Town v Bradford PA Sat 25th Jan 2014 3pm

6 of the 7 teams above us are playing each other this weekend. We simply have to win this one and take advantage.

Their form looks pretty hit and miss. We should take all 3 points, right?   

Colwyn Bay are a very compact outfit, who like to play counter attacking football.

They are normally very content to sit back, soak up pressure, then attack.

Frank Sinclair has made them very solid defensively, so it will be a tough game.

I think we will win, and it will finish 2-0 to Harrogate.

BPA are hit and miss this season but they will up their game for us, they always do...Tough tough game, and to be quite honest I don't know which way it will swing, so maybe a draw.

We have a very poor record in local derbys, only league victory i can recall in recent years is last season away at Halifax, same level of effort & commitment we showed that night will be required to get anything out of Saturdays game. A draw is about the best we can hope for, hope i'm wrong but i've been disappointed so many times you get used to it.

I've got a good feeling about this one. They also played Monday. Tough game though.

3-1 Town

4-4-2

CMac
Sams
Killock
Heath
Merris
Nowa
Bolder
Yussuf
Mallory/Taylor
Worsfold
Hall

Midweek results not bad for us, OK Ferriby won (again) but forget about them, we ain't going to catch them. More importantly, Solihull and Altrincham lost, Alty now have only one game in hand of us. the Moors none. We are really are genuinely back in this you know, just 4 points off the magic 5th place. Makes Saturday even more crucial (aren't they all?). Some of our rivals are bound to drop points as well.

We can do this guys.

*Sigh*

The referee spoiled this today. Bottled a massive decision, his linesman must like rugby the amount of shirt pulling and jumping with arms leading he let BPA get away with. 4 criticisms for me. Bolder is an idiot for reacting. The referee was incompetent, Chris Hall can't hold the ball up for **** and BPAs number 11 had acres of space all the time and should have been more tightly marked. The positives today. We played really well, apart from Hall and Nelthorpe. The team was outstanding. Peter Crook had a very good game today. Everyone put in a good shift, apart from the 2 mentioned.

We just need to hope that results go our way now to get into the playoffs. Definitely 2 points lost today.

TheNeil29 wrote:Chris Hall can't hold the ball up for ****  

Funny because in the early part of the season he was doing those kind of things fantastically well. However, it was said on here that he'd soon get fed up of doing it though. And thus it has proved. Also the lads confidence has been drained. As has pretty much every striker we've tried. It's not a coincidence.

TheNeil29 wrote:
We just need to hope that results go our way now to get into the playoffs. Definitely 2 points lost today.

People still talking about the play offs are just utterly delusional. How many more slip ups can we afford? How many more slip ups are likely? For every slip up we have, the teams above us or around us with games in hand can afford at least 2 or 3 more. Time is running out. 16 games left, we'd need to win 9 or 10 just to have a shout and hope that 3, possibly 4 teams, all slip up 3 times more than we do. Never gonna happen.

I won't give up on the playoffs until it is mathematically impossible. However, I do see your point and would be quite happy to chat to you if you are on the coach to Colwyn next week!!

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18min 40sec in!

Dark Knight wrote:

TheNeil29 wrote:Chris Hall can't hold the ball up for ****  

Funny because in the early part of the season he was doing those kind of things fantastically well. However, it was said on here that he'd soon get fed up of doing it though. And thus it has proved. Also the lads confidence has been drained. As has pretty much every striker we've tried. It's not a coincidence.

TheNeil29 wrote:
We just need to hope that results go our way now to get into the playoffs. Definitely 2 points lost today.

People still talking about the play offs are just utterly delusional. How many more slip ups can we afford? How many more slip ups are likely? For every slip up we have, the teams above us or around us with games in hand can afford at least 2 or 3 more. Time is running out. 16 games left, we'd need to win 9 or 10 just to have a shout and hope that 3, possibly 4 teams, all slip up 3 times more than we do. Never gonna happen.

Don't give up just yet - after all, Alex Ferguson still believes Man Utd can win the premiership!

TheNeil29 wrote:The referee spoiled this today. Bottled a massive decision, his linesman must like rugby the amount of shirt pulling and jumping with arms leading he let BPA get away with. 4 criticisms for me. Bolder is an idiot for reacting. The referee was incompetent, Chris Hall can't hold the ball up for **** and BPAs number 11 had acres of space all the time and should have been more tightly marked. The positives today. We played really well, apart from Hall and Nelthorpe. The team was outstanding. Peter Crook had a very good game today. Everyone put in a good shift, apart from the 2 mentioned.

We just need to hope that results go our way now to get into the playoffs. Definitely 2 points lost today.

Chris Hall is more than capable of holding the ball up. Another good player made to look ordinary.

I don't think the conditions suited a 'footballing' team today and played into their hands. BPA did everything they could to break up the play, have you ever seen so many niggling fouls. I thought when we went in 1 nil that it wasn't enough with the swirling winds, on the balance of play a point was a fair result. Fair play to Town they battled hard, it was a proper derby. The red card hurt us more then them, without Bolder we missed the passing guile.

Hall for me has lost confidence, he doesn't seem to attack the ball in the way he did at the beginning of the season, not sure why that is. It's not that he isn't trying, but seems mentally to be struggling for whatever reason.

Results went our way today Ferriby, Telford, Brackley all drew, Solihull lost. 3 points off 5th place Alty but they have two in hand. Brackley though 5 points away definitely catchable in 4th and realistically it's between Brackley/ Boston /Solihull / Colwyn Bay and us for it. Definitely doable but realistically need 3 points at Colwyn bay.

Thought Samuels did well today against their best player, Adam was good, keeper pulled off a good save v Chib, defence looks solid. We just miss a striker alongside Worsfold banging them in.

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I would have given MOM to Dwayne - thought he did really well, was composed and energetic. Was impressed with Crook, especially his distribution - don't blame him for the goal, blame the howling wind. No idea why the ref sent two players off - thought he was inconsistent in his decisions. (Thought the lady linesman did well...). Adam N. played his socks off as always. Really well taken goal by Ash. What a good partnership is developing between Killer and Heath. Strong wind and atrocious conditions had a strong bearing on the outcome. Nearly blew my 'syrup of figs' off !

Not sure where we go from here - top ten finish at best I seem to think. Come on Town !

Great pictures from Peter on the website. Especially of Bolder and the tackle that led to the sending off. He didn't blow for a foul as far as I can recall so the red must have been for the afters.

S.

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Meanwhile down @ the “Village Green” yesterday

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TheNeil29 wrote: However, I do see your point and would be quite happy to chat to you if you are on the coach to Colwyn next week!!

Anyone going to that deserves a playoff place! I might make it to Guiseley but Colwyn Bay is a time zone/climate change too far at this time of year for me I'm afraid.

town supporter wrote:
Don't give up just yet - after all, Alex Ferguson still believes Man Utd can win the premiership!

He's obviously forgotten stepping down and appointing David Moyes.

Not a great game, third 'ugly' match in a row I guess. Crook was excellent, don't think we need to worry if Craig does go. Heath deserved MOTM, Adam certainly puts a shift in, quick thinking by Ashley for the goal. I'm not one who always says 'refs are rubbish', but Jahmal was plainly a good 2 feet or so inside the area when he was fouled. Giving a frre kick dead on the line was classic 'bottling it'. Smith looked very lively, by the way. Pitch amazing this season.

Dark Knight sighs when I say we are still in it, but we ARE (just about, I grant you). If we had not lost those 3 points (nothing to do with football, by the way), we would have 43 points and only out of 5th place by goal difference...hardly a disastrous season !!

Still, and sorry to repeat myself, next Saturday's game is (wait for it), massive. Win and we will be right in the mix.

Do I think we will make the play offs? No.

Am I still hopeful we might? Yes.

And if Guiseley can sign a 'proper' experienced striker at this stage of the season, why can't we?

Just asking.