Simple Maths ...

Doncaster drop 2 points and can't go above us if they win their game in hand.

 

Strong believer that we only need to focus on our own games - but Lincoln losing to Rochdale, when their manager is linked to the Sheff Utd job and their best player injured, is huge.

Doncaster drawing at home to Northampton as well.

We are now in a position that if every team won their games in hand, we'd be in the automatics.

 

its nice to know that whatever happens tomorrow, this weekend has been a good one for SAFC.

 

Hume has been watching this thread, good lad and hope he's back soon.

I'm having our usual Zoom church service tomorrow with a few regular Sunderland lads.

We always finish off with this ...

...give it a listen if you like, uplifting even if you don't believe.

 

As has been said, some good results.

..Wednesday against Accrington...all big games from now on, none bigger than we have Lincoln and Hull to play as well..Peterborough?

 

And I know we are definitely looking up not down, and it hasn't changed today, but Accrington and Oxford losing, and Charlton just drawing, means we are still 8 points clear of the playoff chasers.

At Christmas there were genuine fears we wouldn't make the playoffs and had very little chance of automatics. And now nothing is guaranteed but we look more likely to get automatic than we do to fail to make the playoffs.

 

Peterborough's last 3 games are Doncaster, Lincoln, then Doncaster again on the final day. Crazy finish for them. Hopefully all 3 of those are nice dress rehearsals for the playoffs for them all.

 

In fact the final 5 games for all teams is going to be mental if its still this close:

Hull
Fleetwood (h)
Sunderland (h)
Lincoln (a)
Wigan (h)
Charlton (a)

Peterborough
Gillingham (h)
Charlton (a)
Doncaster (h)
Lincoln (h)
Doncaster (a)

Lincoln
Burton (a)
Hull (h)
Shrewsbury (a)
Peterborough (a)
Wimbledon (h)

Sunderland
Hull (a)
Accrington (h)
Blackpool (h)
Plymouth (a)
Northampton (h)

Doncaster
Accrington (a)
Fleetwood (h)
Peterborough (a)
Rochdale (a)
Peterborough (h)

 

We will move in to the top 2 on Wednesday evening if Peterborough don't beat Portsmouth on Tuesday and we beat Accrington on Wednesday

 

There are a few games before we get to the last 5...my thoughts are all about Wednesday ie next game.. if we can keep the run of wins going, and not get ahead of ourselves, we can look closer at the final games from a different perspective.


Tomorrow is a bonus for the players, a run out at Wembley (albeit with no fans). Perhaps cos of injury or being cup tied I hope that the likes of Youngs and Neil get a run out, as they are likely to be needed for all of the remaining games.

 

We're tightening the screw and other teams can't cope with it ....

 

If we were to win our 3 games in hand we'd go above Hull ...

... and there'd be nothing they could do to stop us.

 

Other than to win the rest of their games (they still have to play us - so it’s still in their hands the way it’s still in ours)

 

Hmmm ...

... that's quite a pessimistic point of view from a Sunderland supporter tbh.

 

i know I was being facetious - should have put a safety wink in

 

Looking at that run in, we've got the easiest on paper. I can see Accrington dropping away soon and having nothing to play for by then. Blackpool and Plymouth the same, so it could mean Hull and Northampton being games where they also need points, but even then Northampton could be relegated by then.

 

Hope you are feeling hungry, now where can I find a donkey?

 

Aye mate, we are, warm glow to the soul.
Just got to keep it going.
HTL.

 

What strikes me is that the top team, by some distance, has lost 10 games ...

... that's the same as Shrewsbury in 17th place!

We've lost 5.


1 Hull .................36 32 68
2 Peterborough 33 22 62
3 Lincoln City... 34 19 61
4 Sunderland ....33 25 60
5 Doncaster ......32 12 56
6 Ipswich ...........33 5 54