[Div3North]

Accrington Stanley

V

Carlisle United

2017/18 Prediction League; Game 6 v Carlisle Utd (home)


Well done to Kayden Jackson (hereinafter “Special K”) on his nomination as League Two Player of the Month; were you aware that he’s also joint 3rd leading scorer in the League, with 4 in 5 games? James Collins (Luton) and Frank Nouble (Newport) top the list with 5 each (and I think that includes a hat trick each, so they’ve scored in three games or less and SpecialK has scored in four) ……… also on four goals are – and don’t we know it - Olufela Olomola (Yeovil), Reuben Reid (Exeter), Christian Doidge (Vegans United) and ……….. drum roll ………… You Fat Bastard! ……….Joe Jacobson and Billy Whizz are in the group on three each, as is Carlisle’s Reggie Lambe; Yeovil is the only other team with two scorers with 5, 4 or 3 goals already this season – Francois Zoko (that's a good old Zummerzet name!) being their other one …………….and speaking of goal scorers, Barnet signed striker (“goal machine”, more correctly) Dave Tarpey from Maidenhead Utd on Deadline Day, he having scored 45 last season as they won promotion to the Bananarama Conference (he also got all four in Maidenhead’s 4-1 win at AFC Fylde in August, and so far has 7 in 6 games for the season); he might just be One To Watch – he’ll certainly be One To Mark when we play Barnet! Please, lads ………….

And you did you see that La Liga President Javier Tebas has accused PSG and Man City of “financial doping” as regards the money they spent in the transfer window and where it came from?…………more accurately, and much more colourfully, he said that PSG were "laughing at the system" after their world record £200m purchase of Neymar from Barcelona, adding

• "We've caught them peeing in the swimming pool. Neymar peed from the diving board. We can't accept this."

Think that it maybe loses something in the translation ………… or perhaps it doesn’t …………… Interesting image though – possibly not a criminal offence in Spain ………….. probably would be in Accrington!

Carlisle finished last season 6th in League Two, with a record of 18 wins, 17 draws and 11 losses and 71 points (69 scored, 68 conceded); only the five above them (Portsmouth, Plymouth, Doncaster, Luton and Exeter) scored more, and only seven sides conceded more; their leading scorer was Charlie Wyke with 18 before they sold him on January 31st for £undisclosed to Bratfud City (that sounds familiar!), MF Jason Kennedy being next with 11 and striker Jabo Ibehre (see “sold” below) with 9; Charlie Boy got 32 in 77 games for Les Bleus, and currently has 10 in 19 for the Bantams ……….. they started last season with 3 wins and 7 draws from their first 10, but then they had a run of only one defeat and three draws in 13 (30 points from 39) and were solidly in 3rd place ………….that almost went TU from late February, though, when they only managed 4 points in 9 games (in seven of which they failed to score), leaving them seventh, but a final five fixtures that saw 3 draws and two wins – the final one on the last day of the season, 3-2 at Exeter – saw them into the Play Offs at the expense of Colchester; in the Play Offs they met …………. Exeter ………… and they came back from 3-1 down at home to snatch a 3-all draw, and were 2-2 at St James’ Park (Southern Version) until a 94th minute goal ended their season …………… mwahahaha …………… they departed the FA Cup in Round Two, 0-2 at home to Rochdale after a 5-3 win at St Albans in Rd 1, did Port Vale 2-1 at home in the League Cup and then lost 14-13 on penalties at Derby in Rd 2, Joe McKee missing the vital 16th penalty (although Charlie Wyke (see “leading scorers” above) and Jabo Ibehre (ditto) had missed earlier on in the shootout ………….. they went 100% in the group stage of the EFLTroffy, but did an England in the knockouts, losing to Mansfield

In the summer they shed seven; two – James Bailey, now of Yeovil, and AN Other were released - LB Patrick Brough joined Morecambe on a free, CB Shaun Brisley MutuallyConsented to Notts County, and the other three – GK Mark Gillespie, CB Michael Raynes and CF Jabo Ibehre – all rejected new contracts for the Green Green Pastures of Walsall, Crewe and Cambridge respectively ………… they brought in five ProperSignings; Orient’s CB Tom Parkes, Bury’s DM Kelvin Etuhu (wasn’t he the Editor of The Sun at one time?), and three strikers – Hallam Hope (also from Bury, once of Everton), Wigan’s Sam Cosgrove, and Barrow’s Richie Bennett ……… I have to say, to my undying shame, that I’ve never heard of Messrs Cosgrove and Bennett, who sound like a 1970’s firm of Tobacconists ………..three loan signings until January 18 – GK Jack Bonham (Brentford), Liverpool GK Shamal George, and defender James Brown – Hey! The Godfather of Soul is alive and well and living in the East End - from Millwall

At the moment they sit 11th in the table; W2 (Cambridge away 2-1 and Cheltenham at home 3-0), D1 (Mansfield 1-1 at home) and L2 (Swindon 2-1 at home and the Imps 4-1 away!) for 7 points and a zero GD; they beat Fleetwood 2-1 aet in the EFL Cup and then lost 2-1 at home to the Black Cats (that’s what you get for playing at night – can’t see the other team)

We went to their place last September, went ahead through a Billy Whizz goal, and left with a point; they came to play out at ours in January, went ahead through an Omar Beckles OG (20 mins) and – thanks to an immediate Shay McTartan reply (21 mins) – they went home with a point ……….Even Stephens – Fair Do’s

(I’ve still got this picture in my head of Neymar on the diving board!)

Deadline for entries is, as always, scheduled kick-off time, which is 3.00pm on Saturday 9th September ……………..at this point there are three sides with 10 points (headed by us, still in the Automatic Spots); three with 8 points, five have 7 and six have 6 ………….we’ve won both our home games, and are 1-1-1 away; Carlisle have won one and lost one (heavily) on the road; it’ll be interesting to see what sort of team King Coley puts out (and equally, who’s on the bench), but you’d sort of think that we’re slight favourites, maybe?

As long as they all stay off the diving board ……………

Good luck to everyone! …………….. Keep the Faith! ………………… And thanks for playing!

Especially Neymar ……………………..