Your Top Five Seasons

[Gaz]

Inspired by a conversation in the FFC thread a couple of days ago, what are your favourite five seasons following your team?

Mine are:

93/94: The first promotion season I can really remember. I was at most of the games 91/92 but I was only 8 at the time. I can remember a good chunk of the 93/94 season vividly. Beating Dunfermline 2-0 at Brockville midweek and the final match at Kilbowie being highlights. With the recent death of my father it's taken on an even more poignant meaning.

04/05: I adored this season. The football was brilliant for half of the season, but the experience of going to every single game home and away with my mates was absolutely brilliant. Thumping St Johnstone 5 (five) times and winning the Challenge Cup was also great.

06/07: Let's be honest, the first season in the SPL wasn't great, battling for survival and not winning a home game until April. This season was absolutely brilliant. Finishing 7th was a phenomenal achievement for a club like hours, to do it two seasons in a row was amazing. I went for this 7th place rather than the later one. Highlight was beating Celtic away in the League Cup, one of my favourite ever matches.

94/95: For me this was the first season I'd went to a lot of then-Premier Division grounds, and it was great to see so many of them before they became developed into what they are today. We had the League Cup win against Rangers at Ibrox and beating Hearts about a hundred and three times.

96/97: The league was shite, but to get to a cup final was brilliant. The buzz and atmosphere around the town was second-to-none. I know we've reached cup finals since, but I have never been more devastated at walking out of Ibrox. At that time Rangers and Celtic were getting richer and better every season and I genuinely thought we'd never contest a cup final again. Obviously I know now that that was wrong, but at the time it seemed like that was the only chance I'd get to see Falkirk in a cup final.

Honourable mention to the Farid season and the last season at Brockville.

 

[Coventry Saint]

87, 00, 06, 13, 18. 

Cup, title, title and diddy cup, cup, probable title.

[IainMorton]

16/17 - seeing Morton playing in a national semi final for the first time, finishing fourth and the thought of possibly winning promotion. All that despite not winning any of our last twelve (?) matches.

95/96 - first full season supporting Morton. Scudding St. Mirren 4-1 at Love Street in my first ever away game. Finished third two points behind Pars who finished top in our first season after winning promotion.

12/13 - another possible title fight pushing Thistle all the way, seeing Tidser and Bachirou bossing the midfield, helped by BMMMH.

02/03 - winning the Third Division at the first attempt after going down. Looked dead and buried but won our last five games to win it on the final day. This title has probably meant the most to Morton fans after surviving the Hugh Scott era.

14/15 - Duffy’s first season in charge and another league title. Started poorly and lost to Spartans in the Scottish Cup. Last minute wins against Ayr and Stenhousemuir at Cappielow coming from 1-0 and 2-0 down were highlights.

These are in no particular order of most favourite season

[Boghead ranter]

75/76 - seeing us in the Scottish Cup semi (and subsequent replay).

83/84 - the season we got promoted to the Premier.

84/85 - our actual Premier season. Ok, we came straight back down, but I doubt I'll ever see Sons in the top league again. Think I only missed 1 game all season, at Tynecastle.

94/95 - promoted to Div 1. The absolute high of the game at Forthbank, the week after the crushing loss at Cappielow.

Every other season is joint 5th, I love The Sons.

ETA reading @IainMorton'a post above, 94/95 may be 93/94, bloody memory.

[IainMorton]

14 minutes ago, Boghead ranter said:

75/76 - seeing us in the Scottish Cup semi (and subsequent replay).

83/84 - the season we got promoted to the Premier.

84/85 - our actual Premier season. Ok, we came straight back down, but I doubt I'll ever see Sons in the top league again. Think I only missed 1 game all season, at Tynecastle.

94/95 - promoted to Div 1. The absolute high of the game at Forthbank, the week after the crushing loss at Cappielow.

Every other season is joint 5th, I love The Sons.

ETA reading @IainMorton'a post above, 94/95 may be 93/94, bloody memory.

My bad I got it wrong, should have put 95/96. We won the league in 94/95, my first game was that season when we beat you 2-0 at Cappielow to secure promotion.

[Boghead ranter]

1 minute ago, IainMorton said:

My bad I got it wrong, should have put 95/96. We won the league in 94/95, my first game was that season when we beat you 2-0 at Cappielow to secure promotion.

I was gutted at that game 

[Ranaldo Bairn]

2 hours ago, Gaz said:

Inspired by a conversation in the FFC thread a couple of days ago, what are your favourite five seasons following your team?

Mine are:

93/94: The first promotion season I can really remember. I was at most of the games 91/92 but I was only 8 at the time. I can remember a good chunk of the 93/94 season vividly. Beating Dunfermline 2-0 at Brockville midweek and the final match at Kilbowie being highlights. With the recent death of my father it's taken on an even more poignant meaning.

03/04: I adored this season. The football was brilliant for half of the season, but the experience of going to every single game home and away with my mates was absolutely brilliant. Thumping St Johnstone 5 (five) times and winning the Challenge Cup was also great.

06/07: Let's be honest, the first season in the SPL wasn't great, battling for survival and not winning a home game until April. This season was absolutely brilliant. Finishing 7th was a phenomenal achievement for a club like hours, to do it two seasons in a row was amazing. I went for this 7th place rather than the later one. Highlight was beating Celtic away in the League Cup, one of my favourite ever matches.

94/95: For me this was the first season I'd went to a lot of then-Premier Division grounds, and it was great to see so many of them before they became developed into what they are today. We had the League Cup win against Rangers at Ibrox and beating Hearts about a hundred and three times.

96/97: The league was shite, but to get to a cup final was brilliant. The buzz and atmosphere around the town was second-to-none. I know we've reached cup finals since, but I have never been more devastated at walking out of Ibrox. At that time Rangers and Celtic were getting richer and better every season and I genuinely thought we'd never contest a cup final again. Obviously I know now that that was wrong, but at the time it seemed like that was the only chance I'd get to see Falkirk in a cup final.

Honourable mention to the Farid season and the last season at Brockville.

03/04 was Awfulview.

You mean Latapy/Duffy/McBreen/Thomson smashing everybody? That was 04/05.

[Gaz]

03/04 was Awfulview.
You mean Latapy/Duffy/McBreen/Thomson smashing everybody? That was 04/05.

You’re absolutely right. Edited!

[Sloop John B]

It's hard to say what's a good season when we haven't ever finished better than 4th so in terms of league performances it's always a sense of we should have done more than what we did.

2007/08 - A cup run featuring an 80 yarder, a 4-3 win and coming back from 2 down in the final. It still doesn't feel like it actually happened.

2012/13 - Annihilating the seaside leagues and winning the Challenge Cup  on penalties after the only good extra time period ever. Also witnessing the death of Pa Kujabi's footballing career at the hands of Danny Carmichael.

2014/15 - Being a legit promotion threat with any game against Rangers feeling like it was winnable, just a very good side with some very tasty football and about as consistent a team as we've ever had. A shame it was in a season with 3 big teams but we came within a goal-line clearance of sending the second leg to extra time.

2002/03 - The first time we actually won anything, looking comfortable at a championship level, plus a team of absolute boys (and Andy Goram).

2008/09 - Playing in Europe, Dobbie deciding to slim down to get the big move and hitting supernova mode in front of goal. 

 

Special Mention to the 2006/07 (Second Half) - where after a woeful start, we then signed the GOAT, and somehow stayed up  breaking Gretna in the process.

[AllyM]

10 hours ago, Coventry Saint said:

87, 00, 06, 13, 18. 

Cup, title, title and diddy cup, cup, probable title.

Which begs the question, is it better to kick around the bottom of the top league season by season but stay up (us 2006-2014) or take the hit and win a title in a couple of years? Or did we need to be in the top league to pull off 1987 & 2013?

[Coventry Saint]

14 minutes ago, AllyM said:

Which begs the question, is it better to kick around the bottom of the top league season by season but stay up (us 2006-2014) or take the hit and win a title in a couple of years? Or did we need to be in the top league to pull off 1987 & 2013?

I was having this debate with someone when we were talking about prioritising the cup or the league (when you're in the second tier).

I'd personally prioritise the league every time, on the basis that, as you say, you really only have a shot at a proper cup if you have a top flight squad. Hibs were a very rare exception there.

If you favour the cup, you might go an extra round or two, but you won't win it... Whereas you never know how crucial an extra point or two could be to a league campaign.

(As a footnote, I'm 39 so too young to remember the late 70s/early 80s, which I'd imagine would possibly feature in older fans' lists.)

[ShaggysBeard]

I'm in my early 30s so although I would be taken along during the end of the Leishman era and the big crowds in that period I have no recollection of this.

Every season since the administration and subsequent rescue of our club largely due to the incredible fund raising of normal fans is up there. The survival from being 10 mins away from extinction is the most important event in living memory for the club. 

1995/96. The roller coaster. McCathie death and winning the league after being so close the 3 seasons previous. Lows and highs. Tragedy and success.

2010/11. Nipping Raith Rovers to the title, the Martin Hardie free kick. A winner in what seemed to be the 98th minute in Dingwall. I especially remember going down to Dumfries and winning 3-1 around this time in the season and it being the first time I genuinely thought we were capable of winning the league.

2003/2004. No trophies. The only season I can remember when I've really felt Dunfermline was one of the top 4 clubs in the country. Regular 6000+ crowds and genuinely have Hearts, Aberdeen, Dundee Utd come to East End Park and expecting to beat them. 1-0 up at HT in the Scottish Cup, losing hurt at the time but was an experience which seems so far away now after the events since.

[Skyline Drifter]

9 hours ago, Sloop John B said:

It's hard to say what's a good season when we haven't ever finished better than 4th so in terms of league performances it's always a sense of we should have done more than what we did.

2007/08 - A cup run featuring an 80 yarder, a 4-3 win and coming back from 2 down in the final. It still doesn't feel like it actually happened.

2012/13 - Annihilating the seaside leagues and winning the Challenge Cup  on penalties after the only good extra time period ever. Also witnessing the death of Pa Kujabi's footballing career at the hands of Danny Carmichael.

2014/15 - Being a legit promotion threat with any game against Rangers feeling like it was winnable, just a very good side with some very tasty football and about as consistent a team as we've ever had. A shame it was in a season with 3 big teams but we came within a goal-line clearance of sending the second leg to extra time.

2002/03 - The first time we actually won anything, looking comfortable at a championship level, plus a team of absolute boys (and Andy Goram).

2008/09 - Playing in Europe, Dobbie deciding to slim down to get the big move and hitting supernova mode in front of goal. 

 

Special Mention to the 2006/07 (Second Half) - where after a woeful start, we then signed the GOAT, and somehow stayed up  breaking Gretna in the process.

Wouldn't argue too much with that. I'd definitely have 01/02 in my top five. You say 02/03 was the first time we won anything but we won the second division the year before and as it was our first set of winners medals since 1951 I'm certainly going to count it. Late season charge to the title after sitting about 3rd or 4th in January was terrific. I'd have that season above the one after for sure.

I remember 85/86 fondly too as my first season watching regularly. A season we won promotion and should have won the league only to blow up over the last 3 or 4 games and hand it to Dunfermline.

2008/09 could have been so special. Leaving Europe aside, that team should have been a genuine promotion contender. It topped the League for the first 3 months then went about three months without winning a game before bouncing back to finish well. Even just 4 or 5 wins in that long winless run would have had us fighting it out promotion to the death. Major injuries to Adams and O'Connor plus an inability to find a consistent keeper or right back killed us but that team had so much talent going forward.

[The Moonster]

I'm a bit younger than Boghead Ranter so mine are a lot more recent. I was alive for the Forthbank season mentioned but I was 5 years old and more interested in playing tig at the games than the football.

03/04 - Infamous for Morton fans but for us it was a good season. Brian Fairley somehow nearly got that team promoted. We had some decent players there no doubt but it came down to a crunch game at Hamilton which we lost in the end but we pushed them all the way and finished with the second best defence in the league. I remember looking at Hamilton in the Premier 2 years later thinking what could have been (naively).

08/09 - Third Division winners. We had a fucking brilliant team and were absolutely spanking teams in the run in, it was joyous to watch. I think we were 16 points behind leaders Cowdenbeath at one point but they collapsed and we became unbeatable (I think we set a clean sheet record during the last 10 games).  Stevie Murray, Derek Carcary, Gordon Lennon and Denis McLaughlin pished all over that league.

11/12 - Second Division play-off winners. I think spanking Airdrie 4-1 (6-2 on aggregate) at their own gaff is still one of my best days following the club. The season wasn't all that great until the last 8 games and play-offs.  Our first play-off match up at Arbroath remains the best goalkeeping performance I've seen live, Shay Grindlay was the human wall that day and we wouldn't be where we are now without him.

12/13 - Looking doomed to a Brechin-esque season in November with only 2 draws and a win (which came under caretaker Jack Ross) to our name, we brought in a rookie manager in Ian Murray and set ourselves up to prepare for a shot at the League 1 title the following season. Murray had to wait more than a month for his first game in charge as 4 games were postponed in December, we played Falkirk at TFS and beat them 4-3. The following week at Cappielow we horsed Morton 3-0. We won 3 of the next 4 games and the run just snowballed.  By the end of the season we had beaten everyone in the league and saved ourselves from relegation, finishing with 43 points. Standing at Central Park on the second last day knowing a win made us definitely safe and watching us win 3-2 was a great feeling, knowing that 6 months earlier we were clinging on to a 1-0 lead to claim our first win of the season, it was ridiculous turnaround.

13/14 - Our form from the previous season continued and our 90's Newcastle style approach of "we'll score more than you" almost paid off. We scored 65 goals that season which was the second best in the league, sadly we conceded 64, only beaten by Cowdenbeath and a Morton side who conceded 10 on the last day.  The season was amazing entertainment though, and it came down to the second last game of the season in basically a shoot-out with Queens down at the Rock. We lost that game but still comfortably finished 5th above 3 other full-time sides. We also got to the Scottish Cup quarter-final and were unlucky not to force a replay with Aberdeen.  I think this season just beats the great escape of the previous season, I loved watching us play.

If we win the Challenge Cup this weekend and go on to save ourselves from relegation I reckon this season would force it's way in over the 03/04 season, but a lot of work for us still to do.

[Bring Back Paddy Flannery]

I'm a bit younger than Boghead Ranter so mine are a lot more recent. I was alive for the Forthbank season mentioned but I was 5 years old and more interested in playing tig at the games than the football.
03/04 - Infamous for Morton fans but for us it was a good season. Brian Fairley somehow nearly got that team promoted. We had some decent players there no doubt but it came down to a crunch game at Hamilton which we lost in the end but we pushed them all the way and finished with the second best defence in the league. I remember looking at Hamilton in the Premier 2 years later thinking what could have been (naively).
08/09 - Third Division winners. We had a fucking brilliant team and were absolutely spanking teams in the run in, it was joyous to watch. I think we were 16 points behind leaders Cowdenbeath at one point but they collapsed and we became unbeatable (I think we set a clean sheet record during the last 10 games).  Stevie Murray, Derek Carcary, Gordon Lennon and Denis McLaughlin pished all over that league.
11/12 - Second Division play-off winners. I think spanking Airdrie 4-1 (6-2 on aggregate) at their own gaff is still one of my best days following the club. The season wasn't all that great until the last 8 games and play-offs.  Our first play-off match up at Arbroath remains the best goalkeeping performance I've seen live, Shay Grindlay was the human wall that day and we wouldn't be where we are now without him.
12/13 - Looking doomed to a Brechin-esque season in November with only 2 draws and a win (which came under caretaker Jack Ross) to our name, we brought in a rookie manager in Ian Murray and set ourselves up to prepare for a shot at the League 1 title the following season. Murray had to wait more than a month for his first game in charge as 4 games were postponed in December, we played Falkirk at TFS and beat them 4-3. The following week at Cappielow we horsed Morton 3-0. We won 3 of the next 4 games and the run just snowballed.  By the end of the season we had beaten everyone in the league and saved ourselves from relegation, finishing with 43 points. Standing at Central Park on the second last day knowing a win made us definitely safe and watching us win 3-2 was a great feeling, knowing that 6 months earlier we were clinging on to a 1-0 lead to claim our first win of the season, it was ridiculous turnaround.
13/14 - Our form from the previous season continued and our 90's Newcastle style approach of "we'll score more than you" almost paid off. We scored 65 goals that season which was the second best in the league, sadly we conceded 64, only beaten by Cowdenbeath and a Morton side who conceded 10 on the last day.  The season was amazing entertainment though, and it came down to the second last game of the season in basically a shoot-out with Queens down at the Rock. We lost that game but still comfortably finished 5th above 3 other full-time sides. We also got to the Scottish Cup semi-final and were unlucky not to force a replay with Aberdeen.  I think this season just beats the great escape of the previous season, I loved watching us play.
If we win the Challenge Cup this weekend and go on to save ourselves from relegation I reckon this season would force it's way in over the 03/04 season, but a lot of work for us still to do.

I'd agree with these but I'm going to throw in a bit of a weird one.

07/08 - 8th place in the Scottish Third Division. We were absolutely rancid and had some prime time jobbers making up the squad but that season we had some of the most glorious away days known to man. There was a big crowd of us regularly travelling to every away game and having a fuckin rare time. It's almost like the football was so bad we didn't even care about it and just made a day of it. I even remember the manager having a square go with someone up at Elgin.

[The Moonster]

Just now, Bring Back Paddy Flannery said:

 

I'd agree with these but I'm going to throw in a bit of a weird one.

07/08 - 8th place in the Scottish Third Division. We were absolutely rancid and had some prime time jobbers making up the squad but that season we had some of the most glorious away days known to man. There was a big crowd of us regularly travelling to every away game and having a fuckin rare time. It's almost like the football was so bad we didn't even care about it and just made a day of it. I even remember the manager having a square go with someone up at Elgin.

 

Fair point, aye. In the prime of our youth and travelling the length of the country was good fun, the football was absolutely honking though.  It was our bus convener who Gerry McCabe offered a square go in the car park

McCabe was an absolute fraud.

[weebud]

2 hours ago, AllyM said:

Which begs the question, is it better to kick around the bottom of the top league season by season but stay up (us 2006-2014) or take the hit and win a title in a couple of years? Or did we need to be in the top league to pull off 1987 & 2013?

Interesting point AllyM but I think the answer to your second part is yes. My favourite seasons, other than title winning seasons, would be between 1978 and 1986 and they were all in the top league (albeit a long time ago!!).

[iceblink]

99/00 Winning the title after being second favourites for relegation at the start of the season, and getting back into the top league after being away for a decade, top scorers in Britain at the early point of the season, etc

87 - Winning the cup beating the UEFA cup finalists in the final

13 - Winning the League Cup

05/06 - Winning the title

16/17 Surviving the drop against all the odds

 

Hopefully 17/18 will make  number 4 on my list, but I saw the H*m****y game so I never count my chickens ......

[Gaz]

2 hours ago, Coventry Saint said:

I was having this debate with someone when we were talking about prioritising the cup or the league (when you're in the second tier).

I'd personally prioritise the league every time, on the basis that, as you say, you really only have a shot at a proper cup if you have a top flight squad. Hibs were a very rare exception there.

If you favour the cup, you might go an extra round or two, but you won't win it... Whereas you never know how crucial an extra point or two could be to a league campaign.

(As a footnote, I'm 39 so too young to remember the late 70s/early 80s, which I'd imagine would possibly feature in older fans' lists.)

I've seen Falkirk win the First Division (or equivalent) four times - 91/92, 93/94, 02/03 and 04/05. I have no doubt we'll win it again another three or four times in my life.

I have never seen us win a (major) cup. If you offered me the choice between winning the cup and staying in the First Division for another twenty years, I'd take the cup every single day.

[madton]

11 hours ago, IainMorton said:

16/17 - seeing Morton playing in a national semi final for the first time, finishing fourth and the thought of possibly winning promotion. All that despite not winning any of our last twelve (?) matches.

95/96 - first full season supporting Morton. Scudding St. Mirren 4-1 at Love Street in my first ever away game. Finished third two points behind Pars who finished top in our first season after winning promotion.

12/13 - another possible title fight pushing Thistle all the way, seeing Tidser and Bachirou bossing the midfield, helped by BMMMH.

02/03 - winning the Third Division at the first attempt after going down. Looked dead and buried but won our last five games to win it on the final day. This title has probably meant the most to Morton fans after surviving the Hugh Scott era.

14/15 - Duffy’s first season in charge and another league title. Started poorly and lost to Spartans in the Scottish Cup. Last minute wins against Ayr and Stenhousemuir at Cappielow coming from 1-0 and 2-0 down were highlights.

These are in no particular order of most favourite season

 

Would go with 4 out of the 5 of these.

Would swap the 14/15 season with the 94/95 season.

In 94/95 we signed Rajamaki and Lindberg  and we won the second division and the football was really enjoyable from memory. We had Lilley, Mahood, McInnes all playing in that side too. The  penultimate  game of the season against Dumbarton was brilliant. I was playing on the park for the schools that day which helped! 

 The 14/15 season we lost 11 games to part time sides and made a right meal of getting over the line. Could have been a lot more than 11 had it not been for some impressive comebacks right enough.  As you say we had our worst result in our history too. Fans were divided on Duffy pretty much all season and if it wasn't for McManus, we probably would't have went up. For me it wasn't that enjoyable and more relief that we managed to do what was expected of us.