Accrington Web - 2012 Prediction League; Game 40 v Gillingham (away)

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2012/13 Prediction League – Game 40; v Gillingham (away)

Not many weeks ago the prospect of an away game at Gillingham’s Priestfield Stadium would likely have filled everybody at our place with a sense of foreboding :eek: and a perceived return from the game of Nul Points :o . But maybe – just maybe - not now ……. :)

To begin with, our seven goals in our last two games is three better than any other team has managed in their last two :D …………or, to put it another way, Moly has scored as many in the last 180 mins of football as any League Two side :D:D ……………… Then, Gillingham (and Port Vale) have got the jitters :rolleyes: ………… Vale have won 1 (2-0 at York), drawn 1 (0-0 v Bradford) and lost 4 of their last six; Gillingham have won 1 (2-1 v Plymouth), drawn 4 (0-0 at Exeter, and 1-1 at Aldershot, Morecambe and Rochdale) and lost the other (1-0 at home to Oxford) …………..From their respective last six games, Vale have 4 points ;), Gillingham have 7 :o and Stanley have 10 :p (3 wins, 1 draw, 2 defeats) …………………. Now that’s a turn-up for the books! :D

Like several other sides, the Gills are actually much stronger away than at home ………….. their record on the road is 11 wins, 8 draws and a single defeat (2-1 at Torquay back in October) with 25 scored and just 12 conceded ……. At home, it’s W9 D4 L6 F32 A19, giving them – overall – P39 W20 D12 L7 F57 A31 and 72 points in first place ………… Their home losses have been by 3-2 (Exeter), 2-1 (Port Vale and Rochdale) and 1-0 (Oxford, Wycombe and Barnet); and – surprisingly – four of those defeats have come in their last 8 home games, and all four since Christmas. :)

Before last Tuesday’s home game with Rochdale (not out of the relegation mess yet themselves – 47 points isn’t safety, the way results are going) manager Martin Allen said this;

"I think it's a really special game. We've had a game in hand for quite a while now. If we win, the way I put it is we'll be set to sprint into the stadium at the end of what's been a marathon."

They drew 1-1, equalising in the second half; they also lost defender Andy Frampton, sent off after an off the ball incident with one Bobby Grant (who seems to be around trouble quite often these days :(). Danny Kedwell thought Frampton shouldn’t have gone;

"He hasn't raised his arm or head, he's bumped him with his chest :o. I'm gutted for him. The bloke held his face and got him sent off. It's disappointing, because Frammo hasn't done anything wrong. Andy is just not that sort of guy, he's such a lovely bloke".

So that explains it, then …… “Bumped him with his chest” :)………. But he’s still suspended for three games, “lovely bloke” or not …………… And "Frammo"? Oh please ........... :D

Three players have gone recently; MF Jack Payne (21) signed on loan for the Posh, with a view to a permanent move in the summer; Connor Essam (20), a defender, was allowed to join Crawley (effectively to replace Claude Davies, who followed that nice Mr Evans :mad: to the Mills of South Yorkshire), and MF Lewis Montrose (24) has gone to Oxford on loan to the end of the season.

They’ve signed several, mainly on loan; ex Brentford CH Leon Legge (27) turned a loan into a permanent stay, and former Cherries striker Steven Gregory (25) signed after Bournemouth released him – maybe allowing him to go to the Wombles on loan earlier was a bit of a clue :p; on loan have come Hull defender Danny East (21), Brentford’s Antonio German (21), a striker with QPR, Aldershot, Southend, Yeovil and Stockport all stamped on his passport, Newcastle MF Martin Richardson (20), and Huddersfield’s MF Anton Robinson (26) ……….They also got Coventry’s striker Cody McDonald on a 3 month loan, only for the Sky Blues to call him back home early, and Fulham did the same with winger Ryan Williams (19), an Aussie, who has a brother (Rhys )at Middlesbrough and a twin (Aryn) at Burnley.

They lasted 2 rounds of the Capital One :confused: (2-1 v Bristol Rovers, then losing 0-2 at home to Middlesbrough), one round of the Tinpot (losing 3-2 at Crawley :o) and two rounds of the FA Cup – a 4-0 thumping of The Iron at home being followed by a 2-0 exit at Deepdale. 65 goals in their 43 games; the highlights have been 4-0 wins over Scunthorpe (Cup), Bristol Rovers and Aldershot, and 4-1 against Burton (currently the form team in the top echelons of the League with 6 wins and a draw in their last 8 :)). Leading goal scorers are Danny Kedwell (29) – Gillingham born – who footled round the non-league scene before signing for the Wombles in 2008, where he stayed for 3 years (hitting 43 in 83, and converting the final penalty in the Conference Play-off against Luton that gave Wimbledon their League status :D) before signing for the Gills for a reported £60k – who has 13; Jamaican striker Deon Burton (ex Portsmouth, Cardiff, Derby, Barnsley, Stoke, Walsall, Swindon, Brentford, Rotherham, Sheff Wed, Charlton and Gabala (Azerbaijan)) – now 36 :o – has 11; and Myles Weston, a 25 year-old MF, has 7.

Head-to-head in the League (we’re one out of one against them in the FA Cup :D) we’ve lost 3 (but two of those in 2008/9, when they won promotion), drawn 2 (including the game at our place in late November, when James Beattie’s penalty got us a point) and won two …………. But never forget that those two wins were by 7-4 and 4-3 at the ScoreFirst ……….. Hands up if you were there :D:D:D:D:D………………..
The deadline for entries is, as ever, scheduled kick-off time, which is 3.00pm on Saturday 23rd March. 7-4 again? 4-3 again? Let’s hope we’re on fire again come Saturday, and that LeeMoly, or The FoxInTheBox, or anyone – Will H? – sticks the ball in the net with the same frequency as last week :D………..Performance of the week? I should think it was :p:p. Who gets to keep the Glass Football that we (Leam?) won for that? (“Over ‘ere, Son, on me ‘ead”); give ‘em hell, lads ……………………….

Good luck to everyone :D…… Keep the Faith :D…… and thanks for playing! :)

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