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Post by mrpunch on Apr 20, 2024 17:23:28 GMT
One of the poorest sides I've seen at Stortford this season and, perhaps, the most naive. In the end a draw was good enough for them but, at no stage did they play as though they knew that a 1-0 for us would have seen them drop out of the playoffs. And we nearly got it.
I don't know what Spider said to the ref, so he may have got the red card right but, once again, challenges made by us were punished as opposed to similar challenges by them weren't. I can only hope that, whichever league we find ourselves in, next season the officials will be better.
Starting and finishing the season with home clean sheets was great, it was just a pity about the bit in between!
Well done to the team, management and supporters who have stuck the season.
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Post by bluesinsider on Apr 20, 2024 18:42:44 GMT
There is very little between any of the sides in the National North. I was going to say that I cannot see Curzon winning the play offs, but as we know the play offs are a complete lottery so anything could happen. They looked no different to a dozen or more sides we have played this season.
I hate to break this to you Mr Punch, but the officiating will not improve when we are at an even lower level of the pyramid. It is a mystery to me that in a league full of cloggers with giant centre halves who kick anything that moves, and if it doesn’t move kick it until it does, we have somehow ended up with the highest number of red cards in the league.
I thought we tried to play some football on the floor today, particularly in the first half. Smith and the team must get a lot of credit for not completely throwing in the towel over the last couple of months, which would have been easy to do.
Interesting to see the Ex Stortford midfielder and ex Margate manager Reece Prestedge in the stands today. An indication of things to come or not?
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Post by blueturkey on Apr 20, 2024 18:53:03 GMT
Interesting to see the Ex Stortford midfielder and ex Margate manager Reece Prestedge in the stands today. And Nicky Eyre!
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Post by waldenblue on Apr 20, 2024 19:24:35 GMT
There was no indication today that the two teams were 18 places apart. Curzon only had one serious chance when Gidds pulled off a great save, but otherwise looked no better or worse than us.
Interestingly of todays starting 11 only Kassarate and Cosgrave didn’t play for us last season, it’s to the great credit of the others and Steve Smith, that they stuck with us throughout the season. If we had gone to the south I suppose most of the rest of last seasons squad would have stayed, which makes it annoying that Aveley have reached the south playoffs!
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Post by blueturkey on Apr 20, 2024 20:07:29 GMT
Interestingly of todays starting 11 only Kassarate and Cosgrave didn’t play for us last season + Aaron Greene
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Post by bluesinsider on Apr 20, 2024 20:33:28 GMT
I think the issue is that the bulk of today’s side have played for Smith for two or more seasons and Smith won’t be in the dugout next season. Understandably any new manager will want to bring in some players he knows, trusts, rates and has worked with before. Also the likes of Haines, Robbins etc. aren’t getting any younger. Finally, the budget will be smaller next season and how many of these players will be willing to take a wage cut to play for us next year?
So how many of today’s side do we think will still be at Stortford next season?
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Apr 21, 2024 11:52:00 GMT
Not many ,a new manager Ryan Maxwell seems to be a favourite will bring players with him and add ,although l expect Smithy will recommend we try and keep some
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Post by ladder man on Apr 21, 2024 18:58:27 GMT
This Ryan Maxwell? It's probably time we had a bloke called Ryan managing. As we say goodbye to Conference North, it's no great loss to the club. Obviously it's utterly sht that our 150th season has been little short of a disaster. We've never found out why we're in the north considering Braintree is further north (but would do more miles) and Hemel is further south (but would do less miles), and I guess we never will. We're been utterly shafted by the FA, and it's resulted in a bottom place finish. But utter respect to everyone who's stuck by BSFC, whether they go every week or not. We haven't embarrassed ourselves. Players have got on the bus to go to crap northern shanty towns on a Tuesday night knowing they'll only be a sub. But we have turned up with a proper squad every week. 2023/24 is over. Let's get on with the future.
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Post by bluesinsider on Apr 21, 2024 21:05:15 GMT
Maxwell lives locally apparently. I spoke to a Braintree fan about him and he rated him highly (although not quite as highly as their current manager Angelo Harrop) and said he did well for them and many fans we sad (and slightly mystified) when he left them “by mutual consent”. If if is going to be Maxwell we won’t be told next week as Sittingbourne’s playoff semi final isn’t until 30th April (and if they win the playoff final is’t until 4th May).
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