Bradford survive

Wednesday 2nd May.

All Portsmouth had to do tonight was avoid defeat against Crystal Palace and our season was over. Final score – Portsmouth 2 Crystal Palace 4 – oh Bugger! I was looking forward to a nice relaxing game against Birmingham on Sunday with Town safe and our favourite midlands teams safely in the play-off places but only the latter is the case. Quite simply we cannot afford to lose as assuming that both Palace and Portsmouth win then they will be on 49 points, and a point for us would also put us on the same total although we have a goal difference which is about 6 better and I can’t see both of them winning by such a margin.

Then again I couldn’t see Portsmouth losing tonight, so the season is really on a knife edge for the final fixture which sees Portsmouth (now occupying the 3rd relegation place) visiting Barnsley and Palace visiting Stockport. Grimsby who host Fulham on Sunday could also be caught if they lose, Palace and Portsmouth win and Town draw (or win), and the Mariners would go down because of their goal difference of minus 20. This makes the missed opportunities of last night all the more galling and I am a complete bag of nerves. Perhaps the biggest worry is that all of the other relegation threatened teams face opposition whose season has effectively already finished, whereas Town face Birmingham and their final play-off placing may depend on the result on Sunday and they will doubtless be keen to avoid facing Bolton in the semi-finals and a win for the Brummies will avoid this.

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