The Final 15 Games

portugull · Post by **portugull** » 27 Jan 2019, 14:46

I do not think I am biased when I say we are without doubt the outstanding team in National League South.
Yesterday we were clinical against Oxford City and our recent record is superb.
In the last 13 games we have won 11, drawn 1, and lost one at Bath City. 34 points out of 39 is fantastic.
With 15 games to go 7 at Home and 8 Away I do not think it is too soon to look ahead despite the old cliche "one game at a time"
Looking at the 7 Home games first the toughest is the next game on Feb 9th v Chelmsford City. We need a big gate for this one and 4,000 is possible because I am seeing a lot of new faces at Plainmoor and the word is spreading.
When we played the Away fixture against these 7 we won 5 and drew 2. The draws were 0-0 v Chelmsford and 2-2 at Weston.
It really is "Fortress Plainmoor" at the moment with 7 wins in a row, 8 if you count Truro twice!.
Turning to the Away games the two that stand out are Billericay on 9th March and Woking on 6th April.
When we played the Home fixture against these 8 we won 5,drew 2, and lost one to Chippenham on 8th Sept which got GO the sack.
We have a small but settled squad and the best Manager we have had for many years.It is a real pleasure to watch our team playing attacking, pressing football and scoring goals for fun.
COYY.

tomogull · Post by **tomogull** » 27 Jan 2019, 17:10

Ah ...... counting chickens! Whilst I agree with much of Portugull's post (for example, the fact that our goal difference is +36 compared with Woking's +23 is a good indicator that we are the outstanding team in NLS), a lot can happen between now and the end of the season. Yes - we have a small, settled squad playing attractive football, but we only have to pick up a couple of injuries and the squad is down to bare bones. Not to mention bizarre referee decisions, and we've had a few of those in this crap league.

Also, we have to play away to four of the six teams just below us, including Billericay who Brucie rightly posted on another thread have re-appointed their former manager and are winning games again. I'm quietly confident that Gary Johnson will take us up, but I won't start shouting about it until it is a mathematical certainty ...... hopefully before that last game of the season at St Albans.

portugull · Post by **portugull** » 28 Jan 2019, 17:58

No tomogull I am definitely not counting chickens because in Football there are no guarantees.
Still cannot believe AFC Wimbledon beat West Ham!!
Injuries are a worry with a small squad but we are looking good and Dowson the Woking Manager slaughtered his players on Saturday which makes me think "trouble in camp".
I am like you "quietly confident" and I promise to say no more.

Plainmoor78 · Post by **Plainmoor78** » 28 Jan 2019, 19:05

What happened to "one game at a time"?

westyorkshiregull · Post by **westyorkshiregull** » 28 Jan 2019, 20:57

Way I see it is end of September I would have happily taken second place......end of janurary I would not.

tomogull · Post by **tomogull** » 28 Jan 2019, 23:59

westyorkshiregull wrote: 28 Jan 2019, 20:57 Way I see it is end of September I would have happily taken second place......end of janurary I would not.

Yep - spot on, West Yorkie. I suggest 'One game at a time' ................

wivelgull · Post by **wivelgull** » 29 Jan 2019, 10:10

And of course tomogull will remember that in the (I think) 1967-68 season we were well on course for promotion up until (I think) about six games from the end when we imploded. One thing is the same though, a winning team brings in the crowds and that season's crowds were usually above 10,000.

grockle · Post by **grockle** » 29 Jan 2019, 10:13

westyorkshiregull wrote: 28 Jan 2019, 20:57 Way I see it is end of September I would have happily taken second place......end of janurary I would not.

End of September I would have settled for 7th place!!!

Bloggy · Post by **Bloggy** » 29 Jan 2019, 10:49

grockle wrote: 29 Jan 2019, 10:13 End of September I would have settled for 7th place!!!

End of August, I'd have been happy avoiding relegation!

Kingsgull83 · Post by **Kingsgull83** » 31 Jan 2019, 20:22

Champions by Easter

Launceston Gull · Post by **Launceston Gull** » 31 Jan 2019, 23:49

1967/68 won only 2 of our last 9 games and lost 6 to finish 4th. We had a team of old men back then wivelgull, immensely talented and certainly the best I`ve ever seen but I think the likes of Bond, Brown and Benson had lost their legs in the final run in. We`re now a youthful side, full time with momentum on our side and the best support. I can`t see us running out of steam. I think we can expect every team we play to raise their game but I`m confident that at our best we cant be matched.

Launceston Gull · Post by **Launceston Gull** » 01 Feb 2019, 00:05

I digress slightly but 1967/68 when we finished 4th (old 3rd Division), Watford 6th, Brighton 10th and Bournemouth 12th. You gotta wonder wtf happened.

Teigngull · Post by **Teigngull** » 01 Feb 2019, 07:19

Over the years we've beaten them all,
Huddersfield pipped them to automatic promotion in 04.
Burnley beat them in play-off semi in 91.
Brighton, Bournemouth, Cardiff regular opponents in old div iv.
Swansea, Hull Preston, Brentford, Wigan, Rotherham, Reading Bolton.
There's half a division of teams we've regularly competed with, and beaten, who've all gone on to bigger & better things, is it because we've consistently over achieved in the past or because we've lacked ambition & resources.

Wolborough · Post by **Wolborough** » 01 Feb 2019, 07:26

All goes back to 1956/57 when we were edged out for promotion and pipped by Ipswich Town. Had we got promoted then, things may have been very different!

desperado · Post by **desperado** » 01 Feb 2019, 08:20

Doesn't seem that long ago, though I suppose it must be 15 years, we beat Bournemouth 4-0 at Plainmoor with David Graham and Martin Gritton
scoring 2 each. Incredible what they are doing on
crowds of 10,000. Must be haemorrhaging money

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