Welsh Player News 8th August (League Two, Non-League, Scotland, Ireland)

Owain fon Williams doesn’t care if he’s in League Two now – at least he still got a job.

Josh Klein-Davies failed to win a contract with Cheltenham Town but Forest Green Rovers quickly moved to put him in their next game. Josh scored and it was a good thing he did as the score was 3-2 to Forest Green.

Poor Chad Bond. I’m sure the former Swansea City striker is doing a good job for Neath Athletic but he can’t have made a huge impression if the people responsible for the team-sheet thinks he’s called Charlie Bird. But his goal in Neath Athletic’s 4-0 victory over Crewe Alexandra’s reserves can only help. Former Grimsby Town striker Chris Jones doesn’t seem to have featured but maybe they got his name wrong too.

Grant Basey is expected to complete his move to Aberdeen next week – or maybe this week if Sunday is the first day of the week for you – but they have to loan out two players in order to be able to afford him.

Matthew Tipton scores his first goal for Dundalk and wins his new team a point.

League Two Fixtures 7th August 2010 Part 2

Shrewsbury Town v Bradford City
Shrewsbury and Bradford fans will have been disappointed with the way their teams ended their season – and they can’t both be happy with their team’s start to this season either.
Shrewsbury have released lots of young Welsh players including Will Richards, who sat on the bench for about a third of Shrewsbury’s league games. But Tom Bradshaw is still at the club which is great news.
Michael Flynn considered leaving Bradford but he’s decided to stay. He probably won’t play today though as he has a stomach injury. Matthew Tipton had a trial with the club following his release from Macclesfield Town but he wasn’t offered a contract and ended up in Dundalk.

Southend United v Stockport County
Last season, Southend and Stockport had problems both with finances and winning games – although Southend did make a good start. Both will want a new start this season – but they can’t both have one.
Southend aren’t allowed to sign any new players due to a transfer embargo but Peter Gilbert has signed a pre-contract agreement following his release from Northampton Town. He won’t play or anything though as he’s injured his ankle.
There were rumours about Owain fon Williams being up for sale but Stockport denied it and he’s still there now. Maybe young striker Craig Roberts will build on his three League appearances on the bench last season.

Stevenage v Macclesfield Town
Stevenage win promotion to the League fourteen years after first winning the Conference and failing to go up. They start against Macclesfield, who are expected to struggle.
Macclesfield have released Matthew Tipton (he's now at Dundalk) but they’ve signed a new Welsh player, Sam Wedgbury from Sheffield United. Let’s hope he gets some more chances at Macclesfield.

Torquay United v Northampton Town
Torquay start the new season with a fully-fit squad but Northampton have quite a few concerns.
Northampton released Peter Gilbert when they got fed up with him messing them around but young goalkeeper Paul Walker is still at the club. He’s been doing well in pre-season but he’s very young, especially for a goalkeeper so the manager wants to look after him a bit and not make him play scary games.

Wycombe Wanderers v Morecambe
Wycombe did manage to claw themselves up to 22nd place last season in League One but with 24 teams in the League and four being relegated, it really wasn’t enough. Morecambe managed an impressive fourth place but losing 6-0 to Dagenham & Redbridge in the first leg of the play-off semi-final must have taken the gloss of it a bit.
Darren Moss should be on the bench at least for Morecambe.

Welsh Player News (and rumours) 2nd August Scottish/Irish

Aberdeen manager Mark McGhee wants to sign trialist Grant Basey but he needs to sort out some financial issues first.

Joe Ledley is loving life at Celtic. He missed the defeat to Arsenal in the Emirates Cup due to a knock. Celtic came back from 3-0 down but Arsenal just about hung on for once.

I was all ready to write about Rhys Weston joining Motherwell – only to find he’s signed for Dundee instead. He’s thrilled to be living with his family again and he hopes to get Dundee back into the Premier League.

Kyle Letheren doesn’t seem to like Motherwell much either. They didn’t let him play once and he’s in talks with Kilmarnock now.

David Stephens played the full match for Hibernian as they lost 1-0 to Jason Price’s Carlisle United.


Matthew Tipton has signed for Dundalk following an unsuccessful trial with Bradford City. His debut was a 1-0 defeat to Sligo Rovers.

Welsh Player News 31st July Non-League/Irish

Will Richards is close to signing a deal with AFC Telford.

Kayne McLaggon is another whose trial doesn’t seem to have ended with a contract offer. He was on trial at Hereford United but he is now with Salisbury City, now three divisions below Hereford if I counted right. He has scored two in a recent friendly for Salisbury.

Jonathan North seems to have played for a few clubs since his release from Watford and I’m getting a bit confused now. I thought he was with Beaconsfield but it looks like I mixed that up with Hayes & Yeading or possibly Boreham Wood as he’s played for both sides, most recently Boreham Wood.

Matthew Tipton’s trial with Bradford City doesn’t seem to have gone that well. The striker has now signed for Dundalk.

Pre-season Friendlies (Part Five)

NAC Breda 0-1 Plymouth Argyle
Carl Fletcher played in defence as Plymouth beat a top-level Dutch side.

NK Inter Zaprešić 0-2 Reading
Simon Church set up the first goal as Reading got another win on their pre-season tour and managed to be caught offside 35 times. Striker Jake Taylor played at right back and can’t have done a bad job. He and Hal Robson-Kanu were both substitutes.

North Ferriby 1-5 Bradford City
Michael Flynn missed out on Bradford’s win due to a groin injury. Trialist Matt Tipton played but although he doesn’t seem to have scored any of the goals, manager Peter Taylor said afterwards that he’d done well.

Norwich United 0-3 Norwich City XI
Owain Tudur Jones played 90 minutes for Norwich City XI so it wasn’t exactly a weak side. Owain scored the opening goal in the 7th minute. Josh Dawkin also played the full match but there was no place for Rhoys Wiggins.

Oxford City 0-3 Milton Keynes Dons
Jermaine Easter hit the crossbar for MK Dons but it didn’t quite go into the net. He played well though.

Welsh Player News (League One, League Two)

Jason Price says he is delighted to be back with Carlisle United. He spent time there on loan from Millwall last season. He says Carlisle is miles from anywhere but that doesn’t matter when you feel wanted. I think he might have a point. Jason scored Carlisie’s fourth goal when they beat Kendal 4-1 in a friendly.

Exeter City manager Paul Tisdale thinks Daniel Nardiello will be a good signing. And I’m not exactly going to argue with him.

Carl Fletcher can’t wait to start playing again after being away from football for two whole months. Maybe he should come out of retirement for Wales and help them into Euro 2012. Then maybe he’ll enjoy his summer. Just a thought, Carl.

Ash Taylor is hoping to remain in Tranmere Rovers’ first team next season. And if he can do it as a centre back, even better.

Lewis Haldane is still in hospital after suffering an insect bite.

Rotherham manager Ronnie Moore says new sigining Mark Bradley will be a key player.

Matthew Tipton is hoping to impress manager Peter Taylor during his trial at Bradford City.

Welsh Player News (Players on Trial)

Colchester United manager John Ward will make a decision this week on whether or not to keep any of his three trialists – one of whom is former Southampton midfielder Lloyd James. Lloyd played 45 minutes for Colchester in their 2-0 win over Dover Athletic and ever so nearly scored from a free kick. Lloyd said he would jump at the chance to join Colchester permanently.

Matthew Tipton is on trial at Bradford City. He was released by Macclesfield Town at the end of last season.

Trialists Garyn Preen played the whole of the second half in Burton Albion’s 2-1 win over Ilkeston Town. Burton manager Paul Peschisolido says he was impressed by all his trialists.

Josh Klein-Davies was one of seven players offered a trial at Cheltenham Town. Following a 0-0 draw with Leamington, he’s now one of four who remain in with a chance of signing for the club permanently. It’s a bit like Big Brother. Josh's goal against Cirencester can only help.

Trialist Will Richards impressed AFC Telford manager Andy Sinton in a late run-out as AFC Telford lost 2-0 to The New Saints. His chances of being signed look pretty good.

Jonathan North, who was released by Watford this summer, is on trial with Beaconsfield.

Lewis Price has joined Crystal Palace on trial. He was released by Derby County at the end of last season after spending the whole season with Brentford, mostly not playing.

League Two news and rumours 14th May

Josh Low has been offered a new contract at Cheltenham Town but he has also been offered a job as a lawyer, a job which probably won’t be there anymore if he doesn’t accept it now. League Two wages are apparently nothing like those in the Premier League and Josh has to keep working somewhere. Manager Mark Yates thinks Josh wants to carry on playing.

Matthew Tipton is one of eleven players who have been released by Macclesfield Town.

Peter Gilbert has been offered a new contract by Northampton Town.

A number of Northampton players have been put on the transfer list but young goalkeeper Paul Walker isn’t one of them.

Lewis Haldane’s contract with Port Vale ran out at the end of the season but he is currently negotiating a new one.

Shrewsbury Town’s Tom Bradshaw has been given his first professional contract after scoring three first team goals in five appearances.

League Two Results 8th May Part 2

Lincoln City 0-0 Macclesfield Town
Both teams finished a disappointing season with a draw – although at least neither of them went down.
David Stephens was again on great form for Lincoln, dribbling the length of the pitch before not quite managing to end the move with a goal. Lincoln could do a lot worse than get him back on loan from Norwich City next season.
After getting a rare start last week, Matthew Tipton wasn’t in Macclesfield’s squad at all this time. Don’t take this the wrong way but I do kind of hope he’s injured... injured is usually better than released.

Morecambe 1-0 Aldershot Town
Aldershot secured their place in the play-offs last week but Morecambe still needed a win to make sure – and that’s exactly what they got. Morecambe finished fourth in their third season of League football.
Darren Moss kept his place in Morecambe’s starting line-up and helped get them another clean sheet.

Northampton Town 1-1 Bury
Northampton and Bury still had a chance of play-off football. With their rivals winning, they wouldn’t have got there anyway but this draw wasn’t a great help either.
Peter Gilbert played the full match for Northampton.

Port Vale 1-1 Shrewsbury Town
Results last week meant that Shrewsbury couldn’t get into the play-offs this season and that Port Vale’s chances were very small. Results elsewhere would have prevented them from getting into the play-offs whatever the result of this game – but even so, both teams would probably have preferred to finish their season with a win.
Gareth Owen was able to play for Port Vale after recovering from hip and back problems. Craig Davies and Lewis Haldane also started. Craig has completed his loan spell from Brighton & Hove Albion but Vale manager Micky Adams has hinted he might want Craig back next season. Lewis is one of several players out of contract.
Tom Bradshaw got what was probably his first start for Shrewsbury. And for almost the first time, he didn’t score. But he still has three goals and an assist from his last four matches. No wonder Birmingham City, Fulham, West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers are interested.

Torquay United 0-0 Notts County
Torquay extended their unbeaten run to eight matches after a very creditable draw with Champions Notts County. County finish 10 points clear of second-placed Bournemouth – and twenty points clear of the play-offs.
Ben Davies has a groin problem but played the full match for Notts County. He didn’t score but he should have won a penalty.

League Two Fixtures 8th May Part 2

Lincoln City v Macclesfield Town
Lincoln and Macclesfield are both safe but Lincoln could drop another place if they lose.
I thought David Stephens wouldn’t play for Lincoln as he’s on loan from Norwich City so he must have gone back (see, I’m getting the hang of this rule thing) but Sportinglife thinks he will be involved. This loan rule is worse than the offside rule.
Matthew Tipton got a rare start for Macclesfield last week but things didn’t go as planned. They lost to Darlington. Still, I wouldn’t hold that against him so maybe Macclesfield won’t either.

Morecambe v Aldershot Town
If Morecambe win, they will be joining Aldershot in the League Two play-offs. If they draw, they should get in on goal difference. Even if they lose, they still have a chance. But it might be advisable to go for the win, just in case. We know what the League Two play-off battle is like.
Darren Moss should keep his place in Morecambe’s defence. He really should. He might not have scored the winning goal last week but they did win and they kept a clean sheet.

Northampton Town v Bury
Both teams are mathematically still in the promotion hunt but Northampton’s chances are much smaller than Bury’s. If Morecambe or Dagenham & Redbridge slip up, Bury will be ready to pounce.
Peter Gilbert will be in defence for Northampton.

Port Vale v Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury are out of the play-offs – they can’t finish any higher than their current twelfth position. Port Vale are two points outside the play-off places so they’re still in it.
Vale’s Gareth Owen has missed the last two matches with hip and back problems and he might not manage this match either. Craig Davies and Lewis Haldane are probably fit though.
Tom Bradshaw has been a bit of a super sub for Shrewsbury so I’m sure he’ll be on the bench at least. Shrewsbury aren’t that stupid. Tom is rumoured to be close to signing his first professional contract but Premier League West Ham United are also interested. They’re planning on paying £17 apparently.

Torquay United v Notts County
Torquay could finish in 15th place if they can beat the League Champions and extend their winning run to five games – and their unbeaten run to seven games. Torquay have managed to sign a goalkeeper on loan (good to see Torquay United being treated the same as Manchester City) so apparently another twist to this loan rule is that emergency loan signings don’t count.
Ben Davies’ place in Notts County’s team could be under threat – and there’s something I never thought I’d write. Manager Steve Cotterill wants to give some fringe players a chance.

League Two Fixtures 1st May Part 2

Dagenham & Redbridge v Hereford United
Dagenham are one of many teams vying for a play-off place. They face Hereford, who could very very possibly sneak into the play-offs, fixtures permitting.
Tony Roberts should be in goal for Dagenham.
Ryan Green, Ryan Valentine and Darren Jones all have a very good chance of being part of Hereford’s defence.

Macclesfield Town v Darlington
It hasn’t been a great season for Macclesfield for various reasons. In many ways, they have had an even worse season than Darlington. Would you rather drop into the Conference or lose a manager who was also a close friend? I hope next season is happier for both clubs.
Matthew Tipton will probably be on the bench for Macclesfield.

Notts County v Cheltenham Town
Champions Notts County face Cheltenham, who are officially safe despite having enough points to be caught by Grimsby Town. But they can’t be caught by Grimsby and Barnet. The bottom two clubs play each other this weekend.
Ben Davies recovered from his groin injury to play 72 minutes as Notts beat Darlington and won the title. He says he’s still having some trouble with his groin but he doesn’t seem to be an injury doubt.
Josh Low is considering quitting football to become a lawyer. He’s going to take his Legal Practice Course next year, he works one day a week at a local firm and he’s been offered a full-time job. His contract ends this season and he’s going to make a decision then. He loves football but the job might not be available next year and he doesn’t want to be out of work with a wife and three kids to support. That’s quite sad really. So many footballers have enough money to support several families (and maybe some of them do have several).But League Two is a different world. Josh will however l be able to play against Notts County this weekend.

League Two Results 24th April Part 2

Lincoln City 1-0 Bury
Lincoln’s win ensured their survival while a defeat wasn’t quite enough to put Bury out of the play-off places.
I’m getting a bit confused about Lincoln loanee David Stephens. First he’s on the bench, then he’s out of the squad, then he’s on the bench, then he’s out of the squad. So the only think I was sure of was that he wouldn’t be in the starting line-up? Right? Wrong. David started the match, finished the match, and was arguably the Man of the Match.

Morecambe 1-0 Dagenham & Redbridge
The battle for the League Two play-off places is very, very close. Morecambe are now 8th, out of the play-offs on goal difference. Dag & Red are now down to 11th – but they’re only a point behind Morecambe.
Darren Moss started for Morecambe and played the whole match. But that wasn’t all he did. He also scored a brilliant goal in the 86th minute. He would love to be promoted with Morecambe after losing the play-off final with Shrewsbury Town last year.
Tony Roberts was in goal for Dag & Red.

Northampton Town 2-0 Shrewsbury Town
This win for Northampton keeps them just a point behind the play-offs but for Shrewsbury the dream is pretty much over. But they could probably still do it, depending on the fixtures still to play.
Peter Gilbert played in defence for the winning team.
Will Richards wasn’t in Shrewsbury’s squad.

Port Vale 2-1 Notts County
Port Vale always said they could get into the play-offs and the dream has never been so alive as it is now. There are still a lot of teams in it but Port Vale are still 7th. And they’ve just beaten the almost unbeatable Notts County.
Craig Davies – who recovered from a knee injury in time to play - and Lewis Haldane both started for Port Vale but neither could find the net although match reports suggest Lewis got the assist for the second goal. Gareth Owen failed a fitness test on his back and hip and wasn’t in the squad.
Ben Davies looked lively for Notts County and took one great free kick that deserved to be an assist – but the resulting shot was inches wide. Maybe if Ben hadn’t gone off injured after twenty-three minutes, the result could have been slightly different. Not that Port Vale didn’t fully deserve their win.

Torquay United 1-0 Macclesfield Town
Torquay stretched their unbeaten run to six games and moved up to 18th place. But most importantly, they are now safe from relegation. They’re actually above Macclesfield on goal difference now.
Matthew Tipton was a late substitute for Macclesfield.

League Two Results 17th April Part 1

Accrington Stanley 1-2 Hereford United
I kind of knew for a while that Hereford will definitely be playing League Two football next season but I’m still really happy for them now it’s official. Accrington will be fine too of course but they’ve now failed to win their last eight matches.
Hereford’s Ryan Valentine conceded a penalty for the second time in two matches (although this one seems harsh, more ball to hand than handball) – but when you’re on the winning side, it doesn’t seem to matter nearly as much. Darren Jones also played the full match but Ryan Green didn’t recover from a thigh injury in time to play.

Bournemouth 2-0 Darlington
Bournemouth are now right points clear of fourth-placed Rotherhan United – they’d have to do something pretty bad to mess this up. Newly-relegated Darlington might have beaten Rochdale but Bournemouth were far less amenable.
Rhoys Wiggins was unlucky not to score for Bournemouth, if Darlington’s goalkeeper made saves like that more often, maybe they wouldn’t be relegated. There was no sign of Joe Partington although Bournemouth did have their full complement of substitutes.

Bradford City 2-1 Barnet
Bradford haven’t had the best season but at least they’re nearly twenty points clear of the relegation places – and at least they didn’t lose to a team who are known for their inability to win matches and are the most likely team to be caught by Grimsby Town (although this is unlikely).
Michael Flynn started on the bench after recovering from a rib injury. He came on as a substitute and while it would be an exaggeration to say he *soon* made his presence felt – it actually took him thirty-four minutes – he was the player who got the important stoppage-time winner.

Bury 1-1 Port Vale
A draw was enough to keep both sides in contention for the play-offs – although Bury are more in contention than Port Vale. Vale are two points outside the play-offs with Bury four points ahead of them.
Gareth Owen, Craig Davies and Lewis Haldane all played for Port Vale. Craig was a bit upset that he didn’t get to take Port Vale’s penalty but luckily it went in anyway.

Dagenham & Redbridge 2-1 Burton Albion
Degenham & Redbridge won this match in the 93rd minute. It must have been a great feeling for the- but less so for Burton. The win moved Dagenham & Redbridge back into the play-off places. They’ve been there before but as soon as they get there, they start dropping points. I really hope they can stay there this time. I don’t know why but I’ve always liked Dagenham & Redbridge. Maybe it’s because they’re named after Tube stations.
Tony Roberts played in goal for Dagenham.

Macclesfield Town 2-0 Chesterfield
Macclesfield put a dent in Chesterfield’s play-off hopes with this win. Although as Chesterfield are only outside the play-offs on goal difference, it isn’t a very big dent. But really, you can’t expect to go up to League One with a goal difference of 0... although there’s a chance Bury could do just that. Good thing Macclesfield didn’t win by more.
Matthew Tipton was given another start despite scoring in the wrong net last time but I think he must have been worried about doing that again because he didn’t score at all this time. He should still stay in the team for next time though, you shouldn’t change a winning team, should you?
Robert Page dropped back to Chesterfield’s bench, where he joined Mark Crossley.

League Two Fixtures 17th April Part 2

Macclesfield Town v Chesterfield
Chesterfield need to win to keep them in the play-off places but Macclesfield only need a point to ensure sure they’re mathematically guaranteed to spend next season in League Two (although the chances are they would do even if they lose their next four games – Grimsby Town could catch them on points but Macclesfield have a much better goal difference.
Matthew Tipton would probably love another start but he scored an own goal last week and that tends not to go down well with managers.
Robert Page was back in Chesterfield’s starting line-up for the last game so I hope he’ll stay there. Mark Crossley will probably be on the bench though.

Notts County v Morecambe
Notts County moved to the top of the table after beating Lincoln City. A point today will see them promoted no matter what Rotherham United do. Morecambe are out of the play-off zone but only by a point.
Ben Davies seems to be getting a goal or an assist in every game at the moment – so watch out for Wales’ answer to Lionel Messi. Darren Moss played for Morecambe reserves as they beat Tranmere Rovers reserves 5-2 this week and Sky Sports think he could start the non-reserve match too.

Rochdale v Northampton Town
Rochdale were looking certain to win the League but they’ve recently suffered a string of poor results, including most recently a defeat to, well, Darlington. Oops! Notts County have now claimed the top spot and Bournemouth are gaining on Rochdale now. But they could seal promotion today if Rotherham United fail to win.
Northampton are one of three teams who are just two points outside the play-offs.
Peter Gilbert should play for Northampton.

Rotherham United v Cheltenham Town
Rotherham need to win to stand any chances of winning the League but I imagine they’ll be thinking more of 3rd place now. Cheltenham moved up a place this week and their small chances of relegation will disappear almost completely if they win this weekend and Grimsby Town lose.
Josh Low will be in Cheltenham’s line-up. He’s scored two goals in the last two games so I’m sure he’ll want to keep that run going.

Shrewsbury Town v Lincoln City
Shrewsbury are six points outside the play-offs but that doesn’t mean they can’t get there. I don’t think they will though. A win could see Lincoln mathematically safe from relegation.
Shrewsbury’s Will Richards has been ill this week, poor baby, and might not be available for this match. David Stephens could be on Lincoln’s bench.

League Two Results 13th April Part 2

Grimsby Town 2-2 Chesterfield
Grimsby were 2-0 up at one stage but there’s a reason why Chesterfield are in the play-off places and Grimsby’s best chance of the play-offs is getting into the Conference ones next season.
Robert Page was back in Chesterfield’s starting line-up while in Mark Crossley they have a very experienced substitute goalkeeper.

Macclesfield Town 1-1 Burton Albion
Macclesfield took the lead early on but an own goal from my favourite Macclesfield player gave Burton an equaliser. Both clubs look set to finish in mid-table which is really good considering where they expected them to finish – I thought about 10th for Burton and 23rd for Macclesfield.
Matthew Tipton finally got a start and he even scored a goal but he kind of got it in the wrong net. I think Macclesfield are very lucky to have a striker (BBC Sport rightly called him a ‘star striker’ even though he’s mostly been bench-warming lately) who is prepared to track back and defend. They should definitely offer him a new contract.
Tony James was in defence for Burton and came very close to getting them a late winner.

Notts County 3-1 Lincoln City
Notts County moved to the top of the table with a win over Lincoln. They could have been promoted too but unfortunately Rotherham United remembered how to win. But never mind lads, it won’t be long now. Lincoln are safely in 20th place.
Ben Davies didn’t score this time but he got the assist for the first goal. I think I might marry him, if he carries on scoring and setting up goals every week he’s going to make me very happy.
David Stephens wasn’t on the bench for Lincoln. But I still love him… which might be a problem if I’m going to marry Ben.

Rotherham United 1-0 Northampton Town
Ten-man Rotherham spoiled Notts County’s promotion party when they beat Northampton Town. But as Northampton had only nine men perhaps it wasn’t really surprising. Northampton are two points outside the play-offs.
Peter Gilbert played in defence for Northampton.

Shrewsbury Town 1-1 Cheltenham Town
Shrewsbury still entertain hopes of the play-offs while Cheltenham might not be as safe as they look. But they did move ahead of Barnet on goal difference.
Will Richards wasn’t in Shrewsbury’s side. Josh Low nearly scored again which would have made it three in two games.

League Two Fixtures 13th April Part 2

Grimsby Town v Chesterfield
Grimsby can survive. They really can. I’m just really not sure they’ll get two wins and two draws. I also think that probably won’t be enough to catch either Cheltenham Town or Torquay United. But feel free to prove me wrong, Grimsby. Chesterfield are in the play-off places but could be dumped out if results don’t go their way.
Chesterfield have been leaving both Mark Crossley and Robert Page on the bench lately. It doesn’t seem to have worked so far.

Macclesfield Town v Burton Albion
If Macclesfield win, they’ll almost certainly not go down as I can’t see Grimsby overcoming their goal difference, even if they do win all their remaining games. I also can’t see Burton getting into the play-offs but a good run could put them close which will be great really.
Matthew Tipton will probably be on the bench for Macclesfield because he always is. If he does play, he’ll need to get past Burton defender Tony James.

Notts County v Lincoln City
Notts County are now just two points behind leaders Rochdale with a game in hand. Lincoln are struggling in the sense that they don’t have loads of points but it’s hard to consider them true relegation contenders at the moment.
A lovely Notts County supporter and fellow blogger kindly brought my attention to Ben Davies, who is a regular for County and even scored their winning goals against in Notts County’s last two games - and the third goal in the game before that, he’s been on a great run of goals and assists. So he’s just got to play tonight.
I’m always thrilled to discover new Welsh players – Ben was born in England but he’s played for the Welsh semi-professional side so he’s Welsh to me – and it now means I’m going to get extra excited about the League Two title run-in. Come on Notts County!
David Stephens might be on the bench for Lincoln if there’s a space (I think they should make space for him but I’m biased).

Rotherham United v Northampton Town
Rotherham could still get automatic promotion if they can have another good run but they’re relying on Bournemouth to slip up. Northampton are just one point outside the play-offs – this match could be a dress rehearsal.
Peter Gilbert should play for Northampton. Goalkeeper Paul Walker, who has made a handful of appearances on the bench for Northampton, has been offered his first professional contract.

Shrewsbury Town v Cheltenham Town
Shrewsbury could still make the play-offs if they work really hard and get a bit of luck too. Cheltenham are the most likely to go down if Grimsby get their act together.
Will Richards might or might not be in Shrewsbury’s squad. Josh Low probably won’t have as good a game for Cheltenham as he did at the weekend but I’m sure he wouldn’t mind getting another two goals and an assist. It’s no surprise to hear he’s in The Football League’s League Two Team of the Week.

League Two Results 10th April Part 1

Barnet 1-2 Macclesfield Town
Barnet lose again but look likely to stay up anyway as Grimsby Town are never going to win enough games to catch them. Macclesfield continue to go well under their caretaker manager Gary Simpson.
Matthew Tipton stayed on the bench. Gary Simpson wanted to bring a striker and had the choice of Tipton or Rooney. I’d have chosen Matthew but plenty wouldn’t.

Burton Albion 1-1 Bradford City
Both teams’ seasons have stalled somewhat but Burton can be happy with a more than creditable first league season, while Bradford are at least now getting the odd point here and there.
Tony James played in defence for Burton and might possibly have had something to do with Bradford’s opener but only if you’re feeling very mean. Bradford’s Michael Flynn is still out with a rib injury.

Cheltenham Town 5-2 Bury
Cheltenham remained seven points clear of trouble with victory over Bury – out of the play-offs on goal difference – in an eventful game. So many times the game looked to be over – so many times we were proved wrong.
Most of the goals were scored by either Low or Lowe but both were on different sides and it was Low’s side who took the three points. And Low just happens to be Welshman Josh Low. Josh doesn’t score many – and manager Mark Yates had a word in his ear about his performances just this week - but this time he scored both the third and fourth goals, also getting the assist for the second goal. Mark Yates was happy with him – and said so too. I just hope Josh got the Man of the Match champagne after all that.

Chesterfield 2-2 Dagenham & Redbridge
Chesterfield needed a win to be sure of staying in the play-off zone. Dag & Red needed to win to get anywhere near the play-offs. As it happened, Chesterfield would have stayed there even if they’d lose and Dag & Red, just four points behind, remain in with a chance too, despite letting a 2-0 lead slip.
Mark Crossley and Robert Page were both on the bench for Chesterfield but Tony Roberts was in goal for Dagenham.

Crewe Alexandra 0-3 Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury won for the first time since February, if I’ve got my spreadsheet right – quite an achievement (or lack of) considering they played both Darlington and Grimsby Town in that time. Shrewsbury could still get into the play-offs – mathematically, they’re not even out of the automatic promotion race – but they’d be lucky to go up this year. They’ll probably finish in mid-table with Crewe.
Will Richards wasn’t in Shrewsbury’s squad.

League Two Fixtures 10th April Part 1

Barnet v Macclesfield Town
The bottom two are so far away, this probably don’t count as a relegation clash.
Matthew Tipton will probably be on the bench for Macclesfield.

Burton Albion v Bradford City
Both these teams look destined to finish mid-table – but what is a good finish for Burton in their first season in the League will be a disappointing one for Bradford, formerly of the Premier League.
Tony James should play in defence for Burton but Bradford’s Michael Flynn is again likely to miss out with a rib injury.

Cheltenham Town v Bury
Cheltenham are the side most likely to be caught by Grimsby Town (although it doesn’t look very likely to me) whilst Bury need a win to keep them in the play-offs.
Josh Low will probably play for Cheltenham.

Chesterfield v Dagenham & Redbridge
Chesterfield are another side who need to win to be sure of staying in the play-offs but Dag & Red still have a chance of sneaking into the top seven and possibly stealing Chesterfield’s place.
Robert Page was on the bench with Mark Crossley for Chesterfield’s last match. Tony Roberts will play in goal for Dagenham.

Crewe Alexandra v Shrewsbury Town
It hasn’t been a great season for Crewe but Shrewsbury’s in some ways must be more disappointing, as they were in the play-offs until quite recently.
Will Richards might be in Shrewsbury’s squad.

Hereford Town v Grimsby Town
Hereford have struggled this season but they’re not only five points from the top half of the table. Grimsby on the other hand are eight points away… from safety.
Ryan Green, Ryan Valentine and Darren Jones could all play for Hereford.

League Two Results 5th April Part 1

Barnet 3-1 Chesterfield
It’s not all that often Barnet win a game – but when they want to, they can beat some of the best teams in the League. Chesterfield are still in the play-off places but if they slip up again, they could be out.
Robert Page returned to the squad after missing the match against Rochdale but he was on the bench with Mark Crossley.
Mark has been (perhaps jokingly) suggested as England’s third goalkeeper on the grounds that he can save penalties. First England want Gareth Bale, now Mark Crossley. Whoever next? Robbie Savage? Now he’s not bad in goal…

Bradford City 1-2 Macclesfield Town
Both sides have struggled for points this season although Macclesfield will probably have done well in the eyes of many, whereas former Premier League side Bradford could be said to have underachieved.
Bradford were without the injured Michael Flynn, who has a rib injury. Matthew Tipton came off the bench after 88 minutes. What does he have to do to get a start around here?

Bury 3-0 Burton Albion
Bury climbed back into the play-offs with victory over Burton Albion, who are now ten points away from the play-offs.
Tony James scored the first goal of the match. Unfortunately he plays for Burton, not Bury.

Crewe Alexandra 1-2 Cheltenham Town
Crewe have little to play for now but Cheltenham need points – just in case. They are now seven points above the relegation places.
Josh Low played a key role in Cheltenham’s opening goal and he nearly scored too.

Darlington 0-1 Hereford United
Darlington lost yet again as Hereford reach the 50 point mark.
Ryan Green, Ryan Valentine and Darren Jones all played for Hereford.

League Two Results 3rd April Part 2

Hereford United 2-1 Barnet
Hereford’s win lifts them further from danger – not that they were really in any to begin with – but fears are now growing for Barnet’s safety as they continue to drop down the league.
Ryan Green, Ryan Valentine and Darren Jones all played for Hereford. Some think Ryan V should have conceded a penalty but as an Arsene Wenger fan I can only say I didn't see it. (I really didn't.)

Macclesfield Town 1-1 Aldershot Town
Macclesfield are probably okay but they would be even more okay if they had put away some of those chances. A point was enough to put Aldershot back into the play-off places.
Matthew Tipton came off the bench but not even he could score any.

Rotherham United 1-2 Port Vale
It probably isn’t realistic for Port Vale to dream of the play-offs – at least not this season – but they did get to have some way in the automatic promotion places as they beat Rotherham and kept them in the play-offs.
Craig Davies scored Port Vale’s opening goal and remained on the pitch until the 74th minute, when he was replaced by Lewis Haldane. Gareth Owen started off the move that led to Craig’s goal.

Torquay United 2-1 Shrewsbury Town
Torquay got what might prove a vital three points (but probably not, I still think it’s Darlington and Grimsby) as Shrewsbury’s play-off chances continued to slip away.
Will Richards wasn’t in Shrewsbury’s matchday squad.