Cam on, fear the noise: Cambridge (H) Sat 2 Mar 3pm

[CambridgeSean]

Just be gentle with us please! It's a nailed on win for BW. We're a real mess at the moment (on the pitch, not off it) and I haven't said that for a long time. Could well see a 4-0. Best of luck for the rest of the season.

Cheers Sean. We're all arse about tit too, and the natives are getting fearful. Might not be as hard as you think to get a result at ours – I'm sure your gaffer will give it the "Keep them quiet for 15 minutes and the fans will turn" advice.

Then again, I hadn't noticed your boys had lost five of the last six - with the exception being the frankly hopeless Carlisle. If we score first it could be a long afternoon for you.

Then again again, our last visitors hadn't won in 15 games and we contrived to let them score three. Being Charlton, they also let us score three – we've been having that sort of month where nothing is predictable. And you'll remember from last April's game at ours, when you were 22nd and we were 5th, that we have a habit of loading the blunderbuss and aiming it squarely at our own boots. That time it was an injury-time Sam Smith equaliser. This time it could be anything. Don't give up yet.

Good luck to you too, obviously after Saturday. I've nowt against Cambridge, even if I've been going for 30-odd years without seeing us win there.

Thanks, much appreciated. And of course if we had a substantive gaffer who I could name I would give you a reply. But we don't so I can't!

[TANGODANCER]

Boss man seems to be talking up a storm right now. Bit of self-motivation in there?

[Worthy4England]

Boss man seems to be talking up a storm right now. Bit of self-motivation in there?

Hope so!

[Worthy4England]

I did quite like this snippet from IE “We shouldn’t lose sight of that,” said Evatt. “It is easy to become emotional over a week, even over four days in football."

Eh? Emotional over 4 days?!?!?! We have people who can become very emotional in well under 45 minutes!

[Mar]

Charity whites is over, for now at least. Time to put the boot in against a struggling team.

Everyone seems to be confident here and taking an early goal should see us through comfortably.

[BWFC_Insane]

Yeah we will win this. It’s the sort of game we are good at. They are struggling right now too.

It’s a question of how we play and then can we set ourselves up in the right mindset for Tuesday.

[TANGODANCER]

Tuesday, will come soon enough; think now! Unless we win today Barnsley away will seem twice the task it is. Just play football and forget all else. Right, that's it. COME ON YOU WHITES...!...

[sonicthewhite]

Unfortunately no kettle or couch for me today as I'm in Kettering. The crappy conference centre espresso machine will have to suffice. We need a convincing win to re-ignite our promotion credentials.

[The_Gun]

I’ve completely disengaged from everything Bolton-related since full time on Tuesday. Usually by this time on a Saturday my optimism has returned, but I’m genuinely still pissed off.

Oh well, if we hammer these today, as we should, maybe I’ll be back on side.

[BorsdaneWhite]

I’ve completely disengaged from everything Bolton-related since full time on Tuesday. Usually by this time on a Saturday my optimism has returned, but I’m genuinely still pissed off.

Oh well, if we hammer these today, as we should, maybe I’ll be back on side.

Glad I’m not the only one. Those losses leave a boot in.

Expecting a weird atmosphere today. It’s been subdued for a while now and it feels a nervous place. To some extent Evatt’s right: it isn’t helpful (but is partially justified—goes both ways, dunnit). Local derbies leave smudge marks and I can’t imagine people have forgotten that easily.

Hoping for an early goal to settle things and for a blinder from the spine: Coleman, Santos, Sheehan, and the donkeys up top.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

No idea what XI I'd pick for this, let alone what Evatt will.

Personally, in a home game we should win, I'd still favour Iredale over Toal at LCB because he's much more comfortable going forward. (At RCB, Jones would get the benefit of the doubt for the same reason.) But I suspect Ian will stick with Jones-Santos-Toal, which was to be fair the back three for the Big Good Run.

Sheehan's got to stay at DM even though a yellow would rule him out at Barnsley (and Exeter next Saturday). I'd tell him to be very careful and I'd be hoping an early lead could let us sub him and try Morley or Thomo at 6. At 8 I'd have Thomo and Maghoma although Dempsey's very close. I suspect Evatt will start Maghoma today with an eye to Dempsey in the harder game on Tuesday, but we'll see.

WIngbacks... I suspect Evatt with stick with JDC and rotate his Saturday boy Ashworth back in. Williams could well be available but I think he'll be eased back in off the bench. Ogbeta will be back in the stands and Ramsay presumably selling beers in the kiosk. What would I do? I would like to see Ramsay at some point and this seems like a good game to try it, but I've not seen him in training; in the last five games he's been an unused sub, brought on in injury time, an unused sub and then out of the squad twice. Hmm. On the left, I might be tempted to go Ogbeta again considering we'll need greater defensive nous at Barnsley (Ashworth?) but I can understand the alternation of the LWBs.

Up front... hmm again. Since his debut assist, Collins has been unimpressive off the bench, so do we give him a start hoping he can find his way into the game? I'd maintain Vic at 9 and I think Evatt will too, but I suspect he may start Bodvarsson behind Vic due to Collins not #downloading #content fast enough yet.

My guess of Ian's XI:
Coleman; Jones, Santos, Toal; JDC, Maghoma, Sheehan, Thomason, Ashworth; Bodvarsson, Adeboyejo.
Subs coming on to include Collins, Dempsey and WIlliams.

Mine (I think):
Coleman; Jones, Santos, Iredale; Ramsay(?), Maghoma, Sheehan, Thomason, Ogbeta; Collins, Adeboyejo.
Subs coming on to include Bod, Dempsey and WIlliams.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Ashworth and Ramsay are the 'fit' players out of the 18.

[Mar]

No Ashworth in the squad today. Perhaps he'll be in the squad for the Barnsley game.

Ogbeta was the stand out player against Wigan so that's understandable and Williams is obviously first choice.

[nicholaldo]

I'd also have given Ramsay an opportunity today, with the added bonus of allowing JDC a rest but there we are.

I really hope Collins can get himself off the mark.

COYW

[nicholaldo]

When was the last time we had two wing-backs starting consecutive matches?

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

When was the last time we had two wing-backs starting consecutive matches?

Possibly the last injury crisis...

Ashworth & JDC both started the two league games either side of the Blackpool cup defeat, if that counts.

If on the other hand you include cup games, those two started the Luton reply and the subequent Orient humbling.

If you want two consecutive league games without a cup game in the middle, JDC & Williams both started v Burton on NYD and at Fleetwood the game before.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Today's other relevant games
Derby v Vale
Pompey v Oxford
Wycombe v Barnsley

[Mar]

Less than a minute gone and they've already hacked at Sheehan. Typical.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

L POMPEY 1-0 Oxford

[Mar]

Joke of a decision by the ref there. Adeboyejo fouling someone by facing the other way and not even looking at him as he gets ran into?