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Reply | The Final Countdown - Matchday #44
at 13:06 21 Apr 2025
Latest tweet from DRFC, Belle View is definitely open to away fans. Don’t blame the messenger if they’re wrong though. |
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Reply | The Final Countdown - Matchday #44
at 08:32 21 Apr 2025
I’m not sure if it counts as a decent drink, but there’s a Beefeater a little further down Stadium Way on the opposite side to the stadium. I appreciate the walk might not be as easy for some though. I’m coming by train, so if I have time I’ll grab a pint at the Railway Pub next to the station. |
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Reply | The Final Countdown - Matchday #44
at 18:58 20 Apr 2025
That’s a shame if so, that bar at the ground was pretty okay last time I was there. They even had a very civilised queuing system. |
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Reply | DC's Super U's on track for play offs after Home victory over the Railwaymen
at 23:39 19 Apr 2025
I'm afraid MP I have to agree. Despite having a play-off spot in their sights, Crewe did virtually nothing to take that chance, even with 11 players on the pitch first half. However poor we were first half, and didn't take the multiple chances we created in the second half, Crewe were definitely not the better side overall. |
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Reply | The Final Countdown - Matchday #44
at 21:36 19 Apr 2025
I just feel the new manager bounce will get MK Dons out of their current fug, and Crewe showed so little ambition on Good Friday. I'll definitely take your Donny prediction though. I have tickets for Donny and Barrow, not certain I can make Salford, but I hope we meet up at some point for the other two.
Failing that, there's always the play-offs  |
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Reply | Happy League 2024/25 Week 38 (of 38) - Deadline Saturday 26th April 12.30
at 19:54 19 Apr 2025
"As the U's go back into the play-offs again, wessex_exile drops out, but only a point away" - if my fortunes and the U's are somehow inversely related, I'll be happy to crash and burn with this selection.
WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS v LEICESTER CITY 2-0
LUTON TOWN v COVENTRY CITY (12.30) 1-3
CARDIFF CITY v WEST BROMWICH ALBION 0-2
HULL CITY v DERBY COUNTY 1-1
MIDDLESBROUGH v NORWICH CITY 2-1
MILLWALL v SWANSEA CITY 0-1
EXETER CITY v HUDDERSFIELD 1-1
STOCKPORT COUNTY v LINCOLN CITY 3-1
DONCASTER ROVERS v BRADFORD CITY (12.30) 1-1
SALFORD CITY v COLCHESTER UNITED 0-2 |
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Reply | Average attendance
at 19:14 19 Apr 2025
Friday's attendance was 7,623, so 7,558 is the target for the last game of the season to achieve the 5k average home league attendance. Two weeks to go and E4, E5, E6, E7, S1, S2, S4, W4 and W6 are already close to sold out, N1 and N2 not yet available. |
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Thread | The Final Countdown - Matchday #44
at 16:22 19 Apr 2025
Well, here we go, after a poor performance against Crewe, and definitely a missed opportunity to gain all three points with the Penalty that Time (and players) Forgot, we still find ourselves back in control of our own destiny – it’s in our hands! If the U’s were poor, spare a thought for lacklustre Crewe, who despite still having a chance of the play-offs, just didn’t seem to want to turn up (a bit like their fans, where were they all?). Three attempts on goal, just one on target and only 38% possession – yes they worked very hard to keep us out, but up front they didn’t seem to want to even bother.
It was impossible to see the red card incident from my vantage point in S2, but fortunately much less so for the 4th official right in front of it. Watching the highlights in slo-mo, Flanagan clearly wins the ball, and in the ensuing tumble Lunt for reasons unknown clearly kicks out, literally leaving stud marks on Tom’s midriff (as he was showing to anyone who cared to look). When the 4th official calls the referee over about something he’s seen, you know you might as well start walking down the tunnel. As for the penalty, yes it was a poor effort, but penalties do get saved, these things do happen – Read could have blasted it towards the bottom corner and pantomime villain Marschall could still have saved it. I’m more interested in the actual decision. Credit to Samson for not giving up on the byline, and as goes past the falling Knight-Lebel the ball definitely hits his arm, but more ball to hand if I’m honest. However, and this is the moment, I’m convinced the referee’s decision-making was swayed by the universal roar of “HANDBALL!” from the South Stand. However, the goal wasn’t to be…
Image: Steve Brading
And so on to Matchday #44, and in a special mini-series of as yet indeterminate length, time to review the games of those still in with a half-decent chance of making the play-offs. When I say decent chance, I’m going to include 11th place Crewe, even if they looked like they were already on the beach yesterday (pun intended). Mathematically, I could go done as far as Swindon and Bromley, but with only three games to go they’ve almost certainly got too much to do, even if the former under Ian Holloway are going like a train at the moment – expect them to be up there next season.
Port Vale v Grimsby - Easily the hardest fixture any of the play-off hopefuls are facing on Easter Monday, this will be on the back of an unexpected 4-0 battering at home to the aforementioned Robins. Reading the The New Fishy post-match comments, it would appear that Grimsby were as poor as Swindon were good. They’ll be smarting about that, possibly more so than the 2-0 lead they gave up at the same time as we were banging in two at Newport, and you must assume David Artell will demand a reaction.
Trouble is, they visit a Port Vale side who will be smarting just as much and determined to get back to winning ways to stay on course for the title. Bad enough to concede three at relegation-threatened Carlisle (who are in really good form at the moment), but having pulled two back in the second half, the Valiants had their own injury time penalty to snatch a point. Tolaj struck it well, albeit at a good height for ‘keeper Breeze, who guessed the right way and pulled off an excellent save.
As I see it, Port Vale are in a four-horse race for both automatic promotion and the title, with Doncaster Rovers (more later), Bradford City and Walsall. I’m being charitable here, Walsall are in complete disarray and any talk of Matt Sadler being voted Manager of the Season (yes, he’s been nominated) is farcical. Forecast: Port Vale 3 Grimsby 0
Chesterfield v Bradford City – After a drab 0-0 at Plough Lane, which didn’t help either side that much, Chesterfield are three points outside the play-offs with the best goal difference of those in the chase. It’s also worth noting that Chesterfield didn’t register a single effort on target to trouble former U’s Owen Goodman. Although they were playing better quality opposition, this has to go down as two dropped points for the Spireites, but at least they didn’t miss a penalty in the process.
On Monday they face a Bradford City who will want to bounce back from dropping two points at home to Notts County last Thursday (although I thought County were the better side tbh). This will be a tough game for both sides – the ProAct will be packed to the rafters with Bradford City filling their end (and probably could three times over if the tickets were available) – and the tension may well be a factor. Who will be up for it? It should be Bradford City, after being starved of promotion for so long, but it will be close. Forecast: Chesterfield 1 Bradford City 2
Morecambe v Salford City – Four points adrift and an inferior goal difference must surely mean any lingering play-off hopes for the ‘Ammies will hinge on how they will perform on Easter Monday. Fortunately for them, they visit near relegation certainties Morecambe – eight points from safety and three games to go, Morecambe could win all three and still be relegated.
However, unfortunately for Salford, we can’t overlook they lost 2-1 at home yesterday to another of the relegation candidates, Accrington Stanley – their consolation goal coming from an Adelakun penalty – hey, at least he scored it I suppose. If nothing else, after a six game unbeaten run, it demonstrates that propensity for Salford to shoot themselves in the foot occasionally. How will they fare on Monday? It probably depends on which Morecambe turn up, the go down fighting never say die Morecambe, or the f’ck it, we’re doomed so let’s just get this over with. Forecast: Morecambe 1 Salford 2
Crewe Alexandra v Milton Keynes Dons – Honestly, after the lack of self-belief on display yesterday from both their team and their (largely absent) supporters, still including Crewe in the play-off mix seems fraudulent. However, position-wise they are near identical to Salford, only separated by goals scored, and a bit like the U’s, quite a hard team to beat. I think they’re done already, but anything less than a win on Easter Monday will confirm they stay in League Two next season.
Obviously we know about their game on Good Friday, but on Easter Monday they take on an MK Dons side who just wish the season would end now. There’s no chance the franchise will be at risk of relegation, and after four defeats on the bounce, under new manager Paul Warne they’ll be buoyed by a drab 0-0 stalemate at home to Newport. An experienced manager at this level, I think Warne will instil enough self-belief in his team to take all three points at Gresty Road. Forecast: Crewe Alexandra 1 MK Dons 2
And that just leaves…
Doncaster Rovers v Colchester United – It’s a close call who has the harder fixture on Easter Monday, and I’ve gone for Grimsby on the back of their 4-0 drubbing, but in truth this will be a really tough game for the U’s as well. With Taylor out for the remainder of the season and no news (that I’m aware of) on Harry Anderson, we find ourselves sweating on positive news about Jack Payne. We certainly missed his creativity in the middle of the park yesterday. The good news was seeing Teddy Bishop back on the pitch, and JK Gordon did well replacing Oscar Thorn.
Doncaster are another in the chase for the title and/or automatic promotion and were virtually the only team in the top half of the table to take all three points on Saturday. In style too, brushing aside Tranmere Rovers with a Luke Molyneux hat-trick at Prenton Park. After two draws on the bounce, they now have the top of the table in their sights and a chance to put right what they got so horribly wrong in last season’s play-offs.
In our favour, apart from the 1,000+ who will travel to the Eco-Power Stadium, we do tend to play better against better sides, we have a resilient defence that is clicking really well, and of course we have Mr Clean Sheet Matt Macey between the sticks. I think we have enough about ourselves to prevent Doncaster from scoring, just do we have enough of the right sort of walking wounded to do anything at the other end? Forecast: not a chance I’m jinxing this
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Reply | DC's Super U's on track for play offs after Home victory over the Railwaymen
at 21:39 18 Apr 2025
I don't think they were arguing about who was going to take it, more like who wasn't going to take it. Read didn't look confident, me and my nephew knew he wouldn't score. Dreadful first half, better second half once we started to show a bit of intensity (in patches), and yet remarkably, as you say Gerry, results couldn't have gone better elsewhere for us, even Chesterfield drew. I agree also Gerry, the Spireites are the ones to watch now.
Incidentally, it looked like they'd transfers strips of grass from in front of S1 to cover the drainage runs, worked as well. |
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Reply | Tonight
at 22:07 17 Apr 2025
I thought Notts County deserved the win, but it seems no one wants to take this league by the scruff of the neck. On to tomorrow at a packed JobServe - here we go! |
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Reply | Average attendance
at 17:02 17 Apr 2025
Every block in the East, West and South stands now sold out, and apart from N1 and N2, just 81 seats left in W8 and W9 (yes, I counted them). |
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Reply | Average attendance
at 09:38 17 Apr 2025
South Stand sold out, only two seats left in the East Stand, W3 to W6 sold out and W2 and W7 close to a sell-out. Fans are now buying in the North Stand. Looks like we might make that 5k average attendance as things stand. |
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Reply | Average attendance
at 15:46 16 Apr 2025
As expected, N1 and N2 have now been opened up to home supporters for the Crewe game. |
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Reply | Average attendance
at 12:08 16 Apr 2025
If I remember correctly, I think at least some of E1 and E2 was used as stock to replace damaged seats elsewhere? If so, we probably don't hold enough in storage to backfill E1 and E2. From a commercial point of view, I wouldn't be surprised if Robbie was holding off on the expense until he knows what league we'll be in next season. If it's League 2, we probably won't need them for any but a very few games.
If not League 2...? |
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Reply | Average attendance
at 23:59 15 Apr 2025
That reminds me of a joke I once heard.
At the height of Newcastle United’s popularity, they sold out every ticket for every game. Despite that, one supporter found that throughout the late summer, autumn and early winter there was always one empty seat next to him. Despite repeated enquires he was always assured by the club that the seat had been sold and wasn’t available. Come Boxing Day, he’s amazed to see someone sat there. “Where have you been all this time?” he asked. With a tinge of annoyance in the reply he answered “my wife bought me a season ticket for Christmas”. |
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Reply | Salford v Donny tonight
at 21:51 15 Apr 2025
Not a disaster at all. I would have preferred Doncaster to win, but it does mean everyone in the top 10 continue to shuffle up, with everyone (maybe apart from Port Vale, ourselves and Chez Vegas, the only teams to have won their last game) failing to take command of the top 7 places. Good Friday is going to be massive. |
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Site Scores| Forum Votes: | 51 | | Comment Votes: | 0 | | Prediction League: | 40 | | TOTAL: | 91 |
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