Sports Mole takes on Alex Spencer and Sea Girls’ Andrew Dawson for a Premier League predictions challenge in the final gameweek of the 2023-24 season.
It all comes down to the final matchday in the 2023-24 Premier League season, with the title – and nominally one relegation place – still up for grabs.
Manchester City go into Sunday with matters in their own hands at the top of the table, with victory at home to West Ham United guaranteeing an unprecedented fourth successive Premier League title.
However, any slip-up at the Etihad Stadium would open the door for Arsenal, who host Everton knowing that they need to win to stand any chance of pipping the champions to the post.
At the other end, Luton Town are effectively already relegated, but could mathematically survive if they win, Nottingham Forest lose and there is a 12-goal swing.
Away from those permutations, there are two more particularly significant events to look out for, with Jurgen Klopp‘s legendary reign as Liverpool manager coming to an end at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers, and David Moyes also bidding farewell to West Ham at Man City.
Each gameweek, Sports Mole is taking on a famous musician or band in a prediction competition, and this week it is the turn of Manchester City fan Alex Spencer and Andrew Dawson of Sea Girls.
Sunday, 4pm
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Alex: Arsenal 3-1 Everton
Andrew: Arsenal 3-0 Everton
Sports Mole: Arsenal 3-0 Everton
Sunday, 4pm
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Alex: Brentford 1-1 Newcastle
Andrew: Brentford 1-1 Newcastle
Sports Mole: Brentford 1-3 Newcastle
Sunday, 4pm
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Alex: Brighton 2-0 Man Utd
Andrew: Brighton 2-0 Man Utd
Sports Mole: Brighton 2-2 Man Utd
Sunday, 4pm
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Alex: Burnley 2-1 Nott’m Forest
Andrew: Burnley 2-2 Nott’m Forest
Sports Mole: Burnley 1-2 Nott’m Forest
Sunday, 4pm
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Alex: Chelsea 3-1 Bournemouth
Andrew: Chelsea 1-0 Bournemouth
Sports Mole: Chelsea 2-1 Bournemouth
Sunday, 4pm
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Alex: Crystal Palace 1-2 Aston Villa
Andrew: Crystal Palace 2-1 Aston Villa
Sports Mole: Crystal Palace 3-1 Aston Villa
Sunday, 4pm
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Alex: Liverpool 3-0 Wolves
Andrew: Liverpool 3-0 Wolves
Sports Mole: Liverpool 2-0 Wolves
Sunday, 4pm
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Alex: Luton 0-1 Fulham
Andrew: Luton 1-2 Fulham
Sports Mole: Luton 2-2 Fulham
Sunday, 4pm
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Alex: Man City 4-0 West Ham
Andrew: Man City 2-0 West Ham
Sports Mole: Man City 4-1 West Ham
Sunday, 4pm
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Alex: Sheff Utd 0-2 Spurs
Andrew: Sheff Utd 0-2 Spurs
Sports Mole: Sheff Utd 1-3 Spurs
Alex and Andrew Q&A
How did you come to support your club and what are your favourite memories from your time as a fan?
Alex: My dad has been a massive Manchester City fan since the early 80s so I guess I was automatically born as a Man City fan.
My first memory with Manchester City was going to my first game at the Etihad against Wolves in 2011, I was four years old and we won 3 -1! My favourite City memory was probably the comeback against Aston Villa in 2022 when we won 3-2 and we won the Premier League.
I was told three days before that if we won that I would be playing for the City players at their celebration party, we were 2 – 0 down and I was gutted, thinking it wasn’t meant to be, but then we all know what happened next!!
So I went to their party and performed two songs for Pep and the City players and the backroom staff, it was one of the greatest days of my life! I spent half an hour with the players having a good chat before they jumped on the bus for their open top parade. Pep and all the players were great with me and Jack Grealish followed me on Instagram and he sometimes messages me giving encouragement and congratulating me on my music, he’s a real superstar and such a good lad.
Andrew: My family all support Arsenal which started with my Grandad, I recently asked my Dad why my Grandad supported them and apparently he liked how they played in the 50s. The band were recently invited to watch Arsenal in the WSL at the Emirates which was really cool!
Who have been your favourite five players for your club?
Alex: Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Jack Grealish, Rodri & Kevin De Bruyne
Andrew: Bergkamp, Ljunberg (extra points for the mad hair), Rice, Odegaard and Tomiyasu.
What’s going on with the band/for you as an artist at the moment?
Alex: Things are going really well, it’s still early days in my music career, I’ve only recently turned 17 but I’ve already signed a record deal with Modern Sky and have released my debut EP.
I’ve played at Manchester’s AO arena and O2 Ritz, I supported Miles Kane over two nights at Camden’s iconic Electric BallRoom and The Royston Club at the amazing KOKO. I recently supported Jamie Webster at Manchester’s Victoria warehouse and went on tour with Louis Dunford, who are both fan favourites at City’s rival clubs Liverpool and Arsenal!
These guys are great and we had some good football banter! I sold out my debut headline show at Manchester’s Deaf Institute and next week I play my biggest ever headline show at Manchester Academy 3. I’m gonna be releasing new music next week, look out for my track ‘Nightmares’. It’s still early days but I’m really enjoying it and this is just the start! C’mon City!!
Andrew: We are very close to releasing our third album, Midnight Butterflies, which is out on June 14 which we can’t wait for. Otherwise the summer will be filled with festivals, kicking off with Live at Leeds and Radio 1’s Big weekend at the end of the month!
Check out Alex Spencer’s ‘Fear Will Kill The Future’, and Sea Girls’ ‘Come Back To Me’, their latest releases available now on all digital streaming platforms.
You can follow Alex Spencer on Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter), and Sea Girls on Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter) too.
2023-24 SEASON LEADERBOARD (ARTISTS)
Scores are calculated as one point for a correct result and five points for a correct scoreline.
1. SPRINTS’ Sam (19pts | Gameweek 9)
2. Flat Party’s Nic (18pts | Gameweek 7)
3. SPRINTS’ Jack (16pts | Gameweek 9)
= Joshua Grant (16pts | Gameweek 30)
5. SPRINTS’ Karla (14pts | Gameweek 9)
= Noah and the Loners’ Noah Riley (14pts | Gameweek 20)
7. Palace’s Leo Wyndham (13pts | Gameweek 24)
= Nathan Evans (13pts | Gameweek 28)
9. Flat Party’s Dylan (12pts | Gameweek 7)
10. Swim Deep’s Cavan McCarthy (11pts | Gameweek 33)
11. Flat Party’s Rory (10pts | Gameweek 7)
= Master Peace (10pts | Gameweek 23)
13. Tom Speight (9pts | Gameweek 2)
= Majestic & Beyond Chicago (9pts | Gameweek 3)
= Sea Girls’ Andrew Dawson (9pts | Gameweek 8)
16. New Rules’ Ryan Meaney (8pts | Gameweek 6)
= K.A.D (8pts | Gameweek 12)
= Solar Eyes (8pts | Gameweek 25)
19. Kid Kapichi’s Jack Wilson (7pts | Gameweek 5)
= Feeder’s Taka Hirose (7pts | Gameweek 18)
= Fat White Family’s Lias Saoudi (7pts | Gameweek 21)
= One True Pairing (7pts | Gameweek 29)
= Spinn’s Louis O’Reilly (7pts | Gameweek 34) *
24. Ed Cosens (6pts | Gameweek 22)
= Only The Poets (6pts | Gameweek 27)
= DAYTIME TV’s Will Irvine (6pts | Gameweek 36)
= Kerr Okan (6pts | Gameweek 37)
27. Sainte (5pts | Gameweek 13)
28. Insincere (4pts | Gameweek 1)
= STONE (4pts | Gameweek 10)
= Slick Don (4pts | Gameweek 14)
= The Blinders’ Charlie McGough (4pts | Gameweek 15)
= Alex Spencer (4pts | Gameweek 16)
= Chiedu Oraka (4pts | Gameweek 26) *
= Corella’s Joel Smith (4pts | Gameweek 32)
35. Barry Can’t Swim (3pts | Gameweek 4)
= Keen Roy (3pts | Gameweek 11)
= The Mysterines’ Paul Crilly (3pts | Gameweek 31)
= Public Order’s Elis Lloyd Jones (3pts | Gameweek 29) *
= A Certain Ratio’s Martin Moscrop (3pts | Gameweek 35)
40. Bill Ryder-Jones (2pts | Gameweek 19)
* = Gameweek with reduced number of fixtures
2023-24 COMPETITION HISTORY
Gameweek 1: Insincere 4-16 Sports Mole
Gameweek 2: Tom Speight 9-16 Sports Mole
Gameweek 3: Majestic & Beyond Chicago 9-9 Sports Mole
Gameweek 4: Barry Can’t Swim 3-9 Sports Mole
Gameweek 5: Kid Kapichi’s Jack Wilson 7-11 Sports Mole
Gameweek 6: New Rules’ Ryan Meaney 8-10 Sports Mole
Gameweek 7: Flat Party’s Rory, Nic & Dylan 10/18/12-3 Sports Mole
Gameweek 8: Sea Girls’ Andrew Dawson 9-9 Sports Mole
Gameweek 9: SPRINTS’ Jack, Same & Karla 16/19/14-16 Sports Mole
Gameweek 10: STONE 4-6 Sports Mole
Gameweek 11: Keen Roy 3-9 Sports Mole
Gameweek 12: K.A.D 8-8 Sports Mole
Gameweek 13: Sainte 5-2 Sports Mole
Gameweek 14: Slick Don 4-6 Sports Mole
Gameweek 15: The Blinders’ Charlie McGough 4-4 Sports Mole
Gameweek 16: Alex Spencer 4-3 Sports Mole
Gameweek 17: N/A
Gameweek 18: Feeder’s Taka Hirose 7-9 Sports Mole
Gameweek 19: Bill Ryder-Jones 2-7 Sports Mole
Gameweek 20: Noah and the Loners’ Noah Riley 14-5 Sports Mole
Gameweek 21: Fat White Family’s Lias Saoudi 7-10 Sports Mole
Gameweek 22: Ed Cosens 6-4 Sports Mole
Gameweek 23: Master Peace 10-12 Sports Mole
Gameweek 24: Palace’s Leo Wyndham 13-11 Sports Mole
Gameweek 25: Solar Eyes 8-9 Sports Mole
Gameweek 26: Chiedu Oraka 4-5 Sports Mole *
Gameweek 27: Only The Poets 6-8 Sports Mole
Gameweek 28: Nathan Evans 13-2 Sports Mole
Gameweek 29: One True Pairing 7-3 Sports Mole *
Gameweek 30: Joshua Grant 16-10 Sports Mole
Gameweek 31: The Mysterines’ Paul Crilly 3-9 Sports Mole
Gameweek 32: Corella’s Joel Smith 4-7 Sports Mole
Gameweek 33: Swim Deep’s Cavan McCarthy 11-14 Sports Mole
Gameweek 34: Spinn’s Louis O’Reilly 7-5 Sports Mole *
Midweek fixtures: Public Order’s Elis Lloyd-Jones 3-3 Sports Mole *
Gameweek 35: A Certain Ratio’s Martin Moscrop 3-14 Sports Mole
Gameweek 36: DAYTIME TV’s Will Irvine 6-11 Sports Mole
Gameweek 37: Kerr Okan 6-10 Sports Mole
* = Gameweek with reduced number of fixtures