berenger
21 Wilkerson
Hopes Peak Academy
01 Mizuno (C)
06 Raikkonen
15 Corr
05 Chung
12 Szalmás
04 Asprilla
17 Yoshida
08 Medina
29 Wheels
14 Männikkö
11 Kataoka
Bench:
13 Kada
10 Hannig
16 Calado
At the other end of the table, HPA won an epic game against Nattys Battys to help ease their relegation troubles and leave the Battys 7 points adrift of safety... and HPA have a game in hand too. That means that the Battys are all but relegated. Wheels gave HPA the lead but 12 minutes later Espanca equalied for the Battys which was how it ended in the first half. Lavranev put the Battys in front in the second half but two quick goals from Medina and Kataoka turned the game in HPA's favour. HPA put the game to bed when Wheels got his second of the game, before Lavranev turned his goal tally for the day into a brace to score a consolation goal. Apparantly the HPA manager forgot to turn up today too... looks like his team didn't need him in the end.
Pyke Raiders 2-1 Disco Ninja Frogs
The Lawler '46, Dempsey '78
van Barneveld '94
Pyke Raiders
01 Steiner
04 Riggs
02 Bagwell
05 Mahal
08 Farmer (C)
12 Marie
14 The Lawler
07 Kelly
29 Shango
10 Vega
13 Dillinger
Bench:
25 Samoan
31 Gooker
27 Dempsey
15 Ambrose
11 Cruz
Disco Ninja Frogs
01 Neff
04 van der Licht
05 Cruijss (C)
06 Oosting
23 Vogel
07 van de Rijt
21 van Tessel
28 Baas
10 van Buyten
09 Slinger
19 Valdez
Bench:
20 Víctor
11 Loeffen
02 Lönn
14 van Barneveld
Pyke Raiders continued their strong second half to the season with a 2-1 win over DNF, the home fans must be wondering why they've had to wait for so long this season for things to start coming good, but Keely's side took the lead through The Lawler just after half time before Dempsey doubled the lead. DNF scored a very late consolation goal through van Barneveld but it was way too late and the Raiders will now travel to NT full of confidence.
MOTR Tally:
Scozza21 - 4
IamKinneas - 3
OmegaPit - 3
TheAPERSON - 2
LGonm - 2
Team of the week:
GK Hjalmar Loberg (Nothing Toulouse)
DF Jarett Babington (Pokeforum Professionals)
DF Jean Alesi (Nothing Toulouse)
DF Thorbjorn Saeturbo (Skills 4 Thrills)
DF Jose Miguel Matos (Nothing Toulouse)
MF Sappie van Buyten (Disco Ninja Frogs)
MF James Sehgal (Pokeforum Professionals)
MF Frederick Winchester (Skills 4 Thrills)
MF Ash Ketchum (Nothing Toulouse)
FW Santiago Yordi (Skills 4 Thrills)
FW Troy Nicholson (Nothing Toulouse)
SONM Championship
Just like in the Premier League, there was a massive game between the top two as Maniacs hosted Slateport City...
Maniacs 2-1 Slateport City FC
Ferdinand '22, Rucker '73
Bardsley '58
Maniacs
12 Setembro
02 Bax (C)
30 Poole
03 Entwhistle
25 Turnball
22 Hawthorne
05 Allwood
16 Ferdinand
04 Rücker
08 Afrasiabi
07 Beeby
Bench:
11 Broker
01 Wallbank
06 Holcroft
09 Helmsley
18 Tate
Slateport City FC
01 Ylisse
04 Gomes
05 Ericsson (C)
03 Ladulås
16 Paes
10 Soler
07 Blagovici
08 Togami
06 Merson
11 Bardsley
18 Pherae
Bench:
14 Mintal
17 Nohr
13 Pesut
15 Gregory
This win goes a long way to helping Maniacs' promotion chances. Having played a game more than their opponents Slateport, this was a game where a win for Maniacs would really help fend of the promotion challenges of those around them. Rio Ferdinand gave Maniacs the lead inside the first half but Karen Bardsley hit back in the second half to equalise for Slateport. Maniacs took all three points when Ibrahim Afrasiabi's cross was turned in by Thorben Rucker to give the home side all three points.
Sol Star Republic 1-3 Magical Kicks
R Vazquez '6
Sun '4 '80, Speering '41
Sol Star Republic
09 Morse
05 McBride
04 Estrada
03 Fridh
15 Villalba
63 Gill
13 Metzger
07 Lang
98 Kidd (C)
14 Peters
17 R Vazquez
Bench:
11 Heath
08 Tucker
12 Shearer
06 Eia
25 Barry
Magical Kicks
33 Marnoch
03 Celavac (C)
16 El Afandi
06 Brahe
22 Bakir
02 Bratja
11 Ivovic
20 Novy
10 Speering
24 Proeski
15 Sun
Bench:
04 Nielson
28 Hill
05 Putilov
99 Elmarac
08 Sen
Magical Kicks kept up their pursuit of the top two with a 3-1 win away to Sol Star Republic. Deng Sun opened the scoring for the kicks but Ron Vazquez equalised just two minutes later. Not to be deterred, the Kicks retook the lead before half time through Hugo Speering before Deng Sun scored his second to seal the deal and see the Kicks leapfrog Slateport into 2nd, albeit having played a game more. However, the Kicks' day was soured by an injury to Povel Novy.
Bristol Wanderers 0-0 Alice in Sunderland
Bristol Wanderers
01 de Gea
02 Elijah
03 Avelar
04 Naylor
06 Edo
12 van Terry (C)
08 Deco
13 Halsall
15 Leyito
09 Raymond
36 Tegz
Bench:
10 Starr
11 Yates
07 Baba Ray
14 Austin
Alice In Sunderland
25 Youds
02 Glass (C)
29 Laurentino
27 Bird
18 Day
14 Kvarnström
03 Howard
12 Khuso
07 Holmes
15 Hallerström
13 Danílson
Bench:
05 Oliver
09 Lumsden
08 Skogheim
04 Belmont
The Kicks were also able to take advantage of Bristol Wanderers and Alice in Sunderland drawing 0-0 with each other. Bristol Wanderers dominated the match and AiS saw Phillip Holmes sent off, but Leye's side could not find the cutting edge they needed to take all three points, a real missed opportunity.
Weyard Wanderers 0-1 Nation of Domination
Shanley '59
Weyard Wanderers
13 Conway
05 Wainman
02 Upton
31 Kipling
07 Catterall (C)
15 Andrew
14 Boa
09 Tomms
08 Garrett
11 Stone
12 Livingstone
Bench:
01 Lipsky
04 Heath
11 Towler
06 Haysbert
03 Krpan
Nation Of Domination
01 Henley
04 Mustafa
03 Gornall (C)
05 Henry
02 Etherington
07 Johnson
11 Brown
10 Asaad
12 Hart
06 Wooten
09 Shanley
Bench:
18 Narciso
08 Churchill
13 Poppe
Finally, the most amazing thing happened, NATION OF DOMINATION WON A GAME! Dixonrobert's side hadn't won a game since a 1-0 win over Magical Kicks in Season 14, but a goal from Cathal Shanley was enough to give them all three points against Weyard Wanderers.
MOTR Tally:
Pokemaniac212 - 5
BicycleShirk - 3
Leye - 2
Dr_Hoyle - 1
Luitheminus - 1
RichardUK - 1
Dixonrobert - 1
Team of the round:
GK Alastair Youds (Alice in Sunderland)
DF Angelo Gomes (Slateport City FC)
DF Philip Glass (Alice in Sunderland)
DF John van Terry (Bristol Wanderers)
DF Rory Turnball (Maniacs)
MF Ilija Ivovic (Magical Kicks)
MF Hugo Speering (Magical Kicks)
MF Federico Deco (Bristol Wanderers)
MF Rob Halsall (Bristol Wanderers)
FW Sekula Proeski (Magical Kicks)
FW Deng Sun (Magical Kicks)
Round 15
SONM Premier League
The gap between the two sides was cut to 3 points but with the leaders having played a game more there was a chance that both sides could finish level on points come the end of the season.
Pokeforum Professionals 5-1 Second Eleven
Maciel '42 '45 '79, Babington '68, Encarnacao '85
Travado '28
Pokeforum Professionals
01 Romay
05 Spiggs
04 Babington
28 Carey
07 Tyler
02 Fjeldstad
08 Sehgal
10 Encarnação (C)
18 Vata
11 MacCreadie
14 Maciel
Bench:
03 Brumwell
21 Huenefelder
06 Haystings
Second Eleven
01 Iniesta
04 Jorque
14 Jankulovski
13 Vilas-Boas
15 Bellier
05 Cruz (C)
07 Pimenta
23 Peyraud
08 Yajima
12 Kutcher
10 Travado
Bench:
03 Azkoitia
02 Cardigos
06 Amantidis
09 Ramstad
11 Olano
With this in mind, the Pros saw about taking Second to the cleaners. The Seconds however threatened an upset, an early injury to Kutcher ended up bringing Ramstad on in his place but they took the lead when Cruz set up Travado in the 28th minute. Two goals before half time though saw the Pros turn around to get into a position where they could get the three points they needed and although Second had a couple more chances, they failed to get level again and Babington's goal signalled the start of a wholescale increase in the home side's goal tally as Maciel completed his hattrick and Hernani ensured the Pros would be walking away 5-1 winners. The result leaves Second precariously on the verge of relegation.
Second Eleven manager LGonm: shock lead, shame about kutcher though
Nothing Toulouse 1-0 Pyke Raiders
Oak '66
Nothing Toulouse
16 Loberg
02 Spano
04 Alesi (C)
05 Espinola
10 Proust
07 Ketchum
06 Rosberg
08 Grosjean
17 Oak
09 Briot
14 Nicholson
Bench:
22 Christmann
19 Salvador
03 Miguel Matos
Pyke Raiders
01 Steiner
04 Riggs
05 Mahal
02 Bagwell
29 Shango
12 Marie
14 The Lawler
07 Kelly
08 Farmer (C)
10 Vega
13 Dillinger
Bench:
25 Samoan
31 Gooker
27 Dempsey
11 Cruz
15 Ambrose
NT meanwhile were up against a side who based on the second half alone were one of the most in form sides, Pyke Raiders were yet to lose since they were beaten by Skills in the 9th round, since then they've taken 11 points from their last 5 games to move from a position of being near the relegation zone to one of safety. Their form showed as they took the game to NT However, Oak, who was back from his suspension, turned in what turned out to be the game's only goal to end Raiders' unbeaten run and keep NT in the hunt.
Pyke Raiders manager Keelpopottas: I thought I'd marked your playmaker but I must've forgotten to save it fsr, close match I'm happy with how I've settled to the prem now.
Disco Ninja Frogs 2-0 Skills 4 Thrills
van Barneveld '44 '62
Disco Ninja Frogs
01 Neff
04 van der Licht
06 Oosting
05 Cruijss (C)
07 van de Rijt
10 van Buyten
08 Loeffen
21 van Tessel
27 Spijkers
19 Valdez
14 van Barneveld
Bench:
02 Lönn
20 Víctor
23 Vogel
28 Baas
09 Slinger
Skills 4 Thrills
01 Peake
06 Sæterbø
03 Hart
02 Torres
09 Figueiró
27 Winchester (C)
08 Loach
12 Jamal
21 Hislop
05 Damasceno
11 Yordi
Bench:
15 Merton
14 Mentel
17 Erickson
16 Irmer
19 Elliott
Sound the alarm bells, Skills' unbeaten run is over. After some inspired form from Skills since Scozza replaced DJHero as manager, Skills were on a 27 match unbeaten run, but that came crashing to an end as DNF claimed all three points. Two goals from van Barneveld were enough to end the last remaining unbeaten record in the league, much to the relief of the Skills manager.
Skills 4 Thrills manager Scozza21: Finally!!
Hopes Peak Academy 3-0 Stormland Stags
Kataoka '31 '62, Medina '52
Hopes Peak Academy
01 Mizuno
06 Raikkonen
12 Szalmás
02 Nakayama
03 Mann
14 Männikkö
04 Asprilla
09 Stãmãtescu (C)
17 Yoshida
08 Medina
11 Kataoka
Bench:
13 Kada
07 Karahira
16 Calado
10 Hannig
05 Chung
Stormland Stags
01 Pratas
02 Clifton
03 News Branston
05 Guy Ryback
12 Kingston
09 Grubb (C)
04 Mejia
10 Axel
07 E Langston
13 Reijkaard
11 Breeze
Bench:
15 Corbin
06 Swagger
08 Zayn
Finally, HPA have picked up their form at just the right time, demolishing the Stags 3-0 to close in on the verge of safety after a campaign which for long periods saw them never too far away from the relegation zone. Kataoka scored a goal before and after half time, sandwiching Medina's 52nd minute effort.
Hopes Peak Academy manager RocketRackoon: Get rekt
Stormland Stags manager IamKinneas: this loss has well and truly ruined my season. i will now no longer be able to challenge for the title. i am rekt. how will i ever recover from this
MOTR Tally:
Scozza21 - 4
IamKinneas - 3
OmegaPit - 3
TheAPERSON - 2
LGonm - 2
Silverl - 1
Team of the round:
GK Tetsuhiro Mizuno (Hopes Peak Academy)
DF Jean Alesi (Nothing Toulouse)
DF Thorbjorn Saeturbo (Skills 4 Thrills)
DF Jarett Babington (Pokeforum Professionals)
DF Heikki Raikkonnen (Hopes Peak Academy)
MF James Sehgal (Pokeforum Professionals)
MF Candido Medina (Hopes Peak Academy)
MF Carlo Proust (Nothing Toulouse)
MF Ash Ketchum (Nothing Toulouse)
FW Elvis MacCreadie (Pokeforum Professionals)
FW Santiago Yordi (Skills 4 Thrills)
Maniacs' win over Slateport had seen Hoyle's side drop out of the top three altogether, with Magical Kicks replacing them. However, it wasn't that bad, as both Maniacs and Magical Kicks were yet to have their games off and this was Maniacs' round off. That of course did give Magical Kicks the chance to go top of the league, albeit only temporarily.
Magical Kicks 3-0 Her Majestys FC
Speering '3, Proeski '18 '84
Magical Kicks
33 Marnoch
16 El Afandi
06 Brahe
02 Bratja
22 Bakir
04 Nielson
99 Elmarac
11 Ivovic (C)
10 Speering
24 Proeski
15 Sun
Bench:
03 Celavac
08 Sen
28 Hill
72 Paluch
20 Novy
Her Majestys FC
01 Lancaster
37 Ackland
45 Howard (C)
04 Iommi
33 Rawcliffe
26 Billington
08 Nevis
09 Robinson
12 Ackermann
38 Shepherd
93 Troughton
Bench:
50 Bale
02 Wiltershed
07 Ladd
05 Bradley
10 McCoy
HMFC proved no trouble for Magical Kicks, who took the lead inside 3 minutes through Proeski. Speering doubled the lead in the second half before Proeski got his second to seal all three points. Building both those players up from youngsters seems to have been worth it if only for this once instance...
Slateport City FC 4-0 Nation of Domination
Togami '7, Soler '52, Bardsley '80 '89
Slateport City FC
01 Ylisse
04 Gomes
05 Ericsson (C)
13 Pesut
03 Ladulås
06 Merson
07 Blagovici
10 Soler
16 Paes
08 Togami
11 Bardsley
Bench:
14 Mintal
17 Nohr
15 Gregory
Nation Of Domination
01 Henley
04 Mustafa
03 Gornall (C)
05 Henry
02 Etherington
07 Johnson
11 Brown
10 Asaad
12 Hart
06 Wooten
14 Dee
Bench:
18 Narciso
08 Churchill
13 Poppe
09 Shanley
Slateport bounced back from defeat to Maniacs by demolishing Nation of Domination 4-0. Togami put Slateport in front inside 7 minutes before Soler doubled the lead early on in the second half. Two late goals from Karen Bardsley added to the margin of victory and a win in the next round will see Slateport retake top spot during Magical Kicks' game off.
Sol Star Republic 0-4 Bristol Wanderers
Raymond '7 '29, Halsall '18, Deco '68
Sol Star Republic
09 Morse
15 Villalba
04 Estrada
03 Fridh
05 McBride
13 Metzger
14 Peters
98 Kidd (C)
63 Gill
07 Lang
17 R Vazquez
Bench:
11 Heath
12 Shearer
08 Tucker
06 Eia
25 Barry
Bristol Wanderers
01 de Gea
02 Elijah
03 Avelar
06 Edo
12 van Terry (C)
04 Naylor
13 Halsall
09 Raymond
08 Deco
15 Leyito
36 Tegz
Bench:
10 Starr
07 Baba Ray
11 Yates
14 Austin
Bristol Wanderers kept up their pursuit of a promotion place with a 4-0 demolition of Sol Star Republic. Kingsley Raymond got two goals while Rob Halsall and Federico Deco completed the demolition, however with Bristol Wanderers 2 points off promotion, but both Slateport and Maniacs above them having a game in hand so it looks a tall order to go up.
Alice in Sunderland 2-1 Weyard Wanderers
Danilson '83, Kvanstrom '90
Catterall '42
Alice In Sunderland
25 Youds
02 Glass (C)
27 Bird
28 Petcu
29 Laurentino
03 Howard
12 Khuso
14 Kvarnström
09 Lumsden
15 Hallerström
13 Danílson
Bench:
18 Day
05 Oliver
08 Skogheim
04 Belmont
Weyard Wanderers
13 Conway
04 Heath
02 Upton
31 Kipling
05 Wainman
28 Bradshaw
09 Tomms
07 Catterall (C)
66 Jacoby
11 Stone
12 Livingstone
Bench:
01 Lipsky
10 Towler
06 Haysbert
03 Krpan
14 Boa
Finally, Alice in Sunderland kept their promotion hopes alive with a 2-1 win over Weyard Wanderers, despite Weyard going in front through Rio Catterall. But two goals from Julio Danilson and August Kvanstrom turned the game around for AiS although it's fair to say they've got a lot of work to do and a lot of results that would need to go their way in order to go up.
MOTR Tally:
Pokemaniac212 - 5
BicycleShirk - 4
Leye - 2
Dr_Hoyle - 1
Luitheminus - 1
RichardUK - 1
Dixonrobert - 1
Team of the round:
GK Chrom Ylisse (Slateport City FC)
DF Ola Ladulas (Slateport City FC)
DF Ledley Upton (Weyard Wanderers)
DF John van Terry (Bristol Wanderers)
DF Angelo Gomes (Slateport City FC)
MF Ilija Ivovic (Magical Kicks)
MF Rob Halsall (Bristol Wanderers)
MF Hugo Speering (Magical Kicks)
MF Geamanu Blagovici (Slateport City FC)
FW Sekula Proeski (Magical Kicks)
FW Karen Bardsley (Slateport City FC)
With the Professionals having a game off this round, it gave Nothing Toulouse the chance to go level on points with the Pros at the top of the league. There was just one problem though, the game in hand was away to a team that has only lost one match so far under current management and even that was away from home. Could Scozza's Skills 4 Thrills have a decisive say in the title's destination?
Skills 4 Thrills 3-2 Nothing Toulouse
Jamal '32 '74, Winchester '65
Briot '27, Ketchum '60
Skills 4 Thrills
01 Peake
06 Sæterbø
03 Hart
02 Torres
17 Erickson
05 Damasceno
16 Irmer
27 Winchester (C)
08 Loach
12 Jamal
11 Yordi
Bench:
18 Juarez
07 Brauer
14 Mentel
21 Hislop
10 McGuigan
Nothing Toulouse
16 Loberg
02 Spano
03 Miguel Matos
14 Nicholson
05 Espinola
04 Alesi (C)
17 Oak
08 Grosjean
07 Ketchum
10 Proust
09 Briot
Bench:
22 Christmann
19 Salvador
06 Rosberg
11 Akpa-Akpro
Yes they could! Skills infliced what was only Nothing Toulouse's second defeat of the season after a goalfest of a game. NT took the lead through their top scorer Francis Briot in the first half, but almost immediately, Skills won a free kick which Jaffar Jamal fired into the back of the net. NT retook the lead through their own free kick from Ash Ketchum but again, Skills soon quickly equalised through Frederick Winchester. Skills won another free kick and Jamal produced a free kick taking masterclass to give his side the lead. Skills' victory was nearly jeopordised however when NT were awarded a late penalty, but Jean Alesi missed the penalty and his side slumped to what could be a crucial defeat. For the neutrals however they got a pretty entertaining game out of it all.
Pyke Raiders 3-2 Second Eleven
Cruz '9 '60, Vega '68
Travado '76, Ramstad '88
Pyke Raiders
01 Steiner
15 Ambrose (C)
05 Mahal
04 Riggs
07 Kelly
29 Shango
12 Marie
14 The Lawler
11 Cruz
13 Dillinger
10 Vega
Bench:
25 Samoan
31 Gooker
08 Farmer
27 Dempsey
Second Eleven
01 Iniesta
03 Azkoitia (C)
13 Vilas-Boas
05 Cruz
04 Jorque
02 Cardigos
06 Amantidis
07 Pimenta
08 Yajima
11 Olano
10 Travado
Bench:
23 Peyraud
14 Jankulovski
15 Bellier
09 Ramstad
And that wasn't the only goalfest of the day, as Pyke Raiders beat Second Eleven by the exact same scoreline. Unlike the other game however, Pyke Raiders raced into a pretty comfortable lead through two goals from Motley Cruz and another from Savio Vega. But two late goals from Octavio Travado and Kaare Ramstad threatened a comeback for Second Eleven but it never materlialised and the relegation race is all over, as Second Eleven join Nattys Battys in the Championship next season after two seasons in the top flight.
Stormland Stags 1-1 Nattys Battys
Axel '60
Vitty '93
Stormland Stags
01 Pratas
02 Clifton
06 Swagger
03 News Branston
09 Grubb (C)
04 Mejia
10 Axel
12 Kingston
08 Zayn
11 Breeze
13 Reijkaard
Bench:
18 Corbin
05 Guy Ryback
20 Kitchen
Nattys Battys
01 Lawson
29 Grave (C)
03 Moxey
02 Baquero
05 Berenger
07 Hacker
09 Farrelly
04 Beck
06 Zettergren
10 Borba
25 Vitty
Bench:
16 Pritchard
14 Brunswijk
11 Espanca
21 Wilkerson
08 Danielson
With relegation officially confirmed in the previous round the Battys had nothing left to play for, so what better time when you have nothing to play for than to pick up only your fourth point of the season? The Stags had seemingly done enough to pick up three points when Curtils Axel's free kick was the only goal on the scoreline going into injury time, but a very late goal from Marshall Vitty snatched a point for the Battys.
Disco Ninja Frogs 0-0 Hopes Peak Academy
Disco Ninja Frogs
01 Neff
06 Oosting
05 Cruijss (C)
04 van der Licht
07 van de Rijt
09 Slinger
28 Baas
08 Loeffen
21 van Tessel
14 van Barneveld
19 Valdez
Bench:
20 Víctor
23 Vogel
27 Spijkers
10 van Buyten
02 Lönn
Hopes Peak Academy
01 Mizuno (C)
06 Raikkonen
12 Szalmás
03 Mann
15 Corr
02 Nakayama
04 Asprilla
17 Yoshida
14 Männikkö
08 Medina
11 Kataoka
Bench:
13 Kada
05 Chung
09 Stãmãtescu
16 Calado
10 Hannig
Finally, HPA claimed the point which put beyond any doubt Second Eleven's relegation. They were played off the park by the Frogs but a sublime performance by Tetsuhiro Mizuno prevented the home side from scoring. HPA also lost Candido Medina to injury after a rash tackle by Remco Spijkers, but this kind of performance stretches HPA's late run of form to four unbeaten. Nothing Toulouse beware...
MOTR Tally:
Scozza21 - 5
IamKinneas - 3
OmegaPit - 3
TheAPERSON - 2
LGonm - 2
Silverl - 1
Team of the round:
GK Tetsuhiro Mizuno (Hopes Peak Academy)
DF Heikki Raikkonnen (Hopes Peak Academy)
DF Thorbjorn Saeturbo (Skills 4 Thrills)
DF Jose Miguel Matos (Nothing Toulouse)
DF Troy Nicholson (Nothing Toulouse)
MF Gary Oak (Nothing Toulouse)
MF Carlo Proust (Nothing Toulouse)
MF Motley Cruz (Pyke Raiders)
MF Frederick Winchester (Skills 4 Thrills)
FW Tyler Breeze (Stormland Stags)
FW Santiago Yordi (Skills 4 Thrills)
SONM Championship
Magical Kicks have taken the lead in the league, but only after having played a game more than their closest pursuers Slateport and Maniacs. Slateport therefore could retake top spot with a win away to Alice in Sunderland, the only side to beat Slateport at home this season, and Maniacs could also jump Magical Kicks with a win away to Nation of Domination.
Alice in Sunderland 0-2 Slateport City FC
Soler PEN '6, Blagovici '27
Alice In Sunderland
25 Youds
02 Glass (C)
29 Laurentino
28 Petcu
27 Bird
14 Kvarnström
08 Skogheim
12 Khuso
03 Howard
09 Lumsden
15 Hallerström
Bench:
07 Holmes
13 Danílson
04 Belmont
05 Oliver
18 Day
Slateport City FC
01 Ylisse
04 Gomes
03 Ladulås
05 Ericsson (C)
13 Pesut
16 Paes
06 Merson
10 Soler
08 Togami
07 Blagovici
11 Bardsley
Bench:
14 Mintal
17 Nohr
18 Pherae
15 Gregory
The reverse fixture earlier in the seaosn proved to be something of a wake up call for Slateport and they ensured a repeat wouldn't happen this time, keeping a clean sheet and winning 2-0 thanks to a penalty from Paulo Soler and a late second half goal from Geamanu Blagovici. Now, what about Maniacs?
Nation of Domination 1-0 Maniacs
Dee '66
Nation Of Domination
01 Henley
04 Mustafa
03 Gornall (C)
02 Etherington
05 Henry
11 Brown
07 Johnson
06 Wooten
10 Asaad
12 Hart
14 Dee
Bench:
18 Narciso
08 Churchill
13 Poppe
09 Shanley
Maniacs
12 Setembro
30 Poole
03 Entwhistle
25 Turnball
11 Broker
04 Rücker
16 Ferdinand
05 Allwood
22 Hawthorne
26 Botham (C)
07 Beeby
Bench:
08 Afrasiabi
01 Wallbank
06 Holcroft
18 Tate
02 Bax
Well, this proved very decisive. Maniacs failed to capitalise on Magical Kicks' game off and surprisingly lost 1-0 away to Nation of Domination. Even more worringly the manager may have been absent before kick off. Whatever happened though, Wolfie Dee scored his first goal for Nation of Domination, the win is music to Slateport ears and it means they can now win promotion in the next round if Maniacs fail to beat Alice in Sunderland, they can even seal the title if Bristol Wanderers beat Magical Kicks.
Bristol Wanderers 5-1 Her Majestys FC
Raymond '8, Ackland OG '40, Deco '45 '66, Yates '57
Ackermann '10
Bristol Wanderers
01 de Gea
06 Edo
12 van Terry (C)
04 Naylor
13 Halsall
15 Leyito
09 Raymond
08 Deco
14 Austin
36 Tegz
11 Yates
Bench:
03 Avelar
10 Starr
02 Elijah
07 Baba Ray
Her Majestys FC
01 Lancaster
45 Howard (C)
03 Tabb
37 Ackland
06 Edison
33 Rawcliffe
08 Nevis
09 Robinson
38 Shepherd
93 Troughton
12 Ackermann
Bench:
50 Bale
02 Wiltershed
05 Bradley
10 McCoy
Bristol Wanderers kept up their late promotion charge with a 5-1 demolition of Her Majestys FC. Kingsley Raymond gave Bristol the lead before Walter Ackermann levelled just two minutes later. However, HMFC put themselves behind when Homer Ackland turned into his own net before Federico Deco scored twice in the second half either side of a goal from Johnny Yates to move Bristol Wanderers within a point of promotion. However, they only have one game left and must beat Magical Kicks to stand any chance of promotion. Even then, Maniacs must lose to Alice in Sunderland and Magical Kicks must lose to Weyard Wanderers in the last game. It's a tall order, but then Nattys Battys did get promoted last season...
Weyard Wanderers 0-0 Sol Star Republic
Weyard Wanderers
13 Conway
05 Wainman
02 Upton
31 Kipling
07 Catterall (C)
28 Bradshaw
15 Andrew
14 Boa
09 Tomms
12 Livingstone
66 Jacoby
Bench:
01 Lipsky
04 Heath
06 Haysbert
03 Krpan
10 Towler
Sol Star Republic
09 Morse
04 Estrada
15 Villalba
03 Fridh
05 McBride
13 Metzger
07 Lang
63 Gill
98 Kidd (C)
14 Peters
17 R Vazquez
Bench:
25 Barry
11 Heath
12 Shearer
06 Eia
08 Tucker
Finally, a game between sides with nothing but pride to play for. And typically, the game was extremely dull, with few chances of note. Russ Peters did have the ball in the net for Sol Star but it was ruled out, apart from that, nothing to see here...
MOTR Tally:
Pokemaniac212 - 5
BicycleShirk - 4
Leye - 2
Dr_Hoyle - 2
Luitheminus - 1
RichardUK - 1
Dixonrobert - 1
Team of the round:
GK Caleb Henley (Nation of Domination)
DF Ola Ladulas (Slateport City FC)
DF Eric Gornall (Nation of Domination)
DF John van Terry (Bristol Wanderers)
DF Angelo Gomes (Slateport City FC)
MF Geamanu Blagovici (Slateport City FC)
MF Federico Deco (Bristol Wanderers)
MF Rob Halsall (Bristol Wanderers)
MF Paulo Soler (Slateport City FC)
FW Karen Bardsley (Slateport City FC)
FW Isaac Hallerstrom (Alice in Sunderland)
Round 17
SONM Premier League
As the season draws towards a close, the relegation battle had already been decided, just the title was left on the line and even then, following Skills' victory over Nothing Tououse there was a clear favourite in the title race. So if Pokeforum Professionals beat Pyke Raiders and Nothing Toulouse failed to beat Hopes Peak Academy it would all be over.
Pokeforum Professionals 2-0 Pyke Raiders
Encarancao '24, Maciel '50
Pokeforum Professionals
01 Romay
04 Babington
03 Brumwell
28 Carey
05 Spiggs
18 Vata
10 Encarnação (C)
08 Sehgal
02 Fjeldstad
07 Tyler
14 Maciel
Bench:
06 Haystings
21 Huenefelder
11 MacCreadie
Pyke Raiders
01 Steiner
04 Riggs
05 Mahal
02 Bagwell
11 Cruz
07 Kelly
12 Marie
14 The Lawler
29 Shango
10 Vega
27 Dempsey (C)
Bench:
13 Dillinger
15 Ambrose
31 Gooker
25 Samoan
08 Farmer
Pyke Raiders had given Nothing Toulouse a hard time a couple of rounds ago but still came up short. It was a similar story against the Professionals, Keely's side took the game to the Pros in what was Pyke Raiders' final game of the season. The Professionals had to rely on a heroic performance from their star goalkeeper Aquiles Romay to keep Pyke Raiders out while goals from Hernani Encarnacao and Luis Maciel secured all three points. However, any champagne would have to potentially wait following news from Hopes Peak Academy Arena.
Hopes Peak Academy 0-2 Nothing Toulouse
Ketchum '31, Nicholson '84
Hopes Peak Academy
01 Mizuno (C)
06 Raikkonen
02 Nakayama
15 Corr
12 Szalmás
29 Wheels
17 Yoshida
04 Asprilla
14 Männikkö
08 Medina
11 Kataoka
Bench:
13 Kada
05 Chung
16 Calado
10 Hannig
Nothing Toulouse
16 Loberg
03 Miguel Matos
04 Alesi (C)
02 Spano
05 Espinola
10 Proust
17 Oak
07 Ketchum
08 Grosjean
09 Briot
14 Nicholson
Bench:
22 Christmann
19 Salvador
06 Rosberg
11 Akpa-Akpro
Ab absent minded Hopes Peak Academy manager failed to turn up for his side's game against Nothing Toulouse, as a result the away side dominated the game and won 2-0. It could have been a lot worse had it not been for some great saves from Tetsuhiro Mizuno but in the end his defence gave him no chance of his side getting anything from the game and Nothing Toulouse keep their slim title hopes alive. That said, they would need to win by a massive margin on the final day and for Skills to beat the Professionals by a massive margin on the final day for NT to claim an unlikely recovery of a title. But then again, this is a side that has won a title in similar circumstances before...
Second Eleven 0-2 Skills 4 Thrills
Jamal '48
Second Eleven
01 Iniesta
04 Jorque
14 Jankulovski
05 Cruz (C)
13 Vilas-Boas
15 Bellier
23 Peyraud
06 Amantidis
08 Yajima
07 Pimenta
10 Travado
Bench:
09 Ramstad
11 Olano
02 Cardigos
12 Kutcher
03 Azkoitia
Skills 4 Thrills
01 Peake
02 Torres
14 Mentel
06 Sæterbø
03 Hart
08 Loach
21 Hislop
12 Jamal
16 Irmer
27 Winchester (C)
11 Yordi
Bench:
18 Juarez
09 Figueiró
17 Erickson
15 Merton
19 Elliott
Any realistic chances of Skills being able to keep the Professionals at bay in the final day however were scuppered as Scozza's side lost their best defender Thorbjorn Saeturbo to suspension for a game where his presence at the back will be keenly missed. It's been a season to forget for Second Eleven and while they held out Skills' attacks for the most part, they could do nothing about Jaffal Jamal, who is staking his own claim for the Golden Boot. Jamal's free kick was enough to claim all three points although it's arbitary at this point as Scozza's side have nothing to play for. With a rebuild on the cards these players may well be playing their last games in a Skills shirt.
Nattys Battys 2-0 Disco Ninja Frogs
Vitty '46 '57
Nattys Battys
01 Lawson
29 Grave
03 Moxey
07 Hacker
05 Berenger
14 Baquero
08 Danielson (C)
21 Wilkerson
04 Beck
10 Borba
25 Vitty
Bench:
16 Pritchard
11 Espanca
14 Brunswijk
09 Farrelly
06 Zettergren
Disco Ninja Frogs
01 Neff
04 van der Licht
06 Oosting
23 Vogel
27 Spijkers
10 van Buyten (C)
21 van Tessel
07 van de Rijt
08 Loeffen
14 van Barneveld
19 Valdez
Bench:
20 Víctor
02 Lönn
28 Baas
Don't know why, but ever since their relegation was confirmed the Battys have suddenly woken up. A 1-1 draw away to Stormland Stags was followed by a shock 2-0 win at home over Disco Ninja Frogs with young Marshall Vitty grabbing both goals from the Battys. The win moves the Battys levels on points with Second Eleven and gives them a chance of not finishing bottom, Stealth's side have also gone a long way to ensure they aren't bottom of the All Time Standings list.
MOTR Tally:
Scozza21 - 5
IamKinneas - 3
OmegaPit - 3
TheAPERSON - 3
LGonm - 2
Silverl - 1
With neither IamKinneas or OmegaPit claiming the Manager of the Round award this time it means that Scozza has won the Manager of the Season award for the top flight.
Team of the round:
GK Aquiles Romay (Pokeforum Professionals)
DF Jose Miguel Matos (Nothing Toulouse)
DF Jean Alesi (Nothing Toulouse)
DF Jarett Babington (Pokeforum Professionals)
DF Thorbjorn Saeturbo (Skills 4 Thrills)
MF Carlo Proust (Nothing Toulouse)
MF Hernani Encarnacao (Pokeforum Professionals)
MF Frederick Winchester (Skills 4 Thrills)
MF Ash Ketchum (Nothing Toulouse)
FW Troy Nicholson (Nothing Toulouse)
FW Elvis MacCreadie (Pokeforum Professionals)
SONM Championship
Perhaps the most important round in the promotion race. All sorts of stories were unfolding, Maniacs' drop off meant that victory against Alice in Sunderland, the fixture that last season they won to deny AiS their chance of promotion, was needed to stay in the hunt. There was also a huge game as 2nd placed Magical Kicks took on Bristol Wanderers. If both Maniacs and Magical kicks lost it would confirm Slateport as champions... and also make Bristol Wanderers strong contenders for that second spot despite playing their final game of the season.
Magical Kicks 0-1 Bristol Wanderers
Yates '7
Magical Kicks
33 Marnoch
03 Celavac (C)
16 El Afandi
06 Brahe
02 Bratja
22 Bakir
11 Ivovic
10 Speering
20 Novy
15 Sun
24 Proeski
Bench:
28 Hill
72 Paluch
99 Elmarac
08 Sen
Bristol Wanderers
01 de Gea
04 Naylor
06 Edo
12 van Terry (C)
02 Elijah
08 Deco
13 Halsall
15 Leyito
14 Austin
11 Yates
36 Tegz
Bench:
10 Starr
07 Baba Ray
09 Raymond
03 Avelar
A sublime performance by Bristol Wanderers saw them take control of this crucial game against Magical Kicks, and Johnny Yates got the only goal of the game in the 7th minute. This result has enabled Bristol Wanderers to leapfrog Magical Kicks in the table, but what about Maniacs?
Maniacs 0-2 Alice in Sunderland
Khuso '7, Holmes '76
Maniacs
12 Setembro
11 Broker
30 Poole
03 Entwhistle
25 Turnball
04 Rücker
16 Ferdinand
22 Hawthorne
26 Botham (C)
05 Allwood
07 Beeby
Bench:
08 Afrasiabi
01 Wallbank
02 Bax
06 Holcroft
18 Tate
Alice In Sunderland
25 Youds
02 Glass (C)
29 Laurentino
27 Bird
28 Petcu
04 Belmont
14 Kvarnström
12 Khuso
07 Holmes
05 Oliver
13 Danílson
Bench:
18 Day
09 Lumsden
03 Howard
08 Skogheim
15 Hallerström
Last season, this fixture had already seen Maniacs promotion chances end. This time around, it was the fixture in which they lost any chance of promotion as they lost at home 2-0 to Alice in Sunderland. Goals from Manu Khuso and Phillip Holmes ended any chance Maniacs had of promotion... and all of a sudden have given Bristol Wanderers a real chance of promotion, in a similar fashion to Nattys Battys the season before. Can Leye's side "do the Natty"?
Slateport City FC 4-1 Sol Star Republic
Soler PEN '5, Blagovici '19, Merson '43, Bardsley '77
Heath '45
Slateport City FC
01 Ylisse
05 Ericsson (C)
03 Ladulås
13 Pesut
10 Soler
07 Blagovici
16 Paes
06 Merson
08 Togami
18 Pherae
11 Bardsley
Bench:
14 Mintal
15 Gregory
17 Nohr
04 Gomes
Sol Star Republic
12 Shearer (C)
15 Villalba
05 McBride
02 K Vasquez
25 Barry
04 Estrada
63 Gill
07 Lang
98 Kidd
06 Eia
11 Heath
Bench:
17 R Vazquez
09 Morse
08 Tucker
13 Metzger
14 Peters
Those results meant that Slateport would win the title if they beat Sol Star Republic. They didn't beat Sol Star Repbulic... they THRASHED them. Slateport ran out 4-1 winners in the end with Paulo Soler scoring a penalty inside 5 minutes. Hot prospect Geamanu Blagovici doubled the lead before Karl Vazquez was injured and replaced by Stu Tucker... playing in defence! As if that wasn't enough for Sol Star Clifford Gill was sent off and they had to play most of the game with ten men. Manny Merson made it 3-0 before half time but there was still time for Louie Heath to pull one back. Slateport then lost Mormir Pesut to injury but... you guessed it... Karen Bardsley popped up with her 10th goal of the season to secure the title for Slateport. This was Slateport's 3rd Championship title in five seasons, so while they may be a yoyo team at least they are going back up in style each time.
Her Majestys FC 3-1 Weyard Wanderers
Billington '28. Ackermann '48 '63
Livingstone '83
Her Majestys FC
01 Lancaster
37 Ackland
45 Howard (C)
03 Tabb
06 Edison
08 Nevis
07 Ladd
26 Billington
93 Troughton
38 Shepherd
12 Ackermann
Bench:
50 Bale
02 Wiltershed
05 Bradley
33 Rawcliffe
10 McCoy
Weyard Wanderers
13 Conway
05 Wainman
02 Upton
31 Kipling
07 Catterall (C)
15 Andrew
28 Bradshaw
14 Boa
09 Tomms
66 Jacoby
12 Livingstone
Bench:
01 Lipsky
04 Heath
10 Towler
06 Haysbert
03 Krpan
HMFC have had a decent debut season in the league for a new side, even if they have lost most of their matches they have beaten those around them. Barry Billington gave HMFC the lead before Walter Ackermann scored twice to send the home side into a 3-0 lead. However, things were to sour for Ackermann as he was injured in the 90th minute, forcing Gabriel McCoy on in his place, but not before Eddy Livingstone pulled one back for Weyard. Luke_safc's team now hold the key to the promotion race, if they avoid defeat against Magical Kicks then Bristol Wanderers are up, if not Magical Kicks are promoted.
MOTR Tally:
Pokemaniac212 - 5
BicycleShirk - 4
Leye - 3
Dr_Hoyle - 2
Luitheminus - 1
RichardUK - 1
Dixonrobert - 1
Team of the round:
GK Alastair Youds (Alice in Sunderland)
DF John van Terry (Bristol Wanderers)
DF Salvatorde Edo (Bristol Wanderers)
DF Ola Ladulas (Slateport City FC)
DF Percy Ericsson (Slateport City FC)
MF Rob Halsall (Bristol Wanderers)
MF Manny Merson (Slateport City FC)
MF Byakuya Togami (Slateport City FC)
MF Geamanu Blagovici (Slateport City FC)
FW Karen Bardsley (Slateport City FC)
FW Sekula Proeski (Magical Kicks)
Round 18
SONM Premier League
So, this was the situation going into the final day, Pokeforum Professionals held a 3 point lead over Nothing Toulouse going into the final day of the season. All Omega's side had to do was avoid defeat and they would win their fourth league title. Even in defeat they could still claim the title on goal difference but if Nothing Toulouse beat Nattys Battys by a large goal margih then they would snatch a dramatic title win. To add to the situation, the Professionals were away to Skills 4 Thrills, who so far had only lost one match with Scozza in charge.
Skills 4 Thrills 0-1 Pokeforum Professionals
Vata '86
Skills: Peake, Hart, Torres, Mentel, Winchester, Hislop, Irmer, Jamal, Loach, Merton Yordi
Pros: Romay, Carey, Brumwell, Haystings, Babington, Huenefelder, Tyler, Encarnacao, Sehgal, Vata, MacCreadie
The Pros capped a very dominant season with a narrow victory over Scozza's Skills side, although the actual game was very one sided as without Saeturbo in the backline Skills struggled to maintain their opponents' attacks, it wasn't until the 86th minute when 23 year old Kussi Vata scored the winner to confirm the Professionals as champions for the fourth time, ten seasons on from their first triumph. With still a young core to the squad and players who aren't even anywhere near their best yet, this could signal the start of another dynasty for the Pros.
Nothing Toulouse 5-1 Nattys Battys
Nicholson '10, Proust '21, Oak '32 '73, Ketchum '67
Grave '41
NT: Loberg, Matos, Espinola, Spano, Akpa-Akpro, Ketchum, Grosjean, Oak, Proust, Briot, Nicholson
Battys: Lawson, Moxey, Baquero, Berenger, Hacker, Grave, Farrelly, Beck, Danielson, Vitty, Borba
Knowing nothing but a massive win would give them a fighting chance in the title race, Nothing Toulouse set about destroying bottom side Nattys Battys. Nicholson put NT 1-0 up after just 10 minutes, before Carlo Proust doubled the lead. Gary Oak made it 3-0 but Karl Grave reduced the deposit for the Battys. It was restored by Ash Ketchum before Oak got his second of the game to complete the 5-1 scoreline. Despite the big win and 38 points for the season, it was not enough for the French side to win the title, they even trailed 3 points in the end. This also turned out to be Hjalmar Loberg's last match for the club. As for the Battys, they'll be relieved that this was their last match of the season in a dismal campaign in the Premier League.
Stormland Stags 1-2 Disco Ninja Frogs
Axel '36
van Barneveld '32 '47
Stags: Corbin, Clifton, News Branston, Swagger, Kingston, Grubb, Mejia, Axel, Zayn, Reijkaard, Breeze
DNF: Neff, van der Licht, Vogel, Oosting, Cruijss, van de Rijt, Slinger, van Tassel, Spijkers, Loeffen, van Barneveld
It was the end of an era for stormland Stags as this was the last time they would play under a name that brought them so much success, rebranding to The New Day as of next season. A New Day is clearly needed after Disco Ninja Frogs finished 4th again with a 2-1 victory over the Stags. Timo van Barneveld got both goals for the Frogs and twith Jamal, MacCreadie and Briot all failing to score the Frogs completed a clean sweep of points, goals and assists awards.
Second Eleven 2-2 Hopes Peak Academy
Yajima '61, Peyraud '68
Kataoka '8, Yoshida '73
Second: Iniesta, Jorque, Jankolovski, Bellier, Vilas-Boas, Cruz, Kutcher, Peyraud, Yajima, Pimenta, Travado
HPA: Mizuno, Nakayama, Mann, Corr, Raikkonen, Wheels, Manniko, Yoshida Stamatescu, Asprilla, Kataoka
Second season syndrome hasn't been kind to Second Eleven as they were long relegated back to the Championship. They finished off their season with a 2-2 draw against Hopes Peak Academy. Konchi Kataoka gave HPA the lead but Second Eleven equalised through Seichi Yajima. Peyraud turned the game around with Second's, urmm... Second but Hayou Yoshida denied SE the send off victory