you only have to look at the table to see how tight things are at the top. creep, s/end and chelt, 50,49,49 are now 6 or 7 points clear of hopefuls swindon, shrews, gills and oxon, 43,42,41 and 41 but we have to look below us at burton, stanley, gulls and millers and morecambe., 40,39, 38, 37 and 35. gulls and millers like the top 6 have a game in hand. shrews can ill afford anymore midwinter blues and their gd is looking parlous at +11. we could do with a few goalfests but i suspect we will not get one next saturday. floreat salopia, come on you shrews, sort they gills out, stoke did!
so the bottom line is in 22 games remaining, town have to win 3 more games than the top 3 or the top 3 must lose up to 9 points on the shrews and we need to keep swindon in check amongst others below. well there is shrews challenge, starting at home to gills. a mighty floreat salopia.
I don't think two of the top three will drop points. Cheltenham might be the only opportunity for us, but that is slim!!
so shrews last 4 inept performances may have cost them dear. just as well we have 22 games to do something. at present swindon worry me as much as the top 3, and oxford are on the rails
22 games to go home gills, s/end,vale,gas, creepies, oxon, brewers, chelt, shots, bantams,millers and daggers away bulls, gulls,barnet, crewe.argyle, morecambe,maccs, stanley and wombles and SWINDON!! shrews need a long long string of wins and an impovemet of our gd by 10, if they are going to challenge this season. i know we are playing many of the top teams at home and they have to play each other, but, it will be tight
This looks a much tougher league than last year - our continuing inability to put chances away has cost us dear and we will be lucky to get into the playoffs unless we have a change of personnel in the January window. Sorry to be so gloomy but we have lost the plot at the moment - we will need to beat all the top sides at home to get back into it.
i am just glad the gas are not walking the league this season, as that is one less team to worry about
8 key games tomorrow affecting promo/play offs gas v creepies. chelt v shots, maccs v gulls, cobblers v s/end, oxon v crewe, argyle v brewers, millers v swindon, shrews v gills
3 teams helped shrews crusade today, argyle had a 90th minute win at home to burton, crewe had a great win away at oxon and finally the mighty gas although outplayed held crawley to a 0-0 draw at home. elsewhere southend went from strength to strength at the cobblers winning 5-2. chelt beat shots 2-0 and swindon won 2-1 at the millers, town are still in touch after the 2-0 defeat of gills. so the top 3 are southend, cheltenham and crawley 1 point behind. 5 points behind, 1 point seperates swindon and shrews. we have to hope something gives in the top 4 and the shrews go on winning. the southend game at shrews looks a challenge. floreat salopia
I gather Cheltenham weren't that impressive today. They are the one team I think are most likely to slip up.
Bar Swindon, we have home advantage on all the other teams in the top 6 (having already done the double on Gillingham). If our home form continues as it has all season long, then we could be right up there. Starting with 3 points against Saaaa'fend, that 6/7 point gap will whittle away.
Matt Richie might leave Swindon Crawley are loaded but their chronically runted attendances will bring them crashing back down. This time last year Cheltenham were battling relegation and may not last the difference, especially if sough-after Butland leaves (he is an under-21 by now anyway). And their winning run HAS to end soon!
I think Sarfend and Swindon will go up and the third spot is between ourselves, Cheltenham and Crawley.
there are chinks of light shining for town, although almost totally outplayed, the brave defence of the gas shared the points with the creepies. next week they are away to chelt, and i can see the gas sharing the points up there. southend had a very strong second half yesterday, i think they were 2-1 down at cobblers, but recovered to win 5-2 away, so shrews need to get next saturdays game sorted by halftime, this needs the lads up front to do something unusual for them, er score goals. jamie has not been the same since his car accident, perhaps he needs someone to talk to. as for swindon we have a golden opportunity to overtake them away on tuesday 21.2.12. in short the sky may be brightening for the shrews, but they must help themseves. but what strength in depth we have in the team, when the defence scores the first and midfield scores the second yesterday to put clear water between the shrews and the gills. and anybody seeing someone booing wright has my full permission to put a boot in a most sensitive place. it is players like wrighty that have kept the shrews in contention. well played. come on you shrews, floreat salopia
Nice one AJ. Certainly we can only beat Southend and Swindon, come the end of the season if we are in only a playoff position and did not beat these teams then it is the squads fault. Btw was the gills game our first six pointer of the season?