Cup Final 2 vs Eastbourne Borough

[HerefordRoman]

So another massive game tomorrow against a side who could yet still get dragged into a nervy last couple of games. A win tomorrow and a draw Tuesday night will give us 48 points and for me that should do it.

Squad wise its looking very thin with Tyler Harvey returning to Plymouth Argyle and Frankie Artus suspended. Andy Gallinagh is expected to be ruled out so we are left with:

Phillips, Bowman, Ball, Batten, Hemmings, Murphy, Williams, Kington, Kelly, Watkins, Hutchinson, Pratt and McCootie

If he continues with 4-4-2 i imagine it will be:

Phillips
Bowman, Hemmings, Batten, Ball
Kelly, Murphy, Kington, Watkins
Pratt, McCootie

SUBS: Williams, Hutchinson

[BenE]

surely we'll have more than two on the bench? but I think you could well be right for the line up. Given how well Pratt and Harvey linked up I would be tempted to start with Hutchinson rather than McCootie but Nick is due a good game.

[Marc Monitor]

Eastbourne Borough are on the same points as WSM and we should take heart from what we did to them. Yes, we have lost Harvey but we should still be looking at 3 points tomorrow. Interestingly, WSM's form has been quite good since we beat them and Borough's form is indifferent.

Hutchinson to come on, have a stormer and score our winner, I reckon.

[Steve Whites Missus]

About time Hemmings scored....

[daven]

And some very interesting other matches being played today! Especially St Albans v Havant, Hayes v Concord, B.Stortford v Margate and WSM v Whitehawk. Could be a exciting afternoon!

[Beau Nash]

As we come to the business end of the season I am getting that butterflies in stomach feeling    which was missing for a lot of this season. 

[SASCHA]

Certainly agree with you Beau as far as the butterflies in the stomach goes.
But I have to say that I prefer this feeling from that of being sick to the stomach, (of Britton and Howells).
Not quite sure why I have these butterflies as I have no doubt that we will survive.
As for halfway up the table, which I never actually suggested, despite a certain someone suggesting that I had, well why not.

[SASCHA]

A simple equation (I think)
A win today for Bath, defeat for Hayes and also St. Albans.
This would mean victory on Tuesday =  Survival  

Is it really that easy ?

[Beau Nash]

On my way to TP now so will look at everything after the game...too many permutations possible.  

Feeling very nervous, like the play-off final but more confident then. 

[pete mac]

Line up as predicted but with Perry and prolific scorer Ryan Bole added to the bench

[Luton Roman]

St.Albans already 3 up and now above us on goal difference.

[pete mac]

Unbelievably tense.

We had 2 good chances.

Looks to me like St. Albans heading for safety.

tense

[Luton Roman]

1 up according to Twitter. Just cant listen to the radio.

[Luton Roman]

Won 1-0. 4 pts clear of drop zone and game in hand over 4 teams below us if Hayes draw.

[pete mac]

Yes what a vital win. Virtually safe.

A point on Tuesday I'd say.

Batten shows strikers how to do it. Loads of missed chances.

Great result. I'm off to celebrate.

Sounds like we got a few knocks so Tuesday will be tough but we are now in a much better position.

[sirkev]

Thank you lord.....some heart stopping moments but a great performance. Defence outstanding today with Chas and Jack B the pick of a tight bunch. Thought Billy Murphy was great in midfield today and the youngsters did well. Nearly there with most of the other results going our way!!!

[BenE]

The mood at Margate must be poisonous. They have really lost the plot. today's hammering will knock Havant big time too. So our win today is massive.

Chas was a popular and deserved MOM but Batten may have snook the decision if voting had not already been decided.

The lino on the popular side didn't seem to have a clue about offside. Fortunately. But we deserved to win. We thought we would rue all those misses but for once we prevailed.

How many pens have we missed this season?

[Beau Nash]

Alan Mealing said 7 penalties missed this season.  

If Liam had hit the goalkeeper full on the ball and the keeper would be at the bus station. 

[cannonball]

Vital vital win.....very tense and we should have won 3 or 4-0. Most results seem to have gone our way so Tuesday may not be quite such a nervous game!

[SteveS]

Vital win. Not a good game, did not expect that - but we played with a resolve not shown earlier in the season. We were not intimidated by a Eastbourne side with nothing much to offer except a physical approach.
How did the ref completely miss the two footed tackle on Kington?
Thought the goal was offside but the result was just, Eastbourne ended up with nothing which was the right outcome. Should have been 3 or 4. Dan Ball was great, Hemmings and Batten good. Only problem is how many players will we have left for Tuesday after their physical tactics.

[comrade powell]

Well Owers said his first task on taking over was to stop leaking stupid goals and he has certainly achieved that. If Eastbourne thought we would be the same soft touch we were at their place, then they had a rude shock.

Perhaps by chance we have stumbled on a back line that looks good, with Chaz showing today that his excellent performance at Concord was no fluke. With Taylor hopefully available in August, this looks like an area which doesn't need strengthening, especially if we can hold on to Batten.

[yuffie]

Whilst it is only two games I agree that Hemmings has looked as good a centre-back as we've had probably since Chris Holland. With his distribution he could be even better there long term.

As for the goal I managed to freeze Chris' video at just the right time to show that Batten was onside. It's his leg you can see with a perfectly placed line on the edge of the box.



Great decision by the linesman.

[comrade powell]

That's even more convincing than the famous DarrenGate photo!

[Beau Nash]

Another great to be there game...not for the style of football which was frantic and hoofball a lot of the time but for the tension and drama.  City lacked a little composure on the ball at times and missed the silky skills of Frankie Artus.

City should have won comfortably 5-0, scorning two golden opportunities first half, a penalty miss and another slightly more difficult chance to score second half.

As has been said there was no lack of commitment ably demonstrated by a Dan Ball diving header late on that stopped a goal scoring chance for Eastbourne in which Dan got a boot in the face.

I don't think I have ever seen the Directors Box so animated, with a recruit from the Popular side adding to the incumbent supporter's encouraging comments to City's defence to stop the opposition, causing a chorus of those same comments from the usually quiet "prawn sandwich" group.   More of the same on Tuesday please. 

[Kevin Anderson]

Ummm am I viewing that pic wrongly, or does it prove nothing at all? (I wish you guys very best of luck, I'm pretty sure you'll stay up, and you were marginally the better side. But that goal hmmmm...)

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