1/2 Season hit wonder football teams who got Promoted!

[havasack]

Swindon did make the top level a year or so later only to be relegated straight away. At championship level there are still some smaller clubs making it there, look at Yeovil, Bournemouth and Donny,

[80sChav]

Yes I recall Northampton's finest hour. They played in mauve and white if IRC.

Carlisle came up in the early 70's didn't they ?

I have heard about the Carlisle story" many times - they were top of the old original Division One (before it became the Premier Leauge) in the September or real early in their only season but could not maintain the form sadly.

Portsmouth also had one Season in the old Division One in he 1980s too after being so so close on many occasion so often missing out - I recall they had a great team in that era. Another Team was Middlesbrough who went up from Division 3 to Division 1 from 1987 to 1989 and nearly completed the "round trip" in equal time by just avoiding relegation in 1989/1990 from the old Division 2 then Middlesbrough had a similar spell as sounder Premier Leauge members in 1992/1993 before being relegated again after one season.

[80sChav]

Oldham had a good run in the early 90's. They're traditionally a division three/four team but between 1990-94 they were promoted to the premier league, got to two FA Cup semi-finals and a Runner-up spot in the league cup.

I think it was mostly down to their plastic pitch.

True, agreed - tthey had a good team in that era no doubts!!

I think though they sure are intent on claiming the "Longest Serving Tennacy of any Division of recen times" with their curret 3rd tier spell on it's 20th con-current year/season!!

[80sChav]

Swindon would have been in the top division in 1990/1 but were banned from being premoted after it was found they had made illegal payments to players.

They had a good side and Mangers over that 4 year spell regardless I recall Richard - what with Glenn Hoodle and Lou Marcai and fraser Digby on Goal

I can still vivdly recall the furore their immediate banning of being in the old D1 caused - it wrecked pre-season fixtures so bad there was quite a lot of talk of Sheffierld Wed going straight down to the old 3rd Division before Swindon was allolwed (wrongly i think) to remain in D2 and by the end of Season 1990-91 they finished 4th or 5th from the bottom and only very narrowly avoided Relegation back to D3 due to re-structuring of the old D1 and it's knock on effects! I believe that was the season too that it came down to a tussle between Leicester or West Brom having their first ever Season in the old 3rd and it was West Brom who took the un-fortunate honour with it happening for Leicester 17 years later in the 2007 to 2008! season

[80sChav]

Swansea. John Toshack. Flew too close to the flames.....

I think it was 81/82 ish, basically Tosh recruited a load of grizzled old pros (Bob Latchford, Ray Kennedy) who stormed the Div One table for a year. Then it all went wrong, I guess the old pros got older, poor RK was diagnosed with Parkinson's, and the Swans sank. Down to Div 4 and nearly out of the League altogether only a few years later.

In the sixties Northampton went from Div Four to Div One and back again in the space of 9 years.....

The Northampton story is a great one - one of my Aunties and Uncles live there and he has recited it a fair few times and often said before then they were basically a rubboish Team and so have been ever after (in terms at least of never escaping the Bottom 2 Divisions - either way)

The sad thing for northampton was - I am sure they lost out by two points or something very near/or similar (and if it was'nt for bad speells may just even of sneaked a 2nd Season in the old First - due to only 2 being Relegated until the 1970s!!

80sChav

[Richard1978]

Barry Lines was a regular player for Northampton during the ups & down, certainly he played for them in all 4 divisions, which few players have managed to do.

I think the record hold is Alan Cork, who played for Wimbledon from being a non-league club to the 1st division.

[80sChav]

Swindon did make the top level a year or so later only to be relegated straight away. At championship level there are still some smaller clubs making it there, look at Yeovil, Bournemouth and Donny,

It seems like only yesterday Swindon "landed" in the Prem - I distinctly recalling them beating Leicester 4-3 in the old First Division (old 2nd before that but now the Championship) Play Off Final in a right swahbuckler of a match. It is a shame they only lasted that 1 Season there, but sadly too many good players left as did a great Manager in Glenn Hoodle to be replaced by the immensley hapless John Gorman - who was way way way out of his depth!

I hope Donny can 1 make it to the Premier, they have a great new(ish) ground and have hit hard times in the not too distant past and could easily "live with in their means" there like Wigan and Reading etc did without over-spending!!

80sChav