Are we going up automatically?

[brucie]

Whichever way you swing it I just can't see Crawley dropping points to the teams they play. Isn't Akinde on loan at D and R, in which case he isn't going to be playing for them.
I hope we don't win our last three games and just miss out. How galling would that be. Particularly after the farcical decision at Oxford when O'Kanes goal didn't stand after the ball was crossed back across the goal.
About time we had a bit of luck - perhaps Crawley will get a red card or two today. That could make a difference

[coley in stripes]

I've really tried to make possitive posts all week as I truely feel that we will make it...It's getting on for 1pm before the match, so this is my last post...Having to follow the game via the BBC website..The wife has goone out shopping, the dog has been walked, the Saturday night beers are in the fridge and I am really nervous, I am peeing alot,(I do that when I'm nervous) as during every match ! I will probably check the league table and fixtures a few times even though I know it all off by heart...And even beat myself up about being a GULLS supporter (again). My heart will dance throughout the match as scores and the table change and I will be in and out of the toilet...Pathetic really BUT I hope that I am in this state in 2 weeks time......One game at a time and BE POSSITIVE....we will do it...Coley

[Dave]

You should have a chat with Trojan 67, he is in the toilet non-stop regardless...

[Wisconsin_gull]

Yes - If we win our 2 games and crawley fails to win theirlast 2

Everything is possible, but it will require us to score more goals than our opponents....

[bobby93]

Fortune favours the brave. Our season has been all about bravery, for example:

• After eight games without a win Ling was offered more money for some loan signings, did he take it? No, he trusted the squad, tweaked a few tactics and look where that got us!
• I remember mumbling and moaning and heard others moaning, thinking that every time the opposition attacked we would concede, was there a change? No, the management stuck with it and look at where we are now; we have a club record of clean sheets.
• Bravery is shown week in week out, through the defending and clearances off the line, Lathrope has been brave all season and not faltered or been greedy, Mansell with his 12 goals from midfield and his Captain Marvel attitude. I could talk about how every player that has put on the TUFC shirt this season has exceeded expectations and been brave.
However, look at Crawley and ask yourself are they brave? No, just spend spend spend, when the big money signings weren’t working the emergency loan window was dipped into roughly 10 times for more goals. Ok, fatty left but their whole season has been false and full of cowardice.

It is now time to show the team that we, the fans, are brave and that we urge them on in every moment of every game. No negativity is needed now. What would the players think if they read the forum now and saw all the pessimism? Surely it is not going to give them belief and hope. Whereas, if we show our full support and belief that they can complete the job, their job would be made a little easier.

I believe it is more than possible to beat Crawley to the finishing post. Take it game by game and keep thinking. Fortune favours the brave.

A Braveheart moment. Where's the string quartet?!

In all serious though, we should be going for it. No point in settling now. I just said it somewhere else but I don't fancy us if we have to play potentially another three matches on top of the two we have left. Plus I don't think my blood pressure can take another Playoff lottery =Z

[popside_yidlad]

I have calmed down after results today. Ok we missed an opportunity and we could well regret that come end of season but in the grand scheme of things nothing has changed from before the game except its one game less. We still need to win last 2 and hope crawley slip up. Crawley have to play hereford who if they can muster a win will be out of the drop zone. They should be REALLY fired up for that, lets hope they niggle crawley and they get yet another player sent off then who knows. Then accy away who drew with the shrews today. Lets just hope accy do same again
Lets just hope we can do our bit next time

[AustrianAndyGull]

I remain pessimistic and two fingers up to all you who have slated me for being so. I did say that if we won our last three games then we would be promoted and in light of Crawleys draw yesterday this scenario would have happened. I also didn't think we would win our last three anyway ( proved to be right ) so therefore my reasoning before the Wimbledon game was based on this belief AND the belief that Crawley will win 2 out of their 3 seeing them promoted. It wasn't total pessimism it was just me calculating the probabilities ( IMO) and making a decision about what is likely to happen (IMO). It is not an 'i told you so' retort to all you optimists as have people have quite rightly pointed out that anything can happen in football. Crawley could drop more points, Accrington away being the most likely venue for this to happen but anything less than a victory against Crewe on saturday and that is it. Yes we could draw and Crawley win and it would go to the final game where we would have to win and Crawley would have to lose meaning we go up but if we get the win and win at Hereford then if Crawley draw last game we'll still be up. Pessimism again makes me think we are totally shot now and our performances recently have been poor and either Crewe on saturday or Hereford are going to put us out of our misery. A win on saturday is an absolute must and regardless of what people think of my negative outlook for promotion, i'll be making the trip down to give my full support and hope the lads can see off an increasingly dangerous Crewe side and take it to the last day. Crewe will be a tough, tough nut to crack and i just hope Billy doesn't play or if he does doesn't play well. I'm sure he will get a good reception from us Gulls though regardless. WIN OR BUST FOR TORQUAY ON SATURDAY IMO. We CAN still do this. We NEED 6 points.

[coley in stripes]

Agree with above...Now there are 3 steps to heaven..Dum Dum Dum
Step 1. We beat Crewe at home

Step 2. We beat Hereford away

Step 3. Accy hold Crawley

Just follow steps 1,2 and 3 !

[tktufc91]

Agree with above...Now there are 3 steps to heaven..Dum Dum Dum
Step 1. We beat Crewe at home

Step 2. We beat Hereford away

Step 3. Accy hold Crawley

Just follow steps 1,2 and 3 !

This seems the most likely option in my view if we are to guarantee automatic promotion. Shrewsbury could only manage a draw at Stanley yesterday so I'm hopeful. We just have to deliver the goods on saturday now.

[TorquayBoy]

To be honest, it all lies in Hereford's hands. If they can beat Crawley that would get them out of the drop zone. Then perhaps there would be a little less effort for our game? Do they still have Mr Facey? He was always a threat!

[AustrianAndyGull]

No it doesn't really. Daggers gave us the lifeline we all prayed for but we couldn't even fulfil our side of the bargain. There ain't much point in Hereford taking points off Crawley if we can't even win our game. It all lies in our hands to beat Crewe ad Hereford. Nowt much else we can do about other teams results.

[Plymouth Gull]

Realistically, nothing has changed. We were behind Crawley on GD (effectively a point) now we are a point behind. We need to win both now, and after yesterdays woeful performance I hope Lingy gets the lads sparkling again.

Unless this blip is a masterplan to ensure we play Cheltenham in the PO's, beat them and win at Wembley...

[bixieupnorth]

I really think yesterday will shock us back into life again! we can't play that badly again, hopefully well shade it on Saturday altho it's big ask against one of the most consistent teams currently
442 would be great, can't see it tho, Hereford in all or nothing territory

[Wisconsin_gull]

442 and push up on Crewe makes sense to me also - likewise I fear the record maybe stuck.

[royalgull]

Crawley gave us two chances to take 3rd place and make it our own and sadly we couldn't take either.

Like I said our run in was tougher and we're not a side that you would confidently back to beat anyone, that may sound ridiculous but I wasn't surprised we lost at Wimbledon, nor would I be surprised if we beat Crewe then lost at Hereford. We are a 1-0 side, and if we don't get the first goal we are generally knackered. We lack depth, we lack pace and we can be quite easy to set up against. We're better when teams play a similar game to us, we nick a goal and generally have defended really well this season. On the other side of the coin, Crawley, Shrewsbury even Southend have more attacking threat and more threat in depth than we do. Southend home to Barnet, only ever a home win and a 3-0 scoreline, we wouldn't have beaten Barnet 3-0 if we'd played them at home last Friday.

Crawley will almost certainly beat Hereford at home (comfortably I'd have thought) which means we must beat Crewe. Not impossible but they are one of the form sides and one of those dangerous sides that on their day can beat anyone. The result Saturday in terms of poitns has no significance really. We were a game behind Crawley because of the GD gap between the sides, they've got 1 point but we are still effectively 1 game behind them just with 2 to play. The main problem was on paper it was Crawley's toughest game and probably our easiest one in terms of Wimbledon have nothing to play for.

It's going to be really difficult now, we can still get 86points and you would hope that would be enough but I don't think we'll get them sadly. Too many out of form now at a key time be it tiredness or injury and we simply don't have the squad to change it.

It shouldn't detract either way if we get there or not from what has been an outstanding season. In fact right now is showing just how well the team has done considering our lack of depth.