National League - Highs and Lows

[durhampie]

I know everyone looks for different things, but you’ve probably named the four best away trips since we’ve been down here there haha. Harrogate August 2019, Solihull Christmas 2019, Barrow Spring 2020 and Dorking September 2022 were all absolutely brilliant days out. Halifax August 2022 and Torquay Spring 2023 also well worthy of a mention.

It sounds like you dont mind standing in piss..

[CamPie]

According to this chap it's gone back up recently.



Attachment 24264

Excellent 😀

[CamPie]

For me the big highs, apart from the obvious just over a week ago, all relate to the National League not being as bad as we all feared. We rebuilt as a club, got progressively stronger season on season, including appointing progressively stronger head coaches, won a lot more games than we’d done for years, crowds increased and lots of new grounds to visit ( even the s**t-holes were enjoyable as it was throwback to the s**tholes we accepted as the norm in the 70s and 80s - albeit smaller). My favourite away game had to be Wealdstone this year. Great little real ale boozer in Ruislip and of course the goal fest in what really was a non-league ground.

The most laughable has to be the BBC coverage of the NL especially the team line-ups and the chairmen of certain clubs (Dover and Kings Lynn spring to mind).

The lows - all the playoff losses but particularly Grimsby - but at least they also beat Wrexham to setup this epic season.

It’s been 4 long years but for me the highs definitely outweigh the lows - how often in a 4 year period can we say that about the last 50+ years supporting Notts, and at our lowest ever level.

[BigFatPie]

Like others have said, I think we’ll look back on our time in non league with a good deal of fondness. Winning most of the time, mostly good football, new teams to play, and new grounds for those that go away. 4 years is about the limit though, and looking at that league for next season half of it is based in and around London, some real shockers. I would not fancy being Chesterfield haha.

For me the low point was Barrow at home, we took a proper shellacking that day, a real wake up call as to how much better we had to be to get promoted. Other than the playoffs the high point was Wrexham this season at home, the football in that first half was unreal.

[Woodsetts_Pie]

2 highlights. The first, strangely, was lockdown, when we could stream all the games from our back bedroom. Very surreal, particularly the away games when we got to see grounds we wouldn’t otherwise have got to see.
The second was a game early this season where I sat on the Kop with my friend Des (Heyup Des). We had about 80% possession and the kop kept “We've got the ball……” going for a full 30 minutes.
At that point I knew we were going places and the bad times were gone.

[Magpies1959]

The high has to be that under these owners, they have rebuilt the club from top to bottom, and got a buzz going around the city for Notts, (among young and old). They have also rekindled my love for the club to a level I have never experienced before, leading to me buying my first season ticket for about thirty years. Who would have thought this possible, when playing at our lowest level.

[TSANHO]

For me the big highs, apart from the obvious just over a week ago, all relate to the National League not being as bad as we all feared. We rebuilt as a club, got progressively stronger season on season, including appointing progressively stronger head coaches, won a lot more games than we’d done for years, crowds increased and lots of new grounds to visit ( even the s**t-holes were enjoyable as it was throwback to the s**tholes we accepted as the norm in the 70s and 80s - albeit smaller). My favourite away game had to be Wealdstone this year. Great little real ale boozer in Ruislip and of course the goal fest in what really was a non-league ground.

The most laughable has to be the BBC coverage of the NL especially the team line-ups and the chairmen of certain clubs (Dover and Kings Lynn spring to mind).

The lows - all the playoff losses but particularly Grimsby - but at least they also beat Wrexham to setup this epic season.

It’s been 4 long years but for me the highs definitely outweigh the lows - how often in a 4 year period can we say that about the last 50+ years supporting Notts, and at our lowest ever level.

Great post, sums it up for me too 👍

[MAD_MAGPIE]

The low was the Swindon game in which we were condemned to non-league football.

Some other notable lows;
1.) Losing our first ever game in the NL away at Eastleigh 1-0.
2.) Losing 3-0 to Barrow in season one.
3.) The Covid Pandemic cutting short season one and denying us the opportunity to go to Wembley, even though ultimately we lost.
4.) Not turning up for the play-off final and losing to Harrogate.
5.) Losing to York 3-0 in pre-season again like the pre-season before. A bad omen.
6.) Only getting a draw at home to Kings Lynn in season two.
7.) Scraping a 1-0 win against Wealdstone in one of Neal Ardley's last games in charge
8.) Losing to Hornchurch in the FA Trophy semi final
9.) Losing to Torquay in the Playoff Semi Final
10.) Losing to York for the third season in a row in pre-season. A curse.
11.) Losing 5-1 away to Torquay in season three.
12.) Losing to Grimsby in the Playoff Quarter Final by a last minute goal.
13.) Losing to Dorking Wanderers.
14.) Scott's penalty save by Ben Foster in the last minute against Wrexham.
15.) The postponed away games that did not take any consideration of fans travelling such as Fylde, Dover and Kings Lynn. Some of those were postponed on more than one occasion such as Dover and Fylde if memory serves me right.
16.) The passing of legendary commentator Colin Slater MBE
17.) The passing of CEO Jason Turner

Highs
1.) The Reedz Brothers buying the club
2.) Beating Eastleigh at home 4-0 in season one as we looked the real deal.
3.) Eli Sam's wonder goal against Oxford City in the FA Trophy Quarter Final.
4.) Being able to go and watch games in the stadium again and beating Chesterfield at home in the playoff quarter final. That header from Ellis in front of the kop was memorable.
5.) Getting a draw with Forest in pre-season.
6.) Beating York in pre-season at the ump****th attempt which was to be a good omen this time as it would go on to be the season we got promoted.
7.) Losing to Coalville in the FA Cup this season. Best thing that could have happened as we needed to concentrate on the league.
8.) The National League streaming service being introduced so we could watch games.
9.) Making the playoffs every season
10.) Seeing improving attendances
11.) The quality of football improving season on season.
12. ) The quality of player improving season on season.
13.) The quality of the Meadow Lane pitch.
14.) The 93 wins we had in the league in the four year period we were in the NL.

Of course not forgetting the events during the week of Sunday 7th May 2023 and Saturday 13th May 2023. Never to be forgotten ever.

[Robertomac]

Being relegated to non-league was horrendous, but the reality was far more enjoyable than I ever could have imagined. It's real football with real fans and genuine vlubs. I'm pleased we're up again but I've honestly enjoyed it.

Lows
1. Losing the opening game at Eastleigh, to a headed goal from a set piece. How had we not sorted that defending having already cost us our league status?!?
2. Burchnall's clear decline to outright mediocrity, culminating in the only just 1-0 home win against Dover - one of the worst sides ever.
3. Losing 1-0 at Dover.
4. Innie Effiong.
5. Ben Turner at Wembley.

Highs
1. This season - every ****ing minute of it!
2. Return of the feel good factor.
3. Seeing groups of youngsters coming to matches.
4. Winning games regularly.

[ajojones]

High is being confident that current owners, manager, team are unlikely to come back down here. Lest we forget how we ended up there.