2021/22 Prediction League; Game 12 v Cheltenham Town (away)

Div3North · 14-10-2021, 23:23

Cheltenham Town FC

V

Accrington Stanley

2021/22 Prediction League Game 12; v The Montpellier Robins FC (away)

All Hail Berwick Rangers this week, for achieving their best-ever League win since they were formed 140 years ago (1881, to save you working it out); it came in the Lowland League, Berwick having lost their SFL status back in May 2019 - the second side to do so under the new system, following East Stirlingshire, when they were humiliated 7-0 in the two-legged Game of Death Playoff (bottom side in Scottish League Two v the winner of the Highland/Lowland playoff) by the HL's Cove Rangers .......... Their new "best-ever" was an 11-0 win against Vale of Leithen, who are based in Inverleithen (sometimes "Innerleithen") in the Scottish Borders ......

Vale of Leithen, it might be fair to say, aren't having the best of seasons; in their 15 league matches to date they've conceded seven goals against Bowness Utd at home (0-7), seven against East Kilbride at home (1-7), seven away at Civil Service Strollers (1-7), eight at home to Gala Fairydean (0-8), nine away to Rangers B (0-9), ten at home to Celtic B (0-10), eleven away to Berwick (0-11) and 13 at home to Bonnyrigg Rose (lovely girl!) - 0-13; they've scored 5 in 15 and conceded 96, and you won't perhaps be surprised that their website contains an advert for a new Head Coach "to be involved in the requisition of new players and the management of the team"........... anyone fancy it?

That 11-0 pasting being Berwick's best-ever League win, your Starter for Ten this week then is; what is Berwick Rangers' best ever Cup win, and who was it against?

For the record, the good news about Vale of Leithen FC is that you can buy a season ticket for £70 (£50 for Old Codgers) which entitles you to watch all 17 home league games, all home Cup Ties, and all home friendlies ....... and for £100 you can buy the Club ....... Oh, and the Club's motto, ironically, is "Keep Faith" .... Mange tout!

Berwick Rangers, I should also mention, is one of a handful of teams around the world to play in a football league system other than their own country's; Berwick-upon-Tweed itself is 2.5 miles south of Adrian's Wall (nice bloke, met him once) and the Scottish border, and the town is closer to Edinburgh than to Newcastle, which is the nearest major city on the English side of the border. The town, back in Ancient History, had been part of Scotland, and changed hands many times until finally taken by England in 1482. That said, it took until 1951 for the club to be admitted to Footba' Scotland .... which starts you thinking about other sides who "play away" with the blessing of their and their host country's League management ....... and by the way, the rules require that their home countries have a recognised Football Association before they can "play abroad" ...... a few examples;

1. San Marino Calcio (once known as SS Serenissima - "Give us an "S" "....) play in the Italian League system (currently in Tier 4)

2. FC Andorra have played in the Spanish League since 1948, and won the Copa Catalunya in 1994, knocking out Barcelona and Espanyol en route)

3. FC Vaduz (Liechtenstein) play in Div Two of the Swiss League

4. Cardiff City ........ Isn't it. Look you. Eistedffod. Blodwen. Carriad. And Swansea

5. Wellington Phoenix play in the Australian A-League (don't they Kiwi?)

6. Toronto FC (Canada) play in the MLS in America

7. AS Monaco play in French France (with great success - only Marseilles and Saint-Etienne have won more League titles there) and not the Monegasque League (which doesn't exist anyway)

And did you know that back in 2007, as part of the Centenary of the PFA, each club's fans were canvassed to nominate their team's GOAT (Greatest of All Time) .... some "Blast from the Past" names came out - Ted McDougall at Bournemouth, John Atyeo at Bristol City, Jimmy McIlroy at the Dingles, Hughie McIlmoyle at Carlisle, Derek Hales at Charlton, Kevin Hector at Derby, Alick Jeffrey at Donnie, Dixie Dean at Everton, Johnny Haynes at Fulham, Bert Trautmann at Man City, Duncan Edwards at Man U ... the list goes on ........... but there were three players on the list who were "Fans' Favourite" at two clubs each; Alan Shearer (Newcastle and Blackburn), Stanley Matthews (Blackpool and Stoke), and - Second Starter for Ten - who was the third?

I was looking up "Famous People born on this day" earlier (as you do); Jules Rimet, Dwight D Eisenhower, Lilian Gish, Chaim Reuben Weintrop (alias Bud Flanagan), England cricketer Jack Crapp (no, seriously), Roger Moore, Cliff Richard and Matt le Tissier were among the many born on 14th October ......... Unfortunately, David Coleman wasn't, which is a shame, since the next bit's about him .... well, him and the other contributors to what Private Eye, you may remember, christened "Colemanballs" - a source of great amusement over many years....

Coleman's association with these 'verbal slips' is so strong that he is often wrongly credited with Les Enormous Gaffes d'Autres; the earliest example specifically referenced as a Colemanballs wasn't one he was actually responsible for; 1976, Summer Olympics, Montreal; responsible was a fellow BBC commentator (Ron Pickering) who commentated on a race involving the Cuban double-gold medallist Alberto Juantorena, whose muscular build and nine-foot stride contributed to his nickname - El Caballo (the horse). Pickering famously said, in commentary:-

"And there goes Juantorena down the back straight, opening his legs and showing his class".

One of my personal favourites was actually from the late great motor racing commentator Murray Walker, who frequently featured in the column. He was responsible for:-

"There's nothing wrong with the car, apart from the fact that it's on fire" ...

But DC was the Doyen of Dantopedologists (it's the science of opening one's mouth and inserting one's foot)

He's accelerating all the time. The last lap was run in 64 seconds and the one before in 62."

"And the line-up for the final of the women's 400 metres hurdles includes three Russians, two East Germans, a Pole, a Swede and a Frenchman." (think about it!)

"Don't tell those coming in the final result of that fantastic match, but let's just have another look at Italy's winning goal"

"If that had gone in it would have been a goal"

"That's the fastest time ever run - but it's not as fast as the world record"

Coleman, who is best remembered by many for the masterful job he did when he broadcast for several hours at the 1972 Munich Olympics on the unfolding circumstances of the siege leading to the massacre of Israeli athletes, was born in Alderley Edge of Irish parents on 26th April 1926, and died on 21st December 2013 aged 83, having retired after the 2000 Summer Olympics ......... and I still miss him .............. and his Balls

Thought we had one of our better games last Saturday, by the way ..........

Plymouth and Wycombe both won (2-1 and 2-0 against Burton and Gillingham) and promptly jumped to 23 points, and into the automatic slots ... seven points (22 - 16) covers the next nine teams ......... tight at the top!

Cheltenham is a large spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire; it became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the most complete Regency town in Britain (actually, how many are there?). The town stands on the River Chelt, which rises nearby and runs through the town on its way to the Severn. It was first recorded in 803, as "Celtan hom", which is thought to mean Cilta, 'steep hill', here referring to the Cotswold scarp, and 'settlement' or 'water-meadow'. As a royal manor, it features in the earliest pages of the Gloucestershire section of Domesday Book where it is named Chintenha[m].

Captain Henry Skillicorne (1678–1763), is credited with being the first entrepreneur to recognise the opportunity to exploit the mineral springs. The retired master mariner became co-owner of the property containing Cheltenham's first mineral spring after his 1732 marriage to Elizabeth Mason, whose father, William Mason, had done little to promote the healing properties of the mineral water apart from limited advertising and building a small enclosure over the spring. Skillicorne immediately began improvements intended to attract visitors to his spa. He built a pump to regulate the flow of water and erected an elaborate well-house complete with a ballroom and upstairs billiard room to entertain his customers. The beginnings of Cheltenham's tree-lined promenades and the gardens surrounding its spas were first designed by Captain Skillicorne with the help of "wealthy and travelled" friends who understood the value of relaxing avenues. The area's walks and gardens had views of the countryside, and soon the gentry and nobility from across the county were enticed to come and investigate the beneficial waters of Cheltenham's market town spa.

Isn't that interesting?

And the header ("The Montpellier Robins") is a nod to a district of Cheltenham known as "Montpellier", which is located at the end of the Promenade to the south of the town centre, and is known for its bars, restaurants and specialist shops. Surrounded by many grade one listed buildings, Montpellier Gardens are part of the Cheltenham Central Conservation Area.

"Get your tickets 'ere - 50p each, two for a pound!"

Founded in 1887, CTFC spent much of its early history competing in local football circles, spending 50 years from the mid 1930s in the Southern League, before eventually being promoted into the Bananarama in 1996/97. They won the Conference title by four points in 1998/99, for a first trip to the FL under the management of Steve Cotterill, and in 2001/02 they won promotion to the Third Tier (Second Division at that time), beating Rushden and Diamonds 3-1 ... they only survived there one season, but went up again in 2005/06 by the same route, beating Grimsby 1-0 ........... big do's and little do's, they were GreasyPoled in 2014/15 after a 15-year sojourn under the Bright Lights, but they bounced straight back the following season with 101 points, 87 scored and 30 conceded (the best in every category) ........... and the rest you know

Famous ex managers include former Saints and England winger Terry Paine (who ran a pub at the same time), Bobby Gould, and Martin MadDog .... players of note in Days of Yore cover the likes of Gloucestershire cricketers Charles Barnett and Gilbert Jessop, and Phil Bach, who later played for Sunderland and became one of only two players to graduate from Cheltenham Town before going on to play for the full England team (the other being one Tim Ward) ........... they won the FA Trophy in 1997/98 beating Southport 1-0, and held the Gloucestershire Senior Amateur North Challenge Cup 5 times in the six years 1930 - 1935 ........ They made £1.5 million when they sold Mo Eisa to Bristol City in 2018; their record win is 12-0 against the Mighty Chippenham Rovers in the FA Cup Qualifying Round in 1935; record defeat was 10-1 against Merthyr Tydfil .......... most appearances - Roger Thorndale (702); record goalscorer - Dave Lewis (290)

They won League Two last season by 2 points from Cambridge and 3 from Bolton ........ they released five players - none of whom, to my shame, I've ever heard of, and all of whom went non-league (or in one case nowhere) - and they sold Ben Tozer to Wrexham Hollywood FC for £200k .......... five ProperSigned, most prominently Northern Irish striker Kyle Vassell from the Millers, and GK Owen Evans, who for a minute or two I thought was the very arty drumming weatherman with the blond quiff off the BBC - but I don't think it's going to be him, somehow .... five loans in - strikers Kyle Joseph and Christian Norton from Swansea and Stoke, MFs Taylor Perry ...... Taylor Perry? ........ no hang on, I was thinking of Grayson Perry ...... and Callum Wright from Wolves and Leicester, and Watford CB Mattie Pollock ......

Currently they're 18th - won 3, drawn 3 and lost five (wins against Ipswich, Charlton and Oxford) ...... scored 11 and conceded 20 - only side as bad as us in the GA column, but only the bottom three sides have scored fewer than them) ............ they made the third round of the EFL Cup before they got tonked 4-1 at Deepdabble, and are bottom of their Troffy Group, having lost 2-0 at Brizzle and 3-2 on pens after a home Desmond with Exeter - Chelsea u9s still to play ......... top goal scorers are Alfie May with 4 and Callum Wright with 3 ....

Deadline for entries is, as always, scheduled kick-off time, which is 3.00 pm on Saturday 16th October .......... Head to head - all in League Two, save for one FA Cup game - has us with 5 wins, then with six, and five draws .... we last met in 2018, and to be fair we've only lost to them once in the last seven years (3-0 away in 2017) ...... and I got quite excited on Tuesday when I looked at the half-time scores to see that Fort William were winning 1-0 at HT away to Buckie Thistle, but it got sorted in the second half, and The Fort ran out losers by 9-1 ...... they get some goals in Scotland, I'll tell you!

And Berwick's best ever Cup win was 8-1 in the Scottish Cup in December 1966, when they beat - and you could have worked this out just because I asked the question - Vale of Leithen .......... I don't know of any English teams whose best League and Cup wins ever are against the same opposition ............ anyone fancy researching it?

And the Third Double-Fans' Favourite in the 2007 poll was Brentford and QPR entertainer Stan Bowles ........... So now you know!

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

COYR!