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Post by Amber Aleman on Mar 4, 2009 23:35:27 GMT
Less than two months to go, and things aren't going too well. We've got several players injured (or at least not fully match fit), are in poor form, and have slipped out of the play-off places.  Wind back six weeks and the picture was much rosier. We'd won 6 out of 7 in the league and had risen to fourth in the table. Since then we've won 1 in 7 and are now sixth. So what's gone wrong? The injuries have hardly helped, but perhaps the main factor in our recent slump has been the collapse in our home form, which had been pretty impressive up to mid-January. Since then we've lost one and drawn three out of four matches at GGL. It may be that visiting teams are now coming to our ground happy to play a defensive game and either grind out a goalless draw or steal a goal from a quick break or set piece. Certainly Billericay and Tooting & Mitcham seemed to adopt that approach - and did so successfully. With eight of our remaining twelve matches away - six out of seven this month! - it's our away form that will now come under the spotlight. That hasn't been great so far - W4D2L7 - and will probably have to improve if we're to get back into a play-off position. Helpfully, all but one of the clubs we'll be travelling to are in the lower half of the table. They will mostly want wins to climb away from the relegation zone, so we might expect them to commit men forward more than teams visiting GGL. That should allow players like Gav, Matt and Billy to use their pace to create goalscoring opportunities. But the players may need to start taking a greater proportion of their chances! Once we get into April the focus will come back to our home form as we host play-off rivals Dartford and the Bobbins. But for the time being we need to concentrate on picking up a few wins on the road. |
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Post by Stewart on Mar 5, 2009 12:32:57 GMT
I think 10 points from our March fixtures would be a good return  |
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oohaah
Top Performer
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Post by oohaah on Mar 10, 2009 7:54:46 GMT
As it stands at the moment we would play Tonbridge away, and should we win, and form follows true, Staines away.
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oohaah
Top Performer
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Post by oohaah on Mar 10, 2009 7:57:07 GMT
Would it be nice to overhaul Tonbridge and reverse the venue for the first fixture, or do we think we would play better on their pitch?
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medibot
1st team Player
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Post by medibot on Mar 10, 2009 13:23:09 GMT
I'd take either. I think a you name the venue, we'll come and kick your head in attitude (as opposed to the shin, Dos...) is the way forward here.
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Post by Amber Aleman on Mar 12, 2009 18:47:14 GMT
Since I started this thread we've won twice, and now have ten games left.
I reckon five more wins, plus maybe a couple of draws, should pretty much guarantee us a play-off place. Any better than that and we could well be looking at third place.
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Post by os on Mar 12, 2009 19:35:08 GMT
This is what I posted prior to the Harrow Game and I think it is still spot on 66pts will probably secure the 4th play off place:
The key thing is that 66-68pts will secure a playoff spot unless Dartford / AFCH or Horsham start a run of something like 8 or 9 wins on the spin, always possible but unlikely. Canvey are too far off the pace to realistically have any real chance and AFCH will have to win both their games in hand and face the toughest run in of any side plus have a shed load of suspensions.
Canvey are now out of it especially with their 4-0 defeat against Margate likely to be upheld and Horsham have to come from a long way back to get near a play off spot. AFCH will have to beat Dartford / Horsham and us plus keep decent form up to nick a spot or at least our spot.
If we can somehow get 4 wins from the 5 remaining in March we will be there whatever anyone else does, the most likely scenario is that we will have an opportunity to clinch the place against Dartford by just not losing. If we can get these results now we can save ourselves a lot of grief and stress against Dartford & Bobbins.
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Post by Andy K on Mar 12, 2009 19:59:21 GMT
For us to get 66points, we need to win 4 out of 10 games. Think that is possible if those wins are against Dartford, Bobbins and Hornchurch and one other, although i'm more siding with the aleman, I think with it being this close a minimum of 5 and a couple of draws will be more certain. The thing the team should be looking at though is seeing all of our games as winnable. By the time we get to Dover, I think they will be easing off a little, and possibly playing some of their fringe players as for them to get first team experience, as its been a foregone conclusion they will be champions. We have, as our last 3 home games are against teams knocking on the door or a play off spot. All of those are winnable. as well as most of our games coming up, lets get the points on the board and then we can pick off our rivals one by one..unless odd things start happening i'd say the last 2 play off places are between us, the 3 teams mentioned, and Maidstone and Horsham.
Oh am i right in saying that Tuesday was our first away midweek win of the season?
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Gareth
1st team Player
Goon
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Post by Gareth on Mar 12, 2009 20:06:58 GMT
We've got to view the next 3 matches - Ashford, Boreham Wood and Harrow - as must-wins I think. If we can pick up 9 points from these games then we can look to the Hendon and Hastings fixtures to guarantee a play-off place.
Just off the top of my head Andy, we beat Croydon Athletic on a Tuesday but you're probaly not counting that one!
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frakey
1st team Player
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Post by frakey on Mar 12, 2009 21:37:51 GMT
Boreham Wd have a far better away record than at home, Harrow are one of the form teams at the moment. So, I don't think 9 points is likely. Personally, I think 70 plus will be needed, so I'm with AA's reckoning.
However, we should just worry about what we do & not concern ourselves with the rest at the minute. Take stock at the end of the month.
I think if we finish above Robins then we will be in the play-offs. TA's tough fixtures make third place a possibility still but as we know this league is a minefield and I'm sure there are more twists in this season's plot that are still to come.
At least we are able to consider the possibilty because back in November I just couldn't see it.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2009 21:53:38 GMT
Not sure if anyone else has noticed the predicted table facility when looking at the league table on football web pages? www.footballwebpages.co.uk/league.jsp?comp=11&sort=6I'd be more than happy for it to finish like that. Also the predicted table for Connie South has Fisher only reaching 20 points and in the Connie Premier it has Woking being relegated along with OS's favourites Grays Athletic and Lewes (obviously). The only spoiler is that it has Kingstonian winning the Ryman South however I'm still hoping Cray Wanderers pip them to the post and you have to bear in mind that football web pages is run by the guy who does/did the K's website. |
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Post by The Editor on Mar 16, 2009 12:57:36 GMT
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