[Div3North]

Bristol Rovers

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Accrington Stanley

Prediction League 2015/6; Game 7 v Bristol Rovers (away)


Everybody knows that “Our Wayne” is now England’s record goalscorer in international games, having just notched up his 50th with an “interesting” penalty (which looked like he’d been practicing with our lot – aimed for the top corner of the stand! ); starter for 10 this week, then, is “who, in the same week as Rooney hit is 50th England goal, became Gibraltar’s all-time leading scorer , and how many goals has he scored?”

Since this thread is about Brizzle Rovers, you might safely guess that it has something to do with them – and it does; 22-year old MF Jake Gosling, once of Forest Green Reserves and Exeter, now of The Gas, scored the Rock’s goal this week in a Euro 2016 qualifier against Poland (who rather un-chivalrously put in 8 in reply ). That was Gosling’s second international goal (he also scored against Estonia on his debut ), making him the only member of their International side ever to score more than once ….and given that they’ve lost all eight qualifying games, scoring twice and conceding just the 46 , you can understand why that is ……….However, if we can’t play against England’s all-time leading goal-poacher, we’ve at least got the next best thing …….. ish!

They signed 21-year old former Man City MF Adam Drury (who never played for the Blues, but did have loans at St Mirren and Burton); he lasted exactly a week before departing again for ‘personal reasons’, but that said, of course, a week was six days longer than James Gray lasted at Southport (who are currently in the bottom four of the Conference, along with Halifax). That started me wondering, given that we’ve only scored four times in six League games, how our recently departed front men are making out round, mostly, the Conference ………..The very same James Gray is joint top of the Wrexham list of scorers, having scored as many as our whole team ; George Bowerman tops Altrincham’s list, also with four ; Padraig Amond, now at Grimsby, has – you guessed it – four , beaten only by the wonderfully named Omar Bogle ; Kurtis Guthrie , at Forest Green – still 100% after 8 games - has 2 and is 3rd in their pecking order; Rob Atkinson (who must count as a front man after the goals he scored for us last season) has one for Guiseley; and Andy Mangan – not “recently” departed, I accept - has 2 at Tranmere, and is joint top scorer there ……………means nothing, I know, but interesting nonetheless ……. Well, I thought it was

In addition to Drury, they’ve signed two other names you might recognise; GK Aaron Chapman , one of last season’s 27 goalkeepers who played for us , has signed on loan, as has MF Jeffrey Monakana (21), once of PNE and now of Brighton ……….and if, in a quiz, you get a question about ”who left British Gas and joined The Gas”, you can tell them it was Nathan Blissett (25, S) who worked for British gas, left there to sign pro forms for Kidderminster Harriers, moved on to Brizzle, and has just gone on loan to Tranmere …….and if you recognise the surname, yes, he’s Luther Blissett’s nephew

They released MF Andy Monkhouse (not related to Bob as far as I know, but he did join Grimsby, so he could be a comedian ), Abdulai Bell-Baggie (who signed on the dotted at Stockport County (whatever did happen to them? ) and CB Neal Trotman; they ProperSigned CM Chris Lines for £undisclosed from Port Vale, forward/MF Billy Bodin, most recently a Cobbler, and one Christian Montano, who was at West Ham, on loan at Swindon (for whom he scored against us in 2011), then at Oldham (who sacked him after he was arrested in the spot-fixing scandal but before he was released without charge ), and most recently at America de Cali in Colombia

There are, you should know, three sides in League Two who currently have zero goal differences; we’re one, they’re one, and Hartlepool are the third ………… Brizzle, freescoring last year, have 5 in the “plus” column; they got three of those at home to Barnet (3-1), one away at Yeovil (1-0) and one awey at Luton (also 1-0). In their other three League games they haven’t troubled the scorers, losing 0-1 at home to both Northampton and Oxford (and it was a screamer that won Oxford the game), and 2-0 away at Leyton Orient …………..and the League Cup wasn’t too kind to them, throwing up Gary Rowett’s Brum as the visitors to Eastville (no, sorry, they’ve moved from there) and resulting in a 2-1 exit ……….So statistically if you score at theirs you’ve a 2 in 3 chance of winning , and in only one of their 6 League games have both sides scored …………….P6 W3 (2nd, 3rd and 4th games) D0 L3 GF5 GA5 for 9 points and 10th place; we have 7 points from 6 and lie 15th

Our first two seasons against them after we rejoined the League weren’t thrilling, and involved defeats at their place by 4-0 (2006/7) and 5-1 (2011-12, although we did win 2-1 at home). However, in the last two seasons we have a perfect 4 and 0 record – 2 wins by 1-0 in 12/13, and wins by 2-1 (home) and 1-0 (away) in their relegation season; 5 wins, one draw and two (heavy) losses …………….hmmm!

Deadline for entries is, as always, scheduled kick-off time, which is 3.00pm this Saturday, 12th September. They’ve been promoted five times and relegated six, and their best ever League position (twice) was 6th in the second tier (1955/6 and 58/9); they also won the Watney Cup in 1972, beating the Blades; their record fee on selling a player was the £2.1 million they got from Fulham for Barry Hayles; their biggest League win has been 7-0 (so far!), which they’ve managed four times, and in the Cup, 15-1 v Weymouth on 17th November 1900; their kit manager (too posh to have a kit man ) is one Steve Yates; and they’ve been managed, in their time, by Homer, a Trollope, a Penny and a Buckle …………….

We aren’t the bookies’ favourites for this one, but when did that ever matter, eh Wynonie? When did anything ever matter, except The Pills? We’ll show ‘em, eh? They can’t treat us like that! NURSE!

Good luck to everyone! …………….. Keep the Faith! ………. At least we haven’t missed any penalties this week! …………..And thanks for playing!