‘Hurt and learn’ – former City manager speaks on play-off sorrow for club

My feelings this morning: Frustrated by the result, encouraged by the progress. First of all, massive credit to Micky and his Oldham side last night—they were excellent across all areas. As for our progress, it’s simple: as a club, you’re always in one of three states: 1.Consolidation – focused purely on survival 2.Competing – aiming to be competitive in most games across the season 3.Challenging – pushing for titles or promotion This applies at every level of the game. But if you look specifically at the National League in recent years, a clear pattern emerges. Most clubs promoted from that level follow a familiar path: they consolidate, build a squad capable of competing both on and off the pitch, and then put themselves in a position to challenge for promotion. From my experience, that’s generally how it works—and I’m sure the history books would back that up. Clubs like Barnet, Chesterfield, Bromley, Wrexham, and Notts County are prime examples. Each has followed that model with success. But getting to the challenging stage is no easy feat. The path is rarely straightforward. It usually takes a combination of experience (often from past mistakes), time, investment, and a bit of luck. And once you get there, the real challenge begins: keeping everything together and building on the foundations already in place. That’s where many teams fall short. It’s not about drastic changes or chasing quick fixes. We can all think of clubs that have suffered from doing exactly that—and I’ve seen it first-hand far too often. Ultimately, it’s about staying in the challenge phase. Keeping your emotions in check. Making smart, targeted additions in key areas—the kind of moves that might, and I stress might, give you the edge needed to get over the line and secure promotion. “Surviving is hard. Competing is harder. But staying in the challenge? That’s where most clubs slip.” Massive credit to everyone connected to