Good luck Spelly/Swinton, hope you guys stay up!
Good results for us last night, with Keighley and Newcastle being stuffed by Sheff, and Fev respectively. 'Haven moved up a place on the ladder, and didn't even kick a ball!
Thunder are now even mathematically down, and (despite doing the double over us) will finish as basement boys. with any one of four to join 'em in trips to Cornwall, Colwyn Bay, Birmingham, et al next term.
Can't see it being pretty up at CP tomorrow, but the incentive is there for us to give our survival chances a massive boost!
COME ON YOU LIONS!!!!!
Spelly.
Well mes amis, it's looking grim!
Just back from a thundery, and drizzly CP, where it finished Raiders 32-14 Lions, and to be brutally frank, we were outplayed by a team that wanted it a lot more than we did!
The day started off on a downer with the Pinks winning in GP ET against the Wire, which we watched in their bar, and it got no better for us from then on!
Their first try set the scene for the remainder of the encounter. They kicked on the last tackle, and we tried to let the ball roll dead, but their guy dived on it to score. To rub it in, the conversion from the touchline, went straight over the black dot!
About half an hour in, we were (correctly) down to twelve following a yellow, and they posted a dozen points during the subsequent ten minutes!
We were never in it, and for a fixture of that magnitude, the performance left a lot to be desired! It was just one of those afternoons!
So are we going to Cornwall next term? It's not a cert yet, but..............
It's 'Haven (who also got a silver medal today) at home next week, in the penultimate fixture of the campaign, and to have any chance at all of survival, we've gotta put 'em to the cleaners!
As I've said many times this season "I've had better days! But as ever when you're a Lion, hope springs eternal!
Spelly.
if you win next week and Keighley lose to Fax, that’s both teams plus Whitehaven going into the last game with 16 points and very similar points differences! Couldn’t be tighter. Very interesting for neutrals anyway!
if you win next week and Keighley lose to Fax, that’s both teams plus Whitehaven going into the last game with 16 points and very similar points differences! Couldn’t be tighter. Very interesting for neutrals anyway!
Glad you're enjoying it mate!
Spelly.
I'm still getting over that non-performance at Barrow, coz we're still below the dreaded dotted line, but......
As the eternal optimist I am, there's still plenty to play for.
I reckon the Raiders are (just about) OK now following their win over us, so it's any one of three to join Newcastle on the way down to League 1 football next term.
All have two fixtures remaining to preserve their middle tier status, and the scenario is thus..................
Keighley - 16 comp points, a -322 points diff, with 'Fax at home, and Broncos away still to play.
'Haven - Also on 16, their diff is -317, travelling to us on Sunday, prior to hosting Toulouse in their last match.
My Mob - 14 points, and -324, and we have 'Fax away to finish with, after the crunch of crunches this Sunday.
It's tight to say the least, but....................
Nowt else but a win will do for us on Sunday, and even if we do manage to pull it off, we'll still be far from safe heading into Round 27.
I'm nor sure if helps or hinders 'Haven, but the Toulouse clash kicks off twenty-four prior to Cougars' and ours.
COME ON YOU LIONS!!!!!!!!!
Spelly.
@spelly - For what it is worth I hope you stay up. Otherwise we could be the only NW (not including Cumbria) team in the Championship next year. I reckon if you beat Whitehaven you have a solid chance. If you could beat them by a reasonable margin you have a good one.
@spelly - For what it is worth I hope you stay up. Otherwise we could be the only NW (not including Cumbria) team in the Championship next year. I reckon if you beat Whitehaven you have a solid chance. If you could beat them by a reasonable margin you have a good one.
Thanks mate!
Spelly.
Looking at those fixtures, if you can beat Whitehaven, there's a decent chance you'll stay up. Good luck.
Looking at those fixtures, if you can beat Whitehaven, there's a decent chance you'll stay up. Good luck.
Thanks mate!
Appreciate it!
Spelly.
Well today sees the biggest game for the Lions for a long time. Am I nervous? Silly question!
Lose, and it's Cornwall here come, but...............
Even if we win, we still won't be safe, but at least we'll be safer!
Barrow ducked up at KP yesterday, so they're back in the mix-ish, but it'd still take some freak results for them to fall through the exit door, so........
Realistically, it's one of three who'll join Thunder in League 1 next term, but...........
Will there actually be three tiers?
The Skolars are now (professionally) no more, so would a nine team division be sustainable?
Will it be an enlarged Championship, with regional fixtures? Or perhaps everyone plays everyone only once?
Retain League 1, and play each other three times?
I'n not looking for a back door to stay up, far from it. If we finish thirteenth, we'll deserve to go down, so whatever the divisional set-up is come '24, I want us to be there on merit, and not coz of the possible different scenario that may, or may not await us!
My match report may well not appear until tomorrow, as after the crunch today, it's the end of season "do" and yours truly is MC-ing it, and.............
I'll say it before you do, and yes, if this afternoon, we come out on the wrong side of the scoreline, it'll feel more like a wake, but....................
The weekend (touch wood) has been good so far, with the Warriors putting the Knights to the sword to advance to within eighty minutes of the GF, and also the Pinks not troubling the scoreboard operator at CP last night, so..........
Here's hoping for a hat-trick, and we can secure a huuuuuuuuuuuuuge win!
COME ON YOU LIONS!!!!!!!!!!!
Spelly.
Hang on to your hat spelly - that’s as tight as a ducks ass down there now, but at least you will know what you need to do next Sunday, Toulouse should see off Whitehaven and Keighley probably lose too
Bloody hell, how tight is it down there, best of luck next week Spelly.
Just home from the game and presentation, where.............
It finished Lions 21-20 'Haven, and it was as tight as the score line suggests!
They were ahead 16-6 as the interval approached, but for a change, we scored on the hooter, and it was 16-12 at the break.
We led 18-16, then 20-16, before they scored in the corner, but couldn't add the extras, so it was all tied up at 20-20.
Jordan Gibson, then banged over a one pointer to nudge us in front again, with about five minutes left, and we held on for a crucial win.
We're now level both on points, and points diff with Keighley, and I was told today, that in that scenario, it then goes to points average, rather than points scored!
Yes, it is that tight at the wrong end of the middle tier, going into the final round next weekend, when it'll be another nervy eighty minutes for us, but..............
We did what was required today!
Gibson had reason to celebrate again later, when he was announced as our player of the season.
I've had worse weekends, a lot of 'em!
Spelly.