Burton are not in great form, especially at home. Will be a large and vocal away following, so hopefully the makings of some positive momentum. Looking at the league table, if we were to win next week we go within two points of them. The table is incredibly tight, especially as before Christmas two or three teams looked doomed, not anymore. Difficult to see Wimbledon getting out of it, but they are giving it a go. After that literally anyone could get sucked in from Burton down, likewise anyone down the bottom that puts a couple of wins together goes flying up the league. Been said so many times in recent weeks, but next week looks a massive game to me if weâre going to get out of this. This time last season we had three more points than now and a better goal difference.
Would be good if we took a really big away following to Burton , and get behind them to produce another display like yesterday 
Come out of March not in the bottom four and weâll stay up.
I just think it incredibly unlikely.
Weâre about six points shy in my opinion.
And those six points are the ones we should have had against Peterborough, Sunderland, and Lueeern. All very good performances that have got lost in the noise of the poor run of results, where draws were somehow contrived from nailed on winning positions. There is ability in this team/squad, but weâve mismanaged winning positions when âblowing hotâ. Thatâs a real negative when youâre limited, you have to notch wins on your good days. Maybe yesterday redressed one of those situations in the scheme of things, but we still need another 7 or 8 performances like that, and for me next week needs to be one of them to get the momentum and belief back.
Depends what the others do.
Bradford 5 points behind and have to play Luton, Portsmouth, Posh and Charlton all in March.
Bristol Rovers have 4/6 games away in March. Also got Luton at home.
Rochdale have easier run but a worse GD than Walsall and 9 defeats out of their last 11 tells you where theyâre at. Luton away for them on Saturday.
Winning at Burton would be massive. When youâre desperately battling relegation any win is of course welcome but what really changes the narrative is back to back wins.
Also take a look at their forum, they reckon theyâre season is over and are going through the motions already. I reckon the likes of Burton, Southend, Wycombe, Accy, and even Peterborough represent the best opportunities to get the points we need. Mid-tableish sides with little to play for (which Peterborough will be soon), big opportunity next week in my eyes. Win and we probably need 11 points from as many matches, very do-able.
Add Southend at home on Easter Friday to that, hopefully another ticket offer and a decent crowd in for that, it is a bank holiday for majority after all. Edit: Canât read as you actualy mentioned them!
Only issue with Burton is we know how Clough teams play, will make the game tight and narrow so feels like a 1-0 game and I just donât think the team have the resilience at the back required to grind out a 1-0 away from home (unless theyâve saving that up for Sunderland).
Now if itâs an end to end 3-2 thriller the team showed yesterday they can do that so winning another 2-3 games like that is possible in the run in with the on the beach mid table teams.
If they play like that they should pick up a point at least against Burton and hopefully a win against Fleetwood. Would also like to think by the time we play Donny they will be secure in the playoffs and thinking about resting players.
Itâs smaxing how one match can change your perspective. I went yesterday more in hope than expectation and boy was I glad I did. If we can have more of the same we should be able to pull away from danger.
It would be massive youâre right.
I fancy us being third bottom come the end of March. We need Rochdale and one other to lie down alongside Wimbledon and Bradford.
The big hope is that following yesterdayâs triumph we have a new found confidence and we place some trust in a core of players who donât have the cop-out of launching it at the big man.
Then when that big man returns, he is rested and we use him in the right way (I.e we get down the sides and stick some crosses in rather than large lateral humps).
Unfortunately, I donât quite trust this squad or this manager enough to see us build on yesterday. The foundation that was Gillingham was followed by five of the most miserable performances and defeats Iâve ever seen.
Hopefully youâll be going with a few more of us to Burton now after that
He wonât be rested. He will absolutely walk back into this side with ease.
Hope you are right regarding how we use him though.
The next few games without him will be interestingâŚ
Lets hope they expose useful options etc
This is make or break for Gordon and Oteh. They need to go on a serious run to have any chance of displacing Cook.
Gordon made a good start on Saturday. Itâs still only 4 in 34 appearances though and I donât really buy this excuse that Cook has hindered his performances. Itâs only recently that weâve turned into a side that smacks the ball aimlessly up the pitch to Cook. He has had plenty of opportunities in plenty of games where we havenât played that way and, while you could never accuse him of a lack of effort at all (exactly what was needed Saturday) he sill lacks a touch of quality for me. Hopefully heâs turned the corner at just the right time 
Think PT means ârestedâ as in had a rest from his 3 games off, rather than ârestedâ being left out once available.
Here to help 
Ahh makes sense, Iâd read it wrong. Fair enough.
Interesting to me without Cook, Jarvis seemed to have his best game for the club by miles and much criticized Ismail (mainly by me) also seemed to step up.
Was that just due to the nature of the game or with Gordon not just staying in a fixed position and moving the CBs across the box that gave the two wide players a bit more space to work with?
To have a good chance of staying up the two wide players really need to keep up this form for another 5-6 games in the run in.
The run Gordon made was from the centre of the pitch not far from the centre circle to the corner of the 18 yard box. Not only does this drag the CB out it widens the gap between the CB and CM to be filled by our on rushing midfield. It also means that we can play the ball around the side of the full backs and into feet so when itâs under control it can be layed off to a winger on the ground who picks it up at full pace. This can be done at a faster pace and doesnât allow time for the opposition to reset their formation. Jarvis and Zeli exploited these situations well as it better suits their game.
Spot on. Look at our second goal.
A cross from Ismail finds the head of Jarvis who is attacking the near post then the rebound falls to Edwards.
Cook is great. We just become one dimensional because his presence gives us a cop-out ball. I donât think he enjoys that at all. Find him in the box either in the air or on the deck he can cause havoc but lumping it to him fifty yards out with centre halves all over his back is frustrating. Not just for him but others too. Josh Gordon, Morgan Ferrier et al are forced into the second fiddle role of feeding off scraps - hoping a second ball might bobble their way. Not Cookâs fault at all. It is a manifestation of a team who have lost the confidence to play. Letâs hope Saturday has rebuilt some of that.
Without creating a lynch mob after my head on a spike, the way we play to Cook is not because of his size or ability in the air. Itâs because of his movement, or lack of. Cook wonât make the left the right runs Gordon made on Saturday, dragging their entire back 4 towards their own goals and creating space between their defence and midfield. He maintains a very static & centralised position. His lack of movement means he is screened by the opposition centre midfield. Usually this means we canât work the ball through midfield so instead try to play over it. In addition to this, because of the lack of attempted runs in behind their back 4 they push up and restrict the space behind their midfield to play in and these tight situations are where we usually lose the ball.
Thereâs also another reason itâs lumped up to Cook , and that is that the teams confidence has been that low , and players being scared to make a mistake they have took the easy option , and just hoofed it up field hoping it goes to Cook , and creates something more in hope than anything else .