Source: Non-league Paper (no online link)

  FC UNITED of Manchester boss Karl Marginson believes that the game between his side and AFC Wimbledon, two fan- owned clubs, summed up football perfectly as they went head to head with the Wombles coming out on top 2- 0.

Marginson told The NLP: “AFC Wimbledon gave us a lot of help when we were setting up our own football club and that was the start of a great friendship which I am sure will continue for a long time and when we get our stadium built the Dons will not be far from our minds in our first game.”

“It was a fantastic workout for the boys and it was a great accession. It was a tough test but it was a good exercise for us.

“Possibly the heat hindered the lads but I think we need to respect what AFC Wimbledon are doing and I think we did well in stopping Wimbledon scoring in the main part.

“But our jinx of never scoring at Wimbledon goes on.”

At the Cherry Red Record stadium and in front of a packed crowd of 1,292 the hosts should have gone ahead early on.

Chris Arthur was unmarked in the Reds box, but the chance flew wide.

At the other end Ashley Bayes had to spread himself at the feet of Michael Norton to save.

With a minute to go until the break Norton could have put the visitors ahead but his strike flew just wide of the goal.

Norton’s missed opportunity was made to look worse as Wimbledon attacked through Luke Moore and he beat the keeper to put the Dons 1- 0 up just before the break.

In the second half FC United made a raft of new substitutions and sent out what was almost a new team.

Wimbledon also made some changes and substitutes Jack Midson and Harry Pell combined well.

Despite good play from both teams in the second half neither could find a goal.

That all changed in the 67th minute when Harry Pell headed into an open net after Cavell Coo cleared the ball off the line from the original attempt by Pell.

FC United’s best chance of the game arrived in the 90th minute fell to Tom Greaves on 90 minutes but he headed wide.

After the game Dons boss Neil Ardley said he was pleased with his team on how they played despite the heat.

Ardley said: “The pitch is a little long and it needs to be protected. It is a typical pre- season as we looked to be where we were.

 Source: Non-League paper

 EVERYONE knows about our record in the play-offs. This year was our third straight final and our third straight defeat.

It’s tough to take, but after every disappointment, we’ve always asked our players to bounce back stronger.

And every year, they’ve stepped up to the mark. Now what I want them to do is go one better. This season, we lost out on automatic promotion by ten points.

And straight off the top of my head, I can think of 15 points we threw away by letting ourselves down on the day. If we can learn that lesson and apply ourselves as we should, that will be 15 more points on the board and we’ll be in with a shout of going up as champions.

That has to be the target because, to be perfectly honest, I’m a bit p****d off with playoff finals now!

Karl MarginsonI have to say, we are looking very, very strong and the fact we’ve secured 17 of last season’s squad is brilliant in terms of continuity. Hopefully it means we can start the season well and give ourselves something to build on.

In terms of improving things, I think it’s just about stepping up the professionalism. There’s a lot of talent in that dressing room, but at the end of the day those boys are only semi-pro.

It’s about changing people’s mindsets about how they approach games. That psychological aspect is massive in my view because mental strength is what’s needed to make sure we get the job done. That’s what I’m looking to add.

On a personal note, I was delighted to sign a new two-year contract. I’ve been here a since the start and every season we’ve shown progress. From my point of view, it’s good that the board have recognised that.

If there’s one thing I’ve learnt in the eight years here, it’s that there’s got to be a long-term plan. If you go for the quick fix, chances are you’ll be a one-season wonder.

Here, I’d like to think we’ve laid the groundwork to be successful for years to come. Whether it’s me in charge or someone else, the philosophy will remain the same – to play attractive football, to be sustainable and to produce good, homegrown players.

I’ve been very privileged because from the very start I was given a blank canvas to really shape the club’s direction.

THE COUNTDOWN IS ON FOR TAKE-OFF TIME

IN a couple of weeks, builders will set to work on our new ground. It’s very exciting, and that’s been one of the main selling points in retaining so many of the squad for next year.

The players have bought into what the club are trying to achieve. They know that, once the new ground is there, it’ll be take-off time. Bury’s Gigg Lane has been a good home to us, but our new ground at Moston is so much closer and will have a big impact on gates.

We’ll hopefully be in there for the start of next season and I see it as a really pivotal moment in the club’s development.

Karl Maginson was speaking to The Non-League Paper’s Chris Dunlavy.