2012 Prediction League; Game 45 v Bristol Rovers (away)

Div3North · 14-04-2013, 16:54

Bristol Rovers

V

Accrington Stanley

2012/13 Prediction League – Game 45; v Bristol Rovers (away)

After 22 games they had 18 points, no manager, and sat 24th out of 24; they’d won 4, drawn 6 and lost 12, plus all three Cups matches in the First Rounds

; McGhee went (to Scotland, as one of Strachan’s Boys), and – a week before Christmas - in came John Ward, once manager of my “other” team (Colchester, where I was born) ……..and did he turn their fortunes round or what?

His first game was a draw, and in their last 22 league games they’ve collected 41 points

, now sitting very safely in 12th on 59 points, level on points with Oxford, one behind Fleetwood and two behind Snakefield ………. They can’t actually make the playoffs, but if you’d asked any Pirates at Christmas what they wanted from Santa, it’d have been safety, not promotion …………

They've had unbelievable bad luck with (serious) injuries, as well ……..Last time we played them I reported on ex Wycombe and Shrewsbury 28 year-old striker Matt Harrold (knee), Cian Bolger (20), a defender who the Pirates sold to Leicester and then loaned back at the start of the season (similar); 25 year-old defender Garry Kenneth, who joined in the summer after 8 years with Dundee, pulled up in the warm-up of his debut game in August with a calf injury, came back and injured his knee; GK Scott Bevan (33, ex Torquay) - wrist; MF skipper Matt Gill (31) - knee injury/surgery; and so the list went on …………….Well, add to that ex PNE and N Irish u21 MF Seanan Clucas (knee), defender Adam Virgo (knee), former MK Dons and Crewe defender Danny Woodards (29) – anterior cruciate ligament (knee, to you and me) – and – so I understand –forward Ryan Brunt (19) from Stoke (plus Orient, Tranmere and Luton on loan), and then add striker and leading scorer David Clarkson (27) – with 2 full caps for Scotland - who played for Motherwell for 7 years (including under Mark McGhee) before going to Bristol City and then on to the Pirates – who needs (or has already had) ankle surgery …. At least one game they couldn’t fill the subs bench, even though they’ve played 27 different players (at least) so far ………….

As well as Ryan Brunt, they’ve brought in plenty ……….. Port Vale defender Clayton McDonald (24), who started at Man City, and went on to Macclesfield and Walsall, joined on loan for the season as cover for Kenneth; ex Blackburn, Plymouth and currently QPR forward Tom Hitchcock (20); Colchester’s 24 year-old MF John-Joe O’Toole spent 3 months there but has now gone back; they even signed Guy Branston

(but not for long

); defender Mark McChrystal (28) arrived from Wolves, having also done a bit at Tranmere and the Iron; Oumare Tounkara (22), a French-born striker who was on Sunderland’s books, was loaned to Oldham, then released and went home to play for Red Star for a while, before joining the ranks at the Memorial Stadium; and their talisman signing

seems to have been 34 year-old GK Steve Mildenhall, borrowed from Millwall (Swindon, Notts Co, Oldham, Grimsby, Yeovil and Southend); he came as back-up

, got and kept the jersey

, and has played 19, kept 9 clean sheets, and only conceded 13 altogether

(which includes the 4 that Bradford put past them a couple of games back

)

Speaking of clean sheets – and this is a touch scary – their last 6 home games have resulted in 5 wins and a draw; in those 6 games they’ve given away just one goal

, beating the Wombles 1-0, Port Vale and Exeter both 2-0, Burton 3-0, drawing 0-0 with York, and giving it up only to Rochdale, but still outscoring them 2-1 ……….

The only home losses in their past 10 have been 2-0 to Gillingham and 2-1 to Rotherham …………….. Away, their season’s record to date is W5 D7 L10 F25 A38; at home, it’s W11 D4 L7 F32 A27; combined, it’s P44 W16 D11 L17 F57 A65 …………The -8 goal difference is why they can’t possibly make the playoffs, because - apart from all the other results falling exactly right for them - they’d also need to beat us (home) and Torquay (away) by 21 goals

(Bradford – currently 7th – have a GD of +12 to the Rovers’ -8) – and that isn’t going to happen

………………. Please God

…………………..Most recently they drew 0-0 at Southend, who still haven’t won in 5 games under new manager Phil Brown

– which is a worry, since we need Southend to beat Aldershot for us on Tuesday night ………..

They’re also, are the Pirates, in process of selling their present ground to Sainsbury’s, and moving to a new (still to be built) 21,700 capacity stadium at Stoke Gifford – which, for non-Bristolians – is apparently next to the University of the West of England ………..All the permissions have been given ……………. No start date that I can find ………..

On top of their 57 goals in the League, they’ve managed 2 more in their Cup Exploits (which involved losing 3-1 away at Ipswich in the CapOne, 3-0 at home to Yeovil in the Tinpot, and 2-1 at home to the Blades in the Proper Cup (the Blades now managerless following Danny Wilson’s departure, despite them still being 5th in League One). Leading scorers for the Pirates are Welsh-born striker Elliot Richards (21), a product of their own youth system, with 8; the above-mentioned (Scottish-born but injured) David Clarkson with 7; and loanee striker Tom Eaves (21) from Bolton, who’s now gone back and out on loan again to Oldham – who, as you might have seen, condemned Bury to relegation on Saturday by beating them 1-0 at Gigg Lane ……………..

As far as head-to-head is concerned, we’ve lost 2 (both away) by 4-0 and 5-1; we’ve drawn one (1-1) and we’ve won two (both at home, by 2-1 last season (Micah Evans – apparently still with Blackburn

- and Kev Long, and I won’t mention Murph’s sending-off

) and 1-0 this (Podge on 78)

) All square, then – unless you count the goal difference (which I don’t!

)

Deadline for entries is, as always, scheduled kick-off time, which is 3.00pm on Saturday 20th April. It’s still much too early to be sure who’s down, and who’ll be around to play Bury (Hartlepool, Portsmouth and probably Scunthorpe

) next season, but Tuesday night – while it won’t finalise anything – may make things clearer ………………Since League Two was formed back in 2004 nobody has been relegated with more than 49 points (Oxford, 2005-6)

…………..Let’s pray that it stays that way!

Good luck to everyone

………… Keep the Faith

………….. and thanks for playing!