Victory

We headed straight from Heath FC's stadium to Cardiff International Airport, where we flew to Bergen in Norway for a friendly encounter with the exotic-sounding Spiceboys. And, as you've probably already gathered from the title of this entry, Hampton managed something of a continental masterclass.

In a game which we dominated in shots, if not possession, the Hampton Harriers notched up their first ever competitive victory with a 3-1 beating of the Spiceboys. The history books will show that it was Serginho who scored the maiden Hampton goal, but the man of the match award was never going to be taken away from Marian Pahars, who had an astounding game. He forced a string of fine saves out of Spiceboys keeper Manuel Herrera, but the Spaniard was beaten by Pahars on two occasions.

A consolation goal from Adel Taarabt meant that we missed out on our first clean sheet, but the boys are obviously delighted to have their first win under their belts. Sadly, my elation was short-lived as I received a disturbing call from the club's accountant.

"Did you know that the club has exceeded its overdraft limit?" a worried voice said to me.

"Hmm, that's a bit odd. I know that the team's wages were paid today, but that should have been balanced out by our income payments from the FA. Can you text me the latest transactions on the account?"

A moment later, I received an SMS:

00:04 Player wages out £61,800
00:04 Daily income £1

I worriedly called our accountant again. "I'm pretty sure the end of that message was cut off; you said that we only made one pound today!"

"That's not a typo."

Clearly there was going to be more than training on my mind when I returned to England.

Neil's note: Sadly I won't get a chance to add any blog posts on Friday - real life plans have decided to get in the way instead! The Hampton story will continue on Saturday, as the club plays its final friendlies in the run-up to the NFA season's start. There'll also be some detailed impressions on Football Manager Live itself.