[Div3North]

Accrington Stanley

V

Macclesfield Town

2011 Prediction League – Game 24; v Macclesfield Town (home)

Not a lot happens, of course, if your return game is only six weeks after the first match between the sides; or does it?

When we played Macc at Moss Rose in mid-November they were on a run of two defeats; since then they’ve played twice in the FA Cup, and four games in the League (this thread is starting before their home game against Port Vale on Saturday 31st December). Our run at that time was “unbeaten in two matches” – a 1-1 draw at Crawley, and a 2-1 win over Bristol Rovers; since the first meeting, and ignoring the FA Cup (we were out of that before we met Macc anyway!), we’ve played four League games and had a week off to go shopping at the start of December ………

They’re doing ok(ish) in the Cup , if you count a 1-1 draw away at Melbourne Park, the home ground of Conference South side Chelmsford City (“The Clarets”), followed by a squeaky 1-0 win in the replay , thus earning a money spinner (or maybe not! ) at home to Bolton. In the League, though, it isn’t going well ; having drawn 1-1 against us, they haven’t won any of their last four League fixtures (losing 2-1 at Barnet and 1-0 at Shrewsbury, and drawing 0-0 at home to Gillingham and to Rotherham). If you go back to their last Div 2 win (1-0 over Bradford on Tues 25th October), their subsequent record has been one draw and two wins in the FA Cup, but 3 draws and four defeats in the League ; worse still, they’ve only scored twice in those 7 League games ; 7 played, 2 goals scored, and 3 points. Set that against our record as at today – 5 wins and 2 draws in our last seven games (including a record-breaking 4 wins in a row ); 14 goals, 17 points, and “we fear no-one in this Division” . Right on!

Seven games ago their record was P15 W7 D3 L5 F19 A14 for 24 points and 10th place; currently it’s P22 W7 D 6 L9 F21 A21 for 27 points and 14th place, level on points with Crewe and one point better off than Aldershot and the Wombles. They now have 29 goals in 28 games in all competitions; 21 scored in 22 League games ; as far as the League goes, they’ve scored one goal 6 times, and not scored at all in 11 others; 17 times out of 22 they’ve got 0 or 1 ………… the remainder have been 2 fours (Wombles at home and Hereford away (in the same fortnight )), a three (the Cobblers at home) and two twos (Swindon at home and Aldershot away (eight days later )); the last time they scored more than one in a League game was the 8th October………

Their main goalscorers remain as they were when the “away” thread went up, except that Tony Diagne has moved on from 3 goals to 4 (to become joint second highest scorer with Ross Draper and with Emile Sinclair – who, you may remember, hit 4 in the first 7 games of the season and then signed for the Posh); top scorer (on 5) is still former Worksop striker Ben Tomlinson.

Our record in the League against them, as you’ll well know, is 5 wins, 5 draws and a single defeat – another one of those sides on whom we seem to have the Evil Eye (like Morecambe) – and long may it remain!

And for those who like to know these things, Jon Bateson has started in their last four games, and appears to have featured in 14 games in all (if their records are up to date); welcome back to Fortress Crown, Jon ……..!

The deadline for entries is, as ever, scheduled kick-off time, which is 3pm on Monday 2nd January. We’re on fire , whereas theirs has been extinguished ; 17 points and 14 goals from 7 games against their 3 points and 2 goals from the same number of games. The thing that worries me, truth to tell, is that Wynonie only thinks we’ll beat Hereford by 2-1? What happened to Optimism, Wyn? I thought you were a “glass half full” man (well, given some of your guesses, a “firkin half full” man ); I expect nothing less than 12-1 from you (and from DiG, who’s been on the ‘normal’ pills as well ) ………….This is a thrashing, surely? No? Yes? Course it is ……………!

Good luck to everyone …… A very Happy New Year from Me and Him …… and thanks for playing!




PS I realise this thread is early, in that both sides have a game to play before we meet on Monday; truth is, if I leave this thread until after those two games (ie Saturday evening) you'll have rather less than a day and a half to enter this round, which ain't long enough ............. I'll update the thread after Friday/Saturday's matches if there's anything interesting to post