Too right!!
We have already played Fleetwood, Buxton, Ossett, Lincoln, Worksop, Leek, and Ilkeston away - who are all usually trickly places to go.
We have 5 of the current bottom 7 still to come to us.
The fact that Fleetwood are still breathing down are necks is a good thing. It stops us getting complacent. We do not want to ‘do a Telford’. Or worse still, ‘do a Hednesford’!!
Great point about Frickley’s childish, time-wasting antics last season, particularly their goalkeeper. They were an absolute disgrace. Whoever heard of a team wasting time when 2-0 down with 20 minutes to go, just to stop another team winning the league, when they had no vested interest at all in the outcome. Is that same idiot of a goalie still playing for them?
We absolutely have a point to prove on Saturday. We probably need 33 points or thereabouts to win the league and looking at it that really isn’t that much…
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We probably need 33 points or thereabouts to win the league[/quote]
Class!! We’ve already got 49 so we’ve smashed that target!!
20 games and 49 points so far really is a tremendous return.
20 games to go and therefore another 60 points to play for!!!
Whilst 80 points won it last year we will need more this season in my opinion. The two previous years were 89 (Blyth) and 88 (Hyde). Frankly we should aim to replicate or improve on the first half!!! Why not - let’s go up in style and with a healthy lead.
From the 20 games left I think 13 wins (39), 4 draws (4) and 3 defeats (0) will be enough - meaning another 43 points and a finish of 92! That said we should expect to be pushed to the wire, we need to keep focused and keep the foot on the gas until it is mathematically impossible to lose it. Remember Telford thought they had it won at Christmas and it is very easy to come off the rails. WE WILL NOT DO THIS, and I am sure the experience of last year will prove a valuable learning exercise for us.
With Frickley, Ashton, Buxton and Eastwood inside 11 days this is a critical period. 12 points please!!! Let’s get to 61 points by the first day of January - what an amazing position that would be!!!
What’s all this about…Fleetwood breathing down our neck, or pushing us all the way? They are 10 (that’s TEN) points behind us, which might as well be 11 because of our vastly superior goal difference. We are guily of supposing that their 3 games in hand are already won. They will NOT win all their games in hand, mark my words, just like WE will not win all our remaining fixtures. We will not do a Telford or a Hednesford, we will win this league, it may not be by 10 points but we WILL win it. Let’s just enjoy the position we’re in with the luxury of being able to have a blip and still be top.
If you need any further cheer this Christmas, let it be this…V**s WILL be in the bottom four of the Conference on new year’s day!
Well said.
Well in that case why don’t we ask the League to present the trophy on Boxing Day? Should guarantee a bumper crowd, and being as it is a foregone conclusion now it also means we wont need to bother paying our players for the rest of the season? Makes sound financial sense all round? :-[
Underestimating Fleetwood, Guisely, Gateshead, Marine, Buxton, etc etc etc is very very foolish. Who’s to say that Fleetwood wont win all of their remaining games? We can’t guarantee that, so to be ruling them out in December is just plain ridiculous. Fleetwood are in a much better position now than either ourselves or Burscough were this time last year, so let’s keep a bit of perspective here!!
Yes I think we are in an excellent position, but the second we get complacent we risk throwing all of the hard work away. Fleetwood ARE pushing us all the way at the moment, and that is a good thing because it keeps our lads focused.
When it is mathematically sewn up, then we can start proclaiming ourselves champions, and not a second before. Teams have thrown bigger leads than ours away in the past, just ask Kevin keegan…
I am very confident in Jim and our players, but we’re making ourselves seem very naive with title talk in December. Don;t forget other teams’ fans and players will also read this site, and you aren’t half giving them some amunition to throw at us if we do lose our way slightly!!!
Let’s concentrate on one game at a time. We know what should be required, so let’s aim for that.
I am very much enjoying our position in the league, but i’ll enjoy it more in May than i am doing now!!!
Yep, just remember what we sang to the travelling hords of Telfordians 
"You had it won! and fukced it up"
repeat, repeat,
dont really want to be on the receiving end of that do we !
Agree 100% Robbo. I have enjoyed every minute of this season and intend to enjoy th next 20 games as much as the last 20! This league will not be over until it is mathematically impossible for us not to win it!
I agree Daniel that I believe we will win this league. I thought so before we kicked a ball this season as did nost people, the managers and the players. The challenge is that when you set high expectations you have further to fall.
When you work yourself into a good position, and that is exactly where we are, then you work yourself into an even better position!!! The time to drive forward is when you’re in front! You can play with confidence, focus and belief. I think we should assume that Fleetwood will win their games in hand as this motivates us to move further in front - every time we do that it gets harder for them. Imagine how gutted they would have been on Saturday that they didn’t win at home with us drawing away!
We should take each game as they come, approach them individually and do what we need to do to win them. I would always prefer to in front with the points in the bag than chasing from 2nd place.
None of this is doom or gloom or negativity, but remember Telford were 18 points ahead of us around this time last year and whilst I believe we are a different side and are more prepared, we should power forward now!
Point taken Mr Rabbit, I was just trying to inject a sense of perspective after all the "Oh no, we’ve dropped two more points against a crap team" comments.
I was at Ossett earlier this season, and to hear so many Wittoners bemoaning the result (0-0) was quite a shock. I said at the time that it was a good result, and that has been borne out by their subsequent results. Likewise Eastwood, after we’d beaten them at home, people were saying we should have beaten them more convincingly. Well, they’ve had some good results since then, and are pushing very hard for a play off place.
I’m not being complacent. There’s a long way to go I know. It’s just that I think we have the best team in this league by far, and I know Jim and Nigel won’t let complacency grab hold.
Spot on Daniel, our result on Saturday was the best result in the top three. Sure I would rather have come away with three points but that will not happen every week - we just keep driving forward and that all starts again on Saturday!
I agree with everything being said so far particularly about being complacent.We really do need to remain focused and prepare for each game as they come. I do feel when you have the points on the board and the others have lots of games to play that the pressure is on them a little bit. I was at the game Saturday and once again I thought our fans were really good ambassadors for our club. I thought we were unlucky not to win but we were in the second half as Chad pointed out playing one ball to many when running at their defence and shooting might have got us 2 or 3 more goals as their defence was not great.I’d have taken a point at the start anyway! Its just frustrating that we did not get all three points but you can’t critisise this team too much as 49 from 20 is fantastic.
We need to go and get 3 points at Frickley Saturday which is a tough ask given that we know they will be physical. for this reason Kearney has to come in at right back and Coo pushed up with his pace. We really need to get at them from the start and Cav with his pace will get round the back of their defence which did not happen too much on Saturday and can help defend when we need him too. Just shows how much quailioty Peersie has and how much we miss him but the rest of the lads can fill in and do the job. C’mon lets get the game played Saturday and 3 points to add to our total!! Onward and Upward!!
I’m with Daniel James on this one i dont think that anyone is underestimating any of the other teams in our league!! It is simply showing confidence in our own team. 8)
It’s not about underestimating the team, it’s just being rightfully cautious! We’ve been so close on too many occasions to get carried away.
Exactly!! We all thought we had won the league at Hednesford last year, so let’s not start celebrating till Tony/Tom/Pritch has his hands on that Trophy!!
Lets enjoy being league leaders and long may it continue. ;D
Cheers Drew. Can’t make it to Frickley on Sat. Would love to go, just to give their No 2 some verbals after last year’s shenenigans at our place.
I said two weeks ago that I would take four points from the next three away games, well, we have already got four points, let’s make it at least five (hopefully seven) after saturday.
Onwards and upwards.
Come on WITTTTEEEEERRRRRRRRNNNNNNNNNN !