Food For Thought: from A previous Diabolical Season

The point gained with a fair stroke of luck at Bournemouth may prove crucial in the run-in, providing we can secure a few more points beforehand. Given the fixture list, the remaining  home games are key to our survival in this division, starting with the home game against Leyton Orient which I feel has now become a crucial fixture. They have been on a good run but we need to raise our game as against Southampton and get a vital 3 point as I cannot see points easy to come by in the remaining away fixtures and the home games against Rochdale and Hartlepool.
In any 'normal' season those teams should provide adequate cannon fodder to secure our future. However, this is no 'normal'season and the collapse in recent games has been as bad and frustrating as many of our New Year collapses in recent years. As we all know, being a CAFC supporter can be a roller coaster experience, the likes of which no other supporters seemed to be 'blooded' on.
If history is to be avoided, we need to win the next two home games as I can recall a nail biting night sitting by the radio in May1964 when we needed to win at Walsall in the last game of the season to avoid relegation.
We were only in with a chance in the final game because the late Cliff Durandt had fired in an 89th minute winner to beat Southampton at home in the penultimate game. I remember seeing him fire in the long rage shot that was going over until it inexplicably dipped at the last minute.
It was a most uncharacteristic performance for CAFC in that the reports stated that we went out there on raw meat and immediately set about delivering crunching tackles, much in the style of Harry Cripps' Millwall sides. By the eight minute Walsall were reduced to 10 men with another hobbling along without making much of a contribution.A winning goal from Mike Kenning in the 63rd minute kept us up and sent Walsall down.
I hope we do not require the same outcome away to Walsall this season. In those days, we had players like Kenning (a bit of a softie but with a thunderbolt shot) and those with true grit such as Sewell, Hewie, Tocknell, Lucas, Kenning and Kinsey: not sure where they are now.
Keith Peacock was also I the side and gine the thought may have crossed his mind about the Walsall fixture.

I would not place bets on many 100% tackles other than from a minority of our current players or managing a draw at Walsall without an uncharacterstic 'superhuman' performance; let’s hope we secure the required points beforehand as my blood pressure is unlikely to hold out as well as if did in 1964 second time around!.