9k attendance....well well well Mr Shepherd, does that tell thi summat

Mmmmm let's see know...

Aldershot.</p>

Workington Reds</p>

Southport</p>

plus a cast of others.</p>

True they are all operating, but not in our league.</p>

These clubs were our peers once, stable members of the erstwhile third and forth divisions. Going bust has done nothing for them in 20 odd years. We could easily have gone the same way.</p>

Frankly I'm still grateful that we have a club at all and not in terminal decline as some other will almost certainly do (Rotherham, MK Dons possibly?).</p>

We're not thriving yet, the fan base still won't allow it - and it may be that it never will. The sweetness of success in getting to the Premiership has left a very bitter aftertaste in as much that it considerably unbalanced our finances. The argument that we're not as bad as Sheffield Wednesday and others is applicable either as thier income must be twice ours, regularly.</p>

I'd perfer to stay in this division - it feels to be the right place. But the vastness of Oakwell would have been one sorry place with 1100 die hards wathcing the likes of Northwich Victoria and Frickley.</p>