In The End
A final song title for this season’s pieces is the Linkin Park song off their debut album ‘Hybrid Theory’.
So, that is it, the season is at an end. Where there was so much hope and expectation at this time last year with promotion to League One confirmed, we have ended up with a season soaked with disappointment and finished off with relegation back to League Two.
There were worries before a ball had been kicked as the majority of the team which had won at Wembley were now at other clubs. There was a lot of ire aimed at WAGMI for that, which is understandable, as although some of it was due to the contracts given to entice the players to the club in the first place, who was it who sorted those contracts out anyway?
The pre-season predictions all had us going down, with Four Four Two, WSC, and the Real EFL all having us rock bottom, the Opta simulated league had us twenty-first, and so in that respect they were spot on. All of them had Shrewsbury, and apart from Opta they all had Cambridge going down as well. So they got the bottom end pretty well sorted, but were shocking at the top end, apart from Birmingham, none of their other top six choices even got to the playoffs.
Despite the turnover of players it all started so well, a home win on the opening day against Blackpool was followed by an away win at Cambridge United, with a Carabao Cup win against Swindon Town thrown in. But then the winning stopped despite good performances, especially in the away games against the three W clubs (Wigan Athletic, Wycombe Wanderers, and Wrexham). Defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion in the second round of the Carabao Cup came with a bit of controversy and lots of moaning as a Jay Williams challenge saw Brighton’s new signing carried off with a broken ankle.
And then Scott Lindsey was gone, the Milton Keynes Dons had come calling and possibly with a feeling of frustration over the mass dispersal of the previous season’s squad, he answered. Ben Gladwin took interim charge, losing both games before Rob Elliot was hired from Gateshead.
The results didn’t improve, and although there were still some decent performances, it just wasn’t happening in terms of points gained. There were occasional glimpse of hope, a 3–0 home win against Lincoln City, and a 2–1 away win against Charlton Athletic spring to mind, but there was never any proper momentum gathered from these results.
We stayed continuously mired in the relegation places. Getting close to escaping only to suffer another spirit crushing defeat and for those we were chasing to pick up points. So many times it was so near yet so far.
The January transfer window came and went without too much change. Jay Williams who hadn’t played since October, supposedly injured, but with rumours of a bust up and smashing up the changing room in the Vertu Trophy away loss at Wycombe, went to MK Dons. The incomings were less than inspiring from a defensive perspective, but Liam Fraser another import from the MLS and Kamari Doyle were useful additions.
There was an ever-increasing clamour for Rob Elliot to be sacked, and his term came to an end in March, too late for most of us, and as it turned out, too late to save us from relegation. As it turned out the timing was fortuitous as it came just after Scott Lindsey had been sacked by MK Dons, and so to the overwhelming joy of the majority of fans, the ‘messiah’ was back. It is worth pointing out that if Rob Elliot had been sacked earlier (say during the January transfer window) then Scott Lindsey would not have been available, and who knows what we would have ended up with.
With Scott’s return there was that new manager bounce with two wins, but a tough spell of winless games followed, a draw against the already champions Birmingham City and then winning the final three games of the season ended up not being enough, and relegation was confirmed in the last midweek as Burton Albion got a point in their game in hand, and we ended up finishing in twenty-first, a point and nine goal difference short of safety.
It is easy to lay the blame for that at the doors of WAGMI and Rob Elliot, and although there are sizeable portions of such to lay on their shoulders there has been so much more at play during the season.
There was an imbalance in the squad from the start. An insistence on playing three central defenders with wings backs was inflexible, and not helped by the fact that none of the square pegs in round holes at wing backs were actual defensive players. Our defence was chaotic all season. Our number one keeper started out OK, but confidence drained away, and replacements came and went, and we ended up using a record (as far as I’ve been able to find) eight different goalkeepers during the season. The best two in those wing back roles at defending were Jeremy Kelly and Harry Forster, but therein lies another of the season long problems — injuries.
Lots of them. Making it on the whole, impossible to play our strongest eleven in any game all season, and also meaning it was a struggle to play a settled side, and it led to more square pegs in round holes. The nadir of which was probably playing the much-maligned Will Swan as a wing back. JoJo Wollacott, Dion Conroy, Toby Mullarkey, Josh Flint, Jeremy Kelly, Harry Forster, Tola Showumni, Armando Junior Quitirna, Jay Williams, Joy Mukena, and Ade Adeyemo all spent significant time out injured. A fully fit team (played in the correct positions) could so easily have made the difference. However the injuries did mean Charlie Barker got into the side and established himself. He rightly (in my mind) won various player of the year awards, and showed a level of passion and commitment missing from several players during the season.
In addition to the injuries there were other strange squad issues. Muhammad Faal anyone? Scott Malone suddenly disappearing off the face of the Earth. Antony Papadopoulos being recalled from loan and then not making it onto the pitch for nigh on four months. Jack Roles loaned out and brought back. Benjamin Tanimu defies explanation. Rafiq Khaleel was sold and with no home-grown player in the squad we ended up only being able to field six substitutes for the second half of the season, mainly covered by not having a goalkeeper on the bench. We did recall Jasper Sheik from loan for that role, but it is rumoured we made a pig’s ear of that recall and so couldn’t have him on the bench, which explains the parade of different emergency loan keepers in JoJo’s absence due to ‘injury’. In fact JoJo draining of confidence could be summed up in the game against Cambridge where the away fans were chanting the usual ‘ooooooohhh you’re shit, aaaahhhh’ when he went to kick the ball, only for each kick to get worse, and then for him to give up on kicking it long full stop.
It’s true Rob Elliot must take some blame. It appears he couldn’t motivate the players, playing some out of position, and his substitutions were at times, at best baffling, or at worst, suicidal. Saying that, I maintain the players must take some responsibility as well, as several of them looked as if they had downed tools, and they are supposed to be professionals. Not professional toy throwing children.
The substitutions often meant throwing points away. Eight times across the season we scored three or more goals and ended up not winning (one draw and seven losses). Particularly spectacular collapses were being 3–1 up at Bolton Wanderers and losing 4–3, and being 4–1 up at Exeter City and drawing 4–4. It was so bad that the RSPCA had to get involved to ban the club from having dogs, as they were unable to keep hold of their leads.
Another issue to me was the dreadful level of officiating. Inconsistency is putting it mildly. There was a lot of apparent double standards being applied. I know it sounds a cop out to blame officials. But so many times during the season it could be seen we were on the wrong end of the inconsistencies. Our number of bookings per foul were more than fifty percent higher than for any other team in the division (and easily the highest in the EFL), yes some of that was Bradley Ibrahim’s mouth. Our fouls per booking ended up being two and a half times that of our opponents over the season. Added time when leading was much more than when drawing, and that was more than when we were losing. And it wasn’t as if we were egregiously time wasting, certainly not as much as some of our opponents (ignoring the Bolton game where it looked like we were, but Matthew Cox had suffered a season ending injury).
But there were some massive decisions which went against us as well as the litany of little stuff. The blatant foul on Jeremy Kelly which led to Wrexham’s winning goal at the Broadfield (which the EFL acknowledged, saying the goal shouldn’t have stood). Or the glut of valid penalty claims in the second half away at Bristol Rovers, including the stonewall one in the final seconds of added time which the ref bottled completely (the same ref being the muppet who waited until twelve minutes before kick off before postponing the New Year’s Day game at home to Charlton Athletic). The non-call for a penalty when Tola Showumni was pulled back with two hands when about to shoot in the box at Exeter when we were 4–1 up, and then to allow the blatant bundling of JoJo into the net as they scored to make it 4–3 (the second one there doubly galling as they did the same thing in their next home fixture and it was disallowed). The same kind of goal was allowed at home to Cambridge United, a game when Showumni got a three-match ban post-game for some imaginary contact with a player off the ball which the officials didn’t see. Yet there was no retrospective action for the Cambridge captain for his stamp on Charlie Barker before our sending off of Rushian Hepburn-Murphy. And Bolton’s goal to make it 3–2 was taken with the ball still moving and the ref had his back to play when it was taken, and it should never had stood. There are six points (or potentially as it is never a given penalties will be scored) missing there, two of which (say the Exeter game) would have been enough to save us.
There are so many of those little bits, those ifs, buts, and maybes which could have meant League One action again for us next season. (Think the 0–0 home and away to Burton Albion.) But it wasn’t to be. In the end it wasn’t a case of not being able to score goals which was out problem, RHM finished top scorer, only just making it to double figures in the league in the last game of the season, but we outscored six of the teams which finished above us. It was always the defensive side, we conceded the most in the division.
And there have been a litany of off pitch shenanigans for a number of the professional offended to get het up about. Court cases, division between the owners and others (CTSA, Carol Bates, the GH Travel awards snub). WAGMI are trying and the overall matchday experience is improving. There is the new ticketing system, improved food and drink options, a better range of merch (still needs improving though). Although it does seem at times that every time they take a step forward (such as setting up the Devil’s Advocates and trying to encourage more of the fan base to be involved who aren’t middle aged white males such as myself) they then attempt to shoot themselves in that very foot.
It has been a record-breaking season, both good and bad. Bad in it being the most goals we have conceded in a football league season. But good with new season records for home and away attendances. Whenever I’ve been to away games the away support has been immense and noisy and it’s great to be a part of that. Additionally it was reported by an American stats guru that Max Anderson’s goal on Saturday was the 600,000th Football League goal ever. I wonder if another Crawley Town player will get the 700,000th one in about twenty-one years’ time.
Even with relegation, I have enjoyed the season immensely. I missed one home game, the Tuesday night 3–0 win against Lincoln City when I had COVID style symptoms, although I did get to see that on TV, and I missed the first half of the game against Reading because of FSS moving it to a ridiculous 12:30 kick off time. And I ended up going to a lot more away games than originally planned or expected to, including three of the pre-season friendlies for the first time. It has been a season where I have properly fallen back in love with football as a whole, rather than it being a passing acquaintance.
The club did their awards last week, and I have already said I voted for Charlie Barker for player of the season and for Will Swan’s goal against Wycombe Wanderers as goal of the season. I could jokingly say there should be a goalkeeper of the season having had eight, but I suspect that if there were a poll then poor old JoJo might end up finishing ninth. But I have some awards of my own.
Best team performance of the year. If I’m honest there hasn’t been a lot, but it was probably one of the most recent, the home win against Northampton Town was out most complete performance of the season, showing what we could have been doing so often.
Best away performance. If it were just for a half of football then the first half at Exeter would win hands down, but the 2–1 win at Charlton wins this for me. That game would also win the best away fan atmosphere as well. It was just electric that night.
Yet in the same month in the same city came our worst performance of the season (a much harder category to call). The 3–0 loss at Leyton Orient on Boxing Day was abysmal. It could easily have been double figures, and the positively toxic post-match reactions from fans towards Panutche Camara and Rob Elliot was by far the lowest point of a season with a lot of lows.
Best team played. For me, and this may seem a strange choice, especially as the team in question only just made it into the top half, it was Barnsley, who seemed to be world beaters against us both home and away.
Pet peeve. Not continuing to go for it when leading. What is the point of trying to shut up shop when we couldn’t defend a hot dog stand from a four-year-old? Just carry on attacking, a couple of more goals in games could have meant wins instead of draws, or draws instead of losses, and really going for it when on top could have meant we ended up with a better goal difference, which it could have been down to in the end.
Best programme. Not ours obviously. The monthly magazine was good for the four months it was going, but the size and pricing point went against it. I would go for Exeter (which was part of that away game being my favourite away trip of the season), good content, low advert count, and a decent price. Honourable mention to the Maidenhead on demand, posted out programme. A model I would love us to try. Pre-order and post out or pick up on the day. No wastage and guaranteed pricing point.
Worst programme. Peterborough United. Twice as many pages of adverts than of content, and equal most expensive of the season.
Favourite away ground. There may have been some grand large and modern stadiums, but I loved pre-season at Lewes and the Dripping Pan. And I loved the ‘kick betting out of football’ hoardings around the ground as well.
Favourite moment of the season. Well a bit longer than a moment. Ade Adeyemo scoring late to give us the win in out first away game of the season at Cambridge. Out fans singing ‘stick your clackers up your arse’ to the home stand a ridiculous distance behind the goal, then going for a post-match curry in the Indian restaurant opposite the ground and hearing the post-match mutterings of the Cambridge fan, and then on the way back to the station seeing Alex and two other fans deliriously wandering the backstreets of Cambridge trying to find the centre to carry on drinking.
Worst moment. It has to be Exeter away. There was a real euphoria amongst the supporters at half time, but when they made it 4–2 the next ten minutes seemed to take about fifty minutes to go by, and there was a sinking inevitability about the added time equaliser. It was the perfect microcosm of our season in forty minutes. Although mentions for Bolton away, Wrexham at home, and both of the Peterborough games.
Thanks to those who have read my pieces and given feedback, (it is noticeable there is a trend of more reads when we have won than for the pieces where we have lost), and have put up with the many, many tangents I have gone off at. And to those who we’ve gotten to know around us, keep encouraging quicker throws TAFKAL, keep up doing the great photos Grant, keep being Jack Roles biggest fan Rick.
When it is up and running before the new season starts, go and see the museum exhibition Steve Leake and Mick Fox are putting together in July covering the roller coaster of the last twenty seven months.
And so with that, it is farewell from me for this season. Roll on the 2025–26 season and another fifty plus 2–1 predictions from me. All it leaves is for the full playlist of songs I’ve used as titles for the pieces this season.
Tubeway Army — Are Friends Electric
The Who — Won’t Get Fooled Again
The Jam — Start
Michael Jackson — Rockin’ Robin
The Style Council — Long Hot Summer
Roman Holliday — Motor Mania
DJ Shadow — Last Bongo In Brighton
T Rex — Ride A White Swan
Scooter — Back In The UK
Kenny Rogers — Lucille
XTC — Making Plans For Nigel
Hole — Celebrity Skin
Roland Rat — Rat Rapping
Alexandra Burke — Broken Heels
Iron Maiden — Can I Play With Madness
Dog Eat Dog — No Fronts
The Streets — Let’s Push Things Forward
Moody Blues — A Whiter Shade Of Pale
Marvin Gaye — Abraham, Martin & John
The Skids — Into The Valley
Desmond Dekker & The Aces — Nincompoop
Harry Enfeld — Loadsamoney (Doin’ Up The House)
Men At Work — Down Under
Visage — Fade To Grey
Slim Dusty — A Pub With No Beer
Europe — The Final Countdown
Paul Weller — That Dangerous Age
Arctic Monkeys — Don’t Sit Down ’Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair
The M.V.P.s — Turning My Heartbeat Up
Time UK — The Cabaret
Joe Loss & His Orchestra — March Of The Mods
Half Man Half Biscuit — All I Want For Christmas Is a Dukla Prague Away Kit
The Valiants — This Is The Nite
The Wombats — Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want To Come
Lionel Jeffries — P.O.S.H.
Queens Of The Stone Age — No One Knows
John Leyton — Johnny Remember Me
Neil Diamond — Forever In Blue Jeans
Happy Mondays — Hallelujah
Major Lance — Ain’t No Soul (Left In These Old Shoes)
Maxine Nightingale — Right Back Where We Started From
Linkin Park — In The End
Come on you reds.
Originally published on my own website (without the pictures) at the link below.
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