2018/19 Prediction League; Game 11 v Doncaster Rovers (home)

Div3North · 30-09-2018, 22:30

Accrington Stanley

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Doncaster Rovers Belles

2018/19 Prediction League; Game 11 v Doncaster Rovers (home)

I part-closed the Walsall thread with this ..............

“There’s still one unbeaten side in League 1 (Pompey), one still without a win (Plymouth), seven teams each with just one loss (including us) .....”

Well, one week on there’s still one League One side unbeaten (Pompey, W7 D3 L0), one without a win (Plymouth, W0 D3 L7) and now 6 teams with just one defeat each ................ the team to lose their unbeaten status, thanks to a BillyWhizz penalty, was of course Walsall, whose last five results now read W1 D2 L2, for 5 points from their last five games ..................... and if you believe in the quirkiness of numbers (which I do) you might be aware that there’s one other team in the EFL (apart from Pompey) which has still to lose a League game this season, and that team’s current record is W3 D7 L0; this week’s starter for 10, then; which team is it?

Donnie finished last season 15th in League One, with a record of P46 W13 D17 L16 GF52 GA52 and 56 points, one point behind Fleetwood Town and ahead of Oxford Utd on GD (zero plays -5) .............. their squad that season had included a GK called Ross Etheridge, who left Doncaster for the fleshpots of Nuneaton at the end of January; his departure to play in the Bananarama North was mirrored at the end of the season by the departure of Four Englishmen and Two Cheese-Eating Surrender Monkeys (a term coined – and I bet you didn’t know this – by one of the writers from “The Simpsons”); four of them (2 Brits, 2 Frenchmen) were defenders, and could have formed a back-four (and maybe did, for all I know); RB Craig Alcock went to Cheltenham, which is always a hazardous thing to do; CB Mathieu Baudry (wasn’t he a famous novelist?) went to MK PretendDons; LB Cedric Evina joined Notts County quite recently; and CB Reece Fielding went to Ossett United, which has only been United since the summer – prior to that it was Ossett Town and Ossett Albion, but they merged (looked from the players’ list as though one team carried on and most of the other team left!) and currently sit 3rd in Division One East of the Northern Premier League .................Tyler Walker (RMF) went to The Job Centre, and CF Andy Williams – still singing “Moon Bloody River” – went to Northampton, which is almost the same thing ............ By the way, I don’t think all Frenchmen are C>E>S>Ms, but did you know that apparently the French Government has banned firework displays in Paris, because last Bastille Day, when the fireworks were set off, the Army Garrison stationed at the Champs Elysee surrendered to a passing coach load of Czech tourists?

To replace the Sensational Six they brought in the Formidable Four; CB Tom Anderson signed from Burnley, Scottish LMF Ali Crawford left Hamilton on the down train, striker Paul Taylor hopped on a bus from Bratfud, and a second striker who I’ve never heard of came from a club in Kent – and he was the only one they paid for!

Leading scorers this season at Belle View – sorry, the Keepmoat Stadium - are the Unstoppable John Marquis (who should by now have been made a Duke at very least) with 9 (8 in the League, making him this season’s Billy Whizz (for now) .............. there are 3 players on 7, three on 6, and a hatful on 5, including Our Billy Rodney, and Sean McMatchWinner ............ and one Mallik Rashaun Coley Wilks (no, seriously, Coley is his third first name – or his first third name) who has 4 (3 in the League); Matty Blair (mainly of York, Fleetwood and Mansfield, and no longer Prime Minister) has three ..... no-one else has above one .............and talking about Mansfield (yes we were!), who knew that there’s an AFC Mansfield, who play in the same League as Ossett UnlimitedUnited (see above)?

Currently they’re 3rd in League One, with a home record of 3 wins, 2 draws and zero defeats (7 scored, 2 conceded), and a worrying away record of 3 wins, one draw and one loss (1-0 at Burtons the Tailors) for 11 scored and 7 conceded .......... overall, GF 18 GA 9, and 21 points .......... apart from Burton, they’ve dropped points at Posh (half-Desmond) and at home to Shrewsbury and Pompey – two zero-Desmonds ................... they’ve failed to trouble the scorers 3 times and kept 3 clean sheets, but concerningly they’ve won their last four on the spin – 2-1 against Luton, 4-1 at Walsall, 2-1 against Bradford and 3-2 at Plymouth, although they didn’t win any of the four before that run ........ 16 goals in 4 games, though, so I don’t necessarily see this as a 0-0!

In the EFL Cup they did the Iron 2-1 away, and then Blackpool did them 2-1 away, which proves that what goes around comes around. In the EFLTroffy they’re in the mix with Grimsby, Notts County and Newcastle u7s who, on current form, could probably beat Newcastle Firsts; they certainly beat Donnie, 3-1 away ................. Toon Army! Toon Army!

We met in 2016/17 during their Brief Sojourn Down the Greasy Pole in The Doldrums ............. we beat them 3-1 (Remi Boco, Matty Pearson, and Sean Mc in the 91st minute) at Ours, and drew 2-2 at theirs (Shay McCartan and Johnny Edwards); if you don’t count the Associate Members’ Cup – and why would you? – we last met them prior to that in 1960/61, when we drew 2-2 at home and lost 1-0 away ......... they’ve also beaten us 5-0, 5-1 and 7-1, but that was in the 1930s ........................... so that’s alright then!

Deadline for entries is, as always, scheduled kick-off time, which is 7.45pm on Tuesday 2nd October, and it’s a bastard long drive from Acci to Donnie (I used to work there quite often) .............. Donnie is also the venue for the shop which they turned into Arkwright’s in ”Open All Hours” – which is rather what we hope their defence might be on Tuesday! Onward and upwards!

And by the way; W3 D7 L0 is Vegan Greenpeace United!

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