2023-24 Prediction League; Game 33 v Colchester United (away)

Div3North · 15-02-2024, 23:46

Colchester United

V

Accrington Stanley

2023/24 Prediction League Game 33 v Colchester Eagles (away)

Starter for Ten; you’ll all have an idea about La Liga in Spain, but maybe not all of you will be so familiar with their Second Tier – the Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Secunda Division ……….. it consists of the not-quite-so-good, and the “had a bad season and got GreasyPoled”, and the “recovering”; sides like CD Tenerife, Real Oviedo, Levante, Sporting Gijon, FC Andorra, Real Zaragoza, Elche, Real Valladolid and Villarreal B are among its current members …… Usually it’s pretty much under the radar, but what statistical unlikelihood actually happened during last weekend’s round of fixtures (11 matches) that is, I rather think, unique?

Good win on Tuesday against the Wombles (completing the double over them) resulting in two TenFromLens (Ossy Kid for the second consecutive game), nine players scoring five (four for the win plus a bonus for our two or their nil), and just four poor souls copping nowt …. That said, from 48 predictions (16 players x three games) in February so far we’ve only scored five TenfromLens among all of us ………better than January, to be fair, when we got ONE only – well played, Triallist A, for that one ……….

Don’t know if anyone has twigged yet, that there’s a real possibility that the three sides that got relegated from the PrawnSandwichLeague last season (Leicester, Leeds and Southampton) could go back up this year, and could replace the three sides who replaced them last year (Burnley, Sheffield United and Luton) …… not sure that’s ever happened before, but you might get half-decent odds on it this season …………. Kiwi?

Colchester is the third-largest settlement in the county of Essex, with a population of 130,245 at the 2021 Census. It occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital, and therefore claims to be Britain's first city. It has been an important military base since the Roman era, with Colchester Garrison currently housing the 16th Air Assault Brigade. On the River Colne, Colchester is 50 miles north east of London and is less than 30 miles from Stansted and 20 miles from the port of Harwich.

Attractions in and around the city include St Botolph's Priory, Colchester Zoo, and several art galleries. Colchester Castle was constructed in the eleventh century on earlier Roman foundations; it now contains a museum. The main campus of the University of Essex is located between Colchester and Wivenhoe. Daniel Defoe mentions in ”A tour through England and Wales” that the town lost 5259 people to the plague in 1665, "more in proportion than any of its neighbours, or than the city of London" (which statisticlly is apparently complete rubbish). Between 1797 and 1815 Colchester was the HQ of the Army's Eastern District, had a garrison of up to 6,000, and played a main role in defence against a threatened French or Dutch invasion, At various times it was the base of such celebrated officers as Lord Cornwallis, Generals Sir James Craig and David Baird, and Captain William Napier. No, nor have I.

Significant Victorian landmarks include Colchester Town Hall, the Jumbo Water Tower and the Albert Hall. In 1884, the area was struck by the Colchester earthquake, estimated to have been 4.7 on the Richter Scale causing extensive regional damage.

Another SforT for you, then; the lowest points totals over a season of the five main Tier One Leagues in Europe (England, Spain, France, Italy & Germany) show that the worst (since 3 points for a win) in England was Derby (11 points in 2007/08), in La Liga was Sporting Gijon (13 in 1997/98), in the Bundesliga was Schalke (16 in 2020/21), in France was Lens (17 points in 1988/89) and in Italy was Pescara (18 points in 1997/98) ……….. but the “Overall Worst” title, held by Derby, is under threat this season; by whom, from which League, and how many points do the prospective Muppets currently have?

Until 1937, Colchester Town was Colchester's main club, and they were the original tenants of Layer Road. Colchester Town joined the Eastern Counties League in 1935, but their poor performances in the league convinced supporters that the club should turn professional, much like nearby Ipswich Town. With club officials against the idea of turning professional, a new professional club was formed in March 1937, Colchester United, which would also play at Layer Road. United joined the Southern Football League as crowds for Town matches dwindled. In December 1937, Colchester United formed a reserve team, signing many of Town's players. As a result of this and Town struggling with £300 debts, Colchester Town folded the same month. (that last bit has a familiar ring …….)

The U’s were Southern League champions in 1939 prior to the Second World War; following the war, in 1947–48, the U's produced one of the most notable FA Cup runs by a non-league side, defeating fellow non-leaguers Banbury Spencer in the first round, before beating Football League clubs Wrexham, Huddersfield Town and Bradford Park Avenue. They finally fell to Blackpool in the fifth round, but the run set them in good stead for potential election to the Football League, which followed in 1950 ….The club suffered their first relegation in 1961 as they finished 23rd in the Third Division, but didn't have to wait long until their first Football League promotion, spending just one season in the Fourth Division as they ended the season second to Millwall by just one point. This trend continued over the next two decades as they were relegated to the Fourth Division in 1965 and promoted to the Third Division in 1966, then relegated in 1968 and promoted in 1974, relegated in 1976 and promoted in 1977 before a final relegation to the Fourth Division in 1981. Whores’ drawers time ….. in the 1970s, the U's earned a new nickname ("The Eagles"), with a new badge featuring a Roman eagle standard, and the club crest was modified from a circular shape to a shield shape, with the golden eagle set against a blue and white striped background, a nod to the club's traditional shirt colours (which they inherited from Colchester Town)

Last season they flirted with GreasyPoling out of the League (which they do most seasons) but finished up 20th, six points and a lot of goals above the Drop, with a record of P46 W12 D13 L21 GF44 GA51 and 49 points ……… currently they’re on their third manager of the season, with DannyCowleyAndHisBrother in the hot seats…… recent signings include Irish CF Connor Wilkinson from Motherwell, and LoanSignings include RB Jayden Richardson from Aberdeen, CB Riley Harbottle from Hibs, CMF Alistair Smith from Lincoln, and RMF Harry Anderson from Stevenage ……… makes a change from signing knackered Oldies from Ipswich!

Currently they’re 22nd on 29 points, six clear of Vegan Greenpeace and seven above Sutton, with a better GD than either ……….they’ve won 8, drawn 5 and lost 18; at home it’s W4 D4 L7, and away it’s won 4 drawn 1, lost 11; they’ve won once since Christmas (Morecambe 1-0 away) and twice since 11th November (Salford 2-1) ………… top scorer was Joe Taylor (on loan from Luton) with 12 in 27, but sadly for them he was recalled and loaned out to Lincoln instead …… current scorers list shows fifteen players with between one goal and five each, and Cameron McGeehan with 6 ………… and they’re out of all the Cups etc (which won’t surprise you)

Deadline for entries is, as always, scheduled kick-off time, which is 3.00pm on Saturday February 17th ……. this is a should-win, although they did smash & grab us at ours at the end of October (their goal by the departed Joe Taylor) ….. head to head shows a draw and a defeat in 2003/04 in the FA Cup (my first Stanley game), and an FA Cup win in 2018 by 1-0; in the League, we won twice in both 2016/17 and 2017/18, so that we were 100% there until October 2023 (as above) ……. time to exact revenge for that, then ………. And the Spanish Second Division scores for last weekend show that there were three Goalless Desmonds, six games that ended 1-0 and two that finished 2-0 …………. but the remarkable thing about the results is that not a single one of the eleven away sides scored a goal, because all the 1-0s and 2-0s were won by the home teams ……………. and Derby’s awful record from 2008/09 is under threat from Almeria in La Liga, who have so far played 24 games, drawn seven and lost 17 …… all isn’t yet lost, but they already hold the new Spanish record for most games without a win from the start of the season (24, replacing Sporting Gijon’s 23 win-less from 1997/98) ……….. and we think we’ve got it bad if we lose three in a row!

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