5th December Games

[Luke Imp]

Away at Rochdale for us, who had a very good win at Plymouth in midweek.

No Bridcutt or Jackson for us, so it's a good job Walsh is back. Grant will probably play CM again and Anderson back in on the wing.

Fleetwood vs Blackpool and Portsmouth vs Posh are the two stand-out games this week.

 

[Fedora Dale]

Away at Rochdale for us, who had a very good win at Plymouth in midweek.

No Bridcutt or Jackson for us, so it's a good job Walsh is back. Grant will probably play CM again and Anderson back in on the wing.

Fleetwood vs Blackpool and Portsmouth vs Posh are the two stand-out games this week.

Loanee goalie Gavin Bazunu is still recovering from a broken finger, Pzaul McShane is mearly back to full fitness and Jake Beesley has to be doubtful after being stretchered off and hospitalised at Plymouth. Assuming those three are out, its who replaces Beesley up front that's the poser - perm any one from Stephen Dooley (more of a winger, but did well as sub at Home Park), Matt Done (pace is diminishing), Fabio Tavares (inexperienced) or Kwadwo Baah (inexperienced, more of a winger, but potentially could go far). Or bring Jimmy Ryan into midfield and push Alex Newby up top.

Should be a good game...

 

[Crewelad87]

Burton away for us, finally a favourable run of fixtures coming up. We will be without our captain Ng who’s suspended for 6 games. Hopefully Beckles is fit to play after being on the bench on Tuesday, also Mandron who came on as a sub.

Burton after a poor start have put a few decent results together vs strong opposition so it won’t be easy. Plenty of ex players in the squads. Luke Murphy for us and Garrett, Brayford, Daniel and Varney at Burton.

hopefully we can nick a win.

Burton 1-2 Crewe (Akins, Powell, Mandron)

 

[codaplenty]

Lovely sunny day on the Fylde today ahead of this pm's derby against Blackpool

Expect a difficult match with the visitors on a good run, Critchley has certainly improved things from their early poor season form. Fleetwood will be more than keen to get back to winning ways, a draw and loss in successive games does no one any good

While we are good enough to get a win, I think this is a nailed on draw 1-1

 

[Boletus Edulis]

Well I am one of the 1,808 lucky ones. Very nervous given the last three league games. I shall watch behind my fingers, comforting and distracting myself with a big bag of wine gums. To try and feel better afterwards we are going to visit KFC for our biennial visit. But it is sooooo good to be back.

Hopefully, Mayor will be back, our midfield cannot get the ball up the pitch without him.

 

[Bucket_]

Will be at Fratton Park today to see us play Posh. Can’t wait to be back, I imagine it’ll be a little surreal! Hope anyone else getting to go to games today has a brilliant time and stays safe.

I’m really hoping we see a response after our lacklustre turnout against Blackpool on Tuesday - with Posh seemingly in poor form also it’s an interesting match-up. If we go out positively I would fancy us, if we go out to shut out Posh & counter (a la the Kenny special), not so much.

But football!! Live football!!

 

[Indian Dan]

Got the worst player I’ve seen in a long time making his first start for us today.

Barrel well and truly scraped.

 

[Agombar stool]

Got the worst player I’ve seen in a long time making his first start for us today.

Barrel well and truly scraped.

State of our team and the bench!

Good to see Conroy and Lyden back however but I doubt they will play (m)any minutes today.

 

[GFC4EVA]

Poor performance from us but will happily take a 2-0 win v Swindon.
4 wins from our last 5 league games very decent form after our 5 losses in a row

 

[Agombar stool]

Hideously frustrating game. Had so much of the ball and hit the bar twice in the first half. Dominated the ball again in the second but never mad Bonham work and then of course we give away 2 sloppy goals and lose.

Much better performance than against Crewe but no points to show for it.

Not impressed with Gillingham at all, but they did defend well and take their chances so have to hold up your hands sometimes.

 

[DearneValleyRover]

The Northampton pitch is atrocious

 

[Gills4years]

Hideously frustrating game. Had so much of the ball and hit the bar twice in the first half. Dominated the ball again in the second but never mad Bonham work and then of course we give away 2 sloppy goals and lose.

Much better performance than against Crewe but no points to show for it.

Not impressed with Gillingham at all, but they did defend well and take their chances so have to hold up your hands sometimes.

Big Fat Stevie Evans has us set up to be organised and play on the counter attack. Seems to work against some teams but not others, hence our run of good results following straight after a run of bad results.

Dempsey apart, we have very little experience in midfield but in Graham (currently injured), Samuel (when match fit) and Oliver (good target man) I am beginning to like the look of our attack.

 

[DearneValleyRover]

Definite red card for McWilliams and great goal by John-Joules other than that another shite first half from us

 

[PuB]

Hideously frustrating game. Had so much of the ball and hit the bar twice in the first half. Dominated the ball again in the second but never mad Bonham work and then of course we give away 2 sloppy goals and lose.

Much better performance than against Crewe but no points to show for it.

Not impressed with Gillingham at all, but they did defend well and take their chances so have to hold up your hands sometimes.

I think you hit the bar twice, but for the same chance. Have as much of the ball as you like but if you’re not going to do anything with it it means nowt.

Still we keep our record of only having lost to you once at home since about 1930, although we never win at your place so I’m not looking forward to the return leg.

 

[Agombar stool]

I think you hit the bar twice, but for the same chance. Have as much of the ball as you like but if you’re not going to do anything with it it means nowt.

Still we keep our record of only having lost to you once at home since about 1930, although we never win at your place so I’m not looking forward to the return leg.

Fully agree with you. As I said, we dominated possession but I don’t think Bonham had anything to do second half.

And yes the hitting the bar in quick succession was the same chance in the first half. It was good to see Conroy and Lyden back from injury but we need more of them back.

 

[Guernica]

Rochdale 0 - 2 Imps

Comfortable win with two well taken goals. Didn't feel like we were going to concede and Monstma and Walsh are our best centre half partnership and pretty much strolled through the game.

 

[DearneValleyRover]

Very professional from us in the second half, poor pen by Whiteman but 2-0 and upto 7th with games in hand

 

[Bobbin']

Gutting to concede a 94th minute penalty but truth be told just grateful to get a point.

We are a woeful football team and didn’tdeserve anything.

 

[Indian Dan]

So, with all these shite teams in L1 who’s going to get promoted by default?

 

[Imp in Branston]

So, with all these shite teams in L1 who’s going to get promoted by default?

We are!




Well, maybe not as I still think it’s unlikely we can sustain our run until the end of the season. Though to even be in the play offs would be a very good achievement and far and beyond what nearly every Imp fan expected at the season start.

Pompey the best side I have seen so far, think they and Hull will be the top two at the end.

 

[Bobbin']

So, with all these shite teams in L1 who’s going to get promoted by default?

Its crazy to think we could go third if we win our game in hand.

Does seem a case of the three least shit sides getting promoted this season. No-one has really impressed me this season least of all ourselves.

 

[Guernica]

We are!




Well, maybe not as I still think it’s unlikely we can sustain our run until the end of the season. Though to even be in the play offs would be a very good achievement and far and beyond what nearly every Imp fan expected at the season start.

Pompey the best side I have seen so far, think they and Hull will be the top two at the end.

Yup, I think we'll tail off eventually and finish mid table but bodes well for next season. Just don't have the depth for a sustained push and have had 1 striker for pretty much the entire season.

 

[Indian Dan]

Got to say, the best team I’ve seen is Accrington.

It’s difficult to judge, though, as you’ve got to take into consideration how shite your own team is.

 

[PuB]

Wycombe went up last year, so who knows.

 

[Bucket_]

2,000 felt like 20,000 at Fratton today! So good to be back and we were treated to this worldie by the reborn Tom Naylor. Brilliant afternoon and response to the defeat against Blackpool.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1335262254955192322

So, with all these shite teams in L1 who’s going to get promoted by default?

When we play at our best, I would say we’re good enough this year - the team feels a bit different somehow. Trouble is we’re always liable to a dud game every few. We were comfortable against Posh today though.

 

[TractorBoys]

That's more like it, Town! Thread-bare squad actually going for it in the second half.

We played the ball quicker and overloaded Plymouth - albeit with a shaky last 5 minutes.

If we can do that with 10 first team players out tonight we should be able to do it moving forward.

Still see us as playoffs rather than autos, but Evans and O'Neil coming out stating no change will be forthcoming it makes no sense other than to get on board till the end of the season.

 

[EricSabin]

The Northampton pitch is atrocious

Yep. Because we train on it because Curle isn’t happy with the standard of our training facilities, and they were good enough for our last few managers but hey.

I think it’s because we hoof it and we want to stop teams like you playing football on it.

 

[codaplenty]

Very disappointing performance today, Blackpool overall the better team and deserved their win One point from last 3 games and one goal scored, just not good enough. We play them again on Tuesday and expect to see wholesale changes, academy players will be well represented and they will be well up for it

 

[Luke Imp]

Seemed a very comfortable win today and another three points on the board. A third or so of the way through the season and we're not looking too bad. This is around the time the table starts to take shape but I'm still a little unsure if we can last the pace.

If we get January right, then we might have a chance but I think we're going to be relying on Johnson staying (I think the other loan signings will), us getting another couple of bodies in and also some of the better squads underachieving and giving us a sniff.

 

[Luke Imp]

This table will be pretty useless in a handful of games as we approach the halfway point, but Posh and Hull still having the easiest first third of the season. Rochdale the hardest.

We're dropping down the table having had Swindon, Wigan and Rochdale recently albeit with Sunderland next week.