A year ago today

That went fast, didn’t it?

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Quoted from Poojah

That went fast, didn’t it?

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Gosh....Pollen count must be high today as my eyes just started watering

Some of my favourite words there:

“Deserved equaliser”.

“Grimsby’s golden goal!”.

(Well, to be picky,  that was at the old Wembley in 1998 - in front of the massed Town fans).  We will take it though.

The prize for winning was playing away to Wrexham. Very difficult but we know how that went! 😥 for the home fans.

My only ejection from a football ground in 50+years; followed by a stroll through the open ("let the away fans out whilst the home fans are celebrating the win") away stand gates to watch extra time. And my daughter giving the finger to the stewards who chucked us out after the winner went in. Deep joy...

Makes you realise how important Maguire Drew was in those games

Marvelous.

I suppose I might eventually get bored re watching that.


But not anytime soon!!

The day that I don’t get emotional watching any of the videos from last seasons play offs will be the day the last nail goes in.

UTFM

That roar for the equaliser....!

So many sliding doors moments in that game.  What wasn't shown in that clip was the foul on Clifton that resulted in the free-kick for the equaliser.  Referee could easily have just waved it away and that was it.  Could also have given a penalty too, something we had struggled with all season.

Crocombe is more composed in that scramble and actually takes a shot, which doesn't go in.  Waterfall goes a mili-second earlier for JMD's second free-kick, Mani too for the knockdown.  Or the Ref thinks Mani's handled it...

The drama of that was something I didn't think would ever be repeated, only to do it 6 days later in North Wales.  By the time the final came round it was a bit of a damp squib in comparison, dare I say it felt a foregone conclusion even though Solihull finished higher than us and had done the double over us.

Never say never, but I'm pretty confident that I'll never experience anything like that again as a Town fan.

Quoted from diehardmariner

That roar for the equaliser....!

So many sliding doors moments in that game.  What wasn't shown in that clip was the foul on Clifton that resulted in the free-kick for the equaliser.  Referee could easily have just waved it away and that was it.  Could also have given a penalty too, something we had struggled with all season.

Crocombe is more composed in that scramble and actually takes a shot, which doesn't go in.  Waterfall goes a mili-second earlier for JMD's second free-kick, Mani too for the knockdown.  Or the Ref thinks Mani's handled it...

The drama of that was something I didn't think would ever be repeated, only to do it 6 days later in North Wales.  By the time the final came round it was a bit of a damp squib in comparison, dare I say it felt a foregone conclusion even though Solihull finished higher than us and had done the double over us.

Never say never, but I'm pretty confident that I'll never experience anything like that again as a Town fan.

Can't see many fans of any club experiencing anything like that fortnight.

I was watching the Southampton game again last week (well, why not!!) and at one point the commentator mentions the  Wrexham game to McCoist and says 'surely one of the games of the decade.'  McCoist agrees and says ' Yes. I remember it well'.  That playoff campaign was so remarkable that it's not only us that will remember it.  

I still can't quite believe we played Solihull on June 5th, celebrated, boys went on holiday, did pre-season, signed new players and kicked off on July 30th
Makes this season seem all the more remarkable on reflection

Quoted from RonMariner

Can't see many fans of any club experiencing anything like that fortnight.

I was watching the Southampton game again last week (well, why not!!) and at one point the commentator mentions the  Wrexham game to McCoist and says 'surely one of the games of the decade.'  McCoist agrees and says ' Yes. I remember it well'.  That playoff campaign was so remarkable that it's not only us that will remember it.  

Yep, people remember the Wrexham game and are aware that we went up, maybe even remember it was against Solihull if they take an interest in lower league football. Not amongst proper Town fans, but the Notts match gets lost a bit in all the madness and glory of those two subsequent matches. In reality though, the Notts game has the most monumental moment of all three games for me. The Holohan equaliser is one of those last ditch absolutely do or die moments and you're so used to seeing the delivery shanked into row Z or nodded away by the first defender that the fact that we actually bundle the ball home just amplifies the reaction. How could a ridiculous scramble get more ridiculous too? Throw in a Crocombe assist. Now cut to Burchnall crouching down as his world crumples and then to the away end that looks like a massive intercourse off rave. Absolutely iconic goal that I'll never tire of seeing.

Quoted from Poojah

That went fast, didn’t it?

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Remember with a minute or so to go we pretended it wasn’t an issue if we lost? 😂😂

Quoted from Son of Cod

Yep, people remember the Wrexham game and are aware that we went up, maybe even remember it was against Solihull if they take an interest in lower league football. Not amongst proper Town fans, but the Notts match gets lost a bit in all the madness and glory of those two subsequent matches. In reality though, the Notts game has the most monumental moment of all three games for me. The Holohan equaliser is one of those last ditch absolutely do or die moments and you're so used to seeing the delivery shanked into row Z or nodded away by the first defender that the fact that we actually bundle the ball home just amplifies the reaction. How could a ridiculous scramble get more ridiculous too? Throw in a Crocombe assist. Now cut to Burchnall crouching down as his world crumples and then to the away end that looks like a massive intercourse off rave. Absolutely iconic goal that I'll never tire of seeing.

What a brilliant way to describe that away end…it was flipping carnage. They talk about limbs but it’s almost always  an over used phrase but that might, both goals saw even the most mild mannered fan lose their flipping mind…I remember leaving all three games in a daze…

Stood trying to buy a car park ticket after and having to get someone to help me figure out the machine, genuine bewilderment…

Quoted from aldi_01

Remember with a minute or so to go we pretended it wasn’t an issue if we lost? 😂😂

By around the 94th minute I’d already gone right through all the stages of grief and was balls deep in “acceptance” by that point.

Barring a very brief resurgence after their penalty, we were never really in it after that. The game HAD gone. Until their lad needlessly pushed Clifton in the back on the edge of their box…

…game on, muthafuckas!

Quoted from Poojah

By around the 94th minute I’d already gone right through all the stages of grief and was balls deep in “acceptance” by that point.

Barring a very brief resurgence after their penalty, we were never really in it after that. The game HAD gone. Until their lad needlessly pushed Clifton in the back on the edge of their box…

…game on, muthafuckas!

I believe, with some cliched gesticulation about towns sort of non performance we’d accepted defeat and seemed to have come to terms with another season in the conference…

Then that moron pushed Clifton and the idiot in the stand ran off with the ball…I’m sure the additional time waiting for that mammary gave us our chance…

Fantastic memories from this time last year. I was listening on the radio and went berserk at my desk at work when we got the equaliser much to the bemusement of colleagues. Watching the highlights a bit later on, something that struck me was the look Abrahams gave the camera at the end of the game - like he knew what was about to happen in the coming games. Really struck me as reflecting the confidence in the team at the time and made me think it might just be possible. A very strange feeling after years of never feeling like things would go our way!

20mins and 23 secs into the highlights:

[url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDJOsTnTcug&t=1219s[/url]

Fortunately managed to make it back to blighty to catch the final and see it happen.

I love it when Gav runs over the fans and shouts BOOM! An unforgettable moment.

And Sunday is the anniversary of another rather eventful game!

Quoted from Numanoid

Makes you realise how important Maguire Drew was in those games

On the way out of Nottingham we stopped at a McDs for a coffee before driving home

Some guy who was on the Notts coaching staff was in there too and came up to me and my lad and said how he impressed he was with us as a team and in particular said how Fox and Souza had run the show

To be honest everyone who played that night did the Town proud, as they did again at Wrecsam and at the London Stadium

Oh what a night, oh what a fortnight  🤩

UTM

Quoted from SamoanMariner

Fantastic memories from this time last year. I was listening on the radio and went berserk at my desk at work when we got the equaliser much to the bemusement of colleagues. Watching the highlights a bit later on, something that struck me was the look Abrahams gave the camera at the end of the game - like he knew what was about to happen in the coming games. Really struck me as reflecting the confidence in the team at the time and made me think it might just be possible. A very strange feeling after years of never feeling like things would go our way!

20mins and 23 secs into the highlights:

[url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDJOsTnTcug&t=1219s[/url]

Fortunately managed to make it back to blighty to catch the final and see it happen.

Abrahams knew all along. Jesus told him.

I'll never forget any of the games.
Notts County I was sat in all star sports bar Taunton watching the big screen by myself. People looked at me weird when I celebrated but I didn't give a intercourse.
Wrexham game I was up in Grimsby for and apart from 1 belle's had a good atmosphere around me in the cricketers.
Solihull I was obviously at the game. Unbelievable atmosphere.
A season ill not forget in a very very long time!

It's a game that I will also remember but for all the wrong reasons,I was shocked coming out of the ground because I thought that we had done enough to go through to the next round on 90 mins after Rodrigues had scored but then the sucker punch on 96 mins shook me,then just when I thought that it was going to pens another sucker punch on the 119th min ended the game, truly amazing game no matter which side you was on but ice never felt so low coming out of a game knowing that we had another season in non league,for purley selfish reasons I wanted Wrexham to go up to give us a clear road to promotion this season but then you went and upset the applecart there as well and Grimsby got promoted,Notts had an epic following season going to toe with Wrexham and Grimsby went on a FA Cup to remember,what a couple of seasons they've been since we last met

Quoted from Chalky

It's a game that I will also remember but for all the wrong reasons,I was shocked coming out of the ground because I thought that we had done enough to go through to the next round on 90 mins after Rodrigues had scored but then the sucker punch on 96 mins shook me,then just when I thought that it was going to pens another sucker punch on the 119th min ended the game, truly amazing game no matter which side you was on but ice never felt so low coming out of a game knowing that we had another season in non league,for purley selfish reasons I wanted Wrexham to go up to give us a clear road to promotion this season but then you went and upset the applecart there as well and Grimsby got promoted,Notts had an epic following season going to toe with Wrexham and Grimsby went on a FA Cup to remember,what a couple of seasons they've been since we last met

We know how you felt. We had three unsuccessful playoff campaigns during our previous stay in the NL. The worst one was when we were cheated out of the final against Bristol Rovers by the worst refereeing decision imaginable. You can read all about it on another thread. But we are both back in the EFL now, so we can look forward to some more epic clashes!

I remember sharing a bus ride to Blundell Park in the game late in the 2018 season with some of your fans when we won 2-1 with a last gasp goal from Matt. It meant we stayed up, but it kept you out of the playoffs. Anyway, they were thoroughly decent lads, they hoped we would stay up, though not by beating you obviously. Proper football fans.

Just praying the Notts County away game is on a Saturday. I've got mates in Notts and it would be a great chance for an away day (and night). Not had the chance to get to an away game for years, the play-off final aside.

The weekend before the play offs my mum had a ministroke. She was discharged the same day and given a blood pressure monitor. Towards the end of the 90 mins in the Wrexham game I did mine and found that my blood pressure was higher than hers was when the paramedics arrived to treat her!

Still get goose bumps thinking about that game. I think I always will.

Quoted from Chalky

It's a game that I will also remember but for all the wrong reasons,I was shocked coming out of the ground because I thought that we had done enough to go through to the next round on 90 mins after Rodrigues had scored but then the sucker punch on 96 mins shook me,then just when I thought that it was going to pens another sucker punch on the 119th min ended the game, truly amazing game no matter which side you was on but ice never felt so low coming out of a game knowing that we had another season in non league,for purley selfish reasons I wanted Wrexham to go up to give us a clear road to promotion this season but then you went and upset the applecart there as well and Grimsby got promoted,Notts had an epic following season going to toe with Wrexham and Grimsby went on a FA Cup to remember,what a couple of seasons they've been since we last met

Your team play great football Chalky , must be a joy to watch . As a neutral I watched a few last season and it was much easier on the eye than the NL or League 2 , so don't expect the other teams to be playing such pure football because in the main it's anything but (including us )

It will be interesting to see how that translates to success and results , I imagine you will win a good few but also take some beatings as quite a few teams are good on the counter .

At least you will bring a good following to BP they will be counted on one hand if Stockport go up .

Happy Wrexham day, everyone. The most incredible game I have ever attended, and almost certainly ever will.

https://youtu.be/YaKxMEWDzQ0

This time last year was the Wrexham game. My god I get tingles watching it still.

On another point,  what makes this forum really special is people like chalky who come on from other clubs and add excellent respectable posts.

Glad you've made it out of their alive fella.

What happened at Wrexham?  I can’t remember - not another boring 0-0 surely.  😇

Quoted from Mappers

Your team play great football Chalky , must be a joy to watch . As a neutral I watched a few last season and it was much easier on the eye than the NL or League 2 , so don't expect the other teams to be playing such pure football because in the main it's anything but (including us )

It will be interesting to see how that translates to success and results , I imagine you will win a good few but also take some beatings as quite a few teams are good on the counter .

At least you will bring a good following to BP they will be counted on one hand if Stockport go up .

We played some great football this season and it's probably the best team that I've seen Notts put together in decades unlike Wrexhams hoof it football,I'm not sure how well we will do in League Two,if we can keep some of our key players then we will do ok but players like Langstsff will probably move on,thanks for the complimenty post about Notts playing style

Quoted from lukeo

This time last year was the Wrexham game. My god I get tingles watching it still.

On another point,  what makes this forum really special is people like chalky who come on from other clubs and add excellent respectable posts.

Glad you've made it out of their alive fella.

If you only put that post up to gain a star from me lukeo well you're damned right to do so 😉

It already feels like last season’s been over for an age, doesn’t it?

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Isn't it funny how the Solihull game feels the least significant and least enduring?  The qualifier and the semi-final were just so bloody draining that it almost felt the final was a foregone conclusion.  Having gone through that level of emotional turmoil twice, I'm not sure if it was that our mindset had become used to it or we physically just couldn't take anymore.

Even at 1-0 down in the final, it felt flat rather than nervy.  Perhaps we hadn't reached the point in time of panic but it just felt a bit 'ah, sodomist' rather than end of the world.  I was ecstatic that we got out of that bloody league at the first time of asking, but even the celebrations felt tame in some ways.

There was a part of me after that final that just thought it was a case of we should never have dropped back so it was a 12-month reset.  But your heart always takes over and you start to get caught up.  2016 was a slog, 3 years of going so close with the year before the cruelest of heartbreaks.  That year we just had to go up.  2022 didn't have that desperation and the emotions were very compressed into a couple of weeks.

Quoted from diehardmariner

Isn't it funny how the Solihull game feels the least significant and least enduring?  The qualifier and the semi-final were just so bloody draining that it almost felt the final was a foregone conclusion.  Having gone through that level of emotional turmoil twice, I'm not sure if it was that our mindset had become used to it or we physically just couldn't take anymore.

Even at 1-0 down in the final, it felt flat rather than nervy.  Perhaps we hadn't reached the point in time of panic but it just felt a bit 'ah, sodomist' rather than end of the world.  I was ecstatic that we got out of that bloody league at the first time of asking, but even the celebrations felt tame in some ways.

There was a part of me after that final that just thought it was a case of we should never have dropped back so it was a 12-month reset.  But your heart always takes over and you start to get caught up.  2016 was a slog, 3 years of going so close with the year before the cruelest of heartbreaks.  That year we just had to go up.  2022 didn't have that desperation and the emotions were very compressed into a couple of weeks.

Totally understand where you’re coming from, I felt if we didn’t get out Vs FGR we’d never get out and could eventually end up doing a Scunthorpe. I felt a sense of arrogance last year purely due to all the good surrounding the club that we shouldn’t be at that level because we was actually being run like a proper football club.

Quoted from diehardmariner

Even at 1-0 down in the final, it felt flat rather than nervy.  Perhaps we hadn't reached the point in time of panic but it just felt a bit 'ah, sodomist' rather than end of the world.

God,I was nervy! In fact I was a wreck even after JMD made it 2-1. I just couldn’t take the fact that after the unbelievable two previous games that it could still be snatched away from us

That shopping mall before was good fun , some youngster even had a firework up his bottom ,was worried he would blow himself up - a good site seeing lot's of couples shopping trip disrupted by the enthusiastic Town fans .

The game was not really that much , thought we would win it was just meant to be - our time ,the big players stepped up when required and we will always be indebted to them for starting , in my mind what no doubt will be a much brighter next chapter in the clubs history .

Quoted from Poojah

It already feels like last season’s been over for an age, doesn’t it?

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I'm sure BT turned the sound up on the SHM supporters when they scored, even at half time I still thought we'd come back to win. Well worked first goal with a great finish from McAtee and a brilliant assist from Dallas for the winner.

Quoted from TownSNAFU5

What happened at Wrexham?  I can’t remember - not another boring 0-0, surely.  😇

Yes it was a pretty boring game considering. Very few chances for either team, neither team could string more than 2 passes together, and the winner only went in when a back pass from the halfway line hit the Wrexham crossbar and went in off the keepers' bottom.

Still, we won.

In the final we were pretty rubbish for the first 20 minutes, but were the better side and I always felt after we'd equalized we'd go on and win it.

We were also better against Notts and shouldn't have been behind. Wrexham could have put us out the game in the first half but for some fortuitous decisions and a good save by Crocombe.  But we were the better side in the second half and overall a draw would have been fair in that game.

I had completely forgotten that Raihky was playing for us in the final.

Not nervy? I was on valium suppositories from the Thursday night....

And the final really changed when the big striker got assaulted went off injured following the assault challenge by Andy Smith.

I love seeing the reaction of the Solihull player when his pass was intercepted which then led to Mcatee's equaliser. You don't see it when it happened at the time, but when they show it from another angle you can see it!
Also when we got the winner, the camera kept showing Dallas who got the assist, but theres no mention from the commentators about this, I don't think they realised at the time.

I get envious of those that were able to get to the games. Not jealous as every single person deserved to be there and put in as much of a shift as the players.

The games also gave my lad his first footballing hero in John Mcatee. He went to his sports day wearing a town top (even though most kids/parents thought it was Newcastle or juventus!!) and looked happy wearing it. I can’t wait to take him to his first game so he can see what BP is all about.

Quoted from Mappers

That shopping mall before was good fun , some youngster even had a firework up his bottom ,was worried he would blow himself up - a good sight seeing lot's of couples shopping trip disrupted by the enthusiastic Town fans .

The game was not really that much , thought we would win it was just meant to be - our time ,the big players stepped up when required and we will always be indebted to them for starting , in my mind what no doubt will be a much brighter next chapter in the clubs history .

That's nothing to be proud of.

Quoted from Spidey

I love seeing the reaction of the Solihull player when his pass was intercepted which then led to Mcatee's equaliser. You don't see it when it happened at the time, but when they show it from another angle you can see it!
Also when we got the winner, the camera kept showing Dallas who got the assist, but theres no mention from the commentators about this, I don't think they realised at the time.

You must have been watching a different version to me, the co-commentator clearly states he thinks it got a head on by Dallas then confirms it when he sees the replay.

Quoted from Poojah

It already feels like last season’s been over for an age, doesn’t it?

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I love it!  I still want to jump up and shout when the ball hits the back of the net from JMD.

There may have been more important one off games over the years, but this was the greatest fortnight of wins in my 50 years of supporting Town.

Don't think I will ever tire of seeing it.

Quoted from arryarryarry

You must have been watching a different version to me, the co-commentator clearly states he thinks it got a head on by Dallas then confirms it when he sees the replay.

I think I must have watched the highlights/montage video and they must cut that bit out!
I've only watched the full match once, and that was after the match as I was working, so I stand corrected!!