2017/18 Prediction League; Game 14 v Stevenage FC (away)

Div3North · 15-10-2017, 17:15

SteveandAnge FC

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Accrington Stanley

2017/18 Prediction League; Game 14 v Stevenage (away)

Now then ....................here’s a tarradiddle! Is it a good thing to be playing a side that’s just been mauled to death on the road – “Stevenage Roadkill” - or is it a bad thing? Luton 7 Stevenage 1, to follow Yeovil 2 Luton 8 ................makes last week’s 0-2 look quite good!

Current form sides are Luton and Wycombe, each having dropped just one point in their last 5 games; next are Newport (3 dropped), and then Notts County, us, Coventry and Cheltenham (dropped 4) .............1-7 knackers your GD too; Stevenage’s is now zero – 2nd worst in the top half after Grimsby’s -3, and their 20 goals conceded is better only than the Vegans (31), Chesterfield (who’ve lost their last 6 in a row, only won once, and are on 27 conceded) and Yeovil (26), and level with Port Vale and Crewe.

And I have to say I’ve never seen a table that looks like the current one; 3rd placed Luton are on 27 points, and then Stanley (4th) are on 26, Wycombe (5th) are on 25, Newport (6th) on 24 ............ and it carries on like that – each team one point worse off than the side directly above them – right down to 13th-placed Cheltenham on 17 points; eleven sides, all one point above and/or below the sides next to them ............ amazing!

Their history is one of multiple Phoenix rising from multiple Ashes; 1894 saw a club called Stevenage Town (twice) and Stevenage FC (twice); that club folded in 1968, and were replaced by Stevenage Athletic, who lasted until 1976, when bankruptcy hit; in 1976 Stevenage Borough replaced them, and held on to the “Borough” until – in 2010 – they finally got into the League, winning the Conference with a 2-0 victory at Kidderminster and eventually topping the table by 11 points; on League position alone, they should have gone up in 1995/96, but their facilities saw them refused entry to the League, thus reprieving Torquay (who might need reprieving again at the end of the season, since they’re plumb last in the Bananarama with 1 win (4-0 against Maidenhead in game 14) and 4 draws from their 15 games (only Guiseley have won as few as them) as well as having departed the FA Cup in the 4th Qualifying Round, 1-0 at Aldershot!)

Famous (but not overly successful) Managers include Teddy Sheringham (7 wins from 33), and also former England manager - one match only (which they lost 0-1 to Italy) - Peter Taylor (13 from 32); infamous Managers include that nice Mr Westley (three times); famous players ........................ are few and far between!

They finished last season in 10th (we had the pleasure, you’ll remember, of inflicting the defeat that killed off their chances of getting into the playoffs (3-0 at Broadhall in the last game of the season, to avenge 0-1 at home in mid-November); in fact, they lost four and drew two of their last six – six games out they were 4th on 65 points and five above (8th placed) Blackpool - but it was still nice for us to screw down the last nail!

Eight players left in the close season (7 released, one on a free); GK Jamie Jones (Orient, PNE) went to Wigan, defenders Dean Wells went to Boreham Wood, Nathan Kerr went to Glentoran, South African Kogosi Ntlhe (once of the Posh) went to Rochdale, and Andrew Fox went down the Dole; CMF Charlie Lee (Posh and Gillingham – who dispensed with Manager Peter Taylor (see “One Win England Manager” above) this week) joined Leyton Orient (currently 17th in the Bananarama, and having got a draw at the Daggers on Saturday in the FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round), fellow CMF Michael Tonge joined Port Vale, and striker Jake Hyde-United (Dundee, Barnet and York) went to Maidenhead (well, someone has to) ................ and striker Rowan Liburd has gone on loan to Hemel Hempstead Town, and Blair Turbot - sorry, Turgott – who they’d only just signed from Bromley - to Boreham Wood.

They brought in replacements, of course, paying money to Brentford for CM James Ferry and to Swansea for striker Alex Samuel............. two more came in from non-League, LB Joe Martin arrived from Millwall and CB Terence Vancooten from Reading, and MFs Jonathan Smith (Forest Green Veg, York and Swindon) from Luton, Chris Whelpdale – again, Posh and Gillingham in his past - from the Wombles, and Harry Beautyman from the Cobblers completed the pack .........

Currently they sit 9th on 21 points, with 6 wins, 3 draws and four defeats; they drew their first two, then won three, then they didn’t win for three, then they won 3, and they’ve just lost their last two – they lost 0-1 at Crewe last time out before the Great Humiliation At Luton .................... Their leading scorer is Danny Newton with 6 – the same as SpecialK and one behind Billy Whizz ...................

Deadline for entries is, as always, scheduled kick-off time, which is 7.45pm on Tuesday 17th October – by which time we’ll know our FA Cup First Round Proper Opponents (that’s “First Round Proper”, not “Proper Opponents”, by the way) ....... My guess is that we’ll get Bananaskin United. Away. In the rain

Anyway; we’ve won 8 of 13, Stevenage have won 6; we’re five points and five places to the good, we’ve scored two more and conceded five fewer .............I’d say that’s a guaranteed loser, wouldn’t you? OF COURSE NOT! On Stanley On!

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

DaveinGermany · 15-10-2017, 17:25

3-1 to the Stanley please D3N.

AccyMad · 15-10-2017, 17:43

As much as I would love us to replicate Luton's score against them, I'm wary of them using that demolition (sorry, defeat) as an incentive but hopefully they won't have had time to get over it by Tuesday which will result in a win for our boys!

3 - 1 to Stanley please