Forum | Hatters to lose their heads in defeat to DC's blue and white army at the JCS by durham_exile

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Hatters to lose their heads in defeat to DC's blue and white army at the JCS 18:28 - Apr 9 with 2237 views

So, yet another defeat on Saturday and just six games to play now. The Cowleys have secured 15 points from 15 games. Frankly too many draws.

Stockport County led by Dave Challinor come with one hand on the League Two Championship and will offer the U’s sternest test of the season.

I went to the game at Edgeley Park where a goal either side of the interval did for the U’s. Yes it was a close game but I am sick and tired of the same old excuses being trotted out from successive managers. The excuses have got to stop and we must find a way to see games out from winning positions.

Our defence is too porous and we repeatedly fail to inflict the killer blow when we had a slender lead. DC was furious after Saturday and rightly so. A goal up and then we failed to play, they equalised and there was an inevitability about the closing stages.

You just knew that Colchester would concede a last-minute goal and so it proved.
Now I have toyed with writing that we have no chance this evening and that we will lose by 3 or 4 goals. I have never written that regardless of who we play or where, so I’m not going to start now.

Instead, I’m going for a narrow 1-0 Colchester victory. We need the game and performance of the season against arguably the best team in the league. Alistair Smith deserves to score the goal.

Time to take the game to the opposition and show a steadfast determination against the Hatters, who if FGR inflict a defeat on Mansfield (quite possible because they were woeful against Crawley) and we lose tonight, then Stockport will be promoted to League One at 9.35pm.

One thing is sure I want to be at Brunton Park next season for the Carlisle game. One of my favourite Away trips (it helps that it is only 55 miles door to door) now that we know they have been relegated.

Let’s consider the remaining fixtures:

Grimsby 41 43
Harrogate A
Crewe A
COL U A
Swindon H
Crawley A

Sutton 43 39
Harrogate A
Crawley H
MK Dons A

Colchester 40 38
Stockport H
Crawley A
Grimsby H
Notts Co A
Doncaster H
Crewe H

FGR 42 36
Mansfield A
Wrexham A
Morecambe A
Notts Co H

Let’s say that FGR have effectively gone and it’s between Sutton and the U’s for the other position. Don’t forget Sutton were dead and buried but four straight wins transformed things and Sutton can win two out of the three and so we need another 7 points minimum from our remaining six games. Grimsby have probably just about saved themselves.

Frankly its shocking and this has to be the last season of abject performances and results and struggle. It does no one any good and is not good for persons of a nervous disposition. No team deserves to stay up on reputation alone, it has to be earned. We have had four years of constant struggle and 16 years of slow decline and it has to stop right now.

The losing culture, negativity and disappointments are legion. John Cleese uttered one of the most apposite lines in any film when he said, “It’s not the despair, I can take the despair, it’s the hope I can’t stand”.

All diehard U’s fans can relate to that, I have experienced that feeling for 54 years, many on this board for a lot longer. But we keep coming back and frankly and bizarrely I wouldn’t miss it for the world.

So, six games to save our season and probably the next few years because it is no easy way back from the National League. Ask Chesterfield, Barnet, Halifax, Aldershot, Oldham, Southend, Rochdale, Hartlepool and York.

The Saltergate crew have managed to get back at long last and would hope to set the league alight next season. We want to be there with them too.

DC rightly exploded post-match, only Colchester can achieve the biggest gate of the season and then take the lead but lose their shape and simply stop playing when they needed it most.

The attendance wont be 8,500 tonight, probably half that (Stockport may well bring more than Wrexham did) but the faithful must get behind our team and inspire them to a memorable win which will kill the fight in Sutton and FGR without question.

But who does DC select:

I understand that Iandolo is unfit and so something like the following is required:

Goodman

Mingi Hall Kells Dallison

Smith McGeehan Read

Fevrier Tovide Anderson

Subs:
Hornby Jay Chilvers Wilkinson Ihionvien Akinde Hopper

We want the table to look like this after tonight’s game:
Grimsby 42 43
COL U 41 41
Sutton 43 39
FGR 43 36

Not wishful thinking, but the result of 90+ minutes of endeavour and commitment from the U’s.

Weather at the JCS will be 10 degrees Celsius with dry conditions but breezy.

Enjoy the game.

iFollow is available to the Exiles.

Up the U’s

Durham_exile

Hatters to lose their heads in defeat to DC's blue and white army at the JCS on 18:37 - Apr 9 with 1458 views

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Iandolo being unavailable is far from ideal. We've been lacking in full backs for the majority of the season and it's left us either playing in a strange formation or with players playing out of position or both.

We have beaten the league leaders twice already this season and now would be a great time to make it a hat-trick. A few weeks ago Stockport were rocking but they've steadied the ship admirably since. Let's hope they turn up with a bit of complacency and that somehow we can get our noses in front and keep them there.

Up the U's!!!

Poll:

How many polls will Leadbelly do this season?

Hatters to lose their heads in defeat to DC's blue and white army at the JCS on 19:11 - Apr 9 with 1428 views