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


So we now have a two legged Play Off between Lord Snooty and theo_luddite. The usual rules apply, but in the case of the match ending in a tie, we will have a tie breaker. That will be to predict the total number of corners in the two Huddersfield Town matches during the two legs. The closest wins. If it's still a tie, the winner will be the one who scored most points over the season, which in that case would be theo.



Final Division One table for 2024/25:

1. themaclad = 398 pts
   
2. St Charles Owl = 390 pts
   
3. jjamez = 375 pts
   
4. Baggiebob(BBB) = 367 pts
   
5. Lord Snooty = 344 pts
   
6. SHEP_HTAFC = 324 pts
   

1. neonfoxinthebox = 402 pts
   
2. theo_luddite = 392 pts
   
3. Devongone = 350 pts
   
4. ritchiebaby = 327 pts
   
5. Amelia Chaffinch = 326 pts
   
6. WakeyTerrier = 278 pts
   

Wednesday January 1st (all 15:00):
Wigan v Town
Town scorers:
Wigan scorers:

Barnsley v Wrexham
Blackpool v Shrewsbury Town
Bristol Rovers v Leyton Orient
Burton Albion v Peterborough United
Cambridge United v Reading
Crawley Town v Charlton Athletic
Lincoln City v Rotherham United
Mansfield Town v Bolton Wanderers
Northampton Town v Stevenage
Stockport County v Birmingham City
Wycombe Wanderers v Exeter City

Tie breaker:
Total number of corners in the two Town matches of both legs = ??


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

THE MATCH

SUNDAY 29TH DECEMBER KO 12:30PM

v

LAST MATCH



It was definitely a game of two halves as we made an unlikely 2nd half comeback to earn a point at The Riverside. It didn't take long for Boro to take the lead, Doak with a free header from close range. It was soon 2-0 as Boro cut through the middle and Aziz fired in from the edge of the box. On the half hour it was Aziz again from close range as our defenders turned into statues. Onto the 2nd half and the comeback began when Ingelsson fired in from just inside the box. It was soon 3-2 as the ball hit Windass and went into the net. Then Boro had to sub there keeper and also went down to 10 men when Van Den Berg was given a second yellow. We then completed the Comeback when Valery headed in from a corner. We pressed for a winner but settled for the point.

DEJPHON CHANSIRI, GET OUT OF OUR CLUB    

THE MATCH



Our final game of 2024 sees travel over the Pennines to take on Preston. Preston are languishing in the bottom half of the table as they seem to be the draw specialists of the league, 11 of the 23 games played so far. They are probably too good to get involved in the relegation dogfight but I can't see them bothering the playoff hunt. Paul Heckingbottom is the man in charge after taking over in late August. There leading scorer is Riis with 5 goals and 2 assists.

DEJPHON CHANSIRI, GET OUT OF OUR CLUB    

ALL TIME H2H

OWLS 45
PRES 46
DRAWS 26

CURRENT FORM

OWLS  D W W L D W                                                                    

PRES  W L D W D D                           

EFL STOOGES

DOES IT MATTER THERE ALL CORRUPT  

SUNNY SINGH GILL
Mark stevens and Matthew Jones
Fourth Official: Benjamin Speedie

THE TEAM

Beadle
Palmer Bernard Iorfa Johnson
Bannan Charles
Ugbo Ingelsson Lowe
Smith

SCORE & SCORER (HOME TEAM SCORE FIRST)

1-2 Smith

WEDNESDAYS FIRT GOAL TIME

26

ATTENDANCE

N/A

BML LEAGUE

Washington 13
Maddix 11
SCO 10
Imre 10
Wereham 7

BMPL

Stateside 11
Southey 10
Owlkev 9
Pei 4

OTHER GAMES OF MILD INTEREST

Everton v Notts Forest
Oxford v Plymouth
Middlesboro v Burnley
Bolton v Lincoln
Bradford v Chesterfield

AHAHD

THE MUPPETT LEAGUE




KATE BECKINSALE TRIBUTE PIC

It's a welcome return to Easter Road on Sunday with a decent Kilmarnock side being the visitors for the last game of 2024.

We should have no problems with our confidence and we're playing well enough to see off anyone at present. Keep on working hard and play as well as we have been and we have the chance to stay above the teams below us, which must still be our main priority.

GGTTH

League One side Bristol Rovers have appointed former Brighton & Hove Albion defender Inigo Calderon as their new boss on a two-and-a-half-year deal.

The 41-year-old Spaniard has been Brighton's under-18s manager since the start of last season.

Rovers also confirmed that Lee Cattermole has left the club and his role as a first-team coach.

Cattermole was placed in interim charge alongside Dave Horseman following the departure of previous boss Matt Taylor.

During his playing days, right-back Calderon made more than 230 appearances for Brighton and also featured for Spanish sides Alicante and Deportivo Alaves.

He closed out his playing career at Indian side Chennaiyin before retiring in 2019.


The Gas are 19th in the League One table, three points above the relegation zone having won just six league games this season.

"Inigo is someone I have followed for a long time, both as a player and as a coach," director of football George Friend said.

"He already has a thorough understanding of English football and the culture of the game here.

"Inigo is an excellent coach and what has become obviously clear from our conversations is that he is full of the character, ambition and enthusiasm to not only be the best head coach he can, but to help drive Bristol Rovers to success too.

"We are all excited for what Inigo will bring to our squad, our staff, and our supporters."

Rovers say that Calderon will be in attendance at St James' Park to watch his side play Exeter City on Boxing Day before beginning work with the squad on Friday.

Hearts seem to have re-discovered a wee bit of form just in time for our Boxing Day fixture. They're nothing great, not managing to score more than 2 goals at a time, so we've no need to worry too much about them.

Continuing our recent goal-scoring exploits would probably be enough to come away with some points. We seem to have employed the tactic of attack is the best form of defence, which is better than inhibiting our flair and adventure. Come on Hibs, do the needful and finish the year on a high.

GGTTH

Fleetwood Town have appointed former Oldham Athletic, Halifax Town and Barrow manager Pete Wild as their head coach.

The 40-year-old has agreed a deal of undisclosed length with the League Two club following Charlie Adam's exit at the weekend.

Wild will take over on 27 December with current first-team coach Matt Lawlor in charge for the Boxing Day visit of Chesterfield.

"I am really excited to have the opportunity to manage such a progressive football club," Wild told the club website., external

"Although discussions have moved quickly, both myself and [assistant boss] Adam [Temple] feel like there is a clear direction from everyone at the football club and we really feel we can support that journey.

"We can't wait to meet everyone and get fans, staff and players moving in a forward direction."

Fleetwood sacked Adam after just under a year in the job following a run of one win in 11 league games.

The Cod Army lost 2-0 at Barrow on Saturday, their fifth defeat in a run which also included five draws, and were knocked out of the FA Cup round by Reading at the first-round stage.

Former Liverpool midfielder Adam took charge on New Year's Eve 2023, replacing Lee Johnson, in his first job as a manager.

The 39-year-old failed to prevent the Lancashire club being relegated to League Two at the end of last season and they are currently 18th in the table, eight points above the drop zone.

The job is Wild's first managerial position since leaving Barrow in the summer after a campaign in which they narrowly missed out on the League Two play-offs.

"At this point we felt it was important to bring in someone who has extensive knowledge of the division we find ourselves in - and Pete was the standout candidate," Fleetwood owner Jamie Pilley said.

Sunday 29th December

Bromley v Swindon Town ko 12.30pm
Carlisle United v Accrington Stanley ko 12.30pm
Bradford City v Chesterfield ko 3.00pm
Cheltenham Town v Notts County. ko 3.00pm
Colchester United v Doncaster Rovers ko 3.00pm
Fleetwood Town v Harrogate Town ko 3.00pm
Grimsby Town v Port Vale ko 3.00pm
Milton Keynes Dons v Crewe Alexandra.ko 3.00pm
Salford City v Morecambe ko 3.00pm
Tranmere Rovers v Barrow ko 3.00pm
Walsall v Newport County AFC ko 3.00pm

Monday 30th December

AFC Wimbledon v Gillingham ko 8.00pm

I hope these Matchday numbers are right Matt ........

Thursday 26th December

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

All kick off at 3pm.

I thought putting these up today would help out Matt and anyone who has a busy Christmas whilst I'm Baah-Humbuging.