My FM24 journeyman career as someone who has never played a minute of football, only watches the WC & Euros and has 0 ball/tactical knowledge of the sport.

Tldr; my experiences in my first season in my first journeyman save while in the lower Welsh leagues all while trying to learn the game.

This is a fairly long read

For context: I actually have played about 50-ish hours on FM before but it was all frustrating on and off sessions where i kept trying to bring Oldham and York to the prem and failed miserably or just got bored of the same team every season and didn’t really learn anything. What I think I learned: 4-3-3 is good? & scour national teams for great youth prospects.

We start off our journey looking for jobs with the most realistic create-a-character player I’ve ever made; a complete fish out of water with 0 coaching badges and 0 playing experience. I made sure to not apply to any clubs that were above a 1 1/2 star reputation just to make it more realistic… I didn’t really need to worry though as only a handful of teams even looked at me. Most laughed. The only team that looked my way was a team in the 2nd division of the Welsh league; Briton Ferry Llansawel.

Which I was incredibly confused because I had no idea Wales had a league? What’s the point of having Cardiff, Swansea, Wrexham and all these other Welsh clubs in the English football system if you have your own league? Wtf is up with that?

Anyways, I join up and realize I’m in for a tall task; promotion. Now in the 2nd division of Welsh football, they only allow a singular team to move up into the JD Cymru so I know my team has to be perfect and a little lucky. I start off looking at my squad and notice some nice pieces, 35 year old Welsh league veteran Luke Bowen who can play ST, AM and AMR. Cameron Berry who would be a perfect midfielder who has good Technique, Flair & Dribbling for the league & finally, my two wing-backs. LWB Declan Evans & RWB Ryan George. They played angry and fast although not very skilled and I loved every yellow and red card they brought me. A 4-3-3 DM Wide Gegenpress caught my eye and I said why the hell not.

On top of some additions to the midfield in Midfielders Shaiyon Johnson, James Vickers and Jacob Heckles, we were playing very well and surfing at the top of the table til about halfway through the league until I noticed something in the transfer section that blew my mind… I had failed to notice that there was already pre-arranged deals made to move my best player CM Cameron Berry, my left back demon Declan Evans, my 3 rated backup WB and my backup cup keeper (my main keeper hated big matches).

What the hell do I do now?! As I was trying my best to scout players which took to long I accidentally offered somebody a trial and realized… “holy shit I can see their ratings?!”. Thus began the trial farming slut I have become. I trailed EVERY single wing back, keeper and midfielder I could to make up for my past managers ridiculous decisions. He left me without any wingbacks or depth in the midfield! What a wanker. (England slang now that I’m a professional big bad FM player).

It takes me a few weeks and we fall in the standings a bit due to that error but I finally find my guys. 28yo DM/CM Corey Francis, CM George Burrows (who retired DIRECTLY after this season even though he was in his 20’s?) and AML George Burrows to help out the lack of quality on the left since Declan Evans and my 3 star backup WB was sent to a team in the SAME LEAGUE AS US. Surely that wont stab us in the back!

All of those signings made my midfield as strong as ever and along with some help from the past avatars (more pre-arranged deals) I discovered AM/ST Corey Hurford who is a younger Luke Bowen it seems who took over my ST position while the old head Bowen took over my AMR position and Jonathan Hood, who took over my AML towards the end of the season and who I despise with all of my bones. Oh yeah and I signed a new GK I found trial farming in February who started games from then on because he didn’t piss down his leg in big matches.

Coming down to the end of the season I have a 27 GD, 57 points and there are two matches left. There are 3 teams in the running with me to be promoted to the big leagues and I plan on taking every. single. one of them down. These teams are Carmarthen who have handed my own ass to me twice this season sitting at 56 points, Baglan Dragons sitting at a 32 GD (?!) with only 54 points somehow and Cambrian & Clydach at 56… those fucks.

It also completely passed my mind that I didn’t say I’m in the finals of the JD Cymru League Cup at this point, so not only is Promotion on the line, but a cup as well.

So what does a normal manager do? I go in there and try to rah-rah my players about this game! I walk into the meeting room, everybody looks nervous but we lead the league so who gives a shit we’re gonna win it all! I walk up to the lads and have a chat with them that went something like this: “Just focus up guys, a few more games and we’ll be up to the next league! Dial in for these next few!” to which I was met with crickets and a lone “Why are you putting this pressure on us?!” from this silly bitch in a tracksuit Jonathan Hood, who has averaged a whopping 6.5 average rating in the AML position over 10 appearances starting.

I’m in awe as everyone in the room instantly turns against me, my locker room atmosphere plummets and they start to hate me. Whatever. We have a game coming up against a mid-table opponent and I have to focus on that. The team is… Trefelin BGC. Why is this name important? Well… remember Declan Evans and my other unnamed 3 star WB? Well lets introduce you to them! Declan Evans must have been injured as he wasn’t appearing in the game but my other WB who I will now introduce as Connor Goldsworthy sure as hell was!

Most of the game was back and forth with neither team budging and as the 35th minute approached tragedy struck. Connor Goldsworthy, former Briton Ferry player dribbles past two of my defenders and plays a cross so perfectly it went a hair over my centerbacks head and landed perfectly on the foot of an attacker who didn’t even have to put force on the ball for it to go flying at mach fuck into the bottom right corner of the goal.

We were down 0-1. We were in shock the rest of the game and only had two more chances which turned to nothing. We lost… we were dead in the water but at least out GD didn’t hurt too bad and maybe we could still pull something out of Cambrian & Clydach lose or draw. But they didn’t. They won and not only did they win… but Carmarthen won as well. We were third in the league and had to rely on others misfortune to win.

12 days later I didn’t even talk to my squad in pure disappointment in our great season possibly coming to an end with no promotion. We hop on the team bus on our was to Llanelli Town’s pitch and the bus is silent. I don’t talk to the players in warmups either; I can’t risk them losing morale again.

The match starts and we’re dominating. No goals. But dominating. We’re making most of our passes, controlling possession and best of all, actually putting decent shots on net. But something’s wrong? We’re 60 minutes in now and nothing’s changing? It’s still 0-0 and their keeper is stopping every shot we make. Shit. This is bad. Even with a win here we need help; we desperately need a win not a draw. But nothing is changing even in the 90th minute going into extra time. I’ve been on very attacking mentality since halftime and NOTHING has changed. Shit what do I do what do I do? The whistle blows. It’s 0-0. Our title run is over. We might not even make top 2… or 3.

A stinker from my top 3 in Hood (6.3), Hurford (6.5), and Bowen (6.4) are to blame. We finished the game with 8 shots on target to their 0, 1.02 xG to their 0.32 xG, 13 corners to their 4, 74% possession to their 26% and 83% passes completed to their 64% passes completed. How in the world was this a draw. We finish 4th in the table with Baglan below us, Carmathen in 2nd and Cambrian & Clydach going up to the JD Cymru with 62 points. We didn’t even finish top 3.

I’m fuming. We still have the Tier 2 League Cup Final to play but I cannot believe that this team let the title run away from us like that. I’m furious at every player in my locker room but don’t want to say anything to them in fear of another uprising like last time.

The day is upon us a week later. We’re up against Llanidloes from the JD Cymru North and we are projected to lose. Whatever. I will drag this sorry ass team to a cup win and get the hell out of here. The whistle blows and we’re on to the cup final, 5 minutes in Shaiyon Johnson scores but it’s disallowed due to it being offsides. Brutal. We rally with a goal by that lousy fuck Jonathan Hood in the 14th minute and I’m starting to think we can really win this. In the 37th minute the enemy has the ball and isn’t even at the halfway mark before my ST, Hurford rockets in spikes up and launches himself into their poor midfielders legs and folds the guy in half. I’m watching in shock… WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?! I scream to myself too loudly that my roommate had to check on me.

I’m not sure what to do… we’re up one but down a player. Fuck it. We’re going turtle mode. I turned my mentality onto very defensive and throw my formation into a 4-4-1 because Goddammit I feel like it. I miraculously survived til halftime without conceding and gave my players a pep talk that could bring a hippie to Vietnam. We’re doing very well for ourselves and SOMEHOW in this God forsaken game with this God forsaken formation we actually SCORE ANOTHER ONE. Bowen breaks free and I can’t remember why I took him off of ST as the old fox broke free for one last run before his retirement and struck a ball perfectly into top bins and brought us to 2-0 in the 53rd minute.

Everything is going SWIMMINGLY. We are wasting time any chance we get and frustrating the hell out of our opponent. That is, until the 84th minute. There was not a single highlight from the 53rd to the 84th and I was very happy with that. Then I had to face reality as their new subs outran my tired wingbacks and crossed a ball into the penalty box where the ST scored with ease. Shit. I don’t ever use this formation, these players have no idea what the hell they’re doing. Who do I even sub in? Do I even sub anyone in? And then a light bulb appears above my head.

“Why don’t I just sub in my energized best pen takers just in case they score again I still have the advantage?” A stroke of genius if I say so myself.

Because not long after, in the witching hour of the 93rd minute their midfielder scores a screamer from outside the pen box and we’re tied 2-2 and going to pens.

I’m nervous but this is why we got our new keeper even if it was late in the season.

Pen taker 1: Johnathan Hood. He shoots and… it goes DIRECTLY INTO THE KEEPERS HANDS. The smug fuck didn’t even try to slot it anywhere. The keeper didn’t even move. “Oh my god we’re fucked.”

By the grace of God our keeper made a stop and we went on til my keeper comes up himself. He shoots… he HITS THE BAR. “NO!”. I’m in disbelief. This is it… my season was a complete failure.

Their pen taker steps up… and rockets it towards the left. “It’s over”.

UNTIL MY GLORIOUS KEEPER WITH SPRINGS IN HIS BOOTS FUCKING LAUNCHES HIS BODY AT THE BALL AND PUNCHES IT TO THE MOON.

WE’RE STILL IN THIS.

It goes to 11th pen and Hood is back up… don’t bottle this you fuck. He bangs it in. “YES!”

Next steps up their best. I’m nervous. Sweat beading off my greasy forehead from this 6 hour FM binge session. Olivier Davies, our keeper, has an aura about him. I can feel it. This is gonna be it.

Their taker shoots. AND DAVIES CATCHES IT WITHOUT TAKING A STEP.

AND THATS IT!! WE’VE DONE IT! WE HAVE WON THE TIER 2 LEAGUE CUP EVEN IN THE WORST OF FORM AND WITH THE ODDS STACKED AGAINST US.

WE’VE WON.

Thank you if you read all this way, just wanted to share my first year of my Journeyman save while I learn the sport and the game! I’ve learned a lot of love for this game and community as well as some of the dos and donts during this first season of this save and it was really fun! Will definitely be continuing this save.