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SUMMARY
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| Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Ave Att: |
| 28 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 4,983 |
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Programme style – 2006/07
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Adam Le Fondre featured on the front of this issue which was for a 3-0 win against Rochdale in mid February. Since Jim Gannon had taken over 6 weeks previously Le Fondre had been an almost permanent fixture on the substitute’s bench. Maybe a sign of things to come for a player regarded by many as a natural scorer.
He moved on to Rochdale within the year, after notching 20 times for the Hatters. Still playing in Australia, he has had a fine career. That can’t be taken away from him, but sadly his gestures towards County fans in the game at the Don Valley in early 2011 did him no favours whatsoever.
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GANNON IN CHARGE – THE RECOVERY BEGINS
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Jim Gannon took charge of the Hatters for the first time in the home game against Cheltenham on 2nd January, in a caretaker capacity. The impact he made, with a draw against Cheltenham and a win at Spotland, (albeit that we exited the cup at the hands of Brentford), led to him being appointed permanently in time for the home game against Rushden on 21st January, the second, and last, time they visited EP in their short 5 year stint in the FL.
I look at his record in those first few weeks and come to the conclusion that a fundamental element of management is the ability to not only organise players but also to motivate them. There was no great exodus of existing and influx of new players – essentially he inherited those that Turner had gathered together, and who before Christmas had looked a complete ragbag on the field, and moulded them into a team that had purpose, and more importantly a desire to compete. Dickinson, signed in the dying embers of Turner’s reign made an instant impact, coming off the bench to put us into the lead against Cheltenham, only to be cruelly deprived of what would have been the 3rd league won of the season with a late, late equaliser from the Robins.
Other than the introduction of Dickinson, and the loan signing from Oldham of Adam Griffin, there were no other new faces until mid February when he bolstered the defence with David Beharall, (from Carlisle), and Mark Hughes, on loan from Everton. Things were working and County fans had raised hopes of beating the spectre of relegation. By the end of February the 6 point gap from safety after the Macclesfield debacle had been more than eroded and we had climbed out of the bottom two, with Rushden and Torquay below us. We had picked up 17 points since the New Year, more than doubling the previous tally.
In the first sign of Gannon’s approach to dealing with players by moving them on quickly when there was a breakdown in relationships, Jermaine Easter had left for Wycombe, after an unsavoury couple of weeks where he hawked himself around to a couple of other clubs. We were to see this many times in the future.
Gareth Owen, captain at Wembley in 2008, was summarily despatched after an altercation at Whaddon Road not so long afterwards. Gannon made an instant impact at Motherwell, by identifying the trouble causers, and Port Vale fans will long remember the incidents with Geoff Horsfield. And on returning to EP for a second spell in November 2011, there was the classic ‘social loafers’ comment which led to a fairly swift parting of the ways with a fair few of the players that Hamman had brought in. Gannon demands loyalty, and the recognition of the manager / player relationship – it’s a trait which he has displayed through the years, and is still there today.
The 11 games from the beginning of March, (which had also seen the introduction of Jason Taylor, initially on loan from Oldham), brought 18 points. There had been good wins, including three in a row for the first time since 2003, but also a singularly depressing 4-0 reverse at Torquay. It was a game played on a Tuesday evening, after the original fixture had been postponed a matter of minuted before the scheduled start. That was the furthest I have ever been and not seen a game – Jeff and I pulled up outside Plainmoor, only to be told the sorry news. We didn’t even get out of the car, but instead retraced our steps for a fruitless 500+ mile round trip!!
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THE DAY OF THE GREAT ESCAPE – 6TH MAY 2006
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After all this progress it came down to the last day. The equation was simple – County had to equal or better Oxford’s result, (they were playing Leyton at home who needed a win to claim the last promotion spot). Rushden could mathematically escape, but were far too reliant on too many other teams. A loss for County and an Oxford win would see us go down. It effectively came down to Oxford or County for the drop. Oxford might have had a tough task, but County had to face Champions elect Carlisle. It was an afternoon of high drama and unbelievable tension at EP, where attention was paid not only to the action on the field but also the radio reports emerging from the Kassam Stadium.
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May 6th 2006
The Great Escape achieved
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There is a comprehensive video of the afternoon’s events. County drew 0-0, and then came an agonising 5 minute wait, as the game at Oxford, where the score was then 2-2, had not finished. As usual, (and as at Halifax some 16 years previously!), ‘fake news’ swept around the ground that it had finished all square at the Kassam. The celebrations started, but prematurely, they were still playing. I preferred to rely on Tony Lawrenson, Jeff’s son, who had a radio glued to his ear. He kept up a running commentary, and when he launched himself into the air with the news that Leyton had secured a late winner the celebrations started in earnest.
Gannon had masterminded an escape that no-one who had stood on the terraces at the Moss Rose four and a bit months previously could ever have dreamed possible. As the fans, (and the crowd that day was 10,006 – bettered only once in the 14 years since), spilled onto the streets of Edgeley the hope was that the summer would put in place a team which could reverse the 6 year slide from grace since Millennium Eve.
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PREPARING FOR 2006/07 – ON AND OFF THE FIELD
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The Trust had taken ownership in the middle of 2005. Their first season had seen an almighty struggle on the pitch, and off it the challenge of running a Club was met in the summer of 2006 by the appointment of Keith Agar as Managing Director and Norman Beverley, who had been acting Chairman was confirmed in the role. Agar had had a chequered career in football having been previously connected with Middlesbrough, Bradford City, Darlington and Doncaster Rovers. He had also been involved at Gretna the club which flew high from the lower reaches of Scottish football; reached the heights and then ‘Icarus like’ plummeted to earth.
Beverley was to remain in the role for a couple of years, but to me it always looked like he was a mere puppet for Mark Maguire, certainly in the latter days. Agar’s connection was far briefer. By Christmas he had resigned, claiming his position had been undermined by the other Directors, and a somewhat messy situation arose with claims and counter claims. The unrest behind the scenes didn’t bode well.
Gannon had prepared for the new season by bringing in Gareth Owen, (on a season long loan from Oldham). He impressed sufficiently to be the Player of the Year before signing permanently before the 2007/08 season. We were also introduced to Michael Rose from Yeovil, and Jason Taylor signed a permanent deal, and there was a welcome back for Tony Dinning 6 years after he had left the Park. In the intervening period he had turned out for 8 clubs! For the fans it was good to see someone who had played an important role in the 1996/97 team again. Gannon clearly valued the attributes he could bring, having been part of the same team 10 years previously.
We also had an early view of the striking qualities of Glenn Murray, (currently of course still turning out in the Premier League for Brighton), who had a 2 month spell from Carlisle. After 2 games of the season Adam Griffin, similarly to Taylor, returned from Oldham, this time permanently.
It was a poor start. Eight games in, only 5 points and an absolute trouncing at the hands of Derby in the League Cup. The doubters began to wonder whether Gannon’s success the previous season was just a flash in the pan. A 5-2 home win over Wrexham turned the tide. (Adam Le Fondre hit 4 – the first County player to get a quartet since Brett Angell against Hartlepool 17 years previously. Since then only Matty Warburton – against Truro in early 2019 has emulated this).
Starting with the Wrexham win the 17 League games to the end of the year brought 30 points, and left us in 9th place but a long way, (18 points behind leaders Walsall. There had been progress in the FA Cup with wins over Exeter and Wycombe.
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Stephen Gleeson
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The first of those games saw a County debut for a player who is unquestionably one of my favourites over the years. An unused sub the previous week against Lincoln, Stephen Gleeson, (above), emerged at St James Park, on loan from Wolves. He immediately became a fans favourite. An all action midfielder, with more than a modicum of skill, he made a real difference. At the time he was only 18, but seemed so much older in football terms. He was with us until February 2007, when on his last appearance before returning to Molineux he received a standing ovation from the travelling support at Edgar Street. He did of course return twice more, and played a crucial role in the run to the Wembley play-off win in 2008.
In all the seasons since then it has been received wisdom that Gannon’s teams always have a better second half of the season. 2006/07 was the first instance of this – the period from January to early May 2007 provided many highs as we fought our way into play-off contention. But more of that in Home Games: 2007
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Back to 2005 Forward to 2007 Home Games Summary Page Away Games 2006..
THE HOME GAMES I SAW THIS YEAR
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| Day | Date | Competition | Tier / Round | Opponents | Res | F | A | Crowd | Home Game |
| Mon | 02/01/06 (Highlights) | Coca-Cola Football League – League 2 | Tier 4 | Cheltenham Town | D | 2 | 2 | 3,777 | 755 |
| Sat | 07/01/06 (Highlights) | FA Cup | Round 3 | Brentford | L | 2 | 3 | 4,078 | 756 |
| Sat | 21/01/06 | Coca-Cola Football League – League 2 | Tier 4 | Rushden & Diamonds | D | 2 | 2 | 4,574 | 757 |
| Tue | 24/01/06 | Coca-Cola Football League – League 2 | Tier 4 | Grimsby Town | W | 2 | 1 | 3,860 | 758 |
| Tue | 31/01/06 | Coca-Cola Football League – League 2 | Tier 4 | Torquay United | D | 1 | 1 | 4,455 | 759 |
| Sat | 04/02/06 (Highlights) | Coca-Cola Football League – League 2 | Tier 4 | Lincoln City | L | 2 | 3 | 4,506 | 760 |
| Tue | 14/02/06 (Highlights) | Coca-Cola Football League – League 2 | Tier 4 | Rochdale | W | 3 | 0 | 4,312 | 761 |
| Sat | 25/02/06 | Coca-Cola Football League – League 2 | Tier 4 | Boston United | L | 0 | 1 | 5,133 | 762 |
| Sat | 11/03/06 | Coca-Cola Football League – League 2 | Tier 4 | Oxford United | W | 2 | 1 | 4,424 | 763 |
| Sat | 18/03/06 | Coca-Cola Football League – League 2 | Tier 4 | Macclesfield Town | W | 2 | 0 | 6,003 | 764 |
| Sat | 01/04/06 | Coca-Cola Football League – League 2 | Tier 4 | Bury | L | 0 | 1 | 6,014 | 765 |
| Sat | 15/04/06 | Coca-Cola Football League – League 2 | Tier 4 | Wrexham | W | 2 | 1 | 4,750 | 766 |
| Sat | 22/04/06 | Coca-Cola Football League – League 2 | Tier 4 | Shrewsbury Town | W | 3 | 1 | 5,831 | 767 |
| Sat | 06/05/06 (Highlights) | Coca-Cola Football League – League 2 | Tier 4 | Carlisle United | D | 0 | 0 | 10,006 | 768 |
| Sat | 05/08/06 (Highlights) | Coca-Cola Football League – League 2 | Tier 4 | Hereford United | L | 0 | 2 | 5,297 | 769 |
| Fri | 18/08/06 | Coca-Cola Football League – League 2 | Tier 4 | Accrington Stanley | D | 1 | 1 | 5,291 | 770 |
| Tue | 22/08/06 | Carling Cup | Round 1 | Derby County | L | 0 | 1 | 3,394 | 771 |
| Sun | 03/09/06 | Coca-Cola Football League – League 2 | Tier 4 | Bristol Rovers | W | 2 | 1 | 4,846 | 772 |
| Tue | 12/09/06 | Coca-Cola Football League – League 2 | Tier 4 | Shrewsbury Town | L | 0 | 3 | 4,089 | 773 |
| Sat | 30/09/06 | Coca-Cola Football League – League 2 | Tier 4 | Peterborough United | L | 0 | 1 | 4,775 | 774 |
| Sat | 07/10/06 | Coca-Cola Football League – League 2 | Tier 4 | Barnet | W | 2 | 0 | 4,133 | 775 |
| Sat | 21/10/06 | Coca-Cola Football League – League 2 | Tier 4 | Torquay United | W | 1 | 0 | 4,663 | 776 |
| Sat | 04/11/06 (Highlights) | Coca-Cola Football League – League 2 | Tier 4 | Lincoln City | W | 2 | 0 | 5,497 | 777 |
| Sat | 25/11/06 | Coca-Cola Football League – League 2 | Tier 4 | Macclesfield Town | D | 1 | 1 | 6,575 | 778 |
| Fri | 01/12/06 (Highlights) | FA Cup | Round 2 | Wycombe Wanderers | W | 2 | 1 | 3,821 | 779 |
| Sat | 09/12/06 (Highlights) | Coca-Cola Football League – League 2 | Tier 4 | Darlington | W | 5 | 2 | 4,564 | 780 |
| Tue | 26/12/06 | Coca-Cola Football League – League 2 | Tier 4 | Notts County | W | 2 | 0 | 5,823 | 781 |
| Sat | 30/12/06 | Coca-Cola Football League – League 2 | Tier 4 | Grimsby Town | W | 3 | 0 | 5,032 | 782 |
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