Accrington Web - 2014/15 Prediction League - Game 30 v Oxford United (home)

Accrington Stanley

Oxford United

2014/5 Prediction League; Game 30 v Oxford United (home)

My favourite signing during the transfer window has to be Sheff Wednesday’s acquisition of CSKA Sofia’s 22 year-old Romanian striker Sergiu Bus ........I’m sort of hoping we can borrow him for 16 or 17 games; we wouldn’t risk him being injured .........We’d just park him in front of our goal ......................:D

This week’s starter for 10 comes in four parts; (1) When did we last win at home? (2) How my League Two teams have lost more games in the League this season than we have? (3) How many teams have conceded more goals than we have? (4) In eleven attempts, how many times have we beaten Oxford in the League? .......... The answers, in no particular order are (1) 22nd November, when we beat Cambridge 2-1 :o (2) Two; we’ve lost 15, Carlisle have lost 16, and Hartlepool have lost 18 :o:o (3) Two; we’ve conceded 49 in the League, and Carlisle and Hartlepool have each conceded 50 (the next worst is Cheltenham’s 43) :o:o:o, and (4) once, on 26th April last year, away, when goals from Kayode Odejayi and James Gray gave us three points for the one and only time (of the other 10, we’ve lost 5 and drawn 5) :o:o:o:o. Depressed? You will be if this carries on much longer :confused: ........ 6 defeats in 7 :eek:; and a manager (even a Messiah) gets – remind me DAV007 :) – how many games before he's expected to fall on his sword? :rolleyes: Ten, was it? Fe Fi Fo Fum! :p

As we know only too well, they came into the League in 1962/3; in their first season they finished 18th in League Four with 41 points from 46 games; in their second season they finished 18th in League Four with 41 points from 46 games (no, honestly); in 1964/5 season they got 20 more points, 4th place, and got promoted! :) Eventually, you’ll remember, they got into Division One (but briefly), but from 1988 it all went wrong, and they tumbled down the Leagues, and out altogether in 2006 ......and it serves them right for taking our place in the league in the first place! :p

They haven’t done huge business in the Transfer Window; Tom Newby (LB) went to Northampton to join his old Boss Chris Wilder; winger Alfie Potter (26), who’s been at Oxford since 2009 playing almost 200 games for them, signed for The Wombles; ex Stockport, Southport and Rotherham defender Michael Raynes (22) signed for Mansfield, and since it was “Buy One Get One Free Week” ;), MF Junior Brown went with him to keep him company on the team bus.:D

They wanted striker Tyrone Barnett, who they’d had on loan earlier in the season (he scored their third when they beat us 3-1 at home in September :eek:, Marcus Carver getting ours), and were even prepared to pay good money for him, but he was also being courted by League One and even Championship teams (so the stories went), so Oxford must have been well hacked off when he signed for Shrewsbury from the Posh for a reported £100K.:)

They did add to the squad; ex Dingle forward Alex McDonald (see last week’s thread) signed for them from Burton Albion (presumably Jimmy F-H didn’t fancy him :(); Miller’s LB Joe Skarz (25), having mutually consented :) with that nice Mr Evans, joined that nice Mr Appleton; Mr Evans was also having a fire-sale, it seems, because he threw 21-year old def Richard Brindley into the deal to make up the weight (only on loan, though); and a few days ago they signed free-agent GK Jamie Ashdown (34) he having left Crawley in November, having played at various times for Rushden and Diamonds, Bournemouth, Leeds, Norwich, Reading and Pompey, with whom – in 2008 – he won an FA Cup Winner’s medal :D as an unused sub in the Wembley Final when then beat Cardiff 1-0 with a goal from ............? Anybody? Kanu ..............

They went out of the CapitalPunishmentCup 7-6 on pens to the Baggies after a 1-1 away draw; the PaintyThingy Cup saw a speedy exit (Round 1) 2-0 at Cheltenham; the FA Cup gave them a 3-1 win at Grimsby and a 2-1 defeat by Tranmere away following a 2-2 draw at the Kassam. In the League, their record is P29 W8 D10 L11 GF 33 GA 37 for 34 points and 15th place (we’re on P28 W10 D3 L15 F36 A49 for 33 points and 19th place ............). Of their last 10 they’ve won 3, drawn 4 and lost 3; the wins were 2-1 v Bury (December 13th), 2-1 at Plymouth (December 28th) and 2-0 at Stevenage (January 31st) ......so that’s three wins in seven weeks, which – as a stat – I rather prefer ................:D:o:D

33 League goals, and seven more in the Cups; 40 in 33 games; leading scorers are Danny Hylton with 14, the now-departed Tyrone Barnett with 6, James Roberts with 5, and MF Callum O’Dowd with 3 ................our leading scorer has 5 :o; he would have more, but he can’t get a game – rather like most of our forwards! :confused:

Deadline for entries is, as always, scheduled kick-off time, which is 7.45pm on Tuesday 10th February ............We really do need to start winning again; the excuses – leaves on the tracks, the wrong sort of snow, individual errors, unlucky, poor refereeing decisions, UKIP, Putin etc etc :D are starting to sound a tad implausible – so come on, Messiah :D (Monsieur? :confused:) Coleman – let’s get it right for once, can we? Shackle Hylton :), and park the Bus :)........... If they let us borrow him .......:D

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

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