Play-Offs

[Blues4LifeDan]

Talking about one game at a time. With us focused on 7th place or better, it is feasible that we could make 7th by full time on Saturday.

We have to win at Sutton, but we know that anyway.

Should Rochdale not win at Woking tomorrow, they play in the FA Trophy Semi Final on Saturday, so will go back to having 2 games in hand whatever by tea time Saturday.

Also, if Gateshead do not beat Dagenham, who are fighting to stay in the division and need all the points they can get.

Either one of the above two occur and we go 7th, BUT if both occurred, we could be 6th on Saturday evening.

If we stay outside the top seven after Saturday, all is not lost, but it is so nice to have this possibility after the past few seasons and the erratic start on and off the pitch at the start of this season.

Never a dull moment being a Shrimper!

As Boston have proved against us and many others, playing against sides fighting for survival can be harder than playing against teams higher up.

With that in mind, Daggers have accumulated 7 points in 3 games, including a very good win away at Halifax. This is by no means an easy game for Gateshead. Especially with the awful run they are on.

Rochdale going to Woking is also not a full gone conclusion. I'd happily take a draw there.

Sutton haven't won at home since January 25th! We need to go there and impose our game on them. It's all getting rather tasty.

 

[rigsby]

We need to win four of our remaining six games. That’ll give us 72 points which should be enough.

Sutton - who knows, but we shouldn’t have anything to fear.

Solihull - we usually beat them & by a good margin too.

Braintree - will be a tougher game than earlier in the season, but we should be ok

Ebbsfleet - the leagues whipping boys. They’re bound to get something from us.

Wealdstone - another one who we are hit and miss against

Gateshead - you just know it’s coming down to this game.

Interestingly, the bookies have us at 4/6 to finish in the top 7.

Surely if we won all 6 that would be 77 points.....4 wins and a draw for 72 points

Our last 6 we have had 3 wins and 2 draws....Just need to turn one draw into a win

That certainly sounds more achievable to me.

 

[rararblue]

I voted no and since then we've been on a roll. Not going to change it! Don't want to jinx things.

 

[GBJ]

Surely if we won all 6 that would be 77 points.....4 wins and a draw for 72 points

Our last 6 we have had 3 wins and 2 draws....Just need to turn one draw into a win

That certainly sounds more achievable to me.

My bad, I thought we were on 60 points.

Yep, 4 wins and a draw should do it.

 

[Fairport]

Sutton have a semi final of the National League Cup at Braintree on Tuesday. Presuming they will field a strong team as there is a final at stake. As we are free in midweek this should give us a slight advantage.

 

[Roger The Alien]

We shouldn’t aim for 7th, we should aim for 4th place, that give us a focus on racking points to try and take 4th.

We want home advantage in play off, then win, then take on Forest Green in semi final with the momentum behind us.

 

[Maroon Blue]

We shouldn’t aim for 7th, we should aim for 4th place, that give us a focus on racking points to try and take 4th.

We want home advantage in play off, then win, then take on Forest Green in semi final with the momentum behind us.

No, we need to aim for 5th to get FGR. 4th will get York in semi’s assuming they finish as they are in the top 3.

 

[Roger The Alien]

No, we need to aim for 5th to get FGR. 4th will get York in semi’s assuming they finish as they are in the top 3.

York is 2nd, more likely to get 5th place side.

 

[Tommy2holes]

Think there are two places up for grabs.

Gateshead have disintegrated and look certain to miss out.

Halifax are also wobbling.

The pressure is on those above with the teams below picking up form.

It's a pressure pot. All we can do is win our games and keep moving forward.

If we do make the play offs I'd rather avoid york who are a really decent side

 

[Maroon Blue]

York is 2nd, more likely to get 5th place side.

2nd v 4th or 7th
3rd v 5th or 6th
It has been posted by National League in Feb, dates of games etc. Check it if you don’t want to take my word. Same formula for past few years. I agree 2nd should play whoever lowest etc but this is non-league lol.

 

[Snowy]

I am looking at Gateshead and possibly Rochdale and Halifax dropping below us and even out of the Play off Places if their form continues as it has been over recent games.
We just need to keep winning our games.

 

[PIERS]

2nd v 4th or 7th
3rd v 5th or 6th
It has been posted by National League in Feb, dates of games etc. Check it if you don’t want to take my word. Same formula for past few years. I agree 2nd should play whoever lowest etc but this is non-league lol.

To be fair the national league play off formula is the fairest. Apart from the fact it’s so spread out 2nd n 3rd spend ages waiting for their game. ..
Should be midweek for the first round.. following Sat for the semis and the final the weekend after

 

[Exiled Shrimper]

2nd v 4th or 7th
3rd v 5th or 6th
It has been posted by National League in Feb, dates of games etc. Check it if you don’t want to take my word. Same formula for past few years. I agree 2nd should play whoever lowest etc but this is non-league lol.

Actually, the team that finishes 2nd plays the Eliminator A winner (5th vs 6th) and the team that finishes 3rd plays the Eliminator B winner (4th vs 7th).

The rationale is that 4th and 5th are more likely to win, given home advantage, and provides the same gap between the eliminator round and semi-finals for the winning teams in the eliminator round. Once the play-off places are determined, teams can start planning for prospective journeys, so there is some logic to the process, even if it means the team finishing 2nd may face an opponent that finished higher in the league table.

National League
Eliminator A (5th v 6th) – Wednesday 14 May
Eliminator B – (4th v 7th) – Thursday 15 May
Semi-Final (2nd v Eliminator A Winner) – Tuesday 20 May
Semi-Final (3rd v Eliminator B Winner) – Wednesday 21 May
Promotion Final – Sunday 1 June (Wembley Stadium)

 

[RHB]

Probably now, the best way to go forward is one game at a time. What other teams do, or don't do. will be pretty much irrelevant if we keep on winning. One thing is for sure though, the teams above us aren't all going to collapse, as much as we would like them to. If we keep on picking up points and don't lose between now and the end of the season, then that will do for me.

 

[pottster]

I think its going to go down to the wire and away to Gateshead will decide our fate! Come on it is southend!

 

[Blues4LifeDan]

Probably now, the best way to go forward is one game at a time. What other teams do, or don't do. will be pretty much irrelevant if we keep on winning. One thing is for sure though, the teams above us aren't all going to collapse, as much as we would like them to. If we keep on picking up points and don't lose between now and the end of the season, then that will do for me.

I agree. I posted back in early Feb about keeping an eye on Gateshead falling, and it happened. However, they lost to a fantastic machine in Barnet this Saturday. They will have easier games than that. Their new signings will do better too. We can't expect them to keep losing. We just have to do what we can. That fact is, it's in our hands to get 7th. It's down to others losing for us to do even better. Let's just focus on 7th and what will be will be in regards to anything greater.

 

[bazzashrimper]

Not sure we need 13 more points. I can’t see Gateshead getting 11. Maybe someone can sneak past us, but everyone seems too inconsistent to win 5 from 6. Lets see

 

[KiwiRob]

Not sure we need 13 more points. I can’t see Gateshead getting 11. Maybe someone can sneak past us, but everyone seems too inconsistent to win 5 from 6. Lets see

Watch out for Tamworth! They seem to have momentum.

 

[Somerset Ex-TTB]

Watch out for Tamworth! They seem to have momentum.

People keep saying this: They have picked up the same number of points as we have in the last 10 games.

 

[overseas shrimper]

We shouldn’t aim for 7th, we should aim for 4th place, that give us a focus on racking points to try and take 4th.

We want home advantage in play off, then win, then take on Forest Green in semi final with the momentum behind us.

We should aim to win the next game. Then we should aim to win the game after that, etc.