Another boring week in Poppyland

No Poppies fan will need reminding of the importance of this week. Three home games against against two teams challenging for the play-offs, as well as angry, little Peterborough Sports, stuffed to the gunnels with equally angry little former Poppies players weighed down by their pay-packets.

Three wins and we're pretty certain to stay up.

Two wins and we throw down a challenge to the other relegation fighters

One win and we suddenly, desperately need to win our home games against Leamington and Chester and hope to chisel out something away from home.

No wins and....well, let's not go there.

Obviously we would all like us to be further up the table.  Most of us think we would take boring, safe mid-table at this stage.  But would we?  Really?  If nothing else, the run-in is going to be exciting.  It's going to be nervy for sure, and we should all remember to pack spare underpants when heading to Latimer Park.  But wouldn't we rather be playing for SOMETHING rather than nothing?  Feel the blood thumping in our veins.  Know that every goal scored or chance spurned really means something.

Any younger Poppies fan who believes supporting the Poppies from the 70's onwards has been all Wembley appearances, 2000+ attendances and glory (!) has heard only half of the story.  For every hundred stories you'll hear about Bristol Rovers, Charlton and Blackburn you'll be lucky to hear even one story about finishing one place outside the relegation zone for most of the first half of the 1980's.  Or where only heroic second half of the season efforts during the 90's and 00's turned around one way tickets to oblivion.

Even when we finally succumbed to relegation from the Conference in 2001 we so nearly hung on thanks to a late rally under Carl Shutt.  The season ended in disappointment ultimately, but no-one can say we didn't go through the emotional-wringer and FEEL it right until the end of the season.

Not that I'm saying I live for relegation scraps.  I don't.  Particularly as I leave my mid-50's behind and am taking tablets for my ticker!  But the beauty and horror of football is that games MEAN SOMETHING.  It's not rugby, after all.  You have a great season and you could be promoted.  A bad season finds you smooching with relegation.  We all start every season knowing this to be the case.  It's what we all sign-up for.  But it's interesting how many of us know this in theory but don't believe the possibility of relegation actually applies to THEIR club, and can't wrap their heads around the concept.

Well folks, it can happen.  And no-one is immune.  It wasn't that long ago when oil-cash rich behemoths Manchester City were in the Third tier of English football and their local derby was with Macclesfield Town rather than Manchester United.  When we were winning National North by burning through Imraan's money in 2009, Bournemouth finished the same season two places ahead of joining us in the National League.  Brighton spent a fair chunk of the 90's challenging not for Europe, but to avoid playing Frickley Athleic.  Oldham Athletic helped kick off the Premier League.  Next season they would consider themselves lucky to kick off against Fylde.  I've seen Luton Town beat Arsenal in the League Cup final on the TV, and not that much later, seen the Poppies beat them in a league fixture.

Let's "enjoy" the remainder of this season.  Let's give it our best.  Let's get behind our team.  No-one knows what's down the line, so let's spin the wheel and see what happens.  Success or failure.  Promotion or relegation.  That's the allure of football.  If you can't accept this you should take up a safer, more sedentary activity - like rock climbing, becoming a stuntman or a mercenary perhaps.

Peterborough Sports are on
their way to Latimer Park...