Emley AFC (A) – Match Preview

There are 15 points still up for grabs, but we only need 6 to reach 100 points!

Obviously, no opponent will really be easier/harder to beat. But of our remaining ones, there is a very good case to say that Emley is the strongest side we have left to play.

Recent results for the Pewits have not been kind, though, with defeats to Lincoln United, Heaton Stannington and Bishop Auckland being joined by a draw to Bridlington.

In their last 5 matches, Emley’s only win came in a 2-0 victory away to Silsden.

A rough March has seen them slip away from 2nd place, with Matlock two points clear of them.

It would need a monumental collapse for them to sink any further, though, with Pontefract Collieries sat 4 points behind them, and Dunston sat an additional 3 points further back.

Emley’s remaining fixtures have them going back and forth, as they first host us, before travelling to Ossett, then going back to their home ground to welcome North Ferriby, before then travelling to Pontefract for a 7:45 pm kick off, before ending the season at their own place, where they will face Newton Aycliffe.

The predictor has them losing to Pontefract and us, but beating the other three to finish the season in 3rd, 4 points behind 2nd-placed Matlock.

Interestingly, despite finishing 3rd, that predicted table has Emley scoring just 13 goals more than a Bishop Auckland side who would finish 21st out of 22 sides.

Defensively is where Emley would shine, though, shipping just two more goals across the rest of the season to end the campaign on 28 conceded.

Us, Emley and Bradford Park Avenue are still the three best sides defensively, with none of us conceding more than 35 goals (33, 26, 31)

Whilst at the back, Emley have been stunning, their attack has left a fair bit to be desired, with only one player having reached double digits.

Bailey Thompson is that one player, bagging his 10th against Bridlington on the 21st of March.

In contrast, Adam Boyes got his 10th league goal on the 13th of September in the 10-1 win at Silsden.

189 days separate the two players reaching that tally, and with that fact alone, you would not believe that just one side sits between us in the league table.

Onto your Steelmen, and our 5-0 win against Bishop Auckland means we have breached the 130 goals scored mark, and we are now 19 off of hitting 150

19 goals in 5 games means we would need to win 1 game 3-0, and the rest 4-0

Or draw 0-0 against 4 of the sides, then beat one of them 19-0

Unsure which one is actually more realistic, though

Amidst our remaining league matches, we also travel to Boro Rangers for our County Cup semi-final, with a final against Yarm & Eaglescliffe to hopefully be the end of this season’s competition

We have only failed to score in three league matches this season, and Emley were the first team to hold us to that frustrating fact as they beat us 2-0 at the Hollou back in August

The other two teams to stop us scoring were Matlock and Lincoln, with both doing so at their own grounds

With our trophy lift on Monday, there is another thing to look forward to as we get even closer to the end of this season

Louis Johnson’s brace last Saturday has pushed him over the 20-goal mark this season, meaning he, along with Bosh and Brad Fewster, has surpassed that tally

Oscar Fletcher is just 3 goals short of that mark, and the next nearest is Curtis Round, though he is on 8 goals, and with just five games to go, I don’t think he is going to reach that tally. Double digits is still a possibility for him, and Owen Burns too, with the summer signing currently sitting on 6 goals

According to Non League Ranking, we are the 9th best side in all of Step 4

But I think those stats actually have us as the best one? Let me try to go through this

So, this website gives us an ELO rating, as it does with every other club. But it only starts tracking from Step 4, so that ELO is also dependent on how long a side has been trackable

With that in mind, the teams ranked above us have all had several seasons at Step 4 or above. We are the first side in the ranking to be added this season, and we have had a season gain of +174, with the next closest being Maldon & Tiptree, who had a +162 but have also been tracked since 2014

So…I think we are the best Step 4 team in the country? Maybe. I don’t know, I say we take this win and run

Anyway, that about does it, and I will hopefully see you at Emley. If not there, though, then I will see you at the Hollou on Monday for the Bridlington match, and subsequent trophy lift

A certain family will be unable to attend that match, though, so I will try to sort out a live stream of the trophy lift, too. Just figuring out if I put it on Instagram or Facebook

All the best, see you tomorrow, and up the Steelmen!