Tues 28/Weds 29 Mar, 1 April

[K-Win]

Home to Forest Green. We've probably given ourselves too much to do now for the playoffs. It would likely do us a favour to completely slip out of contention anyway. We'd have zero chance of success given our performances this season against the better teams in this division, and our woeful playoff record.

It was a real shame that Paddy Lane picked up a season-ending injury last week. He was just starting to look good in his preferred position out on the right. Looking forward to seeing him make the position his own next season. Seems to have excellent ball control and awareness. Not particularly quick, but you can't have everything at this level.

Hoping that Forest Green have nothing left to give after their superhuman efforts last weekend. I'm expecting fit-again Clark Robertson to come in at centre-half in place of Ryley Towler. Towler has done well overall since arriving in January. However, he's made a few mistakes recently and was replaced by Robertson at half time last week. He'll come again though. He's young and it's not unusual for an occasional drop off in performance. 2-0 Pompey (Hackett, Bishop).

 

[Si Robin]

Burton at home for us, where we will no doubt crash and burn after a great run of 5 games without defeat.

The biggest concern of course is how much Wednesday took out of our players. At the end of the game, all 22 players on the pitch looked completely whacked such was the pace the game was played at.

We're still without Elliott Bonds, so we're hoping Glen Rea can go another 90 mins in quick succession. I think we should win, but I wouldn't dare put money on it.

 

[Floreat Salopia]

Away to Charlton for us.

We remain and will remain until August now, with the very bare numbers available to us. It’s going to be a case of square pegs in round holes once again. We’ve really struggled since it was confirmed that Bayliss is out until the new season, but hopefully with a two week break we’ve had chance to recharge and regroup on the training ground.

Charlton are a bit of a weird one. As I was growing up I was used to watching them on MOTD every Saturday night so obviously they’re one of the biggest clubs at this level and have a decent fanbase, so you’d expect them to be up there. But they struggled last season and have again this season to do just that, not a very well run club these days. They do have a couple of good players who are game changers though and can hurt us if we’re not switched on or double up on them.

Struggling to see us pick up many more points from now until May with how depleted we are. Should be an Addicks win here.

Charlton 1-0 Salop

 

[Super_horns]

Charlton might be a good case of be careful what you wish for ?

Alan Curbishley moved on after so much success and since then apart from the odd season it’s been years of woe on and off the pitch.

 

[Essex2Wessex]

Sounds like McGeouch will be unfit for the Pompey game, which would be a big loss for us. Suspect we'll dig in and be ultra-defensive if and when we can, for much of the time anyway. General consensus around the club seems to be that DF has raised fitness levels and training demands a fair bit, so let's see...

 

[valefan16]

Forrester returns which is a huge boost, means we have three centre halves starting and have Sammy at left back who can move over if needed which is positive.

No Garrity which is a shame but Pett and Ojo have been outstanding lately and TC had his best game last weekend at this level.

Bench is pretty much a goalie a LWB and 5 attackers!

When we played the reverse we had to play a winger in Massey and a kid on loan in Mipo up front so having Matty Taylor and Ellis Harrison start and James Wilson and Proctor on the bench gives us much more in the way of options at least.

 

[Essex2Wessex]

McGeouch is available after all, and captain.

 

[Luke Imp]

We are flimsier than a flimsy thing today.

Looks like 5-3-1-1 to me.

 

[TractorBoys]

We are flimsier than a flimsy thing today.

Looks like 5-3-1-1 to me.

Secure the away point with a gutsy performance.

That is all.

 

[kieran_vale]

That was utter shite, typical game at VP devoid of any quality whatsoever. Cambridge are a team clearly lacking confidence but we have had no impetus at all and at home it should be on us to make the running. Few playing themselves out of a contract if this continues.

 

[The Jovial Forester]

Only caught latter part of the half but we look up for it and defending well, though it's mostly one way traffic coming our way.

 

[Tea Towel]

Shite from Stockdale. That’s twice in the last 2 games since he came back in he’s needlessly parried a simple save out to the attacker to tap in.

If we don’t win this today we can forget about coming 2nd.

 

[valefan16]

Poor and messy half, it’s a typical performance we’ve put in year after year against a side down the bottom without a win in ages. It’s as predictable as the sun coming up in the East.

Worrall has had there 11 on toast other than that we’ve lacked creativity and seem to be lumping long balls or over playing around their box and nothing in between.

Improvement needed.

 

[kieran_vale]

Two quick goals for Cambridge. Pathetic defending from Vale but fair play to Cambridge they’ve been better than us and deserve the lead.

 

[CTFCfan99]

Scrappy scrappy game, hangover from Wednesday's effort from our point of view. Happily take a draw at this point

 

[valefan16]

Embarrassing and cowardly performance

 

[Bobbin']

Yeah, we’ll do well to keep Leaburn here next season.

 

[kieran_vale]

Well done to Cambridge. Bet any of their fans must be wondering how the fuck they’re below us in the table. Good luck regardless whether it’s probably still too much to do.

Not going to dwell on it too much today from Vale other than the last time we were so utterly pathetic DC pretty much released every single out of contract player. Completely devoid of any drive, quality or intelligence.

 

[The Jovial Forester]

Decent effort but backs to the wall most of the game and half chances at best.

 

[TractorBoys]

7th straight win in a season for the first time since '54, 8 clean sheets.

I make us favourites now.

 

[YEO YEO YEO]

You're welcome Ipswich and Plymouth!

 

[TractorBoys]

We are flimsier than a flimsy thing today.

Looks like 5-3-1-1 to me.

You little legends. Just down the road from me in Newark.

 

[YEO YEO YEO]

Well done to Cambridge. Bet any of their fans must be wondering how the fuck they’re below us in the table. Good luck regardless whether it’s probably still too much to do.

Not going to dwell on it too much today from Vale other than the last time we were so utterly pathetic DC pretty much released every single out of contract player. Completely devoid of any drive, quality or intelligence.

Partially watched your game today, Cambridge massively full of confidence - chance after chance, expected much more from Port Vale.

 

[Tea Towel]

7th straight win in a season for the first time since '54, 8 clean sheets.

I make us favourites now.

So do I. We have gone so far off the boil it’s unbelievable. Their arse has fell out and Moore is not tactically good enough to change it, nor do we have the depth to make effective changes.

 

[YEO YEO YEO]

You little legends. Just down the road from me in Newark.

Just around the corner from me as in Collingham!

 

[kieran_vale]

Partially watched your game today, Cambridge massively full of confidence - chance after chance, expected much more from Port Vale.

Yep once they got the first the question really was only how many they’d score not if we’d fight back. We look on the beach certainly in the home games. Away the performances have been generally better as we did at Portsmouth last week.

 

[TractorBoys]

Just around the corner from me as in Collingham!

My ex-Mrs lived just down the lane past Londis/One Stop. Little useless fact for you there!

 

[YEO YEO YEO]

Sheff Wed started strongly and went ahead, you could see the confidence grow and fully expected a comfortable home win. Equaliser came at the right time, Stockdale should have done much better. Comfortable for rest of first half. Sheff Wed huffed and puffed 2nd half but struggled to create as we were back to being organised and frustrating to play against. Sheff Wed bad chances in the final 8 minutes of injury time, but clearance off the line saw us come out with a draw.

Great result considering how patched up we were today!

 

[valefan16]

Embarrassing result but even more worried by the performance, we downed tools and that isn’t acceptable. Never want to see Donnelly put on a Vale shirt again, he is fucking dreadful.

DC said it wouldn’t be as bad as the Burton performance… to be fair it wasn’t as bad it was worse! Made a very very poor side look like Brazil.

We will do well if we put that level in until May not to be playing them again next year in league two as that was a relegation performance, can’t think of a poorer one under DC certainly but going back as far as the Shanahan era.

Booed and a very toxic Vale Park at full time understandably. Huge game Friday now, lose that we are in trouble.

 

[CTFCfan99]

Pretty terrible game between us and Burton, apart from the last 10 minutes when we started to actually have a go at them. Expect both teams will be happy with a point.