Torquay have hit a bit of a sticky patch, maybe it’s not all over and done with just yet.

It happens, think Barrow did last season, but then got a second win and got over the line. We know only to well teams can blow big points leads, 2002-3 and 2006-07 spring to mind.

Still a hell of a lot of football (hopefully) to be played. In this league anyone can beat anyone and its who are the most consistent in grinding out wins instead of settling for draws.

For the moment , we just need to keep winning our own games and not worry about catching Torquay, though I do think they are catchable, and I have always said the only way I think we will get out of this league , is by finishing top , so at some point it has to be done.

I have my doubts to be honest. Politicians and their medical advisers are in an absolute panic about new variant Covid infection rates. Looks like they'll be closing nurseries and churches next and there's got to be a big question about elite sport carrying on when that happens. Especially the National League, where there's no testing regime like the EFL and Prem!

Dover have now played 8 games fewer than Altrincham and there's talk of their game on Tuesday night with Boreham Wood also being called off - TBH I'm beginning to wonder if they even have much incentive to get games played as they are strong candidates for relegation. A 6-10 week lockdown (unofficially the gvt is saying it might last till 23rd March) would put the NL in an impossible position. Dover for one couldn't possibly get all their games played even if the season was extended. Bearing in mind what happened last year, the League's governing body is very likely to call a halt. Can you even do a PPG final table when there's such a big disparity in the number of games played?

Sure I read last week 75% of fixtures have to be complete for PPG to take effect.
44 game season so 33 games need to be played by all teams.

I think the Premier league and championship will continue but doubt the rest will. All cups suspended too.

and that for me should be the bare minimum. how can any team say they have won promotion fair and square without the vast majority or all games in fact being played. if we were vstill in the league and got relegated to non league i doubt any of us would be happy our future ended up decided by PPG.

pools could actually play longer into summer than premier league and championship clubs can because of the euro,s.same for division 1 and 2 and put next season,s start back a few weeks.

if we played like we did first half yesterday and scored a goal or two more then we,d catch torquay without any trouble. sod the stats just play well.

Can't see football being allowed during Euros. With the benefit of hindsight, it might have been better for all teams in all leagues, just to have played each other once this season, 22 games in our case, game every Saturday, with all cups scrapped.

Yep. My concern is that we are still only playing well in moments, not dominating games from start to finish, scoring against the run of play rather than after a period of sustained pressure. Allowing other teams 10/15/20 min spells where they dominate, and which better teams would make count. Small details I know, but things that I think are important. Yesterday was a great chance for a 5-0 and we blew it and in the end we made what looked like a Northern League team in the first half, look like Torquay at the end.

Rang my son at h/t said we should be four up, opposition poor, how many times have we said that this season. Personally I would like to see an experienced leader in the centre of the defence.
Quite impressed with Sterry interview not frightened to criticise the way things went in second half.

After 17 games of our last promotion season (06/07) we had a mere 20 points. Then there was the memorable Accrington away game and a 23 game unbeaten run.

This time we have 30 pts after 17 games, anything could happen (in my dreams).

Plenty of time to fit games in, season doesn't finish till end of May.

[quote="Johnjo1"
Quite impressed with Sterry interview not frightened to criticise the way things went in second half.[/quote]
and not being totally happy with his own game . thing is our improvement started when we signed sterry so if he gives us more as he says then its a reason to believe.

Lots of games off tomoro nite.
Chance to open the gap up n let the rest try n catch us.
UTP.

Always prefer points in the bag over games in hand, especially in Covid times, would a team say 9 pts behind us, with 4 games in hand, really win 3 of them? doubt it. If we keep on winning , then very unlikely to be caught, though I doubt we will keep on winning, but we shall see.

[quote="horden"]Always prefer points in the bag over games in hand, especially in Covid times, would a team say 9 pts behind us, with 4 games in hand, really win 3 of them? doubt it.
always go for a situation if you are 4 games behind then its better to give yourself 4 points and you,d be closer to the mark. these 4 games mean you have a more conjested end to the season with players out injured or just actually mentally and physically played out looking more for the beach than anything else.