It all went according to plan for Uxbridge Town AFC this season. The Lions battled hard and emerged as the Premier League champions. And as the season came to a close with a 4-0 win at home, the nearly 30,000 fans in attendance rose to applaud their team for their many accomplishments.
Club President Bertrand Jeunechamp noted in a recent interview that there was a lot that got done in season two for Uxbridge. "Obviously the title is going to be at the forefront of everyone's mind" said Jeunechamp. "As well it should. It was an amazing achievement for the team. But I am really proud of our entire organization this year. We finalized our major branding deal with Jaguar Land Rover, we expanded seating capacity to 45,000, we averaged over 35,000 fans at our home matches this year, and we completed a major upgrade to our training facilities. This is a champion-level organization across the board, and I am so grateful to be a part of it."
As for the on-the-pitch performance, Uxbridge Town was nothing short of dominant throughout the year. The Lions finished with 93 points, 9 points clear of the Walking L's and Carson FC. They managed to score a league-best 135 goals and allow a league fewest 35 for a +100 goal differential, 39 goals greater than next best Dover FC. The club also only drew 14 yellow cards (fewest in the league) and 2 red cards (T8th), so discipline was never an issue. The club also went 5-0-3 in the Super Cup group stage, finishing 2nd in their group, sending them to the knockout stage. In the semifinals, Uxbridge met their end losing to Bordeaux Fighting Bovines of the French League 8-4 on aggregate.
In the post-match press conference for their final match oft the year, Uxbridge manager MacCallum Barry had nothing but high praise for his team. "We were first class this season" said Barry. "I would go to training, and the players and coaching staff were always dedicated and motivated. And on match days, we were focused on the task at hand. There is always room to grow, but I feel confident that this group will continue to rise to the occasion next year."
The individual performances were also strong across the board for the Lions. Gilbert Cadogan found a goal scoring pace that he had never before seen in his career, netting a league leading 34 goals to win him the Golden Boot. Not to be outdone, Huenu Barragan scored 22 goals, putting him tied for 8th in the league, and helping him to win the Golden Ball for the league, edging out Cadogan for the top prize. Teenage phenom Kobe Otsuka took a step back only scoring 18 goals, but appeared to be a much more well rounded player despite the reduction in scoring. Lyle Maigny scored 12 goals, Mehdi Florentin scored 11, Tab Leigh had 7, while Kenyon Pablo Canineu and Harleigh Bulkeley each scored 6. Goalkeeper Wynward Garnis led the league with 12 clean sheets in 30 matches, while MacMillan Andrews managed 4 in just 8 league matches. Only 2 players on the team drew cards this season with Florentin getting 8 yellows, while Gaetano Gatti had 6 yellows and 2 reds.
In an interview two days after the season concluded, team captain Stephen Mill summed up the season. "I am not someone who believes in destiny or anything, but this title really felt meant to be" said Mill. "From our first day of training camp, it was clear that this team felt different from the one the year before. And that feeling never wavered through the year. Even after tough losses, we would bounce right back in training next week, and were always able to remain positive. I know football is supposed to be fun, but being on a team like this really reminds you how fun it can be."
With most of the squad slated to return for next season, Uxbridge Town are already the betting favourites to win the league title next season.