[Div3North]

Accrington Stanley

V

Cambridge United

2015/16 Prediction League; Game 40 v Cambridge (home)



Cambridge boss Shaun Derry wants "at least a point" at Accrington to keep their play-off hopes alive, apparently .................. In his dreams!

He was, though, very complimentary about Coley, saying;

• "Along with (Northampton boss) Chris Wilder, I'd probably say John Coleman has been the standout manager of the year at our level. They've kept their performance levels high. We, on the other hand, have dipped at a critical time."

Perhaps no surprise, since we went there only 11 days after he was appointed, replacing Richard NotQuiteOnTheMoney, and did them 3-2, coming back from 1-0 and 2-1 down with goals from McConville, Davies and Hamish McWindass (from the spot) to retain our record of not having lost to them since they came back up from the Conference in 2014 (after 9 years, beating Gateshead 2-1 at Wembley after having seen off Halifax 2-1 over two legs in the Semis) ..........In fact we’ve not only not lost (two wins, one draw), but we’ve never scored less than two in any game – 2-1, 2-2 and 3-2 ..........which would be a nice record to maintain, you might agree ............

Currently they’re 12th, on 55 points from 39 games, having won 15, drawn 10 and lost 14, and having scored 53 and conceded 51 ........... they’re one point behind the Wombles and Exeter, 2 behind Carlisle (some of whose fans apparently booed Luke Joyce when he came on as a sub last week), and 6 points and some goals off the playoff places ..........apart from us (4th), their remaining fixtures include Plymouth (3rd) and Carlisle (9th) ..........last six are 2 wins (Wycombe 1-0 and Yeovil 3-0), 2 draws (Northampton 1-1 and Oxford 0-0) and two defeats (Exeter 0-1 and Brizzle 0-3) .......... their away form is fair at best – W6 D6 L7, although the wins include a 3-1 success at Leyton Orient, 2-1 at Plymouth and 2-1 at the Wombles, not forgetting a 4-2 success at Morecambe............in fact, they’ve taken four points off Northampton and the Orient, three off Plymouth, Wycombe and the Wombles, and none off BrizzleR, Pompey or us ........and the only team in the top ten they could do the double over is Plymouth – which would be nice!

Their Cup runs have been less than impressive; by the time we played them in November they’d already exited the Carling 1-0 at Rotherham and the PaintyThingy 2-0 at home to the Daggers; they managed a first round FA Cup win at home to Basingstoke (1-0), but – unlike most sides - they didn’t beat Doncaster (in Round Two), losing 3-1 at home ..........Donnie, like Crewe, Colchester and maybe Blackpool, look - based on current form - like becoming basement dwellers next season, but they might jus pass us on the way down rather than meet us twice in the League ........

43 games in all – 55 goals scored .............leading scorers are ex Southend striker Barry Corr (12), MF Luke Berry (10) and ex Bournemouth and Port Vale striker Ben Williamson (27), who joined from Gillingham, who has 9 ............. also ProperSigned are former Huddersfield and Notts County forward Jimmy Spencer (24), who had a spell on loan at Morecambe in 2010/11, and former Exeter and Stevenage CMF James Dunne (26), who they got from Pompey; they’ve LoanSigned Hull’s LB Max Clark, two defenders (Shane O’Neill from Apollon Limassol and Ryan Haynes from Coventry) and Wolves winger Zeli Ismael (22), who’s Albanian born, and who also spent time at Oxford earlier this season – a kind of Double First, really.

A batch of players left in the transfer window, including CMF Gearoid Morrissey, who returned to his former club Cork City; Jordan Chiedozie (21, F), son of Nigerian international John, who managed to find the way to Boreham Wood, and was so impressed with himself that he signed for them; Rory Gaffney (26, CF) – once of Mervue Utd and Limerick – who left for BrizzleR; Liam Hughes (AM, 23) who signed (in his best Scottish writing) for Inverness Caledonian Thistle having MutuallyConsented with Cambridge; and CF Jordan Slew (23) – who once cost Blackburn £1.1 million and managed just one game (which makes him a bit pricey) – who’s gone to Chesterfield, and who, in 2015, found himself in a bit of a pickle, having apparently been clocked driving at 156mph on the A1, seemingly the fastest recorded speed for 3 years on that bit of road ................

Deadline for entries is, as always, scheduled kick-off time, which is 3.00pm this Saturday, 2nd April .................. We’re in a purple patch – won four and drawn one of our last five; doing it unto Plymouth and Orient, plus Newport and the Daggers; three consecutive clean sheets, and scored in every home game ......and better than that, Billy Whizz – 17 goals (actually 17 1/2 ) plus 13 assists (which is as many assists as the top two strikers in League Two put together) – has joined the increasing list of re-signers, which is brilliant news on any reckoning! The FeelGood says we’re in a great place to win this one too (Wynonie’s voices agree, I understand) ..............and who can argue with that?

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