Season Openers - The Good and the Bad

[King Kev]

I may have made a similar thread last season, I can't remember tbh. But go on, what are your memories of season openers both good and bad. It is hard to draw an honest conclusion from the result or performance, but at the same time hard not to feel deflated or disappointed if the result goes against you. Especially if you suffer a comfortable defeat.

So lets hear your nominations. I apologise if I repeat any old memory that I have posted before.

 

[GTFCfish]

Our first game in non league was away at moneybags Crawley Town.
We went there and beat fatty Evans team 1-0 which confirmed to me for absolute definite that we were, indeed, gonna smash that Mickey Mouse league and return to League 2 at the first attempt.

We finished 11th.

 

[connorpie]

Good
2009/10 season - Bradford (H) 5-0 It was the summer where Notts made international news with the takeover by good old Munto Finance, Sven had signed, Schmeichel had signed and there was a wave of optimism round the club. We played Bradford a warm August afternoon and played them off the park. Lee Hughes scored a hat trick and Notts were utterly dominant, I think by that point notts fans knew we were in for something special and piss league 2 (though we almost didn't).

2011/12 - Carlisle (A) 0-3 Mad dog M.A was manager, but iirc, there wasn't a lot of positively round notts, they signed decently but were missing a striker, I didn't get to the game but they were away to Carlisle and cruised to a 3-0 win, it was remarkable considering they'd just manage to stay up the season before, and helped kickstart a fantastic season in league 1.

Worst
2010/11 - Huddersfield (H) 0-3 (There was a lot of optimism from the team that pissed league 2, admittedly they lost Steve Cotterill but brought in Craig Short, who many had high expectations for. They were woeful, the gulf in class was huge and it killed any momentum we had coming up as champions stone dead. We ended up going through 4 managers that season so it set the tone.

 

[Chris FGR]

We've only won our first game of the season 4 times in the last 20 years.

Good- Beating Hyde 8-0 on the first day of the 13/14 season. They had a player sent off early on, but still. First game of 98/99 v Rushden (L0-2) and last season v Barnet (2-2) were both brilliant occasions, first ever home games at the highest level we'd ever played at in front of (for us) big crowds.

Bad- We used to regularly start badly in the early Conference years, had quite a few seasons where we looked out of our depth in the first game and you knew it was going to be a long season. Games at Dagenham (L1-3) in 04-05, at home to Kettering (L1-2) in 09-10 and at Mansfield (L1-3) 10-11 are ones I can remember where it really hit home just how shit we were, and you knew straight away staying up was going to be a big ask.

Luckily we ended up getting reprieved in 2 of those seasons.

 

[The_Viking_Magpie]

Good
2009/10 season - Bradford (H) 5-0 It was the summer where Notts made international news with the takeover by good old Munto Finance, Sven had signed, Schmeichel had signed and there was a wave of optimism round the club. We played Bradford a warm August afternoon and played them off the park. Lee Hughes scored a hat trick and Notts were utterly dominant, I think by that point notts fans knew we were in for something special and piss league 2 (though we almost didn't).

2011/12 - Carlisle (A) 0-3 Mad dog M.A was manager, but iirc, there wasn't a lot of positively round notts, they signed decently but were missing a striker, I didn't get to the game but they were away to Carlisle and cruised to a 3-0 win, it was remarkable considering they'd just manage to stay up the season before, and helped kickstart a fantastic season in league 1.

Worst
2010/11 - Huddersfield (H) 0-3 (There was a lot of optimism from the team that pissed league 2, admittedly they lost Steve Cotterill but brought in Craig Short, who many had high expectations for. They were woeful, the gulf in class was huge and it killed any momentum we had coming up as champions stone dead. We ended up going through 4 managers that season so it set the tone.

The Bradford and Huddersfield games were indeed polar opposites. Bradford were well fancied that season, and they had some very outspoken fans on The Footballs Forum (as it was then called) and on a sunny day we absolutely smashed them. The football was glorious, and younger Notts fans were instantly introduced to the best natural finisher to wear the famous black n white stripes that day with Hughes scoring a fantastic hat trick.

The Huddersfield (again hugely fancied by experts) game was a wake up call. Instantly showed the gulf , and as states killed stone dead any good feeling from the previous season.
When times turn a little tougher at Meadow Lane than the last season and a half, as they will no doubt do under Alan Hardy’s reign, fans need to remember that season and the Ray Trew chairmanship period to get a bit of reality. Plenty of money thrown at club by L2 standards back then but continually misplaced, wasted and Trew’s appointment technique and record were both random and appalling. Equivalent to my mum picking a horse for the grand national. Close your eyes and ...

 

[Habbinalan]

We've generally done well first game of the season since getting back in the league. The problems have generally emerged soon after. Last years stutter at Exeter was a blip on that record.

Our first game back in the League will take some beating as the best opener. Plymouth at the Abbey, 9/8/14, 1 - 0 to the U's with Josh Coulson getting the goal in front of 6,009.

I believe we had some pretty ropey opening games in the Conference but they have mostly been wiped from the memory. Our welcome was FGR 1 - 0 at the New (old) Lawn on 13/8/2005. The Amber Army was not amused. (Did so much damge to the toilets that they had to re-build up the hill).

 

[Chris FGR]

It wasn't at The New Lawn, it was at The Lawn. Scott Rendell scored for us. First time we'd ever won on the first day in the Conference at the 8th time of asking. And we only had 10 men as well. Abdou Sall got sent off for an elbow.

Cambridge were utterly shite given their resources. Think they had Rob Newman in charge?

 

[King Kev]

One very good one that sticks in my mind was Bury vs Yeovil, season opener August 2004. I actually held out some decent hope of a good season. We had an ever improving Glynn Garner between the sticks, the improving Danny Swailes in defence partnered with the experienced Challinor, the latter who had been a revelation when signed on loan the previous season. We had signed a couple of solid looking centre mids in Mattis and Brian Barry-Murphy and up front we had the youthful Dave Nugent and Chris Porter.

Yeovil were one of the favourites for promotion and duly led at the break. Nugent turned on the style in the second half and bagged two almost identical headers before a late goal completed the comeback on a boiling hot day.

As it was we were still doing okay by Christmas, but with a paper thin squad you could see everything was being held together by a finger nail. Then several very Bury style things happened that caused the wheels to completely come off. First our annual winter and Christmas slump, a couple of important and winnable games called off, an unpaid tax bill led to HMRC setting off to shut us down, so we sold Nugent to PNE in the January. Swailes was next, to Macclesfield. Our two best players sold for a grand total of 150k. Injuries, poor loan signings and a couple of gut wrenching defeats and there we were before we knew it staring into the abyss. We didn't go down but it did not bode well for the following season.

 

[valefan16]

14 years unbeaten on the opening weekend, all be it a lot of draws!

The Good - Port Vale 3 Orient 0 League One 2006

Orient just promoted were fancying a result at Vale Park however we pulled them apart with Constantine and Sodje dominating their defence, it would springboard us to 12 points from the opening 4 games.

Port Vale 3 Barnet 0 League Two 2012

The Valiants in administration with only a handful of players signed up days before after a buy out fell through and wearing a temporary kit Sondico had thrown up from their Sunday league range were expected to struggle in the division, two early goals settled us down and Pope added gloss with a classy finish late on as the Vale started how they meant to go on... Vale would secure promotion, Pope would be a legend of his boyhood club and we would outscore everyone else in the country.

The Very Very Bad

Port Vale 1 Tranmere 4 - 2002 - Vale on the back of a modest season were fairly hopeful going into the new season... Vale were diabolical on the day and hammered by Tranmere, the only time I have left a game early! Vale would go on to lose the opening four games and only survived on the second last game.

Oldham 4 Vale 1 - 2000 - The Vale fell out of whats now the Championship and faced their first game outside the second tier in 7 years. Vale fans were fairly confident that we would turn it around and try and bounce back, high value signings such as Dave Brammer stayed with the club and Tony Naylor had the quality. A shocking start to the season and huge reality check followed as the Vale were well beaten.

 

[King Kev]

Following on from the above season, Cheltenham away in August 2005. We had lost pretty much every half decent player we had and replaced them with rubbish.

Followed the game on Radio Manchester, desperate for a result, desperate to cling to my youthful notion that we would have a good season. We fell behind early, battled back and the predictably let a goal in near the end.

Before the days of twitter and skysports updates, there was nothing more exciting than listening to your local radio station and hearing the presenter interrupt the live commentary to report there had been a goal in your team's game. Only to hit utter deflation moments later as the match reporter informs the listener that the opposition have scored. I remember feeling hugely deflated afterwards.

 

[King Kev]

Bury 0-3 Bournemouth - 2009

On the back of our heartbreaking playoff defeat and missing out on promotion by a goal, many of us were confident the division was there for the taking. Even Four Four Two had us down to finish first. We had bolstered our strikeforce, replaced the players that had left and our defence which had been reasonably reliable the previous season was still relatively in tact.
Bournemouth were allegedly in a bit of a mess, staying up the previous season through the skin of their teeth after a points deduction, still under a transfer embargo and only really able to field a bunch of young lads and youth players, coupled with a rookie manager in Eddie Howe.

We had a goal disallowed early on, had it gone in then maybe the game would have been different. Alas it was chalked off and Bournemouth were 2-0 up at HT and totally dominant. They made it 3-0 with an absolute screamer on the hour and may have even had a goal disallowed. We were completely outclassed and the pub post match was akin to a morgue.

Funny nobody realised how good that Bournemouth side was. We did pick up eventually and didn't have a bad season, but managed to bottle our promotion push.

 

[Simpo]

This was an instant classic. Had the lot, including a last minute free kick training ground routine winner. Sheridan used to be good at them.

A couple of current League Two players involved here

 

[hold'um Oldham]

This was an instant classic. Had the lot, including a last minute free kick training ground routine winner. Sheridan used to be good at them.

A couple of current League Two players involved here

I'll never forget that game. It was the day I completed a charity walk from Millwall ground over 9 days. Did the half time draw and presented a cheque for over 5 grand to Dr Kershaws before the game

The football was good as well

 

[Habbinalan]

...................Cambridge were utterly shite given their resources. Think they had Rob Newman in charge?

We hadn't a pot to piss in. Hence Buzz was in charge, having stepped up from assistant, and managed to put a squad of sorts together that got us through the season to a 12th place finish. Fola Onibuje was our top scorer.

In 2005, after 35 years in the Football League, Cambridge United were relegated into the Football Conference. This brought with it financial difficulties and the club filed for administration on 29 April.[14] On 22 July 2005 the club came out of administration with a deal being struck with HM Revenue and Customs at the eleventh hour after the intervention of then sports minister Richard Caborn.[15] Cambridge had sold their Abbey Stadium home earlier in the season for £1.9 million to keep the club afloat.[16]

 

[Chris FGR]

You still had a bigger budget then us.

 

[DippyDon]

The best ever opener I remember us having was in 15/16 where we won 4-1 away at Rotherham, only to get relegated.

I'd take a similar one to 07/08 if it gets us promoted again. 2-1 loss to Bury, but we didn't come out of the top 2 after the 29th September.

 

[les.gtfc]

Best - 1990/91 away at Preston

First game in Division 3 having been promoted from Divison 4 the season before. The team were superb that day on Preston's plastic pitch and ran out 3-1 winners (could and should have been more). We managed to live up to the early expectation too beating Exeter on the last day of the season to clinch back to back promotions.

Worst - 1988/89 Alan Buckley's first league game in charge. Hopes were high with a new manager who had practically rebuilt the team but we went to Cambridge and got hammered 4-1 with the players looking like they'd only just met on the day of the game. It led to a very poor start to the season and we were in and around the bottom 4 for a few months and some fans were even calling for Buckley to be sacked but we did improve to finish 9th before going on to back-to-back promotions (as above).

 

[GTFCfish]

Best - 1990/91 away at Preston

First game in Division 3 having been promoted from Divison 4 the season before. The team were superb that day on Preston's plastic pitch and ran out 3-1 winners (could and should have been more). We managed to live up to the early expectation too beating Exeter on the last day of the season to clinch back to back promotions.

Worst - 1988/89 Alan Buckley's first league game in charge. Hopes were high with a new manager who had practically rebuilt the team but we went to Cambridge and got hammered 4-1 with the players looking like they'd only just met on the day of the game. It led to a very poor start to the season and we were in and around the bottom 4 for a few months and some fans were even calling for Buckley to be sacked but we did improve to finish 9th before going on to back-to-back promotions (as above).

I still have the programme from that Preston game, I didn't go but my Dad did and he brought me the programme back, it's still pinned up on my old bedroom wall at my Dads house where for some reason when I was a kid I used to stick all away programmes.
Highlights from it here:

 

[GTFCfish]

This is probably the best I can remember, 3-3 draw at home to Bolton which could have been about 10-10, both teams just non stop attacking from the start, most packed I've ever seen our away end too, Bolton always brought big numbers here for but this game there were even more than usual.
Check out the quality keeping from Paul Crichton too for Boltons second goal.

 

[Luke Imp]

On the whole, I'd say our opening day games have generally been quite boring and non-events, regardless of the results.

Worst was losing 4-0 at home to Shrewsbury back in 2007/08.

Losing 2-1 against Rotherham at the Don Valley Stadium was an eye-opener in terms of the surroundings. Not only weren't you allowed to take beer into the stands, but they didn't allow you to take food out there either and you had to eat it inside their refreshments area, which was basically just a long table.

Beating Woking 3-1 started an incredible 2016/17 season. Woking were a bogey side and we'd gone ages without an away win.

We beat Shrewsbury at Gay Meadow 1-0 two or three times as well. We always seemed to do well there and were usually good games.

Last season, even though we only drew with Morecambe, was probably the best opening day performance I can remember.

 

[Crewelad87]

As a rule during my time watching Crewe we've been pretty horrific in opening games, although we're unbeaten in the last 3.

Best that I've been too would be Crewe 2-1 Burnley about 2005 back in our Championship days, David Vaughan scored a last minute winner.

Worst either 1-0 loss at home vs Hereford or 2-1 at home to Dagenham, both very demoralising. The 0-0 vs Vale was horrible aswell a few years ago, massive anti climax.

 

[UTS]

Bad: Bury 0-3 Bournemouth 09/10 - After losing the play-off semi final the season before expectations were high, but we got blown away by eventual promotion achievers Bournemouth. We were 2nd in February after a 1-0 victory at home to Shrewsbury but we fell away with some awful results (0-3 at home to Torquay being the main one) and finished 9th.

Cheltenham home 14/15: The promotion favourites at home against the relegation favourites... 1-0 Cheltenham thanks to a good goal by I think Harry Pell, there were about 60 Cheltenham fans there to see it as their supporters coach broke down, and some bald man in midfield absolutely bullied us.


Good: MK Dons away 07/08, beating eventual champions MK Dons at the opening league game of the Stadium MK era courtesy of two Andy Bishop goals was great.

Huddersfield away 1-1 in 11/12 was also a good game, against a fancied opponent who gained promotion that season, Lowe equalised for us late on in front of 1,500 Shakers, good day that one.

 

[GTFCfish]

Can any Cambridge fans remember Grimsby 3 Cambridge 4 from 1991?
Great opening game, if I remember right Cambridge led 3 times and we pegged them back every time before they got a late winner, even though we lost I really enjoyed the game and left Blundell Park happy despite the result.
Seem to think Deon Dublin got one or two but I might have just made that up, I was only 11 back then.

 

[King Kev]

This is probably the best I can remember, 3-3 draw at home to Bolton which could have been about 10-10, both teams just non stop attacking from the start, most packed I've ever seen our away end too, Bolton always brought big numbers here for but this game there were even more than usual.
Check out the quality keeping from Paul Crichton too for Boltons second goal.

Respect for posting a video from the 1990s and with excellent fan commentary.

 

[Tom_CUFC]

Can any Cambridge fans remember Grimsby 3 Cambridge 4 from 1991?
Great opening game, if I remember right Cambridge led 3 times and we pegged them back every time before they got a late winner, even though we lost I really enjoyed the game and left Blundell Park happy despite the result.
Seem to think Deon Dublin got one or two but I might have just made that up, I was only 11 back then.

Couple of years too early for me but probably the most notable opener for us alongside the two "first league games" in 1970 and 2014.

Honourable mention for our 5-1 win over Halifax in our promotion season too. The FGR defeat is the worst I can think of too but we were just thankful to have a team on the pitch at that point. Not too many opening day shockers in my time for us that I recall anyway.

 

[Laker]

You still had a bigger budget then us.

We probably did. But on coming out of administration on 22nd July, we had four players on our books. Newman cobbled together a squad of sorts so it was expected that we’d lose the first game. The fact we managed to beat favourites Hereford in our first home game and went on to finish 12th can only be described as a minor miracle in my opinion.

Going back a bit, we had an absolute stormer at Grimsby in 1991 where we won 4-3 in the second tier (we’d both been promoted the previous season). Danny O’Shea - what a legend.

We had Wrexham away twice in a row a few years and lost both times from what I remember. The Plymouth home game is he most memorable for me of recent home games though we did also beat Halifax 5-1 in 2013.

Edit: re Grimsby, I should really read all posts before posting....

 

[Sydney Posse]

In August 1983 we appointed Gerry Francis as our manager with a touch of media frenzy in sleepy Devon. He was going to be our saviour and big things were just around the corner, and he was going to take us out of the old 3rd division at the 1st attempt............opening game of the season saw us lose 1-0 at home to Walsall........he kept his promise and we did leave division 3, only not the way we all hoped !

 

[King Kev]

In August 1983 we appointed Gerry Francis as our manager with a touch of media frenzy in sleepy Devon. He was going to be our saviour and big things were just around the corner, and he was going to take us out of the old 3rd division at the 1st attempt............opening game of the season saw us lose 1-0 at home to Walsall........he kept his promise and we did leave division 3, only not the way we all hoped !

Remarkable when you consider that he had a reasonable career in the top flight managing Spurs and QPR.

 

[Sydney Posse]

Remarkable when you consider that he had a reasonable career in the top flight managing Spurs and QPR.

Agreed, he did really well at Bristol Rovers as well. He managed 50 games for us and won a grand total of 6. It was his first managerial role so pretty surprising he got others !.

 

[Back in the DHSS]

My favourite opening day memory was at Brighton’s Goldstone ground in the old second division in 1991. Brighton were the previous seasons beaten play off finalists, whilst we had just come up via the playoffs.
John Aldridge was making his Tranmere debut after a £250,000 move from Real Sociedad and was greeted with a chorus of “what a waste of money” from Brighton’s faithful. Aldo netted twice as Rovers ran out easy 2-0 winners.
Wish we had £250,000 to spend on a striker nowadays.