Shame we couldn't get that third goal to put the game to bed and a shame we couldn't see the game out without conceding. It felt to me that the substitutions acted as a signal to just see the game out rather than take the game to them and that's where our problems started. I'd far rather keep pressing on.
That said, it's another three points and we dominated for the bulk of that game. So shouldn't be too upset about one goal. Also, our form is so much better than the teams we are competing against, including Wrexham and Wycombe. We are the juggernaut in that division. Hopefully we'll make 2nd place, but if we don't we'll surely be in poll position for the play offs.
We have to win two more games then Wrexham, sadly I don't see that happening. I think that it's the play offs for us, mind you I did predict that we would finish half way in the table so who knows
Noticeably long Qs at ticket office pre match. And had to Q for ladies’ loo at HT for the first time this season so definitely a much bigger crowd.
A really fun day and somehow seemed to keep meeting Irish people - some pre match and others afterwards in RAH. All live locally and were occasional or first time visitors. One group had last attended v Crawley at home yet still came back for more and hopefully had a much better experience!
My one concerning thought is that we need to guard against arrogance - it was there a bit in some of the pre match previews / predictions. It was there in our showboating from midway in second half - Jones staying forward, a few too many tricks and flicks. We’d been in control and first to every 50/50 but then we got Wigan a bit riled and nearly let them back in it. And finally it was there when NJ brought on two subs in injury time when we were defending a corner. Just don’t please.
And ref second half was indeed “horrible” as per our friend’s little grandson.
Shame we couldn't get that third goal to put the game to bed and a shame we couldn't see the game out without conceding. It felt to me that the substitutions acted as a signal to just see the game out rather than take the game to them and that's where our problems started. I'd far rather keep pressing on.
That said, it's another three points and we dominated for the bulk of that game. So shouldn't be too upset about one goal. Also, our form is so much better than the teams we are competing against, including Wrexham and Wycombe. We are the juggernaut in that division. Hopefully we'll make 2nd place, but if we don't we'll surely be in poll position for the play offs.
We have to win two more games then Wrexham, sadly I don't see that happening. I think that it's the play offs for us, mind you I did predict that we would finish half way in the table so who knows
Well, we have to beat them at their place for sure, and win one more than them on top of that. If we keep winning we can do it. Also, they are playing Stockport next week.
Been a long time since I've seen such a one sided game in our favour. Even when they scored, I never felt nervous, as I knew we would shut up shop.
Is 2nd place possible? Yes is it likely? I'd say no I'd say I'm confident of the play-offs and fancy our chances against anyone over 2 legs, then the final is anyone's game.
Take a win any way they come at this stage of the season. Played very well for the most part. Godden showing what a great finisher he is again. Fortress Valley!
2nd is within reach. UTA!
Been like it all season. Can't score more than 2 goals in a game & soon that will bite us on the bum. I now expect us to make the play offs but we wont get 2nd.
But I dont want to detail this thread with negativity so I'll leave it to others to bask in another win.
You really are a glass one sixteenth empty kind of a guy, aren't you?
If a glass is one sixteenth empty, isn't it 15 sixteenths full?
the build up to the first goal where their defender tries to out muscle Ramsay but just bounces off of him is one of my favourite moments of the season
If Wrexham don't slip up next week v Stockport, then I think 2nd may unfortunately be a bridge too far.
If that's the case, we should perhaps start concentrating on preparing for the play offs because if we were to lose a player like TC, Jones, Small or Ramsey for the playoffs, it would greatly diminish our chances.
Going all out for second, which may be unattainable, could end up seriously damaging our play off hopes.
It's a difficult balancing act, but we need to look ahead and play it cute.
Take a win any way they come at this stage of the season. Played very well for the most part. Godden showing what a great finisher he is again. Fortress Valley!
2nd is within reach. UTA!
Been like it all season. Can't score more than 2 goals in a game & soon that will bite us on the bum. I now expect us to make the play offs but we wont get 2nd.
But I dont want to detail this thread with negativity so I'll leave it to others to bask in another win.
Genuinely your ability to bring negativity to a positive situation is quite astounding.
The type that sucks the atmosphere out of a room. It’s almost impressive
Herminator, have you noticed that his posts have now bereft of any mention of Alfie May, the player who is now being out-scored by his replacement. Golfie must sit there, desperate to find the negative, he spent most of the first 15 games declaring he undeniably right, he should know better, Football can be a fickle mistress.
He has a genuinely impressive ability to move on from an absolute clanger of a statement and then pretend like it never happened.
I think it depends on if his meds were taken on time that day or not
Take a win any way they come at this stage of the season. Played very well for the most part. Godden showing what a great finisher he is again. Fortress Valley!
2nd is within reach. UTA!
Been like it all season. Can't score more than 2 goals in a game & soon that will bite us on the bum. I now expect us to make the play offs but we wont get 2nd.
But I dont want to detail this thread with negativity so I'll leave it to others to bask in another win.
Genuinely your ability to bring negativity to a positive situation is quite astounding.
The type that sucks the atmosphere out of a room. It’s almost impressive
Herminator, have you noticed that his posts have now bereft of any mention of Alfie May, the player who is now being out-scored by his replacement. Golfie must sit there, desperate to find the negative, he spent most of the first 15 games declaring he undeniably right, he should know better, Football can be a fickle mistress.
Astonishing that you both want to have a dig at me when we've just won. Havent you got better things to post about. Must lead sad lives when after a win you'd prefer to abuse other posters rather than praise the team.
Oh Golfie, nobody is biting on that one, you put up your usual 'we don't score enough goals' post and see who takes the bait, you love it, it's your Raison D'etre. Can I just point out though, i will see your point that we don't score enough goals and raise you on the fact that if we had kept Alfie May we would have score two goals less, fact !
Stop being silly, how can it be a fact ???
I am being silly Bob because no one knows what Alfie May would have scored at any club but his record at Birmingham is a fact and so is Godden's at Charlton. As I pointed out elsewhere, earlier in the season we had posters declaring that we hadn't scored before half time because Alfie May wasn't at Charlton, they were actually stating it before the half time whistle blew. They now, and in Golfie's case, have changed tac and declared we don't score enough goals, even though it's been pointed out to them on numerous occasions that it's goal difference that counts not goals scored, they have also stopped mentioning Alfie May's name because his goals record at Birmingham does not hold up to scrutiny. I like a lot of Golfie's posts because they contain some very good reality checks, he was the first one to call out the deficiencies in the side after we played Millwall in the friendly under Dean Holden, but he and a lot of others have been proved to be wrong over the Alfie May fiasco. We are five points off second place with ten games to go and those same people are ready to declare that we would be five points better off if Alfie May was still with us, that is essentially Golfie's stance only he won't mention Alfie May's name because as I said Alfie has only scored ten at Birmingham and his replacement has scored 12, it's a fact not a fantasy.
3 points all that matter, fantastic for 95%, who was at fault for there goal? couldn't see was it Gillesphey?
The cross should have been stopped by Watson he didn't get close to stopping it.
Give the guy a chance! Even Kane Ramsay looked very ropey in his first game back.
The sheer amount of time he has had out, it will take a few games to get match sharpness.
He did very well all things considering.
I thought he played well, Killer flash probably had it right that his match fitness played against him in the final stages of the game, and I might have this wrong but the player up against him was brought on from the bench, fresh legs against a ring rusty player, Jones saw that and made the switch.
Heading to the Valley yesterday not sure why but had a feeling that it would not be our day. Missing players (Edwards, Gilbert), bigger crowd more expectations, new manager bounce for Wigan had doubts in my head. Apart from the first 10 minutes we completely dominated the first half and should have put the game to bed early the 2nd half. Showed the character to see the game out which is great to see.
So many excellent performances yesterday but a special mention to Coventry & Doc who were fantastic.
Great to see a bigger crowd yesterday. Got my tickets for Huddersfield and Lincoln. Just hope the fans who have stayed away this season get back down to the valley for the remaining games.
27 points up for grabs automatic promotion still there for the taking. 3 points, sun shining, watching the game with my family. Happy Saturday!
If Wrexham don't slip up next week v Stockport, then I think 2nd may unfortunately be a bridge too far.
If that's the case, we should perhaps start concentrating on preparing for the play offs because if we were to lose a player like TC, Jones, Small or Ramsey for the playoffs, it would greatly diminish our chances.
Going all out for second, which may be unattainable, could end up seriously damaging our play off hopes.
It's a difficult balancing act, but we need to look ahead and play it cute.
I’m a bit fearful that all this talk of getting 2nd could lead to disappointment. We don’t want to be going into the play-offs on a psychological low because we just missed out by 1 or 2 points.
We need to have the mindset that we are happy to finish 3rd or 4th to get the 2nd leg at home and keep doing well to achieve that aim.
When we get to the Wrexham and Wycombe matches, we can look at the league table and if it’s possible say ’ok, we’ve got this sudden bonus opportunity that we weren’t expecting. It’s like the play offs have come early and the final is against Burton.’
I hope when we go to Wrexham, we are playing for 2nd and we smash them. A very average team, who like Birmingham, have thrown money at players to get them over the line.
We can certainly get there. I think Wrexham have been found out and will drop more points soon. Pleased with yesterday though, sounded like we played as a unit and made it smidge difficult at the end. Our squad seems to have clicked and we are at a point where we can rest players if need be...haven't had that luxury in years!
Great performance and don't think we have ever looked so dominant, even threw in some pretty play at times.
Disappointed to concede but won't panic too much about how we managed it, for a good 5-10 mins prior to their goal Jones spent more time in around their box than ours, that goal was pure switched off we're cruising "ohshitethey'rebreakingpanic!"
And Godden, you can see why he spent so long in the championship, 100% pure natural striker. Knows where to be, how to move and where the goal is. 2 very different but equally great goals. Love him. Leaburn coming off the beach is perfectly fine (and no, that's not a criticism or does it mean that I "don't rate him) he's still plenty young and learning the game, there's far far far too much expectations dumped on him, even miles' chief willy waver Brownie finally admitted as such.
If Wrexham don't slip up next week v Stockport, then I think 2nd may unfortunately be a bridge too far.
If that's the case, we should perhaps start concentrating on preparing for the play offs because if we were to lose a player like TC, Jones, Small or Ramsey for the playoffs, it would greatly diminish our chances.
Going all out for second, which may be unattainable, could end up seriously damaging our play off hopes.
It's a difficult balancing act, but we need to look ahead and play it cute.
I’m a bit fearful that all this talk of getting 2nd could lead to disappointment. We don’t want to be going into the play-offs on a psychological low because we just missed out by 1 or 2 points.
We need to have the mindset that we are happy to finish 3rd or 4th to get the 2nd leg at home and keep doing well to achieve that aim.
When we get to the Wrexham and Wycombe matches, we can look at the league table and if it’s possible say ’ok, we’ve got this sudden bonus opportunity that we weren’t expecting. It’s like the play offs have come early and the final is against Burton.’
I'm sure we all were hoping for play-offs way back in January, now 2nd is maybe possible, why not aim for that, if not play-offs ain't a bad runner up spot is it.
...Thing is to be positive wherever we end up, but promotion is on this year however we get there...👍
I woke up with a nagging feeling I can’t shift; that @golfaddick sort of has a point.
Of course a win is a win, but they should have been buried alive in the second half. I never felt that was going to happen, after TC missed that early chance. We attacked, some of the approach work was excellent. But how many near misses were there? The very first minute, and then that’s it. There were a lot of dangerous situations, usually TC getting to the by-line on the left of the box, sometimes Small on the right. But the ball in from them never found a red shirt.
I suppose that the stats for shots on target would be the one that might shed some light on this, if someone could look at that for the top 6, but maybe since the turn of the year, once we became good.
Suppose we get less on target than our now rivals, why might that be?. Well, we haven’t got enough finishers on the pitch. TC cannot-yet-finish like JR-S could. 15 goals that boy got for us, in a crap team. Anyway yesterday TC was mainly all about trying to set up the final pass for a finisher, and there really was only one on the pitch at any one tîme, Godden or Miles - and Godden obvs much more the fox in the box type.
Its still the part of the NJ plan that I don’t quite get. If we had JR-S In TC’s place then I would get it. CB-T? Not so sure about that. He scored a few but he wasn’t very poised. Presumably the idea of the plan is that midfielders do some of that finishing. Berry does it sometimes but I dont recall him with a shot on target yesterday? Maybe Gilbert. He was certainly trying to get on the scoresheet on Tuesday and he wasnt far off.
I was at the game yesterday, so might have missed it being mentioned on the match thread, might have missed it on this thread too. Anyway it seems to me they always ask two more players to report to play than first team or substitute places. The two unlucky players then do a pre match warm down before the pre match warm up. Yesterday the two players were Kanu and Dixon. Enslin on the bench, Dixon on the scene.
Comments
Lot more noise in the Curbs stand than normal as well especially first half.
I’ve been to three games this year (2025) and I haven’t seen us win (I live in Yorkshire)
My one concerning thought is that we need to guard against arrogance - it was there a bit in some of the pre match previews / predictions. It was there in our showboating from midway in second half - Jones staying forward, a few too many tricks and flicks. We’d been in control and first to every 50/50 but then we got Wigan a bit riled and nearly let them back in it. And finally it was there when NJ brought on two subs in injury time when we were defending a corner. Just don’t please.
And ref second half was indeed “horrible” as per our friend’s little grandson.
Also, they are playing Stockport next week.
Been a long time since I've seen such a one sided game in our favour. Even when they scored, I never felt nervous, as I knew we would shut up shop.
Is 2nd place possible? Yes
is it likely? I'd say no
I'd say I'm confident of the play-offs and fancy our chances against anyone over 2 legs, then the final is anyone's game.
If a glass is one sixteenth empty, isn't it 15 sixteenths full?
If that's the case, we should perhaps start concentrating on preparing for the play offs because if we were to lose a player like TC, Jones, Small or Ramsey for the playoffs, it would greatly diminish our chances.
Going all out for second, which may be unattainable, could end up seriously damaging our play off hopes.
It's a difficult balancing act, but we need to look ahead and play it cute.
He did very well all things considering.
I am being silly Bob because no one knows what Alfie May would have scored at any club but his record at Birmingham is a fact and so is Godden's at Charlton. As I pointed out elsewhere, earlier in the season we had posters declaring that we hadn't scored before half time because Alfie May wasn't at Charlton, they were actually stating it before the half time whistle blew. They now, and in Golfie's case, have changed tac and declared we don't score enough goals, even though it's been pointed out to them on numerous occasions that it's goal difference that counts not goals scored, they have also stopped mentioning Alfie May's name because his goals record at Birmingham does not hold up to scrutiny. I like a lot of Golfie's posts because they contain some very good reality checks, he was the first one to call out the deficiencies in the side after we played Millwall in the friendly under Dean Holden, but he and a lot of others have been proved to be wrong over the Alfie May fiasco. We are five points off second place with ten games to go and those same people are ready to declare that we would be five points better off if Alfie May was still with us, that is essentially Golfie's stance only he won't mention Alfie May's name because as I said Alfie has only scored ten at Birmingham and his replacement has scored 12, it's a fact not a fantasy.
So many excellent performances yesterday but a special mention to Coventry & Doc who were fantastic.
We need to have the mindset that we are happy to finish 3rd or 4th to get the 2nd leg at home and keep doing well to achieve that aim.
When we get to the Wrexham and Wycombe matches, we can look at the league table and if it’s possible say ’ok, we’ve got this sudden bonus opportunity that we weren’t expecting. It’s like the play offs have come early and the final is against Burton.’
We can certainly get there. I think Wrexham have been found out and will drop more points soon. Pleased with yesterday though, sounded like we played as a unit and made it smidge difficult at the end. Our squad seems to have clicked and we are at a point where we can rest players if need be...haven't had that luxury in years!
Disappointed to concede but won't panic too much about how we managed it, for a good 5-10 mins prior to their goal Jones spent more time in around their box than ours, that goal was pure switched off we're cruising "ohshitethey'rebreakingpanic!"
And Godden, you can see why he spent so long in the championship, 100% pure natural striker. Knows where to be, how to move and where the goal is. 2 very different but equally great goals. Love him. Leaburn coming off the beach is perfectly fine (and no, that's not a criticism or does it mean that I "don't rate him) he's still plenty young and learning the game, there's far far far too much expectations dumped on him, even miles' chief willy waver Brownie finally admitted as such.
Just gutted Hollywood won.
I'm sure we all were hoping for play-offs way back in January, now 2nd is maybe possible, why not aim for that, if not play-offs ain't a bad runner up spot is it.
...Thing is to be positive wherever we end up, but promotion is on this year however we get there...👍
Suppose we get less on target than our now rivals, why might that be?. Well, we haven’t got enough finishers on the pitch. TC cannot-yet-finish like JR-S could. 15 goals that boy got for us, in a crap team. Anyway yesterday TC was mainly all about trying to set up the final pass for a finisher, and there really was only one on the pitch at any one tîme, Godden or Miles - and Godden obvs much more the fox in the box type.
Just my nagging doubt…
Anyway it seems to me they always ask two more players to report to play than first team or substitute places.
The two unlucky players then do a pre match warm down before the pre match warm up. Yesterday the two players were Kanu and Dixon.
Enslin on the bench, Dixon on the scene.