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| Kyle Wootton celebrates his first senior goal on Tuesday |
But for me it may be one, even two, games too soon until we can really relax and celebrate. But it is coming, for sure.
My last post saw the Iron winless in eight and on the back of a 4-0 thumping away at Sheffield United. Thankfully, since that day we have managed to pick up a couple of all important wins and move to within a few points of confirmed safety.
Currently on 51 points, the Iron are in a position that would have already kept them in this league for the majority of the last ten years or so. But not this year, with the team in the final relegation spot on 47 points at the moment, it will almost certainly need 53, possibly more, to keep yourselves in League One this time round.
Going on that logic, I’m almost 100% certain that one more win will be enough to keep us up. And even if we win tomorrow and are not automatically safe – It is simply a case of sooner or later.
The past three games at Glanford Park have seen us yield seven points, and it was seven points that were so desperately needed.
Firstly we faced Peterborough United, who have had quite an up and down season like ourselves. Nonetheless you could say before kick off we weren’t the favourites for this one.
We got ourselves a priceless 2-0 victory, and finally we had broken that barren winless streak. Onwards and upwards.
Next up we went to MK Dons in what would almost certainly be our hardest remaining fixture. And so it proved to be, with the Iron 2-0 down before five minutes had even been played. Ouch. Thankfully for our dignity’s sake we kept the score down to 2-0, when at one point it looked like it was going to be a cricket score.
No need to worry about the loss at the Dons, cause Iron fans knew that would be almost certainly be game we’d get nothing out of. Sadly, I think a few were blinded by the bad start and started to moan – because let’s not forget we did only concede two away from home against a team still in with a shout of the automatics.
Crawley Town came to GP last Saturday in an all out relegation six-pointer. Thankfully, we came out 2-1 winners, and despite giving ourselves a nervy finish we held on to earn a well deserved three points.
With the relegation worries not over, but beginning to be lifted away ever so slightly, we hosted Port Vale on Tuesday night in yet another relegation six pointer. Despite conceding in the first half and missing glorious opportunities to level earlier, it took a last gasp equaliser from youngster Kyle Wootton to rescue the point and edge us even closer to the safety mark. It was Wootton’s first senior goal, in what will almost certainly be a case of ‘First of many’. A big shout out must also be given to Hakeeb, who’s inch perfect cross led to the headed goal.
Results largely went in our favour on Tuesday too, which leads us to this weekend…
Chesterfield 6-0 Colchester. We travel ‘darn sarf’ tomorrow for our third relegation six-pointer (getting sick of saying that now) in a row, and it could be the day we can all relax fully. Colchester were hit for six on Tuesday at play off hopefuls Chesterfield, meaning the U’s are now three points adrift of Leyton Orient in 20th, with a significantly lower goal difference too.
Realistically, if the Iron can get this win, not only would it secure our place in League One for the next season – It could also be the final nail in the coffin for Colchester, with some tricky looking ties to follow their game with us. We are their last chance, but we cannot play help and become their answer to safety – we must plunge that nail so deep that they cannot escape it, and move ourselves into a very healthy position.
Colchester United survived on the final day of the 2012/13 season sending us down. I doubt they thought twice about us. Time for payback, and hopefully it will be so sweet.
Up the Iron!
Any Old Iron 