Palace Casuals

[talisman]

Champions League Group Stage Round 1, home vs Intikamm FC of AMEDDD, Brazil. Level 23, AQ -0.7
A poor performance marred Palace Casuals start into this season's Champions League. Two goals down after 20 minutes, a third goal just after half-time sealed the hosts' fate.



League draw has been done, Palace Casuals find themselves in a League without any of their friends and no other familiar teams.



League Round 1, away at Lolo FC in Paris, France. Level 23, AQ -3.5
An 89th minute winner for the home side marred a much improved display which saw two excellent performances ill-served by the vagaries of chance. Playing in a more-familiar 4-5-1V formation, Anurak Arma and Kevin Pigott returned to the side in place of Suhail Kamal and Catalin Neagu; as Arma will be concentrating more on the Champions League side from now on, Ben De Wree has been handed the Captain's armband for the League side this season. Opening the match brightly, the visitors put pressure on the home defence and it eventually succeeded as Pigott and Arma combined for the latter to shoot home for his first goal for over a season. There should have been more goals for the Casuals but a combination of profligate shooting and desperate home defending kept them at bay. Into the second half, the home side came back into the game, and Murawski equalised on 53 minutes with a long-range shot. From then on the game was more equal, and the visitors were hanging on for a point when Yakup was given a chance with a set piece and scored the winner.

[TheAdix]

Hope from next game you will have only winning streak

[talisman]

League Round 2, home vs Jimmy's Eleven, of London, England. level 23, AQ -2.5
New striker Reda Mourad has taken a while to settle in, but it took a set-piece opportunity to break the ice and now things are looking up. After being bundled off the ball in the area, Mourad scored from the spot to open the scoring, and Omar Hansen opened his account with a 30 yard thunderbolt a few minutes later. In the second half, Mourad scored again, and then the visitors upped their game and the next 15 minutes was all Casuals defence with Captain Ben De Wree in particularly good form, and he ended all resistance from the visitors on 65 minutes when he copied his left-winger and blasted a ball past the 'keeper for the fourth goal. Late bookings for Anurak Arma and Freddy Jones gave Eleven's set-piece experts a chance at a consolation goal, but Casuals 'keeper Tran Cong Vinh had taken confidence from his defence and smothered both chances. First win of the season for Palace Casuals, and it was a good one, 4-0. Ben De Wree gets Casuals' first 10 Performance Score.



Juan Sebastian Garcia made his 50th appearance for the Casuals.

4 Juan Sebastian Garcia App: 50 Goals: 4 Assists: 0

[talisman]

Player news - Casuals signed a new defender today from Thierry FC:



Champions League Group H Round 2, away at Raikko5 FC in Terengganu, Malaysia. Level 23, AQ -1.1
After an evenly-matched first half, Raikko5 gained an advantage after the break and along with it, two goals. Casuals attempts to get back into the game were repulsed until the very last minute, when Johan Shaqiri scored a fine solo goal. Two defeats now in the Champions League and Casuals will need to up their game in the next few matches in order to progress.



League Round 3, home vs Juventus FC of Brunico, Italy. Level 23, AQ -0.5
New signing David Zhelev was drafted into the squad for this game in place of Anurak Arma, but more substantial changes were made to counteract the heavy attacking formation of the visitors, which meant a tryout for the Narrow Diamond, the 'Flying Wingers' Omar Hansen and Johan Shaqiri making way for attacking midfielder Valentin Ndjengue and striker Catalin Neagu, making his 100th appearance in a Casuals shirt. Neagu had clearly benefitted from a few games' rest, as the first half was the Neagu and Pigott show. Twice in the first 28 minutes Neagu made runs through the Juventus defence, and his final pass found Kevin Pigott both times, and both opportunities were not spurned. With the home side 2-0 up at the break, Juventus decided a change of formation and personnel was warranted, and these bore fruit early in the second half when Harboe scored to reduce the arrears. The Palace Management decided to match those changes and the 'Flying Wingers' were sent on in place of Ndjengue and striker Reda Mourad in a switch to 3-5-2V. The change brought results immediately, as Shaqiri's first corner hung invitingly for Neagu the head into the net. Juventus then decided to revert to a previous formation and Casuals were preparing to make a corresponding change when Michael Muscroft was injured and Suhail Kamal was sent on to replace him instead and the existing players shuffled to counteract the Juventus formation. With no further scoring the match ended 3-1 and Neagu picked up the MoM award as well as the Club's present for his 100th match.



21 Catalin Neagu - App: 100, Goals: 49, Assists: 26

[talisman]

Day 6 - League Round 4, away at Lilly Whites, in Wigan, England. Level 23, AQ +0.2
Heaviest defeat ever for the Casuals, Neagu's 50th goal only highlight - enough said...



Day 7 - Champions League Group H Round 3, away at JCM CF, in Madrid, Spain. Level 23, AQ -2.6
Disappointing defeat continues Champions league woes. Hansen free-kick only highlight of note for Casuals - Freddy Jones 100th match (100-10-0) one to forget...



League Round 5, home vs PFDGJ, of Kayseri, Turkey. Level 23, AQ -2.6
Home is best for Casuals as they continue good form at home. Mourad and Hansen (2) goalscorers - Johan Shaqiri celebrates 100th match (100-18-35) with assist for first goal...



Day 8 - League Round 6, away at Sefer FC, in Duzce, Turkey. Level 23, AQ -1.9
Improved away form but Casuals can't beat bottom team - Omar Hansen's 100th game (100-53-14), assists Ndjengue for second goal after Topalan put Casuals ahead in first half...

[khris]

Lilly Whites, I remember a team with this name in my server that was wining CL's in lower levels when I started with Bayern München, then dissappeared and now I think that don't exist's. lol

[talisman]

Champions League Group H Round 4, home vs JCM CF of Madrid, Spain. Level 23, AQ -2.6
Palace Casuals interest in Champions League ended by home draw - Jones header from Hansen free-kick open scoring - injury to Muscroft upsets midfield balance, opponents equalise late on...



League Round 7, home vs Alderson FC of Woombye, Australia. Level 23, AQ -2.0
Casuals keep in touch with leaders with 1-0 win - Shaqiri crosses for De Wree to score just before half-time - lots of effort in second half but home side's efforts thwarted by visiting 'keeper...



Palace Casuals injury stats: 3 injuries, 14 days.

[talisman]

League Round 8, away at ForzaGS FC in Istanbul, Turkey. Level 23, AQ -0.3
Palace Casuals were at last successful in achieving an away victory in this closely fought League match. Forza opened the scoring in the 18th minute, the Casuals defence successfully stopping home attacks, but only at the expense of corners, from the second of which Bratu headed home. The visitors themselves had a couple of chances from the corner, and a direct free-kick well saved, at the end of the first half, but the hosts went in to the break one goal ahead. Casuals half-time team talk obviously had an effect, as the first 10 minutes of the second half were all attack for the visitors. A couple more corners later, and Reda Mourad got into prime position to equalise with a powerful header. Forza then reversed their half-time formation change and put two forwards back on the field and the game levelled, with the Casuals defence certainly the best of the two and more than capable of containing the rampant home attack. As the home side tired later in the game, Casuals became more attack-minded, and a series of set-pieces ended with defender Freddy Jones converting another corner from Man-of-the-Match Johan Shaqiri to score an 89th minute winner.

Michael Muscroft returned to the side after his recent injury, but Casuals had another injury victim in fellow midfielder Emrah Topalan, out for 4 days with a Hamstring pull.



Palace Casuals injury stats: 4 injuries (all to MCs), 18 days.

[talisman]

Champions League Group H Round 5, away at Intikamm FC in Amedd, Brazil. Level 23, AQ -1.7
With no chance of qualifying from their Champions League Group, Palace Casuals rested most of their 'big guns' for the closely following League match. Playing a defensive formation, the Casuals limited their opponents to two goals in a 0-2 defeat.



League Round 9, home vs Ngoc Duc FC of Ha Noi, Vietnam. Level 23, AQ -3.0
Having endured the best efforts of the medical team, Emrah Topalan passed his late fitness test and took his place in the centre of a three man midfield in this League match. The first notable action of the game was in the 10th minute, when Team Captain Ben De Wree offended in the box and conceded a penalty, which Baumann duly converted for the visitors. Casuals fell further behind in the 25th minute, through Owel, but immediately hit back when Michael Muscroft passed to Juan Sebastian Garcia, who scored from close range. Just before half-time, Johan Shaqiri made a run through the defence and netted past the diving 'keeper for the equaliser which took the game into the break at 2-2. 12 minutes into the second half, Omar Hansen got a set-piece opportunity but instead of shooting direct, popped the ball into the area where Man-of-the-Match Shaqiri was waiting to head in his second goal of the match. There endeth the scoring, Palace Casuals come back from two goals down to win 3-2.

[talisman]

League Round 10, away at YOLCU FC in Gaziantep, Turkey. Level 23, AQ -0.1
Palace Casuals earn their fourth League win on the trot, a 2-0 away win at YOLCU FC. Defenders Freddy Jones passed and Juan Sebastian Garcia scored to put the Casuals in front with the crowd still taking their seats, and in the second half a 20 yard piledriver from midfielder Emrah Topalan left the 'keeper stranded as it flew into the net. With previous leaders Lilly Whites suffering their second defeat in a row, Casuals take over at the top of the table...