What a relief for us ‘Gasheads’ that the result of today’s final game of a pretty torrid season now means so much more to our visitors this afternoon than it does for Rovers. If you were freezing to death at Highbury last Saturday only eight days after suffocating in the heat of Kingston-on-Thames you would already have enjoyed celebrating with the players after securing our League 1 status thanks mainly to a brilliant turnround on the road since Christmas under the stewardship of Graham Coughlan.

In between those two last hard-fought away draws we failed yet again at home going down to Rochdale here on Easter Monday. Talk about making life hard! Of great importance this afternoon is a last opportunity to avoid a club-record worst-ever home League record which currently stands at eleven defeats and just five wins, and that for a side which previously viewed the ‘Mem’ as a fortress! Never mind, Graham and the boys have well-achieved what was set out last December and that was to avoid the drop back into the basement which, at the time, looked a very tall order indeed so well done to everyone involved.

A big ‘thank you’ to everyone who has taken the time and trouble to vote for the Supporters Club’s Player of the Year and Goal of the Season. The votes will have been counted by the time you read this but we are holding back the presentation of trophies until we hold an ‘open day’ here in the summer.

How great it would be to finish on a high this afternoon against a team that has been in the promotion race all season long. Nerves I’m sure will play a big part but I know the ‘Gas’ will not be nervous now that Rovers are safe so get right behind the boys in blue and let’s finish with a bang!

Jim Chappell.