We played our last home game of the 1988/89 season against Hull, with Mark Yates scoring the only goal in front of 4,686. The second division had been extended to 24 clubs, and we were relegated to the third tier for the first time in our history after finishing 23rd, four points ahead of Walsall. Samesh Kumar had just replaced Ken Wheldon as chairman, and Dave McKay had just replaced Garry Pendrey as manager. Our average attendance was 6,289, and our top scorer was Steve Whitton with 6 goals, followed by Colin Robinson with 5. Seven days later, our game at Crystal Palace would turn out to be an eventful day.
It would have been interesting to see the comments if social media was around then!
Steve Whitton was one of my favourite players.
Colin Robinson not so much.
God those really were the darkest of days, makes today look like a cake-walk. Regularly conceded 4/5 goals in games all season (got beat 5-0 at Walsall)! Blues relegated by March and Steve Whitton our only decent player had already been sold to Sheff Wednesday. Crumbling stadium, no money, forced to play the kids.
Yet hope springs eternal, within two years we'd visited Wembley with 40K + fans and won the DAF Cup, within three years we won promotion back to the second tier. The thing keeping me sane at the moment is the knowledge we have owners who have the money and are serious about investing in the team and stadium.
I was playing in those days. That was one of the few games I made that season.
Was pretty grim at the time. You literally had no one near you on the Kop.
Some of the humour was good but it was a pretty depressing experience after the 70s when the ground was usually pretty full.
We were relegated at Barnsley on 15 April 1989.
With 6 games to spare.
We won 3 games after we were relegated to overtake Walsall.
The Swindon game after Hillsborough was the most subdued game I've ever been to. A 90% empty ground, we'd just been relegated and the disaster was fresh. It wasn't certain the midweek games would go ahead. It made the atmosphere on Saturday seem like a party.
Steve Whitton what a player at the time š
Ian Rogerson was one of only a couple of shinning lights in what was an horrific period for the club.
The crowds were so low me and my dad would turn up 5 minutes before kick off and park on the road right outside the cop just over the waste ground and still make it the the centre of the cop for kick off.
Matthew fox, Dean peer, Guy Russell of the local lads add in Trevor aylott and Martin hicks and Kevan Langley, Roger handsbury, Nicky platneur boy we were really shit them days.
We have so much going for us knowadays it really frustrates me the bed wetting from our fans.
Get behind the owners and the team next year is gonna be class
Whitton was injured for much of 1988-89.
Then we sold him and Wigley.
We were going down anyway. That was clear from early on that season.
No false hope we might stay up.
Our highest position that season was 22nd. We had just two home league games with attendances in excess of 10,000 - namely Man City (11,701) and Baggies (10,453)
WolvobluenoseWe played our last home game of the 1988/89 season against Hull, with Mark Yates scoring the only goal in front of 4,686. The second division had been extended to 24 clubs, and we were relegated to the third tier for the first time in our history after finishing 23rd, four points ahead of Walsall. Samesh Kumar had just replaced Ken Wheldon as chairman, and Dave McKay had just replaced Garry Pendrey as manager. Our average attendance was 6,289, and our top scorer was Steve Whitton with 6 goals, followed by Colin Robinson with 5. Seven days later, our game at Crystal Palace would turn out to be an eventful day.
It would have been interesting to see the comments if social media was around then!
I know itās been said so many times before. But THIS era was far crappier than now.
Losing 3-1 at home to Oldham?
Roger Hansbury in goal?
The fans clubbing together to buy Brian Roberts?
A good attendance was 6,000 or so?
The only decent player we had was Steve Whitton.
We are lucky to be able to look forward and see a bright future. In 1988, it came close to having no future at all
As crap as those days were I loved em, home and away every game on the beer, gallows humour in abundance.
The mention of Colin Robinson did make me shudder thoughš
4,686 is a fairly small attendance but I was fairly convinced the attendances were much higher than the official numbers given.
I donāt disagree with that.
It was always the case back then though. Iāve been in the Kop couldnāt move and the attendance was given say 44,000 you thought how could they get another 8,000 or so in.
Cash was king
That was a good Oldham team at the time. Andy Ritchie,Roger Palmer,Rick Holden,Earl Barrett and I think John Sheridan was in it as well. They beat us 4-0 at their place and it might have been the same year they should have beat Man Utd in the fa cup semi.
WolvobluenoseWe played our last home game of the 1988/89 season against Hull, with Mark Yates scoring the only goal in front of 4,686. The second division had been extended to 24 clubs, and we were relegated to the third tier for the first time in our history after finishing 23rd, four points ahead of Walsall. Samesh Kumar had just replaced Ken Wheldon as chairman, and Dave McKay had just replaced Garry Pendrey as manager. Our average attendance was 6,289, and our top scorer was Steve Whitton with 6 goals, followed by Colin Robinson with 5. Seven days later, our game at Crystal Palace would turn out to be an eventful day.
It would have been interesting to see the comments if social media was around then!
Back when Bar8 had a skittle alley in it š