Promotion Thread

[Gassy]

I didn't realise Rovers have 7 home games & only 5 away games left. The weekend gets better!

Don't you have exactly the same....?

 

[springerbfc]

We have 6 homes and 6 aways.

We need to keep our noses in front until 21st March, when we hit a run of kind looking fixtures (Welling, Alfreton, Nuneaton & Dartford).

If we're still top going into those games and we don't go on to win the title, we can have absolutely no complaints.

 

[PBBee]

Don't you have exactly the same....?

Nope 6 & 6 for us!

 

[TheGas]

Nope 6 & 6 for us!

We should go unbeaten at home from now on. 19 points from the 7 home games should be a target with Eastleigh being the toughest game. The others are altrinchham, braintree, Aldershot, chester, alfreton, and southport. 16 points minimum in my opinion but could well be the full 21. Then I think we'll pick up 10 points from our 5 away games. Gateshead. Halifax. Kidderminster. Dover and macclesfield.

I think we'll finish with around 90 points

 

[Gassy]

Fair enough, I was under the impression we matched each other home and away until the end of the season now

 

[springerbfc]

I think the Halifax postponement when you travelled to Dartford knocked that out of sync.

 

[Greenacres]

We also have 6 home and away.

Without wishing to sound like I am building up or exaggerating our chances of making the play-offs there are only really three fixtures that I am worried about. Barnet and Gateshead away and Macclesfield at home will all be difficult and we will need to be at our best, the remainder are against teams that we really should get something from the game.

 

[Railway Blue]

We should go unbeaten at home from now on. 19 points from the 7 home games should be a target with Eastleigh being the toughest game. The others are altrinchham, braintree, Aldershot, chester, alfreton, and southport. 16 points minimum in my opinion but could well be the full 21. Then I think we'll pick up 10 points from our 5 away games. Gateshead. Halifax. Kidderminster. Dover and macclesfield.

I think we'll finish with around 90 points

Chester at home will be your toughest game believe me.

 

[TheGas]

Chester at home will be your toughest game believe me.

Table says different

 

[springerbfc]

Once the end of season jitters starts to kick in, especially as expectation increasingly builds at Rovers, you may find you slip up against someone unexpected.

Your home fixtures all look like wins on paper but it rarely works out that way and we all know that relegated sides are not allowed to win the Conference in their first season down (although rather ominously, both times that has happened, we finished a very close 2nd ..... )

 

[B2TF]

We also have 6 home and away.

Without wishing to sound like I am building up or exaggerating our chances of making the play-offs there are only really three fixtures that I am worried about. Barnet and Gateshead away and Macclesfield at home will all be difficult and we will need to be at our best, the remainder are against teams that we really should get something from the game.

Get back in your box, play offs are no place for Tin Potters

 

[GTFC1979]

Get back in your box, play offs are no place for Tin Potters

How come you got in them last year then.....

 

[B2TF]

Grimsby as well.

 

[Gashead]

It's going to be interesting - both us and Barnet will slip up at points certainly. springerbfc mentions the 'easy looking' fixtures against the teams mentioned, but they may well be fighting for their lives. Conditions might not be great either, the pitch at Dartford a couple weeks ago was certainly a leveller. Likewise, we'll struggle in certain games - still got some tough away games and the likes of Altrincham, Chester etc. won't be walkovers.

In fact, I'd say Macc's lack of pressure and decent run of fixtures puts them in a favourable position. Away games might kill them but you never know.

 

[Gassy]

Once the end of season jitters starts to kick in, especially as expectation increasingly builds at Rovers, you may find you slip up against someone unexpected.

Your home fixtures all look like wins on paper but it rarely works out that way and we all know that relegated sides are not allowed to win the Conference in their first season down (although rather ominously, both times that has happened, we finished a very close 2nd ..... )

I actually thought this the other day - the pressure for us to win our next 2 home games is huge!

A good point me old man pointed out though was that although our away fixtures are tough, we have generally won those games purely because these teams attack us and try to win, rather than 11 men behind the ball aiming for a point. So it could be interesting to say the least

 

[Greenacres]

I actually thought this the other day - the pressure for us to win our next 2 home games is huge!

You aren't the only team in that particular boat, our next two are at home to Telford and Southport, we really need to win both of those to keep up the current momentum. After those two is a particularly tricky away trip to Barnet, where anything other than a defeat would have to be considered a decent return.

 

[Dan_Macclad]

March is a massive month for us, quite a few games with some tricky away games and winnable home games with Bristol Rovers at the very end.

We could be right in the mix for the title or faltered down to the playoff battle.

Refusing to look to far ahead though, just one game at a time.

 

[springerbfc]

No, no, no. Both Bristol Rovers and Macclesfield should be looking ahead to your crunch clash.
Please feel free to take your eye off the ball in the meantime and allow us to falter our way to an unassailable lead.

Much obliged.

 

[AdamStag]

What the bloody hell are Macclesfield doing all the way up there?

Good to see mind.

Looks like it could be a tight scrap for the 3 sides involved, would be nice to see Bristol come back up - feel a bit guilty about sending them down - though it clearly wasn't our fault!

 

[Semi-skimmed Silk]

What the bloody hell are Macclesfield doing all the way up there?

We got lost on the way to the certain relegation that was prophetised pre-season and once here we thought we'd stick around for a while and see what all the fuss was about.

 

[Dan_Macclad]

What the bloody hell are Macclesfield doing all the way up there?

Because we have a decent team and a good manager.

 

[AdamStag]

Because we have a decent team and a good manager.

it's nice to see tbh.

Barnet, Bristol Rovers and Macc have all spent pretty much the last decade in the league and to see one of them returning would be welcome.

That said, league 2 is barely any different in quality from the top 8 in here - I bet we'd get dicked at yours for instance

 

[Cardsfan]

Barnet and Brizzle seem to have a play-off place wrapped up and Macc and Grimsby arent too far from it, I think it will be a fight between FGR, Eastleigh and Fax for the last place, sadly can't see us challenging.

 

[Urban]

Should we get in the playoffs I'd like to a Southern team - FGR, Woking, Eastleigh. Don't fancy a trek up to Grimsby Macclesfield or Halifax on a weekday. Especially as we always do crap up there too.

I'm now leaning towards the train of thought that losing this lead will give us a kick up the backside and get us firing again. Something has been lost from his team that we had last year. The shock of losing first may well invigorate us to get back to that early season level. Some losses from Rovers and Macc wouldn't hurt though!

 

[Cardsfan]

Should we get in the playoffs I'd like to a Southern team - FGR, Woking, Eastleigh. Don't fancy a trek up to Grimsby Macclesfield or Halifax on a weekday. Especially as we always do crap up there too.

I'm now leaning towards the train of thought that losing this lead will give us a kick up the backside and get us firing again. Something has been lost from his team that we had last year. The shock of losing first may well invigorate us to get back to that early season level. Some losses from Rovers and Macc wouldn't hurt though!

Don't think you'll make the play-offs mate, you're just not good enough. Relegation battle on your hands now

 

[Urban]

Don't think you'll make the play-offs mate, you're just not good enough. Relegation battle on your hands now

If Halifax win their games in hand we're only 8 points from the back end of the playoffs. On our current form 3/4th isn't looking likely, it's an outside chance of happening.

Things may improve but if they don't, expect that flippant comment to become ever more serious.

 

[BeesKnees]

I've always maintained that this tough run would find out whether we can win the league. I still believe we have a chance, but only if we are still in front after the Eastleigh game.
So far it's finding us out and we need three wins on the spin to rescue it, fail to do that and it's all over for the title but I'm still confident that we will pick up enough points from the games against weaker sides that we have coming up afterwards to make the playoffs

 

[Southern Shayman]

IMO Barnet need the automatic slot more than Rovers (for what it's worth think Rovers will get it).

Rovers in a two legged affair look unbeatable to me and then at Wembley in front of the huge following they will take will be very hard to beat.

 

[rudebwoyben]

The much bigger following Luton had in the play-off final against York didn't help them.
Mind you, we have a terrible play-off record.

 

[Gashead]

Still a long way to go - I've said previously that if we had any chance of the title, we would have to be in front of Barnet come the end of February due to the easy nature of their fixtures in March and April. Barnet's run in still makes them favourites in my opinion, and my opinion won't change if we win on Tues.

They'll sort themselves out, they've had some really tough fixtures.