Prediction League Game 21; Burton Albion (home) - Page 3

bdc · 16-12-2010, 22:21

Accrington P Burton P or failing that 1-0 to Stanley

Div3North · 17-12-2010, 16:56

Game off; prediction league game now frozen in time until the new date.

Nul points for all those who guessed "P v P" as the score

Div3North · 13-03-2011, 00:45

Accrington Stanley

V

Burton Albion

Prediction League – Game 21; v Burton Albion (home)

Am I alone in thinking that a side that signs several forwards in the transfer window might be a tad desperate?

Paul Peschisolido (Mr Karen Brady) hit the attacking market heavily, having sold leading scorer Shaun Harrad (76 goals in 245 games) to Northampton (he wasn’t going to sign a new contract, that much was clear

) and having also lost loan striker James Collins (5 goals in 12 games during his time at the Pirelli Stadium) when Aston Villa sold him to Shrewsbury Town, where he’s scored 4 more in 13; he signed 26 year old Congolese striker Calvin Zola (most recently of Crewe, where he fell spectacularly down the batting order, from leading scorer in 09/10 to ‘available for loan’ by the following Christmas), who scored once in a handful of games and is now out of action, tearing a hamstring at Wycombe in late February; journeyman winger Simon Whaley (ex PNE – 17 goals in 113 appearances), who left Deepdale for Norwich, where it all went wrong for him, joined on a short term contract, having parted company with Doncaster in January; Nialle Rodney, a 20 year old striker from Notts Forest, came in recently as cover for Zola, and has made 3 substitute appearances so far; and the wonderfully-named Sam Winnall

, also 20, and a forward, signed on loan from Wolves – with whom the Brewers seem to have some connection, since they also have England u20 defender Scott Malone on a season-long loan from Molineux as well. In addition to the departed Collins and Harrad, they’ve loaned out winger Lewis Young – whom they only signed last summer from Watford, and who has played 19 times this season – to Forest Green.

One win apiece in the League games between us, each winning 2-0 at the other’s ground last season; our win came courtesy of goals from Billy Kee and Michael Symes, and 5 of the starting line-up for us that day aren’t at the Crown any more; we’re doing better than Burton, though – only 3 of the team that started against us that day made the kick-off against Stockport County yesterday ……..

Burton’s away record is pants; P16 W2 D5 L9 F14 A27

; overall, they’re in 22nd place (P31 W9 D9 L13 F38 A44 Pts 36); they sit 4 points behind Morecambe, Hereford and Northampton, each on 40, but have, respectively, 5, 3 and 5 games in hand on them; they’re 2 points above Barnet, having played 5 games less, and 4 points ahead of Stockport – who really needed to beat them today, and who were apparently unlucky only to get a 0-0 draw in a true ‘six-pointer’ – with 6 matches in hand; they’re also the only team to have played less League games than us this season so far ……………..

38 scored in 31 League games, and 9 more in 6 Cup matches; out of the Carling and the JPT at the first attempt, they made Round 4 of the FA Cup, beating Oxford 1-0, Chesterfield 3-1 and Middlesbrough 2-1 – all at home – before losing 2-1 at Burnley; 47 scored therefore in 37 games. Their best in a game is 3 (6 times at home – Morecambe 3-2, Hereford and Bradford City both by 3-0, and Chesterfield (Cup), Southend and Lincoln each by 3-1 – but only twice away – 3-3 at Rotherham and 3-2 at the Cobblers); they’ve managed 2 goals 4 times, a single strike 15 times, and no strike at all 10 times. They’ve conceded 4 in a game four times – at home to Rotherham (2-4), and away to Crewe, Wycombe and Cardiff (in the Carling), all by 4-1 (although it took Cardiff extra time to do it); against that, they’ve kept 11 clean sheets (but then, so have we!)

Their 47 goals have come, mainly, from the departed; Shaun Harrad had 13 when he left, and James Collins had 5; loan striker Sam Winnall has four, and long-serving defender Aaron Webster (he’s been there since 1998) has 10 – a little like Sunbeds, really; four others have 2 each, and three – including the aforementioned Zola – have one each.

The deadline for entries is, as ever, scheduled kick-off time, which is 7.45pm on Tuesday 15th March (so we still haven’t played them on a Saturday in the League). We’re the 6th highest-scoring home team with 31 in 15

(behind Chesterfield with 45, Rotherham (37), Crewe (35) and Torquay and Northampton (both on 32); their away goals total (14 in 16) is worse than everyone except Bradford (13 in 18) and – if you want to be pedantic about it – Northampton (14 in 17); for the record, Bury have scored 37 away in the League – one less than Burton’s total in all their League games. On the numbers we should get back to winning ways after yesterday’s stumble, but since when have numbers had anything to do with it (excluding Bulgaria v Estonia, of course). Another win, you might think ……… but will it turn out like that? And if it does, by what score? Don’t forget, there’s a season ticket up for grabs here …..

Good luck to everyone ………… and thanks for playing!