Eastwood Town: From The Bottom, To The Top

October
Eastwood Town 3 – 2 Birmingham City (HT: 3 – 2)
Akwasi Asante 14’
Kuagica Bondo 19’
Martyn Woolford 39’
Nikola Zigic (Birmingham)
Eastwood Stun Birmingham. Another league game at Meadow Lane, another high scoring affair. This time Birmingham were the visitors and all the goals came in the first half. The Badgers should be worried about the defence but they don’t as they grabbed another three points.

Blackburn Rovers 2 – 1 Eastwood Town (HT: 0 – 1)
Akwasi Asante 10’
Jonthan Rossini
Rovers Put In A Good Performance To End Badgers Streak. Eastwood Town battled hard in a close game at Ewood Park but in the end Blackburn came out on top.

Eastwood Town 2 – 0 Nottingham Forest (HT: 1 – 0)
Jonathan Rossini 38’
Akwasi Asante 53’
Jonathan Rossini
Eastwood Town Beat Local Rivals. Eastwood Town put in a very good performance to gain the Nottingham bragging rights by beating Nottingham Forest. Jonathan Rossini continued his great start to his Badgers career with a headed goal and Akwasi Asante completed the scoring just after half time.

Ipswich Town 1 – 4 Eastwood Town (HT: 1 – 2)
Joe McKee 29’ 85’
Martin Pusic 44’
Akwasi Asante 52’
Joe McKee
Quality Finishing The Difference. In an even game at Portman Road it was the Badgers who ended up scoring a big win. Both teams had a number of chances but it was the superior firepower of Eastwood that gave them the win.

Eastwood Town 4 – 1 Millwall (HT: 2 – 1)
Martin Pusic 3’
Johnny Leoni OG 16’
Juanfran 90+1’
Muamer Tankovic 90+4’
Juanfran
Eastwood Town Smash Millwall. Eastwood Town put in a dominant performance as they beat Millwall to continue their good form in the league. The Badgers had the better of the game put it was only in second-half stoppage time that they showed their superiority.

League Table:

Top by 1 point! Amazing!

League Cup: Lost in second round (v Bolton)

Great story, this brings me back to when I brought Vauxhall motors up to the Championship... I kind of want to do it again.

November
Blackpool 0 – 2 Eastwood Town (HT: 0 – 0)
Muamer Tankovic 57’
Akwasi Asante pen 90+2’
Muamer Tankovic
Eastwood Coast Past Blackpool. The Badgers continued their fine form in the league with an easy victory over Blackpool. Blackpool hardly threatened and it was only in the second half that Eastwood put their chances away.

Eastwood Town 2 – 0 Swansea City (HT: 0 – 0)
Akwasi Asante 51’
Martin Pusic 73’
Akwasi Asante
Eastwood Take Their Chances. In an even game at Meadow Lane it was Eastwood who picked up all three points. Both teams had a number of chances but it was the Badgers superior finishing that gave them the win.

Peterborough United 0 – 2 Eastwood Town (HT: 0 – 2)
Akwasi Asante 1’
Joe McKee 6’
Juanfran Injured (Gashed leg – 6 weeks)
Joe McKee
Badgers Continue Their Run Against Peterborough. Eastwood travelled to London Road and kept another clean sheet in the league and scored another two goals. All the work was done in the first ten minutes with Eastwood running rampant. Peterborough didn’t offer much in terms of a comeback and Eastwood get another win.

Eastwood Town 1 – 1 Watford (HT: 1 – 1)
Joe McKee 7’
Adam Clayton 45+1’
Martin Fillo (Watford)
Watford Hold Badgers To Draw. Eastwood Town hoped to extand their winning streak in the league but Watford had other plans. Watford put in a strong defensive performance to keep Eastwood at bay and gain themselves a point.

Reading 3 – 2 Eastwood Town (HT: 0 – 1)
Joe McKee 35’ pen 49’
Charlie Hollett 39’
Joe McKee
Royals End Eastood’s Unbeaten Run. The Badgers travelled to Reading in really good form and the first half looked like Eastwood would take another win. Charlie Hollett was sent off for a horror tackle and then Reading mounted a comeback to take all three points.

League Table:

Top of the league by 3 points!

League Cup: Lost in second round (v Bolton)

December
Eastwood Town 2 – 0 Wigan Athletic (HT: 1 – 0)
Keiron Forbes 16’
Akwasi Asante 55’
Keiron Forbes
Badgers Grab Deserved Win. Eastwood welcome recently-relegated Wigan to Meadow Lane and put in a good performance to run out winners. Once again the scoreline was 2 nil and this was a good reflection on the dominance Eastwood held.

Queens Park Rangers 3 – 1 Eastwood Town (HT: 2 – 1)
Kuagica Bondo 6’
Greg Halford (QPR)
QPR Dominate Eastwood. The Badgers hoped to give QPR a good match but in the end it was the London team who swept aside the Badgers. Eastwood were in the match briefly when Kuagica Bondo scored an equaliser but in truth, they never threatened much.

Burnley 4 – 1 Eastwood Town (HT: 1 – 1)
Joe McKee 14’
Dario Vidosic (Burnley)
Burnley Take Their Chances. In an even game at Turf Moor, Eastwood will be surprised that they conceded four goals. The first half was even and ended all square but in the second half, Burnley took all their chances to record a big win.

Eastwood Town 1 – 1 Bristol City (HT: 0 – 1)
Martyn Woolford 90’
Martyn Woolford
Eastwood Town Leave It Late. Hoping to get back to winning ways, The Badgers hosted Bristol City. Bristol City had the better of the first half and went into the break ahead. Eastwood rallied in the second-half and eventually got their reward in the 90th minute.

League Table:

Eastwood 2nd on level points with QPR but have a game in hand

League Cup: Lost in second round (v Bolton)

January
Charlton Athletic 0 – 2 Eastwood Town (HT: 0 – 0)
Akwasi Asante 54’
Muamer Tankovic 88’
Muamer Tankovic
Eastwood Stroll Past Charlton. In the first game of the year, the Badgers put in an excellent performance to record a victory. Akwasi Asante scored another goal to set Eastwood on their way and Muamer Tankovic scored a late goal to seal all three points.

Eastwood Town 1 – 0 Ipswich Town (HT: 0 – 0) FA Cup 3rd Round
Akwasi Asante 76’
Juanfran Injured (torn hamstring – 3 months)
David Gray (Ipswich)
Eastwood Progress In Cup. The Badgers secured their place in the fourth round of the cup thanks to a good performance at home to Ipswich. The only blackmark was a long-term injury to playmaker Juanfran.

FA Cup Draw - Eastwood will be at home against Portsmouth.

Brighton & Hove Albion 1 – 2 Eastwood Town (HT: 1 – 1)
Brett Pitman 45’
Akwasi Asante 80’
Brett Pitman
Eastwood Ease To Victory. Eastwood Town picked up their second straight league win with a victory over Brighton after an even game. Both teams had a number of chances but Eastwood prevailed to take the win.

Eastwood Town 1 – 1 Leicester City (HT: 0 – 0)
Akwasi Asante 58’
David Nugent (Leicester)
Honours Even At Meadow Lane. In a very even game, Eastwood and Leicester shared the points. The first half was a tight affair but both teams found the net in the second-half to leave with a point each.

Eastwood Town 5 – 0 Portsmouth (HT: 2 – 0) FA Cup 4th Round
Brett Pitman 16’ 75’
Liam Noble 24’
Ben Coomans 80’
Martyn Woolford 88’
Akwasi Asante Injured (Fractured Wrist – 7 weeks)
Martyn Woolford
Five-Star Eastwood Triumph. In the 4th round of the cup, Eastwood showed their superiority over League One Portsmouth with a massive victory at home to propel them into the next round.

FA Cup Draw – Eastwood will be at home to Arsenal.

Eastwood Town 1 – 0 Leeds United (HT: 1 – 0)
Martin Pusic 31’
Jonathan Rossini
Eastwood Edge Past Leeds. The Badgers continued their good run in all competitions with an edgy win over Leeds. With chances at a premium it was Martin Pusic who scored the winner midway through the first-half.

League Table:

Eastwood 3rd but level on points with the leaders with a game in hand

FA Cup: Fifth round - Vs Arsenal (H)
League Cup: Lost in second round (v Bolton)

February
Middlesbrough 3 – 0 Eastwood Town (HT: 2 – 0)
Justin Hoyte (Middlesbrough)
Middlesbrough East Past Badgers. On a cold day in the north-east, Eastwood Town just didn’t turn up and provided no threat to the home side.

Eastwood Town 1 – 1 Colchester United (HT: 0 – 0)
Brett Pitman 66’
Brett Pitman
Colchester Hold Eastwood To Draw. Eastwood Town wanted to return to winning ways at Coronation Park but a strong defensive performance from Colchester denied them. Despite the Badgers dominated all stats, they just couldn’t break down Colchester and in the end had to settle for a point.

Eastwood Town 1 – 3 West Ham United (HT: 0 – 0)
Martyn Woolford 84’
Sam Baldock (West Ham)
Hammers Hammer Eastwood. With the form failing in the league, Eastwood hoped to turn things around against West Ham. It was the London team who returned with all three points as they put in a polished second-half performance to see off the Badgers.

Eastwood Town 0 – 0 Huddersfield Town (HT: 0 – 0)
Alex Pearce (Huddersfield)
Bore Draw At Meadow Lane. With fixtures coming thick and fast, Eastwood Town had a host of changes to the first-team and it showed in the performance. Neither side offered much in front of goal and a draw was a fair result.

Eastwood Town 0 – 1 Arsenal (HT: 0 – 1) FA Cup 5th Round
Jeffrey De Vries (Arsenal)
Badgers Defeated. Despite battling hard, Eastwood Town just could not avoid defeat against the giants Arsenal. The fans should be proud of the performance though.

Rotherham United 1 – 4 Eastwood Town (HT: 0 – 1)
Brett Pitman 23’ 60’
Kuagica Bondo 82’
Martin Pusic 90+2’
Brett Pitman
Badgers Return To Winning Ways With Big Win. After a torrid month of results, the Badgers finally got back to winning ways with a big win at Rotherham. Brett Pitman bagged a brace and the man of the match to give Eastwood all three points.

League Table:

Eastwood 3rd - 4 points off top, injuries and stuff just mean were falling off the pace.

FA Cup: Lost in fifth round (v Arsenal)
League Cup: Lost in second round (v Bolton)

March
Eastwood Town 1 – 4 Blackburn Rovers (HT: 1 – 2)
Joe McKee 13’
Gavin Burke (Blackburn)
Blackburn Coast Past Badgers. On a sunny day at Meadow Lane, it was the visitors from the north-west who picked up all three points. Eastwood managed to score an equaliser but that was the closest they got winning.

Nottingham Forest 0 – 2 Eastwood Town (HT: 0 – 1)
Martin Pusic 8’
Keiron Forbes 88’
Martin Pusic
Eastwood Do The Double Over Forest. What better way to try to return to form than a match against your local rivals? Eastwood Town rose their game for this match and walked out deserved winners, Martin Pusic cemented himself as a legend of the club with more important goals.

Millwall 2 – 5 Eastwood Town (HT: 1 – 2)
Brett Pitman 3’ 38’
Paul Robinson OG 47’
Martin Pusic 68’
Akwasi Asante 76’
Brett Pitman
Badgers Win In Goal Bonanza. After a relatively tame first half between these two side, the second half had all the excitement as Eastwood Town beat Millwall to record their second straight victory.

Eastwood Town 4 – 3 Blackpool (HT: 2 – 2)
Brett Pitman 18’
Martyn Woolford 20’
Akwasi Asante 54’
Chez Isaac 75’
Martyn Woolford
Eastwood Edge Out Blackpool. In their first game at a revamped Coronation Park, Eastwood showed that they are the most entertaining team in the league with an excellent game against Blackpool. The Badgers continue their push towards promotion.

League Table:
Forgot too screenshot - We were about 3rd, the same distance behind the leaders.

FA Cup: Lost in fifth round (v Arsenal)
League Cup: Lost in second round (v Bolton)

April
Eastwood Town 3 – 1 Peterborough United (HT: 1 – 1)
Brett Pitman 33’
Liam Noble 75’
Jonathan Rossini 83’
Brett Pitman
Badgers Ease Past Peterborough. Eastwood settled into their new home with another victory, this time over Peterborough. The Badgers put in a very good performance to record all three points.

Swansea City 3 – 2 Eastwood Town (HT: 1 – 1)
Akwasi Asante 20’
Martyn Woolford 66’
Cameron Stewart (Swansea)
Swansea Edge Opponents In Close Encounter. Eastwood Town put in a good away performance at the Liberty Stadium but ultimately left as the losers as Swansea took all three points. The game looked like it was heading to a draw but Swansea managed to score a late winner.

Watford 2 – 1 Eastwood Town (HT: 1 – 0)
Scott Flinders OG 63’
Joseph Akpala (Watford)
Eastwood Town Defeated. Despite battling hard, the Badgers lost to playoff rivals Watford. Eastwood just couldn’t muster any clear-cut chances and probably now are looking to the playoffs as their route to the Premier League.

Eastwood Town 3 – 3 Reading (HT: 2 – 2)
Kuagica Bondo 13’
Akwasi Asante 38’
Martyn Woolford 81’
Joe McKee
Goals Galore As Eastwood And Reading Draw. Coronation Park proved best value for money as they hosted another high-scoring game, this time Reading were the visitors. After an even game, Eastwood will be happy to take a point and guarantee their play-off place.

Wigan Athletic 4 – 1 Eastwood Town (HT: 2 – 1)
Martyn Woolford 23’
Miranda (Wigan)
Wigan Smash Badgers. Eastwood Town travelled to the north-west with a much changed team and were left watching as Wigan ran rings around them. Eastwood will hope to strengthen in the summer regardless of promotion as they just don’t have the depth.

Eastwood Town 1 – 3 Queen’s Park Ranger (HT: 0 – 0)
Kuagica Bondo 81’
Noberto Gonclaves (QPR)
QPR Dominate Game. In a preview of the playoff matches, Eastwood Town looked a completely different class to QPR, however that class was a class below as QPR strolled to victory.

League Table:

Eastwood Town finish 6th and will play QPR in the play-off semis

FA Cup: Lost in fifth round (v Arsenal)
League Cup: Lost in second round (v Bolton)

Championship Playoffs
Eastwood Town 3 – 1 Queens Park Rangers (HT: 1 – 0) Semi-Final 1st Leg
Akwasi Asante 45+1’ 88’
Juanfran 49’
Brett Pitman Injured (Damaged Knee Cap – 3 weeks)
Romain Vincelot (Pulled Hamstring – 3 weeks)
Akwasi Asante
Advantage Eastwood In Playoff Tie. In their first adventure into playoff football, Eastwood Town hosted 3rd place QPR. Tickets were rare and Coronation Park was packed to watch the Badgers. Eastwood had never even got a point off QPR before and this didn’t faze them as they put in a great performance on their biggest game of the season to record a win.

Queens Park Rangers 3 – 1 Eastwood Town (HT: 1 – 0) Semi-Final 2nd Leg
4 -4 On aggregate – Eastwood win 4 – 2 on penalties
Juanfran 87’
Matt Richards Injured (Broken Ankle – 2 weeks)
Juanfran 116’
Djibril Cisse (QPR)
Badgers Progress To Final In Penalty Thriller. With a small advantage from the first leg, Eastwood knew that even a defeat would send them through to the final. QPR threw everything they had at the Badgers and they looked set to win the tie before Juanfran scored a late leveller. With tired legs all over the pitch, there were hardly any chances in extra time so it fell to penalties. Eastwood Town scored all their penalties but the hero was Alex Cairns as he saved 2 QPR penalties to start the party in Eastwood.

Leicester City 0 – 1 Eastwood Town (HT: 0 – 1) Playoff Final
Martin Pusic 6’
Martyn Woolford
Badgers Dreams Come True. Although the squad was plagued with injuries and suspensions, Eastwood were fairly confident ahead of the playoff final, they were undefeated against Leicester in all meetings and knew a similar performance would grant them promotion. Martin Pusic became a club legend by scoring the only goal of the game; and the most important goal in Eastwood’s existence. When the final whistle blew the party started and no doubt Eastwood will not be open for business for quite a few days yet. The adventure continues!

what an absolutely brilliant story, youv'e done amazingly with Eastwood and are an inspiration as im trying to do the same with Eastleigh FC, Good luck playing in the best league in the world Premier League!!

#54879 gooner4eva : what an absolutely brilliant story, youv'e done amazingly with Eastwood and are an inspiration as im trying to do the same with Eastleigh FC, Good luck playing in the best league in the world Premier League!!

Thanks! I didn't even think I was going to get promoted, I would have preferred to build a base for next season but you can't turn down the Premier League!

I thought we weren't going to even get the playoffs because it did the football manager thing of injuring everyone long-term when you do too well

Been following your story all the way through and this is just unbelieveable. What an achievement! I had my doubts towards the end of the season...

#54882 kingcraigan : #54879 gooner4eva :
what an absolutely brilliant story, youv'e done amazingly with Eastwood and are an inspiration as im trying to do the same with Eastleigh FC, Good luck playing in the best league in the world Premier League!!

I thought we weren't going to even get the playoffs because it did the football manager thing of injuring everyone long-term when you do too well

Oh it's not just me then! Everytime I get a great run of results, my best players just get injured for such a long period of time

fantastic achievement m8 looking forward to youre next update this is the best story i have read on this site

#54912 JamJamMan1 : Been following your story all the way through and this is just unbelieveable. What an achievement! I had my doubts towards the end of the season...

#54882 kingcraigan :
#54879 gooner4eva :
what an absolutely brilliant story, youv'e done amazingly with Eastwood and are an inspiration as im trying to do the same with Eastleigh FC, Good luck playing in the best league in the world Premier League!!

I thought we weren't going to even get the playoffs because it did the football manager thing of injuring everyone long-term when you do too well


Oh it's not just me then! Everytime I get a great run of results, my best players just get injured for such a long period of time

I had the same doubts too! Especially when all the other teams are spending millions in january and I just didnt have that. I thought we could have a chance in the playoffs, get the lads up for the one-off games

I bet, let me know how much your Transfer Budget for you to strengthen your squad for the Premier League, I hope I can take Eastleigh to the prem in the short space you took EASTWOOD TOWN