2019/20 Prediction League; Game 3 v AFC Wimbledon (away)

Div3North · 11-08-2019, 12:21

AFC Wimbledon

V

Accrington Stanley

2019/20 Prediction League; Game 3 v Wimbledon (away)

So; it’s started already – the Annual Cull of Managers; first to be Hurled off the Ramparts into the Moat Full of Piranha this season – step forward ex-Morecambe and Wycombe striker Garry Thompson, whose professional playing career ended last December after 660 games and 109 goals …………. He was appointed manager of Bananarama North side Bradford (Park Avenue) – who didn’t have brackets round their name when I were a young ‘un – in May……………. They played two league games – away at Curzon Ashton, and then at home to Guiseley - and they had the enormous misfortune to lose them both ………………. 5-0, both times ………….. and there he was – toast; well, technically, half a piece of toast, because his assistant (Shaun Gardner) was also flung off the ramparts ……………..The Club said, “We regret blah blah …………time with us has been so short blah blah ……………record our sincere thanks blah ……….. work out differently blah blah ……. both great guys blah……………..”. It’s understood that Garry’s reply was “piggin’ wonkers” (or something close to that) ………….. and the newly re-vitalised Bradford Park Brackets hosted Kidderminster Harriers on Saturday under their temporary new management team ………………. and lost 3-0 …………. Guess who are bottom of the Bananarama North?

I remember saying late-ish on last season, in one of my (now sadly rare) lucid moments, that “you might sort of think that they’re going to make it”; “they” were the Wombles, of course, and “it” was avoiding the Friction-Burn of Rapid Descent down the Greasy Pole of Oblivion (I now view League Two as “Oblivion” for these purposes)…………….. The reason for that surprising surfeit of Optimism on my part was that, after a run of 22 games of which they won 4, drew 3 and lost 15 – which resulted in Great Uncle Bulgaria Coburg et al spending 13th October 2018 to 23rd April 2019 in the Relegation Places (most of the time in 24th place) - they started to put a run together which was altogether more life-affirming (7 wins, 6 draws and two losses) ………. and a Goalless Desmond at Bratfud on the final day saved them and relegated BurySouth Argyle instead, BSA having scored 14 more than AFC Wombles (56:42), but having also conceded 19 more (80:71)

BSA’s response was to sign Bury’s manager and five of their players, including (see the last thread’s musings) three of their five leading scorers; the Wombles (“fictional pointy-nosed furry creatures”) responded by releasing eight, all of whom had obviously been a Disappointment to the Club (and probably to their Mothers), MutuallyConsenting with striker James Hanson (who once played for the Muppets, as I recall) who joined Grimsby (I didn’t know Wombles ate fish, which aren’t readily available on Wimbledon Common!), and seeking compensation for MF Tyler Burey from Milwall and £undisclosed from Barnsley for RB Toby Sibbick ……….. of the seven who got new clubs, AMF Kane Critchlow joined Watford in the PrawnSandwiches, four joined Championship sides, including Burey and Sibbick above, plus CB Deji Oshilaja (Charlton) and defender Osaze Urhoghide (the Owls), and two (Hanson (above) and MF Tom Soares (who must have Abandoned Hope, because he signed for Stevenage)) went into League Two …………

Four newbies ProperSigned; RB Luke O’Neill and CMF Callum Reilly, both freebies from Gillingham (the autobiography will be entittleyitled “Escaping Mr Evans”); and they paid £MYOB for forward Adam Roscrow from Cardiff Metropolitan University and LB Nesta Guinness-Walker (who sounds very like a 1950s brewery heiress) who joined from the Metropolitan Police (who aren’t the Police any more, and are based in East Molesey in Surrey, not in London – why is there never a Trading Standards Officer around when you need one?)

The Commoners’ Journey Into The Unknown for this season started at home to Relegated Rotherham, who Veni’d, Vidi’d and Vici’d 2-1, with goals on 29 mins by Olayinka Frederick Oladotun Ladapo (latterly of Palace, Southend and Plymouth) and Scottish CB Clark Robertson on 84, leaving the said Commoners pointless but in 16th place because they’d scored and we hadn’t ……… yesterday they went a-cockling at Fleetwood, went one up on 26, then former LA Raiders’ Head Coach John Madden – oh sorry, no, Paddy Madden – got one back, then Josh Morris pulled another one back with a right-wing cross that “flew home untouched” (purple prose provided by PA Media), and lo! The Common Wombles – pointy noses and all – now occupy 18th place, being the highest placed of the 7 teams on nul points …………… and I was pleased to see that, while sitting by our firesides today (with the fire lit!), C’MonYouReds climbed two places from 21st to 19th; by my calculation, if we don’t play at all until mid-October we should be top of the table by then ……………..

Blackpool, Lincoln and Fleetwood have the only perfect starts, although they could be joined by Bury ………………Sunderland are 15th (too many draws again this season), the Posh are in the Drop Zone; so are Southend (who some were touting as possible candidates) ………….. you’ll have noticed (with a smile in some quarters) that Stevenage are 23rd in League Two, with no goals and no points either, and that the Iron, who added a 4-1 trashing at Cheltenham to their earlier2-0 defeat by Swindon, are rock bottom …….. Macc did Leyton Orient, Vegan Greenpeace took a point off Walsall (would have been three if they hadn’t conceded on 86 mins), Crawley Stuck It Up Salford Moneybags 2-0 (and they don’t like it up ‘em, Mr Mainwaring they do not like it up 'em), having 30 shots on goal (9 on target) to the Ammies’ seven (one on target), Morecambe threw away a two goal lead at Mansfield, snatching a draw from the jaws of victory (which is twice in two that the Stags have been two down and finished up with a Desmond), and FC Halifax – with a Lady Ref (Rebecca Welch) – won their third in a row and are top of the Bananarama ……..

We met twice last season, of course, winning 2-1 at the Wham (Billy Whizz and Sean McNewContract) and sharing a half-Desmond in Kingston (on Thames, not the other one), our equaliser courtesy of Monsieur Clark …… You’ll all know the story, of course – Milton Keynes, and so on; the next episode of Revenge is Sweet may come this week (Tuesday 13th), when AFC PointyNoses play MKD in the first round of the EFL Cup at Norbiton (which is where the Kingsmeadow Stadium is actually situated) …………….. Norbiton, for those who’ve never been South of Watford Gap – which isn’t actually a Gap at all – is a part of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, some 11 miles from Charing Cross …………… originally, it seems, it was called Norberton, and it’s across the River from Surbiton; the name generates from Olde English – “north, bere and tun”, which apparently means “northern grange or outlying farm” ………. Its biggest claim to fame that I’ve found so far – if you don’t count the fact that they filmed The Bill there, and the Station featured in Reggie Perrin – is that AFC Wombles share the ground with Chelsea Ladies! For completeness, the Wombles are in an EFLTroffy group with Leyton Orient, Southend, and Brighton’s under-12s

Deadline for entries is, as always, scheduled kick-off time, which is 3.00pm on Saturday 17th August …………… We’ve got the Moggies this Tuesday, of course, in the EFL Cup (hope they don’t mess up the pitch!), and they’ve got Pompey next Saturday in the League ………….shaky start by Los Pussycatos – two draws isn’t going to get them promoted; and after the Wombles, we’ve got Shrewsbury at home and Fleetwood away, before we end August around the Dreamy Spires (hmmmmmm!) and Grid System of Milton Keynes ………… by then we should know what sort of a season it’s looking like being (and so will Bury!) Meantime, having hopefully put Sunderland to the sword, lets get our season up and running proper by ruining AFC Wimbledon’s Saturday, shall we? Cos if we don’t, that might mean somebody’s ruined ours!

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