Saturday 17th September

[Cas]

Bradford City vs Stevenage
Carlisle vs AFC Wimbledon
Colchester vs Grimsby
Crewe vs Crawley
Doncaster vs Swindon
Gillingham vs Mansfield
Leyton Orient vs Walsall
Newport vs Barrow
Northampton vs Rochdale
Salford vs Tranmere
Stockport vs Harrogate
Sutton vs Hartlepool

Stevenage at home for us. Mark Hughes says they'll come and be direct and physical. Lovely stuff. Can't see there being many changes from the team that picked up three points against Tranmere. I'd probably drop Jake Young to the bench and either start Wright or Banks.

2-1 City. Cook to get a goal of course.

 

[Chief Rocka]

I think our best chance here is a one man WUMMING from Chris Maguire.

 

[F!RTHY]

Games are coming thick and fast, aren’t they?

We welcome Steve Evans to Valley Parade. Fuck me, he’s gonna be on the receiving end of some abuse. I just hope he and Stevenage don’t have the last laugh.

Critchlow and Pereira could sit this one out - with Ridehalgh definitely out.

GK: Harry Lewis

RB: Brad Halliday
CB: Matty Platt
CB: Timi Odusina
LB: Matty Foulds

CM: Ritchie Smallwood
CM: Alex Gilliead

RW: Scott Banks
CAM: Harry Chapman
LW: Tyreik Wright

CF: Andy Cook

Tickets selling well in the home sections for this one - not so much so in the away end!

3-0 City! I fancy us at home against anyone at the minute.

 

[WilsdenBantam]

Don’t think we’ve beaten a Steve Evans team before, can’t stand him or playing his teams. That said despite their good start I fancy a win here, it’ll be tight I imagine we’ve won a few 2-1 so I’ll stick with that prediction.

 

[F!RTHY]

Don’t think we’ve beaten a Steve Evans team before, can’t stand him or playing his teams. That said despite their good start I fancy a win here, it’ll be tight I imagine we’ve won a few 2-1 so I’ll stick with that prediction.

Correct that - but I had to go back and check the record books.

2 games against Crawley
5 games against Rovrum
3 games against Peterborough

Haven’t won once. We didnt even score past his Rotherham sides.

 

[The Terminator]

We may rotate one or two.

Left back Rob Hunt could be out for up to a month, young left back Jayden Sweeney was put in on Tuesday. Nowhere near as reliable or as good as Hunt is, one of those modern day full backs who's good at going forward but suspect at defending. I've not really rated him, whenever he's been put in the team he's looked shakey. Hopefully being in a winning team on Tuesday he gets some confidence.

We control games well, but our forward line is still finding its feet in places. Sotiriou, Archibald & Drinan all still finding their feet and form after injuries in pre season. If we can be more clinical we can make games more comfortable for us I feel.

Our time wasting, over playing at times in dangerous places and being lazy will catch up with us at some point, against the weaker sides I've felt we take our foot off the gas too quickly too often.

Walsalls form has been shakey, but they've spoiled our good starts before - back in 2013/14 they was the first team in League One that season to take point off us after we won our first 8 league games that season.

 

[E10rifle]

No doubt that useless ginger Conference North goalhanger will poach a rebound from two yards and wheel away like he’d replicated Bobby Carlos’ banana kick.

 

[Soup Ladle]

Sutton really got on our fanbase's nerves in the NL what with that plastic pitch meaning every time we played them we had to rest a couple who were not allowed to play on them. Not only that but they played a very physical style on that surface, copious amounts of dark arts they are the quintessential team all ex league clubs loved to hate. Of course we never beat them either, apart from once at The Vic I think and even then it was a mammoth effort.

Got a lot of respect for them in some ways, they've done it off the pitch in the right way, built the club up steadily without being bankrolled. Settled squad with a bit of quality in the right areas, good manager who knows how to get the best out of them, they've done everything we haven't to be honest.

Can't see anything other than a defeat, apart from Menayese, Niang and Umerah we aren't a physical side at all, we aren't fit and we can't play good enough football on the floor to beat them. We've had a very tough set of away fixtures so far and this is yet another one that we'll get nowt from.

 

[Indian Dan]

They were all over the place defensively Tuesday but looked good going forward wouldn’t surprise me if you won this one.

Donny away for us which should be a bit of a yardstick as to where we are - I honestly don’t if know if we’re decent or crap. Looked good in spells but always give up plenty of chances to the opposition.

 

[Agombar stool]

They were all over the place defensively Tuesday but looked good going forward wouldn’t surprise me if you won this one.

Donny away for us which should be a bit of a yardstick as to where we are - I honestly don’t if know if we’re decent or crap. Looked good in spells but always give up plenty of chances to the opposition.

I'd like to think after 8 league games we'd finally start to look cohesive and I think there were signs on Tuesday that we were. Unfortunately its still quite patchy and we're a nightmare at the back but i do think that we have enough quality on the pitch to be up there. A lot of fans have already decided Lindsay should be fired which doesn't help the atmosphere around the place, I hope that this might galvanise the squad.

As for this weekend, it's another opportunity. Donny fans aren't particularly enamoured with their manager and if we can start strong can hopefully deflate their confidence further.

 

[TheDon]

I'd like to think after 8 league games we'd finally start to look cohesive and I think there were signs on Tuesday that we were. Unfortunately its still quite patchy and we're a nightmare at the back but i do think that we have enough quality on the pitch to be up there. A lot of fans have already decided Lindsay should be fired which doesn't help the atmosphere around the place, I hope that this might galvanise the squad.

As for this weekend, it's another opportunity. Donny fans aren't particularly enamoured with their manager and if we can start strong can hopefully deflate their confidence further.

Hopefully Wakeling will be on from the start, we looked lively with him up front and just need some of the others to match his work rate, particularly in defence. The support for Lindsey seems to be dwindling, if it was ever there, due to an inability to sort out how to play out from the back. It's now resorted to the goalie hoofing it aimlessly upfield, and it went directly out of play about three times on Tuesday. Still it could be worse and I think you're right about looking more cohesive, just need the consistency to go with it.

 

[Agombar stool]

Hopefully Wakeling will be on from the start, we looked lively with him up front and just need some of the others to match his work rate, particularly in defence. The support for Lindsey seems to be dwindling, if it was ever there, due to an inability to sort out how to play out from the back. It's now resorted to the goalie hoofing it aimlessly upfield, and it went directly out of play about three times on Tuesday. Still it could be worse and I think you're right about looking more cohesive, just need the consistency to go with it.

The example you mentioned about the inconsistency is nail on head for me and I think is why the fans are/were getting on his back. On the face of it, its like the players aren't fully behind the way Lindsey is trying to implement, or they just can't do it very well consistently. The goal kicks are a case in point, Sutton had setup to stop us playing out from the back. I think we attempted to get around the press once and we gave it away in a dangerous area. After that we continued to setup to go short but after a bit of dither and delay abandoned the idea and Brynn would just belt it out for a Sutton throw in repeatedly.

 

[DearneValleyRover]

Expecting some changes to the lineup. Definitely need more pace in the side. Hopefully the Rowe at left back is over and done with now. Barlow, Close and Olowu are back in full training, it might be a bit early for them Saturday but who knows.

 

[BogDaddyO]

Home to Walsall for your league leaders tomorrow.

On paper I'm expecting a win, Walsall haven't won a game in 8 in all comps, and we're 4/4 wins at home in the league.

That said, we're still a bit of a funny team - bursting with quality players at this level across the back, midfield, and up top - and 7 wins from 8 - yet I don't think we've quite shown what we can do yet. When we turn it on we genuinely look a very good league 1 team so I suspect we'll batter someone 4 or 5 nil at some point soon. Players like Smyth, Moncur, El Mizouni, and Vigs have no business playing in league 2, it's frightening at times.

That said, we've saved 2 penalties, were incredibly lucky to beat Mansfield, and have made some big defensive errors already in a few games that have gone unpunished, so we're certainly beatable.

Seen a few comparisons across forums of us to FGR last year and I think that's totally valid, similar sort of side, packing players in the midfield and scoring plenty of goals with quick passing. Unusually for us we're mastering the dark arts this year, so expect us to time-waste like it's going out of fashion if we're 2 up.

Danny Johnson will obviously score a 1-yard ''screamer'', but hoping our quality sees us through.

Orient 2 - 1 Walsall.

 

[F!RTHY]

We’re the Man Utd/Man City of League Two according to Steve Evans.

Kind words, fat lad!

 

[Chief Rocka]

Can't see anything other than a defeat, apart from Menayese, Niang and Umerah we aren't a physical side at all, we aren't fit and we can't play good enough football on the floor to beat them. We've had a very tough set of away fixtures so far and this is yet another one that we'll get nowt from.

What a depressing but true paragraph, we’re fat, knackered and not very good

 

[EricSabin]

Rochdale at home. Hoping for a win but the pessimist in me always expects a turn up for the books.

6 potentially 7 out injured still, squad is very stretched but hopefully we can start getting some back soon. Have had some inexperienced subs benches recently but are still managing to pick up points. Fingers crossed that continues until we get Hylton, McGowan et al back

 

[AR27]

We’re the Man Utd/Man City of League Two according to Steve Evans.

Kind words, fat lad!

He absolutely loves us and I'm not sure why considering the abuse he gets whenever we play him.

 

[loz]

He absolutely loves us and I'm not sure why considering the abuse he gets whenever we play him.

I trust that is sarcasm

 

[Boz]

Moneybags Salford v Skint Rovers, that seems to be the narrative for this game. Kieron Morris might be for enough for bench duty, he’s been missed. Hard to see beyond a home win for this one, though our covid-ravaged side did scrape a draw a couple of years ago. We can only hope for something similar

 

[pontoonlew]

We’re a better away team than home & Colchester don’t appear to be great.

Hoping for a couple of changes, Hunt will likely start for Holohan after Tuesdays performance and I’m hoping Hurst has spotted the poor form of Efete for Cropper.

 

[hellogregory]

So Wimbledon at home. Having heard that we played well at Mansfield I decided to watch the replay of the match on ifollow to see for myself and it was definitely a much improved display from the previous run of poor ones, and we created some excellent chances.

If we can keep that solidity and performance level up I see no reason why we cant pick up something from this game. Wouldnt at all surprise me though if Tuesday was a flash in the pan and come Saturday we revert back to type, but I have to be believe we’ve turned a corner and with that in mind I think we’ll compete well and pick up another deserved point.

Carlisle United 1-1 Wimbledon

 

[AdamStag]

0-0 gillingham mansfield

 

[gary]

So Wimbledon at home. Having heard that we played well at Mansfield I decided to watch the replay of the match on ifollow to see for myself and it was definitely a much improved display from the previous run of poor ones, and we created some excellent chances.

If we can keep that solidity and performance level up I see no reason why we cant pick up something from this game. Wouldnt at all surprise me though if Tuesday was a flash in the pan and come Saturday we revert back to type, but I have to be believe we’ve turned a corner and with that in mind I think we’ll compete well and pick up another deserved point.

Carlisle United 1-1 Wimbledon

We're crap. I can't see anything other than a win for you. Our supporter's have had enough. They were booed off on Tuesday night.

 

[Gunit]

They were all over the place defensively Tuesday but looked good going forward wouldn’t surprise me if you won this one.

Donny away for us which should be a bit of a yardstick as to where we are - I honestly don’t if know if we’re decent or crap. Looked good in spells but always give up plenty of chances to the opposition.

Don’t think it was quite as bad as that tbh. We tightened up 2nd half and you didn’t have too much of a sniff then. First couple of goals were both freaks really though you had a couple of other reasonable chances. We usually don’t give up too much and particularly at home.

 

[Casey]

... due to an inability to sort out how to play out from the back. It's now resorted to the goalie hoofing it aimlessly upfield ...

Dear lord I know that feeling.

Our forwards have a combined height of about six foot. There has to be a method between hoof and fart arsing about...doesn't there?

Casey

 

[Indian Dan]

Don’t think it was quite as bad as that tbh. We tightened up 2nd half and you didn’t have too much of a sniff then. First couple of goals were both freaks really though you had a couple of other reasonable chances. We usually don’t give up too much and particularly at home.

Apart from the winner!

 

[saddler78]

No doubt that useless ginger Conference North goalhanger will poach a rebound from two yards and wheel away like he’d replicated Bobby Carlos’ banana kick.

Not a fan then lol.

 

[Sestonpoolie]

What a depressing but true paragraph, we’re fat, knackered and not very good

Fully expect at least a 3-0 defeat.
At least PH has finally dragged himself into the 21st century & the players are now wearing GPS trackers in training.

 

[BlackHaddock]

Depressing Colchester for us (I was even born there apparently), hope we win; we are doing well away from home and the U's don't appear to be playing well anywhere at the moment. 1-3 to Grimsby please.