Poole away.

At this point this is the game that will define our season in my opinion.

We are 11 points ahead of Poole ( 12 points in reality due to our vastly superior goal difference ) but Poole have 8 games in hand over us.

If we could win on Saturday we would in effect be 15 points ahead of them with them still having the 8 game shortfall to make up but asking any side to average almost 2 points per game when they will be playing 3 games a week is a very tough ask.

If we do win i think we'll break their spirit in regards to them thinking they can get above us to grab a play off space.

A draw would not be a disaster for us and would still see them really needing to win 4 or their 8 game advantage to just get ahead of us.

In a nutshell Stour this is a "cup final" of sorts,the most important game of the season so far.

Fair play to Poole,their record of only one league defeat in 24 matches clearly shows they are a good side BUT,we are the only side to beat them so far and we did it in style,we made them look very ordinary in truth.

I think they'll be fearing us far more than we're worrying about them and IF,big IF,we turn up with the attitude that we did at Banbury last night then i think we'll win.

The mentality,desire and hunger need to be spot on on Saturday.

I'm not going myself but i'll be watching my phone virtually every second for updates.

A safe journey to all the hardy soul's making the trip.

Poole play before Saturday - they are at home to Frome tomorrow night.

Dave will be running the Man of the Match for me as I am being dragged away on holiday for a week by 'Er Indoors'.

Safe journey to everybody travelling down, if we play like we have in the last 2 games I think we can get a positive result.

COYG

TRM wrote:Poole play before Saturday - they are at home to Frome tomorrow night.

"Home to Frome" has a nice ring to it OR maybe better in a Geordie accent where it'd be pronounced 'Hoome to Froome".

Anyway,Frome/Frooooooome have picked up in recent weeks under ex Albion waste of space Adrian Foster so we can but hope……or is that "hoop"…:-((

Poole v Frome tonight is OFF.

Rain forecast down there for the next couple of days. Nothing heavy or persistent but enough to put Saturday in considerable doubt, I would have thought.

TRM wrote:Poole v Frome tonight is OFF.

Rain forecast down there for the next couple of days. Nothing heavy or persistent but enough to put Saturday in considerable doubt, I would have thought.

Good.

Devil's Advocate wrote:

TRM wrote:Poole v Frome tonight is OFF.

Rain forecast down there for the next couple of days. Nothing heavy or persistent but enough to put Saturday in considerable doubt, I would have thought.

Good.

Why good, we don't want to have to play this game midweek?

UlsterJim wrote:

Devil's Advocate wrote:

TRM wrote:Poole v Frome tonight is OFF.

Rain forecast down there for the next couple of days. Nothing heavy or persistent but enough to put Saturday in considerable doubt, I would have thought.

Good.

Why good, we don't want to have to play this game midweek?

Because the more pressure heaped on to Poole the better.

I'd rather play them on a nice sunny spring evening when they are being forced to play their tenth match in 20 days and they are physically on their knees.

IF we went there on Saturday and we lost we'd be just 8 points ahead ( i think ) and they'd have still 8 games in hand.

I see Poole as the main rival for the last play off spot because i think Hemel,Cambs,Chesham are nailed on now and St Albans look strong for fourth especially if we don't beat them at home shortly.

It's just a personal view Jim,i fully understand the argument in favour of a Saturday game down there and IF we win Saturday then we pretty much kill them off but my worry is that a defeat for us,an 8 game advantage and then just 8 points to make up from the 24 on offer will then really put the wind in their sales.

No rights and wrongs here mate,just my personal feeling's on the matter.

If it is off...

Poole have no completely free midweeks. They are playing every Tuesday except for one Wednesday (19th March) when they are away to Corby, and Easter Monday.

They already have two Thursday matches - 27th March (at Reditch) and 10th April (at Hungerford).

They also have two TBAs - home to Frome and Hungerford.

So we would have to go there on a Thursday night, or...

Possibly Wednesday 23rd April - the Wednesday after Easter Monday, or...

Another option might be a Sunday. We are at Frome on Saturday 29th March, so Sunday 30th would suit us, albeit with the expense of an overnight stay, especially as we don't have a match two days later on the Tuesday. It would leave Poole playing Thursday-Saturday-Sunday-Tuesday, but that's their problem, not ours!

Or we could go on any other Sunday and travel there and back on the day.

Or they could sort their flaming pitch out and we could go there on Saturday as planned...

TRM wrote:
Another option might be a Sunday. .

Thank god this Ulsterman isn't a Free P   

Standing water on the pitch according to my PTFC connections tonight. A mate of mine walks his dog nearby and says it is 'a bog'. Pessimistic about Sat. Wimborne Town are away on Sat, but apparently Killick doesn't want to play there again.
One thing I'd take issue with is that it necessarily heaps more pressure on Poole - they'll be playing at home all the time (and have a fairly big squad with a number of loanees) while the likes of us will have to go there midweek with all the hassle, expense and player availability issues that involves.

TRM........Have you been forgetting to take your medication of late mucka?
Some of your recent posts have been strange to say the least.

First you did that ludicrous thread about "supporters" maybe not discussing tactics on a forum and now you suggest we play two games on the bounce?!
I DO get fed up of people chirping on about playing two games in a week because if you're physically fit it shouldn't make a blind bit of difference but to suggest they play one day after another are words that come out of the mouth of someone who's not played the game before.
NURSE!

With me not being familiar with the rules and regs of the Southern League, but why can't Poole play at least some of their home games at any one of Bashley, Totton, Dorchester, Weymouth or even Salisbury, all within a reasonable distance ?

I accept this depends on availability and co-operation of others but SFC has to play at least one of our August home games away from Amblecote. Yes, this is because the ground is not available but how is this all that different from Poole's ground not being available due to waterlogging ?

Poole have already played one "home" game at Wimborne Town. No reason why they can't play others elsewhere.

I can't see the point of waiting until the Sunday after the Frome match.

I think that at the end of the Frome game we should all immediately drive down to Poole for an evening kick off,this will save on overnight expenses,no point paying for a hotel.

The player's don't even need to change their kit,they can simply hop off the bus once we're at Poole and get right down to business.

If this is planned properly theres no reason why we can't squeeze in another match with a midnight kick off on the way home.

The more i think about it the more i think TRM is onto something here.

Tricky,you lack vision…….this IS the future!

TRM wrote:If it is off...

Poole have no completely free midweeks. They are playing every Tuesday except for one Wednesday (19th March) when they are away to Corby, and Easter Monday.

They already have two Thursday matches - 27th March (at Reditch) and 10th April (at Hungerford).

They also have two TBAs - home to Frome and Hungerford.

So we would have to go there on a Thursday night, or...

Possibly Wednesday 23rd April - the Wednesday after Easter Monday, or...

Another option might be a Sunday. We are at Frome on Saturday 29th March, so Sunday 30th would suit us, albeit with the expense of an overnight stay, especially as we don't have a match two days later on the Tuesday. It would leave Poole playing Thursday-Saturday-Sunday-Tuesday, but that's their problem, not ours!

Haha.... TRM the 'Solomon Grundy' of Poole Town F.C!

You know how it goes...


TRM, The fixture organiser of Poole Town F.C
Played Chippenham at home on Monday,
Played Arlesey away on Tuesday,
Played a County Cup game on Wednesday,
Played Hemel at home on Thursday,
Travelled to Redditch and played on the evening of Friday,
Played Froome at home on Saturday,
The players all died of exhaustion on Sunday.
That was the end,
Of TRM!

 

brockmoor wrote:

TRM wrote:If it is off...

Poole have no completely free midweeks. They are playing every Tuesday except for one Wednesday (19th March) when they are away to Corby, and Easter Monday.

They already have two Thursday matches - 27th March (at Reditch) and 10th April (at Hungerford).

They also have two TBAs - home to Frome and Hungerford.

So we would have to go there on a Thursday night, or...

Possibly Wednesday 23rd April - the Wednesday after Easter Monday, or...

Another option might be a Sunday. We are at Frome on Saturday 29th March, so Sunday 30th would suit us, albeit with the expense of an overnight stay, especially as we don't have a match two days later on the Tuesday. It would leave Poole playing Thursday-Saturday-Sunday-Tuesday, but that's their problem, not ours!

Haha.... TRM the 'Solomon Grundy' of Poole Town F.C!

You know how it goes...


TRM, The fixture organiser of Poole Town F.C
Played Chippenham at home on Monday,
Played Arlesey away on Tuesday,
Played a County Cup game on Wednesday,
Played Hemel at home on Thursday,
Travelled to Redditch and played on the evening of Friday,
Played Froome at home on Saturday,
The players all died of exhaustion on Sunday.
That was the end,
Of TRM!

 

ROFL.


You're too young to remember the Stour team of the 70's Neil but our manager in our halcyon day's was non other than………….Alan Grundy!

You couldn't make this stuff up could you?

Priceless.

No reason why they can't play us at Wimborne in my opinion. Hopefully it'll be on and such a debate won't be needed.
I'd consider playing on a Sunday definitely WOULD be possible and TRM is not as ignorant as made out. We've done it before - a few of us went to an FA Cup replay at Abingdon United in the 80's the day after the first game (they didn't have lights). The replay was a draw too meaning the teams had played 90 mins. on the Saturday and 120 on the Sunday! The second replay (remember those days?) was on the Tuesday meaning 3 games in 4 days.
Also - how many players through the years have played competitively for both a Saturday and Sunday side? If you look at the teams in the national Sunday Cup quarter finals I'll wager virtually all of the players play at a half-decent level on a Saturday as well. And they do that week after week.

the nephew of god wrote:No reason why they can't play us at Wimborne in my opinion. Hopefully it'll be on and such a debate won't be needed.
I'd consider playing on a Sunday definitely WOULD be possible and TRM is not as ignorant as made out. We've done it before - a few of us went to an FA Cup replay at Abingdon United in the 80's the day after the first game (they didn't have lights). The replay was a draw too meaning the teams had played 90 mins. on the Saturday and 120 on the Sunday! The second replay (remember those days?) was on the Tuesday meaning 3 games in 4 days.Also - how many players through the years have played competitively for both a Saturday and Sunday side? If you look at the teams in the national Sunday Cup quarter finals I'll wager virtually all of the players play at a half-decent level on a Saturday as well. And they do that week after week.

AND we then played a County Cup tie at home to Alvechurch on the Thursday night.

In the Welsh Cup in 1991/92 we played at Cardiff Civil Service on a Sunday, having played a League game the previous day - again they had no lights.

the nephew of god wrote:No reason why they can't play us at Wimborne in my opinion. Hopefully it'll be on and such a debate won't be needed.
I'd consider playing on a Sunday definitely WOULD be possible and TRM is not as ignorant as made out. We've done it before - a few of us went to an FA Cup replay at Abingdon United in the 80's the day after the first game (they didn't have lights). The replay was a draw too meaning the teams had played 90 mins. on the Saturday and 120 on the Sunday! The second replay (remember those days?) was on the Tuesday meaning 3 games in 4 days.
Also - how many players through the years have played competitively for both a Saturday and Sunday side? If you look at the teams in the national Sunday Cup quarter finals I'll wager virtually all of the players play at a half-decent level on a Saturday as well. And they do that week after week.

We were having a bit of fun with TRM,nobody think's he's "ignorant",it was just a bit of pee taking.

I can't see our management allowing two games in 24 hours though,even if it had to be put back until the last match of the season that may suit us best because they may have capitulated by that point and even if they haven't,if it's a "winner takes all" match then the advantage would likely still be with us due to how jaded they surely must be by early May.

Gary may well prefer to go on a Sunday when we can have a more "leisurely" trip down with (hopefully) everybody available, instead of rushing after a half-day at work with a bare-bones squad, even if it means 2 in 2 days.

It's Hobson's choice, really...

Still standing water on the pitch this afternoon so I'm told. Would be very surprised if it's on considering the rain that's soaked me today! We'd have to mark out a pitch on the beach at Sandbanks to get it played.
Wimborne reserves are apparently at home tomorrow so that would have been a non-starter.

Also, I'm not sure if it's known up in the midlands, but ex-Bournemouth chairman Eddie Mitchell (he of confronting fans on the pitch, sacking the club's most loyal staff and swearing on 606) has been sniffing around Poole lately. He's obviously hoping to trouser loads of cash for building them a new ground like he did at Dean Court. The local paper was full of Poole moving back in with the speedway team last night with Mitchell talking tosh about getting them in the football league.

the nephew of god wrote:Still standing water on the pitch this afternoon so I'm told. Would be very surprised if it's on considering the rain that's soaked me today! We'd have to mark out a pitch on the beach at Sandbanks to get it played.
Wimborne reserves are apparently at home tomorrow so that would have been a non-starter.

Also, I'm not sure if it's known up in the midlands, but ex-Bournemouth chairman Eddie Mitchell (he of confronting fans on the pitch, sacking the club's most loyal staff and swearing on 606) has been sniffing around Poole lately. He's obviously hoping to trouser loads of cash for building them a new ground like he did at Dean Court. The local paper was full of Poole moving back in with the speedway team last night with Mitchell talking tosh about getting them in the football league.

Interesting stuff that NOG.

Being a big Speedway fan i can see the logic even though the distance from pitch to the stands is a real atmosphere killer.

I have wondered whether we at Stour might have made a joint effort with my reformed Cradley Heathen's to find a stadium to suit both our need's.

If we could buy Amblecote and move the cricket lot elsewhere you could have a cracking Speedway stadium to the Clubhouse side,i bet the neighbour's would just love that!

Game is ON - at the moment.

We are travelling but Poole have advised that work is still needed on the pitch throughout the morning. I'm sure both teams want the game on so we're prepared to risk a wasted journey. If it is off when we get there, our travel expenses get paid by the home club.

Called off!!