Continued.......
Basingstoke remaining games:
12th Mar v Guildford
13th Mar @ Phoenix
15th Mar @ Sheffield
19th Mar v Swindon
20th Mar @ Milton Keynes
26th Mar v Milton Keynes
27th Mar @ Sheffield
7 games left, 3 home 4 away.
Plus 2 EPL Cup Final games
The Herd are one of those teams that is always in with a shout, they are tough to beat, but can also be guilty of not turning up. In terms of a league title their chance has now mathmatically gone. But they do have the playoffs to look forward to, and an EPL Cup final against the Jets. In the playoff race it looks likely the Bison will play the Lightning, although that depends on how many, if any, points are dropped by Slough. The Bison's run in is probably the toughest of the top 5. They have 9 games to fit in before the end of the month, and 6 of those will be against clubs at the top of the table, all with things to win for themselves! Putting aside the EPL Cup final, the Bison have two pair's of games that will decide their season. The first, this weekend, sees them play the Flames and Phoenix, both with title aspirations. The second pair are the home/away set against the Lightning. These pair of games could well decide who finishes 3rd/4th and 5th! I think the Bison will get at least 8 further points, but alot will depend on how much they are distracted by the EPL Cup final. For me, the Bison should forget about the league games, they have qualified for the playoffs, the only variable is, do they play the Lightning or possibly Peterborough, and concentrate on the Cup. It could well be their best chance of winning some silverware!
Milton Keynes remaining games:
12th Mar v Sheffield
13th Mar @ Guildford
16th Mar @ Telford
19th Mar v Phoenix
20th Mar v Basingstoke
23rd Mar @ Sheffield
26th Mar @ Basingstoke
27th Mar v Slough
8 games left, 4 home 4 away.
MK, ah MK, a late start to the season, struggling for most of the season, acquiring their 5th import in Blaz Emersic, the Lightning have never really caught fire over the course of the whole season. They have gone through it carrying a fair few games in hand over teams above/around them in the league, but have never really been able to capitalise on them. As a result they have 8 games to fit in before the end of March, 5 of those against teams above them in the table! Nice easy run in then! Potentially they could reach 2nd place if they win all their remaining games and Guildford loose all theirs. Whats more likely is the Lightning will remain in 5th place. Starting too late and too much inconsistency has cost them a higher finish in the defence of their league title. One thing is for certain though, don't bet against the Lightning come playoff time. They lost out last time as the title hangover saw them loose to Swindon over two legs. So you can be damn sure they will want to right that wrong and be at Coventry this year!
Phew, so a big post today, but with no Phoenix home game I had to do something! This posting has been in the works for about two weeks as well, so let me know what you think! Do you agree? Disagree? Where do you see the Title/EPL Cup and Playoff trophies going?
Next post will be the Race for 8th battle, the 8th placed spot has looked to have been sewn up for a while but, I honestly think the Tigers recent run has spiced things up a little! I'll be having a look at the Tigers/Bees and Steeldog's run in to see if the Dogs will keep hold of 8th or whether the Tigers could cause an upset and make it to the playoffs!
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