McPie

I think the increased attendance at games is more than just following the general trend in football. Since the brothers took over there has been a gradual momentum building at the club. Although some fans may criticise the off-field investments saying we need to spend more on recruitment, The Nest, Padel Courts and the collaboration with Nottingham University have all been significant contributions to the overall momentum. The general style of play that is being tweaked as we climb the pyramid has also play a role. It's seems that our progress is not just some random approach, but a clear structure for continued success. The owners are intelligent businessman who know what they are doing. They would not be investing money into the club if didn't have a clear objective. Hold on tight, yes there will some bumps in the road, but lets enjoy the ride! COYP!

It could well@Mapperley Pie after all we're now in the same league as Huddersfield, so coming back to us could actually be the better option!

I would expect a couple of attacking midfielders to come in before the window shuts, either permanent or loan signings. I would be surprised to see Grant starting. I think he is a bit like Kouhyar, not a starter, but offers something coming off the bench.

From what I understand Max Sanders gets his fair share of yellows, but manages to avoid the reds. Seems to suggest he has a physical side to him, but has enough control not to be reckless. As he is only 27, sounds like an Ollie Norburn-esque player that’s a slight upgrade. He’ll do for me!

VAR is a double edged sword. It’s great when it gives your team a handball in the box that the referee missed or the offside that rules out an opponent’s goal. When it works the other way it’s not so great. Well in recent times we have had two promotions without it, so not having it can’t be all bad. We’ll just have to wait till we’re in the premier league to find out.

You have to give credit to the brothers. We were in the national league with Stockport and Wrexham. They have spent big, while keeping the same manager in Phil Parkinson and until just now Dave Challinor. In the meantime we have had two of our head coaches poached and several of our best players into the bargain. Yet we are now in the same league as Stockport and only one behind Wrexham. The brothers has used our limited resources wisely and as a result we have made steady progress. It has been said how would we manage without Macca, Ruben, McGoldrick, Crowley and Bass? Very nicely thank you and promotion to League 1. We have to trust the process. We can have success, but it needs to sustainable. The next step might take a while to come to fruition, but let’s enjoy the ride! COYP!

This is a good signing. It looks like the recruitment team are realising we need more than just young potential talented players. This looks like an "Ollie Norburn" type signing. Natural leader,character not to mention the long throw!

Like your thinking@piedestrian and now we are in league 1 we can attract better quality. Lets hope we can fine some hidden gems and keep the sustainability going!

Yes it's true @Fan of Big Tone Ifs, buts and maybes don't count for much. In the end it didn't matter we achieved promotion anyway. I think from the three playoff games we already are seeing the value of being difficult to beat, but still playing positively without going gung ho! I think this will be key for a good season in league 1.

We failed to get automatic promotion again this season. A couple of lessons learned that might have contributed. Firstly there is a saying in football (derided by some) “respect the point.” Looking at the league table at the end of the season is very revealing when we compare the Draw and Lost columns of the top three and ours. Bromley lost 7 drew 15 MK Dons Lost 8 Drew 14 Cambridge Lost 8 drew 16. Notts Lost 14 Drew 8 Interestingly we won 24 matches the same as Bromley and MK Dons and two more than Cambridge 22. Since Ian Burchnall we have had the philosophy of the aim win every game no matter who the opposition is and wherever we are playing. This is a noble aspiration, one which many of us agree with. However sometimes in-game decisions have to be made as to whether it’s wise to “respect the point” rather than keep on taking risks that result in defeat. Another contributing factor to missing out on automatic promotion was our disciplinary record. Notwithstanding losing Jatta, Norburn, Robertson, Nlovu and Hall for a number of games for red cards, it was the impact on the actual games in which they were sent off. If Robertson had stayed on against Bromley we might have won that game. Norburn against Chesterfield after 19 minutes. Surely we get something from that game with 11 on the pitch. And also against Grimsby Nlovu is sent off in the 76th minute and Grimsby score in the 85th. We missed out on Automatic promotion by 3 points. Small margins or our own doing? Whatever the case is, lets hope we have learned the lessons for next season!

The defense was superb again. Three clean sheets in the playoffs! However you only win them when you score goals and Jodi was involved in all three, so he gets my vote.

I would say the match was pretty much similar to the first leg in that there was wasn't much quality on show for either side in the final third. Defensively we were very good again. My vote therefore goes to Lucas Ness. Not just for the headers won but what I particularly like is his reading of the game. He so often nips in to win the ball before the attacker has received the pass. We need to get him tied down to a longer contract!

When the penalty was awarded, I thought here we go again. Then when we scored first, I thought it’s only a matter of time before they equalise and go on to win. But we held firm did a professional job in a good first leg played away situation. At the heart of that performance was Rod McDonald. He’s my MOTM.

We all hope this playoff campaign ends well. We all want to be optimistic. The problem is we have been here many times before. When it comes to the big games, we don’t seem to have the mentality to see it through. There is no question we have the talent, but on these occasions when it really matters it’s the strong mentality that gets you through. In the National League playoffs, we didn’t play particularly well in either game, but we prevailed. So we can do it. Let’s hope we can do it again. COYP!

I’m not a big fan of Conor Grant, but thought he had a decent game yesterday. However, like many have said Tsaroulla was the standout candidate. He is starting to get in some very good positions in and around the box giving him more opportunities to score. Looks like it something the coaching staff have been working on. So he is my choice for MOTM.