The media team showing that goal on.X

We're averaging approx 800 fans more this season than we did in our promotion season to PL (11,407)
Whilst we had a couple of great seasons over 25 years ago, our History shows with only 1 top flight season in 138 years, it wasn't the usual.
We were also relegated to the 3rd Tier in 2002 and went into administration, probably our darkest period ever and coming very close to not existing, even a breakaway club was formed in AFC Barnsley.
Whilst you are entitled your opinion and to hammer the club at any opportunity (this was looking back at a great goal originally) you wish.
To put some context into things, in 1997 the average wage for a second tier player was £1,096 (£2629 in today's money) but its actually now £14,960, a level of wages I'm sure you can agree we simply couldn't afford.
The squad of 96/97 consisted of players from non league in Sheridan and Bullock, youth players in Eaden, Moses, Watson, Liddell and a mix of old pros Hendrie, Wilkinson, Thompson, Redfearn and then the well recruited likes of De Zeeuw, Marcelle, Bosancic etc, we had a net spend of 125k (300k in today's money)after selling Andy Payton for 330k, which fans hammered the club for at the time,
We got promoted on 80pts a feat that nowadays you'd have to be lucky to go up automatically with, only Stoke and Hull with 79pts being lower in the last 25 years.
The 96/97 season then gave us our PL season and then a little bit more clout at the 2nd tier level for a couple of years before regressing again to mid table and relegation. The 98/99 season the one in question with Barnard's goal we finished 13th closer to the relegation places than the playoffs with a minus goal difference and losing more than we won.

Under Patrick Crynes sole ownership to say it was managed decline is unfair.
We achieved promotion back from L1 to championship in 2006 via a trip to the millennium stadium, a trip to Wembley for an FA Cup Semi Final, had Kayode scored that chance who knows could have been a final, a solitary relegation in 2014 bouncing back at the 2nd attempt with 2 x Wembley trips and 2 pieces of silverware, retaing championship status the following season before selling the club reluctantly with cash in the Bank and a positive balance sheet.
Whilst not perfect, show me owners who are, to say we declined from a club that had been in Admin a time before he bought it, simply doesn't show a true picture.

Maybe consider that football has now changed so much beyond recognition since those heady days of 96-2000 that in part its somewhat the fault of football and not soley BFC, I mean EPPP didn't exist in the days of Eaden, Watson, Liddell and Moses, neither did SCMP impact wage budgets.
Whilst our recruitment hasn't been ideal and owners aren't perfect, not everything is ***t now and perfect back then, finance probably dictates 99% of football now, could we be run better of course 100% but in equal measures not everything in the garden was rosey either way back then.

Different time and game now, if you are clutching onto 96-2000 period happening as our regular stand point you are probably going to keep being dissapointed, game has moved on.

 

Think you are right think it was 2m over 2 seasons

 

The missed penalty by Hignett was straight after half time. Always said that if that had gone in we’d have hit double figures. He went off with cramp soon after and we lost a bit of momentum.