Play-Offs

[Linda Loan Shark]

What a great season. We didnt have a proper pre season and couldnt buy the players we wanted because of an embargo. This will be an amazing achievement if we manage to sneak in the playoffs. Well done to the team and the three amigos to be fighting right until the end

 

[wiggy]

Tonight's betting
1/7 Halifax
4/11 Gateshead
9/4 Us
9/2 Alty

 

[Barling Magna]

My future predictions for the last three matches of the season need only focus on two teams now, ourselves and Gateshead. So....

Monday 21st April

Ebbsfleet v Southend. Ebbsfleet will be without Passley following his red card yesterday but Moncur and Cosgrave will be keen to perform well against us. A draw would seem likely but I predict we will WIN this.

Hartlepool v Gateshead. The Heed will fear this one. Despite their off field issues Hartlepool have been on a decent run and they will be anxious to beat their local rivals, and I think they will. So Gateshead to LOSE.

Should these results come to pass we will be just two points behind Gateshead.

Hmmmmm..........

So, how did I do? 100% correct for the results, but Altricham's win at Halifax means that I will after all need to predict their results too.

So here goes.

Saturday 26th April

Boston v Gateshead Boston's excellent run of form came to a sickening end yesterday when Solihull scored a last gasp winner so they will have to pick themselves up off the floor to gain the points needed to be safe. Gateshead lost two on the trot with their defeat at Hartlepool but they fought hard and almost drew and their previous defeat was by York who beat almost everyone (but not Oldham yesterday). So Gateshead will be tough opponents for Boston. Nonetheless I have a feeling that Boston may win this, but on balance a DRAW is most likely.

Daggers v Altrincham. After a shockingly bad run Daggers are finally fighting to pull themselves out of the drop zone and have lost only once out of their last six matches. Altrincham's form has been inconsistent but yesterday's convincing victory at Halifax will have boosted them. I predict a DRAW.

Halifax v Braintree. Halifax are in dreadful form while Braintree have been picking up points - they need two more to guarantee safety and I predict they will get one of them at the Shay. DRAW.

Southend v Wealdstone. Two wins and two draws in their last six matches mean that Wealdstone are in exactly the same form as us. They will be desperate to gain more points to ensure their safety. They recently drew at Barnet and beat Forest Green Rovers. Sadly I predict they will BEAT us. We are Southend United after all....

If all this comes to pass our play off hopes will hang by the slenderest thread:

Halifax 68 points
Gateshead 67
Altrincham 64
Southend 64

On the final day of the season we will need to defeat Gateshead by two clear goals and hope that Tamworth can hold Altrincham to a draw.

Hmmmm.......

 

[Blues4LifeDan]

Playoffs are absolutely still on and we should be lauding that. We have to pinch ourselves that we still have our incredible club to support, getting 9.5k fans and having it in our hands to get into the playoffs with 2 games to go. We've come so far in such a short period of time. It's unbelievable when you think about it.

Regarding the playoffs - Gateshead are a real mess at the moment. 11 loses since the turn of the year and winning only twice at home since the turn of the year too. They've won 1 game in 13! Similarly, Halifax have only won 1 game in 8.

Comparatively, we have only lost 4 league games since the turn of the year. Yet, some of our fans say we don't deserve to be around the playoffs. We absolutely deserve to be there with a fighting chance. I've said many times, our first half of the season really impacted us for reasons we all know. The second half has been more than ok and it's the other sides that should be looking in the mirror when they accumulated so many points in the first half of the season and haven't replicated it.

We are in this big time and sides will fear us. We've beaten Rochdale, Oldham and Halifax. None of them will want to play us.

I can't wait for Saturday and isn't it amazing to be going to Roots Hall with something positive riding on the game?! We've not experienced that for years, let's just enjoy it. Utb!

 

[londonblue]

One thing's for sure, we need to go up this season otherwise we're guaranteed two losses what with Morecambe coming down. Thanks Ron.

 

[Tommy's Mooney]

I hate how feasible it is that Gateshead will pip us to the post on equal goal difference but superior goals scored - unless I am mistaken I believe that is the next criterion?

 

[GBJ]

I hate how feasible it is that Gateshead will pip us to the post on equal goal difference but superior goals scored - unless I am mistaken I believe that is the next criterion?

It’s unlikely.

We need to win our last 2. In order to do that, they can’t win their last 2 which inevitably means our GD will improve and theirs will decrease.

Supposing both of us win this weekend (and not withstanding a massive goal swing in either game) we will leap frog their GD if we beat them at their place.

 

[ColinMorrisWalksOnWater]

I think Braintree's lack of players at this key time with the recalls of Francis and a Lisbie, plus the loss of Akinde to injury, means they will not have enough about them to get anything from the trip to Halifax.

Meaning if we beat Wealdstone, then Wealdstone would possibly need to avoid defeat against the Shaymen to stay up, maybe even win if we beat the Stones on Saturday and depending on Daggers result this Saturday.

Even though we can mathematically pip Halifax to the play offs, I think it is down to us or Gateshead, taking Halifax's last two fixtures into account.

 

[Barling Magna]

We are in this big time and sides will fear us. We've beaten Rochdale, Oldham and Halifax. None of them will want to play us.

I agree, and we shouldn't fear Forest Green either - but York are another matter. We need to avoid them and hope that one of the other play off teams can beat them.

 

[RHB]

I agree, and we shouldn't fear Forest Green either - but York are another matter. We need to avoid them and hope that one of the other play off teams can beat them.

We are Southend Utd, we fear no one!

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

It’s unlikely.

We need to win our last 2. In order to do that, they can’t win their last 2 which inevitably means our GD will improve and theirs will decrease.

Supposing both of us win this weekend (and not withstanding a massive goal swing in either game) we will leap frog their GD if we beat them at their place.

It becomes relevant if Gateshead draw on Saturday (and remember they play before us).

 

[bazzashrimper]

It’s unlikely.

We need to win our last 2. In order to do that, they can’t win their last 2 which inevitably means our GD will improve and theirs will decrease.

Supposing both of us win this weekend (and not withstanding a massive goal swing in either game) we will leap frog their GD if we beat them at their place.

A Gateshead draw on Saturday at 3pm. We then win by 1 goal. We are behind Gateshead on goals scored. We win by 2 goals and we are ahead of them on goal difference. This second goal effectively puts the draw vs Gateshead in our favour rather than theirs. All assumes Altringham don’t win both their games.

So unlikely, yes, but stranger things have happened.