[Div3North]

Accrington Stanley

V

Shrewsbury Town

2011 Prediction League – Game 44; v Shrewsbury (home)

“And my third wish, oh Genie, is that come the end of the season we can have some actual say who goes up and who doesn’t” ……………..

Apart from the obvious, what – at this precise moment - connects Stanley, Hereford, the Daggers and the Wombles? Answer; in our last three games we all play two of the three automatic promotion contenders (excluding Swindon, who – save on mathematical possibilities - will take one of the places) ……. Shrewsbury (84 points) play us (away), the Daggers (home) and the Wombles (away); Crawley (80) play the Daggers (away), Hereford (home) and us (away); Torquay play the Wombles (away), Crewe (home) and Hereford (away); hands up who’d like us to do it unto Crawley rather than to the Shrews?

Not a lot of activity in the transfer or loan markets; full back Conor McLaughlin (20) on loan from PNE; striker Romaine Sawyers (21) from the Baggies; midfielders Aaron Wildig (19) from Cardiff, and Irish-born David McAllister (23) – ex Shelbourne and St Patrick’s Athletic – from the Blades; they did have Everton’s England u20 midfielder James Wallace (19) as well, but he seems to have gone back home again. Out – after spending ages on loan at Hereford over the past two seasons – went 24 year-old Scottish midfielder Steven Leslie; not, as you might think, to Hereford; he signed for Wrexham …………

I believe the expression is “a rich vein of form”; they’ve won 7 of their last 9 (drawing one of the other two), including their last four on the bounce (Macclesfield 3-1 away, Rotherham 3-1 at home, and Bradford and Port Vale by 1-0 each, also at home) ; they’re unbeaten at Greenhous Meadow all season (17 wins, 5 draws) ; on the road their record’s 8 wins, 4 draws and 9 losses ; in 43 games overall they’ve won 25, drawn 9 and lost 9, scoring 63 and conceding 37 (12 at home, 25 away). They managed 7 once (at the Cobblers in a 7-2 thrashing) and 3 on five occasions (Hereford, Macc and Rotherham by 3-1 and Barnet and Port Vale by 3-2); to date they’ve kept 17 clean sheets ………… A tip for you; the stat to remember isn’t “17 clean sheets”; it’s “lost nine times away from home” ……………

Leading goalscorers are striker James Collins (33) – ex Burton and Darlington – with 15; Mark Wright (30) – midfielder, who counts Walsall, Brighton, Bristol Rovers and the MK Dons among his former clubs – has 11, as has 6’ 4” striker Marvin Morgan, formerly of Yeading (not to be confused with Hayes and Yeading ), Dagenham and Redbridge, Woking, Wealdstone and all stations to Aldershot; your own, your very own Terry Gornell (22), who started at Tranmere, played 11 games on loan for us in 08/09 (scoring 4) and – overall – had a tally of 17 in 55 in his time at the Stanley, has 10.

Back in October they beat us at their place by the odd goal in one; before that our record against them since we returned to the League is pants, frankly; overall, P11 W2 D2 L7 F10 A18. We did do them 2-0 in the JPT in 2009, but our only League victories have been by 2-1 at our place in 08/09 (Terry Gornell and Paul Mullin scoring in the first 6 minutes) and by 1-0 (Bobby Grant) away in the 09/10 season. Rubbish ………See Me!

The deadline for entries is, as ever, scheduled kick-off time, which is 3.00pm on Saturday 21st April. They’ve got it all still to play for, but do have a four-point cushion over both Crawley and Torquay (plus a better goal difference over both), so their fate is in their own hands . It might depend who we play (and whether they all turn up ); an experimental side and a strong bench might not do it for us; mind you, it might hack Crawley off if we lose ………….. Keep the faith, Ladies and Gents – and Stanley for the Cup!

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