The last League One campaign of 2010-2011 saw the archetypal Peterborough United of the MacAnthony era: a team that scored goals for fun, slayed giants, but that also haemorrhaged defensively, on an almost weekly basis.

The tail end of 2012-2013 saw a tightening up of the ship at the back (just ignore Crystal Palace please). Partly it seems due to the introduction of ex-Posh and Republic of Ireland centre back Gary Breen as a first-team coach, partly down to the exceptional performance of midfield enforcer turned rock at the centre of defence Michael Bostwick and partly down to the form of the seemingly Birmingham-bound Jack Payne.

This campaign, if the team goes into the season with most of the same side that finished our ill-fated Championship campaign, it COULD be more of the same as the 2010-2011 venture.

DMAC seems to want to see us play the diamond formation which succeeded, after the return of Fergie Jnr. in the second half of the 2010-2011 season, with ‘Lee Tomlin playing behind two pacey 30-goal a season strikers.’

Whether that comes to fruition is partly down to whether we can keep our grubby League One mitts on the tremendous talents of Lee Tomlin and Dwight Gayle, and if we can find somebody to partner the pesky ex-Stansted man up top as he comes face to face with the brutish defences of League One for the first time.

I’m in the camp of thought that it would take utterly stupid money for any club to pry Gayle or Tomlin from our grasp. So I fully expect to see them in Posh shirts for the upcoming promotion push. But in football anything can happen.

Whether Ferguson follows his fearless leader’s calls for a 4-1-2-1-2, is something which I won’t be dabbling into.

What I will be dipping my toes in to though, is how the expected departure’s gaps will be filled. Gabriel Zakuani and Tommy Rowe are two players on the transfer list, and whether it’s a good idea for their careers or not is hardly my business. However, how they are replaced in the 2013-2014 season, is something I am curious about.

Defence – Rowe and Zakuani to go?

Tommy Rowe at times last year was inspirational. Whether he had been secretly training with Gareth Bale is up for debate. But what is certain is that no current Posh player will be able to replicate his lung-busting 60-70m runs from deep which carved defences open at the mid-point of the season and won matches solely due to his contributions.

What Posh do have, is a young left back, who in our most despairing part of last season, plugged on and proved to be a more than a sturdy stopgap at Championship level, in the shape of Kgosi Nlthe.

Already he’s been called up for a full South African international squad. Against Brazil no less.

The diminutive youth-team graduate showed enough in his first full season, even with an almost season-ending injury, to merit the chance to make the troublesome Posh left back slot his own. Defensively solid, he will be comfortable in a back-four behind a flat bank of four and with the attacking instinct to be able to contribute width to a diamond formation and as the left sided wing back of a 5-3-2.

The Zakuani situation is even less of an issue. Whilst Gabby may be a firm fans’ favourite, with his Terrier baiting, Twitter banter and his general no-nonsense style of defending – he’s not the ball-playing defender that a Ferguson team craves. Michael Bostwick was the stand-out centre back last season as he was comfortable on the deck and the ground. A skillset which sadly, the ex-Potter, Zakuani lacks.

Waiting in the wings are the more than capable Shaun Brisley, Nathaniel Knight-Percival, Craig Alcock and perhaps even James Sage – all players who could fill the gap left by big Gabz, in any formation that Fergsuon chooses to tackle League One.

The seemingly imminent loss of Mark Little is disappointing, due to the Wolves trainee’s fantastic levels of effort in a Posh shirt over the last three and a half years. But again, ready to step in Posh have the capable, steady eddyish replacement in the shape of Craig Alcock and a more wildcard option in highly rated, though injury-plagued, wing-back Michael Richens, who we poached from Luton a few years back.

The defence, it seems is as sorted as a Posh backline will ever be. Olejnik proved to be comfortable at Championship level, and at League One I fully expect him to be one of the division’s best #1’s, and if he could work on his kicking over summer though, well that would be just fantastic.

Midfield – Posh’s Payne, Birmingham’s gain?

It’s in midfield that the saddest story of Posh’s off-season is most likely to emerge from – this being the inability to sign young loan-star Jack Payne whose displays after we plucked him from Gillingham, showed a maturity and a level of ability that belayed his tender age.

A midfield two of Grant McCann (contract renewal permitting), and Payne in League One was a perfect board to build attacks on and while Kane Ferdinand is still somewhat an unknown entity, providing energy and graft, Payne’s composure on the ball and ability to break up play seemed a perfect fit for the Posh midfield in League One – whether we went for a diamond, 3 centre backs(3-5-1-1), or a flat 4-4-2.

If we do go hell or glory again in League One, with the diamond formation, then wingers like Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Joe Newell may struggle for gametime in their preferred positions. As while they’re both capable of playing in multiple positions, somewhat awkwardly (Newell at LWB vs. Crystal Palace at home for example), their true callings lie out wide running at full-backs. However, if Posh go 4-4-2, then the Swanson’s, the Newell’s and the Mendez-Laing’s could find their level at League One, causing havoc to lumbering, ageing League One full-backs. A boy can dream surely?

Forwards – To trust in youth? How very Posh

Up front, as mentioned earlier, it is whether we can keep hold of Tomlin and Gayle which will be integral this summer. As receiving big fees for either would be fine for the club, but the search for a future 30-goal a season striker or creative force, willing to come to a recently relegated club, may in fact be difficult – no matter what our tremendous record of unearthing non-league gems is and our newfound financial clout.

Twitter tattle leads me to believe that many Posh fans see youth striking sensations Janaii Gordon-Hutton and Shaquille McDonald, as the future of Posh’s strike force. With their youth team record bordering on the ridiculous, it’s difficult to disagree.

However, the youth team, and first-team graft in League One week-in week-out are very different things. To pin a promotion push on the goals of these two starlets, could see fans disappointed and the careers of two young Posh products damaged in the process. Something which, with players of such promise I’m reluctant to vindicate.

Verdict

As it is so early in the club’s transfer dealings, it is extremely difficult to judge who will still be at the club, who we will bring in, and how we will eventually start the inaugural game of our season.

However, I’m going to have two speculative bashes. The first assuming that we hold onto the stars, and that the listed players leave and the second with a worst case scenario of our attacking force leaving and the transfer listed players leaving also. Here goes:

OR:

Written by John Fernandez, We Are Going Up’s Peterborough United Blogger

John tweets @johnfernandez1

We look back on a slightly disappointing playoff final and talk Zaha, Holloway, Phillips and more celebrate with James Daly, editor of Palace fanzine ‘Five Year Plan‘ – and Andy Bloss, journalist at the Croydon Guardian. We also get a Watford perspective from DC – who was also at Wembley and left reflecting on a missed opportunity.

We’re also joined by Adam Williams from the BBC as we try and decipher ten things we’ve learned from the Football League this season – plus we listen back to those all-important predictions from August…

As ever, we’d love to hear from you and get your feedback over the summer. You can follow us on Twitter and visit the website wearegoingup.co.uk.

You can also listen to the show on Soundcloud at soundcloud.com/wagupodcast.

Have a great summer. We’ll be back at the end of July to preview the new season!

(Image: Eurosport)

Unfortunately, none of these players are at the club today. Vaughan and Beckford were both loanees, while Novak opted not to renew his contract at the John Smith’s Stadium, instead reuniting with former manager Lee Clark at Birmingham City.

That, of course, leaves a huge headache for the former Manchester United striker. Good, prolific strikers are not an easy thing to find, and Robins now has to find three or four of them! I was hoping that we might have hijacked Neymar’s move to Barcelona, but alas no! Instead, Town are reportedly trying to negotiate a permanent deal for Vaughan with his parent club Norwich City, which would be a fine start to the squad rebuild. However, Championship rivals Derby County are also interested in the player.

Also on the radar is Spanish striker Reuben Rochina, currently on loan at Real Zaragoza from Blackburn Rovers. I’ve always liked Rochina, mainly because of his Barcelona connections, but he isn’t exactly prolific. Still, he could form a good partnership with Vaughan.

Elsewhere, reports suggest that Walsall winger Jamie Paterson is lined up for a move to West Yorkshire. The 21-year-old scored thirteen goals for the Midlands side last season, and Town have already had one bid rejected, rumoured to be in the region of £750,000. He is certainly an exciting prospect, and one that Robins knows from their time together at Coventry City.

There is no doubting “Pato’s” potential ability, and he could be a very exciting acquisition. Unfortunately, Burnley and Sheffield United are also interested, which could start the dreaded bidding war, artificially inflating the player’s value.

As it stands, those are the only players being linked with moves to Town so far, although that will definitely change. It’ll have to, otherwise we won’t have a prayer of staving off the drop next season!

Written by James Bartaby, We Are Going Up’s Huddersfield Town blogger

James tweets at @jamesb5374

Since the return of Howe, things have only looked up and what seemed like an improbable finish of second place at the beginning of the season has become reality and Bournemouth can now look forward to playing in the second tier for the first time since 1987 under a certain Harry Redknapp.

Pre-season optimism about Bournemouth’s season was cautious at best, with Paul Groves having done an underwhelming job towards the end of the previous season. The struggles continued at the beginning of this season, with big name signings such as David James and Matt Tubbs failing to live up to their reputations.

Finally, at the beginning of October with Bournemouth occupying the final relegation place in League One and seemingly set to stay there for the year, Groves was sacked and Howe returned. Howe has always been hugely popular with the fans after having played for the club for over 10 years and having a successful first stint in charge of the club. He was not blamed for wanting to test himself at a higher level when he left for Burnley and his return was welcomed with open arms by supporters.

Ever since Howe’s return, things have gone from good, to great, to incredible. Howe was named manager of the month in November 2012, his first full month back in charge, and led the club up the table on an almost unstoppable rampage, including a club record equaling 18 match unbeaten run, and the longest winning run in League One this season with eight.

In March Bournemouth had reached the top of the table, and suddenly a battle to stay in the division had become a positive rather than a negative. A small wobble soon followed though, losing five games in a row which sent the Cherries back outside of the play-offs. Howe and the team regrouped though and that eight game winning streak meant Bournemouth went into the final day of the season in 1stplace, and guaranteed automatic promotion due to the fact that Doncaster in 2nd and Brentford in 3rd were playing each other, meaning both could not overtake Bournemouth.

A win for Bournemouth would have guaranteed the title, but a 0-0 draw away to Tranmere meant relying on Brentford to beat or draw Doncaster. Tension was built further by the fact that game was slightly delayed, until Brentford were awarded a penalty in the 95^th minute. The scene was set for Brentford to smash in the penalty, gain automatic promotion for themselves and reward AFCB with the title. A nightmare ensued though as an argument over who should take the penalty proved to reach the wrong conclusion as the bar came to Doncaster’s rescue, who then immediately went down the other end and scored to win 1-0, securing the title.

Despite this, it is hard to say that was a disappointment. With the club in the relegation zone when Howe took over, every fan, player and the manager himself would probably have laughed at you if you had told them they would go into the last day with the title in their hands. Hands would’ve been bitten off quicker than they could have been offered.

Howe himself must take great credit for this achievement, working with largely the same squad that Groves had. In an interview with BBC’s Late Kick Off programme he played down the impact that he and assistant Jason Tindall had made but there is no denying that Bournemouth would not be in the Championship if Howe had not taken over.

He took the team back to basics instead of toying with different formations every game as was often the way under Groves, gave them vital self belief and made quality additions such as Brett Pitman and Matt Ritchie, the latter of whom was named League One player of the year. He also made brave decisions such as dropping former England keeper James and settling on 22-year-old Ryan Allsop as his first choice between the sticks.

Altogether, big thanks have to be given to Mrs. Mitchell for convincing her husband to pick up that phone.

Howe can now have another crack at the Championship, after a solid if unspectacular time at Burnley. Many of the current Bournemouth squad have previously been touted as potential Championship players, and some such as Harry Arter have even been linked with Premier League clubs recently. Howe has also managed to compose a team of players who are yet to reach their peaks, with the majority of the starting XI under the age of 25.

The target for next season must simply be to stay in the Championship and with a youthful squad behind a youthful up-and-coming manager, the future looks bright for AFCB. Plans have been outlaid to finally build a fourth stand to increase the capacity of Dean Court by around 4000, and a new training ground has recently been completed adjacent to the stadium.

With a few additions to the squad and a careful bit of trimming (last season there were seven strikers on the books), Howe, Mitchell and Bournemouth can look forward to a competitive season in the Championship, taking hope from the likes of Charlton this season who comfortably stayed up in their first season back in the second tier.

Written by Cort Robson, We Are Going Up’s AFC Bournemouth blogger

Cort tweets at @cort_robson

They say there is nowhere more painful to lose than Wembley and for Northampton Town, that old adage was excruciatingly in evidence during our horrific 3-0 play-off final defeat to Bradford City. As the Bantams charged past us and over the final furlong to promotion to League One, every Cobblers fan stood aghast as our whole season unravelled in the first 30 minutes at the national stadium.

Despite the Wembley woe, the Cobblers must get back in the saddle and try to complete the race next time around. This season was one of progression and overachievement for Aidy Boothroyd’s men and as I look back at where we were 18 months ago, I am immensely proud of where we are now in comparison to our position when Boothroyd took over in November 2011.

Our home form this season was the highlight of the campaign with a record of 17 wins from 23 matches and it was the Sixfields factor which enabled us to take a play-off place at all. Some of the top teams in the division (Rotherham, Port Vale and Burton Albion) were all beaten on our home patch and we were only beaten at Sixfields once in the last six months of the campaign.

Yet as superb as our home record was, our away form was just as bad and was the defining factor in us not grabbing an automatic promotion spot. We only tasted success four times on the road in League Two, a record which was the joint-worst in the division, and three of those wins came at sides in the lower reaches of the league (Accrington, Dagenham and Aldershot).

Boothroyd has turned the football club right around in superb fashion but the away conundrum was one that he could never seem to solve. His defensive tactics away from home often left us overrun and exposed whilst key players like Chris Hackett, Clarke Carlisle and Adebayo Akinfenwa seemed to underperform on their travels without any understandable explanation.

Some improved performances away from Sixfields towards the end of the season, including a draw at promoted Port Vale and a win in the play-off semi-final at Cheltenham, has given us all renewed optimism for our away campaign next time around. The ability is there in the squad to take points from any ground in League Two but that must been translated into victories next season.

Injuries to important players like striker Alex Nicholls, who had scored eight goals before his horrendous leg break in October, and captain Kelvin Langmead, who was ever-present but missed the last few matches of the season, definitely did not help our cause. There is a certain feeling amongst our supporters that had those two been fit all season, then our chances of gaining promotion to the third tier would have been enhanced dramatically.

So, it was left to 90 minutes of football at Wembley against a side whom we had not beaten in four attempts this season. Our chances of success seemed slim but no-one could have seen the opening half-hour coming. The Cobblers temporarily forgot how to defend and Bradford cashed in by smashing the ball past a stricken Lee Nicholls three times without reply.

In front of over 47,000 people, Town seemed completed overawed by the occasion and struggled to string two passes together against a Bantams side who had gained Wembley experience from their Capital One Cup final defeat to Swansea. All we could do in the East Stand was watch on in horror as 48 matches went down the drain under the grey skies in North London.

Looking ahead to next season, the expectations for Boothroyd and his side will be much higher than the 2012/13 campaign and the Cobblers will be expected to reach the play-offs at the very least. It will be up to the manager and his staff to manage the weight of those expectations and ensure that the pressure does not get to the players, as it appeared to in this year’s final assignment.

The loss of top-scorer Akinfenwa, who has been released by the club, may prove to be a big loss (in every sense!) but if he can be replaced by another quality centre-forward then the goals should again flow at Sixfields. If Boothroyd struggles to find a suitable replacement for ‘Bayo’ then fans might begin to question his judgement of the key players in the squad.

Our Wembley experience must be used to good effect next season and Boothroyd has to ensure that he turns that negative day in May into something more positive in the 2013/14 campaign. This time, there will be no sense of over achievement but only an expectation to move the club on and back into League One.

Written by Ashley Lambell, We Are Going Up’s Northampton Town Blogger

Ashley tweets at @ashlambell

Its been a surprising, exciting but ultimately disappointing season for Tranmere in their 2012/13 campaign. From topping the table for the best part of two thirds of the season, Rovers finally finished a surprising 11th place. Rewind back to 19th January at 5pm when Rovers had just beaten Brentford 2-1 away at Griffin Park, the play-offs looked to be a minimum.

For me, there are several reasons why Rovers season fell so massively off the rails. The big assumption has been the failure to re-sign Jake Cassidy on loan, the striker who kick started our campaign in free scoring form returned to Wolves for assessment but never came back as expected. As the season went on, it became more abundant how dearly he was missed.

One aspect I will remember this campaign for is injuries. I cannot remember an injury ridden season like this in all my years supporting Tranmere. For me, the biggest impact on our slide down the table was the injury of James Wallace in the FA Cup 2nd round. At first Wallace was supposed to be out for “4-6 weeks”, then “3 months”. Eventually in turned out that Wallace’s season was over and a second operation was required. Wallace was our engine room, creative force and clearly gave belief to the rest of the side. When he was on song early on this season, we usually won, a perfect example would be the 3-2 win against Yeovil after being 2-0 down inside 29 minutes. His drive and determination majorly helped turn us into statistically the best team in the football league at coming back from losing positions by November, by the end of this season this record had well and truly vanished.

Wallace’s creative play early this season was a joy to behold at times, the best Tranmere fans have seen since Jason Koumas. Thankfully, Wallace signed a 2 year deal, so we still have him for 2013/14. Young Max Power (yes that really is his name) was left with the unenviable task of filling Wallace’s role, but for me was too inexperienced and raw for the role. Looking back, I think this is one decision Ronnie Moore may rue over summer. On a positive note, it’s good to see a youth player come through the ranks and be given faith and time to progress. He did also score two beauties this season, the winner against Crewe on Boxing day being the pick of the bunch, with Colchester away being a close second. Hopefully Max has learned a great deal from this season and will progress further.

Other injuries came to hamper Rovers’ resolve. French forward Jean-Louis Akpa-Akpro suffered a rib injury against Notts County leaving him on the treatment table for 3 months, Ben Gibson was left out for 3 months in December with an abductor problem and Andy Robinson for 4 weeks in February. So many crucial players injured for long periods in such a small squad were bound to take its affect.

The other reason I see for Rovers taking the big slide down the table is Ronnie Moore. Credit to the Rovers legend for taking us to the top, but blimey, did he get it wrong after February. Once we hit the bad run after Brentford, Ronnie reverted to his type-cast ‘hoof ball’ tactics which with a predominantly small squad (height wise), was not a good idea. It’s hard to see Rovers getting a better chance at promotion for a long time, which no doubt added to the frustration during the season run in. Loan signings Mamady Sidibe and Sean McGinty failed to hault a slide down the table which was like watching a car crash in slow motion.

One annoying aspect to the end of season run in was a call by a small section of Rovers fans calling for the sacking of Ronnie Moore. A genuinely baffling logic which was stupid as well as embarrassing. Especially when we have recently endured John Barnes and Les Parry, sometimes it’s better the devil you know with a setup like Tranmere’s. Yes Ronnie did make errors, but this has been the best season we’ve had in a long time.

Looking ahead to next season, Rovers have offered new deals to keeper Owain Fon Williams and left back Zoumana “Zoom” Bakayogo, but it is likely we could lose at least one of them as interest has been high in both players. Andy Robinson is expected to sign a new deal despite being offered the chance of moving to America. Also, 40 year old Ian Goodison signed a year long extension and now is officially Tranmere’s oldest player. It’s obvious that he is slowing but I don’t think I was ready to say goodbye just yet. The run in of this season proved he still has plenty to offer. Plus, I want to see a Tranmere vs Jamaica testimonial for the big man at the end of the season, preferably away as well

The released list did not spring too many surprises apart from Adam McGurk who had his best season in 12/13, the season long scape goat for everything and anything might have finally have had enough of being booed week in, week out. Little was said by Moore about his departure, so perhaps he already had offers before the end of the season? Michael Kay was unfortunate in my eyes to be released, but thankfully Danny Harrison, Paul Black and David Amoo were shown the door and will not be missed by anyone.

In terms of new signings, we clearly need a new centre-back, defensive midfielder, winger and striker. Potentially we may need a goalkeeper and left back too. What I am hoping though is that Ronnie does not lose faith in the playing style that we started last season with. Tranmere were one of the few teams that saw a rise in average attendance’s last season and I’m sure our passing style helped bring people back back through the turnstiles. Yet again Rovers will be relying on the loan market for key signings, hopefully we are able to find another Jake Cassidy.

Next season see’s a new sponsor, the national chain ‘Home Bargains’ have paid over £100,000 for a 3 year deal. This unfortunately means an end to the deal with the local Wirral council which has been on our shirts since 1990 which was the longest sponsorship deal in English football history. It is sad to see this long standing relationship finally come to an end, but after a couple of bad PR incidents whereh the deal was highlighted in the national press, it was bound to come to end sooner rather than later.

I am looking forward to the new season for the first time in a while, hopefully Ronnie can dig out a few more rough diamonds and we can do a Yeovil in 2013/14.

Written by Kenny Orr, We Are Going Up’s Tranmere Rovers Blogger

Behind the scenes, our owner Carson Yeung had been arrested on money laundering charges and the club’s future looked unstable. Jordon Mutch was sold to Cardiff to raise much-needed funds to reportedly ‘keep us going’. A transfer embargo was placed on all incoming transfers, although this was lifted. Those early hopes of promotion soon faded as fans realised Clark had a tough job on his hands.

Upon arriving, the new manager had to deal with masses of transfer speculation surrounding young goalkeeper Jack Butland, Nathan Redmond and Curtis Davies. Blues managed to hold on to all three during the summer transfer window. Lee Clark did what he could with the tight budget he had been given and brought in Hayden Mullins, Peter Lovenkrands and Darren Ambrose. The latter being the only player that commanded a transfer fee. Ravel Morrison and Paul Caddis joined on season-long loans, with Adam Rooney going to Swindon as part of the Caddis deal.

Blues started at home to newly-promoted Charlton, and it took a 94th minute goal from Nikola Zigic to rescue a point. It took until September 1st for Birmingham to record their first league win of the season; a 1-0 victory over Peterborough, a match in which five of our substitutes were teenagers. This was a sign of things to come, with many Blues youngsters making their breakthrough’s this year.

Three weeks later, Barnsley were the visitors to St Andrew’s and no matter how much Blues fans try to forget that day, it was quite simply, unforgettable. We’d comfortably dispatched Bolton in the midweek leading up to the match and I was quietly confident of a victory. The first half was drab, uneventful and uninspiring but nothing could have prepared the 13,893 crowd (less than half of that by the end) for the events of the second period. Just 28 minutes after the restart, Barnsley were 5-0 up. Craig Davies had scored four at the home of the club he supported as a boy after Stephen Foster’s opener. The worst thing was our goalkeeper actually played well! Seven days later Blues emerged the victors at the Amex with a 1-0 win over Brighton, showing everyone what a ‘funny old league’ the Championship is.

By 5pm on Saturday October 6th, Birmingham City had lost as many home league games in 14 days as they had during the whole of the season before. A solitary loss during the 2011-12 campaign – two in two weeks during this one. Supporters who had started the season as optimists were now ‘glass half-empty’ kind of people. Blues weren’t performing and Clark was under pressure. Just a single win during October further increased the pressure on our boss, although Leroy Lita’s goals which won the three points at Leeds was a special one indeed.

A packed November schedule followed and a chance for Blues to find some form and distance themselves from the relegation zone. However, just two wins from seven ensured this wasn’t the case. Another sub-15,000 crowd at St Andrew’s saw a confident home side dominate the game against Bristol City; the scoreline should have been greater than 2-0. This was a stark contrast to the loss versus visitors Ipswich three days before. Two more draws and two more losses then followed as Blues rolled over at home to Hull City, 3-0 down at half time, and at Pride Park against Derby. We played host to Middlesbrough in the final game of November and won 3-2 against a backdrop of a large ‘Clark Out’ banner at the top of the Tilton End.

Up next was a visit to Molineux in the first Wolves derby of the season. In truth it was a tame and boring affair, nothing a derby match should be. Blues’ top scorer Marlon King was the only player on the scoresheet, unfortunately scoring an own-goal in front of the South Bank. We beat Barnsley 2-1 on Boxing Day, the return fixture of that horror show at St Andrew’s three months earlier.

After losing 1-0 to Cardiff on New Year’s Day, our FA campaign finally got underway and Blues were drawn away to Leeds. The match ended 1-1 with Wade Elliot scoring the goal of the season but that was overshadowed by a horrible leg break sustained by Blues’ young American defender Will Packwood. Thankfully, Will is progressing well after nearly six months out. The replay saw The Whites through to the fourth round. The only win in January came at Turf Moor; Marlon King’s stunning injury time volley cancelling out Burnley’s equaliser.

Onto February and Blues’ on-field fortunes were looking up with a loss to Watford the only blip. Comfortable wins over Nottingham Forest and Peterborough propelled Birmingham up the league and up to the dizzy heights of mid-table. The match against Forest was one of significance as it saw Alex McLeish’s first return to his old ground since he joined Villa from Blues in 2011. The reception he got was less than welcoming and Chris Burke, one of McLeish’s targets during the January window, fittingly scored both goals in a 2-1 win, thus achieving back-to-back wins for the first time under Clark’s reign. The Scottish winger was also on target at London Road against Peterborough in a 2-0 victory.

The month of March was undoubtedly a turning point for Lee Clark and his squad, fans harboured play-off ambitions once more and the form tables were led by Blues.  After victories over Derby and Middlesbrough this fine form undoubtedly peaked when Blues visited Selhust Park and ran out 4-0 winners, and on Sky too. Shane Ferguson’s sensational free-kick capped off the performance of the season, one that everyone connected with Birmingham City had a right to be proud of. I was one of the 1300 away fans on that Friday night and was in awe at an absolutely magnificent achievement of hammering the team with one of the best home records in the league.

Unfortunately Blues couldn’t carry that form onto the visit of Wolves, but if we had, who knows what could have transpired in the closing months of the season? We were within sight of the play-offs but after going three games without a win that dream seemed to be slipping away. But, after wins over Bristol City and Leeds, Blues went into the final two games of the season still within mathematical reach of sixth place. But an altogether anti-climactic finish to the campaign ensured that Birmingham City finished 12^th place in the Championship, seven points of the play-off places and seven points from the relegation zone. Fifteen wins, fifteen draws and sixteen losses. We couldn’t have finished more mid-table if we had tried.

Lee Clark has my praise for assuring safety and another season in the second-tier of English football. Next season however, with the tightening of the wage budget and increased instability off the field, could prove an even tougher task.

Written by Shane Ireland, We Are Going Up’s Birmingham City blogger

Shane tweets at @_ShaneIreland

At the end of December Keith Hill was relieved of his duties at Oakwell with the side rock bottom of the Championship with just 21 points from 25 games and four points away from safety. The board’s first two choices to fill the void were Sean O’Driscoll and then Terry Butcher but despite very generous offers to both being made, neither were tempted by the prospect of almost certain relegation to League One.

Flitcroft had been Hill’s right hand man at Oakwell and many thought would leave with him but he came in to fill his boots and take on what was seemingly an impossible task. It was an inauspicious start with a loss away at Peterborough but then the revolution truly began.

There were team bonding trips abroad and at home, inspirational videos made for under-performing strikers and a couple of clever signings amongst all sorts of other goings on behind the scenes that changed the fortunes of what seemed to be a doomed side.

Since Flitcroft’s move into the hot seat the Tykes played 25 times in all competitions, winning 11 of them, drawing eight and losing just six times. This not only saw the side edge out of the relegation zone, but enjoy a run to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup which was a welcome boost to the coffers of a perpetually skint club.

In the 21 league matches Flicker was in charge of he gained 34 points compared to the 21 from 25 games garnered before his promotion. Anyone who saw Barnsley during the second half of the season (except maybe Charlton fans) would not have seen a side destined for the drop but one with a tremendous work ethic and more than enough quality to compete in the Championship.

It was probably the tempo the team played at that Flitcroft improved the most but if you were to pinpoint an area of the pitch that was boosted most by his premiership it would be the forwards. Chris Dagnall went from a man looking hopelessly out of his depth in the Championship to making it to double figures for the campaign and bringing in the pair of Chris O’Grady and Jason Scotland in January was an inspired move. Neither had the fans bristling with excitement on arrival but both have been superb, especially O’Grady, as each netted six times in the fight to stay in the division.

There may well have been more than just a bit of luck about the final game of the season with Peterborough capitulating against Crystal Palace but if the Flitcroft regime had gone down having made 55 points then that would have been viewed as incredibly unlucky in itself.

Yet again Barnsley have stared relegation in the face and cheated the drop at the last moment, but this time it will be with optimism rather than pessimism that fans will be awaiting the next campaign. Yes the side only finished fourth bottom, but carry the form of the second half of the season into the next then it will be the top six and not the bottom four that the side will be concerned with. A few well-judged signings at the back and up front and there could be plenty to cheer about at Oakwell next year.

Written by Phil Haigh, We Are Going Up’s Barnsley blogger

Phil tweets at @philhaigh_

Thinking back to the opening day at Derby, when 6000 of us made the short trip in glorious sunshine, most of us anticipated another memorable season as we were still riding high from our dramatic promotion from League One. The whole country was buzzing after the Olympic Games, yet it didn’t take long for us to hit the ground with a bump as we went two goals down.  That game sort of mirrored our season, struggling for the first half, improving as it wore on.  Despite a positive first few games, defeat at Palace started the first of two terrible runs from autumn through to winter.  After Christmas our form was more like a play-off chasing team, yet our poor start meant we were always battling to stay up.

We brought in players such as Jay Bothroyd and Ross Barkley who I thought were the quality we needed if we wanted to push on.  The latter made a positive impact and I wish he could have stayed longer. The former is best not mentioned.  If he plays when QPR visit S6 next season, he should prepare himself for a hostile reception.

Free signings Anthony Gardner and Chris Kirkland joined with poor injury records, yet after slow starts they both proved to be key players in our campaign.  Next season they will be hugely important if we are to be successful.  Young players Rhys McCabe and Paul Corry played bit part roles, yet they are surely ones for the future and need time to develop before they get a more regular starting role in the second tier of English football.

Another theme for the season was the contrasting fortunes of our promotion squad.  Jose Semedo and Chris Lines had a strong partnership in the heart of our midfield in 2011-12; yet Semedo was slowly drafted out of the team over the course of the season, whilst injury limited Lines’ appearances and he was eventually loaned out.  Gary Madine struggled to get into the team and didn’t have the impact we wanted.  He is another young player who may need time, but next season will be an important one for him if he stays at the club.

Reda Johnson, Jermaine Johnson, Michail Antonio and Lewis Buxton were key players.  Miguel Llera struggled for a place early on, but played a big part in our solid defensive record in the second part of the campaign.  If I’m honest, I’m surprised he has been offered a new deal.  It seems the majority of out of contract players have been offered new deals.  Giles Coke and David Prutton may stay, and they added some much needed steel to the team in our relegation battle, but  I do have reservations over the direction of the team by looking to keep such players.  Time will tell who re-signs for next season, personally I’d like Jermaine Johnson and Lewis Buxton to stick around of those out of contract players.

I hope we are going to bring in some quality to help us progress next season, I’d like to see us move away from the more direct style we played this year.  I think Dave Jones tried to change the ethos early on, but when it was evident it wasn’t working, we reverted to the big men and ultimately it kept us in the division.  That was the main priority and I’m not unhappy about that, but there are a lot of quality players who will be looking for clubs over the summer and if we can find the right ones to improve the first team there is a chance we can be at the right end of the table. The teams that have come down all have a good chance of being in the promotion battle, whilst the promoted teams look like strugglers, but in the crazy world of the Championship, anything can happen.  I’m missing it already, and can’t wait for August 3rd 2013.

Up the Owls!

Written by Carl Mullooly, We Are Going Up’s Sheffield Wednesday blogger

Carl tweets at @MulOwl

Finally after years of having to witness journeymen pros and dross football along with relegations, Bradford have started their march back up the leagues and they did it in style. If you could guarantee promotion at the start of any season it would be to go up via the Play-Offs at Wembley and on Saturday at the home of English football promotion was secured inside the opening thirty minutes as Bradford blew Northampton Town apart producing their best performance of the season when it really mattered. First half goals from James Hanson, Rory McArdle and Nahki Wells propelled the Bantams back into League One.

Bradford can now swap Wycombe for Wolves, Southend United for Sheffield United and Chesterfield for Coventry. The fixture list will look a lot better, bigger clubs coming to Valley Parade will generate more revenue, there will be a better atmosphere at the games as bigger crowds will be in attendance – it might sound big headed but Bradford should be playing the likes of Wolves and Sheffield United as opposed to Accrington and Dagenham unfortunately though over the last few years Bradford have been at their right level because results simply haven’t been good enough.

The class of 2012 / 2013 will live long in the memory it’s hard to say they haven’t just produced Bradford’s best season ever. A League Cup Final appearance beating the likes of Wigan, Arsenal and Aston Villa over two legs en-route and securing promotion in the same season – sensational! Even more sensational given the fact this is by a League Two side who completed a staggering 64 games only Chelsea domestically completed more fixtures this season.

This season has been my best since I started watching Bradford I’ve seen promotion from what now is League One when City beat Notts County in the play-offs in 1996, I’ve seen promotion to the premier league and staying up there after beating Liverpool on the final day but this season has been truly remarkable. In a way I feel sorry for fans that support other teams this season as Bradford have had so many unbelievable highs. Other clubs have had extreme highs like Watford’s play-off drama against Leicester, Doncaster against Brentford and other teams will have had similar situations but it just seems Bradford had so many highs. In one season I’ve probably been able to add five games into my all time 10 favourite Bradford games – surely that is unheard of?!

Beating Arsenal on penalties after drawing the game 1-1 was amazing, surely it couldn’t be beaten then City beat Aston Villa 3-1 yes 3-1! In the semi final first leg, what scenes when Carl McHugh rose like a salmon late on to get the third…again surely it couldn’t be beaten but it did when James Hanson headed home at Villa Park to give the Bantams that vital away goal that sent them to Wembley – let’s be honest a League Two side shouldn’t get to a major domestic cup final and it probably won’t ever happen again, a historic moment and something I feel proud to have witnessed.

For all the highs of beating the premier league sides the 3-1 win away at Burton in the second leg of the play-offs is well up there with the Arsenal and Villa games. Having seen Burton comfortably beat City at Valley Parade I feared the worst heading to The Pirelli Stadium but again when it really mattered City rose to the challenge and produced a superb performance against what was the best home record in the country and just like at Villa Park my glasses decided to go walkies after Wells tucked away the third of the afternoon…..scenes!

Then you have the final itself. I fully expected Bradford to beat Northampton, the experience of being at Wembley before for the Swansea game I thought would help Bradford players relax whereas The Cobblers visiting for the first time would be nervous. Despite Northampton finishing higher in the league, player for player City are a much better side in my opinion and I think that showed in the final. Don’t get me wrong Northampton are a good side and I’d back them to do well next season but on the day they couldn’t cope with the Bantams.

This week Phil Parkinson his assistant Steve Parkin and fitness coach Nick Allemby (unsung hero!) have all signed three year contract extensions. The trio were out of contract next month but have now committed their long term futures to the club. Now that’s been resolved then the need to keep the out of contract key players becomes a massive task will City be able to keep the likes of Nathan Doyle and Andrew Davies personally I can’t see it happening. They’ve both had immense seasons and clubs in the Championship will be looking closely at them. That leaves City with their jewel in the crown Bermudan Nahki Wells 26 goals and a string of fine performances he will be a much sort after signing during the summer break. Already less than a week after the season has finished both Crystal Palace and Burnley are rumoured to be readying themselves with the cheque book the latter if the papers have anything to do with it, will pay as much as 2 million pound for his signature.

If and it is a big if Parkinson can keep the likes of Davies, Doyle and Wells and add in the correct areas I generally don’t see why Bradford can’t compete and challenge for a mid table to play-off place finish. It will be difficult but I believe the Bantams are well equipped to go again and challenge, Mark Lawn one of the co-chairmen has already indicated money will be provided to strengthen and I trust Phil Parkinson to strengthen the team wisely.

For now though it’s all about basking in the sun and enjoying the moment Bradford after all have just secured promotion to the third tier of English football. Some Bantams fans are fretting over the possible departures of Wells, Davies and the like and yes they might go to clubs higher up the leagues which means City as a club have achieved success. If Bradford had struggled would other clubs want the same players probably not, unfortunately City will probably be victims of their own success when it comes to the players who leave.

The journey home on the minibus from Wembley will live long in the memory, plenty of songs were sung including live on 606 to Darren Fletcher and Jason Roberts who got treated to a rendition of “oooohhhh Stephen Darby baby” and “we are going up”. This season has been City’s time, so many times the fans have had to sit back and watch other clubs celebrate success, well for the first time in a long time the Bantams have had their turn.

WE ARE GOING UP, SAY WE ARE GOING UP! WE ARE GOING UP, SAY WE ARE GOING UP!!!

Written by Mark Scully, We Are Going Up’s Bradford City Blogger

Mark tweets at @scully87