2015/16 Prediction League; Game 21 v Wycombe Wanderers (home)

Div3North · 11-12-2015, 00:22

Accrington Stanley

V

Wycombe Wanderers

2015/16 Prediction League; Game 21 v Wycombe (home)

So can anyone beat this for “Football Headline of the Year”?

“Storm Desmond: Koi Carp found in Carlisle's flooded goalmouth"

"Two days after Carlisle United staff began the clear up of flooded Brunton Park, staff have made their most bizarre discovery yet - three Koi Carp swimming in the goalmouth . Grounds man Dave Mitchell was helping repair the damage caused by Storm Desmond, which began on 4 December, when he found the fish at the Waterworks End (where else? ) of the League Two club's ground.”

..............which inevitably invites entries for a Christmas Competition entitled, “What’s the Most Bizarre Thing Found in An Accrington Stanley Goal?

................... to which the correct answer is not Sean McConville

Three games into the season (their pre-season preparations being spoiled only by a 2-1 defeat at l’US Avranches Mont St Michel, who play in the 23rd division of French football – ok, I made that up; it’s the 22nd!

) their record read P3 W3 GF6 GA0 Pts9, and they were 2nd in League 2, behind Leyton Orient; now, their bubble having burst somewhat, they’re 9th (still one place behind Leyton Orient) with a W8-D6-L5 record and 30 points

........Last time out they beat Millwall 2-1 away in Round Two of the FA Cup

, courtesy of a 90th minute winner

from loanee Michael Harriman (of whom more later

), and their away form in the League is excellent – P10 W5 D3 L2

, and if you count the Cup, make that 7 wins from 12, to include the Millwall win and a 4-0 thrashing of poor old Halifax

in Round One; their two League defeats away from Micky Adams Park were by Stevenage (2-1) and this season’s bête-noir BrizzleRov, who beat them 3-0 in the League on December 1st and 2-0 in the PaintyThingy in October

............while I haven’t checked them all, the only other away League record I know of that trumps theirs is the one which goes P10 W6 D2 L2 ...........which is Ours!

Damn shame we aren’t playing at their place, because their home record in P9 W3 D3 L3 (and they haven’t won in the last four) ................Still, ......... The other interesting stat (well I think it is) is that their total of 24 League goals is worse than every team in Div Two except for the bottom five

, whereas their “Goals Against” column of 19 is bettered only by four of the top 7 teams

; goalfests they don’t do! Cup runs – a home game against Villa in Round 3 apart – they don’t do either, having exited the League Cup (Carling) 1-0 to Fulham

They still have Joe Jacobson,

of course, and – for a season – they had Peter Murphy

, but he moved on to Morecambe

; 34 year-old Scottish CF Steven Craig (once of more-or-less every club in Scotland bar Celtic, Rangers and Inverurie Loco Works FC) was released, so went to Dumbarton (well, somebody had to

); and Matt McClure (24, F (which is not an underwear size, by the way

)) joined the Daggers, for whom he has 4 goals in 13 games. They signed a few; forward Chigozie Eze Ugwe (22) left Yeovil (having previously left Reading and Dunfermline); ex Morecambe, Scunthorpe and Bratfud City forward Garry Thompson (35) arrived from Notts Co; Stephen McGinn (27 MF), a Scottish u21 with experience at St Mirren, Watford, Sheffield Utd and the back of the bike shed at school

, came in from Dundee (I have it on good authority you don’t come out in Dundee

); forward Jason Banton (22), variously on the books at Liverpool (no appearances), Leicester (no appearances) and Palace (no League appearances, but one in the Cup), plus Plymouth, transferred his allegiance, was loaned to Hartlepool, but recalled early (no idea!); and Luke O’Nien (21, MF) left Watford, where he made one appearance (as an 88th minute sub in March 2014 in a 3-0 win over Barnsley

) ......I used to know a bloke called Harold Onions, who insisted on spelling his name O’Nions; you’re not fooling me, Luke!

Head-to-head (or “tete-a-tete”, as the French say) is even-stevens; W4 D6 L4 (wasn’t that the wheel formation of an old steam locomotive? 4-6-4?) The last four games between us have been drawn, and we won the one before that, and – in all the 14 games – neither side have ever scored more than twice in a game

(did I mention they don’t do goalfests?). Leading scorers are Michael Harriman, a 23-year-old defender on loan from QPR (good luck Jimmy Floyd, by the way

) and Garry Thompson, both with 5, and Aaron Holloway and Luke OnionRope

with 3 each (three other players have two goals each, and eight more have a singleton , which – I just found out – isn’t a sort of vest ater all!

) Harriman is a RofI u21 international, and in his second loan spell with the Chairboys, having played there in 2013 (he also had season-long loans at Gillingham in 2013/14, and at Luton in 14/15).

Time is against me this week, so I’ll defer my column of “interesting facts about Wycombe”, plus “the pick of their ex players and managers” for another day ...........I’ll simply say that you need (to reduce the shock on the day) to have a look at their away strip for this year, which looks like it’s been tied-dyed in a large vat of honey and left to dry!

Deadline for entries is, as always, scheduled kick-off time, which is 3.00pm on Saturday 12th December (soon be Christmas!

) ............... Oh, and Reading Women are moving to Adams Park next season, which gives a whole new meaning to “Turf War”

Piero is quoted as saying,

• “As a group we’ve been playing really well for the past few months. There have been one or two below standard performances but the way we’ve reacted to those shows that we have ambitions to keep doing well and stay right up there. We need to react in the same way to the defeat at Portsmouth and get ourselves right back on track.”

And Amen to that, Young Sir

Good luck to everyone!

................ Keep the Faith!

.................. And thank you for playing!