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Post by dinokea on May 27, 2023 9:06:48 GMT 1
So, I've decided to bring in a new sim, this time focusing on the birth of the EFL and following it through as far as I can, whether that is the early 1900s, premier league era or beyond. I'll be running through results weekly with a specific match highlighted and doing my best to adapt the results given with what was going on IRL. To make things a little more fun and interesting, at the seasons ending during team nomination anyone following this diary is free to vote on who they believe should receive the spot at the AGM Votings.
1888/89 Season: This post
So without further ado, we may as well just get started:
Week 1 The first game of the season featured a close match, with Bolton Wanderers hosting Stoke. Stoke would score early in the first half maintaining the lead until Bolton equalised in the 89th minute to end the game 1-1
Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 - 2 Preston North End Blackburn Rovers 1 - 0 Derby County Everton 2 - 0 Burnley Aston Villa 1 - 2 Accrington West Bromwich Albion 3 - 0 Notts County
Most games this week end up being fairly close affairs, with teams barely scraping out wins. Everton and West Brom claim the leagues top spots however with convincing wins
Week 2 Our week 2 highlight takes us to a match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Derby County. Both sides were unlucky not to pick up points in their first game of the season and will likely be looking for points. The first goal was scored by Wolves at the edge of half time, heading into the break 1 - 0 up over the hosts. Derby came into the second half firing however scoring in the 56th and 67th minute to lead 2-1. Wolves would equalise in 77th minutes and with the game tied 2-2, an 89th minute winner would send Wolves away with all 3 points.
Stoke 1 - 2 West Bromwich Albion Preston North End 2 - 0 Bolton Wanderers Burnley 0 - 1 Blackburn Rovers
Accrington 5 - 0 Everton
Notts County 1 - 2 Aston Villa
In other match around the league, West Brom put away Stoke while Blackburn steal a win in the 91st minute. Accrington and Preston take the top two spots after dominating their matches. After a rough first half, Villa come from 1-0 down to beat Notts County.
| Team
| Points
| Win | Draw | Loss | GD | | 1st | Accrington
| 4
| 2
| 0
| 0
| +6
| 2nd
| West Bromwich Albion
| 4
| 2
| 0
| 0
| +4
| 3rd
| Preston North End
| 4
| 2
| 0
| 0 | +3
| 4th
| Blackburn Rovers
| 4
| 2
| 0
| 0
| +2
| 5th
| Wolverhampton Wanderers
| 2
| 1
| 0
| 1
| +0
| 6th
| Aston Villa
| 2
| 1
| 0
| 1 | +0 | | 7th | Everton | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -3 | | 8th | Stoke
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | | 9th | Bolton Wanderers
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -2 | | 10th | Derby County
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 2
| -2 | | 11th | Burnley
| 0
| 0
| 0 | 2
| -3 | | 12th | Notts County
| 0
| 0
| 0 | 2
| -4 |
Week 3 & 4 Preview
Week 3
Stoke vs. Preston North End Bolton Wanderers vs. Derby County
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Burnley
Highlight: Blackburn Rovers vs. Accrington
Everton vs. Notts County
West Bromwich Albion vs. Aston Villa
Highlight: Blackburn Rovers come into this match without a single goal scored against them against Accrington who are coming off a dominant win over Everton and sitting top of the league. Both teams are undefeated and could potentially be the divisions top teams
Week 4 Highlight: Preston North End vs. West Bromwich Albion Derby County vs. Stoke Burnley vs. Bolton Wanderers Accrington vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers Notts County vs. Blackburn Rovers Aston Villa vs. Everton
Highlight: Preston and West Brom look as if they could be two of the top teams in this division, so a clash between the two of them this week will reveal who will be in the title fight.
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Post by Moore on May 27, 2023 12:16:59 GMT 1
This is ambitious to say the least. I'm pulling for Blackburn Rovers, as I've always found their 1990s title win fascinating.
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Post by dinokea on May 27, 2023 12:45:59 GMT 1
This is ambitious to say the least. I'm pulling for Blackburn Rovers, as I've always found their 1990s title win fascinating. Definitely ambition, I've attempted a (private) sim of this by myself and managed to reach 1922/23 before I fell off, so I'm hoping to last at least until the 1900s but I will not make any promises about reach the modern era. It's fun to see what crazy results the simulator spits out though as time goes on like getting Middlesbrough Ironopolis as league champions. |
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Post by dinokea on May 28, 2023 3:17:22 GMT 1
Week 3 In a match where Blackburn Rovers never really looked in it, with Stoke scoring within the first 15 minutes and ending Blackburn's clean sheet run. Blackburn never got back into it and Accrington walked away with their 3rd straight win.
Stoke 0 - 2 Preston North End Bolton Wanderers 1 - 0 Derby County Wolverhampton Wanderers 3 - 0 Burnley Everton 0 - 1 Notts County West Bromwich Albion 0 - 1 Aston Villa
Notts County pick up their first points of the season against a patchy Everton, while West Brom suffer their first defeat against Aston Villa. Derby lose a third game by just one goal while Wolves and Preston put away struggling Stoke and Burnley sides.
Week 4
Another match that looked exciting but ended up being extremely one-sided. Preston come into this sitting 2nd, while West Brom sit 4th. Preston dominate the whole game, scoring their first goal in the 8th minute. They'd score twice more in the first half to lead 3-0. West Brom managed to keep them quiet in the second half, but it made little difference.
Derby County 2 - 0 Stoke
Burnley 2 - 1 Bolton Wanderers Accrington 3 - 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers Notts County 1 - 0 Blackburn Rovers Aston Villa 0 - 1 Everton
Some surprising results as Burnley and Derby pick up their first points this season with wins over Stoke and Bolton. Blackburn suffer another defeat, this time to Notts County and Everton steal a win over a more impressive Aston Villa side. Accrington put away Wolves to remain top of the table.
| Team
| Points
| Wins
| Draws
| Lost
| GD
| | 1st | Accrington
| 8
| 4 | 0
| 0
| +9
| 2nd
| Preston North End
| 8
| 4 | 0
| 0
| +8
| 3rd
| Everton
| 5
| 2
| 1
| 1
| -2
| 4th
| Wolverhampton Wanderers
| 4
| 2
| 0 | 2
| +1
| 5th
| West Bromwich Albion
| 4
| 2
| 0
| 2
| +0
| 6th
| Aston Villa
| 4
| 2
| 0
| 2
| +0
| 7th
| Blackburn Rovers
| 4
| 2
| 0
| 2
| +0
| 8th
| Bolton Wanderers
| 3
| 1
| 1
| 2
| -2
| 9th
| Notts County
| 3
| 1
| 1
| 2
| -3
| 10th
| Derby County
| 2
| 1 | 0
| 3
| -1
| | 11th | Burnley
| 2
| 1
| 0
| 3
| -5
| | 12th | Stoke
| 1
| 0
| 1
| 3
| -5
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Week 5 & 6 Preview
Week 5 Preston North End vs. Derby County
Highlight: Stoke vs. Burnley Bolton Wanderers vs. Accrington Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Notts County Blackburn Rovers vs. Aston Villa West Bromwich Albion vs. Everton
Highlight: A clash at the bottom of the table, while Burnley have finally picked up a win, Stoke remain winless after the first 4 games. The 2 points on offer in this match will be vital for survival
Week 6 Derby County vs. West Bromwich Albion Burnley vs. Preston North End Accrington vs. Stoke Highlight: Notts County vs. Bolton Wanderers Aston Villa vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers Everton vs. Blackburn Rovers
Highlight: Another fight near the lower end of the table as both team currently sit on the verge of re-election, with gaining points in this match being crucial for both teams to guarantee their spot in the league next season |
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Post by dinokea on May 29, 2023 7:35:03 GMT 1
Week 5 In a clash between the two sides sitting bottom of the table, it's Burnley who take the lead 5 minutes before half time. Stoke would equalise midway through the second half but in the end, Burnley would take all the points with a 85th minute winner.
Preston North End 5 - 0 Derby County Bolton Wanderers 1 - 1 Accrington Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 - 1 Notts County Blackburn Rovers 0 - 2 Aston Villa West Bromwich Albion 1 - 1 Everton
Accrington drop points with a draw against Bolton as Preston batter Derby to move into the top spot. Wolves put away Notts County. Blackburn's run continues to go poorly as they lose a third straight game against Villa while West Brom and Everton split the points, allowing Wolves to jump up to third place.
Week 6
Coming off the back of an impressive draw, Bolton put away Notts County, with all three goals coming in the second half. Bolton would score first 55 minutes in, but Notts County would equalise with 14 minutes left. An 83rd minute winner for Bolton would hand the two points to them and putting them 2 points clear of the re-election zone.
Derby County 0 - 1 West Bromwich Albion Burnley 1 - 2 Preston North End Accrington 1 - 0 Stoke Aston Villa 0 - 2 Wolverhampton Wanderers Everton 3 - 1 Blackburn Rovers
In the other matches, West Brom defeat Burnley in extra time, Preston put away Burnley just after they start getting back in the match. Stoke's keeper puts on an impressive display to keep a dominant Accrington down to only one goal. Wolves comfortable beat Villa and Blackburn Rovers find 3 goals in their net before half time, to continue their poor run.
| Team
| Points
| Win
| Draw
| Loss
| GD
| | 1st | Preston North End
| 12
| 6
| 0
| 0
| +14
| 2nd
| Accrington
| 11
| 5
| 1
| 0
| +10
| 3rd
| Wolverhampton Wanderers
| 8
| 4
| 0
| 2
| +4
| 4th
| Everton
| 8
| 3
| 2
| 1
| +0
| 5th
| West Bromwich Albion
| 7
| 3
| 1
| 2
| +1
| 6th
| Aston Villa
| 6
| 3
| 0
| 3
| +0
| 7th
| Bolton Wanderers
| 6
| 2
| 2
| 2
| -1
| | 8th | Blackburn Rovers
| 4
| 2
| 0
| 4
| -4
| 9th
| Burnley
| 4
| 2
| 0
| 4
| -5 | | 10th | Notts County
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -5
| | 11th | Derby County
| 2
| 1
| 0
| 5 | -7 | | 12th | Stoke
| 1
| 0 | 1 | 5 | -7 |
Week 7 & 8 Preview
Week 7 Derby County vs. Burnley Highlight: Preston North End vs. Accrington
Stoke vs. Notts County Bolton Wanderers vs. Aston Villa Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Everton West Bromwich Albion vs. Blackburn Rovers
Highlight: An
all around exciting match week, but no match stands out more than the top of
the table clash between Preston and Accrington. Neither team have lost a match
yet with Preston having a perfect record. This match is guaranteed to have
title ramifications
Week 8 Burnley vs. West Bromwich Albion Accrington vs. Derby County Notts County vs. Preston North End Aston Villa vs. Stoke Highlight: Everton vs. Bolton Wanderers Blackburn Rovers vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers
Highlight: In what looks set to be one of the more predictable match weeks following a big
week 7, Everton vs. Bolton could provide an exciting result with both in the
midtable battle and coming off challenging games, there is a chance for a
Bolton upset to move them clear of the bottom places .
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Post by Moore on May 29, 2023 13:44:23 GMT 1
We're still less than halfway through the opening season, but it appears that we have two main contenders for the title: PNE and Accrington. And they're about to clash, meaning if Preston wins, they'll have a nice lead.
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Post by dinokea on May 30, 2023 7:45:59 GMT 1
Week 7 Nobody thought this match was going to be so one-sided, but by the end of the match, Accrington get away lucky after incredibly holding out the first half, Preston only manage to get goals past in the 77th and 85th minutes. Following this match, Preston are 3 points clear.
Derby County 1 - 1 Burnley
Stoke 2 - 0 Notts County Bolton Wanderers 0 - 3 Aston Villa Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 - 0 Everton West Bromwich Albion 2 - 0 Blackburn Rovers
Preston aren't the only team to dominate their opponents as Wolves keep Everton completely out of their match and moving 1 point behind Accrington. Stoke pick up their first win of the season against Notts County, while Blackburn find themselves unlucky to concede 2 at Stoney Lane.
Week 8
Bolton walk away with the win at Anfield between two sides who were coming off bad defeats with an 85th minute winner. Bolton lead 1-0 at half time, but Everton would equalise 10 minutes in the second. It would all be for naught however as Bolton walk away with the win and jump Everton on the table due to head-to-head record.
Burnley 2 - 1 West Bromwich Albion
Accrington 0 - 1 Derby County Notts County 2 - 1 Preston North End Aston Villa 2 - 0 Stoke Blackburn Rovers 3 - 4 Wolverhampton Wanderers
In a ridiculously unpredictable round Burnley defeat West Brom to move out of the re-election zone, Derby still a win over Accrington in the 82nd minute, Preston's undefeated run is shockingly ended at Trent Bridge, Stoke are dominated at Wellington Road and Leamington Road hosts a 7 goal thriller between Blackburn and Wolves, which seems the former drop to 11th and the later jump Accrington into 2nd.
| Team | Points
| Win
| Draw | Loss | GD | | 1st | Preston North End
| 14
| 7
| 0
| 1
| +15
| 2nd
| Wolverhampton Wanderers
| 12
| 6
| 0
| 2
| +7 | 3rd
| Accrington
| 11
| 5
| 1
| 2
| +7 | 4th
| Aston Villa
| 10
| 5
| 0
| 3
| +5 | 5th
| West Bromwich Albion
| 9
| 4
| 1
| 3
| +2
| 6th
| Bolton Wanderers
| 8
| 3
| 2
| 3
| -3
| 7th
| Everton
| 8 | 3
| 2
| 3
| -3
| 8th
| Burnley
| 7
| 3
| 1
| 4
| -4
| 9th
| Notts County
| 5
| 2
| 1
| 5
| -6
| | 10th | Derby County
| 5
| 2
| 1 | 5
| -6
| | 11th | Blackburn Rovers
| 4
| 2
| 0
| 6 | -7 | | 12th | Stoke
| 3 | 1
| 1
| 6 | -7 |
Weeks 9 & 10 Preview
Week 9 Burnley vs. Accrington Derby County vs. Notts County Highlight: Preston North End vs. Aston Villa Stoke vs. Everton
Bolton Wanderers vs. Blackburn Rovers West Bromwich Albion vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers
Highlight: After going 7 games unbeaten Preston have finally lost a point, so an Aston Villa side who have been looking quite competitive should be expected to give them a good challenge, although being at Deepdale you'd expect Preston to have the advantage
Week 10 West Bromwich Albion vs. Accrington Notts County vs. Burnley Aston Villa vs. Derby County Everton vs. Preston North End Highlight: Blackburn Rovers vs. Stoke
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Bolton Wanderers
Highlight: A bottom of the table clash, with Blackburn having lost their last 6 games, while Stoke have only a single win all season. Winning this could be the turning point in one of these teams' seasons. |
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Post by Moore on May 30, 2023 11:21:15 GMT 1
I was forgetting that there were only 2 points for a win until the 1990s. Preston did their job in the top of the table clash only to crash the plane in the next week. Unbelievable, Jeff!
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Post by dinokea on May 31, 2023 9:58:09 GMT 1
Week 9 This result was probably a given, as Preston recover from their embarrassing defeat at the hands of Notts County by putting 2 goals past Aston Villa in the first 20 minutes. A 76th minute goal pretty much guarantees the win for Preston, with a late goal from Villa proving to be little more than a consolation
Burnley 0 - 1 Accrington Derby County 2 - 1 Notts County Stoke 1 - 0 Everton Bolton Wanderers 2 - 1 Blackburn Rovers West Bromwich Albion 1 - 3 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Accrington's short losing streak comes to an end with a win at Turf Moor while Notts County find themselves back on the losing end of matches. Stoke gain their second win of the season over Everton, while Blackburn's horror run continues with a 7th straight defeat. The Black Country Derby's first appearance in the league sees Wolves soundly beating West Brom at Stoney Lane.
Week 10
Blackburn's horrible losing run comes to an end as they defeat Stoke in a bottom of the table clash to jump up into 10th place, scoring late in the first half to win the game.
West Bromwich Albion 2 -1 Accrington Notts County 1 - 1 Burnley Aston Villa 2 - 2 Derby County Everton 1 - 1 Preston North End Wolverhampton Wanderers 0 - 1 Bolton Wanderers
Notts County are robbed points at Burnley as they find themselves unable to convert their numerous chances while all the top 3 teams drop points which ends up allowing Preston to move 3 clear despite a draw.
| Team
| Points
| Win
| Draw
| Loss
| GD
| | 1st | Preston North End
| 17
| 8
| 1
| 1
| +17
| 2nd
| Wolverhampton Wanderers
| 14
| 7
| 0
| 3
| +8
| 3rd
| Accrington
| 13
| 6
| 1
| 3
| +7 | 4th
| Bolton Wanderers
| 12
| 5 | 2
| 3
| -1
| 5th
| Aston Villa
| 11
| 5
| 1
| 4
| +3
| 6th
| West Bromwich Albion
| 11
| 5
| 1
| 4
| +1
| 7th
| Everton
| 9
| 3
| 3
| 4
| -4
| 8th
| Derby County
| 8
| 3
| 2
| 5
| -5
| 9th
| Burnley
| 8
| 3
| 2
| 5
| -5
| | 10th | Blackburn Rovers
| 6
| 3
| 0
| 7
| -7 | | 11th | Notts County
| 6
| 2
| 2
| 6 | -7 | | 12th | Stoke
| 5
| 2
| 1
| 7
| -7 |
Week 11 & 12 Preview
Week 11
Accrington vs. Notts County Burnley vs. Aston Villa Derby County vs. Everton Preston North End vs. Blackburn Rovers Stoke vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers
Highlight: Bolton Wanderers vs. West Bromwich Albion
Highlight: Separated by just 1 point, the most exciting match this week looks to be taking place at Pike's Lane as Bolton take on West Brom. Despite patchy form, both teams are within striking distances of the top spots and a win here will likely mean big things.
Week 12 Stoke vs. Bolton Wanderers
Highlight: Preston North End vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers Derby County vs. Blackburn Rovers
Burnley vs. Everton
Accrington vs. Aston Villa
Notts County vs. West Bromwich Albion
Highlight: A close loss in the first round and losing vital points to Bolton means this match will be critical for Wolves if they wish to prevent Preston from running away with the title. |
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Post by Moore on May 31, 2023 12:19:46 GMT 1
Things continue to look bright for Preston as we approach the end of the first half of the league.
A question I need to make: does League Simulator actually gives you the details about chances and goal scoring minutes now?
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