Bouncing Back…..

Nine years on I can still see John Frain scoring that free kick. I am sure in nine years time I will still recall Bayo’s penalty with some ease such was the amount that it deflated us but the reality is from 6pm on Saturday it was in the past. It won’t be easy to bounce back but that is what we must do. Some of the football experts will tell you that play off final defeat hangovers last well into the new season whilst others say that the pain the players will feel now will help them next season.

But who is right? Here, we shall look at the last ten League One play off finals and see how the losing side got on the following season.

The average position of the losing play off finalist the following year over the last 10 seasons is 12th.

So what can we draw from that as we look for comfort? Take Hartlepool out of the equation and for the six preceding years, the losing finalists managed to gain promotion on three occasions and reached the play offs on one more. Out of the remaining two, Bristol City missed the play offs by 1 place whilst Brentford were the only real one that struggled.

For the first three years above the picture is much bleaker with all three losing finalists being relegated. Two of the losing finalists are currently Premiership sides whilst only Notts Co are currently lower than League One.

The only other League One side to be beaten on penalties in the last ten years at this stage went on to win promotion the following season which is something that maybe we could draw comfort from based on the fact that penalties is probably the most shattering of defeats? Any more straws I can clutch at??? 😉

The figures above of course mean nothing as it is down to the mental strength of the players and management but defeat in the play offs is not the end of the world after all look what happened to Reading this season…….