SUMMARY

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Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Ave Att:
23	9	9	5	2,646

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It was back to a portrait format after the one season trial with the landscape edition. This issue is the for the season opener against Swansea, and features the squad picture for the season. (A bigger version of this can be seen on the Home Games: 1987 page)

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BOXING DAY. TORQUAY AWAY, 11.00 KO

WHO DREAMS THIS NONSENSE UP?

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The New Year started much as the old one had finished. A thumping at Tranmere on NYD; a point at home to Rochdale 24 hours later, and an exit from the FA Cup at the hands of Leyton. The excitement of reaching the 3rd Round for the first time in 9 years disappeared on a dank afternoon. Hopes had been high – after all we were playing a team in the same Division. But we hardly competed on the day. It hardly got better. A single win in the first 10 game of the year tells the tale. But that was against rock-bottom Newport who were 10 points adrift at the foot of the table. On March 1st they were the only side holding us off the table bottom.

Five wins in the next 7 games, (including away triumphs as Hereford and Hartlepool), eased matters, by which time we had a 26 point cushion and survival in the 4th Tier was assured. It led to a real fall away in form, with the last 5 games being rewarded with only 3 points before a sorry campaign closed at Scarborough.

Hartford recruited in the summer, with the side for the season opener introducing us to Brian Butler; Nigel Hart; and Rodger Wylde. Making a second debut for the Hatters were Andy Gorton and Tony Coyle, who returned to EP after a two year spell at Chesterfield. I was playing cricket as we took the field at Feethams, and was amazed when coming off for tea to find that we had won 4-1. Maybe the tide had turned? Sadly not, as but a single win in the next 10 league games left us in 20th spot as the end of October beckoned. By that point crowds were struggling to break 2,000. There was the respite of wins over Hartlepool; Grimsby and York but it was still pretty grim fare as we exited the FA Cup at Scarborough.

I note that one of those wins was against Hartlepool. Games against them always seemed to be full of goals. There were 6-0 wins, (in 1977 and 1989); a 5-0, (1994), and on another 5 occasions we scored three or more. Looking back through my records they provided the opposition on more occasions, (26), together with Crewe, than any of the other 170+ teams I have seen turn out at EP.

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Rodger Wylde in the middle, flanked by Dave Jones and Brendan Elwood

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Rodger Wylde had shown his pedigree though. By the turn of the year he’d been on target 11 times. Little were we to know at that point that it was the beginning of an association with the Hatters which would last 26 years. He was of course physio throughout the Bergara years; the promotion and Championship spell, and stayed with us until Conference North days before moving to Chesterfield as ‘Head of Sports Science and Medicine’ in July 2014. He became a legend at the Club and was rightfully rewarded with a place in the County Hall of Fame.

I’ve often raised eyebrows at the fixture compilers. The range of nonsensical fixtures they come up with is legion. But they excelled themselves at the end of 1988. We literally travelled the length of the country. A Boxing Day 11.00am kick off at Torquay and then on New Years Eve we were despatched to Carlisle. Madness!! A point at Brunton Park was only the 6th since a win over York in early November, It left us in lower mid-table, with Colchester rock bottom, but a grim spring for Darlington saw them take the trip to the Conference.

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Back to 1987 Forward to 1989 Home Games Summary Page Away Games 1988

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THE HOME GAMES I SAW THIS YEAR

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Day	Date	Competition	Tier / Round	Opponents	Res	F	A	Crowd	Home Game
Sat	02/01/88	Barclays League Division 4	Tier 4	Rochdale	D	1	1	2,441	279
Sat	09/01/88	FA Cup	Round 3	Leyton Orient	L	1	2	4,243	280
Fri	29/01/88	Barclays League Division 4	Tier 4	Newport County	W	5	1	2,509	281
Fri	12/02/88	Barclays League Division 4	Tier 4	Bolton Wanderers	L	1	2	4,814	282
Tue	01/03/88	Barclays League Division 4	Tier 4	Scunthorpe United	D	1	1	1,834	283
Fri	04/03/88	Barclays League Division 4	Tier 4	Halifax Town	W	1	0	2,171	284
Fri	18/03/88	Barclays League Division 4	Tier 4	Burnley	W	2	0	4,423	285
Mon	04/04/88	Barclays League Division 4	Tier 4	Exeter City	W	2	1	2,161	286
Tue	19/04/88	Barclays League Division 4	Tier 4	Darlington	D	1	1	1,620	287
Fri	22/04/88	Barclays League Division 4	Tier 4	Crewe Alexandra	D	1	1	2,090	288
Mon	02/05/88	Barclays League Division 4	Tier 4	Cambridge United	L	0	2	1,842	289
Mon	29/08/88	Littlewoods Challenge Cup	Round 1 (1st Leg)	Tranmere Rovers	L	0	1	2,602	290
Sat	03/09/88	Barclays League Division 4	Tier 4	Leyton Orient	D	0	0	1,947	291
Fri	16/09/88 (Highlights)	Barclays League Division 4	Tier 4	Burnley	D	0	0	6,676	292
Mon	19/09/88	Barclays League Division 4	Tier 4	Halifax Town	D	1	1	2,206	293
Sat	01/10/88	Barclays League Division 4	Tier 4	Doncaster Rovers	W	2	0	1,959	294
Sat	15/10/88	Barclays League Division 4	Tier 4	Hereford United	L	1	2	2,035	295
Mon	24/10/88	Barclays League Division 4	Tier 4	Hartlepool United	W	3	0	2,098	296
Sat	05/11/88	Barclays League Division 4	Tier 4	Grimsby Town	W	3	1	2,064	297
Fri	11/11/88	Barclays League Division 4	Tier 4	York City	W	3	2	2,477	298
Fri	25/11/88	Barclays League Division 4	Tier 4	Tranmere Rovers	D	1	1	2,958	299
Mon	28/11/88	Freight Rover Trophy	Preliminary Round	Crewe Alexandra	D	1	1	1,328	300
Sat	17/12/88	Barclays League Division 4	Tier 4	Lincoln City	W	1	0	2,355	301