Race to the tape: 2024's League One promotion campaign

[Mar]

Orient are still in with a (very) outside chance of playoffs. Totally out of their hands, like, but I can see them being well up for their match vs Derby.

Course, we've got the hardest match of the weekend, against a Pompey side for whom victory could seal the whole damn season. But we've no need to fear them. But for a Charles misfire, we'd have had an entirely different game against them back in December. And we've proven, time after time after time, that this season, on our day, we're more than a match for anyone in this league.

We can absolutely win this. And a victory may well put the frighteners on Portsmouth at the top too. Only six points ahead, with nine to play for? I've seen bigger and better teams get cold feet in those positions before...

Derby needed to win tonight if Portsmouth were going to have any last minute nerves.


Sadly, Derby have just opened the door for Portsmouth winning the league at our place. FFS. It's one thing for them to get promotion against us, but to lift the title. Great incentive to screw them up.

[jmjhb]

They have 4 chances to do that though. They can play and be relatively relaxed. Will they match our intensity if we get into them early? Could work either way.

[Mar]

They have 4 chances to do that though. They can play and be relatively relaxed. Will they match our intensity if we get into them early? Could work either way.

The most points any other team can get is 93.

Should we win that'll still mean they need to get 4 points to mathematically win the league. They can win it at our place by ensuring we can no longer catch them, but if we win, that'll ensure that the earliest they can do it would be the 20th April as GD would still be factored into the equation.

I don't relish the prospect of Portsmouth winning the league at ours, or on the 20th (incidentally my 40th). I would much rather us secure promotion on that day just in time for the end of season awards. It'd make the Peterborough game irrelevant, allowing for a lovely Cameron Jerome send off.

[dave the minion]

Who had 0-0? Is that their Dion Charles vs Pompey. Them misses in the 1st half were awful.

That was me sir. 0-0 prediction for last night, and a scrappy 1-0 win for us at the weekend.

1 down, 1 to go. You can all thank me later.....

[boltonboris]

They have 4 chances to do that though. They can play and be relatively relaxed. Will they match our intensity if we get into them early? Could work either way.

Portsmouth don't struggle with intensity. If anything, we'd have to match theirs. Not vice-versa

They go down a LOT. All over the pitch. I think a cheap set-piece, or penalty could be our undoing. I do fancy us though. Even more so if Sheehan is fit to play. Guess we'll find out about that today

[DJBlu]

Who had 0-0? Is that their Dion Charles vs Pompey. Them misses in the 1st half were awful.

That was me sir. 0-0 prediction for last night, and a scrappy 1-0 win for us at the weekend.

1 down, 1 to go. You can all thank me later.....

FFS Dave.

Why can't you say an easy 6 nil win.

[officer_dibble]

Well my prediction is us Derby and Peterborough won’t win all their games (of course not because we play Peterborough). Taking into account the games before the last round of fixtures - Derby have two, we have three and posh have four to play - so 9 games in total. I’d say at least 2, possibly 3 of those won’t be won. I imagine statistically the most likely game not to be won is probably us on Saturday… Peterborough at Oxford also looks tricky.

[dave the minion]

Who had 0-0? Is that their Dion Charles vs Pompey. Them misses in the 1st half were awful.

That was me sir. 0-0 prediction for last night, and a scrappy 1-0 win for us at the weekend.

1 down, 1 to go. You can all thank me later.....

FFS Dave.

Why can't you say an easy 6 nil win.

Whilst I'm very much an optimist, I'm also a realist...... An optimistic realist as it were (or a realistic optimist? Think they are the same thing??)

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

Jerome will be the new Wilbraham

[boltonboris]

Jerome will be the new Wilbraham

I have been thinking that he could have his Wilbraham moment you know...

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

Jerome will be the new Wilbraham

I have been thinking that he could have his Wilbraham moment you know...

Deserves it for me. Always works hard for the team and seems a likeable chap too.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

While we wonder if we'll get up, there's a hella relegation battle above us and I'm firmly into the "Ooh if we do go up I want X to go down then we can nick their players, Y to go down because they'll be better next season" etc
.

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[officer_dibble]

Didn’t stoke take plymouths manager? That would be interesting if it comes down to them two!

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Didn’t stoke take plymouths manager? That would be interesting if it comes down to them two!

Yep, Schumacher.

Can see why he left (more local, "headroom") but Stoke is a manager's graveyard. Weird club in total stasis for five years since relegation.

[bw@bw]

Didn’t stoke take plymouths manager? That would be interesting if it comes down to them two!

Yep, Schumacher.

Can see why he left (more local, "headroom") but Stoke is a manager's graveyard. Weird club in total stasis for five years since relegation.

He left for treble the salary he was getting at Plymouth.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Didn’t stoke take plymouths manager? That would be interesting if it comes down to them two!

Yep, Schumacher.

Can see why he left (more local, "headroom") but Stoke is a manager's graveyard. Weird club in total stasis for five years since relegation.

He left for treble the salary he was getting at Plymouth.

Yeah that's the other weird thing about Stoke - they're bankrolled by one of Britain's richest familes, the Coateseses who've grown fat on gambling addiction (they own Bet365 - the dad started with Stadia Catering, who did the gristle pies we all hated at Burnden). It was reported last year that they've sunk a third of a billion into the club since they took it over again in 2006. And what have they got to show for it lately?

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They're currently 20th.