AFTER THE LORD MAYOR'S SHOW

Chelmsford 3 City 1.
What a shame after Easter Mondays amazing finish.
Margate sinking like a stone with eight defeats on the trot.
What a prospect , last game of the season at Twerton Park.
Shame that we'll be safe by then, never mind .
Not quite working out the way I had anticipated, but still confident.

Looking at it, I reckon we can get 6-10 points. Basingstoke are obviously down, St Alban's City's little good run came to an end today, WSM could pull clear but H & Y are looking perilous. Above, as you say, Margate are on a terrible run and even a change of manager may be too late for them now. Whitehawk will probably be fine even if we take 3 points of them at Twerton and H & W could be fine but equally could be dragged down with us depending on their run-in. Be interesting to see how catchable Eastbourne are in two weeks' time.

All to play for in every game but I think we will be lucky to get anything at Concord.

Quite frankly we will have to fight for every point

I can't see us getting anything at Concord, so really need to concentrate on home wins.

BenE wrote:Quite frankly we will have to fight for every point

Oh, yeah, I don't think any of them will be easy and many a slip 'twixt cup and lip but I just don't think we will get anything at Concord and won't be worried so much if we don't.

They are going for the playoffs so you might be right but 5 points 5 games. Under GO we have averaged a point a game.

A point a game is relegation form. We have conceded 11 goals in four away games. Are we too open when playing away from home?

I am working on 46 points safety.

The thing is Pete, the away travellers will be on here soon telling us about the lack of effort, the same old mistakes at the back and of course the failure to finish things off.
This is all part of where we are, the here and now if you like.
We are where we are and I for one will not believe there is any lack of effort from any of the staff at this club.
Let us not forget that all the clubs around us are in the same boat.
As their efforts intensify then perhaps ours appear a little less , but are they really ?
We are now in a situation where quite literally "whatever  will be will be" and certain people will quickly knock your 46 point safety target.

I believe we will survive and am still rejoicing in life without Britton and Howells and admire the passion of Gary Owers
I now await the downbeat posters , can I blame them ?
No of course not, I would be feeling down had I travelled all day for what appears to be nothing.
Keep believing, it is after all in our own hands.

Honestly I don't think it was lack of effort. The players tried but we're really lacking in quality and Chelmsford were better than us.

pete mac wrote:I am working on 46 points safety.

47 points minimum, I reckon, Pete.

The thing is that, in a season, you will lose an away match 3-1. In an average season, you put it down to a bad day at the office or, you know, being beaten by a team at home. Unfortunately, in the position we are in, such a result is extremely important. I wasn't there today so I can't say anything about it. What I can say is that, under the old management, we would probably have given up after WSM had scored. Well, not least because we didn't have Tyler Harvey on loan then, I suppose.

Ashley wrote:Honestly I don't think it was lack of effort. The players tried but we're really lacking in quality and Chelmsford were better than us.

I was there, as usual, and I am afraid that Ashley has summed it up in a nutshell. We (Ashley, Andy Field and me) were 'drowning our sorrows' on return from the match, and what Ashley has summarised was generally agreed. The players on the pitch gave it their best shot, but it was not enough to draw let alone win. I was hopeful of getting something out of this contest, but now we will have to hope that Concord have an off-day, else our survival will depend on the last three home game results (against Hayes anything could happen).

We are missing key players in Matt Taylor and Andy Watkins, and we will be weakened by a further suspension of Frankie. Let us hope that Matt, at least, is fit enough for selection next week. From memory Concord are a robust side, so therefore it will also be important to have Nick on the field for as long as possible.

The one thing I noticed , being only a "part time supporter" was that maybe some of our players are too damn honest. Chelmsford players seemed to fall over every time they were tickled with a feather and the ref went for it every time. We always seem to try to stay on our feet and battle and get nothing. I dont know if all refs these days are like this but maybe we should try falling over more. Take nothing away from Chelmsford, their finishing was clinical, their long throws caused all sorts of trouble, and I guess they were worthy winners, but for the 1st 45 minutes I thought we were the better footballing side and were unlucky to go in 2 down. Think we will stay up, but it will be tight

Oh dear, if Concorde are a robust side then we are done for. If they lack a bit of pace to back it up then we may stand a chance, but we lack both these fundamental characteristics and is why we are where we are. Agreed we played some decent football yesterday, but not in the areas it mattered. We really need Watto back as he is the only one who is quick enough and direct enough to trouble defenders at this level. On his own Pratt has to do too much. McCootie was again a huge disappointment and I can't see him being offered terms next year unless we go down. There was no lack of effort as has been said, but the gulf in pace, physicality and quality were very evident. Perhaps our season does not hinge on next week's match at Concorde, but we will need something more than bulldog spirit to escape the drop.

Highlights on the Chelmsford website.

Agree with every word there, Demon. And to answer your question, Benny, about our approach away from home, put simply we are a soft touch for even half decent teams like Chelmsford. Someone mentioned about playing McCootie against a physical Concord next week and I can see the argument, but he must be a dream to defend against with his lack of mobility and quite awful first touch.

Looking to what remains of this forgettable season and our chances of survival, I agree that Basingstoke are doomed and that Hayes need to find some form very quickly with what looks like a very tough run in for them. Frankly, if we lose to them then we deserve to drop - it could welll be that they are virtually down by the time we go there. So it looks like ourselves, St Albans, Margate, Havant and Weston are battling to avoid the 3rd relegation spot. Beat Basingstoke twice this week and the latter will be very near safety. The bottom line is that we have 15 points to play for and we can't pick and choose who we need to beat. Maximum possible points for all concerned...

weston 58
havant 57
margate 56
bath 56
st albans 53
hayes 53
b/stoke 48

the demon headmaster wrote:We really need Watto back as he is the only one who is quick enough and direct enough to trouble defenders at this level.

There is Bowman as well but coming from a deeper position of course.