Just about Promotion

Three interesting games coming up next weekend.

Hartlepool v Doncaster......on paper you would have thought weeks back that Doncaster would have been well chuffed with this one....but Doncaster have hit the buffers losing three on the trot, and where unfortunate yesterday to run into the second best away team in the league Exeter. Hartlepool or Newport C will be the second relegation candidate to go down with Leyton O.....so Doncaster might find themselves in a bigger scrap than they anticipated a few weeks back.

Portsmouth v Cheltenham.....Portsmouth have looked the most secure of the three promoted teams of late.....they will meet a Cheltenham team who have just secured their league status for another year, so Portsmouth will feel that they can get the three points to still challenge for the title....but Cheltenham might be released and play with more freedom.....or they might turn up with their flip-flops and beach towels who knows ?

Grimsby v Argyle.....we need one more win for the title.....who would bet against the best away side in the league, who have won thirteen away games already this season not to notch up one more. Will they be going for it without fear of failure....lets hope so.......we have got more away points this season than home even before playing this game.....light years ago I can remember driving up to Peterborough for the last game of the season....just needing to win to take the League title (old Div 3).....but we lost 1-0 and I believe it was Blackburn who then took the title.....thousands of disappointed greens at that match.....lets hope that doesn't happen again.

PS.....Just checked GoS records......strewth longer ago than I thought 1974/75.........Peterborough scored in the 42nd minute......crowd of 11176 of which 5000 were greens.....bit of crowd trouble during match.

Argyle had a good team then.....Furnell, Hore, Burrows, Saxton, Green, Delve, Randell (Vassallo), Johnson, Mariner, Rafferty, McAuley........this was a year before PASALB was formed.

Blackburn played the following Monday to win the title.

 

All I will say is the title would be nice to round off the season but for me it's not that important now. We got what we wanted so job done. I will be looking in and will be cheering them on in my head but if it doesn't happen then oh well, not to be and we move on. What hacks me off is you get more in terms of cash for winning the playoff than you do for automatic promotion. First gets a trophy but no more cash. 2nd and 3rd get no more cash than anyone else. Somehow that doesn't seem right but is the way it is.

 

Rather be in our position than the play offs again. at least Exeter have that now.. I think they could well go up as they are the form team of the 4 involved.. Torquay survived as well.

 

I think the reason there are still places up for grabs is because form teams have blown it form wise at various times. I would quite like Exeter to follow us up to be honest. The more teams in Devon do the better for the region.

 

At least it would mean a local derby.....with Swindon being relegated it will leave only Bristol R in Div 1 that is 'local'.....Portsmouth is probably the next nearest.....then maybe Shrewsbury.....we'll be classing London teams as local derbies next.

 

There will be a lot less travelling next term without Hartlepool and Carlisle...........

 

A bit of a coincidence.....Exeter v Carlisle on Saturday.....could also be a home and away play-off match as well.

 

Can't see there being anywhere near the crowd this season for the final as last time. Either us or Portsmouth were bound to make Wembley and guarantee a big turn out. Plus the other being a more local club to the ground.

This week seems to be dragging somewhat and I'm sure there has been two Tuesdays already. If a whole week and a few hours without a game feels like this now the summer break is going to seem like a decade. Just read a couple of write ups for the Grimsby game by Sawyer and Adams. With the outcome of the league being in our own hands and us being the only one not reliant on others I hadn't really thought about that much. I doubt many were thinking we had much of a chance to be in this position a month or so ago. Sawyer says the players want it and it matters and Adams says much the same thing. For them I hope it works out even if I'm still not that fussed if we are first second or third in the end. The record apparently shows we are not that successful at Grimsby.

 

Since 1920/21....we have played there in the league 15 times......W1...D9...L5......and that win was back in the 1920's.....

 

Still find them hard to beat.....hence we lose the title on goal difference.....the only time Pompey have been top all season.

 

That's life plym.

 

At least we didn't slip back to third on the final day. That wouldn't have been representative of a very satisfactory season. Same again next year Mr. Adams, please.

 

Congrats on your promotion by the way