What do people think of our chances? (Bar 1 in 4 mathematically).

For the last 2 years we have struggled/failed badly.  Both after playing at home first when there is a lot of pressure to get off to a good start.

Previously, I have not thought that we were stronger than our play-off opponents.

I would like us to finish in the top 2 in the play-offs this season.  I think this gives us an advantage over playing at home first. You also know what you have to do and away goals do not count double.

This year I would be fairly confident (rightly or wrongly) that we can beat any team over 2 legs or in one game.  EVEN if we played at home first. That is apart from Bristol Rovers. I would rather they up as champions.  

We are on a very good run of form (at just the right time) and Palmer could cause tired defences too many problems.

I could add that if it was Barnet, Macclesfield and Eastleigh in the play-offs then we have beaten all 3 away from home and 2 teams at home.  Taking 15 points out of a possible 18.

The play-offs are completely different  However, these results must give us a lot of encouragement and confidence that we can win.

(Yes I realise that we beat Cheltenham home and away in the league and then lost to them in the final).

The above results this season are far more comprehensive and indicative of our true quality against the best teams.

If Bristol Rovers went up champions I would be quietly confident as I feel we can beat any of the other top 6 in the league over two legs and would only really fear Barnet in the final because of Akinde diving antics getting someone sent off early in the game,

Will be the same result as the last two.
We need to win the league to get out of it with this manager.

Quoted from TownSNAFU5

What do people think of our chances? (Bar 1 in 4 mathematically).

For the last 2 years we have struggled/failed badly.  Both after playing at home first when there is a lot of pressure to get off to a good start.

Previously, I have not thought that we were stronger than our play-off opponents.

I would like us to finish in the top 2 in the play-offs this season.  I think this gives us an advantage over playing at home first. You also know what you have to do and away goals do not count double.

This year I would be fairly confident (rightly or wrongly) that we can beat any team over 2 legs or in one game.  EVEN if we played at home first. That is apart from Bristol Rovers. I would rather they up as champions.  

We are on a very good run of form (at just the right time) and Palmer could cause tired defences too many problems.

I would prefer to play away first, as we have a great away record. If we get a good result in the away leg, it forces the opponent to attack in the second leg. That would also suit as we do struggle to break down teams that part the bus.

I'd fear no one in the play offs, not even Bristol. At the moment, we have the best team in the league. Such a shame it took us until Christmas to be so.

Quoted from TAGG

Will be the same result as the last two.
We need to win the league to get out of it with this manager.

You are so tiringly predictable

Quoted from thevera

You are so tiringly predictable

;D  ;D  ;D😴
                    😴
                         😴

For me playing the second leg at home is the best thing you can do to swing the tie on your favour and improve the odds over 25%. The two occasions we have reached the final the fans at BP have got us over the line.Our supporters can get on the players backs sometimes but they can also lift them in the really big games.

On a historical note in 1998 Bristol Rovers and Grimsby were both in the play-offs and we won them!.

If and it is still a big if we secure a play off berth I would not fancy Bristol rovers over 2 legs, Crikey they have only lost 5 all season so far and that is the consistency that scares me to be honest. As for the other candidates, they all have merits  could we keep akinde quiet again? Don't know, but play offs are a lottery as we all know and impossible to judge. I said at the start of the season I want the 2 teams that deserve to go up, go up. Time will tell over the next few weeks as to wether we deserve it more than the others. UTM

I'd rather us not play macclesfield. Just feel more confident against Barnet. Would happily play Fgr as our record against them is very impressive. I've said before that if it's bristol v us in the play off final there could well be a new record attendance for such an occasion in the Conference. It's exciting yet very nervewracking knowing our 5 year exodus could be coming to an end. It took Luton that amount of time so hopefully we do likewise.

How is it big if that we will finish in the play offs?

Quoted from GrimRob

For me playing the second leg at home is the best thing you can do to swing the tie on your favour and improve the odds over 25%. The two occasions we have reached the final the fans at BP have got us over the line.Our supporters can get on the players backs sometimes but they can also lift them in the really big games.

On a historical note in 1998 Bristol Rovers and Grimsby were both in the play-offs and we won them!.

And Brizzle were beaten in the PO semis by a big cynical direct side who'd just been promoted from the lower division the season before.

For me it doesn't matter who else is in the playoffs or whether we play at home first. It's a whole new competition. The big question marks for Town are whether we can score enough goals to win games and whether we have the tactics and ability to turn around a tie if we go behind.

If we get in the play offs I hope we end up with Macc as there the team that seem to be like us in the last two seasons - i.e. going off the boil at the end of the season.

I think it's highly unlikely we'll be playing Bristol Rovers over two legs as this would surely mean they would have finished 2nd and us 5th. It's more than likely going to be Macc assuming we don't win the league.

Who knows what will happen? A solid 46 game season can go out of the window in a flash. Poor refereeing decision, not get the rub of the green, don't turn up on the day and you're gone.

Better to win it but we left it too late IMO. If we'd had a proper striker sooner, we'd have drunk it.

Yeah, yeah, bring on the crosses but that's the way i see it.

I think in general, the better team over the two games progresses through to the play-off final. The past two seasons I think that this has just about been the case with us.

However, I do think back to the first play-off game against Newport when they scored from a free-kick awarded for what was actually a blatant foul on Thomas. As I recall, that was their only effort on target at BP? Not saying we would necessarily have been good enough to win the away leg in any case, but it might well have been different if we hadn't needed to chase the game. A poor refereeing decision certainly influenced that tie.

Obviously, much the same last season (yet more so) with the ridiculous red card given to Neilson in the second leg which pretty much ended any slim chance we had in that tie.

This season (well, since the arrival of Palmer) we've actually begun to look like a team capable of winning promotion. More hopeful that we would now be capable of overcoming dodgy refereeing decisions in a crunch game.

If we cannot quite overturn the leaders (which I think will unfortunately be the case) then this is our best chance so far imo.

We have the best squad we have had at this level imo, and on our day can really dominate teams.  I think all our fears and frustrations with Hurst and Town this season is that with a little bit more intensity and consistency we could be in an even better position.  But I would genuinely enter the playoffs with more confidence than I have ever had!

UTM  

The last two seasons we have almost staggered into the play-offs , with unconvincing performances against mediocre teams. This has been especially true for the second half of the season. This season we have started indifferent but post Christmas we have looked a more creditable promotion side. I know the play-offs can be a lottery and results can hinge on poor refereeing performances or one defensive error but I genuinely believe we can achieve promotion through the play-offs regardless of who we play.