Gamball:
Swansea - Coventry

Others:
Everton - Leicester
Ipswich - Southampton
Wolves - Villa
Oxford - Bristol City
Watford - Norwich
Hull - Stoke
Millwall - QPR
Brentford - Spurs
Arsenal - Man City

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 3:

1. jjamez = 43 pts
   
2. Baggiebob(BBB) = 42 pts
   
3. Lord Snooty = 36 pts
   
4. neonfoxinthebox = 36 pts
   
5. St Charles Owl = 28 pts
   
6. themaclad = 27 pts
   

Saturday 1st February:
Northampton v Town
Town scorers:
Northampton scorers:

Stevenage v Exeter City (12:30)
Leyton Orient v Stockport County
Reading v Bolton Wanderers
Shrewsbury Town v Mansfield Town
Wigan Athletic v Lincoln City

Bonus matches:
Friday:
Championship:
Blackburn Rovers v Preston North End (20:00)

Saturday:
Plymouth Argyle v West Bromwich Albion (12:30)
Sheffield Wednesday v Luton Town

Sunday:
Premier League:
Brentford v Tottenham Hotspur (14:00)
Manchester United v Crystal Palace (14:00)

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

1. ritchiebaby = 57 pts
   
2. SHEP_HTAFC = 47 pts
   
3. Devongone = 46 pts
   
4. theo_luddite = 46 pts
   
5. Amelia Chaffinch = 30 pts
   
6. WakeyTerrier = 24 pts
   

Saturday 1st February:
Northampton v Town
Town scorers:
Northampton scorers:

Barnsley v Burton Albion (12:30)
Birmingham City v Rotherham United
Blackpool v Charlton Athletic
Cambridge United v Wycombe Wanderers
Crawley Town v Wrexham

Sunday 2nd February:
Bristol Rovers v Peterborough United (15:00)

Bonus matches:
Saturday:
Scottish Premiership:
Hibernian v Aberdeen

League Two:
Cheltenham Town v Chesterfield (12:30)

Premier League:
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Aston Villa (17:30)

Sunday:
Arsenal v Manchester City (16:30)

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

Though I swore never to do the fixtures again here are the midweek games to help Matt and anyone else with not much time. On a breezy soaking dismal Sunday doing this was a better bet than searching Spireite reports of our geriatric team for non-existent green shoots.


Tuesday 28th January Kick-offs 7.45

Accrington Stanley v Cheltenham Town
Bradford City v Morecambe
Chesterfield v Bromley.
Colchester United v Port Vale
Crewe Alexandra v AFC Wimbledon
Fleetwood Town v Walsall
Grimsby Town v Gillingham
Milton Keynes Dons v Harrogate Town
Notts County v Carlisle United
Salford City v Newport County AFC
Swindon Town v Tranmere Rovers

Wednesday 29th January

Barrow v Doncaster Rovers Kick-off at 8:00pm

THE MATCH

SATURDAY 25TH JANUARY KO 3PM

v

LAST MATCH



We ended up with a point as we decided to sit back for the majority of the 2nd half and got punished late on. We were the better team in the first half without being scintillating and took the lead when Valery got down the right and crossed for Gassama to fire home. We had a couple of chances but it stayed 1-0. Onto the 2nd half and City quickly levelled, Wells heading in a cross from the right. We were quickly back ahead when Bernard score from the edge of the box via a deflection. Then for the rest of the game we sat back and Bristol made it count near the when we conceded from another cross as our defenders turned into statues. City nearly won it, but thankfully the effort struck the bar.

DEJPHON CHANSIRI, GET OUT OF OUR CLUB    

THE MATCH



Next up and a trip to the capital as we take on QPR. After a disappointing start to the season, they have seen an upturn in form which has them on a four game winning streak and they now up to 10th in the table and on the same points total as ourselves. If they can maintain there form is the big question but if they can, a shot at the playoffs is definitely a possibility. They are managed by Martí Cifuentes, who took over in October 23 and has a 35% win percentage. There leading scorer is Michael Frey with 5 goals so far this season.

DEJPHON CHANSIRI, GET OUT OF OUR CLUB    

ALL TIME H2H

OWLS 34
QPR 26
DRAW 19

CURRENT FORM

OWLS  D L L D W L                                                                      

QPR W W W W D L                        

EFL STOOGES

DOES IT MATTER THERE ALL CORRUPT  

SAM ALLISON
Andrew Fox and Carl Fitch-Jackson
Fourth Official: Will Finnie

THE TEAM

Beadle
Palmer Bernard Iorfa Johnson
Bannan Ingelsson
Musaba Windass Gasama
Smith

SCORE & SCORER (HOME TEAM SCORE FIRST)

2-1 Gassama

WEDNESDAYS FIRT GOAL TIME

26

ATTENDANCE

N/A

BML LEAGUE

Imre 20
SCO 19
Washington 19
Maddix 16
Wereham 11

BMPL

Stateside 15
Owlkev 13
Southey 12
Pei 8

OTHER GAMES OF MILD INTEREST

Bournemouth v Notts Forest
Bristol City v Blackburn
Leyton Orient v Reading
Chesterfield v Port Vale
Altrincham v Forest Green

AAHHD

THE MUPPETT LEAGUE




KATE BECKINSALE TRIBUTE PIC

Solihull Moors have appointed Wealdstone boss Matt Taylor as the club's new head coach.

The 43-year-old, who has previously managed Walsall, Shrewsbury Town and Tottenham's Under-18 side, succeeds Andy Whing, who left the club earlier this week to take over at Barrow.

Taylor made more than 600 appearances as a midfielder, featuring in the Premier League for Portsmouth, Bolton Wanderers, West Ham and Burnley, before spells in the EFL with Luton Town, Northampton Town and Swindon Town.

He leaves the Stones - who he joined in May - in the National League's final relegation place after five wins and 10 losses in 25 league matches. Solihull are seventh in the fifth tier, occupying the final play-off spot.

Wealdstone assistant manager Paul Hughes will take charge of the first team on an interim basis while the club appoints Taylor's successor.

"It's a great club with big plans and ambitions, on and off the pitch, and I am really looking forward to playing my part in that," Taylor told the Solihull website, external.

"I have been made to feel at home straight away and I am absolutely determined to repay the trust that has been placed in me by building a successful team playing good football to entertain the fans."

The club is keeping its backroom team with Richard Stearman stepping up to serve as Taylor's assistant.

"I'm absolutely delighted that we have been able to attract Matt to the club," chairman Darryl Eales added.

"We had many highly respected applicants, but Matt was the outstanding candidate for many reasons.

"He's intelligent, articulate, principled, knows the league and already has a good understanding of Moors, our ethos and our ambition allied to a real hunger and humility to continue to build on our strong foundations."

Huddersfield Town v Bolton Wanderers
Sky Bet League One
Saturday January 25th - 12:30 ko

AND THEN

Huddersfield Town v Birmingham City
Sky Bet League One
Tuesday January 28th - 20:00 ko
both at the John Smith's Stadium

This will be the third meeting between Town and Bolton this season and my third Bolton match thread, so I won't be putting much content in here. Maybe when we meet for the Play Offs I might.

So two games at the Toughsheet Reebok Stadium have yielded quite diferent performances and results. Luckily we won the most important one, beating the Trottskis 4-0 in the league back in September. Josh Koroma opened the scoring in the first half, with a near post header. He doubled the lead after half time from the penalty spot, before Ben Wiles and then Anthony Evans completed the rout.

An almost full strength Town side returned there in December for a Vertu Trophy game and delivered a much below par performance. Klaidi Lolos opened the scoring just before half time, with Aaron Collins scoring twice in the 83rd and 88th minutes to wrap the game up. Substitute, Josh Dacres-Cogley put through his own net in injury time to provide us with a consolation.

1. Birmingham retired Jude Bellingham's shirt number when he left, what was that number?
   
2. Frank Worthington scored a famous wonder goal for Bolton in 1979, who were the opponents?
   
3. Birmingham were the first English team to play in a European Final, the 1960 Fairs Cup, who beat them in that Final?
   
4. Who did Bolton beat in the first FA Cup Final to be played at Wembley in 1923?
   
5. Birmingham won the Associate Members Cup (EFL Trophy) in 1991, which future Town manager was their manager then?
   
6. With 72 caps, Ricardo Gardner is Bolton's most capped international, but for which country?
   
7. Lukas Jutkiewicz came on loan to Town in 2009 from which Premier League club?
   
8. Which French international became Bolton's record transfer fee when he was sold to Chelsea in 2008?
   
9. How many times have Birmingham reached the FA Cup Final?
   
10. A painting of Bolton's Burnden Park, titled Going To The Match sold for £1.9m in 1999, but who was the artist?
    

Sorry missed one
Friday
Newport 1-1 Swindon


Bradford 2-0 Walsall
MKDons 1-2 Wimbledons
Barrow 1-0 Grimsby
Cheltenham 2-3 Salford
Chesterfield 2-0 Port Vale
Colchester 3-1 Morecambe
Crewe 2-0 Accrington
Doncaster 2-1 Harrogate
Fleetwood 1-1 Carlisle
Notts C 0-1 Bromley
Tranmere 2-1 Gillingham

We fulfilled our commitment to youth by signing Kyle MacFadzean from Blackburn (when last heading up the tunnel). At only 37 he should nicely match our current age profile. He and Grimes will be able to croon Perry Como's greatest hits as the opposition centre forward speeds through on goal.

I can't imagine too many intricate passing moves out of defence ......... but it'll be someone for John Fleck to call grandad.