The Opponent: Oldham Athletic
No doubt the next 500 odd words will end up being a complete waste of time after some local referee that would rather be in bed calls our game off. Of course I could be wrong and I won’t have to cover this one all over again. By the time most of you read this we should know one way or the other. The overnight forecast doesn’t look fantastic it must be said, and our pitch, as well as most of the South West has seen nothing but rain for weeks and weeks on end which may suggest today’s match is somewhat in doubt. Personally I shall be working all morning, if the game is called off I won’t lose any sleep over it, although at the same time a Saturday afternoon without football when you are expecting football can be somewhat dull.
I’m not entirely sure what to make of the last couple of games, 2 somewhat below par performance but a decent enough points return and I would think Mark Cooper will now have 1 eye on the JPT Area final first leg. For me, 3 points today is a must win if we have any ambitions of getting closer to securing 52 points for survival/keeping in touch with the top 6. With Alex Pritchard missing out today and Tuesday through suspension it will be interesting to see how we approach the game. Will Tijane step straight in? Seems a bit unlikely given his lack of match practice. Will we try starting with Ranger and Smith as 2 out and out strikers? I notice some TEF members think any potential strike partnership is doomed already and other saying they witnessed signs of a good understanding between them already, that’s all a bit BBC Wilts after match phone-in for my liking.
Oldham is certainly one of the more ethnically diverse areas of The UK, some 27% of the town’s 110’000 population is made up of Asian folk compared to the UK average of 4.6%, interestingly, there are claims that Oldham was the birthplace of the first chip shop. The sometimes disputed claim of trade in deep-fried chipped potatoes is said to have been started in around 1858–60 from an outlet owned by a John Lees, on what is the present site of Oldham's Tommyfield Market. I have no doubt many of you have often wondered where the tubular bandage was invented, yes, you guessed it, Oldham. Notable Oldhamers include the fantastic Inspiral Carpets, Take That midget Mark Owen, ‘Comedy’ double act and double glazing selling Canon and Ball, comic Eric Sykes, former gopher molester Philip Schofield and Sunita from Coronation Street.
Weather or Not? – After a night of heavy showers we can expect a slight chance of a couple of wintery flurries first thing followed by sunny spells and light cloud as the morning progreses. A mostly dry afternoon but a strong wind will be apparent for most of the day, with gusts up to 45-50mph. Maximum temperature of 6 degrees,
Where the opposition gather – One of their fans is hoping the game goes ahead so they can get the beating out of the way!
http://www.owtb.co.uk/index.php/topic/44695-swindon-off-tomorrow/Last 6 – LLWLWL (16th on 30 points)
They have served us both – David Down, Wanker Aljofree, Adam Rooney, John Sheffield, Chris Ogden, Frank Large, Fede Bessone, Abe Rosenthal, Jimmy Thompson, Cristian Montano, Brian Kilcline, Tom Devlin, Paul Edwards, Don Heath.
The Odds - Swindon 6/5 Draw 5/2 Oldham 5/2 Looks like Oldham have signed up Shitty rejects, Jon Stead and James Wilson. Smith and Ranger are generally 9/2 and 5/1 for 1st goalscorer with mist outlets.
The Son Says – I would think his first thought when he gets up will be to see whether the game is on or not. Regardless he has gone for a 3-1 home win.
The Prediction - As I said earlier on, this really is a game we should be winning, and we will. 3-0 with 2 goals from Ranger and a late Lounge header in front of 7’333, 188 travelling from Greater Manchester, that’s if it’s game on, of course.
And Finally – Taken from Friday’s Oldham Chronicle - A man forced to give up work with heart problems had his benefits axed for failing to complete a capability assessment... after suffering a heart attack during the examination. The man, who received employment support allowance, was required to attend a work-capability assessment to assess his suitability for work.
During the appointment he was told he was having a heart attack, forcing the nurse to stop the assessment.
Two weeks later he got a letter from Jobcentre Plus saying he had withdrawn from the assessment and was being sanctioned! That’s one way of getting the jobless numbers down.
