2012 Prediction League; Game 33 v Cheltenham Town (home)

[Div3North]

Accrington Stanley

V


Cheltenham Town

2012/13 Prediction League – Game 33; v Cheltenham (home)

They currently lie 5th in League 2, with 53 points from 33 games …………but that doesn’t tell you the whole story …………..

At home, their League record is 9 wins, 6 draws and 2 defeats, with 26 scored and 15 conceded; one of those defeats, you may remember, was to us (3-0, with goals from Amond, Miller and Boco), meaning that we account for half their home losses and 20% of the goals conceded at Whaddon Road . Away, a less impressive W5 D5 L6 F17 A24, meaning that overall it’s P33 W14 D9 L8 F43 A39; they sit behind Burton on goal difference (+7 to +4), and a point ahead of Northampton and Exeter

But if you look at the period since 1st January, you get a very different picture; P9 W2 D5 L2 for just 11 points ………. That’s not promotion form, you might think ……….. that’s more like relegation form ………. Sack the Manager ……..Send for JC and JB; they’ll keep them up!

Their two wins in 2013 came against a struggling Torquay side (2-1 at home), and in their most recent match at Southend, where they won by the same score ……..(Speaking of Southend, the Amazing Bilel Mohsni eventually went back there, made his first appearance in 9 months in the game against Northampton last Saturday, and got sent off after 27 minutes ; welcome home, Son! ) …………….It’s also worth noting that in four of those 9 games Cheltenham haven’t scored, and that the four away games they've played within that period have resulted in just one win (Southend), one draw (at Morecambe, 0-0) and two losses – both by 0-1 – at Oxford and Dagenham ………..

The Cups didn’t bring great glory this season; they departed the Capon Cup on penalties to MK Dons at home (5-3, after a 1-1 draw); the Tinpot saw them lose at home again, this time 4-2 to Oxford; the FA Cup was better, if you count winning against Yate (3-0 at the Abbey Stadium), beating Hereford 2-1 away aet in the replay caused by only drawing 1-1 at home, and then getting a right smacking, 5-1, by Everton, also at home, in Round 3…….

Out very recently – “released by mutual consent” – went their skipper Alan Bennett (31), a defender with Cork, Reading and Southampton in his time; the story goes, according to Mark Yates,

• “He rang me at 10pm this evening (31st January) asking whether a deal could be done on the remaining period left on his contract and he leaves with my blessing and thanks”

He didn’t, apparently, add “and good riddance …………….”. Bennett then signed for the Wombles

Also out went striker Jeff Goulding (28), who has played, in the past, at the very top level – Molesey, Croydon, Clapton and Egham Town ; of him, Yates’s view was uncompromising;

• "Jeff was one of my first signings and he has been great to have around. He has been a big part of us over the last two-and-a-half years but he has a few things to sort out and this is the best deal for both parties.”

And good riddance to him, too …………… He signed for Aldershot, made his debut against Cheltenham last Saturday, and had a hand (well, a head anyway) in their equaliser in a 1-1 draw; revenge is sweet!

Bagasan Graham (20), ex QPR Youth, left as well, and signed for Andy Sinton at AFC Telford; he was Sinton’s second signing, the first being one Ian Craney ……..Telford’s record over their last 16 games is 6 draws and 10 defeats (and we thought we had troubles!) ……… Sack Sinton! Send for Coley!

In, to replace The Departed, came striker Byron Harrison (25), who’s at his 9th club in 7 years (which include, League-wise, Stevenage and the Wombles, from whom he was signed); other new kids on the block are Reading defender Michael Hector (20), and ex Swindon and Daggers striker Paul Benson, now 33 and probably relieved to be away from the madhouse that is the County Ground …….Go get ‘Em, Paulo!

Their 38 games have resulted in 52 goals for and 50 conceded; their leading scorers are Shaun Harrad (28), on a season-long loan from Bury, having also graced the pitches of Notts Co, Burton (from 2005 to 2011, scoring 69 in 229) and Northampton, who has 10; Welshman (yes, seriously – he was born in Cardiff) Kaid Yusef Mohammed (28), who’s played for Cwmbran, Llanelli and Carmarthen (twice each), plus Swindon, Torquay, Forest Green, Newport, Bath and the Wombles (I like these one-club players, don’t you; one club a year ……….) has 6, as does one Christopher Matthew Zebroski (26), once of (ignoring the loan moves) Plymouth, Millwall, Wycombe, Torquay and Bristol Rovers (he spent some time following Paul Buckle round the South West). Zebroski, though, is no longer a Cheltenham player; the story suggests that he failed to turn up for the New Year’s Day Derby against Oxford, ringing the Manager at 10.00am to tell him he wasn’t fit ……that being, it is reported, the fourth time he’d pulled out of a game at short notice, there were “discussions, which resulted in club ad player parting company on 4th January ……………….. and guess what? It was “by mutual consent”! Did I mention “Good riddance”?

By the way, don't believe everything you read on Wikipedia; according to them, in June 2008, Zebroski was transferred to Wycombe for £200,000,000 (makes Cristiano look like a bargain! ), and at Torquay, having helped them avoid relegation in 2009/10, he then scored 438 league goals to help the club to the play-offs in the next season ..................

Our head-to-head is even-stevens; P7 W3 D1 L3; we’ve done them over by 4-0 (at home) and 3-0 (away) in that time, and they’ve done us 4-2 at the ScoreFirst (when it wasn’t the ScoreFirst) and 4-1 at the Abbey Business Stadium …….the other three games were comparatively boring by comparison; 2-1 to us, 1-0 to them and a 1-1 draw; F13 A11………….

The deadline for entries is, as always, scheduled kick-off time, which is 3.00pm on Satruday 23rd February. We’ve got one goal and two points in our last 6 games, and 5 goals and 6 points in our last 13 …………….They can’t score for toffee (8 in nine games, with four blanks) and aren’t showing anything remotely like promotion form. This may come down to “Who wants it more”? WE DO…………… We are where we are on form, but not, I suggest, on ability; the doom-mongers can believe what they want, but there are at least 8 teams – maybe 10 – still in the mix, and four or more of those are worse than we are; my money’s still on Aldershot and the Wombles, with a late run for relegation by Torquay.

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

[ossy kid]

Stanley 0 - 1 Chelts

[Redash]

3-1 to The Stanley, please

[DaveinGermany]

Stanley 4 - 2 Chelts please D3N.

[caretaker]

Stanley 1 Chelts 3

[jaysay]

2-1 to Stanley please

[Chimer]

1-0 to Stanley - something starts here .... I hope ....

[AccyMad]

2 - 1 to the Stanley boys please

[Wynonie Harris]

4-1 to the Stanley please.

[Mysteron]

Forever positive - Stanley Boys 2 Cheltenham 1

[Div3North]

Prediction from Ack94V is Stanley 1 Cheltenham 3

[accybeme]

both teams are having difficulty scoring: Stanley 0 Cheltenham 0 please

[Revived Red]

Stanley 2 Cheltenham 1, please D3N.

[Outback Ozzy]

Hopefully a win this Saturday. 1-0 to Stanley for me please. P.S. interesting to see who is going for a win and who isn't, perhaps accybeme is calling this one correctly.

[Alvin the chipmunk]

4-0 Stanley please. Hat-trick by the new lad and Rachubka saving three penalties.