IT'S funny how things stick in your head… At our National Game Awards in 2016 – where the paper recognises the great and the good of Non-League football – Cheltenham Town's Peter Johnson, the club's head of recruitment and brother of boss Gary, stepped forward to accept the Robins' gong for our ‘Team of the Year' following their emphatic march to the title and promotion.
Unlike so many acceptance speeches that come pre-rehearsed, Peter's had a natural, conversational flow to it. He was easy to listen to, and when asked to sum up his feelings of promotion and how happy he was to be holding our most coveted award, he paused for a moment before declaring: “It feels great, but meaning no offence… I really hope I never have to come back to see you and pick this up again…”
I remember when he said that, there were a few ripples of laughter but also a few grunts of disappointment, almost questioning Johnson's outlook and view of Non-League, like it was something beneath him and his football club. But that couldn't have been further from the truth, because he then went on to praise the National League's uncompromising nature, highlighting the respect Cheltenham had given the league, knowing and appreciating they had no right to simply win games at this level because of who they were and where they had come from.
People have said there was a certain arrogance about Cheltenham that season, and there probably was – good teams have that. But they backed it up with their performances on the pitch and the irony is that to have that winning arrogance, they had to give sides the absolute respect they deserved. There were no half measures.
I think about Peter Johnson when I think about what is in front of Hartlepool United this season. But I also think about Bristol Rovers' promotion campaign the season before. Pools fans may still be in mourning about their final-day relegation from League Two last May, when, just one minute from safety thanks to Davante Rodney's brace, they were left heartbroken as Mark O'Brien's goal saw Newport County bag the three points to haul them above the north-east outfit and out of the drop zone.
Like Hartlepool, Rovers were relegated on the final day of their 2013/14 campaign. With their fate in their hands, they were unable to score against a resolute Mansfield Town on their own patch. In the weeks building up to the season's end, they had slipped ever nearer to the relegation trapdoor before it swung open and sucked them through in the dying minutes.
But what did they do? Well, they didn't feel sorry for themselves and they didn't disregard what was in front of them. They embraced it. Boss Darrell Clarke proclaimed there was no time for self-pity. Twelve months later they were winning their place back in League Two via the play-offs, only to follow that up with another promotion to League One in 2016.
That's how quickly things move in football. Hartlepool have recruited well this summer but good recruitment counts for nothing without a good attitude. This season could just turn out to be the start of something very special for Craig Harrison's side.
Believe me, I think for most (not all!) of us at Hartlepool we know we’re not going to just waltz our way out of the division…. unless it’s at the wrong end like York did. We’ve seen too many other teams drop down and struggle to get back – and in some cases not come back at all. At the same time there’s a new optimism around the club, with new ownership from someone that seems to have a proper business head on their shoulders, and there’s a growing feeling that getting Craig Harrison in could have been a very canny move. I’d hope we’ve got enough to be a Top 10 side, but we’ll only really know when we’ve played a few games – certainly in terms of the club staff there’s not looking to be the “we’re too big for this league” type of arrogance….