1st September 2025 – Davies rises early, as he always does to walk Russell, his 9 year old black labrador. Once he has braved the cold and done the morning walk he sets off for the gym to continue his morning routine. With his airpods in, Davies tunes in to another football podcast and is able to reflect on his side’s 3-2 home defeat to Dundee the previous day.
“I can’t help shift the feeling that we shouldn’t have lost that game.” Davies was right, they were 2-0 up inside 5 minutes but a moment of madness from Cameron Blues in the 17th minute saw him receive a straight red card and Spartans couldn’t hold on. In truth, Dundee were dominant in all areas other than possession and they rightly went on to win the game. The topic of discussion on the podcast was all about the modern number 6 and how big clubs have benefitted from using one.
The key example was that of Brazilian Fabinho and his time at Liverpool. During Liverpool’s dominant period under Klopp, Fabinho and the 6 was a crucial position. Fabinho was key to breaking up attacks and starting counter attacks. Klopp had transitioned from a flat midfield two with a 10, in the form of fellow Brazilian, Phillipe Coutinho, to a modern 6 sitting in front of the defence. It was at this point that Davies thought “it might not be pretty but it can be effective and at the end of the day, football is a results game“.
A Recap
Welcome back to another instalment of ‘Rise of the Spartans’. You join us at the conclusion of season three and our first in the Scottish Championship. If you are here for the first time, please do catch up on the previous two blog posts and they will bring you bang up to date.
Before we proceed to review season three, I thought it was worth recapping the objective of the save:
(A) De-throne Rangers and Celtic from their dominance of Scottish Football;
(B) Assert ourselves as the best club in Edinburgh;
(C) Become the manager of the Scottish National Team; and
(D) Improve Scotland’s European Co-efficient rankings.
We finished up last time at the end of August 2025 and that is exactly where we will pick things up. On with the show!
Transfer Business
Before we get into the results, it’s worth looking at some transfer business that was concluded since the previous blog post.
It became apparent very quickly that Jordan Eastham just wasn’t good enough and he was making some big mistakes between the sticks. Although he looks solid on paper, his performances just weren’t up to scratch and I had to act quick. Step forward 20 year-old Caleb Ansen who presented a huge upgrade on Eastham. Extremely happy to have got this deal done and over the line with Norwich.
Two further signings bolstered the ranks. Firstly, we brought in a new left back as our Colombian summer signing of Juan Jose Tello left us underwhelmed. We managed to pick up 23 year-old Owen Dodgson on a free transfer after he was released by Burnley. He has a full season of experience in the Scottish Premiership having spent last season at Livingston where he made 34 appearances. Finally, a bit of a ‘one for the future’ in the form of Cole McKinnon. He was released by Rangers and I took a punt on him. He has some very good attributes for this level and if nothing else, he will be a good squad player.
Domestic Cup Competitions
At the end of August, we had been dumped out of the Viaplay Cup by Hearts in the second round which just left the SPFL Trust Trophy and the Scottish Cup. Surely, after two consecutive defeats in the final of the SPFL Trust Trophy, it would be our year? Wrong.
Defeat in the Third Round to Celtic B. Quite the embarrassment considering the quality of opposition. That then left us with the Scottish Cup. A chance to go deep and make some money. Wrong, again.
After beating Arbroath 3-1 in the Third Round, we were handed a tricky tie at home to Aberdeen. Despite a dominant performance we were unable to take our chances and in the 101st minute, Yerson Mosquera struck for the Premiership side and secured their path into the Fifth Round. A real kick in the teeth.
A disappointing campaign on the domestic cup front but considering our stature, we have massively overachieved in previous years so there is no harm in having a year off.
Cinch Championship
Life in the Scottish Championship was never going to be easy and as we entered September, we made a tactical change to drop the 10 and insert a 6. This left us lining up something like this.
Initial results were good and the data showed that this made us solid at the back. The drawback was that chance creation had dropped but that was to be expected.
September and October were poor months for us, with defeats against Falkirk, Ross County and Airdrieonians. A draw away to Dunfermline also didn’t help.
November and December was much improved, with just the one defeat away to Dundee. We picked up some big wins with a 6-0 over Partick Thistle and a 2-1 away win over runaway leaders Falkirk!
The big issue that we faced was that we didn’t have an out and out goalscorer. Robbie McDaid was given the chance and he couldn’t take it. Szymon Plesiewicz had a good run but was only able to offer the odd goal. Summer signing Conor Wilkinson came with high expectations but he found himself playing out on the right as an inside forward when he featured. Going into January it was clear, we needed a number 9.
January Transfer Window
With a new number 9 firmly on the cards it was just a case of who. We had our eyes on a couple of options but with limited wage budget available it was always going to be tough. Oh and then we were hit with this…bo***cks.
Arguably our best attacked over the course of the first half of the season is recalled by Leeds because he wasn’t playing in the agreed role. Whilst I see their logic, he played every game possible. It’s part of FM that really does infuriate me but it will also teach me to negotiate loan deals better in the future.
So with the added bonus of having to find a new left winger and a striker, it left our finances rather tight. We were lucky that we were able to replace McFadden quite easily with a loan deal agreed with Manchester City which saw 18 year-old Brooklyn Nfonkeu arrive with no wage contribution. He looks some talent eh?
Anyway, back to our hunt for a number 9! Damn you Leeds interrupting our search. Finally, we found our man. A recognisable name in the world of FM became available and also, importantly, attainable for us.
The player in question was Dane Scarlett. Clearly he hasn’t progressed as well as he has done in previous version of the game but he is still a very solid player and one who I think could become a bit of a club legend. His attributes aren’t ‘amazing’ but his determination, pace and decent finishing/composure should see him do well at this level and crucially, develop.
With our winter transfer business wrapped up, it was time to focus our attention back to the league campaign.
New Year, New Us?
Well January didn’t go as planned. Just a single win from our five games in January. Losses at Dunfermline and Dundee were not well received. We also struggled to score goals which has never really been an issue for us. Dane Scarlett scored on debut from the penalty spot and then went a month without a goal.
In comparison, February was much improved. A single loss against second placed Ross County and some big wins with two 4-1 wins over Partick Thistle and Hamilton. Crucially, Dane Scarlett started to fire and Saliou Faye playing as an Advanced Playmaker saw his attacking output increase. What a player he is by the way! This run of form left us clinging on to a playoff spot with eight games left to go. We couldn’t, could we?
What a season from Saliou Faye. We knew when he joined that he was a talent and he has flourished this season. I’ll admit, it took me a while to find the best role for him but we finally stuck with him in a midfield two playing as an Advanced Playmaker. 10 goals, 9 assists and an average rating of above seven. At 20 years-old I would consider that a very good season.
The answer was a resounding ‘yes’. Just one defeat in the final eight games against Raith Rovers of all teams. We also picked up some significant results which showed that we could genuinely challenge in the playoffs with a win over Ross County and draws with Dundee and Falkirk.
Wow, a third placed finish in our first season in the Championship. Surely we couldn’t make it three from three? Well if we were to do it, the whole playoff system would make us work for it. I think I despise this system more than the Viaplay Cup…
Boy did they make us work for our shot at promotion. Just to get to the playoff final we had to play four games. We pretty much strolled past both Dundee and Ross County, conceding just two goals over four games. That man Dane Scarlett bagging more goals. This ultimately left us two games away from the Scottish Premiership. Standing in our way was St Mirren in a two leg affair. Surely not?
A 6-0 win in our first leg at home ensured the pressure was all on St Mirren ahead of the second leg. This was our chance.
An injury to Amadou Diallo meant that he missed out on the second leg completely. Captain Ross Matthews retained his spot in central midfield after his hat-trick in the first leg. Conor Wilkinson recovered from injury to take a spot on the bench. Everything was set, it was now or never for Spartans.
THREE FROM THREE. Spartans are promoted to the Scottish Premiership. An exceptional playoff stage ensured that we sealed our promotion in style. Sadly, FM did not show us lifting any trophy. Darn you SI!!
It really is difficult to put into words how much of an achievement this is. Three seasons ago we were in League Two. Next season we will be battling it out with the likes of Celtic and Rangers.
With our promotion, the club turns professional. It was expected and very much needed but financially, I think we could start to struggle without any investment from an outside source. You’ll see that we are in the black but at the back end of that season we had dropped into the red and there were no real causes for concern that were obvious. We were just losing money on a large scale.
Key Performers
Interestingly, I am going left-field with our player of the year. Our right back, Daniel Chesters had a monster season for us. He is essentially a right winger playing at right back. In our system, he is given the freedom to bomb up and down the wing, with our right sided attacker slotting inside as an inside forward. Chesters more than delivered with 10 assists and three goals. He isn’t the most technical of players but he was our standout player.
Huge contributions also from our skipper Ross Matthews who formed a formidable central midfield pairing with Saliou Faye. Dane Scarlett came good after a rough start and scored 14 goals in 21 starts. Finally, the big man in goal, Caleb Ansen was mightily impressive. 11 clean sheets for the Italian (changed nations?!) and we have extended his loan by 3 months in the hope that come August we can extend it again.
On the flip side, there were some disappointing performances. Amadou Diallo never really fired, contributing just 3 goals and 3 assists. Conor Wilkinson only managed 2 goals all season despite coming in as one of our ‘better’ players last summer. In defence, it was like a merry go round at centre back. Nobody really stood up and took charge and we will make improvements there over the summer.
Save Objectives
With the end of Season Three upon us, it is worth analysing the save objectives and what impact we have had this season.
(A) De-throne Celtic and Rangers – well, we’ve got a little way to go yet but at least we are in the same league as them from next season.
(B) Become the best team in Edinburgh – it’s safe to say that we are now the third best team in Edinburgh. Hibernian and Hearts are firmly in the top two, with Hibs finishing third and Hearts finishing 7th.
(C) Manage the Scottish National Team – Sadly, no job offer yet and the Scottish FA have full faith in Steve Clarke who failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. He should really have done better though, right?!
(D) Improve the nation’s co-efficient ranking – whilst we cannot directly impact this until we qualify for a European competition, the Scottish clubs have had a good season, claiming 12.30 points this campaign which will see the nation rise two places to 15th in Europe.
Rangers made it to the Europa League Round of 16 where the fell to FC Porto on penalties. Cruel.
Celtic fell at the same hurdle as they faced Villarreal. Celtic took at 3-1 lead into the second leg in Spain, before capitulating with a 3-0 loss at the Estadio de la Ceramica.
There were five Scottish teams in Europe this season. Aberdeen were knocked out of the Conference League in the knockout playoff, losing to Bulgarian side, Levski Sofia. Hearts reached the Conference League league phase but failed to qualify. Finally, Hibs failed to even qualify for the Conference League league phase.
The future is bright at Spartans but the club will need to navigate the finances carefully and recruit wisely over the summer to compete. The club cannot afford to be relegated.
Thank you so much for reading! I’ve spent a lot of time on this blog and absolutely loved it. Please do leave your feedback and I shall see you for season four of Rise of The Spartans.
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