The magnitude of what we’ve just done

I’ve barely posted on here in the last 24 hours or so as I’ve genuinely struggled to process what I’ve witnessed in these past two weeks. The whole experience has left me physically and emotionally shattered, but also absolutely elated.

I just wanted to take a moment to take stock of the sheer magnitude of what we’ve achieved; not just in the play-offs but throughout the season as a whole.

First off, making the play-offs was a huge achievement in itself; make no mistake. A year ago feels like a lifetime ago now. We’d been relegated in absolute disarray as a football club. We had to make something like 15 signings in the summer, and in total we’ve used 37 players over the course of the season. That’s an incredible number for a promoted team.

I remember walking into BP before the Weymouth game all the way back in August, with a sense of relief to be back at the football but also a sense of how strange it was to be watching a Town side so alien to me. Of the starting line-up that day, only Macca had been at the club the last time I’d been to a game in the flesh; that 2-0 win away at Scunny no less. And yet on Sunday, the connection between fans and players was almost unprecedented. That’s incredible.

And let’s not forget, this is, almost without doubt, the strongest and wealthiest non-league division there has ever been. To start the season the way we did, to overcome that horrible run in those dark winter months, and to finish so strongly given the rebuild that the team underwent in pre-season and throughout the season itself is mind boggling to me.

And then there’s the play-offs. What can you say about that? This time two weeks ago I was driving back from Nottingham thinking I’d witnessed enough drama to last me a life time. I wasn’t even close.

Reaching the play-offs was great, but seriously, the prospect of having to beat Notts County away, Wrexham away and then our kryptonite in Solihull Moors in a play-off final just seemed like such a huge, huge mountain to climb. You can always win the odd game through a one off performance or a bit of luck going your way, but three? In a row? That was a fúcking gargantuan ask.

And yet we’ve done it. And not only have we done it, we’ve done it by being unanimously the better team in all three games. All against opposition deemed to be better than us. It’s so, so difficult to win these play-offs from 6th or 7th position, and I reckon it will be a long time before anyone does it again.

This is absolutely huge for this football club. Irrespective of money, or how well you try to run things, this league is an absolute bástard to get out of. If we hadn’t done it now, who knows how long it might take us to win promotion. Just ask Wrexham.

I couldn’t be prouder of this club right now. It’s days like yesterday which remind you why you do this, through all of the agony and frustration. The ownership, the staff, the players, the fans. So, so proud of all of them. Town fans really are a different breed, and so is this crop of players. The atmosphere generated by the efforts of both these last few games has been spine tingling at times.

But most of all, so much credit has to go to Paul Hurst. The skills he has demonstrated this season; the ability to spot a player, to instil resilience, to build a team absolutely committed to a single cause. Even his tactics and substitutions, often subject to much criticism in his previous spell, have been spot on in recent weeks.

Anyway, this post is long enough so I’ll leave it there. But what a season, what a journey this season has been. And it’s been an absolute pleasure to share it with you all.

Up the fúcking Mariners! I love you.

I fully concur Poojah. I have been lucky enough to witness every game home and away, and lucky enough to get tickets for all the play-off games. The regular season has been a rollercoaster ride of emotions. Winning games when riding our luck and losing games we should have won. Such is a football season.
But those three play-off games were from another planet. I thought we had a reasonable chance of beating Notts County, but was worried about Wrexham, and in dread of Solihull Moors. Having watched Solihull dominate the two league games and win them both convincingly, I was worried that we would fall short. But this club never fails to amaze me, this new never give up, never say die attitude is just magnificent.
I cannot thank everyone at the club enough for making this season so special and returning us to League football at the first attempt. There is something special going on at our club, and I for one don't want to miss a second of it.
A special mention to the Wrexham fans we met and spoke to after the game, you guys are class, I sincerely hope you follow us with a promotion next season so I can visit your City and renew aquaintences.

    What he said! What a superb summary of the events of this extraordinary season! I wholeheartedly agree with every word and want to thank you for taking the time to so eloquently express what many of us are thinking and feeling.

   Paul Hurst and his coaching staff really have to take a huge amount of credit for what has been achieved. It strikes me that Hurst has had to rebuild the team not once, not twice, but three times since he arrived only 18 months or so ago. The first rebuild was in an attempt to keep us in the league, which narrowly failed despite obvious on field improvements. Then the second rebuild was to create a team to start this season, which had us top of the league in the early months of the season. Then after McAtee's injury and a sudden seeming inability to score became apparent, a third rebuild was necessary as loanees departed and ways had to be found to replace players who had done well and find more goals in the team. This was accomplished with a mixture of astute loan and permanent signings to get us back on the winning path to securing a slightly deceptive 6th place finish. And the rest is now history.

  And speaking of history, I think it's worth remembering that this is also the 50th anniversary of the 71-72 Tees Brace Boylen etc. promotion season under Big Lawrie. That was where it all started for me as a 12 year old and the love affair is still going strong! In the words of that great 70's football cliche,"I'm over the moon, David!"

If I try to describe how I'm feeling, the best I can come up with is 'deliriously proud'.

One of the few things I'm certain of right now is that there is no Real Madrid fan prouder of their team than I am of mine.




UTM

As a fan you want to feel connected to your team. You want to share the celebrations and you want to feel like you influence each other. We had that in 2016 but it had been a slow burner, spurned on by the failed attempt the year before. This time it’s different.

We were the worst side in the EFL, we had been through an awful period with the club just well and truly broken. Ownership that hurtled towards greed and possibly decisions that could’ve ruined the club, a manager who lost his mind and signed anyone and a group of players so disconnected it’s untrue. Covid didn’t help but in truth I didn’t believe it would’ve made much difference.

Our new owners talk a lot about culture, a top to bottom shift was needed at the club and I suspect things have happened much quicker than they’d ever have imagined. We’ll never really know what the plan was for this season but I think we’d all agree that simply finishing in the playoffs was probably going to be regarded as success….to win, and in the manner we did, well that’s just off the scale.

We’ve had the hardest route to the final but in the three games we were deserved winners. Not a single player shirked anything, not a single player hid or buckled. Hurst remained calm, collected and was a man with a plan. That plan was executed perfectly.

The scenes when JMD scored were scenes of jubilation, excitement and sheer joy, very different from Bogle and Arnold where it felt like relief and a lifting of a dark cloud.

We’ve just done something which in modern times has only been down once and gotten out this league at the first time of asking, a league which is now rich, with full time clubs operating like league clubs and with some very high quality players and managers. I believe what we’ve achieved is nothing short of a miracle given where the club found itself at the start of the covid season, how we were operated and where we found ourselves, a club that was dead and buried in October of a season.

Hurst has had critics, my own view is that they were harsh and just didn’t like the fact he called fans out in his first spell but anyone left criticising him is probably just bitter and twisted. For me, Hurst is now in the same conversation as the lord and saviour, Alan Buckley.

What is clear to see is the culture shift, the players love Hurst, he loves them. They love the fans, the owners love it all, the players love them and everyone is involved and everyone is valued. There’s been nonsense spoken on here this year but what I witnessed on that pitch through blurry and tearful eyes was the very opposite.

We’ve got our club back. The club looks 100% different than it has for the last 20 years. Naturally some players will go but the culture, the connection and belief will remain.

Proud to be a mariner. Proud to say I was at those three games and proud to say that GTFC are my club. Our club.

That’s a gold star from crusty my thought exactly but I could not have put them down on text so well

I felt it at the Weymouth game . Very emotional game and we got the win . For the first time in years I felt s connection with the club I love again . We all had our club back 🙏⚽🏆❤️

Quoted from It Bites

I felt it at the Weymouth game . Very emotional game and we got the win . For the first time in years I felt s connection with the club I love again . We all had our club back 🙏⚽🏆❤️

There has been that feeling this year. A monumental shift. A sense that it’s our club rather than it’s someone else’s that they let us enjoy.

Aside from a few who probably still feel bitter than Hurst called them out last time, the vast majority have stayed with the team throughout. Of course there was the giant man baby being a twit at Dagenham, sadly I’d imagine he lacks the emotional intelligence to admit he was way off the mark.

Through these playoffs we’ve been under pressure and had to dig in and the fans never faltered either…

Something was palpably different at the Weymouth game. You could feel it and it wasn’t just the sunshine that day. From the moment everyone clapped to remember those who had passed away, the club have not missed a beat. I remember thinking that a win would help to draw a line and set us off on the right trajectory. Ok, it got a bit wobbly but thankfully we had a chairman who knew what he was talking about and remained focussed on the bigger picture.

It still hasn’t sunk in with me. Massive, massive season for us. The league will be ferociously competitive next season and I can see one or both of Scunny and Oldham going right through it.

What we witnessed over this last fortnight is unforgettable. I am so proud of the team, the manager, the staff, the owners and the fans. It as been the most memorable fortnight in my 50 odd years of being a Town fan.

Yes, it was simply the best.

Completely agree, The achievement is ridiculous.
As if the National League wasn’t hard enough to get out last time ,this time was way more difficult.
I must confess stood in the concourse of the London Stadium on Sunday when we were losing at half-time I felt a bit gutted and wondered if our race was run.
The delirium of the second half made it for me one of the greatest weekends ever. Strangely I really enjoyed the venue as well, found a cracking little bar before the game and just enjoyed the atmosphere. I am not going to lie and say I enjoyed the game I found it very stressful but win or lose was very proud of them and this has not been the case for a long time . The connection and the pride was back and I am sorry to say that I had lost some of this over the past few years I’ve been been a fanatical fan all my life
utm

Quoted from TonySmith

    What he said! What a superb summary of the events of this extraordinary season! I wholeheartedly agree with every word and want to thank you for taking the time to so eloquently express what many of us are thinking and feeling.

   Paul Hurst and his coaching staff really have to take a huge amount of credit for what has been achieved. It strikes me that Hurst has had to rebuild the team not once, not twice, but three times since he arrived only 18 months or so ago. The first rebuild was in an attempt to keep us in the league, which narrowly failed despite obvious on field improvements. Then the second rebuild was to create a team to start this season, which had us top of the league in the early months of the season. Then after McAtee's injury and a sudden seeming inability to score became apparent, a third rebuild was necessary as loanees departed and ways had to be found to replace players who had done well and find more goals in the team. This was accomplished with a mixture of astute loan and permanent signings to get us back on the winning path to securing a slightly deceptive 6th place finish. And the rest is now history.

  And speaking of history, I think it's worth remembering that this is also the 50th anniversary of the 71-72 Tees Brace Boylen etc. promotion season under Big Lawrie. That was where it all started for me as a 12 year old and the love affair is still going strong! In the words of that great 70's football cliche,"I'm over the moon, David!"

We are the same age then. I was also 12 that season; my first as a regular at BP.

I was thinking about it on Sunday, as my 50th season drew to a fantastic ending.

What we have achieved this season is nothing short of staggering, considering the low point we started from a year ago.

I'm still buzzing.

Quoted from DB

I'm still buzzing.

I still haven’t got my voice back! Still croaking!!

The last 2 weeks will live in town legend and be spoken about for centuries, long after we’ve all gone. Quite literally unforgettable.

My first season watching Town was 1979-80 and I was hooked from my very first game, a 4 3 home win over Blackpool. Until Sunday, that was still my favourite season ever followed by 1989-90.

Like others, the immense sense of pride I felt at the Weymouth home game  took me by surprise. Having our club back was cause enough to celebrate.

The drama since February surpasses anything I have experienced before and that isn't forgetting some of the late goals we scored in earlier games. I was privileged enough to be at all three play-off games and I doubt anything like that will be seen again at any club. From despair to elation at times in all three games.

I am so grateful we got out of the NL at the first attempt. It is the biggest promotion I have experienced  and we will do much better. Proud to be part of it all. Also thrilled by the way we supported each other trying to get those less fortunate to the final.

Still hoarse from the shouting and the ruined voice is a badge of honour. I'm coming over for the reception today. I don't want to miss any of it.

I'm also really touched by all the personal messages I received from fans of other clubs. We really are held in high regard. One was from a Solihull fan who said we deserved it and he was pleased because he knew how much it meant to me.

UTM

Quoted from Poojah

Up the fúcking Mariners! I love you.

A bit long winded... So basically the above.

I missed the winning goal. I was sat in concourse not able to watch.

I'm a bit the same Poojah in that it's taken me a few days to process what has been a staggering achievement, especially considering where we were a year ago.

We knew Hurst could create brilliant team spirit and had an eye for unearthing players who hadn't cut it previously - but this has surely gone up a notch.

We now have a club which is looked after by people who wish to embrace the fans, rather than use GTFC as a plaything to massage their ego. We also have a management team which is very professional and know what they're doing - unlike the buffoons who preceded them in recent years. And of course we have some of the best fans outside the premier league who act like we have an extra man out there on the pitch.

And how fitting this has all happened on the 50th anniversary of McMenemy's promotion team which also signalled a rise from the ashes.

Congratulations to everyone at the club for what's been achieved during this incredible season.

Quoted from A Brace Of Tees

I'm a bit the same Poojah in that it's taken me a few days to process what has been a staggering achievement, especially considering where we were a year ago.

We knew Hurst could create brilliant team spirit and had an eye for unearthing players who hadn't cut it previously - but this has surely gone up a notch.

We now have a club which is looked after by people who wish to embrace the fans, rather than use GTFC as a plaything to massage their ego. We also have a management team which is very professional and know what they're doing - unlike the buffoons who preceded them in recent years. And of course we have some of the best fans outside the premier league who act like we have an extra man out there on the pitch.

And how fitting this has all happened on the 50th anniversary of McMenemy's promotion team which also signalled a rise from the ashes.

Congratulations to everyone at the club for what's been achieved during this incredible season.

I think we can include the Premier League on that front. I was flicking through Facebook the other day and a guy I know who attends United games fairly regularly but isn't a Town fan commented on being at the game on Sunday that the atmosphere was better than at United. Doesn't surprise me or any other Town fan with that statement but the football fans within Grimsby who don't follow won't see how well we get behind the team, especially away from home. Hopefully he'll be giving some thought to more regular visits to BP next season.

was so fitting that we get relegated ignominiously in Fenty's last season, but a glorious promotion is engineered under the new enlightened ownership.
Even more fitting that it's 50 years since Lawrie Mac's promotion team, and for me personally ,it has also been my 50th season of supporting Town.
i certainly won't forget the 21-22 season!

I think we can all sum up our feelings in a few short words, We have got our Football Club back. UTM

Something I hadn't thought about was pointed out to me today. In minutes played  we actually played the equivalent of four games to win the play offs.

If you take into account injury time we played almost 400 mins of football and only led for less than 30 of them.

Incredible tenacity.

Quoted from ginnywings

Something I hadn't thought about was pointed out to me today. In minutes played  we actually played the equivalent of four games to win the play offs.

If you take into account injury time we played almost 400 mins of football and only led for less than 30 of them.

Incredible tenacity.

I think what’s more impressive is that across probably 350 of those 400 or so minutes we were the better side…

Is this the most important promotion in our history???

Coming out of what we have just been through with the last despotic regime and moving into a new era of optimism.

Long drive back and forth to South Wales today and time to reflect on Sunday, the last couple of weeks and the season as a whole and where I got to was that the players have done brilliantly in terms of winning big and huge games but also in a manner where they've fully invested themselves in the club and engaged in such a brilliant way with the support. The values that the owners talk about seem to be filtering down quicker than anyone expected.  

This was also a brilliant achievement by Hurst who after a great start followed by a really dodgy patch rebuilt the side for the third time since he arrived to create a culture and a side that delivered when it counted.

I go back to reference the point about values, having the right values is good, having everyone aligned to them is great and can be incredibly powerful. As it stands today I firmly believe the Board, Manager, Players and pretty much all of the fan base are aligned, in reality for the first time truly this century.

For now I'm going to bask in the achievements of my heroes but if we can keep everyone on the same page who knows where this could end up?

UTM!

  

  

Quoted from Spurn boy

I think we can all sum up our feelings in a few short words, We have got our Football Club back. UTM

....... and our great Football Club has it’s soul back. This feels like the beginning of something special.

At the beginning of this season I was not up for it at all, and even said on here I had no intention of going to games. I’ll admit, I went the whole 2010/11 season without attending a single game, so never saw Alan Connell play, and it was pure stubbornness at being non league. This season, I just couldn’t understand how it had been allowed to happen again. I was deeply upset at our predicament.

However, it didn’t take me long to get reeled in. I was certainly questioning Hurst during that mid-season blip, but felt he turned it around just in time.

I’ve enjoyed the games I’ve been to (which isn’t that many) and felt a connection to the team, especially this lot playing after January.

Sunday was astonishing. I never thought 2016 would be topped, but it just might have been (last season tainted the epic-ness of 2016 as it all seemed like those efforts were wasted).

I didn’t produce tears, but my eyes certainly weren’t dry on Sunday! It was glorious.

In fact, I’m considering getting my first season ticket in 20 years.

I’ve always loved this club and got hooked in 1989, but Hurst,the players and the new owners have given me hope, and I’m actually happy when I think of GTFC (instead of hugely disappointed).

These are great times, and I’m very proud of the club.

UTM.

It's taken until Wednesday night but now I feel like I have processed what we achieved.

Can only really echo what's already been said but it can't be overstated how difficult a job it was for Hursty and the lads. I cannot quite get over that contrast in emotions from 12 months ago. Sitting in a student flat in London where I commandeered the telly and watched us take the lead at Exeter only to still lose and go down to that on Sunday is something I can scarcely put into words.

I get what people are saying about this feeling vs 2016. I felt unadulterated elation when the whistle blew on Sunday, I've never got emotional at a football match before but I couldn't keep it together on Sunday, hugging random fans who I'd never met before, it was one of, if not the, single most extreme positive feelings of my life full stop. But when you stand back and examine it objectively it is a minor miracle, on two levels for me. We were the worst club in the EFL last season, as we finished bottom and the table didn't lie. We were abysmal for 2/3 of the season. Given what he had to work with, and how quickly he had to assemble a new side I think Hursty did a damn good job to take it as deep as he did. We then had to sign 16/17 new players in the close season, that is cobbled together whichever way you cut it. He then had to perform the second part of the miracle which was turning it around after that dreadful mid-season slump. We went to Wrexham in January and even I was questioning Hursty's position, thought his race maybe run and his methods had been found out. Through a few signings (Amos, moving Smith to CB, Holohan) he got us on a great run towards the end of the season and we comfortably made it into the playoffs in truth but in January I wouldn't have bet on it.

I must say, at HT, I was very glum, I thought we were done. I thought we couldn't come from behind and win, again against a side who finished above us, especially with two sets of extra time already in our legs. But these lads are made of something else, it's unquantifiable. Our resilience, our ability to stay in games when we're under the cosh and our physical fitness are on a different stratosphere to anything I've seen a Town side have before. And that is all down to Hursty, the way he works the players and how much he demands of them, whatever he does, it works wonders.

If you take the emotion out of it, I think it's a damn good job we won on Sunday actually. Wrexham are gonna throw even more money at it I'd imagine, Chesterfield will improve when Paul Cook gets a Paul Cook side together and Notts won't be going anywhere I wouldn't have betted on our chances of keeping hold of Fox, Efete or even Crocombe, and definitely not McAtee despite his contract. Plus it gets harder to attract players as non-league becomes ingrained. Watching the game back, the standard is so much higher than last time in this league, making it all the more remarkable given how poor we were last season.

Scunny have absolutely zero chance of bouncing straight back.

Both us and Solihull would easily be top half L2 sides with those XI's I'd say, which makes me excited since I reckon Hursty is going to improve us this summer again!

Quoted from TAGG

Is this the most important promotion in our history???

Coming out of what we have just been through with the last despotic regime and moving into a new era of optimism.

that's a really interesting point Tagg

It may be that we need a few more years before we can say for definite (am sure we could have strongly argued the same in 2016, but in the end it just turned out to be a false dawn)

Quoted from Mariner_09

It's taken until Wednesday night but now I feel like I have processed what we achieved.

Can only really echo what's already been said but it can't be overstated how difficult a job it was for Hursty and the lads. I cannot quite get over that contrast in emotions from 12 months ago. Sitting in a student flat in London where I commandeered the telly and watched us take the lead at Exeter only to still lose and go down to that on Sunday is something I can scarcely put into words.

I get what people are saying about this feeling vs 2016. I felt unadulterated elation when the whistle blew on Sunday, I've never got emotional at a football match before but I couldn't keep it together on Sunday, hugging random fans who I'd never met before, it was one of, if not the, single most extreme positive feelings of my life full stop. But when you stand back and examine it objectively it is a minor miracle, on two levels for me. We were the worst club in the EFL last season, as we finished bottom and the table didn't lie. We were abysmal for 2/3 of the season. Given what he had to work with, and how quickly he had to assemble a new side I think Hursty did a damn good job to take it as deep as he did. We then had to sign 16/17 new players in the close season, that is cobbled together whichever way you cut it. He then had to perform the second part of the miracle which was turning it around after that dreadful mid-season slump. We went to Wrexham in January and even I was questioning Hursty's position, thought his race maybe run and his methods had been found out. Through a few signings (Amos, moving Smith to CB, Holohan) he got us on a great run towards the end of the season and we comfortably made it into the playoffs in truth but in January I wouldn't have bet on it.

I must say, at HT, I was very glum, I thought we were done. I thought we couldn't come from behind and win, again against a side who finished above us, especially with two sets of extra time already in our legs. But these lads are made of something else, it's unquantifiable. Our resilience, our ability to stay in games when we're under the cosh and our physical fitness are on a different stratosphere to anything I've seen a Town side have before. And that is all down to Hursty, the way he works the players and how much he demands of them, whatever he does, it works wonders.

If you take the emotion out of it, I think it's a damn good job we won on Sunday actually. Wrexham are gonna throw even more money at it I'd imagine, Chesterfield will improve when Paul Cook gets a Paul Cook side together and Notts won't be going anywhere I wouldn't have betted on our chances of keeping hold of Fox, Efete or even Crocombe, and definitely not McAtee despite his contract. Plus it gets harder to attract players as non-league becomes ingrained. Watching the game back, the standard is so much higher than last time in this league, making it all the more remarkable given how poor we were last season.

Scunny have absolutely zero chance of bouncing straight back.

Both us and Solihull would easily be top half L2 sides with those XI's I'd say, which makes me excited since I reckon Hursty is going to improve us this summer again!

taken until Wednesday night but now I feel like I have processed what we achieved

Seeing as you are 24 hrs advanced time zone could you please check this wednesday lotto numbers for me and DM me them , there's a pint in it for ya for your trouble.
Might even make it a megga pint 😉
Utm.

Quoted from MidnightMariner

taken until Wednesday night but now I feel like I have processed what we achieved

Seeing as you are 24 hrs advanced time zone could you please check this wednesday lotto numbers for me and DM me them , there's a pint in it for ya for your trouble.
Might even make it a megga pint 😉
Utm.

Rat bags! Days have gone out of the window, playing on a Sunday, throw in the Bank Holiday and I'm all over the show!

Just read the posts on this thread and looked at the scenes at the Town Hall - almost lost for words - lots I could say but I think that Poojah has said it all for me and no doubt many others. Thank you and well done to everyone at the club. Proud to be a Mariner.

Quoted from Tavistock Mariner

Just read the posts on this thread and looked at the scenes at the Town Hall - almost lost for words - lots I could say but I think that Poojah has said it all for me and no doubt many others. Thank you and well done to everyone at the club. Proud to be a Mariner.

And me.

This is the hardest league to get out of; there is nothing like the yo-yoing that there is between lower Prem and the Championship and the Championship to League 1. Wrexham are a big club with no competitor professional team in the whole of north Wales - no pro rugby there either, the equivalent would like Norwich City spending 17 years in League 2. Bounce-backs are on average once every 9 years I think, the parachute payments just don't work like higher up and many clubs that go up kick-on because you have to be really resilient to get out in the first place. We've done it the toughest possible way - I just can't see it being repeated with the 3 X ET as well - PH has become the ET game-management maestro...