By theimps.tk
December 23 2008

There's always one team each season that looks down and out for most of the season, only to go on and win promotion via a good run. City started the trend in 2005/6 when we came from a near relegation battle to make the Playoffs, Bristol Rovers and Stockport both did the same but ended up with positive results, winning promotion via the Playoffs.

It's usually around Christmas that the good runs start, it was certainly the case for the Imps in 2005/6 when, after a 4-1 defeat at Cheltenham in November, left City 17th and just five places above the drop zone. Only four more defeats all season saw us creep into the Playoffs with an awfully low 66. However, we're now going to look at two teams who did a similar thing, but actually made their run count.

Bristol Rovers' 2006/7 season near enough matches up to City's current season. They had gotten off to a slow start but picked up just before Christmas and were on the verges of the Playoffs before falling away for a while. They plundered along without really making much of an impact. Never close to the drop zone but never really within touching distance of the Playoffs. A 1-0 defeat at home to Wrexham seemingly killed their hopes as it left them seven points off of the Playoffs.

They beat Wycombe in their next game before losing the JP Trophy final in front of 59,024 fans at the Millennium Stadium and it would prove the catalyst for their season, that and Jim Gannon's (the Stockport manager) rather childish reaction to a suspension of his side's game against Rovers a few weeks later.

Rovers didn't lose again that season and slowly started climbing up the table and they secured a Playoff place on the final day, coming from behind against Hartlepool to also deny their hosts the title. We all know what happened in the semi finals before they beat Shrewsbury in the Final.

We were described as the worst team to visit Stockport County during the 2007/8 season, a bit of a bitter reaction as we had just won 3-1 there. The defeat left Stockport in 16th and just six points above the drop zone, it was a result that would change City's season. Infact, they didn't lose for over two months after that game, including winning their next match against a strong Wycombe side, 6-0.

The Hatters started notching victory after victory after victory, including a run at one point of twelve wins in fifteen games. Stockport comfortably made the Plaoyffs and faced Wycombe in the semi finals, beating them over two legs by a 2-1 aggregate scoreline before then winning the final 3-2, this time beating local rivals Rochdale.

So, if two squads with similar quality to the Imps' current line up can turn around a mundane season, surely City can do the same? Then again, the other two sides did have managers in charge who had won more games than they'd lost.

Can City be the next Bristol Rovers or Stockport

Discussion started by theimps.tk (IP Logged), 23/12/2008 20:49

theimps.tk
23/12/2008 20:49

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