[Div3North]

Burton Albion

V

Accrington Stanley

2014/15 Prediction League – Game 36; v Burton Albion (away)

They played us at our place on Tuesday 24th February; when they came they were top of League Two (three points above Shrewsbury but with a worse goal difference) and unbeaten in the last, like, 157 years ….we beat them 1-0 with a Josh Windass Special ……..but they stayed top of the League, largely because Shrewsbury and Wycombe didn’t have a game; on the Saturday they hosted Newport (I was going to say “entertained”, but I’m not sure they did) and lost 1-0 again, to a goal with a “stunning volley” from loanee Miles Storey on the hour ……….but they stayed top of the League because Shrewsbury lost 2-1 at home to the Cobblers, and Satanage held Wycombe away; on the Tuesday (3rd March) Shrewsbury robbed us 2-1 (Cheers, Bobby Grant) and went top because Burton didn’t have a game; last Saturday Burton won 1-0 at Hartlepool with a 90th minute goal by new loan signing Florent Cuvelier (now there’s a good honest Staffordshire name!).

Cuvelier – 22, Belgian by birth, a MF by trade, and once of Mouscron, Stoke (where he never played), Sheff Utd, and Port Vale, Walsall and the Posh – came on as a sub on 83 mins and scored after 6 mins 19 on the pitch, having signed on loan from the Blades the day before ………that “broke Hartlepool’s fans’ hearts” (according to the BBC), but it also put Burton back on top, courtesy of Cambridge getting a 90th minute Kaikai equaliser at Shrewsbury, and Wycombe only drawing at Southend …………….so; since we met before, Burton’s record is P3 W1 L2 GF 1 GA 2 Pts 3 ………..pretty bloody average,if you ask me! So now they’re back in the firing line, with even newer signing – Birmingham’s 21-year old MF Callum Reilly – avaiable for selection

Meantime we’ve lost to Luton and Shrewsbury, drawn with Pompey, let James Gray go to Northampton (for whom he nearly scored), and signed two Pemier League club players in striker Jason Gilchrist (Dingle) and defender Lloyd Jones (a Plymouth-born, Liverpudlian non-scouser) from Anfield …………….as the Messiah seems to have said,

“"Defence is probably the one area that we're a bit short in and Lloyd will be a great addition to our squad."

Errr, sorry? Hunt, Liddle, Buxton, Winnard, Conneely, Atkinson, Goulding, Naismith and Mingoia as wing-backs ………….. No offence intended, but who’s he going to replace, and what happens next season, when I doubt he’ll be back again? Nor, indeed, will Jason Gilchrist, surely? So why do we need new arrivals at this point in the season who keep our contracted players warming the bench?

Back to “fastest debut goals” for a minute; starter for ten; (1) who scored the fastest Premier league goal, and how quickly after kick-off, and (2) who scored the fastest ever international goal, who for, how quickly, and against which Country was it? Well, fastest Premier League goal was by that lightening-quick goal-poacher Ledley King (for Spurs v Bradford City) after 9.9 seconds of a 3-3 draw; (b) was Davide Gualtieri after 8.3 seconds of the International between San Marino and ………………….ENGLAND! (who eventually beat San Marino 7-1)

Nowt else to tell you, really; so ……………entries in, please, by scheduled ko (3.00pm on Saturday 14th March) …………….. And:-

Good luck to everyone! …………Keep the faith! …..and thanks for playing!