League Run-in

[OldTowner]

Okay, with 5 or 6 games left for most teams in the top 10 and assuming that the top 2 are Thurrock and Needham, here are my suggested 3 - 10 finishes.

 

3 Brentwood 74 pts

4 Harlow 72

5 Enfield 67

6 Sudbury 65

7= Maldon 64

7=Romford 64

9 Wingate 63

10 Heybridge 58

 

What's your prediction ?

[andyetfc]

4 - 0 on Saturday with light drizzle and a sunny afternoon.

[big guy]

5=0 sunny afternoon and plenty of bread pudding

[MbrunoB]

Some people not satisfied whatever the result would be my forecast.

[missunderstood]

Some people not satisfied whatever the result would be my forecast.

 

 

Spoken like a true Enfield supporter.

 

From a Romford point of view, I think ETU will probably go up as champions, Needham Market and Brentwood would need to do something incredibly stupid not to make the playoffs, and Harlow seem to be the form team at the moment. That leaves one playoff place and I think that will be between Enfield and Romford, and if we can recreate our early season form it will be us, otherwise it will be the team with the easiest run in, Enfield.

 

If we don't make the final cut, good luck for the rest of the season.

[Steph]

Misunderstood

 

A well thought out summing up. I cannot disagree. However I still feel that there is a lot of football to be played and Sudbury. Wingate and Maldon are still there and they can also upset Brentwood's chances.

[OldTowner]

Misunderstood

 

A well thought out summing up. I cannot disagree. However I still feel that there is a lot of football to be played and Sudbury. Wingate and Maldon are still there and they can also upset Brentwood's chances.

 

A very poor performance by Town at Ware may well have cost any chance of that 5th place.

 

Prediction now :-

 

3 Brentwood 73 pts

4 Harlow 72

5 Maldon 67

6 Enfield 66

7 Wingate 65

8 Sudbury 64

=9 Heybridge 63

=9 Grays 63

 

That is with Town gaining 3 wins and 1 draw in last 4 games - which will not be possible unless they improve on yesterdays performance !

[Steph]

On Saturdays performance whether we get a play off place is a little immaterial as we certainly will not win the play-offs and may even lose at the first attempt at any of the teams above us. Even by some fluke we were able to survive to the premiership a season of struggle will inevitably follow.

 

What I dont understand is for the first 3 minutes or so Ware were clearly the worst team I had seen this season and I do not understand why we did not go in at half time at least 3-0 up. Not that our forwards can create very much.

 

The results in the second half of the season seem to demonstrate how much we relied on Stuart last year.

[littlehampton]

On Saturdays performance whether we get a play off place is a little immaterial as we certainly will not win the play-offs and may even lose at the first attempt at any of the teams above us. Even by some fluke we were able to survive to the premiership a season of struggle will inevitably follow.

 

What I dont understand is for the first 3 minutes or so Ware were clearly the worst team I had seen this season and I do not understand why we did not go in at half time at least 3-0 up. Not that our forwards can create very much.

 

The results in the second half of the season seem to demonstrate how much we relied on Stuart last year.

Can only agree with that totally realistic prediction of our chances. We started off as one of the favourites for promotion this season but somehow it has gone badly wrong. How and why one might ask?

[Mini - Smith Towner]

I think Saturday's result has more or less finished our season now. Even if we win all our games we are now a long way behind :-(

 

Ware are an awful side and as much as we tried to get the ball down and play, the pitch was a real leveller and we gave them both goals.

 

Injuries and the departure of players like Mehmet has cost us this season and on this front we have not had much luck.

[Enfield United]

I agree totally that any defeat away to Ware is a kick in the teeth, I think if my U13's lost to Ware we'd be disappointed, but the pitches, injuries and unavailables have dictated our season, it has been horrendous. We've not only had injuries to our squad but KEY injuries to for a better word our better players.

 

Carlos Tevez pulled a hamstring last night and already Spurs odd's of qualifying for Champ leads have shortened and City beating United have got longer, thats just one injury to a multi, mind blowingly rich club.

 

HOWEVER, and i'm dead serious when I say we can still do it to the play off's, it's just that it's well out of our hands. And this is my view:

 

Matches left include::::

 

Wingate-Home to Needham Market and away to Heybridge and Brentwood.

 

Maldon-Home to Heybridge, Romford and away to GWR

 

Sudbury-away to Grays, Romford and home to Needham Market.

 

Wingate are more than capable of losing 2 of those games, Maldon and Sudbury will drop points in their run in.

 

THE DIFFICULT THING IS WE NEED TO WIN OUR GAMES. I'll predict win all 4 of our remaining games and i reckon we'll be in on goal difference. The problem is Steve is picking his team out the A+E department.

 

I would even suggest that any player not believing it still possible should not play. maybe freshen things up with a couple of hungry capable reserve players who have done well this year to put in some extra enthusiasm, but whichever team we put out the players have to believe and no one will argue they don't want to win.

 

One more defeat/draw and It will be over. Win all 4 and I think we'll get an extended season where anything can happen.

[Stone Cold]

Agree with EU anymore points dropped and thats the playoff hopes gone.

 

Looking at the table we have lost 14 games (the most in the top 12) yet we have the 3rd best defensive record in the league behind ETU & Needham aswell as the 3rd best goal difference again behind ETU & Needham.

 

So I pose the question, how have we lost so many games with us having one of the best defensive records in the league?

 

 

On another note we played 10 pre season games at the start of the season. I know the games are about fitness etc but I personally believe that 10 games is far too much and could be a possibility in the players now starting to tire. I know not all players play in every game but with 40/42 league games + 10 pre season, another 10 or so for FA Cup/Trophy, that is already 60+ games and thats without the 2 Middx Cups and League Cup.

 

For next season I would like to see us have a squad that is soley used for the league and FA Cup/Trophy and then give the reserves and youth players the opportunity to play in the League Cup & Middx Cups whic will also give them more experience.

We have not really pushed on since getting promoted to Ryman Div 1 North and we are seing clubs who have 'overtaken' us by getting into the Prem, Concord, Aveley, Waltham Abbey, Lowestoft, Sudbury, Bury. Even the likes of Romford & Brentwood are getting stronger and they were in the Essex Senior with us too!

We have seen teams come up from step 5 and eased there way to step 3 yet we seem to struggle getting out of step 4 and to a higher level.

[MbrunoB]

I don't think you learn anything about young players by playing a whole team of them, you need to see how they settle and adapt to being around more experienced players.

[townerboy]

well said re pre season 10 games, it is a lot.

[Mr Happy]

Agree with last two comments.

[Enfield United]

Debating the 10 pre season games-I'd say it's not too much as the players only play half a game and some even disappear on their family hol's July/Aug time. What I remember of the pre season friendlies are that it was trialists that played more than our established first teamers.

 

Duffy, Dan jones, Scott Buckeridge just to name 3 which come to mind.

 

Additionally we had about a 6 week break due to the sub zero temps which equates to a winter break.

 

In the end our squad can play good football and they have, however we are gonna have to anticipate that we have not been strong enough this season in dealing with the injured absentee's.

 

A fresh start in the new stadium and the anticipated excitement makes next season a promising one. But not before it is mathematically impossible for us to succeed this season, clutching at straws I know, but it's a funny old game.