Mat.H wrote:I think Spalding having played 10 won 10 conceeded 1 (I think) will win the league and with only one promotion place is it worth spening money bringing in players in October. We should be thinking about getting the best out of the players we have finishing as high as we can this season and going for it next season when Spalding are out of the way. I think to catch Spalding now will cost a lot of cash and need a lot of luck.
I may be wrong, but I think there is a tiny chance that we could get promoted in 2nd place, generally its one per division at this level obviously, but I notice 2 teams went up from the Combined Counties Premier last season (Egham and Guernsey), I assume because another league had no team that was either interested in/eligible for promotion. I'm not sure how it works though, promotion from this level is a bit of a funny business (I remember King's Lynn fans getting to the end of the season not having a clue whether they'd go up or not).
Edit: Actually turns out that was just to fill some places in the Ryman league, but I wonder whether its still possible for a division to have 2 teams go up if other divisions haven't got anyone that can go up?
I don't think catching Spalding requires loads of luck, it just requires belief and ability (two things we definitely have). Funny things happen in football, Oadby won promotion in January but then amazingly didn't get promoted... ;)
Maybe I'm being too optimistic but I think we can go on a bit of a run, even with losing Wizz and Dent. We beat Wisbech, Sileby and PNS and we're up to 5th - all tricky away fixtures but Wisbech have already lost 7, Sileby 6 and PNS 5, they caught us on a good day. Huntingdon and Cogenhoe I'd be happy with 4 from 6, then 6 games against mostly mid-table/relegation scrappers = 18 points. We go into the Spalding game on the back of 12-match unbeaten league run and suddenly they're a bit worried.
Yeah they've won all of their games so far but take a look at their fixtures, the highest team they've faced is Wisbech, apart from that it's been quite easy.
Lol, I am still none the wiser as to how it works, they can't agree whether step 4 clubs are reprieved or extra step 5 clubs are promoted in the event a step 5 league doesn't have an eligible club, but as far as I can tell, there may still be a tiny tiny chance of 2 clubs going up from the UCL, but it would be a case of waiting and hoping for the best after the end of the season.
You're right about our title chances, not over yet, but while it was similarly difficult to see how we could gain promotion at many points last season with Sileby and Oadby being so good, I fear Spalding may be a different prospect and are that bit better, I think we'd have to win both games against them at the very least and possibly even hope for a similar situation to last year where they end up with an unmanageable backlog at the end of the season like Oadby had ;)
I'm sorry to see Wizz go as well. Nat's main problem (IMHO) is that when Joe is running forward with the ball, Nat tends to stand still out wide, this forces Joe inside into opposing players. What Nat should be doing is to get down the line, this will open up the space for Joe (as he takes his man away) and give him the option of playing the ball down the wing to him in the corner.
Starms states the doors always open for him, I take it that means he would have him back. As much as most of us want the best for the lad, a part of me hopes it doesn't work out for him at Wellingborough. This is the most disappointed ive been to seen player leave so far and was certainly too early.
