League 2 News

[andrew p long]

those Morecambe commentators are very good. I listened to them when City played Morecambe earlier in the season. You can tell they are genuine fans.

They say that you have to take them as they are - calling themselves 'Radio Biased' - and explaining that they are volunteers, not radio professionals

 

[Oldsmobile-88]

Important wins for Grimsby & Barrow at the bottom of the table..Still looks like those two & Southend to battle it out for the drop,Colchester could get dragged into it if they carry on their form from the last 2 months.

Just thinking back,has a team(Barrow)that has been promoted from the NL/Conference had such a struggle in the first season in the FL/EFL ?

FGR had a poor start a few years ago,were written off in October by many in their first season which was a little premature & managed to turn it around by March.

 

[Super Ronnie Jepson]

Important wins for Grimsby & Barrow at the bottom of the table..Still looks like those two & Southend to battle it out for the drop,Colchester could get dragged into it if they carry on their form from the last 2 months.

Just thinking back,has a team(Barrow)that has been promoted from the NL/Conference had such a struggle in the first season in the FL/EFL ?

FGR had a poor start a few years ago,were written off in October by many in their first season which was a little premature & managed to turn it around by March.

York never made much impression when they came up.

 

[Oldsmobile-88]

York never made much impression when they came up.

Without checking,I seem to remember they made the Playoffs in L2 during their spell back in the EFL.

 

[Super Ronnie Jepson]

Without checking,I seem to remember they made the Playoffs in L2 during their spell back in the EFL.

I don't remember that. They seemed to come up, be a bit sheet, then go back down.

 

[Super Ronnie Jepson]

Coffee waste used to make Forest Green kit

Players from League Two club Forest Green Rovers will wear shirts made of used coffee as part of their latest step to become more eco-friendly.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Super Ronnie Jepson]

I don't remember that. They seemed to come up, be a bit sheet, then go back down.

I've now checked and we were both correct in a way...

York only secured survival from relegation late into 2012–13, their first season back in the Football League.[87] They made the League Two play-offs the following season, and were beaten 1–0 on aggregate by Fleetwood Town in the semi-final.[88] However, York were relegated to the National League four years after returning to the Football League,[89] with a bottom-place finish in League Two in 2015–16

 

[Rosencrantz]

Coffee waste used to make Forest Green kit

Players from League Two club Forest Green Rovers will wear shirts made of used coffee as part of their latest step to become more eco-friendly.

www.bbc.co.uk

Energy doping by the backdoor

 

[sign of the chimes]

I don't remember that. They seemed to come up, be a bit sheet, then go back down.

They had a season under Nigel Worthington (possibly 2013/14) where they got in to the L2 playoffs; but aside from that their stay was pretty unremarkable. The point @Oldsmobile-88 makes about the relatively strong performance of the teams coming up is a good one - I guess relatively few struggle due to a combination of positive momentum following promotion and the fact that there are generally at least a few basket cases on the opposite trajectory.

I seem to recall York managed back-to-back relegations to the NLN when they were relegated. I didn't think Chesterfield were far off a couple of years ago - their spectacular decline came off the back of spot in the L1 play offs under Paul Cook. I think they were relegated the following year, to the National League the year after that, and then had to take fairly drastic action to avoid a third successive relegation - though it's possible there might have been a season in between those events...

 

[Legohead]

York sacked manager Nigel Worthington a few games into the new season after the play off season and and appointed Russ Wilcox. He signed an entire new squad of players on 2 year deals who were by and large crap. Those signings included Anthony Straker, Femi Ilesanmi, Jake Hyde etc as well as players like Michael Coulson who has been at the newly reformed Scarborough Athletic, who i go and watch from time to time, for a few years now. All non league journeymen now.

Wilcox also signed Reece Thomson from one of the clubs i've played at a few times in me yoof, Frickley Athletic. He started promisingly then ended up being banged up for domestic abuse. Another player added to that squad was Diego Di Girolamo who was on loan from Sheff U and who also started well, scoring in his first away game at Cheltenham before fading out and going back. He is now at Buxton Town. Another promising player who failed at York and found himself in non league.

One bright spot in the dark was the emergence of Ben Godfrey in that side who only played a handful of games before a surprise move to Norwich. Now at Everton and tipped to be a future international.

Wilcox got sacked after a season and a half after just avoiding relegation and playing dire football and was replaced by ex Celtic player Jackie McNamara who proceeded to also sign an entire squad of players on 2 year deals and who weren't up to standard.

His reign was full of controversy and ended in owner Jason McGill issuing an ultimatum at an away game (can't remember where it was - Crawley maybe?) either win or be sacked. They drew 1-1 and he was sacked.

Then the owner made McNamara head of football operations at Bootham Crescent!!! A bizarre turn of events.

In effect, the owner made some desperately poor managerial appointments and allowed them to effectively sign about 50 players over a 2 year period which was far too much change far too soon and they ended up losing all direction.

They were relegated from the FL on the last day of the season a few years ago, i think on the same day we were away at Donny in the sunshine. Great afternoon.

They were relegated again to the NLN and have struggled to find any sort of consistency there. Once again, hiring and firing managers willy nilly. Ex Newcastle defender Steve Watson is there now as manager i believe.

They have also had power struggles between a supporters group who owned a proportion of the shares in the club and the owner. The building of the new stadium at Monks Cross, shocking location - anyone who has ever lived in York as i have will know what a mare the roads are around there on a saturday anyway, has been fraught with problems and delays but it is now up and running and they played their first league game there the other day. May have been against Fylde IIRC.

Bootham Crescent is now demolished for housing. Like so many old grounds are these days, including the old Saltergate ground here in Chesterfield.