The roars told us that Stockport were struggling
12:17pm Friday 2nd May 2008
I FELT confident that we would be promoted but I have to say that I never envisaged it happening last Saturday.
I was confident that we could win our two remaining fixtures and I never believed that Stockport could win three games in a week.
But the way it happened at Brentford, where our victory was emphatic, and where we could hear the roars from our supporters as it became obvious that Stockport were struggling at Barnet, made sure that it turned out to be one of those great days.
We had a terrific following behind the goal, a sea of yellow, and it created a great atmosphere for us.
And for the supporters, as well as us, it was the culmination of a lot of hard work.
I am sure, in the recent past, that some of them must have despaired at following us the length and the breadth of the country. But I would imagine everythingl that happened on Saturday made every journey worthwhile. It is an opportune moment to thank the staff here. The administration have done a fantastic job once again. My thanks go to Wayne Jones, to Tony Ford, for his enthusiasm, and to John Trewick, who is an excellent coach. But most of all to the players for the way they have gone about their work all season.
I can think back to the start of pre-season training when we probably had 12 players registered.
Gradually, through the pre-season programme, different players appeared and were signed. They gelled very quickly together to form a very strong bond. That has been particularly evident on our travels this season.
I can think back to some outstanding away performances and results. Of course, there will now have to be investment into the playing staff. We have to go into League 1 confident that we can not only survive but enjoy life. I do not see any merits in struggling against relegation so every effort will be made to lay the foundations for a team capable of flourishing.
We defied many people’s predictions at the start of the season – I even read in one or two papers that we would be among the relegation fodder. We have competed with some big clubs by League 2 standards and to finish third in the table is a credit to everybody.
We can now enjoy the summer months with great times ahead of us. Going into League 1 is almost new territory to me. In my many years of management, I have only spent two years in the third tier of English football. We were champions on both occasions. I would love to make it a hat-trick – now there’s a thought!