The Voice - Match preview Crawley Town vs Bradford City Friday 7th April @ 3:00pm

I will always be confident even with our home form not being anywhere near where is should be for a team hoping to get promoted, I'm as disappointed as the rest that we for some reason can't make our home ground fortress Valley Parade.

You see this is where we differ I believe with the games we have to play we will be in the play off mix come the 8th of May where as you believe we'll struggle to make the play offs, all about opinions mate, I tend to look on the bright side of life certainly with regards my football club, where as others prefer to say what if ........

 

I've just had the grandson text me saying we should have won yesterdays game and it could cost us come the end of the season, but yesterdays result was no worse than our games against the likes of Carlisle, Barrow, Colchester, Swindon, Rochdale etc, we wont miss out on a play off place because of yesterdays result that was just another game that we should have got a better return than a single point IMO.

 

Agree Jon.

They started well and had decent pace and trickery. Huffed and puffed but created few chances. That said, it's all irrelevant really, if we'd taken our chances we would have won.

Just too many players had an off day unfortunately. It happens. The problem isn't this game. Those games can happen. It's more the previous 4 or 5 where we drew games we should have won but created little.

 

Oh so your aim isn’t the automatic places but the second prize places?

See I think out of the teams currently in the play off mix it will be us that drop out unless we stop counting on Cook.

 

Our excuse for next monday probably already written...." lads were tired after long journey from Crawley" ....

 

We've drawn more games than any side in the top 10. If we'd won just a couple of those draws we'd be on 69 points, same as Carlisle in 3rd and a point behind Northampton in 2nd with a game in hand on both. Like you say, it isn't yesterday's game in isolation that's the problem, it's the missed opportunities earlier in the season that could end up costing us.

 

No as long as we have a chance of an auto then Ill take it, and if we cant get the results to keep us in with a shout then a play off place is the next goal.

 

So many where we weren't capable of seeing the game out, that's what's hurt us not as you said the Crawley game in isolation.

 

My concern, was looking at the bench yesterday and having no one there who could turn a game. For the size of the squad we're lacking game changers. Pierera possibly but he's not the same guy as last season and we are running out of games for him to get up to speed. Osadebe likewise, we don't know how the mental impact of the injury will affect his game.

 

In some respects, although the result was the same, I felt yesterday was better than some of those previous games in that at least we were looking to try and win it right til the end. It's the ones where we settled for a draw rather than risk losing that we will look back on and rue. Of course all this will be forgotten when we win at Wembley!

 

that as well!

 

Put Derbyshire back on the bench is the answer to that.

 

I'm still a little bewildered why we brought the lad Bola in and let Foulds leave, is he still not match fit as Ridehalgh is hardly pulling any trees up.

 

That would have been the better option yesterday def

 

I have to be honest and ask why he started Derbyshire, Hughes openly said he couldn't do 90 minutes, I'd have prefered bringing Derbyshire on after say 65/70 minutes, maybe Hughes thought starting him and getting a goal in front he could take him off.

 

In hindsight, a big mistake starting him yesterday. It was definitely one of those games where we needed someone on the bench that could come on and make a difference if things weren't going to plan, and let's face it, the likes of Costelloe, Oliver and Chapman are not those players.

 

Thing is I think it's too late for us to stop relying on Cook. Walker needs to up his game, and Darbyshire some good cameo performances off the bench, but other than that it's not coming from elsewhere.

Oh FFS Fordy you've got to me . I was pretty sure of a play off place, but I now have just got this nagging worry that we might clam up and go safety first....and "draw" ourselves out of the playoffs.

 

Yeah, but we'd still have our unbeaten run, so there's always that I suppose.....

 

Yes we could have won, alternatively we could have lost. We tried and failed to win, so it is what it is and the result did not alter our position. In your view we have blown it, and we might not make it, but I am hoping the manager and players don’t think the same as you. We keep going until it is mathematically impossible. 7 games out and all to play for.

 

Well, as a fan you will think that. As a manager you have an eye on the future to give you the best chance possible.

So, do be shocked in a few weeks players like Cook and Smallwood are rested or subbed off in games to keep them fresh for the playoffs- if we make it.