Accrington Web - 2013 Prediction League; Game 40 v Southend Utd (away)

Southend United

Accrington Stanley

2013/14 Prediction League – Game 44; v Southend (away)

You might expect that a side in the playoff spots would be fairly tough to beat; you’d certainly think they’d be solid at home ……… so it’s a surprise to see that Southend have actually only won twice in their last 8 home games :confused: (Oxford 3-0 and Torquay 1-0 – which is the score that everyone beats Torquay by! :p:p); they’ve drawn 4 (Newport 0-0, Bury 0-0, Hartlepool 1-1 and Wycombe 1-1) and lost to the Wombles last time out (1-0) and Exeter (3-2); it actually isn’t any better away – 2 wins, three draws and three defeats, giving them an overall for their last 16 matches of 4 wins, 7 draws and 5 defeats :rolleyes: …………..the other thing about them is that they don’t concede shedloads of goals – 38 in 43 League games, and their last eight at home have resulted in four clean sheets, three single goals, and one three. Not going to be easy, and likely not 7-4 (Wynonie please note!) :D

They’ve done some signing as well, nearly all on loan; two of the loanees (Cian Bolger and Luke O’Neill) suffered injuries in their debut games, which is unlucky :o:o ………They propersigned Adam Thompson (21), a defender from Watford with NI u21 credentials, and Senegalese MF Bedsente Gomes (25); they’ve brought back, on loan, Lee Barnard, who played for them from 2008 to 2010, scoring 37 in 85:), before moving on to Southampton (where he appears never to have played for the first team :(); recent loans include Liverpool’s Czech defender Jakub Sokolik (20), who they signed from Banik Ostrava in 2009/10; Sunderland’s Irish defender John Egan (21); and a pair of 19 year-olds from Norwich – Jacob Murphy, a winger, and Jamar Loza (striker)

We actually lead in the head-to-head :D:D; P7 W2 D4 L1 since they came down from League One at the end of season 2009/10; the only defeat was at our place (2-1 in 2011/12); the wins were by 3-1 at home in 2010/11, and by the odd goal in one at the beginning of last season, away, the goal being scored by ……………..anyone? Reading’s Karl Sheppard, who we had on loan :p

Leading goalscorers for the Blues are Kevan Hurst – Scunthorpe, Carlisle and Walsall – a 28 year-old MF, who has 12; Barry Corr (29 - Sheff Wed, Swindon, Exeter), a striker with a better than decent scoring rate of 44 in 112, who has 10 in the current campaign; Ryan Leonard (21), a midfielder who started at Plymouth (where he made one appearance), who has 7; and the veteran (over 30 = veteran :p:p:p:p) striker Freddy Eastwood, ex Southend first time round, Wolves and Coventry, with 6.

I think we owe a debt of gratitude to Burton for beating Hartlepool, and Pompey for doing Brizzle Rovers; teams in real trouble are still quite plentiful :cool: – mainly Northampton, Wycombe and Bristol Rovers, but I wouldn’t really like to be a Hartlepool, Exeter or Morecambe fan for the next couple of weeks either! :D We probably, realistically, don’t expect anything much from a trip to Southend (jellied eels, anyone? :o) but that’s when we’re at our most dangerous, it seems to me; we’ve actually taken more points, and won more games, away from home than we have at home :D; (home) W5 D10 L7 F30 A27; (away) W7 D5 L9 F19 A25 ……… outside of the top nine sides, only Cheltenham and Mansfield have won as many as we have away from home ……Makes you wonder ………!

Deadline for entries is, as always, scheduled kick-off time, which is 3pm on Easter Monday, 21st April. I think most people, in their hearts, believe that we’ve done enough to be safe – we’d have to have a real shedder of a collapse in form, and several sides would need to play out of their skin three times in a row …..I know we aren’t, mathematically, across the line, but my cup – thank you very much – is half full! And my nomination for Manager of the Season is ………..JB (In Whom We Trust) :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

Good luck to everyone ……… ….Remember; passion overcomes logic……..….. Keep the Faith ……………… and thanks for playing!

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