I am sure it did help, but I know what you mean. I had a similar experience in season 48. I lost Game #3 of the Relegation series by one point on a last minute shot. It definitely doesn't always fall your way.
Sorry to hear that you are behind where you wanted to be, but it does seem like you are headed in the right direction. Yeah, I have had to sell off pieces the last two seasons in Div. III.
I have a pretty good home team lineup going as well. Working on my two towers for the future, and then in a few seasons back to guards. I just hope they fix the outside game before that comes. Yeah, the merchandise income has been a life saver. Tempted to upgrade my merchandise store. If only I had the money. Stanton is a beast, and you should absolutely be proud of him.