Why we so successful and ruthless in KO games?

Examining the stats shows a breathtaking record of achievement.  A mass of contradictions compared to League form.  So many exceptional and different elements of play.  Against the odds in every game.  And quirky coincidences.

All in less than a year.  I think it started on 2 Apr 22.  With possibly the finest of our wins because it was the first one and a catalyst for what was to follow,  we did not know it then.

Away to key promotion rivals Chesterfield.  They scored early in the 6th minute.  We made a massive statement of our mental strength to overcome setbacks to bewilder them and win 4-1.  Holohan scores a blinder.  Confidence levels and belief increased. We made the playoffs.  Chesterfield didn’t. We got promoted.

Since then we have won 10 matches in sudden death playoffs and the FAC. 4 playoff matches with all the extra time.  Ok, we drew at Luton but we won the tie.

All against higher opposition.

We never knew when we were beaten.  Holohan 96th min equaliser at Notts County.  Then a late ET winner.

Wreham:  say no more.  Good goals.  Late winner. Away from home.

Promotion Final ET winner.

FAC:  worse possible draw.  Div 1 leaders.  They took the lead on 5 mins,  game over?  Did we fold?  No. 4-1. HT.

Cambridge:  bad draw.  away,  higher league team.  Won at Newcastle Previous season.  Very late winner.

Burton:  bad draw.  Higher league team.  Very high scorers.

Luton:  very bad draw,  2 leagues above.  Only team out off over 700 who entered FAC who McAtee could not play against.  We stil, won over 2 games.

Then last night.

We give early goals away in the league,  in the FAC we have not conceded a goal in the first half since Plymouth (5 mins).

Poor home league form.  We scored 7 goals in the first half against Plymouth and Luton.

We start very well.  We score very late goals.  We win in ET.

Miss 2 pens in the league.  Score 2 last night.  Holohan has scored a number of crucial goals.  As have McAtee, Khan and Waterfall etc.

So why do we have we this exceptional KO records in less than a year? Possibly unique.

Besides the obvious qualities of hardwood,last ditch defending,teamwork, determination and guts,

Looking at the stats for the top 4 games ( Plymouth, Luton and Southampton) we have relatively few shots at goal.  A very high percentage are on target.  And a very high percentage of shots on target result in goals.

26 shots, 20 on target, 12 goals.  (BBC stats for top 4 games).

By comparison, Southampton and Luton had 46 shots, 13 on target and only 3 goals.  

In all FAC matches:  51 shots at goal, 33 on target, 15 goals.  Absolutely Outstanding.   No idea how we did this and against better teams.  (BBC stats).

We have been impressively and clinically ruthless against much better opponents.  We score goals.  We also defend very well. Last night alone they had 22 shots with only 3 on target.  They could not break down our resolute defence.  

Looking at these at these achievements we have all the ingredients to be a successful League 2 team.  These KO matches are a league season in their own right. The contradiction in results (mainly at home)
In the league is not so easy to explain.

Given these many successes against the odds, we surely have a fighting chance at Brighton.  10 men nearly held out for 90 mins away to Palace,

Waterfall

Fearlessness. Zero pressure on us in any of the cup games this season being the underdog in all ties. They’ve won away at a PL side already this season so Brighton (and all the rest of the quarter finalists) beware.

Since losing to Kidderminster in the FA Cup last season, we've been hammered by Stockport in the FA Trophy (mitigating circumstances as loads of the squad was ill and McAtee was suspended) and then gone on a ridiculous run.

We finished 6th in the National League last season and:

Beat 5th place Notts County in their back yard with an injury time equaliser 15 seconds before the end of the game as their fans were preparing to invade the pitch. This was then followed up with a 119th minute winner.

Next up we had moneybags Wrexham who finished 2nd and ended their documentary in the most dramatic of fashions. 5-4 AET with another 119th minute winner.

On to Solihull in the final who had a 6ft9 striker that only seems to cause us problems and a winger that turned us down for Solihull who were offering more money. 1-0 down at half time, 6ft9 Hudlin the difference. Step forward Andy Smith early in the second half to ensure Hudlin couldn't play on. McAtee equalised and then JMD won us the game in extra time, except this time we had to hang on for 9 minutes.

This season we beat Crewe 4-0 in the League Cup who had convincingly won their first 2 league games and that earned us a Premier League team at BP for the first time since Newcastle in 2006. 3-0 Forest.

Then the FA Cup draw. We drew the highest ranked team in Plymouth, Taylor was missing so we had Kiernan leading the line and went 1-0 down within the first 5 minutes. It was 4-1 to us by half time and 5-1 at full time.

Cambridge and Burton followed, again pretty uninspiring. Then Luton, 4th in the Championship but we managed to get a 2-2 draw at their place to earn us a bit of extra money in a replay at BP. 3-0 up at half time, unbelievable stuff.

Southampton was surely the end of the road but no, we took our chances and we reach the Quarter Finals of the FA Cup. To put it in perspective, I don't have a relative that was alive when we last played an FA Cup Quarter Final.

League games have a different pressure. A common theme in all of those games is that the pressure wasn't on us, but I also think Hurst approaches these games totally different. In the league, you have an opportunity to get some more points on the board in a few days time but in knockout football, it's the end of the road if you lose.

Whilst the cup draw hasn't been the most inspiring, it has also given us 5 teams in higher leagues and we are in the FA Cup record books for beating that many in a single season. It feels great to be a Town fan again. We may not meet some peoples expectations in the league this season but nobody can deny that we haven't progressed.

In all of these FA cup games this season we have been the underdog with nothing to lose so they have gone out with the attitude of excrement or bust. If we lose, we crack on with the league, but result after result have gone our way.

And what an attitude to have

I'd love to ask the players this.

I suspect that they feel much more pressure at BP in league games. The expectation about winning is much higher (ironically, given our home form)

I'm sure other posters above are right that in cup games we've always been underdogs so the pressure is off.

Hurst's pre match talk on Wednesday must have been so easy: 'nobody expects us to win, go and enjoy it. Give 4200 supporters something to cheer. Do yourselves proud. Off you go'

We are definitely a better side against teams that want to play and not just spoil for 90 mins.

All the play off games last season were open, with both sides trying to win, and the same for all the FA Cup games this season.

We're not a bad side when given the chance to open up and I think PH wants to play passing, progressive football as much as he can, but that isn't always possible in League 2.

We saw against the league leaders Orient and again at Northampton that we can compete with the top sides in our division. It's the Harrogate's and Colchester's we struggle against.