Accrington Web - Prediction League Game 28; Hereford (home)

Accrington Stanley

Hereford United

Prediction League – Game 28; v Hereford (home)

Exeter loanee defender Joe Heath, who joined the Bulls in November, has extended his loan period, and boss Jamie Pittman is looking to re-sign ex-Bulls defender Tony James, now at Burton; James left Edgar Street in 2006 having played over 270 games for Hereford in his first spell. Defenders they certainly need, because so far – in 29 games in all competitions – they’ve conceded 53 goals, including 4 at Chesterfield and Shrewsbury, and at home to Stevenage.

They’ve actually got a really odd record;

In their first 13 games of the season they won once, drew 3 and lost 9; they scored a total of 5 goals, never more than one in a game
In the next 5 they won 3 and drew 2 (including against us); they scored 17 in 5, putting 5 past Stockport (but then, don’t most teams – Stockport have conceded 5 in a game 5 times), 5 past Hythe in the FA Cup, and 4 past Northampton (come back of the season, having been 3-0 down at half time)
Of their next 7, they won none, drew 3 and lost 4; they scored 7 – nil twice, one goal three times and two goals twice
In their last four games, they’ve won the lot, scoring 10; Aldershot were beaten 2-1 away in the League, and Stockport 3-0 at home yesterday, and Lincoln and Wycombe were both beaten away in the Cup – Lincoln 4-3 in a replay of their Round 2 tie, and Wycombe 1-0 in Round 3, giving Hereford a 4th Round game at Hillsborough. The really odd thing is that Lincoln and Wycombe had both beaten Hereford in the “played 7 won 0” sequence

So – their record in the last four games slightly shades ours; however, our 4 games got us 10 points in the League, whereas their last 4 only got them 6. That said, they’re off the bottom – yesterday’s double-completing win over a hapless, hopeless Stockport took them above the Woeful Imps, who have 19 points (from 21 games), to Hereford’s 22 (from 23), Barnet’s 23 (from 25) and Stockport (24 from 26); goal differences are Lincoln -15, Hereford -14, Barnet -16 and Stockport -30 …….. Their main goalscorers are French-born striker Mathieu Manset, signed from Le Havre and apparently known to the fans as “The Beast” with 13, 8-club (including us) striker Stuart Fleetwood with 9 (why did Charlton buy him and then just give him one substitute appearance?), and midfielder Robert Purdie, on loan from Oldham, with 4.

Overall – P29 W8 D8 L13 F39 A53; home League form is P11 W1 (yesterday) D6 L4 F12 A17; away it’s P12 W4 D1 L7 F15 A24; overall, P23 W5 D7 L11 F27 A41 for 22 points and 23rd place. We’re 12th :) with 31 points from 23 (of which only 10 have been at Fortress Crown) and a goal difference of zero.:D

The deadline for entries is, as ever, scheduled kick-off time, which is 3pm on Saturday 22nd January. So; very win-able, surely? (even though we haven't beaten them since 06/07, when we won the home game 2-0) :o Goalfest? Dodgy single-goal struggle? It can’t be another 0-0 – can it? Whose is the leaky defence? Whose record is going to carry on for another week at least? Your call; your guess; your push up the (Prediction) League table towards the Golden Ticket ….

Good luck to everyone ………… and thanks for playing!

:alright: