Cheltenham Town	Lincoln City	Rochdale	Cambridge United	West Ham United	Bristol Rovers
Macclesfield Town	Rushden & Diamonds	Wycombe Wanderers	Notts County	Kidderminster Harriers	Colchester United
Darlington	Boston United	Swansea City	Scunthorpe United	Shrewsbury Town	Northampton Town
Shrewsbury Town	Oxford United	Luton Town	Yeovil Town	Grimsby Town	Northampton Town
Leyton Orient	Bury	Chester City	Wycombe Wanderers	Mansfield Town	Rushden & Diamonds
Kidderminster Harriers	Boston United	Notts County	Mansfield Town	Swindon Town	Darlington
Swansea City	Scunthorpe United	Bristol Rovers	Northampton Town	Shrewsbury Town	Bury
Chester City	Bristol Rovers	Lincoln City	Cheltenham Town	Rochdale	Cambridge United
Bristol Rovers	Wrexham	Leyton Orient	Macclesfield Town	Oxford United	Yeovil Town
Grimsby Town	Northampton Town	Northampton Town	Lincoln City

Gower in celebratory mood against Boston

It was wrong to expect that Gower would be able to reproduce the same sort of form that he had throughout the previous term, but the manner of his decline, both due to a general lack of fitness and attacking inadequacies on the left, was quite shocking. To be restricted to a few seconds at Cardiff for a player of his ability shows that there was something gravely wrong.

In a side containing Carl Pettefer, the likelihood is that the opposite winger will have to do the bulk of the pushing forwards, and such is the attitude of the Edmonton-raised midfielder defensively – an aspect that has actually improved throughout the campaign – that it should be expected. Gower's poor form, somewhat glossed over after his excellent strike at Bristol Rovers, was a worrying aspect for Steve Tilson.

That goal at the Memorial Stadium, which ultimately won Blues the LDV Vans Trophy area final tie and handed the club a second successive final in the competition, was something special, even if it did sum up the wide man's season as a whole. With Tesfaye Bramble stripped off on the touchline, Gower picked up the ball on the left and sent a scorching effort rising into the top right-hand corner of Ryan Clarke's goal via the underside of the crossbar.

The mercurial winger was capable of such bouts of inspiration. He had a largely ineffective game at Chester City in March, but nonetheless he curled home the first of two equalisers in the game with a fine free-kick from just outside the penalty area. It was his seventh and final goal of the season.

Swapped from left to right and back again to accommodate Pettefer, Gower appeared dissatisfied, but it was his constant struggle to obtain to full fitness that has left the biggest question marks over his future with the Shrimpers. A knee operation in the summer of 2004 has clearly not solved the problem, and he spent periods of last term out of the side for the same reason. If he is to make a large impression in League One, he will first be seeking to improve his fitness, and then his form.

Robert Craven
www.thelittlegazette.com