THE manager’s postmatch quote read: “I think it will be thehighest points tally to keep teams in the division – and the lowest to go up. It’s absolutely ridiculous. It shows how hard this division is. We need as many points as we can until mathematically possible.”
Go on then, have a guess at which Blue Square Bet Premier gaffer it was? Tamworth‘s Dale Belford? No. Lincoln City’s Gary Simpson? No.
It could have come out of the mouth of any one of the managers who have occupied a place in the bottom half of Non-League‘s top-flight in the past month, especially the nine whose clubs could still fill the final three relegation places with AFC Telford going into this weekend, if we include an Ebbsfleet side about to have its life support machine turned off.
It was actually delivered by Sheffield Wednesday manager Dave Jones after the Owls’ midweek win at Millwall, but it sums up how crazy – and exciting – the Championship, League Two and BSBP competitions are this season.
Take the two Conference managers I’ve already mentioned. I’ve watched both sides suffer three-goal defeats at Kidderminster in the past month, yet both seemed on the cusp of guaranteeing survival at the time.
Tamworth have gained their highest-ever points total this term under Marcus Law and Belford, who stepped up from assistant in January. But they travelled to Lincoln yesterday facing one hell of a relegation rumble at Sincil Bank in 18th place, just one point above the Imps.
Only once in the six years since the Conference went to a 46-game season has the 51-point total the Lambs had amassed not been good enough to finish above the bottom four.
Even then, in 2006-07, Altrincham stayed up with a reprieve. Forty-six points has always been enough for survival, but 54 might not be enough this year!
Cutting edge
Belford told his club’s f ans to brace themselves for “a rollercoaster ride” over the coming week, and perhaps only their hosts – who started yesterday in 20th, one place and point outside the drop zone – have had more Corkscrew-style ups and downs than the Lambs this term.
I left Aggborough last Saturday believing that, despite the 3-0 defeat, Lincoln were still destined to survive. Since Simpson was appointed at the start of March (replacing David Holdsworth, who led them as high as ninth on the day I had last watched them go ten games unbeaten by beating Hereford on November 17), they had won four and drawn two of nine matches before facing the league leaders.
They played well enough to suggest that, if they could find a cutting edge and take their next game to a Luton side smarting from a 5-1 nadir against Gateshead, they would be heading towards safety.
So 72 hours later I headed to Kenilworth Road expecting a performance of passion, punch and points pocketed. But what transpired was a listless Lincoln display that produced just two early efforts on goal and another 3-0 defeat.
The only thing they deserved was the chorus of boos and arm gestures to clear off down the tunnel as they went, embarrassed and half-heartedly, to applaud the 173 travelling fans at the end.
Fighting
“I said all along it would go the wire, and it will,” said ex-Macclesfield boss Simpson, again. “I feel sorry for the supporters. I know they were unhappy and I understand their frustrations. We were second best all over. I can’t disguise it.”
Above: Gary Simpson during his spell in charge of Macclesfield Town.
At Aggborough, Simpson, had stood shaking his head as he perused a set of results on his iPhone that had all transpired against City.
Three days later in Bedfordshire, he went on: “We’ve got two games to save this club from getting relegated. I knew it was going to be difficult when I came and I thought 12 points was going to be enough. We’ve got 14 and it’s still not enough.
“I knew we had to improve the situation. We have improved it, but two away games against the league leaders and probably the biggest club in the league, and we’ve got beat. If you’re asking me ‘Did I expect it?’ I thought it could happen.
“That’s why we needed to take the points in the four previous games to give us a chance.We keep on fighting.” That fight goes on for another couple of rounds, like at Stockport County who have also picked up under new boss Ian Bogie, but were already moribund because his appointment – or one of its ilk – happened two months too late.
By the time the final bell rings next week, don’t be surprised to see either of the biggest heavyweights ever to be knocked out, heading only into regional football.
