Frew Fan 2001

Kilsyth v Renfrew also off already

Shotts v Renfrew off

Don't write us off just yet! Yes if I was a betting man (which I'm not!), the odds would be on Darvel, Blantyre, Cumbernauld 1-2-3 with Renfrew 4th and Neilston 5th but long way to go! Our toughest games of run in look to be trips to Blantyre (I agree with my fellow Frew fans comments - best team we've faced this season!) & Cumbernauld but of remaining 8 games, 4 are against teams in bottom 5 and the other 4 against mid table "not going up but not going down either" teams. Win our game in hand and also win at Guys Meadow and we're only 2 points adrift of Cumbernauld. Inconsistent form has made it hard for us but we're not out it yet!

We had a game..............

First I've already said we were lucky at Renfrew, however to say you hammered us twice is stretching it a wee bit, at Darvel the breaks went your way, at Renfrew yes we rode our luck in the second half, but for all your possession up to us making it 2-0 how many clear chances did you create whereas we were clinical with those we had. However, read again what I said, this isn't about Renfrew, this is a comparison of the Darvel we've seen this year v the Talbot's, Hurlford's, etc we played last year, I stand by what I said, you're going to have be a lot better, stronger, etc if you genuinely want to challenge in your first season. You are the best team we've seen this season, although we've still to play Blantyre, Kilsyth and Shotts but tough as they'll no doubt be, Darvel are going up no ifs buts or maybes, when you do if it's with your current squad you probably won't struggle at the bottom but don't see you top end either.

With the greatest of respect, we played all the big guns of the premiership last season, we've played you twice this season and if you seriously want to challenge for the big title your "backers" need to get the cheque books out sharpish, you're not even close with your current squad. Now given the investment that clearly has been made already, that will no doubt happen, but is throwing a truckload of cash at it sustainable?

Wise words, speaking from experience last year was a hard lesson, getting there one thing, staying there another altogether. I suspect we had the lowest budget in the Premier and nearly achieved the "holy grail" of 4th bottom, can't see us being any "richer" if we do finish top 3 and so likely to come straight back down again, but you want to win every game and try to get promotion, it's a quandry for sure! There are a few at NWP saying 4th place this season might not be the worst finish, at our best (ok and luck!) we beat Darvel but then lose at Dalry next game, so it'll be a rollercoaster of a run in, gotta love the juniors!

Don't normally count the crowd at games but yesterday for Gartcairn v Renfrew I reckon there were more on the park than watching/braving the elements!

The old Fulbar St Station (like many a victim of Dr Beeching!) was right next to Renfrew's old Western Park, with the line to Paisley running behind the grass bank "terrace". The new ground is only a few hundred yards from the end of the Glasgow Airport runway, so we have it on both counts!

Dalry 2 Renfrew 0 Two days after the game and having calmed down, I choose my words carefully, we were f###### abysmal! That said well done Dalry, fully deserved, your no.8 was the best man on the park by a mile!

With the greatest of respect we're all (most?) suffering from injuries, fact of life when you're talking about essentially no more than part time players at our level, no matter how much you may/may not be getting paid to play. I reckon we were missing 9 players too on Saturday, OK not all would start if everyone fit and available but it stretches your squad, we only made 1 sub although we had 2 others on the bench but given the pummeling we were taking in the second half, throwing the others on could have been detrimental to them, decent prospects but I'm not sure that was a situation to put first season out the 21s into when it was already backs to the wall. First half I thought was pretty even, you had more of the ball but IMHO I thought we looked more likely to do something with it when we had it, which we did to lead 1-0 at the break. Second half different story although we were worth the 2-0 lead we had, hard for anyone not to accept that we rode our luck afterwards(!), if I was a Darvel fan I'd be wondering just how the f*** we lost! That said for all your dominance (if it was a boxing match, the ref would have stopped it to save us from further punishment!) you were fragile at the back and we were clinical in scoring 3 from at best 5 or 6 chances, I also thought for all your possession we had the games most influential player in wee Craig Dallas, you're not the first team to not know how to stop him short of constant fouling! Definitely the best team we've played (over both games) this season and happy to split the "series" 3 points each!

Must be a Lanarkshire weather worry! East Kilbride v Renfrew has been switched to New Western Park on Saturday

Absolutely no complaints, the team that was more organised and were the hungrier won, sadly.

Couldn't make it up, we don't get a Lie/Frew derby for over 10 years then 2 in 3 days! If you want to avoid two progs we could always play it under lights at NWP?!

1-0 Renfrew

I've always felt this is the toughest league of all in the West, albeit things have changed a bit since we last "graced" it, two more teams and only 3 relegation places looks like it gives a wee bit more breathing space? But the make up hasn't changed much, teams relegated from the Premiership who will look to bounce back immediately, those who feel aggrieved, unlucky, etc that they just missed out on promotion the previous year, then a few who will look to kick on after consolidating from their first season, etc at that level, and there's always those with a bit of momentum coming up from the league below. So I don't think it's a foregone conclusion that those who got relegated will bounce straight back, I'd like to think we'll be in the mix, we've kept the bulk of the team that so narrowly failed to stay up, but that ultimately counts for nothing if we don't produce the goods on the park, still haunted by losing the league to Talbot on goal difference then tailed off bottom and relegated the next season!

(in my best Arnie voice!) we'll be back!

Well done to the Bankies for finding some form, this still aint over yet! p.s. well done to you Sancho and all your Ladeside buddies for getting the points to see you guys safe.

For those of us in the middle of it, not sure if fascinating is the word we'd use!!!!!!

You could make the case for flinging everything at it and risking losing the point we had, if we survive with 30 then we were right, if 31 or 32 is the figure that would have kept us up, then we regret not gambling. Not as if we weren't creating chances, bit more composure by Rikki McIntosh when clean through and the keeper wouldn't have had a chance to make the save he did, although considering Rikki was basically playing on one leg by that time from the "treatment" he had got from Pollok defenders, probably did well even to get the shot away! Every team can probably say this but considering last night there were at least 3 or 4 in Frew jersey's who were carrying injuries going into the game, proud of every one of them, if we do go down at least we've not gone without a fight, we were everybody's favourites to be tailed off at the bottom (which as Sancho above says is where we were at Xmas!) so from that perspective even third bottom will have proved a lot wrong, but this aint over yet........

Well 1 point is better than none, is 30 points enough, if I was a betting man I'd probably say no but at least we've got the points on the board. Over to you Ladeside, Roy & Troon!

There's one that is definitely "hoping" they don't!

We didn't help ourselves last night that's for sure! Although looking at your run in back to back v Talbot and still got Hurlford too, it aint over yet!

That was my feeling at the start of the season that 35 would be a reasonable target. My 32 points is based on Renfrew and Kilbirnie winning half their remaining games. As another poster said it will probably be lower, but wouldn't feel safe until I had at least 32 points. 30-32 Points aren't going to come easy for any of us, Rob Roy have 2 games (H v Peasy & A v Frew) that are must wins, their other 6 are tough H v Hurlford, Pollok, Beith and Talbot & A v Glens and Bankies Ladeside have H&A v Troon and A v Camby that look their best targets, H&A v Talbot & A v Hurlford less so Troon similarly will target their games with Ladeside together with H v Camby & Nock, their toughies look to be H v Glens & Talbot & A v Largs & Bankies Renfrew, we really need to beat Buffs & Rob Roy at home as H&A v Hurlford & A v Bankies & Lok are tough. The Troon/Kilbirnie "series" over next fortnight may clear picture a bit, if one team wins both, a win each or 2 draws leaves it muddied, but assuming (always hugely dangerous!) that the only points gained by any of us are in those "easier" games, Rob Roy potentially get relegated with 28 or we do with 26 if Roy win the huge game between us, or it could all come down to goal difference between us and Ladeside on 26 if Troon win both those games, any of us get a "coupon buster" win in one of those "toughies" and it might be enough to get over the line, bums are well squeaky already!

A few weeks ago I thought 25 points would be enough to stay up, but Kilbirnie, Troon and ourselves have shown a bit of form and picked up unexpected points, so I think 30 is a more realistic figure to aim for now, Saturday a good example, having been humped 5-0 at Barrfields earlier in the season, most of us thought on Saturday "maybe sneak a point" at best, boys however were superb (especially coming back from 2-1 down!). Buffs game this Saturday is huge for us as realistically can't see us getting much from the home game with Hurlford (will be happy to be proved wrong, if Saturday showed anything it was the boys are up for the fight!!!), Rob Roy similarly big game for us before we finish with 3 tough away games at Hurlford, Clydebank & Pollok. Cambuslang and Petershill look doomed I think, so take your pick from any one of Kilbirnie, Troon, Rob Roy and ourselves, one of us is going down! Can we stay up, yes, will we do it a whole different question!