2013 Prediction League - Game 4 v Cheltenham Town (home)

Div3North · 20-08-2013, 14:42

Accrington Stanley

V

Cheltenham Town

2013 Prediction League – Game 4 v Cheltenham (home)

Three games into the season and every team’s got a point

; three games into the season and already we’re playing six-pointers

; game 2 was 22nd v 23rd; game 3 was 20th v 22nd; game 4 is 24th v 21st ………. Who would have had Cheltenham in the bottom 4?

Who would have had us behind Hartlepool, who haven’t even scored a League goal yet?

Morecambe – 3 games, 1 goal, one point ……….

Newport in the play-off places

; (it would have been Scunthorpe if they hadn’t conceded an equaliser to the Daggers in the 93rd minute last Saturday

) ……….. It’s going to be a long hard season for a lot of clubs, methinks ………… Funny old game, football ………….

The Robins in their current guise were formed in 1887 by a local teacher, Albert Close White; they footled around in local football until 1935, when they joined the Southern League, winning promotion to the Conference in 1987, going back down in 1992 and back up – to stay, this time - in 1997 under Steve Cotterill (later of Burnley, Stoke, Notts Forest and the Job Centre); they won the FA Trophy in 1998, beating Southport 1-0, and promotion to the Football League in 1999; since then, they’ve been promoted to the Second Division/League One twice

– both times via the Playoff Final, once from 4th place (2002) and once (2006) from 5th, relegated twice

in 2003 and 2009, and they lost in the Playoffs in 2011/2 (in the Final) and in 2012/13 in the Semis ………… Previous managers (while in the League) – apart from Steve Cotterill – include Martin Allen, now suffering at Gillingham, John Ward (now Bristol Rovers boss), and Bobby Gould (remember him?

), as well as Mark Yates, who’s been in situ since 2009, which is probably some sort of record, given how often Managers depart these days …………

They signed Terry Gornell

from Rochdale in the summer, along with Fleetwood’s ex Colchester striker Steven Gillespie (28) – who was at Whaddon Road before moving to Essex - on loan; they also brought in Port Vale’s Ashley Vincent (also 28, also a striker, and also with Colchester on his cv), Jamie Cureton from Exeter (who’s due a telegram from the Queen any year now

, but who was injured while scoring in the opening game of the season) – yet another ex Colchester striker, CB Troy Brown (22) from Aldershot, loanee Craig Braham-Barrett (24), a LB from Macclesfield, and Matt Richards (28), a central MF from Shrewsbury. What it is that they have about 28 year-olds, or ex Colchester players, I have absolutely no idea …………

Their season started with a 2-2 draw at home to Burton, when they wasted a 2 goal lead to a penalty from Billy Kee and a goal from Rory Delap (probably direct from a throw in ………

); having then taken Crawley out of the CapOne (4-3 at home), which gives them a Second Round tie away at West Ham on Tuesday, they then went to Snakefield and lost 2-0

(Gary Roberts scoring on his home debut

) and then lost their next match(“comfortably”

) at home to Rommy Boco’s Plymouth – Rommy getting one of the goals ……….. Thrilling it ain’t, if you’re a Robins fan …………

Even-stevens as between us over the years; P8 W3 D2 L3 F15 A13 is our record; the highlights were probably our first meeting in 2009/10, when we did them 4-0

; then we won 2-1 at their place the season after

(Gornell and Richardson with the goals, Leam’s coming on 89 mins); we’ll draw a veil over season 2011/12 (defeats by 1-0 at home and 4-1 away); last season we managed to win at their place for the second time in four visits (this time by 3-0 – Amond (Morecambe), Miller, and Boco (Plymouth) getting the goals), before holding them to a 2-all draw, with both our goals coming from one James Beattie

(In Whom We Trust!

)

Deadline for entries is kick-off time, which is 3.00pm this Saturday, 24th August ………… A win against one of the pre-season favourites for promotion would do us a power of good ……. So come on, lads, how about it?

Good luck to everyone …….. Remember, passion overcomes logic ……….. Keep the Faith! ………… and thanks for playing!

cashman · 20-08-2013, 15:03

3-1 stanley.

ossy kid · 20-08-2013, 15:09

Stanley 2 - 1 Chelts and if you don't mind 1296 for the gate. Heading out now to Kamloops to play footy in the B.C. seniors games. We play five games in four days in the over 60s division, wonder how the "big boys" would like a schedule like that?