Comrade 86 Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 (edited) Cledara Abbey Stadium: KO- 15.00 We’re on a mini-run, aren’t we, but despite having our fate firmly back in our hands, the pressure to perform remains; two wins from our last two and we’re back in the sunlit uplands of the Championship; a loss, or even a draw and potentially the pendulum swings again. It’ll be interesting to see whether we might see one or two back in full training this week, but it’s hard to view the win against Orient as anything other than one of our most complete performances this season and this despite being far from clinical in front of goal. Will the confidence garnered see us approach the game with the same positive approach? One hopes so! Another slip up when seemingly set to turn the screw and inevitably, PW’s management will be under fire. A win and we head back to Pride Park with only Carlisle standing between us and our first promotion since 2007. Our Opponents: The club was founded in 1912 as Abbey United, and took the name Cambridge United in 1951. They played in local amateur leagues before joining the Southern League after finishing as runners-up of the Eastern Counties League in 1957–58. Under Bill Leivers's stewardship they were crowned Southern League Premier Division champions in 1968–69 and 1969–70, which helped to secure their election into the Football League in 1970. Recent Form & Key Players: Off the back off two absolute kickings from Reading, 4-0, then a 6-0 hammering from Lincoln, Cambridge were held 1-1 by Northampton before closing out March with a 2-0 loss away to Bolton. April has seen them draw at home to Charlton and lose by the odd goal to Blackpool, before showing better form in defeating Wigan 3-1 at home. Top of the scoring charts sits Gassan Ahadme with 11, with Fejiri Okenabirhie next best with 9. Ellis Kachunga is next best having netted 6 times in 34 starts. Sully Kalkai tops the assists list with from Jack Lankester and George Thomas with 4 and 3 assists respectively. Rams Match Squad: Hard to get away from the 11 that started against Orient, given the resounding nature of the win and the style in which it was achieved. A buoyant Paul Warne confirmed in the post-match presser that everyone came through unscathed and it was interesting to hear him saying that we had more energy coming off a shorter break than was the case at Wycombe, where he felt we lacked energy, despite the 8 day break. The injury picture remains murky and it’ll be interesting to see whether Gayle and Bird might be fit enough to make the matchday squad. I’ll not bother with my selected 11, as I always get it horribly wrong and the gaffer seems to be doing a decent job matching squads to opponents without our guidance. Instead, here’s the top of the table as it stands: Don't forget to keep an eye on @Caerphilly Ram's injury updates thread across the week, for any snippets on player's likely return dates. I'll append anything I see to this htread as best I can in any case. The Promotion Picture: Some key fixtures tomorrow night, none more so than Bolton’s home game against Shrewsbury, whom we know to be a strong and obdurate side, though one lacking the Trotter’s class edge. I’d expect Bolton to take the points, but should Shrews grab an early lead, it could make for rather tougher game. Oxford, fresh off the back of their 5 goal hammering of Posh play hosts to Lincoln City, whose charge towards the play-offs has faltered a little in most recently. It ought to be a tightly contested affair and to be honest, I’d not be surprised by any result. The aforementioned Posh have what appears to be a routine task against lowly Fleetwood, but what will be the aftermath of their humbling at the hands of Oxford on Saturday. Might they have a hangover? Perhaps the best tie of the round features champions-elect Portsmouth hosting Barnsley. A point will surely suffice for Pompey, but I expect them to win and win well en route to a thoroughly well-deserved title win. They’ve been excellent this season and this despite being one of the few clubs with comparable injury concerns to our beloved Rams. It'll be good to see them back where they belong after some very difficult years of their own. Of the weekend ties, the most interesting involve Peterborough, who have a tricky away game at Bristol and Bolton host Port Vale. It seems odds on we will be going into the final week needing to beat Carlisle to be absolutely certain of promotion and I doubt too many Rams fans will be counting their chickens early! Final Thoughts: A brief digression is in order to congratulate Eiran Cashin and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, both of whom made the EFL League 1 Team of the Year. Bit miffed that Curtis Nelson was overlooked to partner Cash at CB, as for me, he’s been top of the pops for us, but I doubt he’ll mind too much if we win come Saturday. A last word as always to all Derby fans travelling to the game, safe journey to and fro, Rams and Ramettes and hopefully plenty of good stuff to chatter about on your way home. Honestly, I think our away support has been as good as any in the entire EFL this season and they’ll hopefully be rewarded with another complete and controlled performance as we ourselves edge closer to that vital 2nd place finish. COYR BE MORE B4 Edited April 16 by DarkFruitsRam7 DiggerB, mozza, eccles the ram and 48 others 26 1 11 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakwood Ram Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 (edited) Great work yet again with the match threads, these have been a different class over the last couple of months. I for one will miss these after next week. COYR - Hold your nerve and leave everything on the pitch for two more matches, we’ve got this. Edited April 15 by Oakwood Ram strawhillram, DB83, Eoghan1884 and 10 others 5 1 4 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simmo’s left foot Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 Hopefully comrade will be doing the thread first game of next season 🙂 Comrade 86, Oakwood Ram, AndyB and 4 others 3 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paultheram Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 The power is in our hands… I think we should go again with an unchanged 11! Not even sure if bird is fit he gets a place on the bench. Saturday could be the day! r_wilcockson, McMuffin, Comrade 86 and 1 other 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Buckley’s Dog Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 To be honest, I find these end of season games where nothing is at stake a little dull. ramboy63, HorsforthRam, angieram and 9 others 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rammieib Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 Unreserved seating on Saturday. What a sh/t show that will be. Bessie1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddielewis Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 From a quick look of their weekend fixture vs Charlton the pitch didn't seem to be in a good condition. Nathan Jones described the pitch as 'rustic at best' and 'they haven't watered it in 8/10 years' and it didn't allow for free flowing football. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rammieib Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 1 minute ago, eddielewis said: From a quick look of their weekend fixture vs Charlton the pitch didn't seem to be in a good condition. Nathan Jones described the pitch as 'rustic at best' and 'they haven't watered it in 8/10 years' and it didn't allow for free flowing football. Ideal for us then. DenmarkRam 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crewton Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 13 minutes ago, rammieib said: Ideal for us then. Like at Northampton you mean? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCFC1388 Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 (edited) I think we may see just the 1 change to the starting 11 with Barkhuizen coming in for Thompson. Nothing to do with Thompsons performance but more because we need to win & before his injury Barkhuizen was looking good in the 10 role... 3421: Wildsmith - Nelson Bradley Cashin - Wilson Adams Smith Sibley - NML Barkhuizen - Collins Vickers Thompson Bird Hourihane CBT Waghorn Washington I can see Bird being back on the bench replacing Fornah. With that starting 11 & the options from the bench should be good enough to win. Its got the right mix of defensive & attacking options in the starting 11 as well as quality options imo from the bench to freshen up the midfield & upfront. I dont think any other team in our league will have as strong a bench as us this weekend. Edited April 15 by DCFC1388 Comrade 86 and SKRam 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r_wilcockson Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 20 minutes ago, eddielewis said: From a quick look of their weekend fixture vs Charlton the pitch didn't seem to be in a good condition. Nathan Jones described the pitch as 'rustic at best' and 'they haven't watered it in 8/10 years' and it didn't allow for free flowing football. No problem for us then 😂 Comrade 86 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littleover ram Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 Do Cambridge have any kind of footballing rivalry with Oxford? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chopper Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 Predicting no change to the starting line up, injuries allowing. Adams, Thompson, Smith as a centre midfield three should give us the freedom of the ground, if Cambridge are already on the beach. Earn the right to play, an early goal and we could repeat the Orient performance, concede and 2 up top may not be enough. Let's get it done, win here and Bolton will need snookers! Lose and I'm going to need some WD40 for my squeaky bum. jono, SKRam and Comrade 86 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reggie Greenwood Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 2 hours ago, Comrade 86 said: Cledara Abbey Stadium: KO- 15.00 We’re on a mini-run, aren’t we, but despite having our fate firmly back in our hands, the pressure to perform remains; two wins from our last two and we’re back in the sunlit uplands of the Championship; a loss, or even a draw and potentially the pendulum swings again. It’ll be interesting to see whether we might see one or two back in full training this week, but it’s hard to view the win against Orient as anything other than one of our most complete performances this season and this despite being far from clinical in front of goal. Will the confidence garnered see us approach the game with the same positive approach? One hopes so! Another slip up when seemingly set to turn the screw and inevitably, PW’s management will be under fire. A win and we head back to Pride Park with only Carlisle standing between us and our first promotion since 2007. Our Opponents: The club was founded in 1912 as Abbey United, and took the name Cambridge United in 1951. They played in local amateur leagues before joining the Southern League after finishing as runners-up of the Eastern Counties League in 1957–58. Under Bill Leivers's stewardship they were crowned Southern League Premier Division champions in 1968–69 and 1969–70, which helped to secure their election into the Football League in 1970. Recent Form & Key Players: Off the back off two absolute kickings from Reading, 4-0, then a 6-0 hammering from Lincoln, Cambridge were held 1-1 by Northampton before closing out March with a 2-0 loss away to Bolton. April has seen them draw at home to Charlton and lose by the odd goal to Blackpool, before showing better form in defeating Wigan 3-1 at home. Top of the scoring charts sits Gassan Ahadme with 11, with Fejiri Okenabirhie next best with 9. Ellis Kachunga is next best having netted 6 times in 34 starts. Sully Kalkai tops the assists list with from Jack Lankester and George Thomas with 4 and 3 assists respectively. Rams Match Squad: Hard to get away from the 11 that started against Orient, given the resounding nature of the win and the style in which it was achieved. A buoyant Paul Warne confirmed in the post-match presser that everyone came through unscathed and it was interesting to hear him saying that we had more energy coming off a shorter break than was the case at Wycombe, where he felt we lacked energy, despite the 8 day break. The injury picture remains murky and it’ll be interesting to see whether Gayle and Bird might be fit enough to make the matchday squad. I’ll not bother with my selected 11, as I always get it horribly wrong and the gaffer seems to be doing a decent job matching squads to opponents without our guidance. Instead, here’s the top of the table as it stands: Don't forget to keep an eye on @Caerphilly Ram's injury updates thread across the week, for any snippets on player's likely return dates. I'll append anything I see to this htread as best I can in any case. The Promotion Picture: Some key fixtures tomorrow night, none more so than Bolton’s home game against Shrewsbury, whom we know to be a strong and obdurate side, though one lacking the Trotter’s class edge. I’d expect Bolton to take the points, but should Shrews grab an early lead, it could make for rather tougher game. Oxford, fresh off the back of their 5 goal hammering of Posh play hosts to Lincoln City, whose charge towards the play-offs has faltered a little in most recently. It ought to be a tightly contested affair and to be honest, I’d not be surprised by any result. The aforementioned Posh have what appears to be a routine task against lowly Fleetwood, but what will be the aftermath of their humbling at the hands of Oxford on Saturday. Might they have a hangover? Perhaps the best tie of the round features champions-elect Portsmouth hosting Barnsley. A point will surely suffice for Pompey, but I expect them to win and win well en route to a thoroughly well-deserved title win. They’ve been excellent this season and this despite being one of the few clubs with comparable injury concerns to our beloved Rams. It'll be good to see them back where they belong after some very difficult years of their own. Of the weekend ties, the most interesting involve Peterborough, who have a tricky away game at Bristol and Bolton host Port Vale. It seems odds on we will be going into the final week needing to beat Carlisle to be absolutely certain of promotion and I doubt too many Rams fans will be counting their chickens early! Final Thoughts: A brief digression is in order to congratulate Eiran Cashin and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, both of whom made the EFL League 1 Team of the Year. Bit miffed that Ryan Nelson was overlooked to partner Cash at CB, as for me, he’s been top of the pops for us, but I doubt he’ll mind too much if we win come Saturday. A last word as always to all Derby fans travelling to the game, safe journey to and fro, Rams and Ramettes and hopefully plenty of good stuff to chatter about on your way home. Honestly, I think our away support has been as good as any in the entire EFL this season and they’ll hopefully be rewarded with another complete and controlled performance as we ourselves edge closer to that vital 2nd place finish. COYR BE MORE B4 Is Ryan Curtis’s brother ? 😉 Comrade 86 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HorsforthRam Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 I’m already nervous! 😂😂 Comrade 86 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comrade 86 Posted April 15 Author Share Posted April 15 44 minutes ago, Reggie Greenwood said: Is Ryan Curtis’s brother ? 😉 Do you know I've written Ryan a gazillion times this season and caught myself every time, but this one has slipped the net. @DarkFruitsRam7 give the man his correct name please. Thank you, The Idiot 😂 Reggie Greenwood and DarkFruitsRam7 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charliegeorge1962 Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 It's in our own hands now. COYR Comrade 86 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comrade 86 Posted April 15 Author Share Posted April 15 1 hour ago, littleover ram said: Do Cambridge have any kind of footballing rivalry with Oxford? There's a Varsity game, but I've not really heard any of the locals talk of rivalry between the two clubs. They hate Swindon though! 🤣 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBRammette Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 2 hours ago, littleover ram said: Do Cambridge have any kind of footballing rivalry with Oxford? No Peterborough gets a bit feisty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crewton Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 2 minutes ago, CBRammette said: No Peterborough gets a bit feisty Both sets of fans chanting "what's it like to see a hill?" Grimbeard, Hector was the best and The Scarlet Pimpernel 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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