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After a proud Football League history the fall into non-league had not proved to be an easy transition. The first season at Tier 5 had seen a 16th place finish – way below even the most pessimistic assumptions when we had set out on the campaign at Forest Green. Jim Gannon had made many changes since coming back in November 2011, and when the 2012/13 season started with two wins hopes were raised. It had been a travail after that though. Up until the turn of the year another 21 games had seen only 4 wins. Things had changed off the field with the break-up of original 2015 Group which had seen the exit from administration. The Club was operating with only three directors, and with one of them, (Kevan Taylor), seemingly only a passive presence the Board was effectively comprised of Peter Snape and Spencer Fearn who had arrived at the start of 2012. (Much more about the off the field management of the Club can be seen on “Beyond Administration: 2011-12”).

The form had caused the dissenters to emerge, and Snape’s infamous rant after a defeat at Woking in early December led me to wonder if Gannon’s days were numbered. Not that I believed they should be but the form was awful to be perfectly honest. A win at Hyde on New Years Day assuaged things slightly, but what was, to anybody’s eye, a pasting down at the Abbey Stadium left us coming into a home game with high flying Mansfield knowing that turn around was needed, and sooner rather than later.

The afternoon of the game saw the announcement that a new Chief Executive had been appointed. Those of us who kept an eye on things, and could view them objectively, watched on aghast as Ryan McKnight was introduced. I couldn’t believe my ears – all the nonsense that I had railed about in my working life was crystallised into it. It was Management Psychobabble, (aka bullshit), from start to finish.

Five hours later we played Mansfield at EP. Danny Hattersley missed an early penalty; the Stags rifled in three before half-time and we went down 3-1. It left us 21st in the table, (in the relegation zone but with games in hand).

Within the hour news had broken that Gannon had been fired. My feeling that had been there since Snape’s infamous rant after the defeat at Woking in December had come to fruition. Tales had emerged that his budget was continually being cut as the season unfolded, and certainly the performances on the field left lots to be desired. Equally, it was no secret that McKnight had been hanging around in the background for a few weeks. In hindsight, I can only come to the conclusion that the appointment of McKnight emboldened the two man Board of Fearn and Snape, (Kevan Taylor seemingly had little influence or interest by this point. His role was solely as Kennedy’s eyes and ears). They must have been seduced, or entranced by this corporate bullshit speak that came from him, plus of course the promises that his contacts would turn things around.

It’s fair to say that Day One of the McKnight era set the scene for the surreal events of the next few months.

In summary we saw a Bosnian manager with no experience of English football, (never mind the non-league variety), come and go; countless players sourced from McKnight’s contact book arrive; ludicrous decisions to let reasonable if not earth shattering players go; the arrival of another manager, (one who had turned down the opportunity to be Kalezic’s assistant); and then relegation into the 6th Tier on a day of infamy at Kidderminster.

There is not a scintilla of doubt in my mind that 15th January 2013 saw two decisions which condemned County to 6 seasons of regional football. The sacking of a manager who, despite the poorish performance that season, would have maintained our National League status. Not a doubt for me. And then the appointment of someone with no experience who was effectively given free reign over all things – it was disastrous from the off.

A true ‘lowlight’ game – and one of the very darkest days in the whole of my 57 years following the Hatters.

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Memories of trips to Field Mill

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THE GAMES

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Where the date is in bold click for highlights of the game

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	Date	Venue	Ground	Competition		F	A	Att:
Sat	06/12/80	a	Field Mill	Football League Division 4 (Tier 4)	L	0	1	2,808
Fri	01/05/81	h	Edgeley Park	Football League Division 4 (Tier 4)	W	2	1	2,236
Fri	30/10/81	h	Edgeley Park	Football League Division 4 (Tier 4)	W	3	0	2,081
Sat	20/03/82	a	Field Mill	Football League Division 4 (Tier 4)	D	2	2	2,161
Sat	04/12/82	a	Field Mill	Football League Division 4 (Tier 4)	L	0	1	1,662
Fri	08/04/83	h	Edgeley Park	Football League Division 4 (Tier 4)	D	1	1	2,202
Tues	06/09/83	a	Field Mill	Canon League Division 4 (Tier 4)	W	2	1	2,167
Fri	06/04/84	h	Edgeley Park	Canon League Division 4 (Tier 4)	L	0	4	1,933
Sat	22/09/84	h	Edgeley Park	Canon League Division 4 (Tier 4)	D	1	1	1,635
Wed	17/04/85	a	Field Mill	Canon League Division 4 (Tier 4)	L	0	1	1,903
Thurs	26/12/85	a	Field Mill	Canon League Division 4 (Tier 4)	L	2	4	4,206
Mon	31/03/86	h	Edgeley Park	Canon League Division 4 (Tier 4)	L	0	2	4,635
Sat	10/10/92	a	Field Mill	Barclays League Division 2 (Tier 3)	L	0	2	3,840
Fri	26/02/93	h	Edgeley Park	Barclays League Division 2 (Tier 3)	L	0	1	5,307
Sat	07/12/96	a	Field Mill	FA Cup (Round 2)	W	3	0	3,354
Tues	12/08/97	a	Field Mill	Coca-Cola Cup (Round 1 – 1st Leg)	L	2	4	2,170
Tue	26/08/97	h	Edgeley Park	Coca-Cola Cup (Round 1 (2nd Leg))	W	6	3	2,840
Mon	26/08/02	h	Edgeley Park	Nationwide Football League – Division 2 (Tier 3)	W	2	0	5,190
Thurs	26/12/02	a	Field Mill	Nationwide Football League – Division 2 (Tier 3)	L	2	4	6,434
Tues	14/10/03	a	Field Mill	LDV Vans Trophy (Northern Round 1)	W	2	1	3,718
Sat	26/11/05	a	Field Mill	Coca-Cola Football League – League 2 (Tier 4)	L	1	2	2,994
Sat	12/08/06	a	Field Mill	Coca-Cola Football League – League 2 (Tier 4)	D	1	1	3,856
Sat	10/02/07	h	Edgeley Park	Coca-Cola Football League – League 2 (Tier 4)	W	1	0	5,656
Sat	01/09/07	a	Field Mill	Coca-Cola Football League – League 2 (Tier 4)	L	2	4	2,747
Wed	09/04/08	h	Edgeley Park	Coca-Cola Football League – League 2 (Tier 4)	W	2	1	4,982
Mon	29/08/11	h	Edgeley Park	Blue Square Bet Premier (Tier 5)	L	0	1	3,571
Mon	09/04/12	a	Field Mill	Blue Square Bet Premier (Tier 5)	L	1	2	3,883
Tue	15/01/13	h	Edgeley Park	Blue Square Bet Premier (Tier 5)	L	1	3	2,647
Sat	09/03/13	a	Field Mill	Blue Square Bet Premier (Tier 5)	L	1	4	2,628

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