A Barrow-load of laughs - Division 4 2020/21

[Foot of Astaire's]

Yes, make or break Tuesday for Rovers for sure. Not sure I can face another play off campaign, though at this rate we could finish 8th or below. And then I remember how we couldn’t possibly play 10 games behind closed doors this time last year and wonder why I am bothered in the first place about this farce of a season.

That's a fair point. Tranmere and Port Vale both lost out last season and took an additional financial hit playing this season in a division lower than they were likely to be. If it's any consolation, I'm dreading the play off route too. I couldn't go through 1991 again!

Cheltenham are looking the only certainties to me and Cambridge should have enough but that last spot and the play offs are going to the wire for sure.

[Simon G]

People keep asking me how much I want Cheltenham to win the division and I have to keep telling them that winning League 2 is not important. Finishing in the top 3 is. I don't think I could go through another playoff failure like last season's.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Well, that was tense, and I'm not sure we're any wiser, except that we now know that putting our clumsiest player (ordinarily a left back) on as a centre midfielder for the last quarter of a game (when we have an international centre midfielder on the bench, and another recognised midfielder playing at right back) isn't an experiment worth repeating.

Five games unbeaten for Carlisle but not much scope for dropping points now if we're going to make the play offs

Barrow got their win.

[Foot of Astaire's]

Phew! During this excellent run since January, we've been playing to some fine margins, winning by the odd goal, so I expected us to come a cropper tonight. Salfords first home defeat and after a 1st half where we should have scored a couple, it was backs to the wall for much of the 2nd.

Tranmere's defeat at Walsall puts some daylight, for now, between the top 3 and the play off places. It was a good night for Morecambe too, winning well as all the chasing pack dropped points.

[Diable Rouge]

Looks like a club from Essex will drop into the National League - Southend the obvious favourites, but Colchester aren't exactly doing much to save themselves.

[Baptiste]

Predictable 1-0 defeat. Not a good day to be asking people where they want their season ticket money to go.

I think I saw Millwall have given the entire credit towards next seasons, which is amazing if true. And other clubs have done special kits and suchlike. I’d be happy with a free cuppa each match next year but not much sign of anything like that.

[Janik]

as all the chasing pack dropped points.

Yet again on this. Even the weekend wasn't too bad for Cambridge, despite being hammered 4-1 at home.

As E10 noted the leading sides don't really seem much cop, given how often they all seem to stumble. 4 teams will go up this year, because 4 go up every season. But the 4 who do make it to League One are surely going to need some serious squad overhauls not to be massively out of their depth.

[Janik]

People keep asking me how much I want Cheltenham to win the division and I have to keep telling them that winning League 2 is not important. Finishing in the top 3 is. I don't think I could go through another playoff failure like last season's.

If you target winning the Division, then the actual central aim - going up - happens along the way. It's another version of take each game at a time, every game a cup final and other such platitudes.

But very few people associated with any of the three automatically promoted clubs will really be all that bothered if it's one of the others who are crowned as champions.

[E10 Rifle]

Often one makes these judgments based on how one's own team is playing but dear Lord, the standard of League Two football this season appears to have plummeted alarmingly. All sorts of understandable reasons for that, but it's dreadful. I'd exempt Cheltenham and Cambridge from that (and perhaps Exeter based on their displays against us, though clearly not everyone else), but this is as poor a bottom tier as I've seen for decades.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Often one makes these judgments based on how one's own team is playing but dear Lord, the standard of League Two football this season appears to have plummeted alarmingly. All sorts of understandable reasons for that, but it's dreadful. I'd exempt Cheltenham and Cambridge from that (and perhaps Exeter based on their displays against us, though clearly not everyone else), but this is as poor a bottom tier as I've seen for decades.

I'd agree with that, though have felt it has been more of a gradual decline in recent years rather than just going off a cliff.

Before Carlisle f***ed themselves, when they were top of the table around Christmas we were doing the age-old "which of these players would get into the 1995 or 2006 teams" (the last two times we won the division) and at a push a couple, on their absolute best days, would stand a chance. I know there's the danger of rose tinted hindsight there, but I'd stand by it.

The other aspect that I've moaned about before is the extent of "game management" that is going on (and we are far from immune to that at Carlisle). It happens at all levels of course, but it does seem to be an acceptable tactic at this level to send a team out with little intention of winning a game by actually playing football in the "normal" way. That, and the way that certain things seem to be refereed these days, make for a poor spectacle at times.

[Baptiste]

It's just all been so dull. Too many games like a chess match as teams keep the ball over anything else. Low risk football. Added to no crowds and it's all so sterile. Even most of the refereeing performances have been nothing to get worked up about.

[Simon G]

I've long maintained last season's Cheltenham team would destroy this season's Cheltenham team. We'd certainly score more bloody goals.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

No, seriously, honestly it's definitely Make or Break Tuesday this week. 10 of the top 13 are playing against each other. Carlisle unbeaten in 6, with 5 clean sheets in those six games, and are closer in points terms to the last play off place than we were this morning - but yet it still feels like it's slipping away from us. Bolton away on Tuesday, it what would have been a famous away game if fans were allowed (it was also at one point the night on which I had tickets for three different rearranged gigs, in three different cities, but thankfully they have all been re-rearranged).

[Simon G]

If Cheltenham had a capable striker, we'd have won this league already.

Still, we never do things easily.

[Janik]

Colchester win for the first time in yonks in the late game. Which again means that Southend and Grimsby are back seriously adrift, despite good recent form for both. Southend have a 6 point and -10 goal difference gap to bridge in just four games, which sounds rather unlikely.

[tee rex]

Exeter play dismally, can't put away Barrow or Southend, so naturally we're out of contention a point off the play-offs and forever hopeful, based on the continuing generosity of pretty much everyone in the mix. I want to go back to the top 4 being promoted* and end this protracted pain, shared by half the division.

Our form slumped after Nicky Law decided to leave for the States at Christmas, so Joe Biden is the culprit here.

(*I don't really, but am so pissed off that I'm not interested in reasoned rebuttal, so no need to bother)

[Janik]

As for Cambridge, 6 points from Orient (a), Stevenage (H), Harrogate (a), Grimsby (H) and due to their vastly superior goal difference for all practical purposes they are up (Bolton and Morecombe having a game against each other reduces the target slightly from what a simple reading of the league table would suggest, which is 7 more points for Cambridge).
In reality 4th is likely to have fewer than 80 points come the end of this season as for that to happen Forest Green and one of Bolton or Morecombe would need to win every remaining game, or both Bolton and Morecombe win three and draw against each other.

[Foot of Astaire's]

After getting ourselves in contention following a series of tight victories, we now look capable of blowing it due to our weakness in front of goal. We have the capable goalscorer that Cheltenham lack, in Eoin Doyle, however no one else, other than the injured Sarcevic, looks capable of chipping in too.

We were until recently, controlling most games and grinding sides down but were outfought and outthought by an impressive Grimsby yesterday. Since they'll be in the conference next season, that's worrying.

Carlisle Tuesday and Morecambe at the weekend should confirm whether we're getting out of the division or losing in the play offs.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

We have the opposite problem in that we lack the natural goalscorer and our goals are spread around the team - which works at times but means we tend to waste a lot of chances that you would expect a decent finisher to hoover up. Yesterday in particular we were getting the ball into decent positions in the box and then seemingly panicking when faced with what to do next.

[Simon G]

After getting ourselves in contention following a series of tight victories, we now look capable of blowing it due to our weakness in front of goal. We have the capable goalscorer that Cheltenham lack, in Eoin Doyle, however no one else, other than the injured Sarcevic, looks capable of chipping in too.

We were until recently, controlling most games and grinding sides down but were outfought and outthought by an impressive Grimsby yesterday. Since they'll be in the conference next season, that's worrying.

Carlisle Tuesday and Morecambe at the weekend should confirm whether we're getting out of the division or losing in the play offs.

To be fair to Grimsby, they've only lost once in the last 9 or 10 now. A shame their run has come a bit too late really. Have had a soft spot for the Grim ones since we beat them in the playoff final in 2006.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

In light of the developments of the last 24 hours, Carlisle's focus has shifted to pipping Leyton Orient for the 9th automatic promotion place.

[Satchmo Distel]

A lifeline for the bottom two?

[Janik]

After tonight (on the field) it is the only way they are going to survive. And events this afternoon off the field suggest they don't bank too heavily on it.

Make Or Break Tuesday was so at the bottom of the Division then. Less so at the top as very atypically for this league the leading sides pretty well all turned in good results. Six of this morning's top eight won, with the other two being the only two to play each other (tautologous to point out they drew). However at this stage of the season everyone winning isn't as you were, it actually benefits incumbents as there is a game less left for everyone to play to close gaps. So a great evening for Cambridge and Cheltenham then, who now need three points from three games and five from four respectively.

The race for third is less clear than the positions of the top and bottom two, but the set up for Morecombe-Bolton at the weekend is fascinating. If either side wins that game they would be favourites to go up, particularly if it is Bolton given they will kick off a point ahead of Morecombe; a win and they are four clear with two games to play. However the ordinary thing in clashes like this is a draw is a satisfactory result for both as it kicks the can down the road, but that doesn't quite apply here because if this game is a draw that result potentially opens the door back to a slew of other sides who at the moment look out of contention. In fact it probably reaches down to Exeter in seventh for sides who could nip in if they were to win out their remaining games and neither of Morecombe or Bolton make the most of their situation.

[Paul S]

Southend lost to rivals Colchester in a gutless display getting a man sent off. We are down in all but name after 100 years of football league history. The strange thing is I really don't care, maybe covid and the last year have put things into perspective but all the people I know are still alive and I have lost only one former work colleague to covid. I just want normality back and I don't care whether we win lose or draw I just want to go to games again.

[Simon G]

After tonight (on the field) it is the only way they are going to survive. And events this afternoon off the field suggest they don't bank too heavily on it.

Make Or Break Tuesday was so at the bottom of the Division then. Less so at the top as very atypically for this league the leading sides pretty well all turned in good results. Six of this morning's top eight won, with the other two being the only two to play each other (tautologous to point out they drew). However at this stage of the season everyone winning isn't as you were, it actually benefits incumbents as there is a game less left for everyone to play to close gaps. So a great evening for Cambridge and Cheltenham then, who now need three points from three games and five from four respectively.

Taking into account goal difference, 4 points will be enough for Cheltenham.