Prediction League game 31; Stevenage (away)

Div3North · 30-01-2011, 23:55

Stevenage FC

V

Accrington Stanley

Prediction League – Game 31; v Stevenage (away)

They’ve had a bit of a clear-out of their under-used forwards in the January Transfer Window; Aldershot’s new manager Dean Holdsworth came a-calling, and took 24 year old Peter Vincenti (who’s only played 5 games for Stevenage this season, scoring just the once), and he also signed ex-Shots striker Tim Sills, whose contract at Stevenage was terminated ‘by mutual consent’; Sills was previously at Aldershot (52 goals in 126 games) prior to his move in 2006 to Oxford; this season he only featured twice, although he did play 11 on loan at Rushden, scoring one; striker Lee Boylan (32), who played in the promotion team but only twice this season, has been released as well. Single replacement is Norwich’s 21 year old forward Luke Daley (whose career at Carrow Road so far consists of one 83rd minute sub appearance v Reading in a 3-3 draw).

Since we beat them 1-0 chez nous on 20th November

(with a Sean McConville goal in the second half) they’ve played 7 League games and 3 in the FA Cup; in the Cup they put out AFC Wimbledon 2-0 away, then did Newcastle 3-1 at the Lamex, finally going out on Saturday 2-1 at home to Reading; in the League, they’ve played 5 at home (drawing 1-1 with Southend, losing 0-1 to Northampton, and beating Barnet 4-2, Morecambe 2-0 and Rotherham 3-0) and 2 away – both 1-0 defeats, at Gillingham and Chesterfield; P7 W3 D1 L3. Overall they’ve moved from P16 W5 D8 L3 F19 A13 Pts23 for 8th place just before we first met, to their present position of P24 W8 D9 L7 F29 A20 for 33 points and 12th position – 3 places and 2 points better off than us

, having played the same number of games (although we’ve played 11 at home and 13 away against their 13 at home and 11 away ………)

31 games in all competitions; 27 goals conceded (5 teams have put two past them in a game, they’ve conceded one goal 17 times, and have kept 9 clean sheets); 37 goals scored in total; 4 at Hereford and at home to Barnet; 3 four times – Stockport at home, Barnet away, Newcastle in the FA Cup, and Rotherham at home last Tuesday; 2 goals four times, one goal 9 times, and they’ve failed to trouble the scorers 12 times, 6 of them at home. Their leading goalscorers are the (now departed back to Brighton) loan striker Chris Holroyd with 6 (all scored before we played them in November!), and midfielder John Mousinho, defender Scott Laird and striker Charlie Griffin with three each; they’ve got 6 players with 2 each (including the ex-Ebbsfleet trio of Stacy Long, Michael Bostwick and Darius Charles), and no less than seven other players with one each; to put that another way, none of their present squad has scored more than 3 times all season

…………

The deadline for entries is, as ever, scheduled kick-off time, which is 3pm on Saturday 5th February. Surely not another 0-0 draw (even though we’ve had four each)? Do I mention that we’ve never lost to, or drawn with, them in the Football League, and that they’ve never even scored against us?

Hammering? 3 points and a boring game, or a losing thriller? Place your bets, ladies and gentlemen; rien ne va plus after 15.00 hours on Saturday ……….

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