Thetownend.com

Stevenage v STFC

League Position
11th v 10th

Form Table (Last eight)
19th v 5th

Home Form v Away Form
14th v 7th

Other Key fixtures:
Colchester United (6th) v Forest Green Rovers (9th)
Tranmere Rovers (5th) v Grimsby Town (19th)
Carlisle United (7th) v Notts County (24th)
Macclesfield Town (23rd) v Exeter City (8th)

Its a must win to keep near the playoffs as per every match for the last 6 games. The good news is that i will be having the new radio on and its 4 wins from 4 games.

On league position you would think there would be wins coming in for tranmere, carlisle and exeter but we all know league 2 and if it was that easy to predict id win a fortune on the accas. I completed missed saturdays game but the reports and stats all looked good except for the obvious scoreline, the highlights showed 2 fortuitous goals against, reason for optimism. Whilst there is hope we must keep chasing.

3-1 away win.  :pint:

Stevenage was the first new town under the new towns act.
We'll absolutely batter them  :pint:

Stevenage sit in 11th place in the table, 1 place below us with 1 less point, and havent won in the last 5 matches.

Stevenage have ex Town players Timlin, Cuthbert, Revell all likely to play, Adebayo has not been playing much and not even getting on the bench even for most games. He made a rare appearance on Saturday coming on in the 90th minute and has not scored for them yet.

Their leading scorers are Revell on 6 and Kennedy on 6.

Their current form is LWWLWLDLDL so no wins in their last 5 games including 2 consecutive home defeats and lost 3 of the last 4 home games the only win being a 1-0 against the (at the time) freefalling Yeovil.

At home they have won 9 drawn 2 and lost 7 scoring 20 and conceding 19.

In all games vs Stevenage we have W7 D1 L3 scoring 21 conceding 14.

In league games at Broadhall Way we have W2 D0 L1 F5 A2.

2-1 defeat with Anderson scoring©  in front of 2,506 with 575 Town fans there.

Adebayo nailed on to score then

 Given the likely dodgy wet and windy conditions, assuming it's on, then it's a bit of a lottery.

So is that an increase or decrease of our win chances?

Imponderables ;)

Need a scrappy 1-0 win. I fear a defeat would be terminal for play-off push.

1-0 Town, Broadbent header in front of 470 Town fans in a crowd of 4100.

Only a 20 minute train journey so I'll be making my third visit to Broadhall way in 2 seasons!

As Reg says the weather is carnage and so the game is going to be a bit of a lottery. I'll go for a 3-2 defeat with all goals wind assisted.

A Stevenage preview of the game.

https://dailystevenage.wordpress.com/2019/03/12/your-guide-to-our-visitors-swindon-town/

A very very mildy humorous write up knicked almost word for word from the Office.

Pre match much needed eye sore treatment in The Standing Order.
Didn't know there was another Wetherspoons here on previous visits.
Might have to sack the logistics department.

'Old' Stevenage is ok. Much better than the 'new' bits.

Last season was the most dour 1-0 win that I've ever seen.
Was hoping for a decent game tonight, based on the home game.
Conditions will put pay to that.
Our backstop will need to be on form tonight.

Feel a bit sorry for that forlorn looking digger that has been sat in the open end of their ground for what seems like ages now.

I vaguely remember last season's game. It seemed to be a competition to see which keeper could kick the ball the highest in the air ad nauseum.

I too felt sorry for that digger!

Exeter’s game at Macclesfield off

I'm just back from North London. Been absolutely pissing it down all day. I know its a bit further north but its iffy for go ahead at best unless it stops soon.

Where are people drinking?

That fucker Revell always scores against us.

I like the coffee ones.

:D :D

And me.. It stopped raining almost as i typed. nice and dry now, and the wind has completely dropped.

You could say he revells in it

It's absolutely lashing down here in Bath and the wind has picked up again.  In a couple of hours, it may be with you.

Cheers I've already been drenched 3 times today!

Vigouroux, Woolfenden, Conroy, Broadbent, Taylor; Dunne, Diagouraga, Bennett; Anderson, Robinson, Woolery

Subs - McCormick, Knoyle, Rose, Carroll, House, Richards, Bancroft

Attacking!  Fair enough given the situation in the season, and if the weather is as bad as described, guessing midfield control is pointless.

Knoyle probably getting a rest and Woolfenden offers extra height in a storm I suppose.

Nice to see Toums given game time and that Woolery was passed fit. Koiki must have an injury I guess and Knoyle could do with the rest as Rob says.

daaaaaaaaaave!

knoyle picked up a knock/minor muscle tightening on Saturday so makes sense not to risk him

I'm here and conditions are ok not wet not too windy

1st game for you since Crawley isn't it mate?

So what would that be a 4-2-4 or a 4-2-2-2?

interesting. very suprised to see toumani as thought he was out of favour. been regaining fitness for the last 6 weeks it seems and even in a 3-0 home win he only got like 7 minutes.

lets get that first goal and kick on. this is very winnable lets get it done.

I would say its a 4-2-3-1.

yeah that would work in my head

Definately a winnable game for us, Toums seemed out of favour but today is a great chance for him to grab a starting place from McCourt/Dunne when all 3 are fit, he brings more to the game for me than either of those 2 when he is fit.

Robinson has been playing as a lone striker/target man so far in every game and with the speed of Bennett, Woolery and Anderson breaking on the counter there is a lot of pace in that front line.

Toums and Dunne sitting in a more defensive role allowing those 3 to run riot lookes a very attacking line up.

I'd be surprised if Dave moves more than 10 feet in front of the back two all game.

That's the same formation we switched to in the last game and took control, only to fluff it.  Anderson behind Robinson and other two out wide.  Dunne to join in a bit but more likely sit - think Wellens rates his mobility a bit more than the others to cover the ground.

Is McCourt injured or rested?

Glad to see Dave back.

Can’t be long til Doughty’s fit?

Wellens said at minimum 4 weeks and that was about 2 weeks ago.

Or punished after being hauled off very early on Sat? Surprising if it’s not injury, as he’s been in favour under Wellens until now.

Haven't heard as yet, he wasn't happy about being subbed at the weekend and went straight down the tunnel when he went off.

I honestly cant remember the last time I saw him play and also play well. there was excitement at the start of the season as on paper he is a fantastic player for this league. he does however strike me as a player that you would have to have in a relegation threatened team- looks very lethargic. In a team that is playing well he has that bit of class.

just went on swindon-town-fc to see if there were any result stats for toumani playing this season. i gave up instead of going into each match. what i did see was this however

if true- it is truly shocking and he needs this on his match locker. i think he has had an alright season tbh and for the talent that he has in spells he really should be scoring lots more.

im predicting him being 1 more season away from banging them in regularly. hopefully i can quote this in 12 months.

Hope it's not a strop

Away at Plymouth in the Mickey Mouse cup he was outstanding, wont everything in midfield and was bombing up and down the pitch, his passing was a joy to watch too that day, but, his good games are few and far between when he does play.

It could be that or Wellens may be punishing him for not following orders before his substitution on Saturday, I guess we won't find out.

All 3 expected ex Town players start with Bayo on the bench for them.

He hasn't scored against us since 2012 in his last 4 matches (I know kiss of death) he scored in the previous 5 matches though.

That was my reading, plus subsequent strop.

Yeah the Adver site is hinting towards that being the reason.

A couple of seats wrecked in the 'finishing' practice.
Dave & Theo the main culprits.
Special mention for Carroll as well.

Thought it would be safe to sit behind that goal once Norris had gone.
Not the case.

Everything on target in the game.  :)

First few mins Stevenage all over us.

Vigs fucked up a simple ball and almost cost us a goal.

slow start for sure

2 awful passes, 1st by Taylor the 2nd by Dunne, come on Town get a fucking grip.

The cameraman is fucking pissed.

btec cameraman

Nice move by Town by Bennett who finds Woolery on the wing but the cross is too close to the keeper.

Stevenage looking to go long diagonally to the wings.

we just had our best move but nobody on the end of a useful cross

So far this is like watching Town under Brown, long balls, not many decent passing moves and the opponents having the better of the game so far.

Tranmere 1 up

FGR 1 up

Bennett nice play down the wing finds Dunne on the edge of the box but he chooses the wrong pass totally.

Vigs makes another easy save from a shot straight at him.

Nice move by Town Anderson to Woolery who can't beat the first defender with the cross.

Superb turn from Anderson whos good shot it tipped over the bar for our first corner.

great effort from Anderson tipped over

Low drilled cross by taylor inches wide, got a touch and a corner to Town.

great cross just evades our strikers. on top now

Who knew Woofenden carried an attacking threat?

2nd poor corner by Taylor in a row.

I do wish he would learn to cross a ball though, Woolery too.

Woolery 20 yard shot low and a yard wide.

Great little pass in for Anderson’s effort though.

Timlin 30 yard shot a yard high and wide of our goal.

Anderson, Woolf and Woolery linking  up well so far.

Woolery just caught their player. Harsh yellow

edit: though radio says Anderson got booked, soapy tit wank

Woolery left his foot in the tackle and caught the defender on the shin.

Watching on the replay Woolery probably deserved yellow.

Taylor and Bennett easily walked around by the winger.

Robinson not getting any service so far today easily marked by Cuthbert and Nugent so far.

Corner to Town.

Division four football

Better corner by Taylor onto Woolfs head but its just over the bar.

Its a very poor game so far.

county beating Carlisle

God this all sounds like Saturday.....

Sent from my SM-J330FN

0-1 poor defendng by Town.

1-0 revell. obvs

Woolf should have done better

was that who was making him? fucking useless marking

Everything about this game is awful, camera man and commentators included.

Woolf

Turgid affair no creativity from either side.Shocking concession.Our one hope is that Robinson can produce something however with the absolute inadequacy of our midfield I'm pessimistic

we are currently 7 points off the playoffs with a game in hand.

revell hits the bar

what's up with doughty?

Diagouraga’s touch has been terrible.

Quite a serious thigh injury I think, out for another few weeks.

bugger. going to be up and running far too late

Really poor game and not a good performance either, Stevenage probably shaded it but both sides are poor, very dull game so far. A defeat will signal the end of the play off hopes.

I thought he has been our best midfielder so far, won almost every tackle.

Trouble is, we keep saying this after defeats. But until it's mathematically certain, the hope remains!

We can't cross a ball to save our lives.

But then he misplaces every ball out.

The hope does remain mathematically yes, but realistically for me its over with a loss.

Too many players not at it tonight..  We are getting nowt out of this one kids

Can't see us turning this around in the second half.  Shit time to go on a poor run away from home.

Fucking terrible, worst half under Wellens since Carlisle at home.  Oh shut the fuck up Parkin - sorry, hero or not, the guy seems to know nothing about the game and the commentator can barely see who is involved in the game.

Vigs - no command
Taylor - career over
Conroy - no strength
Braodbent - seems to have had a dream he was Hoddle
Wollenden - how has he let a 5ft nothing player keep beating him in the air, let alone for the goal with an actual striker.
Two in midfield have no control on the game and can barely pass to each other without placing themselves under pressure.
Bennett - this guys is fucking useless, just happens to have had two shots in recent games getting lucky with one
Anderson - meh
Woolery - maybe we can enter him in a 100 metres or something, can't cross for toffee
Robinson - had nothing, looks likely to lamp someone soon based on the balls they keep playing to him.

Awful.

Doom and glooms are out i see. We rarely have 2 bad halves. Plenty of time to turn up yet.

It sounds so much like the weekend, what was shocking then was that despite us doing well in recent games for long periods the players still looked like they barely knew each other with random balls to no one, sadly we are just a bit not very good.

Sent from my SM-J330FN

Dunne...also terrible

I'll happily call out a bright side when it is available, we look terrible tonight.  Not saying we ARE terrible, but our performance is terrible.  Added to by Dave who looks like a semi pro fitness wise, Taylor looks spent as a player outside of set pieces and Bennett is one of the worst players I have seen in a while.  No presence on the pitch at all - he could easily go an entire half without touching the ball I'd imagine.

Trust me, this is nothing like the weekend.

Quite a few changes tonight probably hasn't helped.

He, along with Robinson is someone I have more sympathy with.  He is useless, but he has always been thus.  He puts the effort in and sometimes his harrying is useful when we have players around him getting control.  He's exposed when we don't have that.  He looks like a non-league player when this happens, which he probably is.

I kind of get making them, given this is a last roll of the dice and the conditions were expected to be bad.  The problem is a few of the players have come in and exposed why they haven't been playing, added to those who have been playing looking utterly out of sorts.

can't say anyone is having a good game

Fcuking hell, it's not good but it's not as bad as some are making out.

It's probably a realisation that the performance doesn't matter but the result.

Season defining 45 mins ahead and we will see how much they want to win this

TBF I will give credit when some is deserved, its just a bad day at the office today, not playing as a unit at all, not even anyone playing as an individual so far.

I think thats the head of the nail being hit.

Corner to Town, why the fuck can't the commentator tell the difference between Woolery and Anderson and between Broadbent and Woolf?

Poor corner from Taylor.

Woolery trying hard, just not happening

Nice run by Woolery but his last knock past the defender overruns into touch.

Taylor knocks the ball out for a corner to them.

Nice save by Vigs from a header.

nearly 2, good save vigs

knoyle coming on

Woolery brought down 30 yards out on the touchline.

Toums booking.

Is 33 Conroy or Broadbent?

or is knoyle coming on after all

Broadbent

broadbent

Richards and Knoyle look to be coming on.

That’s who let Revell in for the goal.

Robinson wastes good chance

Nice cross from Anderson finds Robinson in the box buit fires over the bar. Its not happening for Robinson so far.

Knoyle, Richards and Carroll on for Taylor, Woolery and Toums

Richards and knoyle and Carroll on

Taylor , Woolery and Dave off

Yep, you're right

Stevenage do like a whinge.

Lovely cross by Knoyle with his first touch, no striker on the end of it thoug, Woolf gone to LB.

I reckon Bennett is so anonymous that Wellens forgot he was there to take him off.  Hopefully he gets a late goal to ram it down my throat.

Carroll brought down 25 yards out centrally.

good position for a free kick

Looks like we are going a bit Flitcroft.

Nice free kick by Anderson, keeper has to puch it over the bar.

good save from good free kick

Anderson deep cross/shot just wide.

soapy tit wank great goal for Ipswich. well, own goal from city.

Doesn't sound like Dave or Taylor have made much of a claim for a place in the starting 11.

slight improvement since subs

Nice shot by Anderson 20 yards out saved by the keeper.

nope. big ask both having not played much

Town definately coming into it more since the subs.

Broadbent loses the ball coming out of defence, Vigs has to save it.

Town havent played well at all but we probably deserve a point.

agree with that

FFS Richards

Richards with a great change. it's in orbit

Great run by Anderson lovely low cross and Richards leaves his shooting boots at home to hit the ball 10 yards over the bar.

I would like to think this is the last time we will ever see Richards in a Town shirt. Hes been awful and well off the pace.

Ref giving Stevenage everything at the moment.

Sounds like this is just fizzling out to a slightly disappointing close. Insert season analogy here

no adebayo no party :(

Four times now the commentator has confused Guthrie with Revell. Guthrie is a 6’3” black guy.

This is refereeing at its most incompetent.Also if Stevenage win their no 31 will be the worst player in the history of football to finish on the winning team

Hes mistaking everyone today, awful, hes been as poor as we have as a team!

Awful free kick by Anderson.

Nugent...Sam Parkin has been full of praise for him on comms today!

pfffffffffff

that's the sound of Swindon season deflating

At least only 2194 bothered wasting their evening in Stevenage.

From the starting line up I would say that only Anderson has come out with any credit today. Just another bad day at the office, Stevenage there for the taking but we can't break them down.

5 mins added.

2194 crowd (I think he said).

Vigs up for last minute corner

What a load of shit..

This has to have been one of the worst adverts for professional level football that I have seen in a long long time.  We've not been AS bad since the subs but Stevenage have been.  Atrocious.  On another day we could have won I guess, but you have to call a terrible game for what it is.  It is not a game you build a season off of!  A few players may have made the summer decisions more easy for Wellens though.

Typical Div 4 game, little quality from both teams, a draw would have been a fair result, 2 very average sides.

Vigs up for corner

2-0

game over. shite, 2-0 soapy tit wank

Vigs beaten from the opponents half

And gets lobbed back pedalling by a Stevenage player from inside his own half

2-0 very likely we'll be playing in L2 next season. Ahh fucksticks!

Goodnight Vienna!

What a way to finish a game, a season. What a place.

Must have been 60 yards out, Vigs should not have been that far upfield, hes been poor today, he made 2 good saves but also 2 bad slips as well as a comedy goal.

fair play, he's well the other side of the centre circle hiring that.

sums up the night

Poor.

mwap mwap mwaaaaaaa

Poor indeed. :crash:

Division 4 football ended up being a generous evaluation. Everything about tonight was non-league.

And we have another season in League 2 to look forward to.  Oh the joy!

Very lacklustre performance.
I can't think of any player that made a good account of themselves,Vigs made a few decent saves.
On that performance,we don't deserve to finish in the playoffs.
Shame,as Carlisle got turned over too.
It's the hope that kills you

hey ho.

onto the 69 celebrations.

innnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn....

Can someone keep Bennett off the coach back?  It should stop him from sneaking onto the pitch for the next game.

I think one of Anderson or Woolery needs to be binned off for next season - we can't carry two players with potential that don't produce often enough.  Robinson is worth trying to secure.

Back four with Koiki in it seemed ok to me.  Not sure why he's been left out since the one off game to man mark with KNoyle.

Woolfenden a full back is not.  Doubt he'd be back anyway.

Dunne - hopefully his contract is up.

Need to see more of Rose, McCourt has earned a starting slot for next season probably.  Missed anyone with control in midfield today.

Dave will struggle to get games if he can't get fit.

Missing Doughty.

Taylor should retire at season end, along with Richards.

I think we end the season with a potential for a decent spine, but the extra around them needs improving.

Still not as bad as some would have you believe, but still not good enough. We have attackers that can 'attack' but don't seem to know what else to do. There was not enough creativity today.  

Win our game in hand and we are 4 points adrift with 9 games left with a relatively easy run in. Win the next game and we could be 3-4 points adrift with a game in hand and 8 games left.

You'd be fucking nuts to think the season is over. Odd how the commentators have written our season of but reckon that Stevenage might still have a chance. Win our game in hand and we'll be 2 points ahead of them.

not mathematically out of it, but I'd say we need 7 wins from 10 games.

we've got 17 points from our last 10.

it's a massive ask. nothing says playoffs.

  So things left for the season... obviously trying to better 83/84, which is our lowest ever FL placing... currently 2 points better off, and we faded that season, so should be doable.  Wellens needs to ensure that we don't slip further. 

 Winning at least 3 of the 5 home games would be handy, to create a bit of belief that next year might offer something better and winning at Whaddon Road, to make sure we finish above them, now looking dubious.

Season over

Thanks for the summary,  I look forward you becoming first team coach.

You lot are baffling at times. A good win on Saturday and we'll be 'right back in it' again. I shrug my shoulders in your general direction.

In other news. Oxford are still in the relegation zone.

Oh the bantz  :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:

Edit: Ooh and now you’ve cunted me.  :clap:

The trouble is BR, we can’t seem to string a run together. A few times now we have got with 4/5 points and then lost. We win 2, draw, then lose. We can’t seem to win 3-4 in a row and without that, we aren’t going to be able to close the gap.
The Doughty injury couldn’t have come at a worse time unfortunately.

I'm kind of still with you FH. Anyone on here knows though that if I must be losing optimism then my rosey tints have certainly dropped to my nose. Still not over but that GIH is the defining game for me.  :hmmm:

Wellens said McCourt had a recurrence of a dislocated shoulder.

fickle football fans, us? shocking!

Regardless, I stand by what I said.

A good win on Saturday and we'll be 'right back in it' again.

I don’t doubt that, and I believe we will then go on to beat Morcombe, but our season suggests we won’t then go and beat Bury. I think we’ve only won 3 in a row once this season? Which is why we are where we are.
I hope to be proved wrong though.

genuine question FH, how many wins do you think it would take?

it's not a leading question.

Exactly. It's what happens unless you have a really good team, which we haven't.  In the summer we constructed a squad that looked mid table, and that's just about where we have been.....  a little flirtation, which led to Brown's sacking, with something unpleasant, but generally just off the pace.

I asked the question on Saturday....at which point do we look to begin resting players ahead of our trip to Whaddon Road in April. I think the past two results has answered that quite comprehensively.

Number one son who lives in London went to the game and saw "two very poor sides" with little football and skill on evidence.

 He watches a lot of non-league games around the London area and maintains there are some far better footballers playing at that level than he saw on show tonight which does not surprise me one iota as we seem to be lacking ability all over the place and it will be interesting to see who Mr Wellens dispenses with at this seasons end.

The Season went in my head on Saturday...avoiding defeat was required.

Start planning for next now. Get the scythe out and start sharpening.

See you all Saturday.

Given Welles’s took 3 players off in one go not long after half time would suggest my summary wasn’t a million miles off.  We are not a bad team, we played badly.

Brilliant quote from the bin-dipper Robinson after last night’s 0-0 at Rochdale

‘We’re 6th in the table of goals that should have been scored’

Fucking gem, that!

Correct.  Projecting anything else over the final 10 games is simply ignoring the reality of the previous 36.  Once the initial dust settled we were in midtable and despite the occasional worrying dip or hope-inducing rise we've been in the middle third ever since.  Beating a team in the play-offs then losing to a team on a dire run who three days later handed a 3rd away win in 19 to Notts County sums it up perfectly.

Things could be better but they could also certainly be worse.  It is ironic that one of the least eventful seasons in Swindon's history will finish up against a club almost certainly playing either one of the most momentous (if they can still avoid the drop) or poignant (if they are down) games in their 157 year history.

It's up there with Luke "three draws is the same as a win" Williams

Sent from my moto g(6)

I'm an occasional Woking attender and they used to have a historical little rivalry with Stevenage.  

I thought too that last night was all very non-league, except for the football being less entertaining.  2000 crowd, small stands and a very friendly little bar open also to away fans with draught Guinness at GBP 3.00 a pint, with pensioners Sid and Doris given a half time certificate for 100 years service as program sellers, turnstile operators and so on.  Pity Stevenage didn't employ Sid and Doris as ball boys as they would have had the ball back in play far quicker than the Referee or Stevenage had in mind.

Difference is that some clubs have a proud non-league history with the occasional foray into the FL.  As my mind inevitably wandered from the soul destroying fare on offer to survey the tinpot stands echoing with really irritating drumming, I could not help but wonder wtf are we doing playing in the same league as the likes of Stevenage?.  

I guess that gloomy contemplation was also symptomatic of another disappointing aspect of the evening, namely a quiet away support waiting to be lifted by the team, rather than vice versa.

I have no idea. A lot also depends on how well or otherwise those above us do.

All I can see is that we could effectively be 4 points adrift with 9 games left. It's bonkers to write us off. There may well come a point where the distance is too great for the number of games/points remaining but we have not reached that point yet. Not even close.

Absolutely. Are we likely to reach 7th place? No. Is it impossible? Absolutely not. All the talk of the season being over, only playing players who'll be here next season etc is ludicrous. Throwing in the towel because of a (potentially) 4 point gap?!!

Not read back yet so my take on last night.

After tucking into the finest grub Weatherspoons has to offer (steak night, dinner and an alcoholic beverage of your choice for £6.69, bargain) we arrived at Broadhall way in good spirits. I was pleased to see the lonely digger was still in place behind the empty goal, although it had moved so not completely out in the bomb squad.

First half we were diabolical. Revell bullied us and won everything in the air, constantly flicking to the dangerous Chair on their left wing. Thankfully his shooting was wayward (more on that later). We barely strung anything together, Woolery looked to be our best offering but more often than not his decision making (as is the case with all of our pacy players) was generally awry. Taylor at left back was abysmal and Toums put in possibly the most inept display I have seen - I think he's been a poor signing, more Nalis than McCormack. He was lucky to stay on after 2 ridiculous challenges, one a forearm smash - luckily the Stevenage player either wasn't caught or didn't make a meal of it - and the other a stupid challenge through a player from behind (he may have got booked for this) which was just clumsy and rash and was never going to achieve anything other than give away a free kick in a dangerous position. What irritated me was the lack of any effort in the aerial challenges as Stevenage players seemed to win every first and second ball.

Second half Taylor, Toums and Woolery were hooked and Knoyle, Carroll and Richards took their place. This changed the game and as Robinson got more involved we started to battle harder and thus gaining more possession. Carroll and Knoyle were a massive improvement on Taylor and Toums and whilst Knoyle's delivery was generally ok, we never really looked like scoring. Vigs came up for a last minute corner and when the ball fell to him it looked like the glorious moment was going to arrive! Sadly he slipped over, Stevenage cleared the ball and whilst Vigs was ambling back, Chair lofted the ball into the empty net from 60 yards and it was game over.

The Town fans drifted away into the night, overall a pretty poor performance, second half much improved but I think Wellens must be fairly hacked off with the unbalanced squad of players Brown has left him. There is a crux of a decent side there, hopefully we can maybe blood some of the youngsters as the season peters out and look to build for a good challenge for promotion next season.

Oh I forgot - Bancroft is huge, not like the usual weedy specimens we seem to produce from our youth team!

The season isn't over, just that the aims are now different. 

I posted up before that by looking at the 14 seasons in my time when we've either achieved a PO place or got auto in any Div, then the last 10 games yield a mean or median of 17 points. 

Only our very best auto sides, bar Macari's final season side get to 20 or 21 points....  there just isn't any sign that this outfit will suddenly win 5 or so in a row. In that sense you're not really helping them by thinking they might.  Far better to be realistic.... several posters mentioned the non league feel to last night, and in that sense in our 2 seasons in Div 4 we've managed to keep out of the drop frame, that is important.

Wellens aim now is 3 points on Saturday, just to stop the rot, rather than anything else.

We'll win the next two, start talking about the play-offs again, and then lose the next two and the season will be over... and repeat.

This team, this year, is just not quite good enough. Another year of failure, but at least the potential green shoots of recovery may just be coming through.

The green shoots might be a bit like the Brimstone and Tortoiseshell butterflies I saw the week before last.... fooled by early warmth, to be chopped off by a chilly blast of reality.

So will it be time to see Curran and McGilp before season's end?

I was thinking that as I was flicking through the (absolutely crap) programme looking at our squad that it would be interesting to see what McGlip was capable of. I suppose until its mathematically out of reach, Wellens will still pick a strong side and we'll probably only get to see the newer players in the final 2 games.

Fair enough

Not though is it.... we cannot be effectively be 4 points adrift with 9 to play, further increasingly GD comes in, and so a point should be added on. The best we could hope for with a win on Sat is effectively a six point gap.

no, I mean fair enough he has his view and doesn't want to put a figure on things.

my view is there's no way we'll make the POs.

Realistically we would need to win at least 6 of our last 10 games to have even a slight chance.
Considering we've only won 13 of 36 this season it's a big ask. Not out of the question, but highly unlikely.

I concur.  We just don't look able to sustain a run, the team has a game like yesterday in it still.  Wellens has us looking much more effective most of the time, but he has been dealt a hand.  A hand with lots of good thumbs but no index finger.

Missing the play offs will be a failure for the season and Brown can pick that one up, because I do think Wellens would have had us there with a full season.  You can carry a Stevenage performance when overall balance is provided.  He just doesn't have the wriggle room for them given where he took over.  Was very unsure of him on arrival, quite liking him so far, big summer ahead though.

Not only in the same league as them but 2 points behind them.

I just prefer factual accuracy... and we can't be 4 points adrift after Saturday.   We need to win Saturday, because losing 3 in a row wouldn't look good for Wellens.. the only other time we've lost 2 in a row this season was Brown's last game followed by Wellens' first.

It won't be easy.... despite Vale entering basketcasery with protests against Smurthwaite, and a very real flirtation with the drop, they've had a bounce under "Arthur" Askey... I thank you...

I agree - And even if we did, then I couldn't see it ending well.

I think every time we have had a 'good' team and done well, we have had several players who were able to up their game every now and then or provide a little sparkle. I'm not sure where that 'sparkle' would come from in our squad (not team, but 'squad')

More a little hop than a bounce - they lost the first four of his games in charge, have 7 points in 7 under him.  They had 11 points in 12 games before him, and the 3-0 win against Yeovil was the same result as they had against them in that previous run before he was Manager.  The Mansfield result was the one that gives it a hop quality though and that they backed that up.

I didn't hear his comments post match, but reading some of Wellens' comments today would suggest he has marked a few cards following yesterday's first half performance.

The 0-0 at Notts stopped the rot for them and then a couple of wins on the bounce has no doubt lifted the gloom down in Burslem.... they'll still need some points, and will probably fancy playing us, as a sort of mid table going nowhere outfit.

Yeovil host Macclesfield on Saturday.... massive.

Of course the season isn’t over. As it stands we still need another ten points to guarantee survival for next year

Looked shit in the warm up tho!😁

These early matchday threads dont seem to be working either  :no:

I cling to the fact that there are some equally crap teams between us and the play offs

It's slightly odd that we've won 5 games in the last 15, and 4 of them were against the sides currently in the PO's t'other v Macc.

I got hit by a stray ball on the shoulder at half time when I wasn't looking. Had I been looking I would have headed it back into play.

Canice Carroll couldn't have been quicker to apologise to me which was decent of him.

You ain't no Donkey.

Vigs is a good keeper, but I get the feeling that he could derail things if/when they are going well.

There was a prolonged period in the warm up on Saturday when we failed to hit the target, which didn't bode well for the game itself!

Twas ever thus...;. one of the early lessons learned as Town Ender was don't stand about 10 yards either side of the goal during the old style pre match kick in, especially armed with a hot Bovril or similar.

These days you have to be a bit more aware... more players coaching staff etc means more balls flying about.  The solution is to try and turn up about 30 secs before KO... at the CG this has the advantage of missing Rockin Robin and UB 40

Just got me thinking about the Town End. I stood there on my first game in 1968 and apart from the plastic seats it hasn’t changed a jot since. There can’t be many stands in the FL that have a stood unchanged for as long as the Town End.

No doubt somebody will know of some!

Yes, we try and take this stance as well. But 30 seconds is always an ask so we are more like <10 minutes.

My first thoughts were for Fratton Park. I used to live in Pompey in the 70's and used to go fairly regularly, and aside from the Milton End, which had a roof stuck on it, and the Fratton End being rebuilt, not too much change apart from cosmetic stuff.

Apparently the South Stand is little changed since the 1920's.... always liked te mock Tudor entrance...

(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7f/Fratton_Park_entrance.jpg/300px-Fratton_Park_entrance.jpg)

If I remember correctly,  isn't it were if you stood on the side you were below pitch level ?, pretty sure I remember going there as a kid and going home with a stiff neck after looking upwards for 90 minutes !.

TBH, I don't know.  Could well be the case but never something I noticed.  The old London Road at the Manor was like that, not a particularly pleasant place.... natives restless.

Watched the Town win twice in the London Road!

:-)

The car park beyond the TE has never been especially safe.