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MANCHESTER vs. UNIVERSITY OF YORK FA National Futsal League North Sunday 15 February 2015 National Cycling Centre, Manchester
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MATCH OFFICIALS Duncan STREET Ray McLAUGHLIN Ronan COLLER BOOTH
Welcome to the National Cycling Centre for this Champions Edition matchday programme. As another memorable season draws to a close, MFC are looking to become the first team in FA National Futsal League North history to end the campaign with a 100% record. Last season saw the Club make history by becoming the first team from the North to go a league campaign unbeaten, but they aim to go one better today with victory over visitors University of York. Manchester triumphed 10-3 when the sides met on 9 November 2014, with a select batch of youngsters catching the eye at University of York Sports Centre. Giles Collier marked his debut with a goal, while Jordan Edge and Ben Seol also registered their first goals for the Club. Another youngster who impressed that day was Danny Stapleton as he bagged a brace to help MFC to a comfortable victory - the only time the team has hit double figures this campaign. So, can Manchester make it ten from ten and write themselves into the history books? We’ll find out at 19:00. Special thanks in this programme - as ever - go to Marc Taylor. Without his photography this would merely be a blank canvas. Also to Junior Roberti who cooperated brilliantly to help me compile the information on York. I’d also like to thank anyone else who helped contribute to our second matchday programme and Champions Edition, and, of course, the players for making it all possible. It’s been a fantastic season. There’s not much left to say now except enjoy reading, but, more importantly, enjoy the game! Chris Wildgoose MFC Head of Media
CONTENT 4 6 8 10 14 18 20 CLUB CHAIRMAN SIMON WRIGHT REFLECTS ON ANOTHER TITLE WINNING SEASON
CARETAKER COACH CHRIS VERNON PREVIEWS TODAY’S SHOWDOWN AND TALKS SUPER LEAGUE
ILYA OVECHKIN REACHES A CENTURY OF GOALS FOR MFC - HE GIVES US HIS THOUGHTS
JUNIOR ROBERTI GIVES US THE LOW DOWN ON THE YORK SQUAD
CHAMPIONS! CHECK OUT THE TIMELINE TO OUR THIRD FA NATIONAL FUTSAL LEAGUE NORTH TITLE
FAMILIARISE YOURSELF WITH OUR NEW FACES WITH AN EXCLUSIVE TRANSFER WINDOW FEATURE
MFC SQUAD AND FA NATIONAL FUTSAL LEAGUE NORTH INFORMATION
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#TheChairman
SIMON WRIGHT
Having seen his Club win a second consecutive FA National Futsal League North title, MFC Chairman Simon Wright heaped praise on the team for the professionalism shown throughout the campaign.
have made their mark on the first-team set-up over the course of the campaign – in particular the reverse fixture with York, where three graduates scored their first goals for the Club.
The champions retained their crown with two games remaining while playing an FA Futsal Cup fixture against Bristol City, courtesy of University of York securing a surprise 4-2 victory over Middlesbrough at Thornaby Pavilion.
“The Club is focussed on building a squad for the future and our attention has been fully focussed on the next generation of MFC players,” continued Wright. “Seeing some of the younger players come into the senior programme is a really satisfying achievement as we are seeing the future of the Club.
That result meant Manchester had an unassailable lead at the summit and Wright commended the players for their accomplishment. “Retaining the title is a great achievement and it was our target from the very outset of the season,” declared the Chairman. “We knew we had the ability within the squad, but as the season unfolded – including the loss of two clubs at the start – we quickly found that the quality of opposition had dropped. “To win the league with two games to go shows our dominance and professionalism, but I think we have been able to do this without a credible challenger to our title.” Perhaps one of the most pleasing aspects about this season is the emergence of exciting talent from the MFC academy. The youngsters 4
“We also have a chance to influence their development through mixing them in with the senior players who can mentor and pass on their advice about playing futsal at the highest level in England for a number of years.” This latest title win is the third overall for Manchester, putting them joint top with Sheffield for being crowned North champions. Wright believes the aim is to push on from this accomplishment and become the most successful team in North history – a feat that will be made that little bit more difficult next season with a league restructure. The Midlands league is set to be integrated into the North and South leagues respectively,
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aning more games and more competition the champions next season with the likes of mingham and Loughborough being added he equation.
th the new league structure next season, will again have the aim of being ampions – but we anticipate the mpetition being much more competitive,” ted Wright.” That’s what the players want t’s a chance to really challenge ourselves.
hink it’s the step we’re ready for as a Club. play new teams will always pose new allenges and test our squad – that’s what ves us forward as we want to consistently the best club in England.”
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#TheCoach
CHRIS VERNON
With the FA National Futsal League North title in the bag since late January, preparation for the Super League is well underway, but for now the main focus is securing a 100% record and a place in history.
“But the immediate response [of teams dropping out of the league] is always a disappointing one because we want everyone to continue and grow, but that wasn’t the case for some teams.
Caretaker coach Chris Vernon believes that the foundations have been laid for a positive Super League campaign and a place at the Grand Finals.
“Our planned schedule was affected on those match days but we managed to make the most of them with good friendlies.”
However, the season has been marred by Liverpool and Leeds Wakefield becoming two more league casualties – adding to an extensive list that includes Crewsadors, Hull, CYDC Leeds, Northumbria, Oldham, Grimsby and Tranmere in recent years– that unfortunately disbanded before a ball was kicked. But take nothing away from the way in which MFC have defended their crown in style by producing a string of fine performances to finish top of the pile, overcoming stalwarts Sheffield and Middlesbrough in the process. “Overall, the season has obviously been a success – winning every game is a huge bonus so far and making history is always exciting,” stated Vernon. “We wanted the players to prepare for a bigger test because we expected everyone to raise their game playing us after our success last season. 6
The hard work starts now for Manchester, who look set to be drawn in a group containing five-time English champions Helvecia and Midlands heavyweights Oxford Lions and Loughborough. “It may sound like a generic answer, but right now we expect a very tough group and we’re excited to be tested every week,” continued Vernon. “We’re looking forward to playing those who’ve qualified and to play against good futsal teams. “Currently, players and staff are going through a transition period and we will be taking it week by week. The Super League is coming right when we need it, so we can revitalise the squad and refocus.” “I’m definitely confident of a successful Super League campaign – the players will demand success. It’s a very competitive group of players who will challenge each other every
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before the Super League campaign gins on 7 March, MFC will come up against lish champions Baku once more in the FA al Cup and it is a test that Vernon is hing.
going to be a strong test,” conceded the ach. “Since our last game [against Baku], team has been re-evaluating to make e that score line won’t happen again.
ku have gone from playing Barcelona to nchester and on their day they’re athtaking at times. The players are looking ward to hosting them in Manchester for the time.”
a full list of Super League fixtures, visit: w.manchesterfutsal.com
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#Centurion
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AL RST MFC GOLD s. SHEFFIE 2009 FIRST MFC HAT-TRICK vs. HULL FEBRUARY 20 MARCH 20 11
Grand Finals
Fresh from scoring notching up a century of goals in all competitions, Ilya Ovechkin’s main aim is to fire MFC to further glory in the future. The Club co-founder believes it is important to improve year on year and is looking forward to reaching the next milestone. “It’s always good to reach a goal tally like that and I’m hoping that my contribution to the team over the years has helped us to where we are now,” said Ovechkin. “There is more to improve for myself and the team and we will certainly be working hard to achieve our next goals. “It’s important that the team is improving and we move together in the right direction. If it means that the goals I score help the team then that’s what makes me happy. We will see where we are at with my goals in the seasons ahead. I’m also hoping to catch Sam [Richardson] who is currently on 168 goals.” 9
However, there is one strike from his collection of 101 goals that sticks in his mind – and the celebration is probably the most iconic in MFC history. “It has to be the goal against Loughborough last year at the Grand Finals,” reminisced Ovechkin. “The goal itself was just a tap in but it was the importance of it, to send us through to the final, which was special. The celebration and emotion of scoring that goal was great.” There will be more games in the future for Ovechkin to hunt down Richardson, but for now he is purely focussing on today’s task and ensuring MFC end the season with a FA National Futsal League North history-making 100% record. “I will be looking to add to the tally against York; we will just have to see how the game pans out.”
#TheOpposition
UNIVERSITY OF YORK
UNIVERSITY OF YORK SQUAD
University of York are currently enjoying their first season in the FA National Futsal League North Division One, having secured promotion last season.
Adalsteinn ARNARSON Carlos BARZUTO Guy BOWDEN Pablo CALA Miguel CARRERA Troy CARRUTHERS Myles CHADWICK James GREY Jamie HALLAS Robert HIZA Mark HOWARTH Nathan JACKSON Mahiko KONISHI Demir KURTOVIC Adria MARTI Ewan MINTER Felipe NEVADO GARCIA Jack REVILL Jonny SIM Adam SOUTHERN Raphael YU
York were the highest scorers in North Division Two last term, notching up an impressive 83 goals. From the North, only Middlesbrough found the back of the net more times with 91. It has been a somewhat mixed campaign for the newcomers, with only a few positive results to show for their hard work and determination. The standout result of the season, however, is the impressive 4-2 victory over Middlesbrough at Thornaby Pavilion on 25 January - a result that saw Manchester crowned champions during the FA Futsal Cup clash with Bristol City.
HEAD COACH: Junior ROBERTI ONE TO WATCH: JONNY SIM Recently called up to the England Development squad, Jonny Sim will be hoping to keep MFC at bay between the sticks today. Keep an eye out for Sim in the future as he could be making his mark on the national first-team squad.
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Thornaby Pavilion was long the scourge of MFC, with the ‘Boro ‘Ultras’ making it a hostile place to visit. However, York weren’t fazed by Middlesbrough’s reputation and came away with a tremendous scalp that kept their Super League campaign alive. But that was York’s first win since beating Stockport 5-3 on 26 October and they will FA FUTSAL CUP GROUP ‘1’ P W D
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F
A
1 LONDON ZAPPSORT
3
3
0
0 16 6 +
2 BATH
3
1
0
2 15 11
3 STOCKPORT
2
1
0
1
8
4 YORK
2
0
0
2
6 19
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need a similar result if they are to make further progress in the FA Futsal Cup. York currently sit bottom of Group ‘1’ after two straight defeats against Bath and London Zappasport which have left their Cup dreams hanging by a thread. Stockport claimed a 6-5 victory over Bath on 18 January, while London Zappsort are on course to clinch top spot in Group ‘1’ with three wins from three. Up next for York in the Cup is a must win clash against Bath, who are currently struggling in Midlands Division Two with just one win all season - 10-1 against Coventry on 7 December.
GD PTS
+10 9 +4
3
-1
3
-13 0
11
#TheHeadCoach
JUNIOR ROBERTI
I started coaching officially in 2008 when I finished playing futsal, but before that I have always been involved at clubs in their academy sides. I’m originally from Sao Paulo, Brazil, where I played organised futsal from the age of seven. I played professionally for more than ten years with many clubs in Brazil and Italy. Being Brazilian, it is natural to be involved in futsal. This is the most popular sport in my home country - schools, clubs and communities are the starting point, in my case school was my first contact. Futsal has an important role in the football formation in Brazil and almost everyone that plays football started by playing futsal. IMAGE FROM JUNIORROBERTI.WORDPRESS.COM
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After embarking on York’s first season in the top flight, Head Coach Junior Roberti is pleased with the progress his side has made. The Brazilian has led York to the brink of a Super League place, but admits it has been difficult due to the constant rotation of University players. “We knew this season would be a big challenge,” admitted Roberti. “First of all, we have just been promoted and this is the first year with the big clubs in the North and, secondly, we lost nine from our 15 man squad from last year – which is quite normal for a University team. “However we have achieved our goals so far; we have qualified for the FA Futsal Cup and we played a few games in the National League at the same level as others – ‘Boro away, Sheffield at home and both games against Stockport. Realistically we knew that was the best we could do with a new and very young side.” Fixtures in the FA National Futsal League North don’t come much tougher than Manchester away, but that’s exactly what’s in store for York today and Roberti is under no illusions as to how difficult it will be to achieve a positive result.
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“We understand that we are far from Manchester’s level,” continued the Brazilian. “Winning this game would be more down to Manchester doing a bad job than us doing a great game – or a combination of both. So, our expectation is to give Manchester as good a game as possible; whether for a few minutes or the whole game. “This is probably the last National League game for us this season, however we are just starting the most important phase in the University League and we still have four games to play in the FA Futsal Cup, so I don’t feel as if it’s the end of the season yet. “For this reason is a bit early to think about next season, however with the new structure of the National League I think that things may change.”
#Champions
TIMELINE
SUNDAY 28 SE A thrilling de rby with Stoc kport at Wrig Manchester ht Robinson squander a Colle three-goal le two occasio ad and com ns before clin e fro ching a 7-6 vi dramatic last ctory. Stuart -gasp winne Co r - his second three points, of the game adding to go - to al s from Raduci Gerhard Glu chman (2) an o King, Sam R d Ilya Ovech kin.
SUNDAY 14 SE
PTEMBER 2014
er 6-0 victory ov a convincing the of ith w ht lig on as gh entre. The hi begin the se C g lin utes in yc C m l e Manchester iona ook just thre gh at the Nat bas from Stuart C Lu na le Middlesbrou hi bo w Ra e, ored twic is stunning game was th ducio King sc found the 2-0 ahead. Ra mbous also la FC ra M t Ha pu nt A to d in an an t. m ar ch st rfect rd Glu Nagy, Gerha t off to the pe champions go target as the
14
EPTEMBER 20
14
ege sees om behind on ook scored a o seal all Richardson,
CTOBER 2014 SUNDAY 26 O a g the title with ards retainin w . to ld fie ep ef st g Sh s take a bi runners-up The champion victory over last season’s esheet 2 t on the scor 5go e th bl bo rta fo on ds fore the com ar be ch th Ri fif and Sam kin added a ch ve O goals at a Raducio King te Ily la e with two chester, and e respectabl or twice for Man m e in el or the sc visitors made tre. l Cycling Cen the Nationa
SUNDAY 2 N OVEMBER 20 Newly prom 14 oted Teessid e pr ove to be a National Cyc tough nut to ling Centre as crack at the Manchester encounter. G scrape a 6-4 erhard Gluch win in a trick man, Raduci scored twice y o King and Ilya as the hosts twice led by Ovechkin al eventually se three goals be l eing off a re fore silient Teessid Centre to m e at the Nat ove six points ional Cycling clear.
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#Champions
TIMELINE
OVEM SUNDAY 16 N
phat s with an em agging right br an l kin ca lo ch ve ed O claim l derby. Ilya Manchester cio King, ort in the loca du kp Ra oc le St hi er w victory ov ampions, io ricks for the ch und the target at the Nat fo Cook hit hat-t fo r so al ea cl ol ts Se d Ben eleven poin Stapleton an ester moved ch an M . tre Cycling Cen Teesside. 5 draw with Sheffield’s 5-
SUNDAY 9 N OVEMBER 20 The Manches 14 ter academ y graduates Sports Centre lit up the Univ by scoring ha ersity of York lf the goals in today’s oppo a 10-3 victor nents. Jordan y over Edge, Ben Se scored their first goals for ol and Giles collier all the Club, whi Raducio King le Danny Stap netted two ea leton ch and Sam first hat-trick of the campa Richardson ba and ign. gged his
CEM SUNDAY 7 DE
with a ha on the league n. The lio their authority vi p Pa am st by r na te Manches ough at Thor m Richards er Middlesbr thanks to Sa ad 4-2 victory ov le 0 3a er leag to ced in ed his first ev champions ra amed bagg to en oh er M h lm la Bu al te bd rikes from Pe Ed Bryers. A st o tw of e er sid the Club eith ester. ed to Manch points return
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MBER 2014
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SUNDAY 21 DE
CEMBER 2014
g their league er to retainin os cl ep entre. Ilya st e s move on cord Sports C d to in The champion win over Sheffield at Con rval was adde 5-1 fore the inte that is a be y crown with a es lle ut vo in m us al two e a thundero on ol ), Se (2 Ovechkin’s go n rs Be ye dson and half by Ed Br r - Sam Richar the second de en nt co Season ion. Goal of the late consolat sts scored a before the ho
MBER 2014
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SUNDAY 8 FE BRUARY 2015 Manchester make it nine wins from nine over Teessid with a comfo e at Thornaby rtable 8-3 win Pavilion. Deb Stuart Cook utant Roger scored twice, Solvas and w hile Sam Rich Mohamed, an ardson, Abd d Danny Stap allah leton found champions w the net and ere also bene the ficiaries of an to three poin own goal as ts in the north they cruised -east.
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#Teammates
JANUARY SIGNINGS
LEFT: Roger Solvas
RIGHT: Robert Szentgyorgyi
PEDRO
ROGER
S O L VAS JO L A R B CA It was a busy January transfer deadline day for Manchester with four new players arriving to bolster the first-team ranks ahead of a busy FA Futsal Cup and Super League campaign. Pedro Cabral, Roger Solvas and Robert Szentgyorgyi all made their debuts against Teesside on 8 February, while Usen Jones was also recruited having impressed at U19 level. “We wanted to bring in some new faces to increase the competition amongst the squad in preparation for the Super League,” said Chairman Simon Wright. “All of the signings have the ability and qualities to improve the squad. “All have previous futsal experience prior to joining the squad, whether in the National League or leagues in Spain and Hungary. We
have to see what they can contribute and if they can adapt to the dynamic of the team.” Szengyorgyi has been capped by Hungary several times and made a positive impact against Teesside, showing the kind of quality that could prove to be a great asset in the future “From what we have seen in training, Robert will be a great addition,” continued Wright. “He has only just moved to Manchester in the last few weeks. Having recently played for Hungary, he has great pedigree and will want to develop further with Manchester.” Portuguese Cabral is familiar with English futsal having spent the first part of this campaign at London-based Genesis, helping them to fourth place in the South league.
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dro is a great addition to the squad; he gs experience, intelligence and a physical sence on the court,” said Wright. “He’s en training well and has integrated himself with the players and staff.”
prospect Jones has been making his mark outh level, having joined from recently banded Liverpool in the summer and is now king to make his mark on the fist-team.
en is a young talent; he had exposure to National League with Liverpool last season we’re really pleased to have signed him,” ntinued the Chairman. “He still has time on ide to develop and learn our playing style d he’s certainly a player we hope can ak through.”
prospect to have joined the Club in January as he brings a wealth of experience from the continent. His debut against Teesside was ample demonstration of how influential a character the Spaniard can prove to be - as shown by his two goals to mark the occasion. “Roger brings all of the attributes that you can expect of an experienced futsal player,” praised Wright. “He has been part of the Catalan national team and has excellent movement and technical ability, which we hope will complement the rest of the squad.” Keep an eye out for our electrifying new additions over remainder of the campaign.
alonian Solvas is possibly the most exciting
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Jordan PARKER
Marcos MAGALHAES
Russell ASTLE-COATES
Stuart COOK
Ilya OVECHKIN
Ant HARALAMBOUS
Paul THOMPSON
Sean BYNOE
Awaiting image
Ed BRYERS
Enric VALLES
Sergio LORENTE
Ross BOND
Aidan HILDITCH
Abdallah MOHAMED
Danny STAPLETON
Jordan EDGE 20
Raducio KING
Lubas NAGY
Gerhard GLUCHMAN
James NESTOR
Spencer ASTLE-COATES
Giles COLLIER
Ben SEOL
#TheTeam
Sam RICHARDSON
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FA NATIONAL FUTSAL LEAGUE NORTH 2014/15 P W D
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1 MANCHESTER
9
9
0
0 60 22 +38 27
F
A GD PTS
2 SHEFFIELD
10 5
1
4 36 35 +1 16
3 MIDDLESBROUGH
8
4
0
4 32 26 +6 12
4 STOCKPORT
9
3
0
6 28 40 -12
9
5 TEESSIDE
8
2
1
5 29 39 -10
7
6 YORK
8
2
0
6 18 41 -23
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FIXTURES AND RESULTS 2014/15 14/09/14 28/09/14 26/10/14 02/11/14 09/11/14 16/11/14 07/12/14 21/12/14 08/02/15 15/02/15
MANCHESTER 6-0 MIDDLESBROUGH STOCKPORT 6-7 MANCHESTER MANCHESTER 5-2 SHEFFIELD MANCHESTER 6-4 TEESSIDE YORK 3-10 MANCHESTER MANCHESTER 9-1 STOCKPORT MIDDLESBROUGH 2-4 MANCHESTER SHEFFIELD 1-5 MANCHESTER TEESSIDE 3-8 MANCHESTER MANCHESTER v YORK MFC SCORERS 2014/15
RADUCIO KING SAM RICHARDSON ILYA OVECHKIN STUART COOK GERHARD GLUCHMAN DANNY STAPLETON BEN SEOL ED BRYERS LUBAS NAGY ABDALLAH MOHAMED ROGER SOLVAS SEAN BYNOE GILES COLLIER JORDAN EDGE ANT HARALAMBOUS OWN GOALS
10 10 8 6 5 4 4 3 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1
MFC FA NATIONAL FUTSAL LEAGUE HISTORY P 94
W 71
WIN % DRAW % LOSE % GF AVERAGE GA AVERAGE PTS AVERAGE BIGGEST WIN BIGGEST LOSS HAT-TRICKS
D 10
L 13
GF 631
GA 259
GD +373
PTS 223
75.53% 10.64% 13.83% 6.71 2.76 2.37 27-0 (vs. HULL; 04/03/12) 4-9 (vs. OXFORD LIONS; 12/05/12) 55
CS 9
ALL-TIME TOP GOAL SCORERS (LEAGUE ONLY) SAM RICHARDSON ILYA OVECHKIN STUART COOK ROSS BOND DAN HARALAMBOUS RADUCIO KING PAUL THOMPSON EDUARDO BETANCOR ANT HARALAMBOUS SEAN BYNOE RUBEN MANNA DOUGLAS REED MARK THOMPSON RODRIGO SPERANDIO LUCAS QUINTANA NICHOLAS HAMBLIN JAMES NESTOR JESE PRIEGO AMMAR SAAWE ED BRYERS CARLOS CASTRO VICENTE GARCIA GERHARD GLUCHMAN PARTICIO GOMEZ AIDAN HILDITCH RUBEN MARTINEZ EDGAR PEREZ DANNY STAPLETON RIK BRADLEY NETO FERRARINI ROBERT HOWARTH MARCOS MAGALHAES JOSE ALVES DE SOUZA ROSS FARRAN JANSIL HEZAQUEL DE SILVA ABDALLAH MOHAMED LUBAS NAGY CLEBERSON REITZ LEWIS SCHOFIELD BEN SEOL ROGER SOLVAS RICHARD BAHZURI GILES COLLIER JORDAN EDGE FRANCISCO MIGUEL AGOSTINHO NETO MARCOS ORTIZ JOSH POYSER FAHILD SULEMANE JAMIE WEBER-MACARTNEY OWN GOALS
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129 62 49 41 38 38 30 20 17 15 14 13 13 11 9 8 6 6 6 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 27
l a s t u F _ C F M @
Programme compiled and edited by Chris Wildgoose Images courtesy of Marc Taylor unless otherwise stated
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