Can anyone remember last time we got relegated.

And we suffered the indignity of playing in the third tier. Correct me if im wrong but didnt we play swindon town away first match. We went down with dove inn, a couple a coaches i seem to remember and talk was of a swift return to the second tier where we belonged. We kept the nucleus of the relegated side and to be honest there was a bit of a bobby big b@llacks mentality to our swagger and it seemed to be mirrored in the team also. I think we took the lead but then got tore a new backside by i think it was Sam Parkin and we lost 3-1. It was a massive wake up call for us fans but the team didnt seem to get to grips with that league at all.
I suppose what im saying is i dont think the same will happen this time, due to the fact that all the dead wood is gone and the team seems to be filled with players stepping up a notch in terms of quality of opposition or still having things to prove. I think our lads will be hungry and eager and unlike the last time they wont expect to sail through games and expect a good result to come to them, they will have to earn it. Im sure we will have lean spells, the average age of the squad will tell you that, but looking at last years Div1 table, 20 wins should see us near or in the play offs, which i believe is attainable. Either way, i would just like to say im refreshed and upbeat about our chances this season and although i still believe theres better teams than us, i do believe the policy of empahsis on youth, that seems to be adopted is the right one and we will get our rewards. Eventually. COYR!!

 

Didn't we go 1-0 up with a Chris Lumsdon penalty?

 

Yes it was a penner i think.

 

but if you remember we had just come out of administration

 

we didnt go into Admin till the October of that year

 

Re: I can remember losing 3-1 there early season ....

But it was Ian Banks who scored a screamer to roll back the years - top corner from miles out - but we then lost 3-1.

 

Remember that, John Dennis shook all the players hands as they came off pitch after warm up then walked over towards nets to shake Marriot`s hand.

Lumsden pen put us one up.

 

Followed it up with a 1-1 draw at home to Cheltenham as i recall, thats when it all really hit home that we were in trouble. Going down to the last home game with Brentford and a late winner (was it rankin?) to gurantee our survival. Oddly enough i seem to remember that brentford game was on sat 26th April 2003 and thinking how far we had fallen from sat 26th April 1997. (this is all from memory so could be completely wrong)

 

I remember that day. Fooking red hot. I was about 16 and went down with my dad and my uncle in his car.

Hell of a reality hit.

 

I seem to remember absolutely nothing of us between 2000 and 2005, so basically any time between the Wembley play off final and the start of our last promotion season. Other than Rankin's late goal against Brentford and Chopra's hat trick against Huddersfield. Probably for the best really, it was a very long and dismal spell we had in this division last time. I don't mind being in this league, even more so now than back then, so long as we can be consistent top 8 finishers, rather than flirting with 12th to 20th place for the next 5 to 10 years before either we have a good season or a disaster and leave this league one way or the other.