Belper, biggest game for years, our support.

[andy]

Will somebody please give me some realistic confidence that we can win this. We've lost all our previous 3 meetings in the past 2 seasons, conceding 11, and they are the one team i do not want to face. I still think we might be relying on others to drop points, but dont think Leek will. To make it worse, IF we did lose we would probably be playing them again Tuesday!

[welshyeltz]

Know where you're coming from Andy. Been trying to suppress similar thoughts myself but last game we played well but we're bullied off the ball . This time we will be ready for it.

[cripcrap]

Any negativity at this stage from any of the top five would be a suicidal act.

I've always tried, when writing our programmes not to mention the playoffs. I've thought we were good enough to win the league and should only focus on that objective.

8 wins on the trot is sensational and our record would suggest, there no reason why we can't make it 9. Statisically, we are the best team in the league and there's no reason to have ANY doubts at this stage.

I'm very superstiscious but hey ho, my thoughts after last Saturday were that Coalville wouldn't get a point from their last two and that Leek would draw their last game. I predicted 88 points as being enough to win the league 8 games ago but as thing stand, I'm confident we'll end with 91.

It will be hell watching uppdates on here but in spirit,I'll be there cheering the team on.

Good luck everybody

[Noggin]

Realistically we are going into a knockout tournament where we will play between 1 and 3 matches. To make it worse, two of the three matches could be against the same opponents within the space of three days.

Whilst I obviously hope for a win tomorrow, the odds are not convincingly in our favour, as much as I would like to be proven wrong.

What will get interesting (if we can be detached about it) is how to manage the match if things are level in the last 10-15 minutes do we go all out for the win and risk handing the mental upper hand to our possible play off opponents if they were to win tomorrow? do we settle for the draw and hope to recover physically and pyschologically by Tuesday? Are there contingency plans for recovery over the weekend (massage, treatment of minor injuries)?

All we can do as fans is to sit back and enjoy (if possible) the ride, give the team our utmost support whatever happens and to an extent, hope for the best.

At the start of the season, I would have grabbed 5th as an outcome with both hands. We have a magnificent team, let us do our best as fans to be supporters in every sense of the word.

[BelperSteej]

I have to say it guys, you all seem to be real football fans and in all honesty I'd much rather you guys go up than Coalville and especially Leek!!! Then again our record against Coalville isn't great and it's good vs yourselves and Leek. That said we know the lottery is our only hope of getting out of this league and frankly it's anybodys, yourselves included if you end up in the mix. For both clubs I guess it's just so exciting to be in the mix and good for getting bums through the turnstiles. In my view it's a credit to 2, well run honest football clubs.

[beastyyeltz]

I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight, I'm that excited. And one reason is because I am confident we will win tomorrow. Yes, we've lost our last three meetings, but for different reasons: The fist one (4-1 defeat at Belper) we we're low on confidence and John Hill was still pretty new to the club. Second game we were down to 10 men (unjustly) and without Kelly we were left with gaps in the defence and conceded an early three goal lead. Third time we had played them straight after our games against Coalville and Leek and the referee was too small to stand up to Belper so that kind of ruined our chances. This game is different, and so is every game. It'll be a tough match but I believe we will prevail. The players know what is riding on this, just as much as they knew what the stakes were against Leek, Coalville and the last few games, and they focused on the three points and won.

Lets show the lads our support tomorrow and we can do our bit for the league title. I aim on making tomorrow a very memorable day and one that I will look back on with a smile for many years to come. See you all tomorrow, lets go for it!

[RaidenYeltz]

Disappointed conversation has descended into good football talk rather than the importance of an inflatable dinosaur.

[andy]

Okay, to the replies. Owen, you are as bad as me!! Noggin, I can't possibly sit back and enjoy it!!! Beasty, you are raising my confidence, good reasons for losing all three that need not be repeated. Feeling slightly less sick now....

[andy]

......so back to dinosaurs:)

[old git]

glad to see on the weather radar that Belper only had a light rainfall for about an hour earlier around lunchtime and not this bloody monsoon we've had for the last 7 hours