[Div3North]

Accrington Stanley

V

Plymouth Argyle

2011 Prediction League – Game 32; v Plymouth Argyle (home)

What a difference one game makes; don’t score but don’t concede, pick up a point, and suddenly you’re 22nd, and off the greasy pole to BSP Oblivion, even if only temporarily; that was Plymouth’s experience last night, when a goalless draw at home to Barnet lifted them above the Daggers. They’re still only on 24 points, the same as the Daggers and Northampton, but third-bottom on goals scored (31 to D & R’s 30), both being on -21 , while the Cobblers are -23; trouble might be that Plymouth have played a game more than both the sides below them, which makes next week’s home game with D & R pretty vital from the Green Army’s point of view ………

Overall, they’ve played 30 in the League, winning a measly 5, drawing 9 and losing 16 ; their away record is W2 D3 L10 , with 14 scored and 31 conceded; 3-2 wins at Bristol Rovers and at Dagenham, 1-1 draws at Bradford and Shrewsbury, and a goalless point at Aldershot; at home, they’ve managed 3 wins, 6 draws and 6 losses, which is a tad better, but still not thrilling; 17 scored, 21 conceded.

They departed the Carling 1-0 at home to Millwall, the JPT on penalties at Exeter after a 1-1 away draw, and the FA Cup 2-0 at Stourbridge , after holding them 3-3 at Home Park, all in the First Rounds; no money, but it did allow them to concentrate on the League from early in the season .

The Pilgrims (12th man – retired No 12 shirt – is the aforementioned “Green Army”) are, frankly, used to better company than the likes of us ……… They departed the Championship in 2010, finishing 23rd with 41 points from 46 games and a -25 goal difference (they finished above Peterborough), and then – not aided by having 10 points deducted for going into administration (phew! – the memory makes me go cold) – they departed League One last season, also in 23rd place but with 42 points (net) from 46 games, finishing above De Canio Town . So bad was it that at one point they had but 3 senior players (Carl Fletcher, Romain Larrieu and Onismor Bhasara), and their first game in League Two – a creditable 1-1 draw at Shrewsbury – was played by a team of whom 10 were making their debuts. After 11 games they had 4 points, and after 13 they had 6 goals, so things have improved of recent times, but is it too little, too late? Their last 12 League matches have earned them 15 points (if they did that all season they’d usually be safe), with 3 wins (4-1 v Northants, 2-1 against Burton, and 3-2 at Bristol Rovers) and 6 draws; or, if you like, they’ve only lost 3 in 12 ………..

Carl Fletcher has fairly hammered the transfer/loan markets; in have come loanee strikers Juvhel Tsoumou (21), born in Congo-Brazzaville, a German Youth international, once of Blackburn Rovers, and also of Eintracht Frankfurt (not the glory side which lost 7-3 to Real), Alemannia Aachen (“Hier uber, Juvhel, auf meinen Kopf!” ), and PNE, and Alex McDonald (21) from Burnley; Wolves winger Ashley Hemmings and Blackpool’s defender Paul Bignott (25) – ex Crewe and Newport County, who signed for the Tangerines in the summer – have also joined (don’t they get a lot of North West based players?) Joe Lennox, a 20 year-old midfielder, signed from Bristol City; ex Pilgrims skipper Paul Wotton re-joined from Yeovil; former keeper Ollie Chenoweth (you’ve gotta be Cornish with a name like that! ) who left in the summer came back from Bideford as cover, and has since gone on loan to Truro (who’ve got a transfer embargo, just to complicate things); and three former loan signings have signed on properly – 34 year-old ex Millwall defender Darren Purse, Maxime Blanchard (25), also a defender, from Tranmere, and Nick Chadwick. Chadwick started at Everton, signed for Plymouth back in 2005 (for £250,000 ), then went to – among other places – Hereford, Shrewsbury, and McConvilleStockport County, where he hit 7 in 19; he also holds the club record (back in Dec 2005, against Palace) for the fastest goal ever, timed at 11.83 seconds ……How the hell do you time a goal at 11.83 seconds? Under twelve, maybe, but 11.83? Oh please!

Goals – at both ends – are their problem; 35 scored (4 of them in the Cups) and 59 conceded (7 in Cup games); they’ve managed to score one 4 (Northants), three 3s (shown above), five 2s (including against us) and twelve singles; thirteen times they haven’t scored . Against, they’ve given up 5 once (at Oxford, 5-1), 4 once (1-4 at home to Rotherham), 3 four times, 2 thirteen times and a solitary goal 12 times; only three times – including last night – have they managed a clean sheet. 2-0 defeats pepper their record – not a hammering, but the constant drip, drip, drip of relegation form ……….

Leading scorers are Simon Walton (24), a midfielder with 8 clubs (including loans) in 8 years, who numbers Leeds and Crewe on that list, and who made one sub appearance for Blackpool (who has 8 for the season); striker Nick Chadwick (29) has 4, as has Hull loanee Will Atkinson (23), also from the midfield, whose previous employers include Rotherham and Coleydale; and Warren Feeney (31), a goal poacher who has played for a few, including Stockport, Oldham, and Northern Ireland, who has 3 to his name.

We’ve met but once; two down at half time, and minus Big Sean (sent off on 26 mins for a bit of shirt-tugging ), first League goals from Kevin Long (55) and Padraig (66) gave us a quality point in the circumstances. Another one where bragging rights have still to be conclusively established ………

The deadline for entries is, as ever, scheduled kick-off time, which is 3pm on Saturday 18th February. Paul and Leam’s Red and White Army expects! Goal fests are the order of the day (I bet you Wynonie doesn’t go 1-0 again this game ) ………. No scratty draws, please lads – give them a “Gillingham Roasting” (two games – 18 goals and two wins! ) Get your predictions in, Ladies and Gents – you know it makes sense.

Good luck to everyone (especially Cooky and Leam – the Stanley Dream Team ) ………… and thanks for playing!