Spennymoor - The Play Off Final.

I don't post very often these days but thought I'd make an exception in regards to this match due to its importance.

The Workington match was a gut wrenching affair,I expect this one to be worse and I'm almost thankful that I won't be there in person for various reasons.

Like a good many I've done the "hard yards" down the years,bleak defeats at places like Burnham and Barwell as well as many highs as well but due to the fact my best travelling buddies Neil and Baz cannot make it and Jane will also be missing I've decided that it wouldn't be the same to be at the game either celebrating promotion or driving home in mutual despair so I'm going into "lockdown" for the afternoon and only want the final score.

I can't bare the thought of defeat,I feel that we as a club really deserve to go up and I think the supporters deserve it too so I just hope we get the luck that we need to make this finally happen.

With regards to the team selection I do hope we're not too cautious,I'd hit Spenny with Archer,Benbow,Jones or Brown and Dodd right from the off.....let's go for the throat.

One word of caution though,I thought our Workington substitutions very nearly cost us dear,once they scored late on the lack of Dodd and Jones in wide areas with pace left us looking limited as an attacking force,I couldn't fathom what Canavan was supposed to be bringing to the party!?

We also need to make sure we have our best dead ball strikers on the pitch should it go to penalties and that would certainly mean making sure that Drew was available to come on late in extra time.

If it does go to pens can we please make sure that everyone has a plan and that they put their foot through the ball....any player trying the clever "dink" like Pirlo or a Socrates type chip will go down in folk lore in Glassboys history for the wrong reasons.

Please lads,pick a spot and hit the b u g g e r with all you've got and if it gets saved then so be it.

Whatever the result.....thank you to all concerned with the club for a great season and very well done to Gary and the crew,losing Scarr and Green and then Slade,Sho Silva and Duggan were devastating blows from which most teams would've crumbled.

Make it happen Stour......you all deserve it this time !!

Devil's Advocate wrote:losing Scarr and Green and then Slade,Sho Silva and Duggan were devastating blows from which most teams would've crumbled.

With players deservedly moving on to better things after our cup run followed by an ever increasing injury list, both the management and players have done exceedingly well to get us to this point.

I'm sure that there were quite a few supporters who thought we would miss out on the play-offs again just like last season, but against all odds here we are at the final itself. Which just goes to prove that the team can have a long run in the FA cup & reach the play-offs as well, and regardless of the result today we still have to be proud of them all. Just a pity the game is away and not at home, but we can't have everything.

My only request for today is if we are going to win this game, can we please do it without conceding a goal first. After the last 2 games I don't think my nerves can take another match like those

Only 2 hours until lift-off, so COYG

A disappointing day where we didn't do ourselves justice, the final margin would have been wider but for some fabulous saves from Gould, can't help feeling we picked the wrong starting line up without Jones and Birch, and didn't make changes quickly enough, Preston struggled at left back but putting Brown there after his substitution was puzzling.

Spennymoor where excellent hovering up every second ball, catching us wide open time and again and didn't allow our front two a sniff until then end, was at the wrong end for the goal so can't comment on a handball in the build up, but was an excellent finish, indeed was a long way from the action for the whole first half! down the slope in the second period was only marginally better, it seemed in the script for a Benbow free kick in injury time - as good as any he's struck this season - but a fabulous save as was the block from Digie a minute later, you knew then it just wasn't going to happen and the game was almost up.

We have done remarkably well to reach the play offs with the 13 centre halfs etc (but not a single red card in the season!) and what might have been had certain players been available for longer, it would have been agonising if we'd played well and lost, but disappointed we fizzled out today.

Despite the result have enjoyed two visits to the traditional Brewery Field slope, and the most wacky tannoy announcements anywhere!


All in all it has been a fabulous season (again), roll on August.

After the season we've had the players & management can be really proud of themselves, regardless of the result yesterday.

Yes it most certainly was handball before they scored their goal and yes the referee was one of the most shocking I've ever seen, but even so we didn't seem to have the same cutting edge as the previous 2 games. Having said that in my opinion this game was exactly the same as their semi-final last tuesday, in that the winning team weren't any better they just found the back of the net. And unfortunately scoring goals is what you need to win a game.

All we have to do now is make sure that we keep the same team for next season, and if we can and we do stay in this league instead of moving back south then I can't see why we cannot have the same amount of success again. After all apart from us there were really only 2 other really good teams in this league, and they have now both gone up.

The only thing we really need to do is stop our defence from conceding too many goals.

Looking forward to next season, and if you include the pre-season friendlies July can't come soon enough. Just a pity I cannot make the presentation today, but unfortunately I've got a 12 mile walk to do this morning

Man of the Match voting was as follows:

MATT GOULD 23

Stuart Pierpoint 6

Tom Tonks 2

Darryl Westlake 1


PAUL HIGGINSON won the wine.

Thanks to everyone who took part

sirsmileriiii wrote:Having said that in my opinion this game was exactly the same as their semi-final last tuesday, in that the winning team weren't any better they just found the back of the net.  

Whilst you're entitled to your opinion, frankly I'd say they WERE very much better than us especially in the first half when we were lucky to only be 1 goal down as we could barely string two passes together.

We improved in the second half and at the death forced 2 of the best saves that their keeper will ever make but ultimately, the better team on the day won.

sirsmileriiii wrote:All we have to do now is make sure that we keep the same team for next season, and if we can and we do stay in this league instead of moving back south then I can't see why we cannot have the same amount of success again.

Worcester City's relegation SHOULD keep us in the NPL next year but anything's possible with the FA!

Dave the Glassboy wrote:

sirsmileriiii wrote:Having said that in my opinion this game was exactly the same as their semi-final last tuesday, in that the winning team weren't any better they just found the back of the net.  

Whilst you're entitled to your opinion, frankly I'd say they WERE very much better than us especially in the first half when we were lucky to only be 1 goal down as we could barely string two passes together.

We improved in the second half and at the death forced 2 of the best saves that their keeper will ever make but ultimately, the better team on the day won.

Agreed Dave, though I do think the pitch made a massive contribution and advantage for the home side.
Our boys never really came to grips with how to play the slope while Spennymoor knew how to play uphill as well as downhill....and I do mean Hill !

Dave the Glassboy wrote:as we could barely string two passes together.

So did it really mean they were the better team, or did we simply make them look good.

sirsmileriiii wrote:

Dave the Glassboy wrote:as we could barely string two passes together.

So did it really mean they were the better team, or did we simply make them look good.

Bit of both really.