Roy of the Rovers A New Beginning Week 25 Jake Cheetham, the young captain of Melchester Rovers, Drew Powell,

, the gifted Welsh international midfielder and Richie Lyons, Rovers centre-forward and top scorer, were toasting victory. The three superstar Premier League footballers sat in the VIP area of a trendy downtown Melchester nightclub sipping low calorie alcoholic drinks. The night out was Powells idea, he believed that some of the younger members of the team had become too focussed on their football, during Rovers recent bad run, the stress had taken its toll; Lyons had been dropped, Powell almost followed him onto the bench and the skippers sparkling early season form had disappeared, replaced by a series of lethargic performances, that had cost him his place in the England squad for the recent friendly against Norway. The roped off lounge meant the footballers could enjoy a quiet drink in a lively environment. All three held half-pint glasses containing a mixture of vodka, diet lemonade and blue WKDs that they poured from a giant jug filled with ice. It was a popular drink amongst professional sportsmen, as it was relatively low in calories and contained nothing fatty. Athletes processed the excess sugar well, through vigorous exercise and any trace of alcohol or toxins would be gone after a morning run on the marshes. To victory! Drew exclaimed, raising his glass and taking a big gulp, And to many more! Jake joined in. Richie Lyons said nothing, he had been quiet all evening, that was often the case when a footballer was not in the first team. Many suffered from depression, particularly those with longterm injuries, but Lyons was fully fit, he just was not playing well enough to start now. The signing of Declan McKaffree had pushed him onto the bench and as long as the Irishman continued to score, and he had scored four in the last three matches, there would be no way back in for the leading scorer unless Jacobs or NDiaye picked up an injury. Cheer up Rich! I know you werent on the pitch for long today, but its a team game and youre still a massive part of this team! Jake tried his best as captain to lift his team-mate, but the striker was not in the mood, he just stood up and marched off into the toilets without saying anything, barging a reveller on route. Drew was concerned, I think we might have to take this party up a notch or two, boyo! Jake did not agree, We cant bruv, theres training tomorrow and its fitness based. Remember what the boss said last time? We need to improve our scores, we have to get fitter or well be fined and dropped. Vernon Eliot had imposed a strict fitness regime on all the Melchester Rovers players, he and Gerry Holloway had analysed OPTA data that showed clearly that Rovers players were not covering the same distances as opponents in games they lost and their average sprint speed was significantly lower in the final fifteen minutes of all matches. This had to change and the most basic way to achieve that goal would be through controlled diet and regular pure fitness sessions. Powell nodded at his best friend and captain, but as Richie returned to the table he leapt up and headed for the bar. Whats he up to, Jakey? asked Lyons, Dunno mate, but I dont think it will be a good idea. The midfielder sat back down, hiding a cheeky smirk, a waitress carried over a tray stocked with six Jagerbombs, Here you go lads, enjoy! she said placing the two glasses carefully in front of each player. Get them down you! Lets liven this up a bit! Drew knocked his two back simultaneously, Richie followed suit, as Cheetham reluctantly joined in. As Jakes empty glass settled on the table, the same waitress appeared with another double round, You git Drew! This is out of order! Jake said seriously, I never bought them ones boy! The waitress overhearing the

conversation struck up, Theyre from that guy, she said nodding at a corner booth, The bald one, he paid for them. Jake stood up peering across the dark room, Thats Baker, Melboros captain. Whats he buying us drinks for?

Probably to thank us for letting them thrash us on Boxing Day. Theyre running away with the league now, seven points clear. Hes taking the Mickey out of us! Richie Lyons had never held his drink well and the eight or nine units he had consumed in the last couple of hours were already having an effect. He jumped up and stormed towards David Baker, the Melboro and England centreback, knocking over a chair on the way. Oi you mug! he shouted as he grabbed the back of a chair hurling it forwards. Lyons then hit the ground with a thump, a big punch flooring him easily. Johnny White, the six foot five goalkeeper stood purring, Get back to your loser table Lyons! This is where champions sit! The England number one, bent over grabbing Richie by the neck, dragging him back towards Drew and Jake. Powell nodded at his friend and they were off, the Welshman tackling the giant goalkeeper with a spear, driving him onto a vacant table. The wood splintered under the weight of the professional athletes, collapsing dramatically. Before Cheetham could lay a hand on Baker, who was his target, a team of bouncers had appeared, separating the warring footballers. The three Melchester players were dumped forcefully out through the front door, swiftly followed by White and Baker. The shouts and scuffles alerted those in the long queue and in an instant Jake Cheetham knew there would be trouble the next day. Footage from mobile phones and iPods recording their semi-drunken and violent antics would soon reach Twitter, then the press, then his agent and then he would have to deal with Vernon Eliot. *** Vernon Eliot was of course delighted with his sides return to form, but he could not help be a little worried about the mentality of his team. Melchester Rovers would go through very distinct periods of either superb or awful form. The quality of performance seemed far too dependent on confidence. Luckily for Vernon he had the best qualified football psychologist as his assistant

manager, Gerry Holloway. Gerry had taken sports psychology to another level, his work focused solely the minds of footballers and one of his finest pieces of research attempted to correlate the physical performance of players with factors deemed to influence their mentalities. It was probably the first study of its kind; performed at the highest level of professional sport, rather than using university students, Gerry knew that he could revolutionise sports science if his theories could be put to the test. He now had that opportunity as his manager had asked him to create a presentation to help correct the metal flaws they both believed were preventing Melchester Rovers from regaining their place at the very top of English football. Gerry had computed the OPTA data from both Rovers long unbeaten run and their losing streak and the results were surprising. There was no pattern, almost every player showed different physical responses across the spell, which was not entirely unexpected. Hard working players like Jake Cheetham, run further and faster in the bad spell, Fabrice NDiaye too showed the same trend. Holloway believed they were trying too hard to improve, thus limiting their actual performance by straying out of position or chasing the ball. When the data was superimposed onto a map of the field, both Cheetham and NDiaye were making the schoolboy error of hurtling around the pitch, simply following the path of the ball. Gerrys presentation included video clips perfectly highlighting the problem. Notably against Burndean three weeks ago, statistics showed that when Melchester did not have possession their captain was closest to the ball, sixty percent of the time. That is a remarkable figure considering the next closest rating was Powell at twelve percent. Every other player had almost equal figures, showing how the ball is shared around all zones of the field. While Cheetham had a problem of working too hard, others like Richie Lyons, work-rate dropped considerably. When he had seen little of the ball, he did not drop deep in search of possession, as great forwards like Roy Race would have done. In fact he played far deeper in the good spell of form. From the research it appeared that Lyons isolated himself, his mind telling him not to take risks or perhaps that Rovers needed a goal so much that he should always remain near to the opposition area. The effort Richie put into his sprints showed that he was always trying, but his mind was preventing him from playing his natural game. Gerry was not trying to play a blame game, he was just searching for answers. He knew that the team could play superb football and could be genuine challengers for the Champions League places, but only if they could conquer the silent demons in their minds. They had to become more scientific players. The challenge would be to do this without sacrificing the flair that had brought so many trophies to Mel Park over the years. Melchester Rovers next opponents were Oldfield, who they had beaten comfortably three-nil earlier in the season at Mel Park. The northern team had had an awful start to the season, but had recently recovered somewhat, winning five from eight games. The points gained had taken them well away from the relegation zone and had eased the pressure on new manager Mel Jeffries. Oldfield had finished twelve in the 2012/13 season, but still sacked long-serving manager Jack Cassidy, the board citing his unattractive long-ball tactics as prohibitive to progression up the Premier League. Jeffries side played with flair, but still maintained the aggressive style that was the hallmark of Cassidys sides. Jack Cassidy, himself had been appointed at struggling Deans Park, and he too had led his side away from the danger zone, the highlight of his short reign, being a victory over league leaders and champions Melboro.

But for now, Oldfield were the focus and Vernon Eliot was a little worried. Early in the season Rovers had struggled to cope with physical teams, like Carford and Burndean. An in-form Oldfield with their giant striker Brian Pollard and star midfielders, playmaker Hans Adler and Scotland captain Alec Campbell, would be a stiff test. Rovers would be heavily reliant on the movement of their front three; Jacobs, McKaffree and NDiaye would be asked to rotate positions throughout the game, dragging the tall and largely immobile Oldfield back four uncomfortable positions. Vernon hoped the gaps created would allow his dynamic midfield pairing of Powell and Cheetham space in which they could attack. Jake Cheetham needs to score more goals. Its something missing from his game, said the manager, Maybe with the more fluid attacking style he can get forward more. McKaffree is better at playing deep than Lyons. I really want Jake to take responsibility for the team, to be a genuine attacking threat. To become the new Roy Race! Holloway nodded his agreement, Perhaps then Drew Powell can be our new Blackie Gray! ***

Melchester Rovers were thwarted by a battling 10-man Tynecaster side who benefited from a controversial penalty.
Declan McKaffree gave the home side an early second-half lead after Jake Cheetham's volley ricocheted off Stuart Marker before hitting the Irishman. Tynecaster drew level through Michael De Mol's spot-kick after Danny Jones was adjudged to have fouled Henri Alicarte. Yannick Granon was then sent off, Tommy Kruys made two great saves, Harry Jacobs hit the post, but United held on. The pulsating draw leaves Rovers four points behind fourth

place Portdean, who travel to Danefield on Sunday. . That Tynecaster left Mel Park with a point had much to do with Kruys's superb goalkeeping performance and the visitors' ability to throw bodies in the way of the ball in a frantic final 12 minutes after Granon's dismissal. Kruys somehow blocked Steve Daley's fierce header and then pushed away Jean-Paul Lamidel's shot, while Michel Delporte typified Tynecaster's resilience when he cleared a McKaffree effort off the line. At times in that thrilling conclusion Kruys's goal seemed to be protected by a forcefield as Harry Jacobs rattled the post with a shot, while a last-gasp McKaffree goal was ruled out (pictured above) after the Irishman strayed offside when he poked home Drew Powell's through-ball. If Tynecaster rode their luck at times it was also a performance that adds to the growing body of evidence that United can prosper this season after their indifferent start, with this draw keeping them in fifth. In the opening half the North Eastern side looked to attack at every opportunity with Alicarte and Hugo Osman effective in creating chances with their vision and touch - both from the centre of the pitch as well as the flanks. Alicarte produced the cutest of passes with the outside of his foot to scoop the ball over the hosts' defence to Peri, whose volley tested Nathan Daniels. A cross from Osman, who was arguably the visitors' most effective player in that first half, created Tynecaster's best chance with a cross from the right, but Delporte miscued with his volley. However, that Tynecaster went in at the break level was primarily to do with Kruys's reactions. Early on he saved twice from McKaffree before the Dutchman flung himself to his right to produce a fingertip save from the deftest of flicks from Powell. Just before the break Tynecaster were handed a reprieve when McKaffree miscued with a shot when he probably should have scored. Four minutes after the restart McKaffree finally broke the deadlock, though he must have known little about it. Stuart Marker had fouled Powell to win a free-kick just outside the box and, although the Tynecaster wall blocked Cheetham's set-piece shot, the England midfielder was quickly onto the rebound. His volley went deep into the United area before ricocheting off Marker and then off McKaffree into the net. It was a desperately unlucky way to go behind, but the visitors were soon to profit from a contentious penalty that was awarded when Alicarte went down after a Jones tackle. Television replays appeared to show the Rovers defender had won the ball cleanly but referee Mike James - after consultation with his assistant - awarded the penalty that De Mol slotted in as Daniels went the wrong way. The Melchester Rovers goalkeeper produced a wonderful save to parry a Federico Caminero effort, but once Granon had been dismissed for a second yellow card, Tynecaster had only the manpower to concentrate on defending their goal. Tynecaster manager Frank Dymond: "We had some Geordie heroes, who keep showing they can compete with the best teams in England. Danny Jones played the ball and the penalty was fortunate for us but we have a resilience in this team. We closed them down, made it difficult for them and were absolutely superb. We've shown we are a good side. Next week - when we play Kelburn - is a platform to show we can be a top Premier League side again." A full report on Melchester Rovers trip to Oldfield will follow soon