The Crowing Cockerel

Looking at Cray's run-in we probably could've done with winning last night. Some twists and turns ahead and we move on to the next cup final on Saturday!

2 hours ago, Barney said:

Blimey, has everyone taken a large dose of optimism? Most positive thread ever...long may it continue, hopefully it's not normal service resumed by 10pm tomorrow 😁

Calm down - I'm still fairly pessimistic! I think we will need a lot of things to go our way to win tomorrow evening - and even more if we're to make the play-offs. Our problem has always been challenging the well-organised sides at the top of the table. Our long ball game will be meat and drink to the Hornchurch, Stortford, Aveley and Horsham defences. They won't allow Cass/Cunnington to bully them and will be able to recycle the ball quickly.

Last I heard, Hornchurch were still missing Spence and Nash - who are important players. Unfortunately Higgins looks to be available.

Perhaps tomorrow, or if not then maybe over the rest of the run-in we must be due some luck!

So, the Footballwebpages predicted table now suggests we'll finish 4th after picking up 11 points from our remaining 6 games (77 points). That means winning 3 and drawing 2 with only 1 defeat. Given who we have to play (Hornchurch, Cray, Stortford, Horsham, Aveley, Haringey) that would be a pretty good return. 

So here we are, 7 (possibly 9!) cup finals to determine our season. You would struggle to find a tougher run-in for any of the play-off chasers than ours. Nevertheless, I've decided its actually a good thing. Either we make it into the play-offs with confidence high following a string of good results against the top sides in the league, or we falter and our season ends with a damp squib finish seeing us in 7th/8th. As Cheshunt demonstrated last season, its crucial to go into the play-offs in form. It we make it now then we will have had to have taken points from the likes of Aveley, Stortford, Hornchurch etc.

A very tough game against Herne Bay first up. About time things clicked into place! Go on Town!!

21 hours ago, Raingod said:

Hi CC .. yes it will be tough .. but still in our hands ...

 

At 1st glance the predicted table is worrying to look at ... but when you look at all the predicted results - if those results all happened but we simply beat Stortford 1-0 rather than lose 0-1 to them as they predict, we would jump up from 6th to 2nd in the table!

 

Hopefully our blip ends with a win at Corinthian on Saturday ...

Can you really see us beating Stortford though? Certainly not on current form.

On 14/03/2023 at 07:06, Raingod said:

Thanks for this 4WF - what was I thinking! 

 

OK last 4 seasons finishing points for 5th place:

21/22 Cheshunt 76 pts

18/19 Merstham 70 pts

17/18 Leiston 79 from 46 games = 72 pts from 42

16/17 Wingate 75 from 46 games = 68 pts from 42.

 

So 3 out of 4 occasions 72 pts is enough - that is 4 wins from 8.

We have a very tough run in but with so many teams involved lets hope everyone drops against others (except for us!)

Still all to play for .. hoping Jake can be back in action sooner rather than later .. perhaps Liam Hope as a deadline signing to come off the bench for us??!!

And if Dequain has a hamstring issue do we need another defender to ensure we have the back 3 option? Remembering last seasons final when Chappell and Smith were unavailable did mean a last minute change .. 

 

I don't think 72 points will be enough this year - and the predicted table agrees with me: https://www.footballwebpages.co.uk/isthmian-football-league-premier-division/league-table/predicted - suggests we'll finish 6th with 75 points and 77 points required to make the play-offs this season.

Somehow we need to play out of our skins to make the play-offs now. At present I can't see it as we sit 18th in the form guide.

Nathan Smith now at Hashtag United with Percy (and scored 2 on debut!) as they cruise their way to the Isthmian Prem.

3 goals scored in the last 6 games (which includes the 2-0 Bognor win) tells the story with no Mo to bail us out this season.

I think a 7th or 8th place finish is probably about right from what I've seen this season.

I also think that should signal the end of AL's tenure as manager of the club.

Lets see whether the manager (and his players) can prove me wrong.

FT 1-0 to Lewes.

With 8 games remaining (- and some very very tough ones at that!) I reckon we'll be fortunate to bag one of the away play-off spots.

Have the feeling that AL is going to have to do something very special to keep us in with a shout of the play-offs now. Will need to win against Casuals and Herne Bay (who are fighting for their lives). Then we have Hornchurch (who I'd say are now odds on for the title), Cray, Horsham, Haringey, Stortford, Aveley. 

Looks a very tough run-in. Call me a pessimist, but on current form I think we'll finish 7th or 8th.

22 hours ago, Raingod said:

 

An impressively one-sided set of 'highlights'. According to the footage we didn't cross the halfway line all game and yet somehow came out with a 1-1 in a 'tightly-contested' game!

4 out of 6 points so far. Without having seen the game, I'd've taken that before those two fixtures. Plus, we have only shipped 1 goal, so that's an improvement!

Ok, 3 points from the first seaside jaunt!

10 games left. Hastings Tuesday - another tough test.

Any news on Jake's hamstring?

Its almost worth the squad making a week of it in Brighton! This may well be the defining week of our 22/23 season. Three very tough away fixtures against Bognor, Hastings and Lewes. Three defeats and we can ready ourselves for fixtures against the likes of Hashtag United in the Isthmian Prem next season. If we're still in a play-off spot at 5pm next Saturday, then we might just have a shot at promotion (with fixtures against Casuals and Herne Bay following). Lets hope the boys can hit something resembling top form and put the past few fixtures behind them!

1 hour ago, Barney said:

Would someone different do better with the players available? Maybe. Could they end up coming in and doing worse? Also maybe.

We know from previous experience that if we changed the manager most - if not all - of the playing squad would also change. It would certainly be a gamble, but I'd like to think that we would now be quite an attractive job in the non-league pyramid.

26 minutes ago, djwilf said:

Interesting that we've just signed Mo Kamara on dual registration too.  

Guess we can see the management's thinking in signing another 'target man'.🤦‍♂️

98 mins I won't be getting back. Half time was a blessed relief sandwiched in between something which was one of the worst investments of time and money I have ever made. Awful. Terrible. Clueless.

The fact that the management decided to persevere with long balls for the entirety of the game tells me that they lack the courage to try to provide any kind of entertainment. It was painful.

Playing at home, in a play-off position, and absolutely terrified to do anything other than squeeze the play and hit long, hopeful balls? The pitch is pretty good, and with players like Lyle Della Verde on it we know that we can spread the play and get crosses in from the touch line. 

With a run of tough away games ahead it feels as if the wheels are coming off, and we only have ourselves to blame.

48 minutes ago, lovely stuff said:

I personally do not feel we have progressed much on the pitch in the last 3 seasons or so. I think we are pretty much where we were.. I realise that there will always be several other clubs (at any one time) in our league that we have higher budgets. Probably about 4 to 5 teams on average. As i always point out we are about 6th-7th in the league for budget and attendances. We perfom pretty much on par with that, as we have been for quite a few seasons. We rarely bat above our average over each full  season. Or look like we will do the following season. Probably the only thing that is consistent.

Yes safety and top half every season brings stability to the club. I just fear that stability can turn into stagnation. 

Agreed, LS. Although I guess it could be worse - we could be under-achieving! I have to give the manager some credit for that. However he's not really pulling up any trees! My real hope is that the next manager is able to do more with the resources available - either coach players recruited within our budget to perform to a much higher level, or perhaps unearth a few hidden gems. A long FA Cup run might even push our player recruitment into a different financial bracket.

I appreciate that we very nearly lost senior non-league football in the borough, and we've come a long way from that roped-off pitch at Goldsdown Road, but some of us are anxious to relive the glory days of an Enfield side at the very top of the non-league pyramid - and in my life time! So lets hope for some real ambition rather than stability and stagnation.

LS, I think its indicative of where we are as a club. We are making progress, but its just very slow progress. Thats part and parcel of our business model. We can't do what the likes of Bishops Stortford and Hornchurch are doing - attempting to buy their way into the National League. For example, BS have very recently signed Sam Deering who was plying his trade in the football league 18 months ago - I suspect he's being paid comparatively well. Meanwhile Hornchurch have recently shelled out a reported £40k on a striker Folkestone had (very sensibly) tied down to a 2-year contract.

I can only grumble so much about our current inconsistencies. I have no idea whether any other manager could do any better than AL with our budget. Our reality is that we have to hope that we can make the play-offs. And then we need to get very lucky, twice, in order to get promoted. Assuming we continue to make progress then it will probably happen at some point in the future. Its just tough when we've been up against teams who can draft in loan signings from football league teams (Worthing) who can be real game-changers and (while not paupers) we're financially ham-strung.

6 conceded in 2 games. Impressive stuff. We're still flat-track bullies who can't seem to live with the top sides in the Isthmian Prem. We'd be like lambs to the slaughter in the National League South!

We're pretty good compared to the mid/bottom of the table sides (which keeps us in the Top 6) but too often come unstuck against our main rivals. If you want to get promoted then you need to not be losing (i.e. getting a point out of) games like these. Afraid I can't see us getting anything from a rejuvenated Folkestone either. So a tough week ahead which may be make or break for any kind of shot at the title.

Liam Hope's been at Potters Bar Town for a few games now by the looks of things.

Meanwhile, a curious encounter involving our opponents of last Saturday, Wingate & Finchley.

82 minutes gone, Bowers are cruising to victory 3-0 up in front of a 'crowd' of 77.

Cue a quite remarkable come back with Wingate scoring 4 in the final minutes - including one from their Goalkeeper who came up for a corner - to win it 4-3!

Strange afternoon at the QE2. We've put ourselves in with a shot at promotion, but we need a fair amount of luck if we're going to achieve that this season. For my money, I reckon finishing 3rd (behind Hornchurch - who are splashing the cash, and Bishops Stortford) is probably the best we can achieve, but its a funny old game!

Back to today... I get it, we've out-muscled a fair few teams recently with long balls up to Cunnington. The trouble is: (1) We're actually a better footballing side than that; (2) Its not really a style of football to excite the fans. Whilst Adam won ALOT of headers today, Wingate did a good job of clearing up the second ball. The Wingate keeper also dealt with pretty much every cross thrown into the box.

The Wingate goal was nothing short of brilliant - well worth a watch on the highlights when they come out. A cross-field ball to their right wing is volleyed into the box first time where the diminutive No.10 hit an overhead kick which Nathan could only watch sail into the top right-hand corner of the net.

The sending off. I was a long way away, but it looked like handbags to me. I think everyone was surprised when the red card came out.

Pleasing that we managed to come back from that position and claim a draw. There are going to be tough days like that over a season. Yes, we could've won it, but I think we might view that as a point gained rather than two points dropped come the end of the season.

Josh Hill's loan was originally advertised as lasting until 3rd January. Given the cancelled fixture(s) pre-Christmas, any news on whether the loan has been extended at all?

5 hours ago, Out_Of_Towner said:

Not mentioning any names (but you know who I mean) It would be a good feeling for us to displace that waste of a promotion space from last season lol. C O Y T .

Alas, I suspect they'll probably do just about enough to survive this season following a disastrous start. At the same time, I would fear for us in the National League. It would take some serious recruitment, improvement and ££ just to be competitive on the pitch and then there's the added travel. But lets worry about that if and when we have to.