Not wanting to put a downer on things but we could be out of the playoff spots on Tuesday night depending on the result of Barrow vs Gillingham.
I’m a bit torn on what result I think would be best - if there’s a winner they will go back above us and we’ll drop to 7th with the other still below, and if a draw both will jump above and we’ll be 8th. The only way we avoid dropping at all is Barrow having yet another postponement due to the weather up there.
A draw would mean no more than a single point to make up (and/or a goal difference of 1) while giving us a game in hand on Gillingham and use up one of Barrow’s on us (with our showdown with them the following Tuesday), but it’s points on the board for both. A decisive result keeps us in the frame above one of them, but which one would it be better to be behind?
Hmmm. I think rained off to give them both fixture congestion and still having to chase us is what I’d prefer most. Who do you have to pray to in order to make that happen?
But isn’t it nice to be having this quandary instead of who is keeping us up out of the bottom few spaces? All we as a team can do is win our games, nothing more.
I don’t think it matters if someone overhauls us because we are in such good form that it would only be a matter of time before we climbed above them.
This Walsall team is full of confidence and energy.
The manager is getting a tune out of them and I can’t see any of the teams we have to face stopping us.
I’m not for a moment suggesting we are going to sweep all before us but as far as I can see our team is a match for anyone.
I’m just loving being involved. First time since 2016 that we are at this end of the season with realistic hope in our hearts.
The table will ebb and flow. Four of our rivals play each other in the week. We will have hiccups, set backs and disappointments on the run in. But we’re in with a real shout.
I’m trying to curb my hopes. There are still around ten teams fighting for the one or two spots and memories of 2016 (and what happened later) are too painful, but maybe. Maybe. I know one injury, or suspension can derail it very rapidly, but this league is so tight anything can happen.
Momentum is well and truly with us. We need only look upwards.
With 11 games left, if over the next 4 games we can put another 8/9 Points on the board ahead of the MK Dons game we could make a little more interesting.
Granted we are looking and thinking we need that top 4 or so to lose a few. But teams at this stage wobble. Those players who’ve been playing on injuries really start to feel the strain. Games come thick and fast. You get a bit of complacency. You get the nerves. Suspensions etc etc.
I don’t think this young team of ours with momentum behind them are bothered about Wrexham, Mansfield, Stockport.
I think, the next 4 games we might have an even more different perspective on things.
I genuinely think we can make the play offs now. It’s been such a wonderful turnaround , and everyone is pulling in the right direction. It’s been nice to hear sadler praise the fans in interviews. UTS
74 points more or less guarantees a play off place. The average is 72.28 points.
So that’s 20 more points from 11 games. Or win 6, draw 2, lose 3. Which is one less point than from our previous 11 which oddly includes five games where we didn’t win followed by five successive victories.
That has to be what we concentrate on. Just carrying on as we are and let everything else take care of itself.
I keep looking at the top 3 and thinking could we do a Bristol Rovers? 9 points to overturn is achievable, but still seems a tall order from our position with only 11 left to play. As others have said, we just need to keep doing what we’re doing and focus on ourselves.
Our run in includes fixture against Barrow, MK Dons, Wimbledon Bradford and Notts County so there are some tricky fixtures still to play.
I’ve always said, top 10 showing progress and promise for next season would make me happy, and then push for the autos next season so you don’t have the uncertainty of the POs. Although if it could be guaranteed, there isn’t a better way to be promoted than as PO winners.
