2014/15 Prediction League - Game 40 v Morecambe FC (away)

Div3North · 02-04-2015, 00:19

Morecambe FC

V

Accrington Stanley

2014/15 Prediction League; Game 40 v Morecambe (away)

Under the headline “Jimbo eyes home win” (Jimbo

???), Shrimps manager Jim Bentley says on their website

• “ ..victory over Accrington Stanley on Good Friday would be the perfect way to end his side’s poor home form. Morecambe have lost their last four home games and amazingly haven’t beaten their near rivals in 15 attempts since joining the Football League . (We know, we know .....)

• “We haven’t got a good record against them and it’s time we get one back on them and hopefully we can do that Friday by taking our good away form into our home form.’’

In actual fact, their record over the last three months is – well – mediocre

; of their last 16 games(ie during 2015) they’ve won just three

(Luton 3-2 away, Newport 1-0 away and Mansfield 2-1 at home), drawn eight – all either 0-0 or 1-1, and lost five

; at home over that time they’ve managed one win (Mansfield), three draws and five losses

(6 points from 9 games

) – including a 1-0 loss to Hartlepool which began the MonkeyHangers’ current four-game winning streak

, a 2-0 loss to Cambridge and a 4-1 savaging by Shrewsbury

......... 17 points from 16 games; we’ve got 16, before we start getting cocky

(four wins, four draws and eight defeats), and three points in our last seven

, against their 6 in their last seven).........or, to put it another way, we’re both pretty crap.

Wasn’t always that way, of course; back on the 31st October (also a Friday, if you believe in omens) we played them at the ScoreFirst and we did – two up in 11 minutes

(Luke Joyce with a penalty and Shay McCartan); Paul Mullin got one back, but The Run continued

; that win took us up to the heady heights of 9th place

, to which heady heights we haven’t aspired since

............Three points from seven games?

Having lost five in a row just before that?

Listen, I can’t even get promoted playing Championship Manager, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t have an opinion; can anyone justify those stats, or even offer a plausible argument that they’re acceptable?

We’ve got some decent players but put out some baffling teams ...........................

Accrington Stanley Old Boys (Amond, Wilson, Devitt &Co

) were out of the League Cup and the PaintyThingy before our first meeting, and a week later they departed the FA Cup in inspired style

, losing 1-0 away at Dover

. Their overall League record for the season in P39 W13 D11 L15 GF 41 GA44 for 50 points and 13th place; only four sides have scored fewer goals in League Two

(Hartlepool 31, Mansfield 33, Cheltenham 35 and Oxford 40). By the way, did you see that Cheltenham have appointed Gary Johnson (ex Yeovil) as Manager to the end of the season? (“You’ve got seven games to keep us up, Gary” – Flying Pigs he will

, on current form, but it’s a tough old life – Wrexham lost on penalties to North Ferriby Utd

(it’s near Hull!

) in the FA Trophy Final on Sunday and sacked their manager the next day – not, you understand, that it had anything to do with the humiliation of losing to a team most folk haven’t even heard of!

) ..........Gary (whose wife apparently thought they were going on holiday this week

) has laid out his game plan to keep them up.............War!

He told BBC Radio Gloucestershire

• "If you are going to war, you want to go to war with somebody who has been there and I have been there"

He went on;

• "I have been in these sorts of situations before but normally had a lot more time than just the seven games, but I can do a crash course in it".

A crash course in War? Sign me up! Or is it a crash course in getting relegated?

41 goals in the League, and 4 more in the Cups; leading scorers are Tiny Redshaw (who, at 5’ 5”, scores most of his goals by running between his marker’s legs

) with 11, Kevin “Ref, it’s all wet down this side” Ellison has 10; Podge has 8, and Paul “Man of the Match” Mullin has 5. To try and strengthen the side they’ve just LoanSigned 21-year old Liverpool GK Danny Ward (19 times on the bench, but zero appearances) – who’ll be their 6th GK of the season if he plays (only six? We’ve had dozens!

) and ex Cardiff and current Shrewsbury MF Aaron Wildig (22)

Deadline for entries is, as always, scheduled kick-off time, which is 3.00pm on Good Friday, 3rd April .........Can The Run go on?

Statistically, yes it can

; will The Run go on? Well, if current form continues (or if the standard of the officials – which is our usual reason for losing, it seems

– doesn’t improve), you’d have to say it’s unlikely

........Happily, as the man said recently, there probably are (at least) two sides worse than us – but how do we keep snatching defeat from the jaws of victory? And who’s answerable for it? And – your starter for 10 this week – who’s going to stop it?

Good luck to everyone .............Happy Easter .............Keep the Faith and Buy a Brick!............and thanks for playing!