SUMMARY
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| Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Ave Att: |
| 26 | 17 | 6 | 3 | 4,007 |
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Programme style for 1990/91. .
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There’s a big cover ad for Gordon Ford who were the main shirt sponsors for the season. This issue, for the Burnley game in September 1990. (We drew 2-2- with Mark Payne scoring both). The picture is of the programme for a game against them in 1985/86 and is the one featured in “Home Games 1986“
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PROMOTION – AFTER 21 YEARS
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After the heartache of the previous May, there was no adverse reaction, and we entered 1991 in 6th place, and with the fixture list leaving us with 26 games to play. It was going to be an interesting 4 months. The opening three games of the year were won, and things looked to be set fair. Paul A Williams, (signed on a free the previous summer, and Neil Matthews, (£70,000 from Halifax, pictured below), were beginning to make a real impression. Bergara brought in Andy Kilner, who had been playing in Sweden. He was someone I was aware of having seen him play at Hyde. It was the final piece in the jigsaw. Kilner made a sensational full debut, scoring twice against Wrexham.
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Neil Matthews – played a huge role, scoring in 6 consecutive games
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There then followed a dip in form with only one win in the next 7 league games. That was at Lincoln, a milestone game which gave County fans their first sighting of Kevin Francis. The tide was turned with a win on a long mid-week trip to Maidstone. Williams, having hit the target 8 times since the turn of the year caught the eye of WBA manager, Bobby Gould, and moved to the Hawthorns. It was a tidy profit of £250,000. The challenge of losing the top scorer was met by Matthews and Francis, (who had started uncertainly and took 8 appearances to get off the mark).
But as April dawned, there was still much to do. Whilst in the play-off spots nobody at EP fancied another dalliance with them. Automatic promotion had to be the target. And the team stepped up in fine style. 7 wins from the next 8 games left us with a final day meeting with Scunthorpe at Edgeley knowing that a win would secure promotion, and possibly the title should Darlington and Blackpool not win. It was an afternoon of high excitement, and eventual triumph. A 5 goal rout ensued, and whilst Darlo got the victory which gave them the title, we were promoted, thus ending a 21 year stay in the bottom tier.
Looking back now, after a gap of 29 years, that period in April and early May was sensational. 8 wins in 9 games; 25 goals scored, (with Matthews scoring in 6 consecutive matches and getting 10 in total; Francis for good measure added 5 and Kilner 4); only 9 goals conceded.
The celebrations were loud and long. We could look forward to Division 3 football. The change that Bergara had made in two short years was staggering. Those of us who had struggled thought the 70’s and 80’s were beyond delighted. It was a good summer!
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MAKING AN IMPACT IN DIVISION 3
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The team for the opening day of the 1991/92 campaign was virtually unchanged from that which had beaten Scunthorpe. The only addition in the starting XI was Peter Ward, although Bergara had also brought in Paul Wheeler, who was to play a useful squad role during the season. Swansea were put to the sword, making it the second 5-0 home win on the bounce.
The first 5 league games brought 13 points, before a reverse at WBA, (where Paul A Williams, almost inevitably got the winner!). A further defeat, this time at Exeter, resulted in Bergara going to Leeds and bringing in Neil Edwards, an inspired signing, and someone who was to give great service over the following 5 years.
Kilner, however, was on the way out. A missed penalty at St Andrews was followed by an early bath for him, as we went down, almost without a whimper. He had burst on the scene at the New Year, and played his last full game on the Boxing Day. It was only a year’s playing career at EP, but he provided an impetus in the promotion chase, and scored one of the goals of the decade, never mind the season, against Torquay. (Check out the video in the list below).
At Preston on Boxing Day we were introduced to Andy Preece, signed for £15,000 from Wrexham. The pairing of Preece and Francis had been formed, and was of course to have a great impact over the next couple of years.
Four wins from the next 11 games took us to the end of the year. It had been a decent first half of the season in Division 3. We lay 6th and hopes were high of a double promotion.
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Back to 1990 Forward to 1992 Home Games Summary Page Away Games 1991..
THE HOME GAMES I SAW THIS YEAR
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| Day | Date | Competition | Tier / Round | Opponents | Res | F | A | Crowd | Home Game |
| Tue | 01/01/91 | Barclays League Division 4 | Tier 4 | Gillingham | D | 1 | 1 | 2,859 | 354 |
| Fri | 04/01/91 (Highlights) | Barclays League Division 4 | Tier 4 | Wrexham | W | 2 | 0 | 3,264 | 355 |
| Tue | 08/01/91 (Highlights) | Leyland Daf Cup | Northern Preliminary Round | Burnley | D | 1 | 1 | 1,707 | 356 |
| Fri | 18/01/91 (Highlights) | Barclays League Division 4 | Tier 4 | Halifax Town | W | 5 | 1 | 4,030 | 357 |
| Tue | 26/02/91 | Barclays League Division 4 | Tier 4 | Cardiff City | D | 1 | 1 | 3,376 | 358 |
| Fri | 08/03/91 | Barclays League Division 4 | Tier 4 | Scarborough | D | 2 | 2 | 3,172 | 359 |
| Sat | 16/03/91 | Barclays League Division 4 | Tier 4 | Hereford United | W | 4 | 2 | 2,569 | 360 |
| Tue | 26/03/91 | Barclays League Division 4 | Tier 4 | Rochdale | W | 3 | 0 | 3,697 | 361 |
| Fri | 29/03/91 | Barclays League Division 4 | Tier 4 | Hartlepool United | L | 1 | 3 | 5,217 | 362 |
| Sat | 06/04/91 (Highlights) | Barclays League Division 4 | Tier 4 | Chesterfield | W | 3 | 1 | 3,044 | 363 |
| Tue | 09/04/91 (Highlights) | Barclays League Division 4 | Tier 4 | Northampton Town | W | 2 | 0 | 3,707 | 364 |
| Fri | 19/04/91 | Barclays League Division 4 | Tier 4 | Aldershot | W | 3 | 2 | 4,422 | 365 |
| Tue | 23/04/91 (Highlights) | Barclays League Division 4 | Tier 4 | Torquay United | W | 2 | 1 | 4,466 | 366 |
| Sat | 11/05/91 (Highlights) | Barclays League Division 4 | Tier 4 | Scunthorpe United | W | 5 | 0 | 6,212 | 367 |
| Sat | 17/08/91 (Highlights) | Barclays League Division 3 | Tier 3 | Swansea City | W | 5 | 0 | 4,241 | 368 |
| Tue | 20/08/91 | Rumbelows Cup | Round 1 (1st Leg) | Bradford City | D | 1 | 1 | 3,834 | 369 |
| Fri | 30/08/91 | Barclays League Division 3 | Tier 3 | Preston North End | W | 2 | 0 | 5,405 | 370 |
| Fri | 06/09/91 | Barclays League Division 3 | Tier 3 | Torquay United | W | 2 | 1 | 5,138 | 371 |
| Sat | 21/09/91 | Barclays League Division 3 | Tier 3 | Bury | W | 2 | 0 | 5,083 | 372 |
| Sat | 05/10/91 | Barclays League Division 3 | Tier 3 | Bradford City | W | 4 | 1 | 5,825 | 373 |
| Fri | 18/10/91 (Highlights) | Barclays League Division 3 | Tier 3 | Chester City | L | 0 | 4 | 4,838 | 374 |
| Tue | 05/11/91 | Barclays League Division 3 | Tier 3 | Bolton Wanderers | D | 2 | 2 | 5,036 | 375 |
| Sat | 16/11/91 (Highlights) | FA Cup | Round 1 | Lincoln City | W | 3 | 1 | 3,864 | 376 |
| Tue | 26/11/91 (Highlights) | Barclays League Division 3 | Tier 3 | Shrewsbury Town | L | 1 | 4 | 3,650 | 377 |
| Sat | 14/12/91 | Barclays League Division 3 | Tier 3 | Peterborough United | W | 3 | 0 | 2,768 | 378 |
| Fri | 20/12/91 | Barclays League Division 3 | Tier 3 | Leyton Orient | W | 1 | 0 | 2,745 | 379 |
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