2017/18 Prediction League; Game 23 v Crawley Town (home)

Div3North · 21-12-2017, 23:19

Accrington Stanley

V

Crawley Town

2017/18 Prediction League; Game 23 v Crawley (home)

There are – as you might remember that we discussed at the end of last season – eight teams in League Two whose names start with the letter “C”; starter for ten (and no cheating) ...... how many teams whose names start with “C” are in the top half of the table at this moment? Logic and statistics say there should be four, but actually there are two; step forward and take a bow ............................. Colchester and Coventry! And additionally; we’ve played the other seven teams who start with a “C” once each – 4 at home, 3 away .............How many points did we get in those seven games?

After three games Crawley were bottom of League Two; after losing 7 of their first 11 in the League they were 20th with 10 points; currently, having had a revival (of sorts – ie they’ve only lost three of their last eleven) they’re currently 17th, with 24 points off a record reading W6 D6 L10 GF19 (in 22 games!) GA 26 ………..away, it’s W3 D3 L4, at home it’s W3 D2 L6 ….. they’re already out of the FA Cup, 2-1 at Wigan, who then almost lost to AFC Fylde in their Round Two replay before Will Griggs (who was, by all accounts, on fire) scored 2 in the last 10 to sneak them home 3-2 ............. Fylde play Ebbsfleet (“Own the Club, Pick the Team” – how long ago was that?) this Saturday at Mill Farm (next door to the big Aldi in Wesham); Happy Days!

Seven departed in the summer; Irish CMF Connor Henderson went to Eastbourne, LB Chris Arthur joined Aldershot (who’ve now loaned him to Whitehawk, currently bottom of the Bananarama South with 4 points from a possible 63), fellow LB Andre Blackman went to Barnet, striker Matt Harrold (Brentford, Yeovil, Southend, Wycombe, Shrewsbury and BrizzleRov – now 33 but still capable of scoring a few) joined Leyton Orient, they sold James Collins (Shrewsbury (twice), Swindon, Hibs and the Cobblers on loan) to Luton (and I wish they hadn’t, because he’s got 8 in 19 games there so far), and LW Jason Banton and RMF Bobson Bawling both left for Woking ……………. The only thing that I know about Bobson Bawling is that you can get treatment for it on the NHS if you ask, and that he didn’t score for Crawley in the 71 games he played there.

In exchange they got two Dutchmens (did I ever mention that My Old Man’s a Dutchman, and he wears a Dutchman’s Hat?), they being CF Thomas Verheydt – who sounds like a Dutchman – from MVV Maastricht (where Andre Rieu plays, although I don’t know what position he plays in) and RW Moussa Sanoh from RKC Waalwijk (who doesn’t); then they got Guinea-Bissau striker Panutche Camara from Dulwich Hamlet (didn’t they used to make cigars there?), Irish CB Josh Doherty from Aids – sorry, Ards - CM Dannie Bulman from the Wombles, CM Mark Randall from Welsh Newport, and Nigerian CB Nathan Okoye (who doesn’t have a Wikipedia page, which isn’t very fair – let’s create one for him!) from Waltham Forest …………….. which reminds me of a taradiddle from my youth, which went “What do you get if you cross a Walrus, a Hamster and a Crow?” “I don’t know, what do you get if you cross a Walrus, a Hamster and a Crow?” “A Walthamstow!”

They finished last season in 19th place on 51 points, one point and three goals worse than Morecambe (and only five teams were worse than Morecambe last season) ............. Dermot Drummy left as Manager on 4th May, and was replaced (as Caretaker) by Matt Harrold (see “joined Leyton Orient” above) on 6th May, and ex Liverpool and Leeds legend (well, he thinks he is) Harry Kewell took the reins 17 days later, and the horse two weeks after that .......... Warren Feeney is his assistant, and he's apparently the first Australian to coach an English professional side (And?)

As well as the FA Cup they’re also out of the EFL Cup (5-1 at Birmingham), and finished bottom of their group – and on nul points – in the EFLTroffy ................. They’ve failed to score in 10 of their 22 League games, having kept seven clean sheets, and have only scored more than two goals twice in the League (and not at all in the Cups!) ............ we drew 0-0 at theirs last season, and won 1-0 at ours (goal by Shay McBratfud, who isn’t getting a load of match time at the moment) .............. and did you see Matt Crookes got sent off for the Cobblers for getting gobby last Saturday? And were you aware that Crawley – known as the Reds, or the Red Devils – had two of their starting eleven sent off on Saturday - skipper Jimmy Smith for a bad tackle, and forward Jordan Roberts for two yellows? Gives them time for last-minute Christmas Shopping, I suppose .........................and useful for us, since Roberts is their leading goal scorer this season with seven (six in the EFL)

They were formed in 1896, it’s said, made it into the Bananarama in 2004 by winning the Southern League, and eventually hit the FL in 2011, going straight up to League One in their first season, and staying there until 2015, when they hit the Bargain Basement again ...................... we met, of course, in 2011/12, drawing 1-1 away (our goal by Peter Murphy) and losing 1-0 at home ..................Their motto is “Noli Cedere” (Do not give up), and they’re these days Turkish owned (which is a delight)

Deadline for entries is, as always, scheduled kick-off time, which is 3.00pm on Saturday 23rd December ..................... if history is a good predictor of the future, we should win this, because we’ve drawn two (0-0 at Cambridge and 1-1 v Cheltenham) and won the other 5 (3-1 v Colchester, 3-0 v Carlisle, 2-1 at Chesterfield, 1-0 v Coventry and 2-0 at Crewe) against the other “C” teams this season, giving us 17 points from the seven games, And anyway we need to un-slump, having scored just twice in our last 5 in the League, earned a meagre 5 points, and lost our last two without scoring ...................Come on You Reds!

And may I wish you all a Very Happy Christmas from Me, and a Wonderful New Year from Him! Condiments of the Season to you all - and as Tiny Tim said, "Tiptoe through ......" .......erm, "God Bless Us, Every One"

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