Accrington Web - 2014 Prediction League; Game 3 v Shrewsbury Town (away)

Shrewsbury Town

Accrington Stanley

2014/5 Prediction League; Game 3 – v Shrewsbury Town (away)

Shrewsbury Town Football Club was formed, allegedly, in 1886, either in the Turf Hotel or the Lion Hotel, depending which version you prefer ;); the compromise suggestion is that they formed in the Turf Hotel following a meeting at the Lion Hotel ......it’s very easy to make the question fit the answer, n’est-ce pas? In 1950, when the Football League was expanded from 88 teams to 92, they were one of the four elected new teams (along with Scunthorpe and Lindsay Utd (I remember them! :D), Colchester and Gillingham), and spent their first season in the old Division 3 North, finishing 20th with a record of 15 wins, 7 draws and 24 defeats, having a negative goal difference (-31) and 37 points; New Brighton were not re-elected :o, and Workington replaced them. 20th place got them transferred to the old Div 3 South for 1951/2 season, which they finished in 21st place (Walsall were last, but re-elected); the Shrews home form was ok (W11 D3 L9), but their away form was crap :D – W2 D7 L14, including a 6-0 beating at Northampton, 6-1 at Plymouth and 6-2 at Reading; 5-1 at home to Aldershot was as good as it got .............:p

They managed to retain their League status until 2003, when the held up the other 23 clubs, including both Kidderminster Harriers and Boston United (in their first – dubiously earned :eek: - league season). By now we were past Div 3 and Div 4 days, but hadn’t reached Championship, League 1 and League 2, so they were relegated from League 3, this time with a record of 9 wins and 23 losses, 62 goals for and 92 against, and 41 points. They bounced straight back in 2004 though, beating Aldershot on penalties in the Playoff Final after a 1-1 draw. They made the League Two playoffs in 2007, 2009, 2011, and went up as runners-up in 2012, coming back down in the summer just gone (well it feels like it’s gone! :().

They played, as we all well remember, at Gay Meadow until 2007, when they went to The New Meadow – known as Greenhous Meadow for sponsorship reasons (Greenhous, I know, is a local motor dealership which also sponsers the team shirts; I have no idea who Gay was :confused: .....or should that be “I have no idea who was Gay”? :D). In trivia corner I can tell you that their record victory was against Mold Alyn Stars, who they beat 21-0 in the Welsh FA Cup in 1894; their ground holds 9,875 – the record attendance was for the home game with Wolves last season, when 9,510 were there; and they’ve been managed, amongst others, by Chic Bates (3 times), Graham Turner twice, Asa Hartford, John Bond, ‘Busby Babe’ Harry Gregg (now 81 :)) who also managed Swansea, Crewe and Carlisle, but not all at the same time :p:p, and Fred Davies and Michael Jackson ........no, not that Fred Davies .........and certainly not that Michael Jackson (if he’d managed anyone, it would have been Fulham – for whom Betts :D:D has been on the bench in both their League games so far).

Starter for 10; what connection have David Moyes, Gordon Lee and David Pleat each got with Shrewsbury Town FC? :confused: Answer – they all played for the club at one time or other ....so, among others, did Gary Megson and Joe Hart.

Mickey Mellon – once of Fleetwood – was appointed manager on 12th May 2014 after their relegation; he is currently – after 3 months! - 78th in the list of longest serving current managers, immediately above one Louis van Gaal (never heard of him) ........ James Beattie :D (In Whom We Trust :D) is 46th out of 92 :cool:, based on his 15 months in charge of the Reds (Paul Cook’s 29th...... :eek:).

Mr Mellon set out his stall to change things; out – not offered new contracts – went both his GKs – Chris Weale (32), who boasts of playing for Yeovil, Bristol City and Leicester, went back to Yeovil, while Joe Anyon (27), once of Port Vale and Lincoln, is currently – I think – without a club; MF Asa Hall (27, Luton, Oxford) joined Cheltenham; defender Alex McQuade (21), whose career at Shrewsbury consisted of 1 game :o (a 0-0 draw with the MK Dons), has joined Guiseley – currently topping the Conference North after 3 wins out of 3; former Welsh international winger Paul Parry (33), with a career total of almost 500 games for Hereford, Cardiff, PNE and the Shrews, left, and is also club-less (I think), so p’raps he and Joe Anyon play “3 and In” together on a Saturday :D:D; 26 year-old MF Luke Summerfield (Plymouth and Cheltenham) signed for York; and our one-time favourite LB Joe Jacobson :D (27) – who played for Cardiff, Brizzle Rovers (who have 1 point from 9, and lost to Altrincham on Saturday :confused:), and Oldham, as well as for us – signed for Wycombe.

In – believe this or not – came 16 new players :eek: .......Among the ones whose names you may know are; one Andy Mangan (27), whose career may fairly be described as “colourful” :mad: during his time at Accie, Bury, Fleetwood, Forest Green Rovers and Luton (on loan); Liam Lawrence – ex RofI international, once of Sunderland, Stoke PAOK Salonika and Barnsley (very similar, I understand, Barnsley and Salonika :D); former Shrews favourite, striker James Collins (23, Swindon, Villa, Darlington and Burton) re-joined from Hibernian; Middlesbrough’s Swiss u20 international GK Jayson Leutwiler (25, ex of Neuchatel Xamax and FC Basel; ex Oldham, Blackpool, Colchester, Southend and Aberdeen striker Scott Vernon (30); striker Jean-Louis Akpa-Akpro left the giddy heights of Tranmere :); winger Ashley Vincent (28) – Wolves, Tranmere, Cheltenham, Port Vale and Colchester; ex Blackpool winger James Caton (20) ;), who had a short loan with us; and Australian-born MF James Wesolowski (26), with Leicester, Posh and Oldham behind him ..............

Unbeaten, so far :D......That’s them, not us :o .............. 2-2 at the Wombles (nice to see You Fat Bastard picking on someone his own size for a change :D:D), tipping Blackpool out of the CarlingAs ANewt :p Cup 1-0, and then coming back from one down to beat Tranmere 2-1 with two goals in FergieTime ;), one scored by Mr Mangan, and one made by Mr Mangan ...........The Boss’s take on it was this;

· “We need to be a bit more slicker :eek:, and maybe we haven't been as good as we have been :confused::confused:, but I am really pleased for everyone here and for the exciting finish. :o"

And I’m very pleased that your pleased, Mr M .........and I’d be a bit more pleaseder :o if I knew how you could be as good as you’ve been again :o, isn’t it. Look you. Eisteddfod...........or not! :p

Our record against them, on mature consideration, is pants ...........P12 W2 D3 L7 F11 A19 .........Our two wins were at home in 2008/9 (2-1) and away in 2009/10 (1-0); the last season we met was 2011/12, when we lost by the odd goal in one away, and drew 1-1 at home ..........For the record, their leading goalscorer (with 2) is James Collins; Mangan, Vernon and LB Mickey Demetriou each has one. Also on two for the season are Billy Kee :) and Peter Murphy :D; league-leading scorer is Morecambe’s Kevin Ellison on three ........... Our leading league goalscorer is the penalty-taking Kal Naismith, with one :cool: .......which wasn’t a penalty :o:o:o.

Deadline for entries is, as always, scheduled kick-off time, which is 7.45pm on Tuesday 19th August. Three points would be nice :)...........even one would be nice :D .............a couple of goals? A penalty that doesn’t hit the roof of the stand? :eek: Anything, really, to kick-start our season...........Pretty please? :o

Good luck to everyone .............remember, Keep the Faith! ............And thanks for playing! :)

:alright: