Promotion Thread

[Master D]

And you just know neither of the 2 that miss out on the title will win the playoffs. FGR will probably steal them and go up.

 

[springerbfc]

Those last minute equalisers at Halifax and Alfreton have kept this interesting.

All three sides will be involved in a final day showdown.

 

[Sledge FGR]

Our last three games are all against play-off contenders.

 

[rudebwoyben]

Those last minute equalisers at Halifax and Alfreton have kept this interesting.

All three sides will be involved in a final day showdown.

That bobble at Alfreton could still prove to be decisive.
Still, we got the job done today and apart from the chance Dartford had when Muggleton just gave away the ball to Hayes who then hit both posts with his effort, we never looked in danger of conceding.

 

[DarkSithLord]

That bobble at Alfreton could still prove to be decisive.
Still, we got the job done today and apart from the chance Dartford had when Muggleton just gave away the ball to Hayes who then hit both posts with his effort, we never looked in danger of conceding.

Not only in the Promotion Race but the relegation one too!

I expect all 3 sides to drop points before the end of the season. Its going to be fascinating

 

[PBBee]

It's very interesting isn't it! The team with the points has the hardest fixtures.

The tough thing for Grimsby is they need not only us to realistically slip up twice but also Rovers to slip up as well. That's why they're 7/1 with the bookies. If we don't make it I'd rather Grimsby go up so we can avoid them in the play offs but that won't be happening.

We can't play like we have the last 3 as better opponents will punish us sitting on 1 goal leads (even Alfreton did it to us and they were awful). That penalty may have screwed us twice as Alfreton are more likely to be playing for nothing vs Rovers on the final day.

 

[Clarkey_GTFC]

We've almost guaranteed top 3 which was my minimum expectation for the season so I can't complain too much. I won't lie it looked like this season was gonna end with yet another whimper but we've turned it around massively and Hurst hasn't done anything (much) to sabotage it so credit to all of them. The title was almost impossible a couple of months ago but we went within touching distance last week, I said at the time that winning our remaining games was definitely possible but if you factor in our run at the time, it would've been a ridiculously huge effort collectively to win it and it looks like we'll fall a fraction short.

Blah blah anyway I can't sit here and promise that we'll not bottle it in the play-offs this year, but our saving grace this time around might just be our 2nd/3rd place finish which gives us an away tie first. As many of you may know by now, a big crowd in an important game at home is utterly disastrous for us and never ever ends in success. If we can win the first leg comfortably, which we know we are perfectly capable of, we might just get away with not turning up at home. Then at Wembley it's virtually a coin flip.

Of course it'll just be easier for Barnet and Rovers to balls up and gift us the title, so we'll take that option.

 

[Limerick Mariner]

We've almost guaranteed top 3 which was my minimum expectation for the season so I can't complain too much. I won't lie it looked like this season was gonna end with yet another whimper but we've turned it around massively and Hurst hasn't done anything (much) to sabotage it so credit to all of them. The title was almost impossible a couple of months ago but we went within touching distance last week, I said at the time that winning our remaining games was definitely possible but if you factor in our run at the time, it would've been a ridiculously huge effort collectively to win it and it looks like we'll fall a fraction short.

Blah blah anyway I can't sit here and promise that we'll not bottle it in the play-offs this year, but our saving grace this time around might just be our 2nd/3rd place finish which gives us an away tie first. As many of you may know by now, a big crowd in an important game at home is utterly disastrous for us and never ever ends in success. If we can win the first leg comfortably, which we know we are perfectly capable of, we might just get away with not turning up at home. Then at Wembley it's virtually a coin flip.

Of course it'll just be easier for Barnet and Rovers to balls up and gift us the title, so we'll take that option.

I haven't seen Town much for a few years but one worrying thing is that little has changed in one particular respect - we are so wasteful in the final third. Would like to see the possession stats today - at 0-0 after 69 mins we'd had so much possession and done so little with it.

You are right about the home leg second, it's so important. Get the result away from home and then play the second leg behind closed doors!

 

[springerbfc]

Grimsby still not out of it but they must now win all three, no doubt about that.

Dover away won't be easy for Rovers and we host draw specialists Halifax on Saturday before travelling to Kiddy, which could be tricky, so slip ups could easily happen for both which would keep Grimsby right in the hunt.

Today wasn't pretty but we were comfortable and fully rested a couple of key players in the process which is a bonus.

The pitch looked awful so a major banana skin overcome and another game ticked off.

On to the next one.

 

[miagsygas]

As if we didn't know already, this is going right to the wire.

Despite Barnet's seemingly more difficult games, I'd rather be top with the goal difference with slightly tougher games, so one would assume they should be big favourites.

 

[George Reilly's Hairpiece]

That Dartford game showed exactly why I'd rather play teams at the bottom than teams with "nothing to play for". Give me Dartford away over Kiddy, Chester or Lincoln any day of the week. Can't argue as we got the result yesterday, but we make it so much more difficult for ourselves by going ultra negative towards the end. Running the ball into the corner with 8 minutes of normal time left just sets the wrong tone.

Fully expecting another tense game next week, even more so with everyone playing at the same time.

 

[springerbfc]

It will certainly start off as a horribly tense 90 minutes.
A bit like some of those relegation dogfights where we knew any slip up in the final few games could prove fatal.

Let's hope Halifax turn up and play in the same style as Welling

 

[les.gtfc]

It will certainly start off as a horribly tense 90 minutes.
A bit like some of those relegation dogfights where we knew any slip up in the final few games could prove fatal.

Let's hope Halifax turn up and play in the same style as Welling

I watched part of the Dartford v Barnet game in the pub before our match. It was pretty awful but you can't really knock Barnet to be honest. A few weeks ago they looked to have blown their chance but they just seem to keep picking up 1-0 wins now, which if they get 3 more of those will guarantee the title.

If Barnet do go on to win the league then they will certainly owe a big debt to John Akinde.

 

[PBBee]

It should have been 3 1-0 wins in a row, it it wasn't for that penalty at Alfreton.

I can see the next 3 games being horribly similar, but I do fear if we are not clinical enough then at least 1 of those 3 (most likely Halifax) will punish us like Alfreton did.

 

[The_Boss]

We're in serious trouble.

 

[Gashead]

We're in serious trouble.

Just looked at the fixtures and what an important game you lot have on Saturday. If its any consolation, I think you should be able to beat Dartford and Torquay, where as FGR and Eastleigh have some tough final games.

It's amazing really, because I think this season has the potential to be very dramatic on the final day in all important parts of the table. If Welling go on a little run (I hope not, because for obvious reasons that would affect Alfreton ahead of the final day) it could be ridiculously tight at the bottom as well with the fixtures they've got.

 

[Greenacres]

We're in serious trouble.

Saturday is massive for both teams, whoever wins will probably believe they are nailed on for the play-offs, regardless of whether Eastleigh manage to win their remaining games. Most of our fans were desolate after the abject performance on Friday, we are always rubbish on the box, but full of the joys of spring after yesterday's results.

Hopefully you will travel in numbers on Saturday and help create a decent atmosphere for what, if you will pardon the cliché, should have a real cup final feel to it.

 

[BeesKnees]

Title is now most definitely a two horse race

 

[Clarkey_GTFC]

We've made a tactical pit stop. We all know that missing out on the title at the last hurdle means fucking up the play-offs. We've got our away leg first in the play-offs, no need to push ourselves further just to inevitably fall flat anyway.

 

[Luke Imp]

Did anyone really think Grimsby were going to win the league even before the games kicked off today? They were relying on Barnet slipping up twice in their final four games.

The Gateshead game basically put pay to that.

 

[Master D]

Should be Barnet's title from here. Kiddy away normally would be a hard game but they are a mess right now.

 

[Hooped Wizard]

Come on Grimsby!

 

[Gashead]

Should be Barnet's title from here. Kiddy away normally would be a hard game but they are a mess right now.

Kiddy and Gateshead have put on their flip-flops for the summer it appears, so I'm focusing on being the form team going into the play-offs now, and hoping Macc/Woking occupy 5th rather than FGR or Eastleigh.

Mind you, if we can win both sometimes there are mini-miracles at this time in the season. Look at us last year, seemed to have survival wrapped up until the final day.

 

[GTFC1979]

Title is now most definitely a two horse race

Hold your horses, we just need to overturn 20odd goals in 2 games and win both and you lose both and Rovers drop 5/6 points on top of that.
I'd say we have a 50/50 chance......

 

[yellow]

#outofthisleague

 

[Gladders]

Well it was always a long shot even after we caught up. It gave the fans some excitement for a while, but now 3rd place is all but guaranteed short of some shock results. So we have an away tie first which is to our advantage and it also means one of Barnet or Bristol will have a big headache going into the play-offs and probably mess up ala Kiddy and Wrexham.

Looks like either FGR or Eastleigh in the play-offs for us, would prefer Eastleigh on paper.

We also have the advantage or two games to rest players and mess about with tactics rather than pushing ourselves as everybody else in the play-offs will be doing pretty much for the final two games.

 

[Gladders]

#outofthisleague

looks like you failed to understand what #outofthisleague meant as well as Alan Alger

 

[BeesKnees]

Kiddy and Gateshead have put on their flip-flops for the summer it appears, so I'm focusing on being the form team going into the play-offs now, and hoping Macc/Woking occupy 5th rather than FGR or Eastleigh.

Mind you, if we can win both sometimes there are mini-miracles at this time in the season. Look at us last year, seemed to have survival wrapped up until the final day.

I still expect Kiddy and Gateshead to give us a decent game and despite todays mauling of Halifax I still know we have it in us to slip up if we go behind early or try to sit on a lead.

 

[Harrier94]

I still expect Kiddy and Gateshead to give us a decent game and despite todays mauling of Halifax I still know we have it in us to slip up if we go behind early or try to sit on a lead.

 

[Sparrow]

It'll be awful for football if Forest Green and Eastleigh finish in 4th and 5th.