Each morning I wake up, I die a little
Can’t barely stand on my feet
Take a look at myself in the mirror and cried
Boro, what are you doing to me?

I have spent all this season (and most of my life tbh) in believing you
But I just can’t get no relief, Lord

Somebody
Somebody
Can anybody find meeeeeeee
Err… a win for the mighty Boro, and for Ipswich and Millwall to lose, cheers bruv.

(Sorry I couldn’t think of anything good that rhymes)

Well here we are, last game of the season, and it’s gone down to the wire. I'm glad it has.

I know a lot of you have been bemoaning how we’ve dropped off from 2nd, but we have to put that behind us now. No point throwing energy into what’s gone and what could have been. We all need to MANIFEST right now.

We need to make peace with it and move on. Even you Plastic Goat. (On the subject of PG, I did some analysis of their posts using AI and asked them to figure out which ex-player they were. It said two words... Bernie, and Slaven). So there you have it.

THREE in a row for me. I would sincerely like to make this a winner, and see us go up in 2nd place. If we do, everybody’s coming back to mine for a Parmo. I live in North London so we’ll need to work out logistics, but I’ve got loads of booze left over from my 50th, so we’ll be alright for about 20 mins.

And if it’s not to be automatics, then I’d love to do SIX in a row and take us up via the playoffs.

But one step at a time…

Hollywood FC (3) vs Boro (12)
STōK Cae Ras
Saturday 2nd May 2026
12:30pm

(Numbers denote how old both clubs are. We should be proud to have been alive for so long)

I remember this game standing out when the fixtures were announced at the start of the season and me and my son, and also my cousin and his son were talking about how we’d all like to go to this, and wondered if it would be a significant fixture. We were right. 

We need to win and hope two other teams with easy fixtures lose. It’s likely we get POs but you never know - QPR performing like prime Brazil to demolish Ipswich, and Oxford digging their heels in for a hard earned nil nil-er versus Millwall. And us to win a breathless end-to-end game with a goal from a much maligned anti hero - take your pick from Sene, Edmondson, Hansen, Sarmiento. Any of them will do, and it will be the world’s scrappiest goal, knocked in off someone’s eyebrow. Or bell-end. I’m easy, as long as it goes in and it counts.

There’s arguably way more riding on this for Wrexham for both them (and the threat of losing that last PO place to Derby or Hull) but also for EVERYBODY IN FOOTBALL WHO WANT THEM TO GO UP COS HOLLYWOOD INNIT? The narrative will barely involve us, so much so that the ex-Boro experts they’ll have in the studio will be Phil Whelan, Dong Gook Lee and Maxi Haas. THAT’s how much we’ll be diminished in the coverage.

But that will be to our advantage cos we’re winning this. I promise you, it’s ours. We just need the other teams to do us a favour.

Phil, Dong and Maxi will be dancing in the streets of Wrexham, celebrating 2nd place with the Boro ultras - it will be the most media coverage they’ve ever had, dwarfing any coverage they had as players. Then we’ll never see them again. Ryan and Rob will sell up and pick another obscure Welsh team with ‘load of potential’ (Merthyr Tydfil anyone) and Wrexham will begin the long drop down the leagues.

Some, or all, or none of this might happen, but it will be fun to dream.

RIGHT, WHERE ARE WE NOW
Two games in a row at home, two wins
6 goals and only one conceded
Playing crap football (versus how we were playing)
No HH
But strikers scoring
And the chances coming to the strikers rather than just Alan Browne
Whittaker, Strelec, Tommy all flying
We’re going into this game (and the POs if we dont get autos) in PRIME form. You love to see it
Whatever happens, I’m not worried and this will be fun

Yes it will be painful finishing 5th if we lose and other results go against us, but look at that table, it’s sooooo bloody close. We’ve done SO well this season. It’s almost as if all the hype around us going up, and HH being the best player ever has impacted us, and we’d have been better off going under the radar. Like Southampton, although they’ve not got a chance of 2nd have they, so y’know…

THE GAME
I think it will be frantic, end-to-end stuff, both of us need to win, although cue images of fans with transistor radios held to their ears, gesticulating to the players that Millwall and Ipswich are both 2-0 down. Would rather not have that pressure, but it will happen. Except maybe iPhones cos who has a transistor radio?

McGree will be back in, but from the bench. Castledine will start, as will Hansen. Whittaker will start along with Strelec, and Tommy will come on later and cause us loads of problems.

Don’t hate me but I think he will start with Gilbs in midfield over Browne, who again will be benched

I’d want Fry and Bill at the back for this one. I love Malanda but I’d bench him for this. He’s not had a good game in a while and I think he’s under the microscope a bit. To see him back to his best, he needs a rest.

My line up

Brynn
Brittain Fry Ayling Targett
Morris Gilbert
Castledine Hansen
Whittaker Strelec

I know you won’t agree with the above, but that’s the line up

THE OPPOSITION
What are Hollywood FC bringing on Saturday then?

Whenever I think of then, I always think of Mickey Thomas’ goal against Arsenal in the FA cup back in 1992, and the other fella who scored that day - Steve Watkin.

They’ve got a really decent side and recruited as well as they’ve recycled each time they have been promoted, and IMO they deserve to be where they are now despite all the obv hype. If we were in a different league we would be significantly more fascinated by the story. I think as soon as they’re in the Prem, they’re staying there for a long time.

They’ve also got players who are ubiquitously always scoring (or seeming to score) against us - Keiffer Moor, Josh Windass.. Lewis O’Brien has been good for them and I still wish we’d signed him. I like Dobson who’s their top assister (I think) and Ollie Rathbone and Nathan Broadhead have been good. They’ve got good players all across the park. I don’t rate Sam Smith as much as others but he has got some important goals this season.

They can be beaten though, as Southampton mercilessly tore them a new one at their place. They’ve also lost at home to Hull, Millwall, Norwich, QPR & WBA (Albeit at the very start of the season). Pretty decent at home including that mental 5-3 against Ipswich.

They’re going to take some beating though. I think if they really go for it, it will play into our hands as it will open up gaps at the back and hopefully we can take advantage with our new found ‘score when we want’ mentality. Depends on how Kim sets us up I guess.

View from their side is here. It’s quite lively, and a mixed back of opinions. They seem… erm… really nice (like us)

https://www.redpassion.co.uk/threads/middlesborough-h-ts-ps-the-road-to-heaven-or-hell.127368/
(Love the OP referencing Chris Rea)

PREDICTIONS
Heart says 3-2 Boro
Head says it will be some frantic high scoring draw (and this will be my last MDT for a while)
I don’t want to make any other predictions over and above this. I just want us to play well, and hope luck goes our way
If not, it's the playoffs, then I would like us to give it our all, and for HH to be back

Questions
1. Lineup?
2. Score?
3. Give me your final top 6

Over to you

UTB x

7-0 to the boro

4 minutes ago, Rob said:

7-0 to the boro

❤️

@Changing Times let me know of any errors or edits you wanna make. Cheers breh

I initially thought we would go wing backs for this one. I now feel KH will go all out for the win and then see where that takes us:

Brynn

Brittain Fry Malanda Targett

Browne Morris

Whittaker McGree

Strelec Conway

Edited April 29Apr 29 by Uncle-Festa

22 minutes ago, Uncle-Festa said:

I initially thought we would go wing backs for this one. It now feel KH will go all out for the win and ten see where that takes us:

Brynn

Brittain Fry Malanda Targett

Browne Morris

Whittaker McGree

Strelec Conway

I think this but Castledine in for McGree perhaps. But something like this for sure.

Theres a Mighty Ducks vibe to this game. Boro are the villains Ayling playing the lead villain/bully with Hellberg the evil coach who has encouraged the rough house tactics.

Wrexham play the underdogs who were just a bunch of misfits who against all the odds (money spent shall not be mentioned) find themselves in the championship game. It goes to time added on and Wrexham play their Ipswich card and get a penalty. Moore who has had a crisis of confidence after missing a vital penalty in the international soccer championship steps up and scores. It sets up a sequel where Wrexham are selected to play in the world cup for England. Who after losing their opening game change their strip to the Wrexham one and go on to win the world cup.

So I feel it will be a tight 2-1 to Boro and pray its enough.

28 minutes ago, edinboro said:

I think this but Castledine in for McGree perhaps. But something like this for sure.

I agree with Castledine over McGree, Wrexham like to launch balls from deep so I feel a high press could be important.

I’d kind of like Hansen to start as I think we will get space up front and he seems good at turning defenders, also adds a bit of pace to exploit it. I don’t think he will though.

Either way it’s gonna be high energy and we have to match it.

55 minutes ago, edinboro said:

I think this but Castledine in for McGree perhaps. But something like this for sure.

Same. My hope is if McGree not fit, it is Castledene. Hope he does not go Browne on right and Gilbert alongside Morris

Ive gone with Castledine, Hansen and Gilbs to start in my OP.

Castledine is one of those players who has a great shot on him and can always do something. Someone on here said something about him having shots which keepers always have to parry, allowing someone else the chance to tap in. I dont think we have anybody else like that.

15 minutes ago, SimonD said:

Ive gone with Castledine, Hansen and Gilbs to start in my OP.

Castledine is one of those players who has a great shot on him and can always do something. Someone on here said something about him having shots which keepers always have to parry, allowing someone else the chance to tap in. I dont think we have anybody else like that.

Hansen looks like he has a fair shot on him as well and willing to shoot. 👍

#FreeSonne

I think it will be back to the 532

Brynn

Brittain

Fry

Malanda

Targett

Morris

Browne

Conway

Strelec

Whittaker

3 hours ago, SimonD said:

@Changing Times let me know of any errors or edits you wanna make. Cheers breh

I don't know about CT but a change of the thread title to Wrexham rather than Hollywood FC would be good. Would rather not feed that narrative.

3 hours ago, SimonD said:

@Changing Times let me know of any errors or edits you wanna make. Cheers breh

You really think I'm going to read another one of your daft posts? 🤦‍♂️