The end of season lottery of the playoffs thread

[My Name Is Ian]

The end of season lottery of the playoffs thread

I'm not one of the "AFCW lot", but I did go last night. It was a pretty decent performance - they were two up at half-time and should really have put it beyond reach before Hornchurch pulled one back just after half-way through the second half. It was a pretty desperate last fifteen minutes, though Hornchurch didn't really create much, and the third goal (which was scored with virtually the last kick of the game) was an outstanding run and finish by John Main. Staines away on Saturday is the final, though I heard that Staines have given them 1,500 out of 2,600 tickets, so it might just be more like a home match.

[Cavalry Trouser Tips]

The end of season lottery of the playoffs thread

PhoebeDisco,

Are you coming over on Saturday, and can you get in touch with Jon to see if he is too?

I'd send a PM, but then I'd have to start a thread to let him know he's got one...

Jon, if you're reading this thread, are you over on Saturday?

[NHH]

The end of season lottery of the playoffs thread

I'd agree with that. Job half done and all that. Having been as excited as Lieutenant George before the big push for the last two years, I was expecting the worst last night and was surprised, delighted and relieved. We've gone further than ever before, so progress at least.

Though the ref and linesman in their half going insane for 10 min gave me the shits. I once thought it was subtle pressure from the Ryman League not wanting us to leave, but realised it's just that the jumped up ones like to show how fearless they are by giving shocking decisions against us.

Anyway, our ticket allocation has been cut to 1000, and with 1700 season ticket holders, they sold out in hours. That means Staines have 1500 themselves, which is fucking madness and I fully expect to see them on eBay with all the attendant problems for segregation.

[My Name Is Ian]

The end of season lottery of the playoffs thread

Is there any truth in the stories about people going straight from the match up to Staines and getting tickets from there last night? There aren't any tickets on Ebay (I don't want one - there are many people that deserve one more than me - but I thought I'd have a look), and I'd have thought that if you got hold of one, you'd want to keep hold of it.

[Guest]

The end of season lottery of the playoffs thread

Be grateful Staines gave you 1000 in the end, I think they only had to give you 600 if they followed the rule book to the max.

Should be a good game, I fancy a 2-1 home win.

[My Name Is Ian]

The end of season lottery of the playoffs thread

Anyway...

As EIM's not here, FC United are 3-1 up on Bamber Bridge this evening. Record crowd or something, apparently.

[Moonlight Shadow]

The end of season lottery of the playoffs thread

Bum, I could have gone to that game and I'll be away on saturday...shame! Also missing Stalybridge playoffs games, grmbl...

[My Name Is Ian]

The end of season lottery of the playoffs thread

Full-time, and 3-2. Good work by all, by the sound of it.

[Purves Grundy]

The end of season lottery of the playoffs thread

Is there any truth in the stories about people going straight from the match up to Staines and getting tickets from there last night?

Yes. And it's thanks to the good offices of one such individual that YMG and I will be there on Saturday, as long as the weather permits the game to go ahead - some of the photos from the game between Staines and Ramsgate show alarming amounts of surface water on the pitch and it's heavy rain on the forecasts for the next three days.

I don't know what sort of segregation measures Staines will have in place. Apparently the tickets are all the same colour and come with no instructions regarding what turnstile they correspond to, so it's likely to be fairly chaotic, much like when we went to Fisher two seasons ago. Considering that if you factor out the visit of AFC Wimbledon back in December Staines average home attendance this season has been around 350 it ought to come as no surprise that the ostensibly "Staines" tickets will largely find themselves in the hands of Wimbledon supporters on Saturday.

NHH is enirely right about the, lets say "idiosyncratic", performance of the ref and one linesman last night. And almost certainly correct about the causes of it, but some of the overlooked handballs (including one right before they pulled a goal back) were enough to make one wonder. That said, his use of the cards was entirely appropriate, even if our solitary card was for dissent after another truly bizarre decision.

We did wobble quite noticeably after they got one back and they had a glorious opportunity to make it level almost immediately after, but their centre back sent a free header about 8 foot wide from no more than 8 yards out. Which was a relief. That apart we were generally pretty comfortable even though they threw everything they had at us.

Oh, and Jon Main's superb last-minute clincher is viewable here, although the camera angle doesn't really do it justice.

Still, no triumphalism. There's a very tough job still to do against a team who are on the back of a run that's seen them lose only one of the last 13. We are still second favourites to go up and a lot rests on the shoulders of Mr Unlucky, Steve Ferguson and how he does against the occasionally lumbering Staines fullbacks.

Fuck me, I'm excited.

[EIM]

The end of season lottery of the playoffs thread

GET THE FOOK IN

[Jon]

The end of season lottery of the playoffs thread

I'd send a PM, but then I'd have to start a thread to let him know he's got one...


Oh… so close to getting my first ‘PM for Jon’ thread it’s untrue.

Anyway, CTT, yes, fairly sure I'll be over for the game on Saturday. Was in the pub with Duncan Gardner tonight and he's coming over too. PD I'm not so sure about as his knee is playing up.

Do we need tickets?

[NHH]

The end of season lottery of the playoffs thread

[quote]Be grateful Staines gave you 1000 in the end, I think they only had to give you 600 if they followed the rule book to the max.[quote]

If they'd have followed the rule book to the max, I'd want to know where they thought the extra 1550 fans were coming from to watch them. Hate to think they'd want to keep them back in order to get a secondary market going.

[brian potter]

The end of season lottery of the playoffs thread

Bored Of The Dance wrote:

Well done, brian, you were spot on in pretty much all your post. 4-1 to TeamBath, Canham with a hat-trick.

I may pop along to the final at Tweron Park on saturday

I don't usually do so well in the predictions, I called Halesowen's win as well. I can see the final going either way though.

Canham is by far the best striker I've seen in that division this season. Even when he has a poor game, as against us, he's still dangerous.

A lot of the Halesowen fans we were talking to last week don't want to go up if it means Conference North, they were a real credit to their club. The best visiting supporters, along with Merthyr, that we've had all season. Not necessarily in numbers, but in attitude.

I'm tempted to go, but doubt if I'll be able to relieve myself from family duties.

[Purves Grundy]

The end of season lottery of the playoffs thread

26 hours to go and I'm shivering with nerves and excitement.

[My Name Is Ian]

The end of season lottery of the playoffs thread

Is it on the radio tomorrow, PG?

[Purves Grundy]

The end of season lottery of the playoffs thread

Yeah, WDON have cut a deal with the people who usually do the internet commentary for Staines to allow WDON to carry it. The usual Staines lot, Radio Wey or something, only have about 30 listning slots whereas WDON have much higher bandwidth - 500 unique ip addresses tuned in to our semi on Tuesday.

http://www.wdon.com/

[Purves Grundy]

The end of season lottery of the playoffs thread

And remember - Jon Main IS Big Leggy.

[Ray de Galles]

The end of season lottery of the playoffs thread

Purves Grundy wrote:

Is there any truth in the stories about people going straight from the match up to Staines and getting tickets from there last night?

Yes. And it's thanks to the good offices of one such individual that YMG and I will be there on Saturday.

I was wondering why the Young Marble Giants were going for a while there.

[My Name Is Ian]

The end of season lottery of the playoffs thread

Excellent. Cheers for that. Now all I have to do is manage to persuade my significant other that I would be much better off hunched over in front of my laptop than doing whatever the hell it is that other people do on bank holiday Saturday afternoons at this time of year.

[David Agnew]

The end of season lottery of the playoffs thread

Cavalry Trouser Tips wrote:

PhoebeDisco,

Are you coming over on Saturday, and can you get in touch with Jon to see if he is too?

I'd send a PM, but then I'd have to start a thread to let him know he's got one...

Jon, if you're reading this thread, are you over on Saturday?

Only just seen this, but I'm afraid the knee's playing up too much to travel, and it's also my sister's birthday do (why she couldn't do it on Monday, I don't know).

[Cavalry Trouser Tips]

The end of season lottery of the playoffs thread

The Stourbridge numbers are depleted by one. Leamington are winning the psychological battle already!

COME ON YOU BRAAAAAAAAKES!

[Bored Of Education]

The end of season lottery of the playoffs thread

Typical, in trying to find out how TeamBath are funded, I have ended up getting into deep and meaningfuls with a load of Bath City supporters and am trying to find out myself for them.

Has WSC ever done a story on TeamBath's set-up? E10? Anyone?

[My Name Is Ian]

The end of season lottery of the playoffs thread

Exciting stuff at Staines vs Wimbledon. Staines took the lead in the first half, but Wimbledon have just levelled things up with nine minutes to play. Could yet go either way.

[My Name Is Ian]

The end of season lottery of the playoffs thread

2-1 Wimbledon, now. Two goals in two minutes.

[NHH]

The end of season lottery of the playoffs thread

AFc messageboard down. Radio commentary intermittent. This is torture.

Well done to FCUM - 4-1 winners and now in Unibond Prem.