So the curtain has come down on this magnificent honeymoon season for the Club. Not 12 months have passed since we were lifted out of administration and indeed relegated to the Championship. Whilst under Gary Locke we put up a great fight to remain in the SPL, but overcoming the minus fifteen points with a young and largely inexperienced squad, proved just beyond reach. Luckily.
Luckily because this season has allowed Ann Budge, Craig Levein, Robbie Nielsen to work on this marriage between board, coaches, players and supporters and get a feel for working together. Time to build a team capable of winning the Championship, and generate the confidence and feel good factor for this new fan led regime. What a start.
Luckily because had we escaped relegation and retained our SPL status, we might not have had the same opportunity to build the togetherness and self-confidence that has been achieved in the Championship campaign. A few defeats does have an impact on that confidence and on numbers turning up to support the team. Of course we may have faired reasonably well in the SPL, as clearly the football department will have built a squad aimed at competing in that league, but we wouldn’t have had a day like today to look forward to. We will never know and don’t need to know or ponder the what ifs.
And therefore to the season finale on 2nd May we had all looked at when the fixtures were released last summer. I’m sure each and every one of us would have hoped that this would at least be a shoot out for the league, that we would still be in with a chance of winning the league or getting into play offs for that return ticket to the SPL (or whatever it’s called just now). Particularly given the testing opening fixtures.
But here we are having frankly ripped up what had been described as the toughest league (relatively speaking), and having added a further hard earned but deserved point in this final fixture, have secured the Championship with a record points total of 91 and a massive 21 points clear of our nearest rival.
I don’t know what the difference in prize money is between finishing say eighth in SPL or winning Championship, but actually the home gates have been equivalent if not better than a stuttering SPL campaign might have been and therefore that too allows the coffers for building for next season to grow. So the marriage has got off to a solid start and has produced an immediate return to the top flight at first time of asking. What a honeymoon that was.
So let us celebrate lifting another honour for our magnificent football club. Congratulations to all the Board, the coaching staff and players and fans.
Written by brianthejambo.
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