GW 23 – Review

After last weekend’s tales of woe, there’s nothing like a good FA Cup weekend to set things straight is there? My own selections got me a much needed healthy points injection after a dodgy start to the year. The same could be said for many of you at the weekend I’m sure! Let’s get into the analysis.

Well, the headlines go to Aaron Fisher who topped the weekly Global League Table for a second time this season. His return to the summit was record-breaking in that he racked up the highest proportion of the Perfect 7 seen this season. Aaron’s 138 points made up 92% of the 150 points required to win that sweet £7,777 jackpot prize. So close, but no cigar. Swansea City (6 picks) and Rangers (just the 109!!) were the only 5 goal sides of the weekend and perfectly made up Aaron’s x7 and x8, with 4 goal West Ham Utd (an impressive 74 selections for the Hammers) on x6 taking the top scorer to 99 points, and the brink of a Club 100 ticket, from just three teams! A smattering of 2 and 3 goal sides lower down helped Aaron to glory, with Chelsea (98 picks) and Sheffield Utd (30 picks, didn’t think we’d see the Blades so highly backed this season!) getting the business done.

Aldershot Town (no selections!) and Hull City (only 2) were the only other teams who joined West Ham in bagging four times at the weekend, with any 3 goal side on x2 and x3 making up the rest of the P7. With so few 4 goal sides and not many people picking them, it was incredible to see an average score of 60, with 53 players (38% of you) waltz past the Club 100 bouncers. Part of that came down to the fact that there were no real upsets or shock results in the FA Cup; Everton (66 picks), Brighton & HA (39), Leicester City(13), Sheffield Utd, Chelsea and Manchester City (the most picked side with 112 selections) each saw off lower-league opposition with relative ease (albeit Man City and Brighton recovered from scares to secure their places in the next round). Rangers battered Ross County 5-0 to hammer home their advantage in Scottish Premiership, Lincoln City (41 picks) maintained their good form at the top of League One with a 2-1 victory of Northampton Town and Hearts (59 picks) still scored twice even though they suffered a surprise defeat to Raith Rovers (2) in the Scottish Championship.

Unfortunately 29 of you backed Hartlepool Utd in their 1-0 defeat at Weymouth, the County Durham team causing five of the 17 minus scores recorded at the weekend, with some postponed fixtures doing a bit of damage too – remember to check that your teams are still in action before the deadline closes! You can edit your selections as many times as necessary.

We’ll end with the ‘most picked matrix’ this week. Rangers were the most popular ‘banker’ side on x2, but also a highly sought after points earner on x7. Manchester City’s trip to League Two Cheltenham Town earned them the most picked x8 spot, while West Ham, Everton, Lincoln City and Chelsea filled in x3 through to x6 respectively.

That’s all from me. Remember that we have a bonus midweek round to indulge in (or cringe at depending on how your selections do!) so make sure you get your teams submitted before Tuesday’s 19:40 deadline. These midweekers can either be really rewarding or extremely painful, so be careful!! Good luck!

-Sam Brooke-Wilkinson