[Div3North]

Gillingham FC

V

Accrington Stanley

Prediction League – Game 37; v Gillingham (away)


Andy Hessenthaler says that labelling his side as promotion favourites at the start of the season “put too much pressure on them”. Apparently what he actually said “We made noises at the start of the season and perhaps it was the wrong thing to do. We've taken every game as it comes since then and we're on a good run. It's just a shame about the really bad start.” And there I was thinking that they lost 5-4 at Bury and 7-4 at Fortress Crown because they were – how shall I put this - rubbish ………… Silly me!

They did nothing whatever in the Transfer window; their only player movement was to loan their Youth goalkeeper Daren Hawkes to Ebbsfleet as cover for Preston Edwards, who broke new records for a keeper by getting sent off after 10 seconds of the game against Farnborough on 5th February (apparently it’s on YouTube)

To be fair, they’re currently on a roll; unbeaten in 10 (3 wins at home – Aldershot 2-1, Rotherham 3-1 and Bradford 2-0 – and 7 draws); their season started out with 3 wins, 6 draws and 10 defeats in their first 19 games, but since 20th November their record is W10 D8 and L2 – and those were 2-0 at Chesterfield (top) and 1-0 at Wycombe (third). Their forays into the Cup competitions resulted in First Round defeats in all three – 4-1 at Norwich in the Carling, 4-3 on penalties after a goalless draw at Southend in the JPT, and an embarrassing 2-0 defeat at home to Dover in the FA Cup. Their home League record is P18 W9 D5 L4 F21 A14; overall in the League, P36 W13 D14 L9 F50 A42 for 53 points and 7th place (although if Torquay or Southend win their games in hand, the Gills would slip out of the Playoff places, as they would if we take 8 points from the 4 games we have in hand over them; shame!)

They don’t score hatsful either; 50 in 36 League games and one in three Cup matches, and that includes a 5-1 win at Stockport (are we the only side that hasn’t put 5 past Stockport? I'm still trying to work out how many we would have scored tonight if we could have shot straight ....), a 4-2 win at Macclesfield, and 4 in the defeats at Bury and against us; if you discount those 17 goals in 4 games, you’ll see that their remaining 32 League games have harvested just 33 goals scored - 3 twice (3-0 at home to Port Vale and 3-1 at home to Rotherham), 2 scored seven times, 1 goal thirteen times and a blank score sheet on 10 occasions; how the hell are they in the playoff places?

In their promotion season (08/09) they beat us twice – 1-0 at home and 2-0 at our place; we got quality revenge since, though – putting them out of the FA Cup in Round 3 last season 1-0 (John "Who?" Miles ), and then, of course, that 7-4 thrashing in October; if you were there, shout “I was there!” ; I, for one, will never forget it (my previous best was Man City 4 Wolves 6 back in about 1958 ……………)

Their 51 goals have come mainly from on loan Norwich striker Cody McDonald (18), Adebayo “Pieman” Akinfenwa (10), ex Walsall and Notts Co midfielder Chris Palmer with 5 (he got their only Cup goal of the season), and “creative midfielder” (why are midfielders always “creative”?) Curtis Weston, signed in 2008 from Leeds, with 4; the remaining 14 have come from 10 different players, including Dennis Oli (with 1) and Josh Gowling (also with 1)

The deadline for entries is, as ever, scheduled kick-off time, which is 3.00pm on Saturday 12th March (soon be Easter!). Tight game? Goalfest? 7-4? 8-2? 0-0? They haven’t lost in 10 , we’ve won 4 and drawn one of five …….. who’s the form team there? Who knows? Given my un-exalted place in the PL League Table I clearly don’t, but maybe you do; get your bets on now ………

Good luck to everyone ………… and thanks for playing!