WHAT a fantastic nine days it has been in the history of the club!

The celebrations at Brentford when we clinched the third automatic promotion spot and the accolades coming in for everyone connected to the achievement made it a pleasure dealing with the mail in the mornings.

Then, we had a very professional performance against Grimsby. OK, if we want to be churlish, we could have scored several more goals.

Finally, we had a great day last Sunday with an open-top bus tour through the city finishing with a civic reception at the Town Hall.

I was pleasantly surprised at the high number of people who turned out on Sunday morning to greet the bus and celebrate an unforgettable experience with the players.

To see so many supporters enjoying the whole period from Brentford to the Town Hall further emphasises the pleasure that football can bring to people’s lives.

I have talked recently about the spirit among the players.

Sunday, in particular, seemed to have created a strong bond between players and fans. With so many young supporters in the city, the club's aim of getting the 'fans of the future' seems to be working.

It was also good to see so many families taking up the offer of free admission for under-10s and reduced prices for everyone. A crowd of more than 6,000 made our final match against Grimsby a colourful and carnival-like occasion.

The players appreciated the opportunity to pay tribute to the part you, the supporters, have played during the season.

The away support all season has been incredible, probably the feeling that we could achieve something this season coincided with an impressive following at St Andrews for our Carling Cup match against Birmingham City.

From then on, we seemed to have a belief that we were capable of winning on any ground. That belief was enhanced by the same feeling generated from the stands.

Amid the feel-good factor, however, there can be things that can keep matters in perspective.

Late last week, I heard of the death of my goalkeeper at Wolves for four years, Mark Kendall. At 49, Mark should have had many years of an enjoyable life ahead of him but a heart attack cut that short. He was the life and soul of the dressing room at Molineux during a period of success there. For a few hours, the smile will be wiped from my face as I, along with others from Wolves, mourn a colleague's death.

Congratulations must go to Wayne Brown for winning both the supporters’ player of the year and the away supporters’ player of the year. Our defensive record this season has been very impressive. Wayne played in 44 of our 46 league matches and conceded just 41 goals. The highlight for me was his crucial penalty save at Mansfield to earn us all three points from the game.

He would be first to pay tribute to work done by the players in front of him and rightly so. However, for his consistency, he thoroughly deserves the accolades bestowed on him by the supporters.