2013 Prediction League; Game 46 v AFC Wimbledon (home)

[Div3North]

Accrington Stanley

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AFC Wimbledon

2013/14 Prediction League – Game 46; v AFC Wimbledon (home)

So here we are, then – the end of the season. ‘Fess up, all those of you who thought we were doomed at any point …………….Oh yes you did – well, some of you did . We’d have been very happy to know then that we’d have nothing to play for in our last game, and that our opponents would do the same, given that they were massively lucky last season, staying up on the last day via an unexpected win over Fleetwood; we’d have been thrilled to know, after 4 points from 12 games, that we’d get 50 points in the next 33 (equivalent, over the whole season, to 70 points – enough, this season, for 7th place )…………… But there it is; a no-news day – unless you count the Wombles hoping to recoup, by beating us, the three points they’ve just had deducted for fielding an ineligible Jake Nicholson in, among other games, their 4-3 win over Cheltenham ……….Oh, and Cashy not being available for selection for this game , by virtue of having gone away (again) – but he’s signed up again for next season, I understand! Last I heard we had 300 season tickets already sold (perhaps Val can update the number for me – that’ll show whether he reads the thread or just posts a (losing) guess!!!!!!!!!!!)

By the time of our first meeting on 12th October they were already out of the League Cup and the FLT (2-1 at Millwall and 5-3 at Brentford); not long after that they went out of the FA Cup at the first hurdle as well, 3-1 to Coventry at home ………Our record against them, if you’ve forgotten, was spectacular – P4 W4; in 2011/12 we beat them 2-0 away and 2-1 at home; last season we won 2-1 away and 4-0 at home; F10 A2 for 12 points out of 12, and Bragging Rights par excellence. 12th October 2013 we took a 17th minute lead courtesy of Kayode (who got sent off later on ), only to be pegged back by an 86th minute equaliser …………So, P5 W4 D1 L0 F13 A3 Pts 13 …………..still pretty tasty!

They brought in a few, mostly on loan; Palace striker Kwesi Appiah (23); ex Terriers’ and Iron MF Michael Collins (27), who went from team skipper to “on the bench” and then to “out on loan” in very short order; ex Aldershot striker Danny Hylton (178 games for the Shots), who was signed by Rotherham and sent out on loan within a week (could be a message there my son ……. ); Middlesbrough striker Charlie Wyke (21) ……….. They did have Charlton CB Kevin Feely (21), who’s now at Newport, and former Bath and Cheltenham winger Kaid Mohammed (29), now of Port Vale but currently out on loan again, this time at Brizzle (Will They Save Themselves?) Rovers ……..……The Wombles have also ProperSigned defender Darren Jones (30) – Forest Green, Hereford, Aldershot and, most recently, Shrewsbury (it’ll be nice to see them again next season! ) – and the aforementioned ex-Spurs trainee and Morton forward (21) Jake Nicholson, who got a goal and cost them 3 points ……….Out on loan to Salisbury went Teddy Sheringham’s lad Charlie (25) ……..And last – but certainly not least – they had (and he was their leading scorer with 9 from 23 games) Michael Smith (hat-trick for us v Gillingham , also played for Darlington, Newport and Colchester) on loan from Charlton, but now of Swindon, who paid an initial fee of £100,000 for him …….

At the moment their record is P45 W14 D14 L17 (the same number of losses as us) F47 A54 for 56 points (reduced by 3 as mentioned) and 18th place; they can’t go down – that possible nightmare can only now fall on Wycombe (47 points, -11 GD), Northampton (50 points, -17), or Bristol Rovers (50 points, -10) …..We could finish as high as 13th (can’t make 12th because of the fixtures – Daggers at Cheltenham )

Their away record is W6 D7 L9 F20 A25 ; wins by 2-0 at York, 2-1 at Rochdale, 3-0 at Wycombe, 2-1 at Newport and – both in April – 1-0 at Southend and 2-1 at Plymouth ……..They’ve hit 4 goals twice (4-3 v Cheltenham and 4-0 v Pompey) and 3 goals three times (3-0 at Wycombe, 3-1 v Burton and 3-2 v Scunny ……… the other side of that coin, though, is that they’ve failed to score in 18 of their 48 games . Leading scorers (excluding the departed Michael Smith with 9) are oldster Jack Midson with 6, and defenders Andy Frampton and George Francombe, MFs Sammy Moore and Harry Pell, andstriker Luke Moore – each of whom has four

So…………… there’s another season, and yet again we survive ………one of these years I’ll have a tenner on us to stay up before the season starts! Goodbye for the time being to Torquay, Rochdale, Chesterfield and Scunthorpe, plus one of Northampton, Wycombe or Bristol R and one of Fleetwood, Burton, York or Southend ………Hello to Luton, Stevenage, Shrewsbury, Carlisle (almost certainly), one from Notts County, Crewe or Tranmere (have they got a manager yet, DAV007?), and one from Cambridge, Halifax, Grimsby or Gateshead……………….Gateshead are actually the form side , but I could happily live with any of those four (for “romance” purposes, possibly not Cambridge) …………..At this moment it stand Halifax 1 Cambridge 0 and Grimsby 1 Gateshead 1 ………….all will be revealed!

Can I, as every year, thank all of you on my own and Chimer’s behalf for your support (by playing), the craic, and reading this drivel (those of you who do – and some posts go on so fast after I start the thread that the posters can’t have got beyond “2013/14 Prediction League …”). If we didn’t enjoy it, we wouldn’t do it (we’ve just finished our fourth season! ), and I have it on good authority that we’ll be back – assuming, of course that you want us back – sometime early in August next!

Deadline for entries is, as always, scheduled kick-off time, which is 3.00pm on Saturday 3rd May. Thanks to James and the two Pauls for all they’ve done by keeping us up, and all who’ve supported them ; congratulations to James (In Whom We Trust) on his UEFA B Licence ; thanks to the players who – for whatever reason – won’t be playing in the Red Shirt next season – especially to the brilliant Marcus Bettinelli, who’s been a stand-out, and Lee Molyneux, whose loan has ended but who we’d like back next season (JB please note ); thanks to the players who will be back ……..It was a roller-coaster, but it was a crackin’ ride!

Let’s finish with 3 points; let’s see how high up the table we can actually finish; let’s finish above Morecambe whatever else we do ; let’s look forward to next season; let’s thank the Good Lord that the Stanley exists, because – as they say – if the Stanley didn’t exist, we’d have to invent it!

And let me finish with a paragraph which I wrote for the Wombles away game back in mid-October;

“The deadline for entries is, as ever, scheduled kick-off time, which is 3pm on Saturday 12th October. 3 points at the moment can put you up or down several places in the League, or (in our case) kick-start your season; logic says that every team – bar maybe a couple – will have a bad spell; we just had ours earlier than most!”

Prophetic or what?

Good luck to everyone ……… Remember; Passion overcomes Logic…………Keep the Faith!.....… and thanks for playing!

See you all next season!

[DAV007]

stanley 1 - 0 wimbledon

[Div3North]

Chimer has disappeared to a place where there is no internet (the Cow Shed springs to mind), but believes we'll beat the Wombles 3-0 ..............

Foolish boy ...............

[Revived Red]

Stanley 4 Wombles 1. And many thanks D3N for organising the whole thing and for the brilliant intros to each one. And thanks to Chimer for the up totting.

[MikeA]

5-1 to Stanley, please.

Thanks to both of you for running this once more. More drivel next season, please.

[winstanley asfc]

Stanley 6 Wimbledon 2

[ossy kid]

Stanley 3 - 1 Wombles and sell yourself cheap, your drivel was brilliant and well enjoyed every game, a big thanks to all involved.

[accybeme]

Stanley 2 Wombles 1 please
A BIG THANK YOU to Div3North & Chimer for all your work in running these informative and very enjoyable entertainment through the year

[Mysteron]

Finish on a high - Stanley Boys 2 Wimbledon 0

[smobile]

5-0 Stanley

[choirboy]

2 - 0 to the STANLEY

[Tommy McQueen]

Stanley 3 Wimbledon1 please

[LongLostSon]

many thanks for once again running this weekly fun with Chimer.

Stanley 3 Wimbledon 2

[Redash]

3-1 to The Stanley, and a big thanks chaps.

[teach]

Can't go for anything other than a Stanley win in the last game now we are safe. 2-0 please. Many thanks to all those involved in setting up and running this prediction league. Makes Saturdays more fun for those of us who can't get to many matches. Think I'll print out and frame the final table!