Well this is a match in which Hibs can finally secure our 3rd place in the Scot Prem. We can do it in two ways: 1. A jubilant Hibs team, after winning through to another Scot Cup final, carries on with the "feelgood factor" and beats a poor Dons' team that is no doubt gonna try seriously to upset Hibs progress as they have an outside chance of "pipping" Hibs for that 3rd placed spot.
2. Hibs take on the Dons with the sole purpose of ensuring they don't lose this match thereby rubber-stamping their best Scot Prem performance for many years.
I'll take either result and that would be our league business "done n dusted" in a vg footie season that has been surreal due to the COVID crisis. This is a case of how Jack Ross views this match and the best strategy to deploy in order to attain the right result. Also "fingers crossed" that all our players get past this penultimate Scot Prem fixture unscathed and rendering our final match v Celtic at ER Stadium as a "dead rubber". IMO that would be the perfect scenario.

GGTTH

Frankie McAvoy has been offered and accepted the head coach role at Preston North End.

The Lilywhites’ former first team coach took charge of the club, initially on an interim basis, in March. He led the side for the remaining eight games of the season, winning five, drawing two and losing just one, including four successive wins to end the 2020/21 season.

The 53-year-old was part of the coaching staff at both Hamilton Academical and Norwich City before moving to join the coaching team at Deepdale in July 2017.



Paul Gallagher will join the coaching staff, as first team coach, assisting Frankie, alongside current coach Steve Thompson.

Gallagher, 36, will call time on his 20-year professional career, having made over 600 appearances, including becoming the 24th player to play over 300 games for Preston North End.

Everyone at Preston North End would like to congratulate them on their new roles and wish the new coaching team the very best in taking the club forward.

Aldershot Town 1-1 Yeovil Town
Solihull Moors 1-2 Weymouth
Stockport County 3-1 Dagenham & Redbridge
Chesterfield 2-0 King's Lynn Town
Maidenhead United 2-0 Notts County
Wealdstone 0-3 Bromley
Sutton United 4-0 Woking

League Table After Matchday 51
Lord Snoots = 492
Amelia = 438
Spireitematt = 412
Devon = 390
Dancing = 368
St Charles = 346

Might as well get this up now. This summer is going to be crazy and crucial for us. Chansiri isn’t going anywhere and he says it will be Darren Moore in charge, so they are the ones who will oversee the comings and goings as we head into League one after 9 seasons in the Championship.

If ever there was a chance to firmly press the reset button, then its now. Below are the 16 players who are out of contract with us, some are loans. Which ones will we keep, which ones will we let go?? Can we afford to let them all go if we want to have any hope for a chance of promotion? Can we replace them if we let them go? Can we get a team to gel quickly enough?

One thing for sure is we need to make some quick decisions as to who we are keeping and the search for replacements needs to start asap, we will need as much time as possible to allow Moore to get the team together. I think the transfer window beings at the start of June, but lets make sure for once we are ready to hit the ground running.

Izzy Brown (Loan)
Kadeem Harris
Alex Hunt
Sam Hutchinson
Elias Kachunga
Tom Lees
Jack Marriott (loan)
Moses Odubajo
Joey Pelupessy
Matt Penney
Adam Reach
Jordan Rhodes
Liam Shaw ( Agreed pre-contract with Glasgow Celtic )
Osaze Urhoghide
Joost van Aken
Keiren Westwood

This leaves us with the following still under contract:

2022
Julian Borner
Chey Dunkley
Andre Green
Dominic Iorfa
Massimo Luongo
Liam Palmer
Callum Paterson
Joe Wildsmith
Josh Windass

2023
Barry Bannan
Fisayo Dele-Bashiru

2024
Cameron Dawson

Based on who is still under contract and assuming we don’t sell any, then we have the core of a team that should be able to challenge in League One. Adding to that team is where our season will be defined.

Lets stick and news, however speculative in here but for starters who would you offer a new contract to?

Unfortunately it is COVID hit Saint Johnstone, as predicted, who we meet in the Scottish Cup final in a fortnight and I make them favourites to win it, contrary to a lotta media comments that Hibs are the favourites. They deservedly won 2-1 v St Mirren even though they had apparently been weakened by the COVID infection in their ranks. But St Mirren definitely let down by a huddy of a CF, an ex Huddersfield Town player, named Quaner - some great scoring opps scorned, one of them an absolute sitter!! I wanna hear much more of the chat that Hibs have no chance and Saint Johnstone are certainties to win a cup double. I never liked Hibs being ranked favourites anyway and want our players to be absolutely "fired up" to prove a point as underdogs. Target certain players like Wotherspoon, a player with a Hibs supporting family, plus McCann - make it a "kicking match" if poss but tight man-marking and "in yer face" tactics - NAE NICETIES PLEASE, WE'RE TRYING TO WIN A SCOTTISH CUP FOR THE SECOND TIME IN FIVE YEARS!! I think Jack Ross and his backroom staff must assess that previous shit League Cup semi-final v them and the tactics that were deployed and where we failed badly in losing that match. Suddenly the ex Hibs winger, Glenn Middleton, looking like a vg player!!!??? Scored a cracking FK to win the semi-final. But how the f### is that the case now????? He was shit at ER Stadium for most of the time he was there!!! Anyway, one thing to note is that they are not a great team - nothing near that rating!! But they have a manager who knows that he has a solid defence and a good goalie behind them. His tactics are clear that they try to "keep the back door shut" and counter-attack to gain a valuable goal because scoring lotsa goals is not their forte. We need to be just as solid and uncompromising in that situation!! IMO the guys must be up for it, it is imperative to be in that kinda mindset for this one-off final!!

Cheltenham 4  Harrogate 1

For the first time in their long history (1887) Cheltenham Town have their first league silverware but, what a match to end the season.

Fair play to Harrogate they came to attack. No parking the bus for them and, why would they having put 5 goals past Cambridge the week before.
It took only 7 minutes for the first goal but, from a Robins supporter's view point at the wrong end. A cross from Harrogate's left seemed destined to go out of play but, somehow was hooked back across goal for Muldoon to score with a stooping header.
The Robins should have been back on level terms almost immediately when Alfie May was put through one on one with the goalkeeper. His first shot was charged down on the edge of the penalty area but, rebounded straight back to May who with the goal at his mercy managed to miss the target from just inside the box.
Fortunately within another couple of minutes Sercombe made amends with a low shot from 20 yards which somehow squirmed under Harrogate's goalkeeper. Now the game was back to even and both sides went at it 'hammer and tong'.
In the 22nd minute Smith made it 2-1 to the Robins when he hooked the ball home from about 5 yards.
Ten minutes later the Robins further increased their lead when Alfie May added a third, also from close range.

The second half started with Harrogate on the front foot but the Robins defence held out and on 55 minutes Callum Wright, on loan from Leicester City, added a fourth from just inside the penalty area. That was the pick of the Robin's four goals and finally put the issue beyond doubt.

I think praise is due to the Harrogate team who came to play attacking football but, ultimately paid the price.

Silverbaggie signing off!!

WEEK-POINTS-POSITION             30  -  29   -       28      -  27     -  26     -  25                                        
1               BBB                              - 332(1) - 321(1) - 303(1) - 293(1) - 273(1)            BW  26 20

2            MINIZIN                           - 282(2) - 270(2) - 269(2) - 262(2) - 254(2)            BW  23 22

3           ST/CHARLES                       - 263(3) - 251(3) - 243(4) - 238(4) - 233(4)            BW 23 19

4            BAGGIE1                           - 261(4) - 244(7) - 236(8) - 237(5) - 223(6)            BW 25 23

5             SILVER                            - 257(5) - 251(3) - 247(3) - 237(5) - 228(5)             BW 25 20

5            ZINMAN                            - 257(5) - 248(6) - 239(6) - 234(7) - 222(7)             BW 29 13

7             SANJAY                           - 257(7) - 250(5) - 246(5) - 240(3) - 237(3)             BW 28 22

8           BOMBER                            - 253(8) - 243(8) - 237(7) - 229(9) - 215(8)             BW 14 12

9             STAIRS                            - 244(9) - 237(9) - 231(9) - 231(8) - 215(8)             BW 16 15

10         SOMERSET                         -242(10)- 230(10)- 223(10) - 215(11) - 207(10)       BW  18 16

11           AAA                               - 232(11)- 226(11)- 221(11) - 218(10) - 202(11)        BW  20 17
 
12         JOKER                               -224(12)- 217(12)-215(13) - 214(12) - 201(13)         BW 23 14

13        LORD SNOOTY                     -223(13)- 219(13)-216(13) - 214(12) - 201(13)         BW 18 15

14       AMELIA                                -222(14)-209(15)-204(15) - 193(16) - 183(16)          BW 16 15

15           DD                                  -220(15)- 210(14)-210(14) - 204(14) - 197(14)         BW 25 23

16        DERBY                                -210(16)- 204(16)-200(16) - 198(15) - 185(15)         BW  17 15

17        L/JANE                               -208(17)-200(17)-200(16) - 191(17) - 180(17)           BW  17 15 

18        THEM                                 -182(18)-183(18)-179(18) - 177(18) - 170(18)          BW  19 13

19      TWERTON                            -181(19)-170(19)-162(19) - 154(19) - 135(19)           BW  19 18



Not a lot of movement over 5 weeks. It would appear our best scoring weeks were at the beginning of the season - fresh minds maybe?

Baggie 1 moves up 3 places. Zinman up a place, and Sanjay after being 3rd for 5 weeks falling away. Amelia now moves up another place creating an interesting 12th to 15th battle with only 4pts separating them. And Twerton interestingly has over the past 2 weeks had good scores and is now 1pt behind Themoclad for the wooden spoon.

And another battle with only 10pts separating 3rd to 8th spot.
BBB retains 1st place for the 28th consecutive week. Minizin 2nd for the 9th week.

Zinman and Sanjay appear to have the best week scores with 29 & 28, can anyone show a better score?

THREE WEEKS MORE LADIES AND GENTLEMAN AND WE CAN ALL HAVE A WELL EARNED REST AND FOLLOW THE TRANSFER MARKET.

Altrincham 0-1 Eastleigh
Barnet 1-0 Notts County
FC Halifax Town 2-0 Boreham Wood
Hartlepool United 1-2 Maidenhead United
King's Lynn Town 2-0 Solihull Moors
Sutton United 0-0 Weymouth
Wealdstone 1-1 Dagenham & Redbridge
Woking 0-2 Chesterfield
Wrexham 0-3 Yeovil Town
Torquay United 1-2 Bromley

League Table After Matchday 50
Lord Snoots = 488
Amelia = 434
Spireitematt = 408
Devon = 382
Dancing = 360
St Charles = 340