[FM24] [EN] LLM - The Oldest Club in the World - A Carlos Dolbeth Adventure

[Burkina2008]

October 30th, 2025 - Just even

 

Dolbeth had said that the squad was closed but given the defensive difficulties of the team and probably a good business opportunity, even prior to the first FA Cup game, there was the arrival of central back Charlie O’Connell, who given his experience at Peterborough United was expected to be the back boss of the team. With such a packed end of September the worse that could happen would be to have to play a replay game already in the first FA Cup round…but that is exactly what happened when Dolbeth decided to field a rotated team which dominated the lower leaguers of Stratford away but could not get a win. 3 days later at home the situation was resolved in the first 20 minutes and the boys were through to the next round. Very packed schedule and 4 days later it was off on the road again for a very good performance against Banbury United.

Always short break, this time less than 72 hours after the game at Banbury, Sheffield F.C. faced home, Curzon Ashton who was having a very hard time this year and the boys piled on their misery with an easy 5-1 win. Prior to an international break, there was the third FA Round and again Dolbeth this time at home decided to field a rotated 11, this time with a few under 19 players that had never played for the first team, but the result ended up being a good win against a clearly inferior team of Mickleover and basically fulfilling the minimum requirements for board in this competition. The 10-day break (with the team having for the first time 2 players called to their national teams, both on loan, but Richards to Gibraltar and Phuthi to Zimbabwe) was welcomed and already deep in October the Home of Football received another struggling team, Braintree Town who seemed to be an easy target…but it was not meant to be and in the end a 2-2 result left a sour taste in the supporters mouth.

With a bit of luck in the draw, the fourth qualifying round of the FA saw Sheffield F.C. facing an easier opponent in the team of Southport with a game ending in a 5-1 trashing making the club achieve the main round for the first time in many decades. Returning to the league there is no bigger statement on how even the league is as the next 4 games with the boys going from a crazy draw (that could easily have been a defeat) against last placed Boston united, to winning by a clear margin against league leaders Macclesfield, only to lose to mid-low table Spennymoor. This is the kind of emotion that is good for the league fans but bad to the heart of Dolbeth and co. 15 games gone and Sheffield F.C. keeps surprising the country and sits in a playoff spot, “only” 5 points from the top of the table (although with one more game played.

 

 

Cronica Leonina!

Estava tudo a correr tao bem em Setembro…estávamos ate em primeiro lugar depois de vencer os lampiões na Luz! Mas em Outubro tínhamos de f*der tudo, contra uns bonecos la do Vizela fomos perder e de seguida mais 2 pontos de vela com o Moreirense. Na Europa por enquanto tudo bem, vencemos dois perdemos um, não há muito que nos podemos queixar, mas no campeonato não vamos ficar outra vez em terceiro!?

 

 

 

Obrigado a quem segue e sobretudo a quem comenta! 

[cadete]

Sporting a ser Sporting, mas o Sheffield, como esperava, na luta pelos playoffs. O plantel nunca está fechado.

[LUIZ CESAR]

Vamos ver se o Sheffield consiga manter a regularidade e se mantenha na zona dos playoffs.

[jacoslacon]

O Sheffield vai em ritmo de cruzeiro. Sem grandes oscilações e a estar já a 6 pontos da equipa que está fora dos playoffs. E só a 3 pontinhos do 2º lugar. É importante não deixar fugir o Macclesfield, mas mesmo assim consolidar o lugar nos playoffs já é uma evolução tremenda.

[Burkina2008]

Citação de cadete, Em 02/04/2025 at 09:04:

Sporting a ser Sporting, mas o Sheffield, como esperava, na luta pelos playoffs. O plantel nunca está fechado.

Eu gosto de planteis fechados pelo menos fora dos defesos

Citação de LUIZ CESAR, há 3 horas:

Vamos ver se o Sheffield consiga manter a regularidade e se mantenha na zona dos playoffs.

Vamos ver

Citação de jacoslacon, há 1 hora:

O Sheffield vai em ritmo de cruzeiro. Sem grandes oscilações e a estar já a 6 pontos da equipa que está fora dos playoffs. E só a 3 pontinhos do 2º lugar. É importante não deixar fugir o Macclesfield, mas mesmo assim consolidar o lugar nos playoffs já é uma evolução tremenda.

Vai ser complicado mesmo assim

[Burkina2008]

December 9th, 2025 - Out of the cups and happy

 

November started with one of the most anticipated games of the last century to Sheffield F.C., the stadium was packed for their first entry in the FA Cup main round in many decades and the team on the other side was Accrington Stanley, at the moment in a promotion spot at League Two. Dolbeth was clear “It’s an impossible task, against a professional player…but miracles do happen in football!”. And he was right, after an initial 1-1 draw after 90 minutes, on extra time, the boys gathered strength from somewhere and went up 4-1, only to finish the extra time suffering 2 goals in the last minutes. It was not enough and another beautiful page in the history of the club was written with the club getting 50k for the win and facing another big challenge next: Rotherham United.

Despite the amazing run in the FA Cup, the reality was that the league was the priority and there the roller coaster of results continued to be the norm, with Sheffield F.C. being able to play well and win comfortably in some games and then even at home, against a theoretically poorer opponent, getting trashed by 0-3. It also did not help that for 2 months it had been a non-stop of fixtures, 3 or 4 days apart each, but these are the conditions of a higher league and the same for everyone. On top of all, still in November started also the FA Trophy and the compromise there was really to present a squad of youth and less rotated players as the competition was not deemed to be a priority. Against Kettering Town away that is exactly what happened with the team going down 2-0 only to recover and turn the game around after 5 substitutions at half time.

It seemed at this point that there were more cup games than anything else, but the league still squeezed some fixtures in the middle as the boys received and won, although unconvincingly, the team of Bradford Park Avenue by 2-0 and edged closer to the top of the table. But clearly the next fixture, the 7^th game of the month, in the visit to Rotherham United from League One for the second round of the FA Cup. 2000 Sheffield F.C. did the short 30-mile trip north to see Dolbeth stating prior to the game “We just need another miracle!”. It was not meant to be this time and the boys lost against a much stronger opponent by a slim margin but kept their heads high and were received in Sheffield with a small party! The exit from the FA Trophy followed, this time against a smaller opponent but again with none of the best XI starting, something that did not seem to bother the supporters given that for the league, the points kept on coming and the team was more and more a playoff candidate.

 

 

Cronica Leonina!

Continuamos a perder pontos em joguinhos de m*rda…primeiro em casa com o Famalicão, depois em Arouca…assim não da mesmo, assim nunca la chegamos. Podemos ganhar os jogos todos na Europa que efectivamente esta a ser pelo segundo ano, bastante acima do esperado, mas depois no campeonato continuamos assim e la esta não passamos do terceiro lugar! Certo, os lampiões vão em quarto mas o Porto já ta 7 pontos!

 

 

Obrigado a quem segue e sobretudo a quem comenta! 

 

 

[cadete]

Epah lá foram as taças, mas o mais importante mantém-se uma possibilidade...os playoffs.

[Burkina2008]

Citação de cadete, Em 04/04/2025 at 09:05:

Epah lá foram as taças, mas o mais importante mantém-se uma possibilidade...os playoffs.

Sim esse acaba por ser um foco inesperado

[Burkina2008]

January 17th, 2026 - Very tight at playoff spots

 

Without having to think about the cups, the month of December seemed a bit calmer and more apt for continuing with the good performances. Only league games from now on, starting with a visit to Bishop’s Stortford, a team which is almost a synonym to the league, and which was as usual mid-table. Very solid performance and win from the boys who above all seemed fresher than the opposition. Surely the next game against 5^th place Gloucester would be a harder challenge even if Sheffield F.C. was playing home with more and more supporters coming to the Home of Football as the season progressed. Even so, the boys made it look easy and with Mazwi in good form this month Sheffield grabbed the 3 points with a clear 3-0. Still on a pack schedule, the next 4 games would all be away, meaning that Dolbeth would only play again home already in January next year.

Starting this streak of 4 away matches was the last game of the first round at Ashton-under-Lyne with the local team struggling in the relegation spots and who just got a new manager. Maybe due to the new coach and despite the superiority in all aspects of the game of our boys, a goal close to the end saw Sheffield dropping 3 points in what should have been an easy game. No time to cry as 4 days later there was another away league game and for the second time in a row and maybe already thinking about Christmas, Sheffield left points on the table. Finally, there was a bit of a pause for Dolbeth to eat his Christmas Codfish in Lisbon and without games on boxing day, it was on the 28^th of December that Sheffield visited Hereford where it became clear that the break was good for the boys as they trashed the home team by 0-4! The following game and the last from an away streak as well as from the calendar year of 2025 was also a good result with Oxford with a 2-2 against a top 5 team!

2026 started with some gossip at the club bar, with some supporters swearing that Dolbeth was trying to get some new players for the defensive side. The same was later confirmed by the manager but in the first game of the year, there were no new faces in a very important win against another top 5 team that saw Sheffield F.C. for the first time in third place. During the week three new players were seen in the training ground and while one of them was from the youth team, Harrison Holgate central defender and central midfielder Jack Earing, started from the bench on the visit to King’s Lynn with Sheffield already down 3-1 at half time. The result did not improve in the second half, in a game where the boys were the better team despite the poor result. The two players started in the 11 on the next game at home against Spennymoor Town where Sheffield F.C. disappointed once again, not so much in the quality of play but on the result, resting now in the 4^th place with many teams chasing from behind.

 

 

Cronica Leonina!

Mas isto cabe na cabeça de alguém? Quem anda a gerir o clube? Então depois de levarmos 3 dos morcões vamos vender dois dos melhores jogadores da equipa para eles? Epá perder com o Porto, empatar com o Casa Pia e o Braga já esta mal o suficiente e ainda temos de lhes dar mais abébias. La esta pela segunda época consecutiva só mesmo na Europa não estamos a ser uns autênticos ridículos. Quando mudamos estas moscas!!??

 

Obrigado a quem segue e sobretudo a quem comenta! 

[LUIZ CESAR]

Rapaz, fiquei surpreso com essa derrota para o SK Rapid. Pode postar as estatísticas dessa partida?

 

[cadete]

Derrota pesada contra o Kings Lynn. Espere que não afete muito o moral da equipa. Que raio se passa no Sporting para vender jogadores assim ao Porto?

[jacoslacon]

A tua equipa continua muito sólida. Não tem largado os lugares de playoff, o que é muito bom após a subida. Já o Sporting... 🤦‍♂️

[Banks29]

Diria que a promoção direta é quase uma miragem mas o play-off é continuar neste ritmo.

[Burkina2008]

Citação de LUIZ CESAR, Em 06/04/2025 at 08:13:

Rapaz, fiquei surpreso com essa derrota para o SK Rapid. Pode postar as estatísticas dessa partida?

 

Eu posso postar mas foi uma vitoria nao uma derrota

Citação de cadete, Em 06/04/2025 at 09:52:

Derrota pesada contra o Kings Lynn. Espere que não afete muito o moral da equipa. Que raio se passa no Sporting para vender jogadores assim ao Porto?

Sei la...

Citação de jacoslacon, há 8 horas:

A tua equipa continua muito sólida. Não tem largado os lugares de playoff, o que é muito bom após a subida. Já o Sporting... 🤦‍♂️

O Sporting sempre a mesma m*rda...

Citação de Banks29, há 3 horas:

Diria que a promoção direta é quase uma miragem mas o play-off é continuar neste ritmo.

Sim o playoff parece possivel!

[Burkina2008]

March 14th, 2026 - Sheffield F.C. can taste the playoffs...again!

 

The game home against Darlington should have been a relatively easy win and again the boys were by far the best side, but luck has not been on Sheffield’s side, with Joe Snowdon getting injured close to the end of the game and conceding late consequently…this together with the injury turning out to be 7–8-month affair. It was not the easiest time for Dolbeth and the next match was probably the lowest point the old Portuguese coach found himself ever, at Chorley a dreadful defensive performance and the worst defeat of Sheffield F.C. in decades…7-1. Something needed to be done! Well, a few days later, the news came of a short-term loan for the midfield position to substitute for Snowdon who would not play until next season; the name chosen was Gilligan from Burton with 7 appearances in League Two this season.

It was one of the worst months of the last years for Sheffield, so February could only have been better. And indeed, the supporters could feel the chemistry of the team and the new players improving from game to game and resulting in two important wins, first home against Stourbridge and then at Ashton-under-Lyne. The good performances continued mostly on the offensive end against Bunbury United in the Home of Football but despite the easy win, it was still clear that defensively there was a lot of improvement possible. Nevertheless, its important notice that only 15 days after the biggest loss ever under Dolbeth, by 1-7, Sheffield managed to win the 3 following games, culminating in a 7-2. There was more time between games, and this was also visible in the freshness of the starting 11, with the visit to Braintree Town, only confirming the fact on the 4^th straight win.

Up until now it had been a perfect month of February, but on the 25^th of February, Sheffield F.C. would face the undisputed league leaders and despite the 0-3 win for the boys in the first round, this would always be game where Dolbeth’s boys were not tipped to win. For waterlogging the game was called off and a few days later against Boston United, the boys had the chance to do a perfect month. It wasn’t meant to be due to a late equalizer from Boston, but that did not impede Dolbeth from getting coach of the month and two of the boys being in the top3 players of month. On to March came the big game. Not particularly well played, Sheffield started well but ended up once again conceding in a game where despite all, it was clear that Macclesfield was the better team in the division. A few days later in a visit to 8^th placed Gloucester, the boys came back with a clinic by scoring 7 goals in the first half on an 4-8 goal galore that puts Sheffield very close to guaranteeing the playoffs with 8 games to be played in the regular season.

 

 

Cronica Leonina!

Dessas tacas e tacinhas quero la saber. O que importa estamos bem, no campeonato são 6 pontos que são difíceis, mas não impossíveis e nestes últimos tempos vencemos os lampiões e apenas empatamos com os gajos do major valentão! E depois temos a Europa, bom resultado nos oitavos, empatados com os pizzas da Atalanta, em casa temos de ganhar e vamos com isto para a frente. Mal posso esperar por este final de época. Se formos a outra final, vou la ver!

 

 

Obrigado a quem segue e sobretudo a quem comenta! 

[Banks29]

O Macclesfield está noutro campeonato como se previa na última vez que os vimos. 8 pontos de vantagem sobre os lugares fora do play-off, pode ser muito importante nesta fase. 

[cadete]

Chorley veio com tudo, mas recuperaste bem e já cheiras mesmo os playoffs.

[Burkina2008]

Citação de Banks29, Em 09/04/2025 at 02:23:

O Macclesfield está noutro campeonato como se previa na última vez que os vimos. 8 pontos de vantagem sobre os lugares fora do play-off, pode ser muito importante nesta fase. 

Sim estam noutro nivel

Citação de cadete, Em 09/04/2025 at 05:17:

Chorley veio com tudo, mas recuperaste bem e já cheiras mesmo os playoffs.

Playoffs estam seguros

[Burkina2008]

April 9th, 2026 - Playoff Challenge

It was 8 games to go till the end of the league and Sheffield had an 8-point cushion from the last playoff place. That said, experience had taught Carlos Dolbeth that the last portion of the season is anything but easy or simple, so it was a clear “all-hands on deck” thing in the home game against relegation fighters Chester. Starting out with a quick goal against, it was mostly an uphill struggle for the boys, who only managed to get in front close to the end of the game and like this achieve a bigger cushion. But more than just that room for maneuver and already thinking ahead, the upper table the better. A week later at Peterborough a much tougher opponent was expected and against 6^th placed Peterborough Sports, Sheffield had a very good but was betrayed by a late goal when the 3 points seemed secure. It was an important point on the way to the playoffs which were now an almost guaranteed reality.

Brackley Town was the next game at the Home of Football. Sitting dead last on the table, this seemed like an easy 3 points as Sheffield was on good form. And it was in fact the easiest game in the last few months. The result was “only” 3-0, but the visitors weren’t even able to make a single shot on target. All Sheffield needed was 5 points to keep preparing for the next phase, but the first game was a visit to Bradford Park Avenue, a team 1 point away from the playoff zone, so an easy win was hardly expected. But prior to that a big change in staff as after almost two seasons Dolbeth’s wingman, Pedro Cruz accepted an offer to leave for Newport County and in a rather diplomatic change of guard, the Portuguese ex-Hendon assistant manager Bruno Porfirio joint the club and was welcomed with expectations of a good end of the season.

The game at Bradford was as difficult as it was expected and the boys were on top earlier in the game, but the home team with a lot more pressure managed to turn the result and even after Sheffield managed to draw the game, a last minute goal made Dolbeth must wait for next round to secure the playoffs on a home game against Ashton United. Better result than the quality of the football played, the 3-0 was more than enough to get the 3 points and mathematically make sure the team was in a playoff spot. Now the next objective would have to be to try to reach the third spot to enter directly into the semi-final of the playoffs, which is easier said than done with 4 points to recover with only 9 to be played.

 

Cronica Leonina!

Fomos de vela…na Europa em casa ainda por cima. Vamos empatar em Italia para depois não conseguirmos melhor do que este resultado miserável em Alvalade? Pior…o resto do mês ainda pior! Derrota nos Acores, mais um empate com o Moreirense e depois uma vitoria de caca com o Moreirense! Tudo perdido…sim estamos apenas a 6 pontos do topo mas com esta equipa a jogar assim, so mesmo um milagre!

 

 

Obrigado a quem segue e sobretudo a quem comenta! 

[Banks29]

Play-off assegurado que era o mais importante, veremos como a equipa lida com isso.

[cadete]

Não está fácil para o Sporting, mas o que importa é o Sheffield. Foco máximo nos playoffs.

[LUIZ CESAR]

Citação de Burkina2008, Em 08/04/2025 at 15:12:

Eu posso postar mas foi uma vitoria nao uma derrota

Sei la...

O Sporting sempre a mesma m*rda...

Sim o playoff parece possivel!

Preciso trocar de óculos. 😁🤣

[Burkina2008]

Citação de Banks29, Em 11/04/2025 at 11:25:

Play-off assegurado que era o mais importante, veremos como a equipa lida com isso.

Mal digo ja

Citação de cadete, Em 11/04/2025 at 12:00:

Não está fácil para o Sporting, mas o que importa é o Sheffield. Foco máximo nos playoffs.

Vamos a eles...

Citação de LUIZ CESAR, Em 11/04/2025 at 14:29:

Preciso trocar de óculos. 😁🤣

Isso ai rsrs

[Burkina2008]

May 18th, 2026 - Missed opportunity

So, Sheffield F.C. was guaranteed a playoff spot but it was not time to just relax in the last 3 league games, because getting to the 3^rd spot would give the boys a direct entry in the semi-finals. With only 9 points to be played, a difficult schedule and a 4-point disadvantage, this seemed complicated but not impossible. But the first game was a visit to the second placed team AFC Teleford and with a clearly tired team our boys were completely outplayed by a fresher team with the 1-0 defeat being a positive result considering everything that happened on the field. After this there was little to play for in the last two regular season games, so the team was heavily rotated against Bishop’s Stortford, resulting in a boring 0-0 draw and finishing with a rested squad beating Alfreton Town by a clear 3-0.

This meant that if Sheffield was to do back-to-back promotions, they would need to win three straight playoff games. The fourth place in the league meant that the quarter finals was a home game against 7^th placed Gloucester City, a team which Dolbeth had won in the two league games, by 3-0 and 8-4 in that amazing game of the year, but these were playoff games, so anything could happen. With a full fit team once again, the boys had a shacky start conceding after just 9 minutes which put the pressure on until a penalty was conceded by Gloucester getting the two teams to be drawn at halftime. The second period saw a much stronger Sheffield, but the injury from the starting goalkeeper saw Patrick Boyes conceding two goals because of poor defending. Sheffield was the better side but only at the 85^th could they score to tie the game to 3-3 and force extra-time. Those 30 minutes were a big overstretch on Dolbeth’s boys and Mbick doing an enormous game Gloucester scored a single goal for the visitors and the dream was over…Gloucester ended up being trashed by South Shields who was surprised (as everyone else by 5^th placed finisher Peterborough Sports, who manages to get promoted together with the champions Macclesfield.

The season came to an end and everyone, including Dolbeth knew that the team needed a big transformation for the next season, if they were to make another run for promotion. Mintus was not the stricker it was 2 seasons ago, Lund and McConville were retiring, with the club outgrowing a lot of other players that were important in the last few seasons, like Earing or Pritchard with their contracts running out and not going to be renewed. Also the best players of the team this season, Ajay Matthews with 23 goals and Menzi Mazwi with 7 Man of the Match awards were players on loan and from the youth team there were no real talents that could been seen as potential starting XI players next season, so the market was prepared already in May with 4 new players getting signed, all under observation for some time and all without a club for many months, which means that they wont be having a summer break like Carlos, who will enjoy his time-off in the sunny beaches of Portugal and watch the World Cup.

 

 

Cronica Leonina!

Já não estava a espera de grande coisa no final da temporada, mas depois de 5 vitorias seguidas ainda pensei que pelo menos passar os lampiões podia ser possível, mas o Sporting continua com aquela mentalidade de porcaria e assim, fica muito difícil, quando nos últimos dois jogos da época e a necessitar de vencer…pumba duas derrotas. Nem um caneco esta época e mesmo assim continuamos com a mesma direção e o mesmo treinado…inacreditável!

 

Obrigado a quem segue e sobretudo a quem comenta! 

[Banks29]

Não contava nada com a queda logo assim no play-off. Bem, para o ano há mais,