So-fa so good

Originally written for Rageonline

Chesterfield make their first [edit: competive] visit to the Kassam stadium [they played pre-season in July 2006] and will be celebrating their promotion to League One following the nil-nil draw between Torquay United and Wycombe Wanderers on Friday night.  Chesterfield cannot win the title today, as second placed Bury are only four points behind with three games remaining, including the Easter Monday clash between the two teams.  With average homecrowds of 6,701 compared to 3,967 in their last season at Saltergate, the move to the B2Net stadium has been a success both on an off the pitch.  

Craig Davies will hopefully be welcomed back to the Kassam Stadium, having made 26 starts and 29 substitute appearances for United, scoring eight goals from 2004 to 2006.  He is currently fourth in the League Two goals scorers table with 22, Liam Donaldson of Crewe top with 26, and our own Tom Craddock in 14th place with 14 goals.  

Last week United made the long awaited trip to Accrington Stanley, and saw out a nil-nil draw on one of the poorest pitches of the season.  Jimmy Sangare made an impressive first team debut due to Harry Worley's two match suspension, and will presumably start again today.  Damien Batt was suffering from tonsilitis earlier in the week, and Ben Purkiss took a knock in training, so we may see Stevie Kinniburgh back in the team.  

United will be pleased to be playing back on the lush grass of the Kassam stadium, and at the end of their second year, the University ground staff can be rightly proud of the fine condition of the pitch throughout the season.    

In other matches, if Stockport lose today whilst not mathematically relgated, they will be at least 9 points behind both Northampton and Burton, with three games to play and a goal difference to catch up of around 30 points.  The League 2 play-off places are still wide open, which will lead to an exciting last few games of the season.  In the Blue Square Bet Premier, the play-offs look to be between Wimbledon, Luton, and either Wrexham, Fleetwood, Kidderminster or York.  Financial problems at Wrexham may see them barred from the play-offs if tax debts are not settled first.

Accrington - Oxford preview from 15 April 2011

Originally written for Rage-Online

Oxford United pay their first visit ever visit to Accrington Stanley's Crown Ground on Saturday.  This may or may not also be known as the Fraser Eagle stadium, however Fraser Eagle went bust in 2009, or prior to that the sponsored name was the Interlink Express Stadium.   Aerial pictures show the ground dropped in the middle of a 5 sided field, with house on 4 sides behind the ground, and open ground on the other side.  Strangely, none of the sides of the ground are parallel with any of the surrounding streets, and there appears to be wasteland behind all but the main stand and the back-gardens of the houses. 

The Accrington story is well known, the original Accrington FC being founder members of the league in 1888, leaving after 5 years, with Stanley Villa taking the name Accrington Stanley 1891 and their league status until the resignation from the league in March 1962, due to debts of £4,000 in transfer fees, £4,000 to the Inland Revenue, £40,000 to other creditors, and £458 of National Insurance, which seemed to be the tipping point.  Oxford took their place the following season, and a reborn Accrington Stanley FC were formed in 1968.  The Stanley swapped league status with United at the end of 2005/06, and the two teams had never played until the home fixture this season. This was a Nil-Nil draw. 

Last week saw United draw 2-2 with Wycombe Wanderers in front of 9,309, the second highest home crowd of the season after the Bridle-promoted Macclesfield game on the Tuesday bank holiday between Christmas and New Year.  The Wycombe game was entertaining, with United going ahead through Potter after 35 minutes, forcing an own goal on 54 minutes, before Wycombe pulled back two goals on 63 and 66 minutes, to leave the tie level. Wycombe will have been happy to take a point after being two down, and keep the third automatic promotion spot, two behind Bury. 

Accrington, whose squad contains many graduates of the Liverpool FC youth academy players, have won their last six home games, scoring 19 and conceding three, to leave them in eigth place on 64 points, although should Torquay's one point deduction for fielding an ineligible player stand, they would move up to seventh. 

United have one enforced change, with Harry Worley suspended after picking up 10 yellow cards, and Jimmy Sangare is likely to make his debut in defence.  With United now seven points outside of the play-offs and with inferior goal difference, the players will be fighting for their contracts.  Nonetheless,
Danny Shelley of Crewe, who are another two points back, is aiming for five straight wins and believes they have a chance. 

At the start of the month, Ilyas Khan took full control of Accrington, confirming he would settle all debts including arrears of players' wages.  Khan however announced his ownership to be temporary, with the aim of having a widely spread ownership with no controlling shareholder.