Northwich Victoria: Another Incredible Comeback

Back in February, I wrote an article about Northwich Victoria, pretty much saying that they were the most useless team in the country. They had a list of unique problems that included being locked out of their own stadium, and being sued by a formed manager.

They were welded to the very bottom of the Blue Square Premier, having a pathetic total of 15 points, and were a long way off of safety.

I wrote the first article as a joke, as I thought it was hilarious at how awful they were, and being locked out of your own stadium isn't something that happens everyday. However, after the final quarter of the season, the Vics deserve a second article.

Who could have guessed what was about to happen for the little Cheshire team?

After Dino Maamria had steered the Vics to an incredible comeback to avoid relegation last season, he was fired and replaced by Steve King in late 2008. Under both managers, the team picked up a handful of points, before Steve King would be replaced by Andy Preece.

Things got off to a slow start, but once Preece and the team got going, consistent points and wins started to come Northwich's way. In the final nine games of the season, the Vics scored more points than they had in the first 35. These results meant that Northwich had the best form in the league.

Unfortunately, Preece had arrived a month too late, and it was not enough to avoid being relegated into Conference North. But considering that just a couple of months ago they had 15 points, to finish with 43 was an incredible comeback.

These circumstances bear a remarkable similarity to last season. After Northwich had accumulated the grand total of one point after 11 games, the Vics employed several managers before finally settling with Maamria. Once again towards the end of the season, the Vics had the best form in the league, and they survived relegation.

It seems that Northwich only get going after midseason, and then they can be unstoppable. Winning the last six games of the year, including away to in-form Oxford United, was not through luck. They managed to get within 7seven points of safety, and ended the season in 22nd.

So what will happen next year? Well, the last time the Vics visited Conference North, they won the league and came straight back up, and as long as they keep their current form, there's no reason why this can't happen again.

However, they will need to be consistent from the very start of the season, and make sure they retain the services of current caretaker manager Preece. This will only be the second year in the history of the Conference that Northwich won't be there, so I'm sure they will be back up fairly soon.