When we finished the previous episode we we had secured ourselves a place in the Semi Final of the League Cup and in the FA Cup had reached the 3rd round stage we were looking at a mammoth 9 game month.
Before we start there were some new arrivals to introduce you to.
I know what you are thinking... "Calm down on the spending spree mate"
Rodrigo Sosa is a young American central defender who will offer back up for the starting pair of Williams and Stephens. He has some room for growth and his price tag already sitting at £12 million straight away he may prove a shrewd investment.
Luciano Tulelli came available suddenly after I had been tracking him for a while, I did not expect to get him at the end of his contract and he will immediately be our first choice left back after I had highlighted an issue in that position. His value has gone straight up to £23 million and is described as a star player. Chuffed with this signing.
Jose Mora was the only signing who required a fee, although £1 million isn't breaking the bank it was his release clause from his native Columbia. At 18 years old he will be expected to full fill his 4.5 star potential and I will be giving him as much game time as possible to help this, albeit if its from the bench when a game is won.
Lets get some football under our belts as we enter 2026.
January 2026
Match 20 - Southampton (H) 1-2
In a very even contest that could have gone either way we were edged out by a clinical Southampton. Simply put they took their chances and we didn't. Almada with a late penalty.
FA Cup Third Round - Blackburn (A) 1-0
I believe its know as "The Holloway" but i made this my own after making 10 changes for the FA Cup Third Round. Lets hope I also avoid a fine.
The changes showed as we struggled against our lower league opponents. Contento got himself on the score sheet in the first half to secure our place in the 4th round, another game to squeeze into January.
EFL Cup Semi Final First Leg - Manchester United (H) 1-2
It has taken 19 years, but we are back in the Semi Final of the League cup. Way back in 2007 Little old Wycombe took on the newly crowned PL Champions Chelsea and upset the odds to sneak a draw in the first home leg (We don't talk about the second leg)
This time around we needed a similar herculean performance against Man United.
We got off to the worst possible start as we conceded early. I had fired the lads up and they gave me the response I wanted as we dragged ourselves back into the tie. It was that man Bigongiari as he hit a left foot thunderbolt from the edge of the area.
We gave all we got but their quality shone through and we conceded again to find ourselves a goal behind half way through the tie.
Match 21 - Liverpool (H) 0-1
We were back to the league as Liverpool were the visitors. In game that could of gone either way, it was a moment of quality from Liverpool that separated the sides. Being punished when missing chances has become a theme of this season.
Match 22 - Chelsea (A) 0-2
Chelsea taught as a lesson in the reverse of this fixture earlier in the season as we lost 6-0. The same level of domination was on display this time around however we defended a lot better a kept the score respectable.
Match 23 - Man City (A) 0-2
As if going away to Man City wasn't tough enough we had to play 85 minutes with 10 men after Candelaria received a straight red card for a shocker.
The lads battled bravely on but there was only ever going to be one outcome.
To really rub salt into the wound......
Match 24 - Arsenal (H) 0-1
This was a tough one to take. We went behind as we went behind early but dominated the next 70/80 mins and produced chance a certain injured top scorer would have thrived on. Sadly we weren't clinical enough and even missed a penalty on our way to our 5th league defeat in a row.
FA Cup Fourth Round - Ipswich Town (A) 1-0
After a horrific time in the league it was nice to turn our attentions back to cup football.
A full rotation again with the aim of resting key players showed no ill effect to our performance and goals from Vassi, Hebert and Contento had our name in the hat for the next round.
Cup draws have not been kind to me this season....
EFL Cup Semi Final Second Leg - Manchester United (A) 3-4
Trailing from the first leg and missing our talismanic striker the odds were fully against us, but I told the lads that anything is possible and lets go and attack from the kick off.
We shocked the home side with a goal in the first minute through Chorley but the same old defensive frailties against the bigger clubs again as we conceded almost immediately undoing our hard work.
We were back in front on the day and level in the tie a few moments later as Contento finished coolly. We made it to half time 2-1 up and could see a glimmer of hope.
That hope was gone in 6 second half minutes as united changed up a gear or two and scored 3 all but killing the tie off.
Jack Clarke had a late goal disallowed for offside before scoring an injury time goal to put some respect to the score line.
We fell short at the second to last hurdle but should be proud of the run we had in the competition.
Match 25 - Leicester (A) 1-3
After the energy sapping defeat during the week the lads just werent at their best and we were there for the taking. Leicester smelt blood in the water and capitalised with three second half goals.
Contento with the consolation goal.
What a horrific month in the league as we lose all 6 games. The added pressure of the cup competitions were a factor and the teams we played, I mean come on look at that run of fixtures.
We do need to remember how far ahead of schedule we are in this journey and the gap between ourselves and the teams we faced during January.
February 2026
A short month to finish the episode as we only have three games.
Match 26 - Newcastle (H) 2-1
Back to winning ways! the scoring was opened by the unlikeliest of players. I had given a debut to young central midfielder Michael Christensen after a few injuries to the squad. He rewarded me with a goal 12 minutes in.
Ryan Gauld secured the win with a penalty late in the first half.
A much needed 3 points.
Match 27 - Wolves - (A) 3-2
Just like London busses.....
A game that was sure to be first up on MOTD we had the returning Bigongiari in the starting line up and he lead the line brilliantly. Goals form Almada, Bigongiari and Ferhat secure back to back victories.
Match 28 - West Ham - (A) 1-0
A hard fought victory for the perfect month was completed at West Ham as Sosa rose highest at a corner to power a header into the net.
3 wins out of 3 and we are back on track.
Amazing what we can do with a decent break between games. Played well in all 3 games and deserved the wins.
January hurt us I wont lie, and we are as far away from 6th as we are close to 18th. We need a solid few months to secure survival as we have been shown how costly a winless run can be.
Join us next time as we finish the season and start t prepare for a return to a new look Adams Park.
Cheers
Panda
If you have enjoyed this episode and want to fully catch up with our Journey so far you can start way back at the beginning here -
We also recently had our turn in a joint save with other FM creators called "The Far East Express. Please check out our three episodes with the link below. One hell of a journey going on in that save.
We also have an fascinating International save going as we attempt to take Jamaica to Gold Cup and World Cup glory after acquiring some new recruits who have been ignored repeatedly by England
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