Thetownend.com

12.30 Salford v Mansfield live Sky Sports Main Event & Sky Sports Football

15.00 Port Vale v Newport Country live Sky Sports Main Event & Sky Sports Football

We can't stop here, this is Newport Country!

Draw for the first and a win for Big Country would be ace!

Salford & Newport wins would be an amazing double. All ifs and buts so it would be truly in our hands more so that it is at this moment in time.

I don't get it. Regardless of what happens elsewhere, we win we're in. Or is there another way in without winning?

Third place

Wow. Literally hadn't thought of that. That would be unbelievable!

reminded: Rovers have Scunthorpe last day
.
even less likely than Forest Green getting gubbed by Harrogate

Until the nerves set in!

Yeah these results are pretty irrelevant unless both teams lose - which would give us the slimmest of slim chances of 3rd

As Batch said - the chances of Scunthorpe doing over Rovers is probably less than that of winning the lottery, twice, back to back with the same numbers

JT scores after a minute

Go on Salford

edit: wait, scratch that. they could still pip us.

draw please

Come on Salford,  rattle ‘em.

Not if we keep winning they can’t !.

Yeah Salford winning could easily backfire on us. Without the winning today a draw is enough vs Walsall unles Tranmere win by 8 or 9. Salfords goal difference is better than Tranmeres.

 :toocool:

1-1.

1-1 at Salford Now.

Look at the bright side, should Mansfield win it makes it a bit harder for wovers.

A draw wont be enough if Sutton win?

also takes Salford out the equation.

A draw will only be enough if Sutton don’t beat Harrogate.

Yeah sorry, not including Sutton.

I hate the thought that we could draw and Sutton pip us by winning.

Penalty Mansfield 1-2

Turnball trying to play volleyball.

Turnbull:

scored
have away free kick for equaliser
gave away blatant penalty for handball

They can keep him!

Autos out of reach as things stand. Not that we had much more than a cat’s chance in hell of getting there anyway. But while it was still mathematically possible…

At least he can say he played a part in all three goals.

A kind of hatrick😀

Then we’ve got to make sure that we win,  it’s in our own hands, can’t keep relying on other teams to bail us out.

About the only one I can recall him taking part in !.

thing is while it would be fun going in with an outside chance of autos, I'd say the odds were 99% against us .

all that matters is to win. That's pressure.

To make the playoffs after Newport and Orient would be unreal.

Get in 2/2.

I wish I could afford Sky😅

I’m sat in my neighbours and they’ve gone out 😁 left me a key to lock up.

Obviously not the grumpy neighbour!

99.9999% recurring we won’t make autos. But as you say it would be fun to even have that minuscule chance. 2-2 keeps that hope alive

Could be one hell of a messy night if managed to pull that one off!  :pint:

I’d doubt many of us would see much of the next day

Ends 2-2, I’ll settle for that.   Now for a Newport victory.

Win on Saturday and we are in the playoffs. But if we win and everyone from Northampton down lose we go up auto. You just never know

come on then Newport

Unless PV also win their game in hand. Fuck, didn’t think of that

Think as it stands we could be jostling for anywhere between 3rd and 9th throughout Saturday afternoon. Pretty barmy.

Newport shithousing a 0-1 wouldn't be surprising at all either would it!

If only Rovers hadn’t come back from 3-1 down

Vale 0-1 Newport.

Get In !!!

Blow the final whistle now😀

Always expect the unexpected !.

:clap: :clap:

'ow long ref?

Thats better😀

Score early Saturday and at least we’ll be in the autos for a bit.

Get in Newport. Put them to the sword

Assuming PV lose. *edit* or draw. Loving this

Forward!!! (not just us I see)

Had no idea I was going to get excited about today's games! Come on 'port!(not vale)

Only if Rovers also go behind.

I'm trying not to get drawn in to the autos permutations.  Finishing 3rd would be so improbable.

But then just 10 days ago, we headed to Hartlepool feeling that we were going just for a football day out.  Felt no pressure at all as, at that point, I'd also abandoned hope of getting a play off place.

It's a funny old game.

Whilst dreaming of third is great
There is no chance in hell Scunthorpe get a result against Rovers.
If they’d lost at Rochdale…
It would still be massively improbable

If they’d lost at Rochdale we’d end up above them if we win at Walsall. With Vale and Mansfield playing Exeter and FGR and Cobblers away to Barrow it’s not entirely improbable.

Well yeah but…

I'm still looking over our shoulders than above us to be honest but it's good fun.

Rovers will surely destroy Scunthorpe so it will be play offs for us. Just need to make sure we stay in the top 7.

I do have a quid on an unlikely treble. Newport, Luton and Brentford to win for added interest. 245/1.

Both Mansfield and Vale look bottlers to me.

Think I’d prefer Gas to get 3rd.

Vale have bigged up a full house today. Oh if it stays like this it'll be a damp squib of a day :pint:

1-1

I wouldn't want Gas in the play offs because of how many tickets we would give them at our place.

1-1 now  :doh:

Me and my big mouth

It dosen't change anything providing the younger don't win.

Are Vale fans in the away end or is that stand empty apart from a few Taffs🤔

Don't know not watching it. I saw on twitter earlier that they had sold out and were hoping for a carnival atmosphere

Cheers I'm only picking snippets up off here.

Good finish  :clap:

With the slim slim and more slim chance of 3rd for us it would be helpful for Vale to lose today as they can still draw on the final day and finish on 76.

Lovely take. Usually goes over the stand at this level especially.

so far so good

Go on Newport. Love to piss on a parade :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:

Gosh Newport really know how to spoil a party😀

Good point I missed that one.

Vale away to Exeter on Saturday could see them drop out of the play offs :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:

Whatever league we’re in next season, I’d like us to have a go at getting Finn Azaz here. On loan at Newport from Villa, having also been at WBA as a junior. May have overlapped with Garner, and time to call in another Villa favour…

Get in Newport!

…I’d Vale draw today and draw Saturday (everyone else loses) and we win 1-0 we’d be level on points and level on GD but ahead on GS (which I assume is next?)

Exeter beat Port Vale
Sutton beat Harrogate
We draw at Walsall.

Swindon finish above Vale on goal difference and screw them out of a play off place akin to what happened in 2003/2004  :eek:

I think so DV

The dream is still on !!.

2-2 final score all to play for this week end😀

This is going to get tense 😁

Superb Newport ⚽️

9,048? That's terrible.

To even have a chance of autos going into Walsall is incredible. Seems very unlikely but stranger things have happened

Salford 3,765

Great achievement considering no pre-season and our shocking home form.

FWIW Vale can only sell a certain amount of home tickets due to health and safety in their old rickety stands and their massive away end was more or less empty so the attendance physically couldn't have been any more today.

Newport were excellent today. Vale very poor and look like they are in danger of not even getting into the play offs.

Have to say Rovers are in the box seat now given their fixture.

Not only that but they are 5 goal difference behind Northampton. There is a chance they could make that up against Scunny…

Would be a great time for Mr Grant to have the game of his life

I fancy Barrow to get something personally. I don't think Northampton are that good and Barrow gave Exeter and us a very good game. Can easily see that being at least a draw. Unfortunately I just can't see anything but 3 points for Barton and his bullies.

Truth be told, Rovers are the team I’d least like to meet in POs anyway.

Easiest and simplest permutation for best case scenario with "as it stands" positions and final day results next to would mean:

3rd Northampton   - Lose
=================
4th Chav Wovvers - Lose
5th Lisa Stansfield - Draw
6th Burslem (Reg) - Draw
7th Town              - Win
=================

Town go up via autos regardless of anything else happening. It would see 4 (FOUR) teams finish on 77pts with only one getting promoted. Obviously, in any perms we always don't account for our own demise.

Simplest permutation for worse case scenario with "as it stands" positions and final days results next to would mean:

7th Town     - Lose
=============
8th Sutton   - Draw
9th Trannie  - Win

Town would have to lose 6-0 if Sutton drew but if Tranmere won then that would be moot as they would claim the last PO place on 75pts, Sutton on 74ts along with Town on 74pts missing out. Which would be scandalous but then I'm sure four teams above us would think it scandalous if Town scuppered them all and got that final auto spot!

~~~~~~~~

I'm keeping it simple. Not that anything ever is but Town must go for a win, that way you know POs is guaranteed - anything else is a bonus (like finishing positions and of course auto). Win and it might just happen. Personal feeling is I can see both Vale and Mansfield drawing, I can see Town winning and I can see one of Northampton or Rovers getting beat but something nags me that Town's "best case scenario" will be all on track but one out of Northampton or Rovers will pick up a point and it would be a travesty if it were Rovers.

Anyway, all to play for - now where is that effing Walsall away ticket!  :D

Crazy season ending. Who knows what will happen; I had written out season off after Orient so I clearly know F all. Have an irrational soft spot for PV; after the classy way their Chairwoman (Carol?) dealt with them losing out on potential PL spot dues to the way the EFL worked things out in the COVID season. Hate Rovers; scummy manager and plenty of scummy fans.

With Rovers, something to bare in mind is that they have been the chasers rather than the chased. With how it is now, they're probably most likely to do it which changes the dynamic. Just a shame they're playing such a poor side

Yep agree wholeheartedly. The whole thing would be a right pantomime.

Barrow are decent at home atm. Last couple of games they've beaten Sutton and twatted Forest Green 4-0

Considering all the ifs and buts and maybe - we really (well by we I mean the team) just need to focus on beating Walsall. If we do that then we’re in the play offs and whatever will be, will be else where.

If we don’t do that - then very little else matters.

I’m sure the team are full focused on the game and it’s just as fans speculation ‘what ifs’

while I agree, even Harrogate twatted Forest Green so probably best to strike that one from the records

Am I the only one that, assuming no miracle star alignment gets us into third and we end up in the play offs, is a bit ambivalent about the Gas getting automatic instead.

I'd really prefer not to meet them in the P.O. games tbh. And I'm sure the club would fancy the gate money from a derby next season.

I'd fancy us over 2 legs against any of the teams around us. We've beat them all this season and I haven't been that impressed with any of them. Perhaps bar Vale at our place early in the season but they look a little all over the place now.

We seriously need to stop conceding such soft set piece goals though. The high line on free kicks doesn't work. Would be a real shame to get so far and that be our downfall.

Looking at today’s games, I think Garnerball would be well suited to, essentially, knock out football. The 2 games today were frantic, morphing into all piss and panic and hopeful hoofing.

For all our moaning about our more measured, but slow, build up I feel that is what needed to win the POs.

Technically it was a sell out
https://www.onevalefan.co.uk/forum/topic/51690-vale-park-capacity/

Great when we have the ball and are going forward.
Not so much when we are defending in generally or specifically set pieces

…or holding onto a lead. Something we have not been great at.

We struggle in the air against the more physical teams who seem to score quite easily at the county ground.

Evident again on Sat with the goal we conceded

Agreed, maybe the goalie could have done better but it was a simple goal for them.

We scored 2, though. And should have had 3 or 4 more.

True but we've lost too many home games through poor defending

The last two home games have been different to some of or most of the other home games in many ways. Not least the fire and determination to get a result and game management especially against the vegans.

the visiting teams not sitting back in a bank of 5 at the bank is the main difference. hence our away form being so good

I always remeber Steve McMahon saying the same and the way to overcome it was to pass the ball quickly to move them out of position then get behind them down the channels and get crosses into the box

Lisa Stanfield? Didn't know Rochdale were int' play offs. :)

This spot on.