Accrington Web - 2014/15 Prediction League - Game 44 v Stevenage FC (home)

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Stevenage FC

2014/15 Prediction League; Game 44 v Stevenage FC (home)

We’re safe; they’re in the playoff positions; AngeB has won the Prediction League (well done Ange :D – first lady winner, as I recall), God’s in his heaven and all’s right with the world! :o

Back in October we travelled to their place; they beat us 2-1, aided by a 1st minute tap-in :eek: by Chris Whelpdale, following debutant loanee Fulham GK Jesse Joronen having “made a hash of a punched clearance” :eek::eek: ; Moly :D equalised on 19, and Charlie Lee got the winner just after half time, as they “leap-frogged” us; we’d had 16 points from 13 games :) , they’d had 14 .........Joronen played 3 games and 50 minutes of fourth before injuring himself tipping over the bar (at that time we were getting through GKs at the rate of about 6 a week :rolleyes:)

Their last 10 games have produced 5 wins, 4 draws and a single defeat (a 1-0 home reverse to the Daggers); 6 of those 10 games were at home, four were away ........of the away games they won one (1-0 at Cheltenham) and drew the other three (0-0 at Exeter, and 1-1 at Burton and at Cambridge) ......they’re currently 6th in the table, with a record that goes, “P43 W19 D11 L13 GF59 GA50 Pts 68”; their 50 conceded in the League is far the worst in the top 7 spots :p , the others having conceded 35, 29, 42 (Wycombe), 39, 35 and 33 – an average of 35.5 goals each ;) .............you’d sort of think that Stevenage are likely to concede too many in the playoffs to worry the other teams :( , who in turn won’t fall for the “we’re gonna score one more than you” philosophy. After us, they play Carlisle at home (who’ll want the points :)) and Luton (away), who still aspire to a playoff spot :) despite having got just four points from the last possible 30 :eek: (and Newport, next to them, similarly stay in and around despite winning only 9 points in their last 10 games :confused: ). Stevenage can, mathematically, catch Bury (76 pts) and Southend (75) but they won’t :D ........they can still be caught by Luton (62), Newport (62) and Exeter (61) ........but they won’t be :D; 6th or 7th you’d think – Plymouth being 3 points behind them but with a better GD (+17 to +9) :o

For the rest of it; they went out of all three Cups in Round One; the Carling was a 1-0 home defeat by Watford (no shame in that); the PaintyThingy was a 1-0 home defeat by Gillingham (not much shame in that); and the FA Cup was by 2-1 (away) after a goalless home draw ................ to Maidstone United :D ..........now THAT one is shame a-plenty! :o:o:o Four Cup games, one goal scored ......

They’ve brought a few in – all but one on loan, and most of them MFs :confused: ........QPR’s Bruno Andrade (21); Arsenal’s Jack Jebb (19); PNE and ex-Luton Keith Keane (28); Cardiff forward Danny Johnson (21, once of Guisborough) broke the MF mould, as did ex Charlton, Colchester, Ipswich (and six loans periods) and current Leyton Orient striker Kevin Lisbie, a 10-time Jamaican international striker who’s only managed to get picked for 8 games all season, which – at 36 – may be 8 too many :p ; David Martin (29, and another MF) ProperSigned from Millwall (having also done the tour of Crystal Palace and Luton)

Leading scorers are all MFs; in fact, their top six scorers don’t include a single striker .......Charlie Lee has 9, Tom Pett (known to his mates as “Teacher’s”) has 7, and so does Chris “Tap-In” Whelpdale.

Only six teams are now at any theoretical risk of the trapdoor; Tranmere (39 with 3 to play) could catch Cambridge (48), Mansfield (48) or Carlisle (46); Cheltenham (with 40) and Hartlepool (with 41) could too, but it’s a long-shot .......in reality it seriously looks like Tranmere, Cheltenham and Hartlepool Utd :o ; Cheltenham’s 3 points was a life-line; Hartlepool’s goal conceded in the 97th minute at Burton was a hammer –blow :mad: (how valuable would three points have been instead of just the one? :)); Tranmere, as the saying goes, are up to their necks in muck and nettles :rolleyes:. We wish none of them any harm .........we’re just glad that, for the ninth time in a row, it isn’t us! :D:D:D

Deadline for entering (there’s still second and third to play for!) is scheduled kick-off time, which is 3.00pm on Saturday 18th April; Barnet have a one-point lead over Brizzle Rovers with two to play (and a better GD – 46 plays 32) :); Yeovil are down :( (37 pts), Colchester are in trouble (44) :cool: , and then it’s probably two from Crawley (47 pts, -26 GD), Notts Co (47, -13, Orient (47, -4), Crewe 48, and Port Vale 50; Colchester, County and Orient have a game in hand, but on season-long form that’s only worth, at best, a point :o ........not many local derbies among that lot! Mind you, Blackpool should be with us the season after ................:D:D:D

Good luck to everyone (Ange doesn’t actually need it any more! :D ) ......Keep the Faith and Bung Another Brick in the Wall ...........and thanks for playing! :)

And am I the only person who's slightly troubled by the fact that St Piero apparently doesn't want to discuss a new contract until the end of the season? :o:o:o

:alright::alright::alright: