EBFC v Cambridge City

[shadwellarmy]

OK you statistics freaks:

over the last 50 home games, the Boro have averaged 1.36 goals per game, and a 30% win percentage.
Over the last 50 away games, Cambridge have averaged 1.46 goals per game, and a 42% win percentage.

Just been playing on the teams comparison site, at:

www.soccerway.com/teams/comparison/?country_A_id=68&team_A_id=4767&country_B_id=68&team_B_id=2864&compare=compare+the+teams

It's part of the Histon club site, and you can compare the form of any two teams in the world. Great fun! EBFC are just listed as 'Eastbourne@ (Town and United don't exist, it seems) under 'England', not 'UK' (which is just as it should be, IMO!).

[ebfccraig]

Danny Naisbitt plays for these :@

[shadwellarmy]

One of the most-travelled keepers in the history of the game! I've lost count of the number of clubs he has been at - everyone from Middleboro to Whitby Town and, as far as I can recall, most teams inbetween! Grimsby, Welling, Barnet, Dagenham & Redbridge, Carlisle, AFC Wimbledon, God knows how many others. Certainly been at Wallsall, and I think Brentford, and Cambridge on two seperate occasions; I'm sure there have been others as well.
Just can't hold a steady job, that lad.
After Tait puts another hatrick past him on the 9th, plus whoever else feels like scoring, he'll probably be looking for yet another club! Lewes like to try out at least half-a-dozen goalies each season, maybe they should be on his list?

[Jim "Convertedeagle" Stewart]

Great result for the lads today.. Gutted to see Jenks have to leave the pitch after that nasty tackle. Fingers crossed we havent lost him for long. Thought Jay slipped into the leftback slot nicely. The guys showd great determination after City drew level. Not one of Allan Tait's best days but we cant expect hattricks week in week out... Three more points in the bag and was great to see clubs above us dropping vital points too

Bring on Eastleigh........................

[jk]

According to todays Argus, Jenks could be out for 2 weeks. Jay to continue as left back?

[vern]

jk said:

According to todays Argus, Jenks could be out for 2 weeks. Jay to continue as left back?

It will be a tight call for the rest of the season. We may not have enough to get all the way. But, the lads have done an incredible job....lots of credit to the whole Club and to GnN for creating a silk purse out of a sows ear ole.
Pound for pound it looks like we have the best side in the League.
Such a small squad and other mitigating factors (budget constraints?) we could otherwise be challenging Histon for top spot??

[shadwellarmy]

Agree that losing Jenks is a massive blow; agree that regardless of what now happens, the lads have done us proud; agree that we have the best squad in the division (and not just pound-for-pound. I would say this lot are the best first-team squad, full stop. What we have lacked is a big enough squad to be able to change tactics to deal with certain opponents, and our needing to rely on the one first-choice squad too much; one injury - such as Jenks, or Crabby earlier on - can throw the whole team out as they can't readily be replaced).
Also agree that it is a tight call for the end of the season, but our fate is in our own hands - if we win, we'll make the play-offs, simple as that.
One bit I disagree with is that the budget constraints are what have stopped us challanging for the automatic promotion spot. Of course, a bigger budget would help, buty how much is debateable. Look at the Big Spenders League; Lewes, Eastleigh, Fisher haven't exactly set the division on fire, but with their budgets they should all be in the play-offs. None will be. Then look at us. Or at Farnborough - bankrupt, but if it hadn't been for the ten points deduction at the start of the season, they would be pushing for a play-off place as well. OK, so they have got through the worst of their financial troubles now, but they are still far from being free-spending.
Having to work within a budget has made us look harder for bargains and value-for-money players - and who can complain at the likes of Jay and Pat?
If we had had the playing budget of Lewes, we probably wouldn't have considered either one of them, nor half the current squad, and just plumped for whoever had played in that shirt for a 'big club' the season before.
That said, the squad size and limited budget are problems, and ones that are likely to get more acute as we have to spend so much extra cash on the pitch in the close season that could have gone elsewhere, and they could be very severe limiting factors next year, in the National.
Here's to Jenks return for the play-off semis!