theAnticlough

Disappointing so far. We're the home team shooting for an auto spot - we're not supposed to look second best to Barnet. I suppose we're still missing 5 first choice players, but it tells Bennetts is an absolute liability, cannot do a thing right

Fantastic news on McDonald - welcome back to one of our best players this season. JJ we expected, but still great to see him on the team sheet. Dennis and Bennetts can consider themselves lucky - hoping for much better from them today

Bristol City 1-2 Norwich City Watford 1-2 Sheffield United Exeter 0-2 Stockport County Mansfield 1-2 Luton Town Fleetwood Town 1-2 Chesterfield Joker Oldham Athletic 1-1 Salford Solihull Moors 2-1 Boston Sutton 2-1 Altrincham

I'm also tracking Wimbledon who have been dropping like a stone - a couple of good games for Exeter and they're straight back down as well IMO, the biggest problem at L2 level is the officiating - too many players who can't play football are allowed to make a living at the expense of those that can

Well it's a world game @Robbie. We spent a couple of decades seeing England humiliated on the international stage and our club sides went backwards until we caught up for skill, technique and tactics. The top Prem sides will never veer too far away from competitive levels of those 3 things. And naturally there's a trickle down the domestic leagues. I think Bromley will be coming back down with a thud. I wouldn't want to pay to watch them.

What game is that from @Piethagoram ? Love it. But get braced for all the wrong conclusions to be drawn if we fail to gain promotion....how we need taller nastier players to give the ball away for us

It doesn't, and you're right@Sheffield Pie but I still can't get there - I'm wanting the draw

The main thing I want to see on Saturday is desire. This time last year we were letting every opponent get what they want, and we perfected that generosity in the play-offs. Barnet need wins, draws aren't that much use to them... I want autos as much as anybody, but if the game's difficult I'd be happy to see us stop them getting want they want. A bad-tempered draw would at least show we care and we won't be pushovers any more, continuing for anyone we face in the play-offs. Just don't end this season like the last one. If we fall short, let us go down kicking and screaming and fighting for every last ball.

It's an extension of the overprotection of keepers I think. They definitely should be treated as just another player when it comes to suspensions. You might have to put an outfield player in goal at sometime? That's fun. Everyone likes watching that. The rules should change, there shouldn't be an exception just because the player is a goalkeeper.

It's been another epic NL season, hasn't it? It hasn't quite got the glamour or name recognition, but I think York v Rochdale has surpassed County Wrexham as a contest. Mainly due to it going on longer and the two facing off in the last game of the season. I've been backing Rochdale. Yes, it is a very scummy place and that's where my pity kicks in. But once you get into Spotland, it is a very tidy, compact ground and I enjoy drinking in that big club bar they have on the corner. They were bombing along til Toby got injured. I think he was there secret weapon, so many assists from RWB. As for SM, I hated his era at Notts from start to finish. Especially the start and finish! The shock at the appointment (I genuinely thought it was a joke). The first plummet down the league the first season and the submissive, passionless (pathetic really) play-off campaign....kind of a bad experience, all round.

Yes, well done Barrow. Oldham's run seemed to end with us - must've gone to their heads I like where Barnet are sitting, because it makes Saturday a real play-off game in itself and a chance to see where we truly stand

Yes and maybe any team will drop off missing half of its starting 11 Platt, Robertson, Tsaroulla, Jones, Jatta ....and then the first reserve for Platt - McDonald. And maybe Tangan could be considered a starter. It adds up to a massive blow. We had Belshaw, Beseau, Macari. Palmer, Iorpenda + reserves on Saturday. We have been ravaged. It's desperately bad luck and MP, Monty, the players left, deserve a pass. But better not to feel sorry for ourselves - there's still a promotion out there to win.

Oh dear, I don't know how anyone can respond to my 'everyone's got the right to abstain' with a set of OTT comments like that. The whole thread is just a bit of fun on the best (or least worst!) player on the day. Chillax!

I agree with you on the captaincy. I think he should've handed over the armband last season as soon as he came back from injury. Better to concentarte on his game. Even Belshaw would be a better option now. But I didn't factor that in when picking him. I suppose he led by example again in getting on the ball and at least trying to knit the play together. Unlike his partner who was shockingly anonymous for that first 30mins. Only surpassed in that failing by Grant. Back to the skipper, the worst bit of captaincy yesterday was allowing Bennetts to take the free kick following the sending off. My daughter will testify that I lost it completely both before and after, screaming nooooooooo, not Bennetts, it's going over the stand again. I was so disgusted with that. Especially with a stone cold rookie keeper between the sticks. Unforgiveable!

This. Everyone's got the right to abstain, but it's always predictable that some fans refuse to give ratings or pick a MoM in a bad defeat. Never enters my head not to vote. 'Best' can be 'least worst' at times, I'm still going to pick somebody

I thought Matty Palmer was almost average so he's my MotM

Absolutely right @Chris. They're a top L2 side. Any numpty saying Salford are more of a problem doesn't know football.

Our limitations were exposed today. It was the perfect storm really - top side, in a tiny ground and pitch, awful wind, vulnerable sub-standard(for L2 promo) personnel, mainly down to injuries, and as I bang on about too much, MP refusing to play Iorpenda in CM, always preferring to go negative with the totally ordinary Norburn. We need a fit Jatta, Jones and Tsaroulla to have any chance at all. Somehow the last 3 games have to be used to get some confidence back before the play-offs.

As I alluded to in my first post in this thread, I saw this coming - the real danger of being blown away in the first 30mins, just like Swindon were (they were so lucky it was only 1) I don't agree with our backline being blamed. A midfield line of Kouhyars-Palmer-Norburn-Bennetts is nowhere no good enough, and MP should know that... with 2 non-goalscoring AMs ahead of them, it's a poor side we put out today. At least Jones, Luker and Dennis on for the dreadful Bennetts, Norburn and Grant might give us an outside chance of getting into this in the second half

Charlton Athletic 2-1 PNE Southampton 1-1 Derby County Bradford City 2-0 Stevenage Huddersfield Town 2-0 Wycombe Wanderers Joker Grimsby 2-1 Crewe Alexandra Newport County 1-1 Harrogate Aldershot 1-2 Gateshead Altrincham 1-0 Eastleigh

I can't see Bromley getting promoted at MK Swindon can get back in it with a win at home to Accrington next, especially with the teams above playing each other. We can't write them off just yet.

That's all good stuff, thanks @Chris I'll give it some time. I can remember having similar exactly 10 years ago - that was worse, I couldn't get out of a car. I went to the GP and was told it was arthritis. It went away and didn't hear a peep from it since then. I'm sure now that that time was from doing far too much time on a certain exercise bike. I'll take care and see someone in a couple of weeks if there's no progress. Agree with you that the weight loss is important on all fronts. Will definitely work on getting that off (prompted by weeks of a very specific new stress I think)

Back pain is the worst, cos it's not just the pain it's the impact on mobility and the frequency therefore... I'll join the club - for almost a week I've had a mystery groin strain. Getting up from anywhere and certain pissoir functions are the worst. Maybe I was carrying something that pulled it. My worry would be the onset of hip problems. But I googled, and had confirmed, another theory based on recent weight gain, and am happy to tell myself it's that for now! A relaxing weekend and I'll take it from there. Very best wishes to everyone else battling against health issues, minor and major, to bear and overcome

It makes sense, but apart from feeling great for one of my all-time faves Capt Kyle Cameron, who got the winner on Tuesday, I'm not keen on Bromley. I'd prefer it to be us, Cambridge and even the franchise. Credit to them though and it'd be fitting to see KC as a League 1 player. They're not there yet, but 2 draws, if one of them is MK and Cambridge, should do it. Or just beat Walsall at home - that would do it too.

What a fantastic game we have lined up. Couldn't be more meaningful or crucial. Full, tight little ground, top atmosphere. Either them or us could take a giant stride towards League 1 with a win. After watching them V Swindon, I thought they were way better than Salford. Definitely could see why they're 20 goals better than them in GD and lost 8 fewer games. They maintained their breakneck speed by and large, but they put so much effort into the first 30mins that they did inevitably flag later in the game. Only then could Swindon get a foothold in the game, they were mauled in the first half. Knight, Brophy and Mpanzu were the dangermen on that night. Like we just about managed at Salford, we have to avoid being blown away in the first 30mins. I say that because we're still missing a big chunk of our spine - Platt, McDonald, Robertson, Jatta plus creative players in Jones and Tangan.