Cheltenham Town suffered two major setbacks before a ball was kicked in the 2002-2003 season.
Firstly Steve Cotterill, the man who guided them from the Dr Martens League all the way to Division Two, departed the club after a five year stay to take charge of Stoke City.
The second setback involved the collapse of ITV Digital which, although it affected all clubs, came at a bad time for the Robins who needed to strengthen for the step up to the second division.
It was not until November that further funding became available, by which time a desperately tough early season fixture list had contributed to a lowly league position.
The man charged with the near impossible task of following Steve Cotterill was his former first team coach Graham Allner, a man of immense experience but yet to take charge of a Football League side.
His cause was not helped by a series of fixtures against many of the sides who would later contest the promotion positions. As Allner searched for the right blend of players the team struggled to score goals and there were no wins from any of the first eight games. despite these problems the team still managed to achieve one of the greatest cup results in the club's history during September. Norwich City were handed a 3-0 win at Carrow Road to send the Robins into the League Cup second round for the first time.
Back-to-back victories finally arrived against near neighbours Swindon Town - the first ever competitive meeting between the clubs - and Mansfield Town but defeats against Notts County, Blackpool and Luton forced Allner to concede that his squad needed strengthening.
Richard Forsyth arrived from Peterborough United for a £15,000 fee and Grant McCann made a welcome return to the club on loan from West Ham United.
Results and performances duly improved and there were morale boosting wins at Northampton and at home to Huddersfield and Brentford.
The FA Cup also provided some encouragement with a win at Conference leaders Yeovil Town and a gutsy, backs-to-the-wall victory at Oldham.
However, things began to go wrong when McCann was recalled from his loan by West Ham and Forsyth suffered a hamstring injury. A big Boxing Day crowd witnessed a 4-0 home defeat by an impressive Crewe Alexandra side and the cup run ended with another 4-0 reverse, this time at Sheffield United.
The Board decided that it was time for a change and Graham Allner left the club to be replaced by a caretaker team of Bob Bloomer, Chris Banks and Mark Yates.
Two weeks later Bobby Gould, the former Coventry, West Brom and Wales manager, was unveiled as the new boss and his first game in charge marked the end of another era. Chris Banks, the club's inspirational skipper throughout the Cotterill years, announced his retirement prior to the match.
As Banks left a new arrival made his way into Whaddon Road as the long transfer saga of McCann was finally resolved. The Northern Ireland international arrived from West Ham for a club record £50,000 fee.
Although initial results under Bobby Gould were mixed, the new boss displayed an inventive approach to tactics - designing a specific formation to nullify the threat of league leaders Wigan Athletic for example - and a willingness to give youth a chance.Shane Duff, David Bird and young Bristol City striker Marvin Brown were all given chances, while youth team players Luke Buttery and Luke Corbett were handed contracts.
Following a 3-1 win over Mansfield Town the team embarked upon a run of only two defeats in their remaining 12 games with impressive 3-0 victories at Swindon Town and at home to Blackpool included.
The youngsters plus a rejuvinated John Brough - now playing back in the forward line - and a fit-again Tony Naylor (his injury absences had been a major blow) ground out enough results to give the team a chance.
The problem, unfortunately, was that two many of the games in the closing weeks ended in draws. While Chesterfield, their main rivals in the relegation scrap, endured a terrible run the Robins were unable to take advantage.
Relegation was finally confirmed on the final day of the season with a 1-0 defeat at Notts County. Cheltenham could look back upon a brave fight against the drop, but also to countless games in which points should have been gained. In particular, three times the team took a 2-0 lead away from home and three times they could only draw - one of those matches being against Chesterfield - the team who pipped them to survival by a two point margin.
Player of the Year: Martin Devaney
Top goalscorer(s): (12) Julian Alsop
Most appearances (all comps): (51) Michael Duff & Jamie Victory
Nationwide Division 2: 21st - 48pts (relegated)
Average home league attendance: 4,656
League Cup: R2 - Crystal Palace
FA Cup: R3 - Sheffield United
LDV Vans Trophy: R2 - Wycombe Wanderers
