FOR Craig Robinson in 2014, read Isaac Buckley-Ricketts in 2023.
The substitute’s winning goal to secure Warrington Town’s place in the National League North for next season will sit alongside THAT FA Cup goal against Exeter City in the club’s history.
Does it even sit above it? There may be debate about that but what can be said for certain is that it is another moment no Yellows fan will forget in a hurry.
The eternal wait for the net to ripple followed by the cacophony of noise from the vast majority inside Cantilever Park – and those sneaking a peek from the Transpennine Trail – was 30-odd seconds of pure release.
It was almost as if you could visibly see three years of heartbreak being thrust into the air along with the half-drunk pints and yellow and blue scarves.
No matter which direction Buckley-Ricketts’ Town career heads in from here, he will be forever remembered among the football-loving folk of Warrington as scoring “that goal.”
It marked the culmination of a journey that has been punctuated with heartbreak, struggle and sacrifice and the start of a new and hopefully fruitful chapter in the history of Warrington Town Football Club.
A chapter they have earned the right to start compiling – nobody can deny they have got to this point without paying their dues.
Whether it’s controversial refereeing decisions in crucial games, a one-off quirk in a league restructure or a worldwide pandemic, there always seems to have been some kind of barrier between Town and the sixth tier of English football.
Breaking through it has been a collective effort from everyone at the club, from chairman Toby Macormac down to the small but hardy band of volunteers that help keep the place ticking over day-to-day.
Their hard work has allowed a team to be put together that has punched above its weight to achieve the ultimate dream.
The term “small squad revolution” has been banded around Cantilever Park this year and the numbers tell the true story.
Town used just 25 players in the 51 matches they played in all competitions this season, with six of those making just 12 appearances between them.
The reliance upon that same core of players, which despite the obvious temptations was only added to if a new arrival would improve upon what was already there, has built a resilience and bond that has carried them through some times of real adversity.
Not least with 10 minutes to go on the biggest of stages when Josh Amis was sent off – it would have been easy for the familiar feelings of melancholy to descend but they stuck together and got their deserved reward.
So once the hangovers ease and the scenes of celebration are committed to memory, attention will turn to how Town will fare in the National League North.
They will not know exactly who they will be playing for several weeks yet as play-offs and league reassignments are hashed out, but they can at the very least plan for visits from comparatively huge footballing names such as Scunthorpe United, Hereford and Southport among others.
That plus the huge growth in interest in the club which will only trend upwards following promotion will inevitably lead to bigger crowds and – in theory at least – more sponsors wanting to get involved.
There will be adjustments to be made, particularly off the field as they bring Cantilever Park up to spec in terms of the ground grading criteria for their new level – costed plans are in place and they have until the end of next March to complete the work.
The money for fund that will have to come out of Mark Beesley’s playing budget and if he can keep them in the league next season at an updated ground that satisfies the criteria, 2023-24 will be considered successful as well as historic.
It all makes for a tricky and potentially difficult season ahead but make no mistake, they are nice problems to have.
At the very least, the club and their ever-growing band of supporters will enjoy the ride they are about to go on.
Is it August yet?
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