The Round Ball Game

[teamsaint]

A rare visitor to this thread, but I just had to pop in and congratulate AFC Bournemouth, promoted for the first time in their history to the top tier of English football. Just six years ago, Eddie Howe masterminded "the great escape", avoiding relegation to the Conference (starting the season with a 17 point deduction). Now, promotion to the Premier League all but sealed with a 3-0 thumping of Bolton (Middlesbrough need to overturn a 19 goal advantage on Saturday).

I've supported the Cherries since childhood, through the highs and (many) lows and am chuffed to bits. I last saw them just after Christmas, winning 2-0 at Millwall which is just a couple of miles up the road from me. Next season, I'll be making similarly short trips... to Chelsea, Arsenal, West Ham... Giddy times!

Congratulations indeed to the cherries. it is a great achievement, and will make for a Couple of feisty encounters with The Saints next Season.
Eddie Howe has done a great job. Good also to see Andrew Surman get another crack at the PL. I think he is a terrific player.

Should be some good away days for you, IGI. Not as much fun as Millwall though.......

[cloughie]

A rare visitor to this thread, but I just had to pop in and congratulate AFC Bournemouth, promoted for the first time in their history to the top tier of English football. Just six years ago, Eddie Howe masterminded "the great escape", avoiding relegation to the Conference (starting the season with a 17 point deduction). Now, promotion to the Premier League all but sealed with a 3-0 thumping of Bolton (Middlesbrough need to overturn a 19 goal advantage on Saturday).

I've supported the Cherries since childhood, through the highs and (many) lows and am chuffed to bits. I last saw them just after Christmas, winning 2-0 at Millwall which is just a couple of miles up the road from me. Next season, I'll be making similarly short trips... to Chelsea, Arsenal, West Ham... Giddy times!

Good to see a minnow try its gills with the big fish! ts will no doubt look forward to the South Coast derby next season.
Edge will I guess be please to include you in the board results service.

[teamsaint]

Good to see a minnow try its gills with the big fish! ts will no doubt look forward to the South Coast derby next season.

Well, should be fun. But Boscombe will never be a real derby, not like you know who.
Many Saints fans have them as a second team, especially those from the New Forest area. Saints fans will see the game More like those against Reading or Brighton. Certainly plenty of extra needle, but not the total war of a Saints / portsmouth fixture.

Could be a great season on the south coast, with 2 teams in the PL, and potentially 2 in L2

[EdgeleyRob]

Good to see a minnow try its gills with the big fish! ts will no doubt look forward to the South Coast derby next season.
Edge will I guess be please to include you in the board results service.

I will gladly include Bournemouth in the forum list next season.
Great achievement,having a Russian billionaire on board helps,I wonder if there's one who fancies a real challenge.
I remember watching SCFC play at Bournemouth not so long ago,the ground only had 3 sides IIRC.
Wasn't there talk of groundsharing with Saints ?

anyway,this evening

Hull City 1 Liverpool 0. Top 4 looking out of reach,not the best result for Leicester.

Southern league play off.

Truro City 1 Hungerford Town 0. I thought this would be over 2 legs but TC play St Neots in the final on Monday,so obviously not.

[gurnemanz]

Hull City 1 Liverpool 0

Happy for Hull but reluctant to wish Steve Bruce well in any enterprise he undertakes after his treachery at Palace.

[Il Grande Inquisitor]

I remember watching SCFC play at Bournemouth not so long ago,the ground only had 3 sides IIRC.
Wasn't there talk of groundsharing with Saints ?

Fourth stand now in place, bringing capacity up to nearly 12,000, I believe. Of course, it was higher before all-seater stadiums, but I wonder if there will be plans to increase it for next season.

[EdgeleyRob]

Fourth stand now in place, bringing capacity up to nearly 12,000, I believe. Of course, it was higher before all-seater stadiums, but I wonder if there will be plans to increase it for next season.

Apparently plans to increase capacity are on hold.
They will need to have undersoil heating installed during the summer,it's a Premier League requirement.

Leicester City 1 Chelsea 3. Forum derby,Foxes were leading at half time,Blues class told after the break.
Interesting games this coming weekend -
Chelsea can win the title by beating Crystal Palace.
Southampton can do Leicester a favour at Sunderland.
Leicester themselves play crisis club Newcastle.

Conference play off 1st leg.

Forest Green Rovers 0 Bristol Rovers 1. Held on to 1st half lead despite having a man sent off in the 2nd half.

[Alison]

Yeah c'mon Sainty, cheer on your lads and let's both be happy.

[Beef Oven!]

Apparently plans to increase capacity are on hold.
They will need to have undersoil heating installed during the summer,it's a Premier League requirement.

Leicester City 1 Chelsea 3. Forum derby,Foxes were leading at half time,Blues class told after the break.
Interesting games this coming weekend -
Chelsea can win the title by beating Crystal Palace.
Southampton can do Leicester a favour at Sunderland.
Leicester themselves play crisis club Newcastle.

Conference play off 1st leg.

Forest Green Rovers 0 Bristol Rovers 1. Held on to 1st half lead despite having a man sent off in the 2nd half.

Leicester v Chelsea was on in a few bars that Mrs Oven and I walked past the other night. I didn't even bother suggesting grabbing a Martini as I figured Chelsea would be parking the bus. But they didn't! I guess they only employ that tactic if they know they'll lose if they play football.

A few good teams have had to breath a lot of diesel fumes, en route to this Chelsea title. No sour grapes, just can't stand negativity in the beautiful game.

[teamsaint]

Leicester v Chelsea was on in a few bars that Mrs Oven and I walked past the other night. I didn't even bother suggesting grabbing a Martini as I figured Chelsea would be parking the bus. But they didn't! I guess they only employ that tactic if they know they'll lose if they play football.

A few good teams have had to breath a lot of diesel fumes, en route to this Chelsea title. No sour grapes, just can't stand negativity in the beautiful game.

I'm sorry, I just dont buy it.





You were on your hols and walked past some bars?

[EdgeleyRob]

Leicester City 3 Newcastle United 0. Forum derby,5 wins on the spin keeps Foxes 1 point clear of danger,8th defeat on the bounce for woeful 9 man Toon,just 2 points clear.
Liverpool 2 QPR 1. Late Gerrard winner and Man Utd's defeat keeps top 4 hopes alive.
Sunderland 2 Southampton 1. Conceded 2 penalties and a harsh red card,a result which does Leicester no favours,7th.
Manchester United 0 West Brom 1. Reds dominated but couldn't break down the WBA defence,had a penalty saved.4th.
Watford 1 Sheffield Wednesday 1. Last minutes equaliser,13th place finish,a result which gives Bournemouth the title.
Charlton Athletic 0 Bournemouth 3. Super win and as AFCB are now a forum team we'll have the Championship trophy for the cabinet thank you very much.
Middlesbrough 0 Brighton 0. Seagulls end the season in 20th place
Wimbledon 1 Cheltenham Town 1.Dons end the season in 15th place
Carlisle United 3 Hartlepool United 3. From 3-0 down at the break super 2nd half display earned the point,end the season 4 points clear of the drop zone.
Partick Thistle 3 St Mirren 0. Conceded 3 in the last 22 minutes,relegation looks inevitable,8 points adrift with only 3 games remaining.
St Johnstone 1 Inverness Caledonian Thistle 1. Concede a late goal,remain in 3rd place.
East Stirlingshire 1 Albion Rovers 5. Battered by the champions,9th place finish.

Tomorrow we have -

Chelsea v Crystal Palace
Crawley Town v Coventry City
Bristol Rovers v Forest Green Rovers

[Beef Oven!]

I really can't see the point of this thread. Maybe it should be closed.

[johncorrigan]

I'm already on the beach. Very disappointed about yesterday's result. Had vain hope that they might keep Motherwell in range for another week or two and make
the last game of the season (v 'Well) worth something and that they might even sneak into a play-off. Oh well, we've been here before and doubtless will be again.

[aeolium]

Very sorry about the Buddies, jc, but they had looked doomed some time back (rather as QPR and Burnley do now in the English Premiership). A very good win the previous week, though. I was up in the Highlands that weekend, watching Caley Thistle lose to Aberdeen for the umpteenth time (chances not taken). To say the weather was bracing would be an understatement, though if the game had been played on the following day when there was driving sleet and snow some spectators might have been in danger of perishing. ICT can't buy a win these days (except in Cup games) so might have to rely on beating Falkirk in the Cup Final to get into Europe.

An interesting battle for the last relegation place in the English Premiership. Leicester look virtually safe now, an amazing turnaround from two months ago. Newcastle have looked so awful for weeks now that it's hard to see where they can get another point, so if Sunderland can sneak a win from their last games they might escape too.

Thanks for the comprehensive round-up, ER.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

ICT have quite a good record against Celtic - not just in the cup.