Saturday 24th April 2021

[AR27]

Easy win for Vale who are another side who didn't have to break sweat to beat us. Second half was us back to normal and being totally inept, which is a shame because for 15 minutes of this game we actually resembled a football team.

 

[The Terminator]

A thoroughly deserved win for Southend, that performance from our lot simply wasn't good enough and highlighted IMO two things - 1) Players already on the beach for us for whatever reason 2) We probably need a more experienced manager to take us forward as Phil Brown put in a good bit of tactical nous to win that.

The dry pitch didn't suit us and our pissing about with it from the back, which in the end caught up with our play.

Having said that - We did have chances of our own to take the lead at 0-0 and 1-1 which with the way the game was going we had to do.

Our fans on twitter aren't happy with that, Southend showed alot more desire thorughtout the game to win it and were rewarded. Should they stay up, I think this will be a key game to look back on.

Trevor Kettle actually had a good game as well I thought.

 

[GTFCfish]

Grimsby and Southend to stay up, Barrow and Scunthorpe to go down.
You heard it here first.

 

[stevowanderer]

Gutted. Pretty confident we would have got something out of that had we had 11 men all game. This result is all on Kelvin Mellor's head.

I agree with you, we weren’t really at it today. What was he thinking?! Stupidity.

 

[RLC]

A terrible first half, but excellent after the break when we switched to 442 and put Nugent and Woolery up front. Kahn was great down the right side and Nugent showed that he can still perform provided he is in a front two, with some lovely touches and movement.

The only frustration is that we did not score more goals, as we should have won comfortably in the end.

 

[shoddycollins]

We look like a team with an issue over morale or the right attitude. Nothing about today's performance suggested the mindset of a team who still thought they were in the playoff chase. A lot of young and inexperienced players, The experienced players we have aren't influential enough, that's what we need for next season, a been there done that player who has the ability but can give players a bit of a shake when things aren't going well.

 

[shoddycollins]

1 or 2 wide men who can cross a ball and a midfielder who can pick out a forward pass should be top of our shopping list.

Hopefully Dickenson next season can stay injury free and that's one such player.

Yet another summer of 'we need Jamie Devitt' coming up.

 

[Boz]

A terrible first half, but excellent after the break when we switched to 442 and put Nugent and Woolery up front. Kahn was great down the right side and Nugent showed that he can still perform provided he is in a front two, with some lovely touches and movement.

The only frustration is that we did not score more goals, as we should have won comfortably in the end.

Agreed, but we could have been one or two down at h/t and then it's a different story. Nugent's goal was a good header and he came close with a quality strike soon after.

Barrow have some tough fixtures coming up, they looked a better side than Southend on today's showing, but will need to be more clinical.

 

[Back in the DHSS]

We live to fight another day, thank you Tranmere!

Don’t thank us thank Barrow.

 

[The Terminator]

We look like a team with an issue over morale or the right attitude. Nothing about today's performance suggested the mindset of a team who still thought they were in the playoff chase. A lot of young and inexperienced players, The experienced players we have aren't influential enough, that's what we need for next season, a been there done that player who has the ability but can give players a bit of a shake when things aren't going well.

Sounds similar to our lot, very similar comparisions with what we put into our game today - Not enough suggested the players believed in a playoff push.

Our game next Saturday will be 0-0..................!

 

[Roger Stone]

Decent point - better team today and we had good chances to win it. Important we didn’t lose so onto Scunthorpe on Tuesday. Salford on a run. FGR, us or Salford for 6 and 7.

 

[AdamStag]

apparently we lost to salford.

meh

 

[Thefutureswhite]

Super whites do it again, far too good to be playing tinpots like Morecambe

 

[Si Robin]

Watching that game at the in-laws was bloody difficult, but that result felt so great.

6 years ago we were relegated out of League 2 playing some of the most turgid stuff I've seen from any club. If you'd told me then we'd be (practically) going back to League 1 in 2021 I'd have had you sectioned.

Honestly, words can't explain how great this feeling is!!

 

[Chris FGR]

Created more chances but lacked the ability to finish them, Aaron Collins especially guilty. Not the best quality of games, Crawley looked like a side who were on the beach.

Getting tight for those last playoff spots, can see Salford overtaking us if we’re not careful.

Congrats Cheltenham btw, thoroughly deserved been up there all season and one of the better sides I’ve seen.

 

[wessy]

Congrats to Cheltenham your as good as promoted, not Champions yet but looking likely, I thought Morecambe shaded the first 20 minutes without really testing Gilkes, once you went down to 10 men never felt like we could lose until that scare in the 91st minute, not many teams at this level close a game down better than us, so once we scored it was not really in question. One more win and we are up. COYWM

 

[longmover]

turned everything off at 3pm and just picked up the result, being top didn't even register this morning, just A win would of done.

COYR!!

 

[LancashireTrotters]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1386008501663805441

https://twitter.com/x/status/1385932747898765312

Great to see the fans out in force at Morecambe today, brilliant result!!

 

[Moomin]

We’ve somehow gone from a team who can score for fun, to a team that can’t even hit the target. Such a poor and disappointing end to the season.

We’ll probably stay in the hunt till the final game but we’re nowhere ready for promotion. Big summer ahead and Taylor has to deliver or he should walk.

 

[White horse]

So we need one win from the last two games, what a turnaround, Something like 16 games won by a one goal margin.

 

[RLC]

Agreed, but we could have been one or two down at h/t and then it's a different story. Nugent's goal was a good header and he came close with a quality strike soon after.

Barrow have some tough fixtures coming up, they looked a better side than Southend on today's showing, but will need to be more clinical.

I don't remember any clear chances for Barrow in the first half to be honest. A turn and shot from Quigley which was easily saved by Murphy, but that was about it.

Quigley was a nuisance and there were a few decent set-play deliveries from Ollie Banks, but Barrow were not great overall.

 

[denzel ecfc]

Congratulations to Cheltenham. Well deserved. It's a shame we wont be playing you next season but time to revisit Rovers and Swindon again Methinks.

 

[valefan16]

Got to be fair to Whitehead today, I thought he was superb. Theo Robinson is finally looking a half decent footballer as well.

36 days ago I didn’t think we’d stay up and was unsure how we’d make 50 points... now 9 games later we’ve hit the 60 point mark. Absolutely incredible turnaround by DC.

Huge challenge in the summer to keep hold of Conlon, he’s absolute quality and now he’s got the captaincy he’s excelled to a new level.

As always great result but again huge frustration that whatever happened in those mid season games happened but we look another level at the moment, especially defensively.

Bradford looked dangerous but didn’t have much up front, played some good stuff and we had to work hard for the win.

Hopefully can see if Grimsby and Mansfield and go into the summer buzzing but we will see!

Easy decisions a few weeks ago for DC in terms of contracts this summer are now much harder.

 

[Laker]

Meant to say earlier in my state of disappointment, congratulations to Cheltenham. They’ve been excellent all season and it’s fully deserved. You should go on and win the title too now (we were your only serious challenges but fell today) and that’ll be fully deserved too.

Hopefully be joining you on Friday.

 

[Boz]

I don't remember any clear chances for Barrow in the first half to be honest. A turn and shot from Quigley which was easily saved by Murphy, but that was about it.

Quigley was a nuisance and there were a few decent set-play deliveries from Ollie Banks, but Barrow were not great overall.

On reflection, you may be right regarding goal attempts. Barrow’s best effort was probably the long range effort from Ntlhe, Quigley got into a few good positions first half but didn’t take advantage, an easy save for Murphy and others blocked off.

 

[Essex2Wessex]

Cheltenham thoroughly deserve their promotion, they've been consistently good all season as far as I've seen. Good luck up in League One!

 

[Boz]

Don't want to jinx Cheltenham, but in the two games they've played v Rovers they've won 7-0 on aggregate and deserve the promotion and title if they do go up as Champions.

 

[leedsvaliant]

Yep. In spite of the fact that we beat Cheltenham at Vale Park, they were the best team we have played this season. Be glad to get rid of Bolton, only because their fans think they're Real Madrid. Lived in a halls of residence many years ago with a Bolton fan, complete nerd, it's formed my view of Bolton ever since. They're a reasonably big club for League Two but I wouldn't class them as a massive club. Bradford are far bigger and better supported but they know their place now. Cambridge looked poor each time we played them (still beat us twice mind) but I think they've just had one of those seasons where their main striker has had a purple patch (like Pope for us in 2013). I'd expect they might come back down again soon but good luck to them.

I'm gutted that we had such a stinking injury list and we didn't get rid of Askey sooner. We should have been right in the mix with this squad. I've seen a number of seasons of league two and this is one of the very worst standard wise.

 

[GTFCfish]

I look back to how well we played in back to back wins at Cheltenham and Orient in October, and then with how decent we were with these 2 wins in our last 3 games against Bolton and Oldham and I can’t help but think, if it wasn’t for those 35 games in between when we were shit we could be looking at promotion now with this squad.
Gutting.

 

[stevowanderer]

Yep. In spite of the fact that we beat Cheltenham at Vale Park, they were the best team we have played this season. Be glad to get rid of Bolton, only because their fans think they're Real Madrid. Lived in a halls of residence many years ago with a Bolton fan, complete nerd, it's formed my view of Bolton ever since. They're a reasonably big club for League Two but I wouldn't class them as a massive club. Bradford are far bigger and better supported but they know their place now. Cambridge looked poor each time we played them (still beat us twice mind) but I think they've just had one of those seasons where their main striker has had a purple patch (like Pope for us in 2013). I'd expect they might come back down again soon but good luck to them.

I'm gutted that we had such a stinking injury list and we didn't get rid of Askey sooner. We should have been right in the mix with this squad. I've seen a number of seasons of league two and this is one of the very worst standard wise.

That’s quite ironic about Bolton thinking they’re Real Madrid because all I’ve seen on these forums is Vale should have pissed this league/the standard in this league is shit/if only we’d done this or done that/if only we’d not had 20 odd games where we hadn’t been shit. You’ve still lost more games than you’ve won this season.

The vast majority of us don’t think we are anything like that. Based on trophies, years in the top flight, stadium capacity and fan base we are top half championship level in terms of club size. Should we be at this level? Probably not. Are we pissed off with how far we have fallen. Definitely! But we are here and have to deal with it. We have a larger fan base than most at this level so on the balance of probability we have more idiots that crawl out the woodwork. Doesn’t mean the whole fan base is like that.

There aren’t the same wage restrictions next season and some decent clubs coming down alongside the likes of Bradford who will improve at some point. Orient and a few others will want to start better. Carlisle if they can get going again will be a force. Salford will keep spending, Tranmere have a good side (and at least one of them will be in league 2 next season.) Will be really interesting to see what happens next season.