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Golden Boot News
REVIEW - 3rd January 2025

With 2024 in the rear-view mirror and 2025 now in the driver's seat, it's a great time to take stock of how things a looking across the various Alfalfa Competitions.
After 9 rounds of the Golden Boot competition, we have a couple of frontrunners going by the names of *Chris V* (46 goals) and *Robert* (45) pretty much a 50% strike rate! Superb work fellas! Chris is well in contention to become the first manager in Alfalfa history to win back-to-back Golden Boot titles while Robert is aiming to make the podium for the first time in his long Alfalfa career. Sitting in join third place on 43 goals are *Craig*, who has bounced back very well from relegation from the A's by recruiting some decent attacking stocks and *Steve Merc* who is already proving he is no one season wonder after a stellar debut year last time out.

Just one goal and one place behind on 42 goals are *Toby*, who has taking last years form to yet another level, and newcomer *Matthew A* who has taken to this competition like a duck to water, let's see if this continues into 2025.
Rounding out the top seven, we see *Steve Mirf* who like Toby and Steve Merc, has continued his rich debut season form to be nicely placed at this moment in time.
A quick look at the bottom sees the Mason's brothers *Louis* and *Zac* (a.k.a. The Brothers Grimm) in big trouble on just 12 and 8 goals respectively. As Yazz once said, 'the only way is up!'
A-League News
REVIEW - 3rd January 2025

With 9 games gone, it is safe to say that the A-League has been very competitive so far this year, on their day, anyone team can beat any other. That said, there are 3 sides who have stuck their necks out in front in the early stages of the campaign. In what is a surprise to absolutely no one, defending Champions Klopp of the Pops are leading the way yet again, picking up 21 points from a possible 27 and are currently making a mockery of the old 'Champions Curse' that has plagued so many of their predecessors. Could they become the first club EVER to win back-to-back A-League titles?

Two sides who appear best placed to scupper that dream are 2020-21 Champions Pistol Knights FC (19 pts) and White Line Fever (17 pts). Both sides are currently undefeated in their opening 9 games and have done so by being the two highest scoring sides in the league, Knights with 40 and Fever with 39. If they can continue this level of accuracy in front of goal, they will be right in the mixer come season's end.

Invincible Eleven finish 2024 sitting in 4th place on 14 points, with a nice little two-point lead over the rest of the pack. While they are still a fair way behind the leaders, they have suffered just one defeat and if they can turn some of their draws into victories, it won't be longer before that gap begins to close. Rounding out the top six are PetrolHead Town and Sparky United who are both on 12 points and both have an even steven 3 wins, 3 draws and 3 losses to their name. Town even have a zero Goal Difference, making them the most Zen team in the entire competition!

Looking further down the table, it is much more congested as just two points separate Max Power (11 pts) in 7th place from reigning B-League Champs Beercelona Citeh (9 pts) in 11th place. Sandwiched in between are fellow promoted sides Melchester Rovers and FC Reality (both 11 pts) and The Yahoos (10 pts). Overall, an OK start for these sides but they will all be looking to register more victories moving forward.

Taking a look at the relegation zone, there is already a small gap to the rest of the league. InThain FC (7 pts), NFI United (7 pts) and Middleton Academicals (6 pts) are the sides currently occupying these places. All 3 are in the bottom 5 in terms of goals scored, while NFI and the Accies have the worst defensive record in the league. With only one win each, it is clear to see that they need to turn their fortunes around quickly in 2025.
B-League News
REVIEW - 3rd January 2025

The first thing that leaps off the page when looking at the current B-League table is the very fact that the top 3 sides, Canucks United (20 pts), Tobs FC (20 pts) and Koan United FC (17 pts) were the very same 3 sides that achieved promotion from the C-League last campaign in dominant fashion. And by the looks of it they are using whatever magic formula they concocted and using it once again in the Bs. Should all 3 achieve promotion this season, it would certainly be the first time that has occurred in Alfalfa history, however there have been a number of individual clubs who have achieved back-to-back promotions over the years such as The Yahoos (08 and 09), City Young Boys (09 and 10), Avg Kennies (09 and 10), Edwardstown Thistle (10 and 11), Shinboners (10 and 11), Molineux Mixers (13 and 14), Four For Two FC (14 and 15), InThain FC (15 and 16), Sparky United (17 and 18), Candy Crush Champions (19 and 20), Klopp of the Pops (21 and 22), Tartan Soup Thistle (22 and 23) and Melchester Rovers (23 and 24).

The main side looking to spoil this party are Edwardstown Thistle who after battling relegation the last few years have started this year in great nick, they sit in 4th on 16 points, just one behind the top three. Rounding out the top 6 are West Boinging Albion and Meniscus Kickers. Albion have recovered well after receiving a relegation reprieve and are looking to finally get back to the big time after too many heartbreaks to mention! Kickers are another side that have been on the cusp of the A-League a number of times and look well poised to kick on in 2025, pun intended!

There is a logjam in the middle of the league with 7th to 10th all locked on 11 points. Those sides, Father-in-Law FC, Tartan Soup Thistle, Citydale United and Winterfell FC all have identical win, draw, loss records as well! Just one point behind in 11th place are Beaza Boys.

Like in the A-League, there is already a bit of a gap between the bottom three clubs and the rest of the comp. Currently, SWeeP, Molineux Mixers and Burra Boys are all looking worse for wear as they sit collectively on 7 points each, three away from safety. A big 2025 is needed for these teams if they wish to resurrect their fortunes.
C-League News
REVIEW - 3rd January 2025

After the opening 9 rounds, Rads FC have emerged as the clear frontrunner in the C-League with 8 wins from 9 games, an astonishing start to life as a new club! Even more impressive is the fact that Rads have qualified for the Quarter Finals of the Alfalfa Cup, they are going to take some beating it seems.

Sitting in 2nd place are Long Jackets FC. Borne out of sister club Short Skirts FC, the rename has been a breath of fresh air that has seen them pick up 19 points from a possible 27. Coupled with a Semi-Final berth in the Champions League to look forward to, 2025 could be a breakthrough year for this team.
A few points back in 3rd place are The BigOnion FC. The club returned to the Alfalfa fold this season after a long hiatus and quickly picked up where they left off. While results in recent weeks haven't been quite as good, theyaEUR(TM)d be happy with the start TBO 2.0 have had.

Joining TBO in the playoff places are the trio of FC FC, FC Metal and Hockeroos, all sitting nicely on 15 points from their opening 9 games. FC Metal and Hockeroos have flattered to deceive in previous seasons, no doubt their long-suffering fans would love at least a playoff berth this campaign. For new boys FC FC, they started like a house on fire with 5 wins in a row, but a recent run of 4 defeats in succession has brought them back down to reality. They'll be aiming to return to winning ways asap in 2025.

In the middle of the pack, Hat Bitt United, AEK and Haven't Jota Clue all sit on 13 points, one clear of Full of Ham FC while Backstreet Moyes sit one further place and point adrift in 11th place, with 11 points. They are all well clear of the bottom 3 sides Konnerloby FC, Hawk 1+1 (both 5 pts) and Freakbob (1 pt) who all appear to have thrown in the towel before the season had even really gotten going. Will the new year awaken some kind sleeping giant from within? We can only hope. Of course, unless you happen to be playing them soon, then you are more than happy for the freebie.
ALFALFA Cup News
ROUND 3 REVIEW

Alfalfa brought 2025 with a bang as on New Year's Day, we saw some incredible Cup action as 16 sides fought for a spot in the Quarter Finals of this season's competition. Clearly the new year caught a few sides napping (or perhaps nursing a hangover) as we incredibly saw four games decided with a 1-0 scoreline. C-League frontrunners Rads FC continued their momentum with a shock win over Citydale United at The Citadel to keep repping the C-League in this year's comp, while A-League sides InThain FC, NFI United and White Line Fever advanced to the quarters in the same vein, knocking out Champions League Semi-Finalists Edwardstown Thistle, Molineux Mixers and A-league leaders Klopp of the Pops in the process. One other tie was decided in regulation time as B-League promotion hopefuls Tobs FC shocked A-League side FC Reality by 3 goals to 1 at Christmas Stadium.

Perhaps the biggest news of the round was the elimination of holders Max Power who went out via the lottery of penalties against B-Leaguers Winterfell FC. The regulation time was fairly uneventful with the scores locked at 1-1, however the game exploded into life in Extra Time, with both sides scoring 3 goals each to end the contest at 4 goals apiece. With penalties, it was the visitors who held their nerve, emerging victorious 4 goals to 2.

In the other two ties, Beercelona Citeh survived a scare against C-League side AEK at Old Trafford. They needed extra time to eventually knock off the fledgling hosts, winning 6-4 after being locked at 2-2 at the end of regulation time. And in the all A-League affair between Melchester Rovers and Invincible Eleven at Camp Nooo, it was the Invincible ones who edged it 6-5 in Extra Time after also being locked at 2-2 after the regulation 90.

A quick look at the draw for the Quarters and we see Rads FC hosting NFI United at Greenhill Arena, can their dream run continue? At least one B-League side will make the Semis as FC's Winterfell and Tobs lock horns at The Wall. And in the other contests, InThain FC host Beercelona Citeh at Tennents Park and Invincible Eleven take on White Line Fever. All ties take place in Gameweek 34 which starts on the of 11th February.
ALFALFA Champions League News
QUARTER FINALS REVIEW

And then there were four. The Alfalfa Champions League Quarter Finals were played out over two enthralling legs in early December and the neutrals were not disappointed.

The biggest news comes in the form of C-League side Long Jackets FC who prevailed over B-League side Beaza Boys on penalties as their tie ended 8 goals apiece after extra time in the 2nd leg. Beaza had taken the advantage in the 1st leg with a 2-1 win at The Undercarriage, however Jackets flipped the script at Ellandfield Road to win the 2nd leg 4-3 at the end of normal time, resulting in a 6-all tie. Extra time ensued and the goal fest continued. No winner could be determined and so Penalties were required in which Jackets held their nerve to win 3-2 and advance to the semis in January.

The 3 other games did not require extra time or penalties to determine the winners. The resurgence of B-League Edwardstown Thistle took another step as they sideswiped Koan United FC by 8 goals to 4 on aggregate. Thistle securing two lots of 4-2 victories to seal their spot in the final four.

The two remaining spots were claimed by A-League sides. The Yahoos' class proved too much for a plucky FC Metal, eventually winning by 8 goals to 6 on aggregate. With the first leg ending 3-3 the threat of an upset was very real, but the Yahoos stepped up when it really mattered.

Joining them are White Line Fever who dominated a very disappointing Melchester Rovers in the only all A-League tie. Fever edged the first leg 2-1 at Hindmost Stadium, however in the return leg at Camp Nooo, the visitors demolished the hosts 5-0 to prevail 7-1 on aggregate.

The Semi Final Draw sees Long Jackets FC take on Edwardstown Thistle and White Line Fever facing off against The Yahoos. Meaning that we guaranteed one non-A-League team in the Final.
ALFALFA Womens Super League News
REVIEW - 18th January 2025

After 10 rounds of the inaugural Alfalfa WSL, we have seen a wide spread of interesting results and an array of good and bad luck across the league. One clear observation is that we have a breakaway group of four sides at the top of the league who will take some catching if any other side wishes to take part in the final series.

Leading the line are InThain FC who have been dominant from the opening weekend. Their haul of 23 points from a possible 30 shows just how well they have begun their campaign and with a massive 9-point gap between themselves and the 5th place side, they will have to have a massive reversal in form for them to fall out of the top 4 come season's end. The same can be said for FC Unreality who side in 2nd place, just one point off the pacesetters. While they haven't be as prolific in front of goal, they have built their season on the back of their measly defence who have only conceded 24 goals, an incredible 12 goals less than the next best defensive team!

Rounding out the top 4 are Beaza Girls (19 pts) and Maxine Power (18 pts). Like InThain FC, they have been prolific in front of goal, scoring 46 (leading scorers) and 44 goals (joint 2nd highest along with InThain FC) respectively. One would imagine their goal for the 2nd half of the season is to keep up this scoring form and turn a few of those draws into wins to sneak into the top two spots.

Casting an eye over the rest of the league and there is a bit of a log jam in the middle with just two points separating 5th placed Red Mist FC (14 pts) and 9th placed Short Skirts FC (12 pts). Sandwiched in the middle of them are Knickerbocker Glory (14 pts), West Boinging Albion (13 pts) and Frockeroos (also 13 pts). Of these sides, Red Mist appear to be the best equipped at challenging the top four as they are 4th top scorers (43 goals) however must tighten up at the back as they have the 5th worst defence (40 goals conceded).

The Yaherrs sit in 10th place with 8 points so far. On their day they have shown they can match it with the best, but unfortunately those performances are few and far between and having the joint worst defence in the league certainly doesn't help. Let's see if they can finish the season on the front foot. Below them are two sides still searching for their first victories of a soul crushing campaign. Tillies FC can perhaps call themselves a little unlucky as 5 of those games have ended in draws and so that elusive win can't be too far away, however the defensive frailties that see them share the worst defence record with The Yaherrs needs sorting out asap.

Then there is Hat Bitt United. It has well and truly been a season to forget for them, securing just 2 draws from their opening 10 contests. Here's hoping they can flip the script for the remainder of the season and start troubling the oppositions goalies on a more regular basis and in turn, jag themselves a win or two.
Community Shield News
Congratulations to 2024 Cup Winners Max Power who defeated 2024 A-League double Championship and Premiership winners Klopp of the Pops 8 goals to 7 in the Community Shield season curtain raiser.

With both sides locked together at 5-5 after regulation time, Extra Time was needed to determine a winner and it was the Cup specialists who prevailed