DangerousSausage

That's fine by me, the final round is in May

I managed to jinx Dagenham with my last comment, so I'd better correct it: Southend and Bromley don't stand a chance against them and will definitely lose

The results: Millwall 2-3 Norwich City Rotherham United 3-1 QPR Lincoln City 1-0 Oxford United Wycombe Wanderers 1-1 Exeter City Harrogate Town 0-0 Gillingham Walsall 0-1 Barrow Oldham Athletic 0-2 Boreham Wood Wealdstone 4-0 Altrincham --- This week's top scorers were @4everapie and birthday boy @super_ram! @4everapie, @super_ram - 8 @ARLukomski - 7 @liampie - 6 @gtownjohnno, @Megan_Elizax - 5 @Dripsey3, @Chris - 4 @magpiejue, @DangerousSausage, @Dan, @GrannyPie, @nottsnutter - 2 @jimbob - 1 --- This is how it's shaping up then. @ARLukomski extends his lead and @4everapie is now keeping third place warm for me. ARLukomski - 183 Dripsey3 - 178 4everapie - 160 gtownjohnno - 157 magpiejue -156 DangerousSausage - 152 barnet1uk - 147 super_ram - 145 Dan - 143 Megan_Elizax - 140 GrannyPie - 133 DonnyNotts - 133 nottsnutter - 116 jimbob - 111 Chris - 81 KB1862 - 21 liampie - 17 steve61 - 7 --- The matches for round 36 are this coming weekend, so the fixtures will be posted in midweek. Till then, look after yourselves and keep your crystal balls polished!

I think Wrexham have the marginally harder run-in. They are still to play Dagenham and Bromley away from home, where they are far more likely to drop points. On the final day we're both playing teams who could be fighting for their lives, which can also be unpredictable.

I watched the stream until it gave up the ghost between the two penalties. We had a very sluggish start, Bromley were aggressive, in our faces and first to everything. Apart from a dangerous cross into the box that Langstaff couldn't get on the end of, we didn't threaten at all. From the angle I saw it from, the first penalty looked soft - one of those where the striker feels gentle contact and falls down in a heap, hopeful of the penalty. Admittedly it wasn't the best angle, and we couldn't have complained about being behind at half time. Credit to the boys how they came back in the second half and kept at it, it's just a shame we didn't do it for 90 minutes. Overall I feel happier after this weekend's matches. Last weekend we gave Wrexham a psychological boost just when they needed it by losing before they'd even kicked a ball. This time they've let us off the hook by dropping 2 points in injury time. It ain't over yet.

Millwall 1-1 Norwich City Rotherham United 2-0 QPR Lincoln City 2-0 Oxford United Wycombe Wanderers 2-0 Exeter City (joker) Harrogate Town 0-1 Gillingham Walsall 2-1 Barrow Oldham Athletic 1-1 Boreham Wood Wealdstone 0-2 Altrincham

Saturday is round 35. As ever, send in your predictions by 3pm on Saturday, and remember your jokers! Millwall v Norwich City Rotherham United v QPR Lincoln City v Oxford United Wycombe Wanderers v Exeter City Harrogate Town v Gillingham Walsall v Barrow Oldham Athletic v Boreham Wood Wealdstone v Altrincham

@liampie I used to watch Tomorrow's World when it was still the future! Loved that programme. Right now my favourite pastimes are taking covid tests, spending the rest of the day in bed, consuming cough sweets and watching intellectual TV such as The Bachelor. In real life I enjoy reading, occasionally playing the guitar (a little rusty right now unfortunately) and going to medieval markets/festivals (which entails dressing like one of my distant ancestors, drinking alcohol and buying cups).

The results: Bristol City 1-0 Hull City Sheffield United 1-0 Watford Barnsley 4-1 Derby County Burton Albion 0-0 Accrington Stanley Doncaster Rovers 0-1 Bradford City Mansfield Town 2-5 Salford City Halifax Town 0-1 Maidenhead United York City 2-1 Yeovil Town -- GrannyPie was in our minds this week, the prediction league will feel strange without her. So @cheeky~k8's gesture of carrying on her predictions for her is a particularly lovely one The scores for this round: @4everapie - 10 @gtownjohnno - 9 @Dripsey3 - 7 @DangerousSausage, @DonnyNotts - 6 @magpiejue, @Dan, @Megan_Elizax, @Chris, @liampie - 5 @ARLukomski - 4 @GrannyPie (thank you @cheeky~k8), @nottsnutter - 3 @barnet11uk, @super_ram, @jimbob - 2 --- Overall, the gap between the top two has closed again and the race for third place is really hotting up! Unfortunately @4everapie and @gtownjohnno both exhibited shameful behaviour by overtaking me. I'm sure that's not in the rules. ARLukomski - 176 Dripsey3 - 174 magpiejue -154 4everapie - 152 gtownjohnno - 152 DangerousSausage - 150 barnet1uk - 147 Dan - 141 super_ram - 137 Megan_Elizax - 135 DonnyNotts - 133 GrannyPie - 131 nottsnutter - 114 jimbob - 110 Chris - 77 KB1862 - 21 liampie - 11 steve61 - 7 --- The next round is on Saturday, so keep an eye out for the fixtures on Wednesdayish. Insert your congratulations/commiserations/gloating below and stay healthy!

Sometimes it just isn't your day. Nine times out of ten we'd have won that by two clear goals. If we could only keep a clean sheet, the penalty wouldn't even have been necessary. And Effiong finishing like that is just sod's law. Not sure there's anything to say that hasn't been said a thousand times already tbh. We'd just better make sure we win again quickly. I heard that Baldwin was shown the red card after the final whistle - any truth in that? Will he be suspended?

Bristol City 1-1 Hull City Sheffield United 2-1 Watford Barnsley 3-1 Derby County Burton Albion 2-0 Accrington Stanley (joker) Doncaster Rovers 1-2 Bradford City Mansfield Town 3-0 Salford City Halifax Town 0-1 Maidenhead United York City 1-1 Yeovil Town

This is good, some extra strength in depth for the run-in won't hurt (although a striker would be handy if Scott is out for longer). Seems to be versatile and chips in with the odd goal too.

Lovely idea @cheeky~k8, I'll be happy to add the points to GrannyPies total

To be honest, when we appointed him I thought it was a mistake and feared a lost season. The humble pie is Michelin star quality! His comments also show how much teamwork there is when it comes to managing the team - the days of the manager being this all-powerful figure are gone. And when you're doing that, you need a head coach who sees the rest of the coaching and recruitment team as valuable support, rather than a threat to his authority. LW seems to fit in very well here and is doing a cracking job on the pitch too!

The rules are the same - get your predictions in by 3pm on Saturday, remember your jokers and good luck! Bristol City v Hull City Sheffield United v Watford Barnsley v Derby County Burton Albion v Accrington Stanley Doncaster Rovers v Bradford City Mansfield Town v Salford City Halifax Town v Maidenhead United York City v Yeovil Town

I missed it (I'm ill and I couldn't stay awake for all of it), but wow, those goals look like Champions League highlights going by the quality of the finishing. Might be worth taking in a full match replay for this one. Like Barnet, this looked like a real banana skin, but we once again wiped the floor with them. This team is like a juggernaut - it's a pity we can't play Wrexham right now.

I can only echo all of the above. RIP GrannyPie, my condolences and thoughts are with everyone close to her.

This was the first time I'd sent in my predictions while actually in a football ground. Might do it more often The results: Blackburn Rovers 1-0 Swansea City Hull City 0-0 Preston North End Lincoln City 0-0 Portsmouth Wycombe Wanderers 1-0 Bolton Wanderers Salford City 1-2 Swindon Town Stockport County 2-0 Stevenage Eastleigh 1-0 Maidenhead United Solihull Moors 0-0 Chesterfield --- @Megan_Elizax is on a roll, and got the last three scores exactly right! @Megan_Elizax - 10 @ARLukomski, @Dripsey3, @DangerousSausage, @4everapie - 7 @magpiejue - 6 @barnet11uk - 5 @gtownjohnno, @DonnyNotts - 4 @Dan, @GrannyPie, @nottsnutter - 3 @super_ram, @jimbob - 2 --- It's as you were at the top, but there are changes elsewhere... ARLukomski - 172 Dripsey3 - 167 magpiejue -149 barnet1uk - 145 DangerousSausage - 144 gtownjohnno - 143 4everapie - 142 Dan - 136 super_ram - 135 Megan_Elizax - 130 GrannyPie - 128 DonnyNotts - 127 nottsnutter - 111 jimbob - 108 Chris - 72 KB1862 - 21 steve61 - 7 liampie - 6 --- The next round is on Saturday, so the fixtures will magically appear in midweek. Thanks for playing and see you all then!

I wouldn't worry about what happens if we don't go up yet. We'll likely lose important players whether we go up or not - as we did last season. We've got a recruitment team that does their homework instead of (as in the past) pulling names out of a hat, and new signings can be grafted into a hopefully largely intact team. The worst thing we could do would be to sweep the deck and start again, but that won't be happening. Missing out would be heartbreaking, but you've just got to keep banging on the door. Of course. The further you go back, the more difficult it is to compare, even when you're in the same league. Personally I don't think today's National League is any weaker than the fourth division of 1997-98, although I think our team from that season might bully today's side. But really my question was aimed at more recent seasons, say since we got stuck in League Two from 2003-04 onwards. Personally I think the current side is better than anything we've fielded in League Two from that time onwards, with the sole exception of 2009-10. As @Super_Danny_Allsopp says, some of the players and teams we've been watching were desperately poor and many of them ended up in non-league soon after leaving us (not always in the top tier of it either). If we'd fallen into the Conference then (and we only escaped through luck), we may well not have come back.

Not much to say after this one as I missed it, but it's not always easy to travel to a team who are fighting for their lives. Good result and another +3 on the goal difference. There was a brief moment of elation when Wrexham conceded an equaliser, but unfortunately it was only brief. But we can only continue doing our thing, winning and hoping that we're through in 13 games (or 15 at most).

Blackburn Rovers 2-1 Swansea City Hull City 1-1 North End Lincoln City 1-1 Portsmouth Wycombe Wanderers v2-1 Bolton Wanderers Salford City 2-0 Swindon Town Stockport County 2-2 Stevenage Eastleigh 2-0 Maidenhead United joker Solihull Moors 1-1 Chesterfield

It's getting serious now. These matches all kick off at 3pm, and don't forget those jokers! Blackburn Rovers v Swansea City Hull City v Preston North End Lincoln City v Portsmouth Wycombe Wanderers v Bolton Wanderers Salford City v Swindon Town Stockport County v Stevenage Eastleigh v Maidenhead United Solihull Moors v Chesterfield

Watching the Notts class of 2023 running rings around Barnet on t'interweb last night, I wouldn't help but wonder: how would the current team fare against previous Notts teams? It's clearly head and shoulders above anything we've put out in the National League so far, and of course the laughable excuse for a team we got relegated with. Going back to League Two it's a bit harder to compare. I think we'd have given Kevin Nolan's play-off team a good run for its money at least, but back then we were quite reliant on Grant's set pieces, whereas now about half the team are a goal threat. Apart from the two loanees, I'm not sure how many of that team would get into the side now. I'm tempted to think that today's side is the best we've had since the League One days. Thoughts?

I appreciate your enthusiasm @Chris, but you're two days too late I'll post the next round in a few minutes.

I'm still buzzing after that second half! In the first half we showed a lot of slow, sloppy play and it could have gone very wrong for us. We were too reliant on lofted crosses up front and looked nervous at the back. Obviously their goal was a howler on our part, but their man showed quick thinking by taking it first time when many would have tried to run through. The second half was totally different, we were quick, incisive, looked like scoring with every attack and we just overwhelmed them. Jones is a quality signing and Vincent is as good as a new signing. Both were involved in the goals. Happy days when we can bring players like that off the bench! The icing on the cake was Wrexham finally dropping points. It feels like a small turning point.