Horsham

[djwilf]

Think the hosts will have their tails up after their come from behind win last week. 

Not sure we can afford a loss or draw so think we have to aim for max points today.

Will be difficult but with tougher fixtures ahead think we really have to be tight at one end and go for it at the other with our best attacking performance.

Hope we play one of our better games today.

[seemgee]

Team

McDonald, Renee, Payne, Dayton, Okotcha, Richmond, Taaffe, Youngs, Cass, Coker, Thomas

Cunnington, Isaac, Della-Verde, Bakare, Da Costa

[seemgee]

1 down 43 mins

[seemgee]

1-1 Cass 53 mins

[seemgee]

2-1 Horsham 59 mins

[seemgee]

3-1 Horsham 80 mins

[seemgee]

FT 3-1 defeat

with Cray winning its very close for a top 5 finish

[The Crowing Cockerel]

Heart says 'we can do it!'

Head says 'we'll be lucky to finish 7th.'

I'm pretty sure we've not beaten any of the top 5 this season and have only taken a total of 3 points in our games against them. Added to that, we've struggled against the likes of Lewes and Folkestone. It will take some kind of biblical miracle for us to get anything out of the games against both Stortford and Aveley - and with Cray's leisurely run-in we'll probably need to beat both of them! Plus, Haringey are going to be dead set on crushing our play-off ambitions.

So, its been nice to have some interest in the league in the final stages, but I'm certainly getting ready to start calling for some changes - and improvement - next season.

[andyetfc]

Still three games to go so anything can happen, apart from relegation. Four points from the next six should see us in a better position so let’s wait and see. Humdinger of a last game Saturday on 22 April.

[The Crowing Cockerel]

8 minutes ago, andyetfc said:

Humdinger of a last game Saturday on 22 April.

Not so much if we lose the next 2!

[Crusty Lee]

I first compiled this mini league table of the top 5 against each other before the Folkestone game. We've played 10 games since then and amazingly we're still in it and it's unchanged, despite some mixed performances. No one has yet broken into the top 5. This gives me hope still.

 

	Pl	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
Canvey Island	7	5	2	0	13	4	9	17
Bishops Stortford	7	4	1	2	11	7	4	13
Aveley	6	2	1	-3	4	6	-2	7
Hornchurch	8	2	1	5	10	16	-6	7
Enfield	6	0	3	3	4	9	-5	3

[Crusty Lee]

Oops posted before I'd finished. If we make it through, I'd rather be away to Hornchurch than Canvey. They've trampled the top 5.

[lovely stuff]

We have struggled against the top 6 for quite a few seasons now. 

 

'Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.'  - Albert Einstein

[djwilf]

2 points from the last 9

Honestly think final 3 games we could come away with the same ...2 draws.

However we havent been doing enough to win and could easily see us drawing one and losing 2 against tougher opponents.

Fixture list hasnt changed so we know what we needed.

 

[4wembleyfinals]

Unfortunately I find find myself in agreement with most of what is said in the above posts. For the past few weeks I have felt that if we held our nerve we should retain our place in the playoffs. This thought was based on the belief that we would have a game plan for each opponent which we had to play in the run in. 

But from what read it seems that the playing management still rigidly stick to AL's out of date philosophy. On which I have aired my views ad nauseam and falls in to line with my favourite quote by Einstein referred to by LS.

Unless we get another 6 points, staring with 3 tomorrow, I have to agree with CC's final observation in his last two posts.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[The Crowing Cockerel]

AL's post-match interview didn't fill me with confidence for the games ahead.

All I ask for in this situation is that the players try their best to put on a show in these last 3 games. Lets throw caution to the wind and play on the front foot.

[Barney]

Hard to argue with any of the above, we'd got ourselves in a position of strength in the top 5 and have basically all but imploded over the last month. What were we doing right in the first part of the season that's gone so wrong in the latter part? Have teams worked out how to play against us? As mentioned above, our record against the better sides in the league is pretty woeful and this has been a theme for some time now. I've been away for a few weeks, so haven't been to any games (maybe a blessing in disguise), but my sources tell me that performances have been pretty insipid - it's increasingly hard to maintain my glass half full position when it's three quarters empty and draining 🙄

[djwilf]

2 hours ago, Barney said:

Hard to argue with any of the above, we'd got ourselves in a position of strength in the top 5 and have basically all but imploded over the last month. What were we doing right in the first part of the season that's gone so wrong in the latter part? Have teams worked out how to play against us? As mentioned above, our record against the better sides in the league is pretty woeful and this has been a theme for some time now. I've been away for a few weeks, so haven't been to any games (maybe a blessing in disguise), but my sources tell me that performances have been pretty insipid - it's increasingly hard to maintain my glass half full position when it's three quarters empty and draining 🙄

We've had a number of days this year to get people watching the game....girls go free.   Public Service workers.   On all of these, our performances have not been up to it and not only that they've probably left those new fans thinking why would would we give up an afternoon to watch that.

I think most fans wouldn't mind if we were getting results whatever the style of play...however I d like to think that most of us go for one of the following reasons:

Fun

Enjoyment

Entertainment

Positive play

Good overall experience.

We may just about get one or two of those per game, but more often than not it's frustrating/disappointing stuff.

Stortford will really want to finish the season on a high and a win against us will ensure they finish as Champions unless I'm mistaken.

 

Time for a change.

 

[andyetfc]

A win for BS would give them 85 points but Canvey can still get 86.

[djwilf]

If stortford win their last 2.   Theyll finish on 88.

Even if Canvey win their 3 they can only achieve 86.