We need to start this Week by congratulating the Coach of BF Giants on their thrilling last-gasp victory in the Total Goals Game. It looked as though they had dropped out of the running in the last couple of Weeks but they were obviously just waiting until the final Week to play their hand. A third Hot Spot Game win in 21 seasons after wins in 2010 and 2020. Lucky they didn’t wait until 2030 to complete the treble.
If memory serves, I can only think of one occasion where a team three or more goals behind going into the final Week has come back to win the Total Goals Game. Even in that other case I don’t think that the final match of the contest had such a big influence on the result. In truth, though, it needed a combination of factors for BF Giants to pull off their unlikely victory, of which Palmer’s four goals was only the final piece of the jigsaw. The fact that none of last Week’s four leading teams picked Palmer was certainly a factor. As over a third of teams had Palmer this Week the odds were at least one of the top four would include him. Even so, Palmer’s goals only wiped out the gap between the top two and BF Giants at the start of Week #30. Their other seven selections still needed to outscore the Week #30 efforts of Bury Wanderer and PJ Auxerre both of whom would have the advantage in a tie-break.
Bury Wanderer had the best score of last Week’s top four with four goals. To overtake them needed five goals plus Palmer’s quadruple. Only three teams managed this nine goal total in Week #30. OneunitedfanTrev were unfortunately one goal too far back and could only match Bury Wanderer while Annoyed Grandpa’s Eight were never in the running. Sofy, on the other hand, started the Week level with BF Giants and had Palmer’s goals but could only add four from their other seven strikers. In the end, everything went right for BF Giants with all the circumstances falling in their favour. Even the argument over who should take the penalty could have changed the result but when you’re hot, you’re hot. Congratulations again to the Coach of BF Giants and thanks to the Coaches of all the other teams who made this a close and exciting contest.
As so often this season, Haaland was the most popular selection among the ten scoring strikers in this Week’s Golden Boot Game. Just four teams left him out entirely and he was number one for 21 teams. This Week, however, he did not provide as many points as Palmer’s quadruple. The eleven teams who picked Palmer all made the top twelve scores of the Week. Watkins, with sixteen picks, was again the only scorer other than Haaland to appear in the majority of teams. Solanke appeared for fourteen teams, one more than Izak, though the latter’s double meant a much bigger points contribution. The other two double scorers had just two picks (Fernandes) and one pick (Cunha). All four teams without Haaland scored, so every team got points this Week.
Noboots posted the top score in Week #30 with 46 points, all but six coming from Izak and Palmer. Two teams scored 43 points, BF Giants who needed five scorers and Sofy who only needed four. Both got most of their points from Palmer and Izak, as did Upforthecup and Team Of The Weak who both scored 42 points. OneunitedfanTrev and Weakenders both got 41 points though the latter did not have Izak’s double to add to Palmer’s contribution.
The top nine teams all changed this Week and only seven teams in the overall standings were non-movers. New leaders Upforthecup have a twelve point lead over Magic Eight Balls. Team Of The Weak are up to third place just five points further back and nine ahead of Sofy who are up to fourth. The twelve points between the top two is now the biggest gap in the top ten, so there is scope for more movement over the final five Weeks of the season. This being our last season, we are hoping that the title race stays close all the way to the end.
Ever since our second season the Final Five Game has been the Hot Spot Game played over the last five game Weeks of each season. This season we will have the twentieth and last Final Five Game which we have designated the Final Final Five Game. The game starts in Week #31, beginning on Saturday 20th April, and runs until all matches have been completed in Week #35, which will be on Sunday 19th May.
The rules for the Final Final Five Game have not changed. The scoring is exactly the same as in the Golden Boot Game with eight points for goals scored by your number one striker down to one point for each goal scored by your number eight striker. In the Final Final Five Game, however, each team starts again on zero points.
The reason we play this game every season over the final five Weeks is because it is so easy to have a few bad Weeks which ruin your team’s chances of the overall prize. In these final five Weeks you get a second chance to show what you have learnt from your mistakes and how well your team might have done but for some unfortunate selections. The Final Final Five Game is a final chance to correct those errors and finally get it right. Don’t waste it.
Week #31 has thirteen Premier League fixtures scheduled. Tottenham do not have a match while seven other clubs have two matches. Crystal Palace, Everton and Wolves each play two home matches while Liverpool and Bournemouth have both their matches away from home. Arsenal and Sheffield Utd play once at home and once away. The other twelve clubs all play just the usual one match in Week #31. The Week starts with matches at Sheffield and Luton on Saturday afternoon. This means the Week #31 selection deadline for the Golden Boot Game is at 14:00 (2 pm) on Saturday 20th April.
There is a third match on Saturday evening, with four more matches being played on Sunday afternoon. In midweek there is a match on Tuesday night and one on Thursday with the other four sandwiched between on Wednesday evening. The Thursday match sees Brighton host Man City. We will update our website shortly after the final whistle at the Amex.
We will be trying to publish our next weblog around lunchtime on Friday 26th April. We will have news from the first Week of the Final Final Five Game as well as all the usual news from the Golden Boot Game.
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