1-1 against MK Dons away I think Yann with the goal from a Danny Green Cross
I can still picture the goals
With a few exceptions I can still tell you pretty much every result we got that season, who scored and tell you about most of the goals themselves. It was an incredible season that is seared into my brain forever, I'm glad to see I'm not the only one
As we enter the run in, a lot will depend on who hold their nerve. As ever at this time of the season there will be freak results, by the time we play Wycombe and Wrexham we could have got into pole position, or we could be struggling to keep our play off position. It is definitely squeaky bum time and hopefully NJ has instilled a strong mentality into this squad to get us across the line in the automatics.
Looking at the fixtures, if we can get a point on Saturday, we have 5 winnable games on the spin that will really put the pressure on. Wycombe have so really tough games, Wrexham with probably the easiest on paper.
Then it all comes down to those two massive games away at both the above.
If we wanna nick second, I think we need 14+ points out the next 6 games.
Wrexham's run in isn't quite as good as people think in my opinion.
They have Cambridge away, Burton home and Bristol Rovers at home which you would expect them to win.
Stockport at home next is difficult. Then Exeter away they play in a few weeks who are unbeaten in 5 and won their last two home games 2-0. I'm pretty surprised Wigan managed to get Ryan Lowe in as manager who I expected to get a Championship gig, they play them away which could be tough. Blackpool/Lincoln away is tricky too - Lincoln have won their last two home games 5-0 and 4-1. Of course we play them too so although unlikely if we're two points behind them going into it then it would be in our own hands.
Probably getting a bit carried away and all guesswork, but certainly catchable!
Last team I want to face in the play offs is Bolton. After beating them twice in both league games the law of averages says to me we wouldn’t do it again
My confidence in reaching the playoffs have substantially increased since the Orient game (and the surrounding games). I think we've shown plenty enough across those games to cement that position, plus started to pick up more points away from home. There's a relative confidence from seeing the performances that means that we are as good as anyone in this league right now and I don't see that changing. I don't think it's any coincidence that NJ hammered that point home in recent interviews - he's saying as much to us as he would be to the players.
Complacency is a risk - we are still winning by relatively narrow margins, but we do need to keep working. Wigan was a warning in a way, because we didn't put them fully away and could have been punished for it. Again, you step away and accept it - a poor refereeing decision or mistake is all it takes to drop points. NJ is absolutely aware and won't accept it, but it's just something to be mindful of. I think we're very mindful of it broadly in the squad and hopefully no-one thinks playoffs or more are in the bag. Confidence should be there, given the form and we just need to be wary of taking the foot off the gas. It would only take a performance like Rotherham again to have us cautiously looking over the shoulder.
Selfishly, I want 3rd or 4th for the 2nd leg home game. The atmosphere would be amazing and, if playoffs are what we get, this is the experience I want. Stockport are the team I would rather avoid across two legs (just the physicality aspect, really), then Wembley would probably be a lottery if we got there. I fancy us vs. pretty much everyone right now, so it doesn't *really* matter who we'd get. Having been there in 1998 and 2019, I feel like there is some voodoo that means a third time might be a push to far - who knows.
Given where we were earlier in the season, I'm just happy we're in with a shout. Absolutely in our hands.
Last team I want to face in the play offs is Bolton. After beating them twice in both league games the law of averages says to me we wouldn’t do it again
Of the available options, I’d love to play them - they can’t keep the ball out of the net.
Going back to Stockport for a second time this season is what we need to avoid IMO.
If we are in the play offs, whichever team we get we should match the away allocation they give us so that if they only give us say 1,200 tickets for their ground then that’s the number we should give them for the Valley.
They don’t get everything right but NTT20 were saying they think it’s a proper 4 way dog fight for 2nd and I tend to agree with them. Not saying we’re favourites by any means but I think we have a great chance
They don’t get everything right but NTT20 were saying they think it’s a proper 4 way dog fight for 2nd and I tend to agree with them. Not saying we’re favourites by any means but I think we have a great chance
I was delighted to hear them say that and they added we were the best of the four currently. (I think, I was listening as I drifted off to sleep last night.)
If we can't get second, then it's about getting the second leg at home for me
I don’t think that’s that important . We can beat anyone at the valley and are pretty hard to break down .
True but any team will always prefer the second leg to be at home.
Usually the play off format means the first leg tends to be on a weekend lunchtime and the second leg is a night game and for me the night games are always a better atmosphere.
If we are in the play offs, whichever team we get we should match the away allocation they give us so that if they only give us say 1,200 tickets for their ground then that’s the number we should give them for the Valley.
It's a fair point but it's not the fault of teams like Stockport and Wycombe that their grounds are tiny and they can only offer those numbers to away fans.
More a reflection that we shouldn't be stuck in this division.
They don’t get everything right but NTT20 were saying they think it’s a proper 4 way dog fight for 2nd and I tend to agree with them. Not saying we’re favourites by any means but I think we have a great chance
Logic says that for anyone from Huddersfield down to come 2nd, every team above them has to have an absolute stinker over the next 9 games which is incredibly unlikely to happen. They'll be battling to the end though for a playoff spot, which is great as they still need to play Wycombe and Stockport.
The home leg being the second one ought to be beneficial, but then in 2019 we won in Doncaster and lost at home, resulting in penalties.
Being at home definitely helped us in the shootout but then Liverpool lost their shootout at home last week.
Something that I have always though was strange is that if a game goes into extra time then the home team has an advantage, which is not the same for the away team who had home advantage in the 1st leg. Nothing that can be done about it unless the game goes straight to pens.....but it has always made me think that this is another advantage of playing the 2nd leg at home - an extra 30 mins on front of the home fans.
The home leg being the second one ought to be beneficial, but then in 2019 we won in Doncaster and lost at home, resulting in penalties.
Being at home definitely helped us in the shootout but then Liverpool lost their shootout at home last week.
Something that I have always though was strange is that if a game goes into extra time then the home team has an advantage, which is not the same for the away team who had home advantage in the 1st leg. Nothing that can be done about it unless the game goes straight to pens.....but it has always made me think that this is another advantage of playing the 2nd leg at home - an extra 30 mins on front of the home fans.
Why is that strange? What are they supposed to do, call it a night and play extra time at a neutral venue?
The home leg being the second one ought to be beneficial, but then in 2019 we won in Doncaster and lost at home, resulting in penalties.
Being at home definitely helped us in the shootout but then Liverpool lost their shootout at home last week.
Something that I have always though was strange is that if a game goes into extra time then the home team has an advantage, which is not the same for the away team who had home advantage in the 1st leg. Nothing that can be done about it unless the game goes straight to pens.....but it has always made me think that this is another advantage of playing the 2nd leg at home - an extra 30 mins on front of the home fans.
That’s the main reason why you get the second leg at home if you finish higher in the league. You earn the advantage
If we are in the play offs, whichever team we get we should match the away allocation they give us so that if they only give us say 1,200 tickets for their ground then that’s the number we should give them for the Valley.
It's a fair point but it's not the fault of teams like Stockport and Wycombe that their grounds are tiny and they can only offer those numbers to away fans.
More a reflection that we shouldn't be stuck in this division.
So, because a club has got a tiny ground they get to restrict us to around 1,000 fans to back the team when we go to them but they can bring over 3k to back their team when they play at The Valley ? Beats me why we don’t let them have a goal start as well if they are a smaller club than Charlton.
Comments
Then it all comes down to those two massive games away at both the above.
If we wanna nick second, I think we need 14+ points out the next 6 games.
They have Cambridge away, Burton home and Bristol Rovers at home which you would expect them to win.
Stockport at home next is difficult. Then Exeter away they play in a few weeks who are unbeaten in 5 and won their last two home games 2-0. I'm pretty surprised Wigan managed to get Ryan Lowe in as manager who I expected to get a Championship gig, they play them away which could be tough. Blackpool/Lincoln away is tricky too - Lincoln have won their last two home games 5-0 and 4-1. Of course we play them too so although unlikely if we're two points behind them going into it then it would be in our own hands.
Probably getting a bit carried away and all guesswork, but certainly catchable!
Complacency is a risk - we are still winning by relatively narrow margins, but we do need to keep working. Wigan was a warning in a way, because we didn't put them fully away and could have been punished for it. Again, you step away and accept it - a poor refereeing decision or mistake is all it takes to drop points. NJ is absolutely aware and won't accept it, but it's just something to be mindful of. I think we're very mindful of it broadly in the squad and hopefully no-one thinks playoffs or more are in the bag. Confidence should be there, given the form and we just need to be wary of taking the foot off the gas. It would only take a performance like Rotherham again to have us cautiously looking over the shoulder.
Selfishly, I want 3rd or 4th for the 2nd leg home game. The atmosphere would be amazing and, if playoffs are what we get, this is the experience I want. Stockport are the team I would rather avoid across two legs (just the physicality aspect, really), then Wembley would probably be a lottery if we got there. I fancy us vs. pretty much everyone right now, so it doesn't *really* matter who we'd get. Having been there in 1998 and 2019, I feel like there is some voodoo that means a third time might be a push to far - who knows.
Given where we were earlier in the season, I'm just happy we're in with a shout. Absolutely in our hands.
Going back to Stockport for a second time this season is what we need to avoid IMO.
For top two:
Wrexham 6/5
Wycombe 6/4
Charlton 9/1
Stockport 18/1
On the flip side of the play offs, I doubt anyone would relish playing us in them given our form since Christmas and our past experiences in them
Usually the play off format means the first leg tends to be on a weekend lunchtime and the second leg is a night game and for me the night games are always a better atmosphere.
More a reflection that we shouldn't be stuck in this division.
Being at home definitely helped us in the shootout but then Liverpool lost their shootout at home last week