The business end of the season
Pen to paper
By David Sindall
March 24 2025
I have a total dislike of calling this the business end, but we have to get your attention somehow. There are 46 League games across the season, they all affect our final placing. Undoubtedly though, it’s the last half dozen or so matches where the pressure mounts, fingernails are chewed, reality bites.
Some seem to think that a six point cushion will be enough to keep us safe. This ignores the challenges ahead and, far more importantly, Tranmere’s uncanny ability to make life far more complicated than it need be. I’ve looked through the remaining games in the mini-league that is emerging at the bottom of the table. I’ve tried to analyse which games are against opponents with little to play for and those where the opponents are either chasing promotion or fellow strugglers. There is a big caveat here. Teams like Cheltenham and Chesterfield are a way short of play off contention, but they play most of the strugglers over the next few weeks. Things can change.
The games in upper case are the ones where the teams being played are either chasing promotion or in a relegation dog-fight
Accrington
BRADFORD (H)
Bromley (A)
TRANMERE (H)
Salford (A)
CARLISLE (H)
WALSALL (A)
Chesterfield (H)
Harrogate
Gillingham (H)
TRANMERE (H)
WIMBLEDON (A)
GRIMSBY (H)
WALSALL (A)
NOTTS CO (H)
MORECAMBE (A)
Tranmere
Cheltenham (H)
HARROGATE (A)
Chesterfield (H)
ACCRINGTON (A)
DONCASTER (H)
Barrow (A)
CREWE (H)
Newport (A)
Morecambe
Swindon (H)
Cheltenham (H)
GRIMSBY (A)
CARLISLE (H)
Bromley (A)
Salford (H)
Chesterfield (A)
HARROGATE (H)
Carlisle
MK Dons (H)
DONCASTER (A)
Newport (H)
Chesterfield (H)
MORECAMBE (A)
PORT VALE (H)
ACCRINGTON (A)
Cheltenham (H)
Salford (H)
Harrogate probably have the toughest run in, particularly with their final game away at Morecambe. Carlisle have the advantage of two home games on the trot at the end of the season. We have a difficult but not impossible run in.
There are 6 weeks of the season left. It looks like we are heading into squeaky bum time. Nothing is decided, there is still drama to come.
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We are in the driving seat, even if Carlisle manage to get a result on Tuesday with their game in hand.
Would like to see the fantastic support continue, home and away, to get us over the line and finish as high as we can.
And I think there will be probably more than one till this awful season is over.
A month ago it was hard to see where the next win could come from, not so now, but comments expressing certainty that we will be safe still feel an over reaction to what is thus far a short period of improvement
Tranmere 9 points
Carlisle 7 points
Morecambe 1point
Quote:Bored rover
Harrogate nor Accrington are in the relegation fight , they are 11 points clear with 9 games to play , Carlisle and Morecambe aren't taking 12 points out of them its between the bottom 3 now and I think Morecambe are done, it will be between us and Carlisle so its a priority that we match Carlisles results as a minimum, they could be 1 point behind us by Saturday evening
And they could also be 10 points behind
BR is right, in simplistic terms, we need to match the Carlisle results and we both have difficult fixtures still to play. Harrogate and Accrington are both on 41 points and IMO still looking nervously over their shoulders and a win on Friday night, will put added pressure on their Saturday games.
Last 5 Games
SWA W2 D3 L0 (9 pts)
Carlisle W2 D1 L2 (7Pts)
Since sacking their manager MK Dons have won 2 and lost 1 (beating Cheltenham 1-0 last time out), so I don't believe Carlisle will have an easy game tomorrow.
Even if they do win, they are still 4 points behind with 8 games to play.
Quote:ALOTBSOLQuote:Bored rover
Harrogate nor Accrington are in the relegation fight , they are 11 points clear with 9 games to play , Carlisle and Morecambe aren't taking 12 points out of them its between the bottom 3 now and I think Morecambe are done, it will be between us and Carlisle so its a priority that we match Carlisles results as a minimum, they could be 1 point behind us by Saturday evening
And they could also be 10 points behind
Yes and fingers crossed for that but they are picking up results now under Sparky
Quote:Bored roverQuote:ALOTBSOLQuote:Bored rover
Harrogate nor Accrington are in the relegation fight , they are 11 points clear with 9 games to play , Carlisle and Morecambe aren't taking 12 points out of them its between the bottom 3 now and I think Morecambe are done, it will be between us and Carlisle so its a priority that we match Carlisles results as a minimum, they could be 1 point behind us by Saturday evening
And they could also be 10 points behind
Yes and fingers crossed for that but they are picking up results now under Sparky
Well 9 points behind ๐