Was gonna do this yesterday, but then I realised that there were still matches outstanding.
CHAMPIONSHIPWest Bromwich only drew last night, but they can still go top by making up their game in hand. There are only five points separating first from fifth, so this is going to be one exciting finish to the season! On top of that, there are only five separating the seven teams behind that pack, so the playoff race is going to be equally exciting! Seriously. Everyone from mid-table up has a legitimate chance at Premiership football at this point.
The other end is also going to come right down to the wire, if only because there are only two teams looking like definite relegation at the moment, those being S****horpe and the practically-eliminated-already Colchester United. Sheffield Wednesday got a HUGE point last night getting a draw against Coventry, however this still has them in a three-way points logjam with Southampton and Barnsley (if North End doesn't go down, I want them to
), with Leicester (Canadian Iain Hume and all) only a point ahead, Norwich and Coventry only three ahead, and Blackpool only four ahead. Despite their late surge, the North End Pikeys aren't mathematically safe, only seven clear of relegation.
Canadian Content - Ipswich might be planning to make a hard playoff push to give Jason DeVos one last hurrah as the former Captain Canada (who led Canada to the Gold Cup in 2000
) is hanging up his cleats after this season. As for Iain Hume in Leicester, I can only see him putting in a transfer request after this season ends, especially if Leicester gets relegated. He is tops on the team with seven goals - one of only four players with four or more goals this season for Leicester.
DIVISION ONEGood news for Swansea City - they've clinched at least a playoff spot, as Leeds can only max out at 79 points. They currently sit seven clear of second-place Carlisle, and both have a game in hand on third-place Doncaster. Nottingham Forest and Southend U also do, but they sit a little too far back to make their point differential up in one game. Leeds and Brighton & Hove seem to be the biggest outside threats to Tranmere, who currently hold the fourth and final playoff spot,
and they have a game in hand on the same. Also, Walsall have more hope of reaching the playoffs than Oldham Ath. or Leyton Orient because they have that game in hand.
Now here's something I don't get - why are Bristol Rovers so far behind on their games? :p
At the other end, the only team really holding out hope in staying up is Gillingham, and the other three red-zoners - Bournemouth, Luton, and Port Vale - are pretty much write-offs. Crewe and Millwall need to watch themselves, though. Simeon Jackson has caught fire after finally getting off the mark for Gillingham, so with any luck the Canadian will push his team just enough to get them out of trouble. Bristol Rovers will be in SERIOUS trouble if they can't make up their umpteen games in hand
Canadian Content - we have a new addition to Div 1, and we might have to start calling Yeovil the "Canucks" now because they seem to have taken more than a casual interest in Canadian players, having grabbed Asmir Begovic from Pompey's reserves on loan. And how did he do his first game? Three saves (of which two were absolute brilliance, I'm told) and a clean sheet! The tall, wiry Bosnian-Canadian from Edmonton, Alberta (6'6", 183 lbs.) made a giant first impression! Jaime Peters was also in on that match but had to be subbed off due to injury in the 84th minute.
As for Gillingham's Simeon Jackson, he has three goals in his last four games. He scored his first for Gillingham against Bournemouth, which turned out to be the game-winner, then scored both goals in a 2-1 victory over Luton, who were once again without Paul Peschisolido. Finally, Cheltenham's Mike D'Agostino continues to make regular appearances, mostly off the sub-bench but also starting some games as well. I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest should Cheltenham decide to make his loan-deal permanent in the summer. Town have been unbeaten in five (WWDWD) so things are looking up for the 21-year-old "fast, direct right winger" from Langley, British Columbia.
LEAGUE TWOThe scheduling for this league is wack. :p
Which is why Peterborough U is first and not second, which they would be if Milton Keynes had played the two games they had in hand on the Posh and won both. Still, both teams have clinched at least a playoff spot, and neither is that far from clinching automatic promotion, either - the magic number for this at this point is 90. I'd hate to be in Darlington's shoes right now, though - holding down the final auto-promo spot yet not even having my own destiny in my hands! Why, you ask? Because of the aforementioned wack scheduling. 3 of the 4 teams in the playoff spots behind them have two games in hand, and the fourth has one. What's worse is that one of the three has the
exact same number of points as they do! That would be Hereford United.
It seems the playoff race is becoming harder to crack into. Why? Wack scheduling! Of the six teams that have only played 39 games this season,
four of them are in the top seven!!! That's bad news for teams like Chesterfield, Morecambe and Grimsby, who are on the outside looking in.
Down at the bottom, things are looking up for some teams. Others, not so much. Wrexham are still bottom, and although they've only played 39 games, the games in hand aren't going to help them much if they don't start
winning. Mansfield isn't much better off, with 37 points and 40 games played. Notts County has also not exactly done the best of jobs of late, as they're now the team these two are chasing,
not Macclesfield. Speak of the devil, Macclesfield, after an abysmal February had a completely opposite March, winning four of six - and four of their last five. They aren't close to being out of the woods yet, but it's a start. Chester and Dag & Red are behind them now, and Shrewsbury is on par points-wise. If you're ahead of Accrington Stanley, you should be in the clear even though the "magic number" to completely avoid relegation is 55. (This'll go down :p)
Canadian Content - when I posted the last report, Dag & Red were ten clear of relegation. They are now only half that now. Poor Ross Smith might be one of the God knows how many players the Daggers have nursing injuries at the moment. Are they just unlucky or are people purposely trying to hurt them?
Terrible Terry has
finally done something other than take a booking! :shock: Still, he has 11 yellows, top on the team, to go with the two assists he's added to his collection in the recent hot streak. :shifty:
Will work on Conference tomorrow night (which is early Thursday morning for you in all likelihood).
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