Pukka Pies for goalposts - a Football League/ National League thread

[The Culture Bunker]

Workington blew up in the Play-Off semi final too - winning 2-1 with seconds left, Marine equalised then scored the winner a few minutes in extra time. Second consecutive 1300 home crowd for the Reds will have been disappointed.

They were tipped to the title by sugar-daddy funded Warrington Rylands this season and I think next season the Robbie Savage backed-Macclesfield will be in that division, so the same thing could happen again. Presumably West Cumbria is lacking millionaires to plunge a few quid in.

[Kankurette]

I hope we can keep Peacock-Farrell next season and Dawson can stay at Exeter. Speaking of which, I'm going the Wednesday v Pompey match this weekend, it'll be the first time I've set foot in Hillsborough in like 3 years. Garry Monk was in charge last time I went, I think it was Wigan.

[Ted-Maul]

Workington blew up in the Play-Off semi final too

Still cant believe that last league result against Market Drayton... they're like, SO shit...   But selfishly, i'm sortof pleased because i still want to go to Workington for a game and will get another chance next season.

next season the Robbie Savage backed-Macclesfield will be in that division, so the same thing could happen again.

And then the season after that might include Bury who you'd expect to have enough resources to carry on up the pyramid. Although the last i heard, the people who had formed the new AFC Bury were having second thoughts about joining forces with the resurrected original Bury FC which will have the stadium and the history but no league standing. I guess they've seen what fan-ownership has the potential to achieve and are weary of giving up on that. Or maybe they just want to be the ones in charge.

[Yussef Dent]

Workington blew up in the Play-Off semi final too - winning 2-1 with seconds left, Marine equalised then scored the winner a few minutes in extra time. Second consecutive 1300 home crowd for the Reds will have been disappointed.

They were tipped to the title by sugar-daddy funded Warrington Rylands this season and I think next season the Robbie Savage backed-Macclesfield will be in that division, so the same thing could happen again. Presumably West Cumbria is lacking millionaires to plunge a few quid in.

It's so weird how the playoffs can mean the form book just disintegrates. Last night in our (Belper) semi final we played a Stamford side who had beaten us 6-1 at their place and 4-1 at ours (and signing our top scorer pretty much straight after that match). They'd won their last nine matches, scoring 27 goals and conceding just one. We won 2-1. Chasetown away in the final on Saturday, who have beaten us 3-0 and 2-0 this season, so we've got to upset the odds yet again! We've been given an allocation of 500 tickets and that's expected to sell out, absolutely nuts for a club apathetically sleepwalking to oblivion about four years ago with no manager, players (well, one injured player who eventually left) and an outgoing board.

It's always a problem with phoenix clubs coming in as they have the potential to just steamroller the division because they have the resources. Some clubs will try and keep pace but there's been example of teams trying this and just fading away, it can have a negative effect that can go on for a few seasons just because you've tried to chase a dream.

And then the season after that might include Bury who you'd expect to have enough resources to carry on up the pyramid. Although the last i heard, the people who had formed the new AFC Bury were having second thoughts about joining forces with the resurrected original Bury FC which will have the stadium and the history but no league standing. I guess they've seen what fan-ownership has the potential to achieve and are weary of giving up on that. Or maybe they just want to be the ones in charge.

From an outsider's perspective the Bury thing with potentially two clubs looks a bit of a mess, there seems to be quite a bit of animosity between people associated with the two factions. A bit like Northwich, joining forces would make sense but that looks like it will never happen.

[Yussef Dent]

Messed up edit... sorry.

[Ted-Maul]

I suppose it'd feel like handing over your baby to the same sort of people who murdered your last baby... why take the risk when you're doing just fine without them.

Yes, i clocked the Belper result, well done and good luck for saturday.  In fact, there was a few suprising results and it got me thinking how, as a fan of an ever-present premier league team, i've never experienced the joys and pains of the playoffs. City of Liverpool won the playoffs a few seasons ago but i wasn't around to see it. Not sure if i could handle the all-or-nothing pressure of a playoff final!

[The Culture Bunker]

Still cant believe that last league result against Market Drayton... they're like, SO shit...   But selfishly, i'm sortof pleased because i still want to go to Workington for a game and will get another chance next season.

Maybe make it next season - some stories that Borough Park will be replaced by a new "Sports Village" type stadium shared with the rugby league team next door. The right move on many levels, but rickety old Borough Park has a real charm to it.

It's so weird how the playoffs can mean the form book just disintegrates.

It's frustrating for Workington fans because they were looking nailed on for the automatic promotion in the two seasons they were cancelled due to Covid. I do wonder if they'd gone up whether it would have tempted Danny Grangier to stay on as manager - probably not, but you never know. They've had a fair few 1000+ crowds in the last few months and I'd imagine there's a worry the momentum drains away after such a disappointment as the last week.

[Yussef Dent]

Yes, i clocked the Belper result, well done and good luck for saturday.  In fact, there was a few suprising results and it got me thinking how, as a fan of an ever-present premier league team, i've never experienced the joys and pains of the playoffs. City of Liverpool won the playoffs a few seasons ago but i wasn't around to see it. Not sure if i could handle the all-or-nothing pressure of a playoff final!

Cheers! To be brutally honest, as much as I'm looking forward to it and have all the pre-match nervous excitement, there's a gut feeling in me that says it may just be a step too far for us this time. We've got a pretty dismal record against other sides in the top 5 so the Stamford win was an anomaly (and Stamford were down to ten men for a half) in the grand scheme of things. That said, there's a proper siege mentality about the team, we've had some horrendous injury luck towards the back end of the season, and one of our best players had to be shown the door finally for constant disciplinary issues, and we've just got on with it. 

Haha as a Derby fan too I've been through too many of the bloody things! With Belper I've seen us lose one to a Jamie Vardy inspired Stocksbridge who beat us 1-0 and we kind of froze on the day at home. I've seen us win one at home too, a 1-0 win over Mickleover FC, quite possibly one of the worst games of football I've ever seen, capped off by a complete mess of a goal to win it. An away playoff final is new territory! One thing I will say though about playoffs is once you're in them, everyone has to treat every side as equal. I remember when we lost to Stocksbridge we lost out on the league title on goal difference and speaking to some of the players after, who were completely gutted, the feeling of "we got x amount of points more than them, it's unfair" doesn't really wash.

I've said on here before though, I still like playoffs and I think leagues would be a lot worse off without the potential of many teams having something to play for.

[finnquark]

Alty have a weirdly brilliant record in playoffs - all 3 promotions to the Conference since I've been going have been won in playoff finals. I like the new format that was introduced to the Conference and CN/S a few years ago, with 2nd to 7th entering the playoffs (2nd and 3rd get a bye to the semi), usually adds some drama late in the season for sides chasing 6th and 7th. The Conference North this season has a few sides who can still sneak in. Oddly the Conference National playoff race is a bit boring this year, with the top 7 set 4 games from the end of the season.

Can't possibly post about playoffs without this - https://youtu.be/shhGmDPeuqM

120th min winner to go up to the Conference against Guiseley a few years ago, with a great assist/assault from big Kyle Perry

[Butchers Blind]

Big day for Gillingham. Can they avoid relegation?

[Butchers Blind]

Big day for Gillingham. Can they avoid relegation?

No.

[iamcoop]

I hope we can keep Peacock-Farrell next season and Dawson can stay at Exeter. Speaking of which, I'm going the Wednesday v Pompey match this weekend, it'll be the first time I've set foot in Hillsborough in like 3 years. Garry Monk was in charge last time I went, I think it was Wigan.

I bet you had a blinding day.

My best mate is a Sunderland fan so either way one of us is getting heartbroken.

[Kankurette]

I did. I don't think I've ever enjoyed a match that much. I just wish I'd brought some balloons with me, the Kop was full of the damn things. I can't get over how small our squad are (I mean in terms of height, not depth, Bannan is indeed a Little Scottish Man). First time I've stayed for a lap of honour as well. I wish we didn't have Sunderland in the playoffs, but fuck it, I'm just glad we're IN the playoffs tbh. I'm exhausted, but it was worth the pain.

Commiserations to whichever one of you is a Gillingham fan. Do we have any Wigan fans here?

[jamiefairlie]

Can we through some Scottish pyramid stuff in here? The cull of the perennial bottom feeders hopefully will continue this year when Bonnyrigg Rose play Cowdenbeath in the playoffs. Hopefully that will see Cowdenbeath join their useless detritus compatriots Brechin, Berwick and East Stirlingshire in the wilderness.

[Kankurette]

They come frae near Lochgelly
They havnae got a telly
They're dirty and they're smelly
The Cowden family, etc.

[Poobum]

See Fort William have finally gone. Seems the Highland League has been wanting rid of 'em for a while.

[jamiefairlie]

They come frae near Lochgelly
They havnae got a telly
They're dirty and they're smelly
The Cowden family, etc.

And the classic "oh yer sister's yer maw"

[jamiefairlie]

Probably the strangest ground I've been in, with a full speedway track between the  pitch and the terracing. It feels like you're actually in a different place from the football.

[Kankurette]

Probably the strangest ground I've been in, with a full speedway track between the  pitch and the terracing. It feels like you're actually in a different place from the football.

Grantham Town's ground is like that and yes, it is a weird feeling having a dirty great racetrack between the stands and the pitch.

[jobotic]

Gills down. Fuck you all.

I would have been there and crying on the telly years ago. Not so invested now but nevertheless WE ALL COME FROM THE MEDWAY TOWNS

[Kankurette]

Alan Biggs liked one of my tweets. I am so proud.

As an aside, I really, really do not regret changing teams. Even if Wednesday don't go up (I have a bad feeling about Sunderland). I just wish going to Hillsborough didn't tire me out so much - I feel like death warmed up today and when I was on the train home I was so tired i nearly fell asleep. But it was worth it.

Gillingham have had a rotten time of it this season. What happened? Injuries?

[Poobum]

Shockingly Mansfield are two points off promotion with a game in hand on Northampton. Hopefully they can do in Salford whilst Port Vale lose to Newport. Nice they're not a basket case club anymore, violently attacking their own chairman (not that he wasn't a cunt).

[Kankurette]

Yeah, it's pretty tight up there. Port Vale ahead on GD by 6 goals.

On the other end, bloody hell, 9 points between Oldham and Scunny, who've only won FOUR GAMES. And a goal difference of MINUS 54. Desolation.

[Psybro]

Now Stevenage have stayed up I can see us failing to hold onto a lead against that Scunthorpe for the sublime comedy it was.

Oldham still having a home game to get through could be interesting, or the fans could just stay away.

[Yussef Dent]

Cheers! To be brutally honest, as much as I'm looking forward to it and have all the pre-match nervous excitement, there's a gut feeling in me that says it may just be a step too far for us this time.

Got that bloody wrong!

[holyzombiejesus]

Shockingly Mansfield are two points off promotion with a game in hand on Northampton. Hopefully they can do in Salford whilst Port Vale lose to Newport. Nice they're not a basket case club anymore, violently attacking their own chairman (not that he wasn't a cunt).

Fuck. You.

It's been a pretty exciting/ terrifying few weeks for us. The automatics were in touching distance after we won something like 8 games out of 9 but then defeats to Bristol Rovers and fucking Walsall put everything in doubt. If we win our final two, we're up. Final game is away at (leaders) Exeter though...

I'm sure others will disagree but as a club, we'd really deserve it especially after what Darrell Clarke has been through and the way everyone pulled together after that. We had years of bad ownership and the Shanahans who took over are total superstars. One of the main reasons they bought the club was so they could use the ground and kitchens to provide for vulnerable families, I think they've given out 700,000 meals now.

Really don't want the play-offs. Think we'd get beat by Swindon and Brizzle. To think we released McKirdy at the end of last season.

[jobotic]

Gills down. Fuck you all.

I would have been there and crying on the telly years ago. Not so invested now but nevertheless WE ALL COME FROM THE MEDWAY TOWNS

Bit drunk when I wrote that.

I of course meant "fuck it all", not "fuck you all".

You're all lovely.

[holyzombiejesus]

The Salford draw is an ok result for Vale. Mansfield probably consigned to play offs now and Salford can just fuck off. Horrible dogshit club.

[holyzombiejesus]

Salford can just fuck off. Horrible dogshit club.

Probably one of the biggest games in the club's entire history, a bank holiday so most fans off work, over a thousand Mansfield fans attending and this streak of useless arsedribble can still only get around 3.5k through the gates. Presumably the biggest wage bill in the league two. Absolutely fucking pathetic.

[Poobum]

Well those results were a load of arse.