With Swansea not having won and barely scored for quite a while, I'd confidently say Southampton would be getting at least a draw from this, but conceding an equaliser in virtually the last kick of the game at Everton (when a win would have meant a draw in this game would all but keep them up)...
When I saw them win promotion from the Ryman League Premier in 2010, I reckoned that their natural level was at best lower midtable in Step 3, so it was quite a surprise to see them not only in the promotion race but actually go up and survive quite comfortably in the Conference South.
Is it...
They must also be unique in that apart from the record number of promotions and relegations from and to the Conference, they're the only club I can think of that has used up every bottom-of-the-table final day scenario, ie:
- Stay up on the final day after being out of the relegation zone...
Yes well done Braintree, emulating Ebbsfleet's run but going one better.
Means Hampton have home advantage in the final, which I might go to, because I like the Beveree - I imagine many fans of ex-league clubs will hate it if they go up, but for me its bric-a-bric construction has character and...
Just wondering how you'd felt if Forest had equalised in the dying seconds? Relieved, embarrassed, highly amused to stay up with 41 points, or any combination from the above?
Well what a dramatic end to the season, with Bolton's quick-fire goals completing an unlikely escape and Birmingham's surprise win over Fulham - the Championship final day rarely disappoints, even if Bolton have established a record for lowest number of points to stay up in the second tier since...
I reckon you'll do a Coventry, it will take a while to adjust to a division that the club hasn't seen for the best part of half a century, but 50 points is a lot for a team to go down with, by all accounts you should not have gone down with the players you had and you have the quality and goals...
The problem was they lost form at exactly the wrong time, playing Walsall, Gillingham, Southend and Doncaster at home and Oxford, Rochdale, Wimbledon and already relegated Northampton away you'd expect at least one win even from a team in their position, they got none and while they're unlucky...
I would have thought Barnet winning was more obvious - I thought it was likely with Morecambe's ability to grind out draws and Coventry only having 6th or 7th place to play for, but by no means a certainty given an away game at Coventry is a tougher game on paper than a home game against Barnet...
You'd need a six goal swing and I can't see Plymouth hammering Gillingham away. I'd be more concerned with what this does to Rochdale's chances, but if Oldham get the win they need (and with respect to Northampton, they couldn't have picked many better final day opponents) that'll be irrelevant.
I was quite nervous on Tranmere's behalf (imagine what their fans would have been feeling!) when the BBC live page was stuck on 2-2 (isn't it supposed to refresh automatically?). Well done to their team in sticking to it and showing belief to get those late goals after going behind twice...
Credit to Ebbsfleet though, really don't know how they manage to keep on going with two games a week for the last month, many of them played away, and one of them going into extra time and a penalty shoot-out.