Lucky escape

[Garawa]

Forget all the intrigue over who will win the Premier League, for me the biggest games have to be the ones in which sides are battling to remain a Football League club. The pressure to maintain the league status must be immense as the club's very existence could depend on it. The worst that could happen to a top Premier League side is not make a Champions League spot but there is always another £60m to fall back on next season!

The battle at the bottom of League 2 has involved some big clubs or at least ones that many would name as solid Football League clubs anyway. At one point, Portsmouth and Exeter's position in the league looked perilous, we have lost Torquay and will lose either Wycombe, Northampton or Bristol Rovers as well! I can't help but wonder where we might be sitting now had we stayed in League 2 and played like we have this season? It is a bit of a conundrum really that former League 2 sides that lose their FL place often struggle and promoted sides from the Conference invariably end up doing well which suggests there is not a big gap between the two and yet sides that get promoted out of League 2 tend not to go straight back down. There is clearly a decent gulf in class between Leagues 1 and 2 but maybe not as big as people suggest. I think we were promoted at the right time and can count ourselves lucky not to be embroiled in this titanic battle.

I fear for the sides going down from League 2, this division looks more like the 4th tier of the Football League then League 2 does now! Add Torquay plus 1 other to this lot and promotion certainly won't be guaranteed for anyone (most recent highest league over the past 15 years or so in brackets):
1 Luton (2nd Tier, 2007)
2 Cambridge
3 Gateshead
4 Grimsby (3rd Tier, 2004)
5 Halifax
6 Braintree
7 Kidderminster (4th Tier, 2005)
8 Barnet (4th Tier, 2013)
9 Woking
10 Forest Green
11 Alfreton
12 Salisbury
13 Nuneaton
14 Lincoln City (3rd Tier, 1999)
15 Macclesfield (4th Tier, 2012)
16 Welling
17 Wrexham (3rd Tier, 2005)
18 Southport
19 Aldershot (4th Tier, 2013)
20 Hereford (3rd Tier, 2009)
21 Chester
22 Dartford
23 Tamworth
24 Hyde
plus
Stockport (2nd Tier, 2002)

With many teams having played 2, 3 or even 4 divisions higher over the past 15 years or so (and a few more that have played at Football League level previous to that), the Conference next season must be one of the strongest yet and could also see Bromley, Dover or Ebbsfleet join Welling in it! Had we not been promoted, where does everyone thing we might have ended up?

[CadburyMan]

Have Cambridge & Chester not been league sides within the last 15 years - Chester (albeit) a re-incarnation of a previously failed Chester.

I can also remember Halifax, Southport & Gateshead all being in the league

[Garawa]

Yes longer ago, most have played in it at some point. Chester is technically a whole new club so didn't include them.

[gillsfan1066]

If we had been in the second division I think we would have ended up around 7th to 10th , good chance of playing for that last play off spot. BUT none of that matters, were a DIVISION ONE team again next year, and we will have a new owner, a new manager, a new stadium, and half a dozen new players . What, what, good Lord woman why did you wake me up I was having this wonderful dream about....... doesn't matter dear, whats for dinner?

[gillsfan1066]

Ops, and in the Conference I think we would have defiantly been in the promotion battle, just because they were great teams once means nothing.
It always amazes me when the commentators make this big deal about old results, things like England have never beaten the Martian Invaders here at Wembly , with a record of 0 wins, 0 ties and 3 loses dating back to 1974, followed by a lose in 1983 and most recently a 1-4 defeat in the Universe Cup Final in 2001. What the hell has that got to do with anything ?? Last time Luton was in the league Eric Morecombe was probably on TV and I was young enough to , to , zzzzz, zzzzz, zzzzzz, zzzzz.