2017/18 Prediction League; Game 37 v Luton Town (away)

Div3North · 09-03-2018, 00:56

Luton Town

V

Accrington Stanley

2017/18 Prediction League; Game 37 v Luton Town (away)

Well that all worked out rather well, didn’t it? Karma and a huge pay rise to Cheltenham’s Joe Morrell, whose 66th minute equaliser cost Notts County two points, and Beatification and a Million Pounds Sterling to Ollie Palmer, who got Lincoln on the score sheet in the 90th minute at David Flitcroft’s Mansfield and likewise cost the Stags two; Vegan Greenpeace took a point off Newport, costing them two as well! That left us as the only winners on the night, and teams near us dropping points to teams not near us is a real bonus ............... we’re still form team; since Boxing Day we’ve won 10 and drawn one of twelve; last five games have given us 13 points; Luton have 9 (W2 D3); Mansfield and Notts County have 8 each, Wycombe and Exeter have seven each, and Swindon have 6 ................... “Couldn’t Hit The Floor With Their Hats” awards to Grimsby (1 point), Newport, PV and Chesterfield (all with 3) and Stevenage (4) – Morecambe have 5 ............... And apparently That Nice Mr Evans (now Lord Evans of Posh) has been nominated for Manager of the Month in League Two, which – if I understand it correctly – was for resigning from Mansfield unexpectedly .......

If you go back over the Hatters’ last eleven games, they’ve won 5, drawn 3 and lost 3 (4-0 at Portly Vale, 2-0 at Chesterfield, and 3-2 at home to the PocketPickers) .......... 18 points from 11 games, against our 31 from 12 ...... further Good News comes from the fact that striker James Collins (see "leading scorer" above), who they signed from Crawley in the summer and who’s their joint leading scorer in all competitions with 17 (16 in the League) is suspended for Saturday’s game, having picked up two yellows (= one red) last weekend against Cambridge (one for handball, and one for dissent at the award of a corner to Cambridge (which is a pathetic way to get a yellow card, especially when already on a yellow card))

They lasted one game in the EFL Cup, losing 2-0 at home to Ipswich; they got to the third round of the EFLTroffy before losing on pens (6-7) at home to Posh after a 0-0 chez Them; the FA Cup took them as far as Round Three, where they succumbed to Newcassel 3-1 away ................ limited dealings in the Transfer Window; 6’ 4” striker Jake Mario Jervis came in from Plymouth, and 6’ 3 ½ “ defender Lloyd Jones moved from Liverpool; Josh McQuoid left for Aldershot; in the Loan Department MF Flynn Downes came in from Ipswich and four people you’ll never have heard of went swan-upping (well, it was a Sunday) to the fleshpots of Hitchen Town, Chesham Utd and Oxford City

They beat us twice last season, did Luton (1-0 at theirs, 4-1 at ours) – but then, they beat Blackpool twice as well (1-0 and 2-0) but still lost to them in the playoff semis ............... last year they were only out of the top 6 once during the entire season; this season they’ve been 1st since 21st November, but had been down in 13th place after 6 games (W2 D2 L2 – Barnet 1-0 away and Swindon 3-0 at home) ............they put 8 past Yeovil, you’ll remember, (8-2), 7 past Stevenage (7-1) and Cambridge (7-0) at home, 5 past Swindon (5-0 away), and 4 at home to Crawley (4-1) and Lincoln (4-2) and away at Exeter (4-1), but they’ve also scored a singleton six times, and failed to score at all eight times in the League................ top scorers (apart from James Suspended-Collins) are ex-Oxford striker Danny Hylton (17, 15 in the League), forward Elliot Lee (9) and MF Luke Berry (8) ........... their home record is P18 W13 D2 L3; away, it’s a much more mediocre W7 D7 L3, and overall it’s Pl 35 W20 D9 L6 GF 75 GA35 for 69 points and Top Spot At The Moment But That Might Soon Change

Deadline for entries is, as always, scheduled kick-off time, which is 3.00pm on Saturday 10th March (and the clocks go back as well, so I hear); we’ve got a six point gap over Notts County (3rd) and Wycombe (4th), plus a better GD; we’re learning to “win ugly” and to see games out from a long way back; our defence is solid, conceding 8 in 12 while we’ve scored 24 in the same period; we’re actually the Winningest Team in League Two (21/35); and we’re holding our breath, but with greater belief as the weeks pass. Go Get ‘Em, Stanley!

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