File under Fylde - Division 3 2017-18

[NickSTFU]

The PFA team lacks midfield steel.

Abu Ogogo should be in there.

All the others fell over a lot when I saw them.

[Patrick Thistle]

Well Shrewsbury didn't lose to Bury. But then didn't win either. They can't be overtaken so are bound to be third now.

I'm feeling fed up at the way things have gone since the Checkatrade final. In a way I'd be relieved if they lost in the play off semi finals because I really can't face going to fucking Wembley again.

[NickSTFU]

Well, you shouldn't have wasted your 'going to fucking Wembley tokens' on a competition that no one really gave a shit about. Not even Matt Sadler.

Anyhow, Hurst is playing around with formations and personnel ready for the lottery.

I fancy us though, I really do.

[Patrick Thistle]

Hindsight's 20:20

[NickSTFU]

Well, no, not really.

I've Lincoln play.

[Patrick Thistle]

Eh?

[NickSTFU]

I've seen Lincoln play.

I suspected that their more direct style would cause us problems, just like other teams in league 1 who play a similar why have caused us problems. Rochdale being a very recent example.

[Gangster Octopus]

So fourth then. Now, who do we want in the play-offs?

[Felicity, I guess so]

I don't want Charlton in, not cos I dislike the club, in fact once met a nice bunch of their fans who'd adopted Dundee Utd as their Scottish team. But: Lee Bowyer

[Patrick Thistle]

more direct style

Leading with the elbow, watching the keeper not the ball, for example?

[Artificial Hipster]

The general consensus from Spotland last night was that Plymouth's first half performance was the best from any visiting team this season. For our part with two games to go we're finally out of the bottom four. Two wins'll do it then. Easy!

[Patrick Thistle]

Shrewsbury have a chance to end the season on a record breaking (for them) 90 points. They're playing a team already relegated. I predict they'll make hard work of it.

Rumours abound that Paul Hurst will be off in the summer, not helped by him putting his number 2 out for interviews after the draw on Saturday.

[jwdd27]

Looking back over the past 10 years, 90 points would have got you automatic promotion 4 times, including one title. So, unlucky but not that unlucky.

Scunny meanwhile, have woken up just in time, and their three consecutive wins mean that victory over Plymouth tomorrow will guarantee a playoff, as would a draw followed by another draw at home to Bratford at the weekend (barring a 9 goal Plymouth win.).
Lose to Plymouth and we'd need to beat Bradford and hope Gillingham deny Plymouth victory or Rochdale complete their escape v Charlton.

As discussed before, not hugely fussed, Shrews deserve to go up.

[Patrick Thistle]

My dad has said he'd prefer Scunthorpe in the play offs rather than Plymouth. Not because he thinks it's an easier game but because Plymouth is "too far away".

I don't think Shrewsbury are unlucky if they get 90 points and don't go up automatically. In 1994 they were third division champions with one of the lowest league-winning points totals ever. This year two recent Premier League clubs spent big and finished first and second. But at times Shrewsbury were top or second and they dropped points. The smaller squad, injuries, the third round replay, the Wembley trip, all took their toll. While I will always love a cup run, the team didn't have the depth to compete on all fronts.

[Ray de Galles]

WOMBLES STAYING UP AND THE FRANCHISE GOING DOWN!

[jwdd27]

Walsall's point at Bradford also confirms their survival.

Scunthorpe are in the playoffs, joined by probably Charlton, Plymouth now need a six goal swing to get there.

Rochdale need to better Oldham's result to survive, Northampton have to beat Oldham by 9 goals and hope Rochdale lose.

[Uros Predic]

WOMBLES STAYING UP AND THE FRANCHISE GOING DOWN!

Happy that we did our part for this to happen, by taking six points of MK and giving four to Wimbledon

[Ray de Galles]

As I said in my text last night, thanking you. I had actually been worried that the 4-1 points split in the Franchise’s favour from the games against Wimbledon this season might end up being crucial in keeping them up and sending The Dons down.

My other fear was that the point(s) lost in the debacle of a March 30th home defeat against Fleetwood that should have been abandoned would be telling. But lo, The Dons did rise again from that biblical suffering on Good Friday and have been on a six game unbeaten run since, Ardley’s actually been nominated for April Manager of the Month on the back of it.

Chief exec Erik Samuleson’s maxim is that a club’s position in the final league table is normally within three places of their place in the budget table so avoiding relegation in this league (and the one below, frankly) is always a success, however hard this campaign has seemed at times.

[Tapiocahead]

I think Bradford City can be proud of their contribution to the demise of Franchise this season.
07/10/17 Franchise 1 City 4
23/12/17 Wimbledon 2 City 1
27/01/18 City 0 Wimbledon 4
24/04/18 City 2 Franchise 0


6-1 aggregate scores in both sets of fixtures

[Artificial Hipster]

Sky have chosen to show the Rochdale game presumably as it gives the greatest opportunity to show grown men crying. Ranting is more likely. Hopefully Charlton will rest players having all but secured a play off spot. Henderson will be back for Rochdale and Jesus is flying in from Spain for his first Dale game to help save us. Nonetheless it'll finish goalless. Oldham will grab a last minute equaliser to send us down. It'll all be Keith Hill's fault.

[Artificial Hipster]

So who could possibly have predicted that a football season could end with a fairy tale. Local lad Joe Thompson, (a lovely local lad at that) having earlier this season made his second return to football after beating cancer, came on with half an hour to go at Spotland and scored the goal which kept us up. If I hadn't already to all intents and purposes given up football as an active participant now would be the time to do so as it couldn't ever get better than this.

[Patrick Thistle]

I'm glad Rochdale stayed up fwiw

[Crusoe]

Eh, fuck football. But it's not like we didn't deserve to go down. Twenty plus mediocre years scraping away at the same level. Maybe a spark of excitement next year.

[Patrick Thistle]

So in conclusion, a week and a bit on from Wembley...

This will probably be remembered as Shrewsbury's nearly season. We nearly put West Ham out of the cup live on telly. We nearly got promoted (with a points total that would have taken us up in other years). We nearly won at Wembley - we had two bites at that cherry.

Ah, well...

Paul Hurst's rapid departure to Ipswich upset some fans, but the club has moved quickly to bring in John Askey from Macclesfield. He's got a big job on his hands. The squad is paper thin in places with no experienced goalies and desperately needing strikers.

Roll on next season. I'm going to enjoy the summer break.

[Crusoe]

The Daily Mail has a long article about the financial shambles at Oldham, including playing weekly wages of £4k and £12k on bit-part players and an interfering, Orientesque chairman. Makes for grim reading.

(Yes, I know, I don't like the Daily Mail either. It's because one of their football journos, Mike Keegan, used to cover Latics for the Manchester Evening News.)