2 points for correct result
4 points for correct score
2 points for each correct scorer
Correct joker doubles your score   (correct score on a joker would give you 8 points)
Wrong joker result gives you minus 2
Correct Badger gives you 2 points

The prize for winning the league is one rep point.

Cup games: In the event of a draw, it's half the points if you've predicted a draw when it gets to 90 mins and the full points if it's still a draw after extra time. Half the points will be awarded for correctly predicting the winner of the match if it goes to penalties. However, if you do predict a draw and it's a match that won't be going to a replay, you can get a possible extra point by stating which of the two teams you think will eventually win.

Random score generator: I will be using the random score generator again for those who miss predicting, so we shouldn't get some people too far behind that after missing a couple of weeks they lose all interest, because I know it's not easy getting on here every week.
To be fair to everybody, this is going to be like, say if three people in one week miss their predictions, the first one in the table will be given all 0-0, the second one down the line will get 1-0 and the third will get 0-1 and so on, like if there's four missing the 4th will get 1-1, then 5th 2-1, 6th 1-2. and if there are so many missing, might as well pack in.
And if you miss two weeks on the trot, I'll stop until you come back on again. Not doing it for half a season like I did t'other year.  


At the end of the season, the winner of group 2 and the bottom of group 1 will swap places in what is commonly known as "promotion" and "relegation". It's something that most football fans will be familiar with, unless you're a fan of Liverpool or Arsenal or one of those other fashionable clubs.

The second placed player in group 2 will then have a play off with the player who finishes second from the bottom in group 1 to decide whether they will be going up, down or staying where they are.

We're going to have two seasons in one though, just to try and make it a bit more interesting and not so long drawn out. The first season will end on the Boxing Day fixtures, with the play offs being on the dates of the Twixtmas fixtures and the NYD fixtures.

The second season will start the following week, which is usually the FA Cup 3rd round, finishing on the last game of the League One season. Then another period of relegation/promotion play off games, taking in such fixtures as the EFL play offs, FA Cup Final, UEFA finals and such like.

Each group will have it's own set of fixtures. Both groups will have the Town games, with scorers to predict as before. Then it will be a split of League One fixtures and bonus matches, hopefully around ten, eleven or twelve games per Matchday.

The random badger is restricted to three goal scorers in any of the fixtures in your group.

Here's how that will appear at the end of the fixture list. All you have to do is fill in the blanks.......


*** scores for ***
*** scores for ***
*** scores for ***

Any of those will score two points if correct. No minus points for getting it wrong.

Postponed matches will only count if the match is re-played before the next Matchday is under way. Abandoned matches will be awarded half the points for the score at the time of abandonment, so 1 point if you have the correct result, 2 points if you have the correct score.

Substitute or scorer in one of the Town games:- These will be only be allowed if you change them before the match involved has kicked off.

Prediction League Archive: https://www.sportsbabble.co.uk/showthread.php?tid=12830

Division One table after Matchday 8:

1. Baggiebob(BBB) = 134 pts
   
2. jjamez = 129 pts
   
3. neonfoxinthebox = 122 pts
   
4. ritchiebaby = 116 pts
   
5. theo_luddite = 115 pts
   
6. Lord Snooty = 109 pts
   

Saturday 14th March:
League One:
Port Vale v Town
Town scorers:
Vale scorers:

Lincoln City v Stockport County (12:30)
Rotherham United v Bolton Wanderers (12:30)
Doncaster Rovers v Blackpool
Exeter City v Cardiff City
Leyton Orient v Peterborough United
Mansfield Town v Barnsley
Northampton Town v Burton Albion
Reading v Plymouth Argyle
Stevenage v AFC Wimbledon
Wigan Athletic v Bradford City
Wycombe Wanderers v Luton Town

Championship:
West Bromwich Albion v Hull City

Scottish Premiership:
Hibernian v Livingston

Sunday 15th March:
Dundee v Dundee United (14:00)

Tuesday 17th March:
League One:
Town v Lincoln
Town scorers:
Lincoln scorers:

*** scores for ***
*** scores for ***
*** scores for ***

1. themaclad = 156 pts
   
2. St Charles Owl = 154 pts
   
3. SHEP_HTAFC = 132 pts
   
4. Devongone = 121 pts
   
5. WakeyTerrier = 106 pts
   
6. Amelia Chaffinch = 86 pts
   

Saturday 14th March:
League Two:
Notts County v Chesterfield (12:30)

Championship:
Norwich City v Preston North End
Sheffield Wednesday v Ipswich Town

League One:
Port Vale v Town
Town scorers:
Vale scorers:

Tuesday 17th March:
Town v Lincoln
Town scorers:
Lincoln scorers:

AFC Wimbledon v Leyton Orient
Blackpool v Port Vale
Bolton Wanderers v Doncaster Rovers
Bradford City v Mansfield Town
Burton Albion v Reading
Cardiff City v Wycombe Wanderers
Luton Town v Exeter City
Peterborough United v Rotherham United
Plymouth Argyle v Stevenage
Stockport County v Northampton Town
Barnsley v Wigan Athletic (20:00)

*** scores for ***
*** scores for ***
*** scores for ***

For those of a certain age.

Today would have been the 70th birthday of the late great Laurie Cunningham.

Happy birthday mate, you are a legend and were fantastic to watch and I am proud to say you were a baggie. You brought many hours of pleasure at the shrine. You will never be forgotten, you have been joined by cyrille in a heavens eleven.

So the Play-Offs are to be expanded from 4 teams to 6 from next season, what do others think about it? Personally I don't think they should exist at all, it should go by the position over a season rather than a lucky goal in the Play-Offs. Earning the promotion over a season also shows consistency, so you would think shows that team may have a better chance of survival in the Prem.

However you look at it, league position is simply fairer, how can it be fair that the team who finishes 8th in the league gets promoted, based on results of a couple of games, but the team who finishes 3rd based on the results of 42 games doesn't? Seems to me its all about making, the EFL and the T.V. companies, a few more shillings, rather than fairness in the game.

Gamball:
Oxford - Charlton

Others:
Burnley - Bournemouth
Sunderland - Brighton
Birmingham - Sheff Utd
Leicester - QPR
Norwich - Preston
Stoke - Watford
WBA - Hull
Man Utd - Villa
Forest - Fulham

Half a league, half a league,
Half a league downward,
All in the Stadium of Kassam
The Baggies floundered.
"Forward the Shite Brigade!
Charge for the goal!"
In the Stadium of Kassam,
That woeful shithole.

Was there a man dismayed?
Swiftly they countered.
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to fracture a thigh.
In the Stadium of Kassam
The Baggies floundered.

Oxen to right of them,
Oxen to left of them,
Oxen in front of them
Volleyed and headed;
Stormed at with shot and pass,
Badly they played, alas
Weapons-grade laughing gas
Couldn't dull what we dreaded.

Now they must charge again,
To thankless Bramall Lane
There to perform like drains,
Damn how it might be played.
Make now an orison
To Cyrille and Laurie, son
For big James Morrison:
And forward the Shite Brigade!

Scunthorpe United boss Andy Butler has extended his contract through to the end of the 2027-28 season.

The 42-year-old guided the club to promotion from National League North in his first season in charge in 2024-25.

The Iron are sixth in the National League despite failing to win any of their past six league matches.

"I'm really pleased. It's nice to be rewarded for what's been a successful season so far," Butler told BBC Radio Humberside.

"It means we're doing something right and gives us a bit of stability.

"It's been a good two years I think and now we can start planning for next season."

Butler's assistant John Schofield and goalkeeper coach Paul Musselwhite have also extended their deals through to the summer of 2028.

THE MATCH

SATURDAY 7TH MARCH KO 3PM

v

LAST MATCH



Another game and another defeat but a spirited display especially in the 2nd half. Southampton controlled most of the first half and numerous chances while we had one or two chances, McNeill firing wide of the mark. The Saints took the lead when Bree toe poked one in from the edge of the 6 yard box after we didn't deal with a cross. It was 0-2 when Manning scored directly from a free kick although the keeper probably should have done better. Onto the 2nd half and we upped it a bit and we pulled one back when Yates headed in from close range, We looked like we might grab something, a shot was blocked and Lowe fired at there keeper. But it was the Saints who got a third when the ball fell in the box and Harwood Bellis fired in from close range. We nearly made it 2-3 late on but there keeper made a good save and Yates messed up the rebound.

DEJPHON CHANSIRI, GET OUT OF OUR CLUB    

THE MATCH



Next up and the short trip south to Derby. Derby have had a decent season and are currently in 8th place in the Championship, 6 points off the playoffs with 11 games remaining. They do have a shout of making the end of season party but with some of the teams above them in good form it could be a challenge to make those playoffs. They are managed by John Eustace who took over in February 2025, and he managed to keep the Rams up on the final day of the season. There leading scorer this season is Agyemang who has 10 goals and 3 assists so far this season.

DEJPHON CHANSIRI, GET OUT OF OUR CLUB    

ALL TIME H2H

OWLS 48
DERBY 54
DRAW 42

CURRENT FORM

OWLS     L L L L L L                                                                

DERBY W L L W L W

EFL STOOGES

DOES IT MATTER THERE ALL CORRUPT  

Oliver Langford
Conor Brown and Natalie Aspinall
Fourth Official : Samuel Allison

THE TEAM

Dieng
Palmer Otegbayo Iorfa
Fusire Thornton Ingelsson Adaramola
McNeill J Lowe
Yates

SCORE & SCORER (HOME TEAM SCORE FIRST)

3-1 McNeill

WEDNESDAYS FIRT GOAL TIME

56

ATTENDANCE

N/A

BML LEAGUE

Owlkev 19
Imre 16
Washington 16
SCO 12
Maddix 9

BMPL

Stateside 18
Pei 1
Wereham -11
Southey -12

OTHER GAMES OF MILD INTEREST

Bristol City v Coventry
Charlton v Birmingham
Luton v Reading
Walsall v Notts Co
Carlisle v Southend

ADHDH

THE MUPPETT LEAGUE

... till the end of the season, + another chap I don't know anything about.
Fingers tightly crossed ; GOOD LUCK!!

https://c.newsnow.co.uk/A/1305795049?-11200:789