Cautiously optimistic

Towards half time last Saturday, with us 3-0 to the good against ten men, looking well set to extend our lead to 11 points with 8 games to play, erstwhile contributor JC wandered past with the aside “Even we can’t stuff this one up”.

He didn’t actually say stuff but it had a couple of letters in common.

Anyone who lived through the years of table topping positions being frittered away would know exactly where JC was coming from.  When you’ve seen a double digit lead overhauled in the run-in it stays with you, like a childhood trauma (that might explain the bed wetting).

But it’s gone. It’s over. It’s ok. Relax. We don’t do that any more.

Assuming we close down this division in the next few weeks, that will be four titles in 17 years. Not a bad average. In fact pretty good.  A hypothetical fan born in roughly 1990 has mostly only known a KTFC who given a sniff of promotion snuff out all competition and close it down.

True, it isn’t quite what we once aspired to, when the Football League beckoned, gave us a wink and all but promised tonight was the night. If you had told us then that we could look forward to 4 promotions, imaginations would have run away. Surely we’d be just below the top flight at least?

 

Yes, possibly, but for the 5 relegations.

But despite the drop in status, each division is tough in its own right. We compete with the players we can afford and are willing to play at this level. So any promotion is a big deal, relatively speaking, and in a way is pay back for all those years of disappointment.

 

Because even we can't stuff this one up.

 

Erm, hopefully.