SEASON 1998-99 Living in the past WEBMEISTER BREAKS NEW GROUND WITH UPDATED FOGG-HORN!

The Chairman's history of the "Where's The Head On That Pint Fantasy League"

Throwing It All Away

If the 98/99 season is to be remembered for anything, it is that the league really is a marathon and not a sprint. Ask Rob Foster. Roaring away at the top of the Superior Division from the first week, Cotham Crusaders had opened up a 61-point gap at the top of the league by mid-November. But a truly awful January was to follow, and he threw it all away. As I summed up at the end of the season "During the three weeks after New Year, Rob collected only 3pts, and his rivals smelled blood. Even before he was opening his Valentine cards, the top-spot was gone, a 60-point lead had been squandered, evaporating as though it had never even existed". The main benefactors from Rob's demise were Jon Ward's Rapid Beardinsulters, Inferior Division champions from the season before, who swept to their second successive divisional title by the season's end. It was a season for Rob to forget. Ornamental Brown Star also had a good first season in the Superior, repeating their trick of staying in Jon's shadow. They got some consolation, however, in the Trophy. Down in the drop zone, it had been a poor season for Liversalts FC, who were relegated while their manager was out of the country on holiday. Also doomed to the drop were Washington Foreskins, who had had a marvellous season only a year previous. Such is the fickle nature of fate in fantasy league terms. Finally, and doomed from day one, Harry & Charlie Sports dropped out of the division and then out of the league, resigning with bruised pride after failing to make it to the auction in July. The moral? Always attend auctions.

In the other two divisions, Simon Abbott proved that his One Season Wonders FC were anything but. Two championships in two seasons put Simon in Jon Ward's class as his fourth place in the league rankings showed at the time. Mandrake Slappers maintained their ride to the top as they gained promotion for the second successive season, no doubt upsetting arch-rivals The Partridge Family, who barely held on to their second division status, at the same time. Bouncing back, like a yo-yo, Trevor Cowles made it into the Superior Division, to try yet again to stay up. Going out of the Inferior Division, at the other end, Gary Linekers Legs XI continued their slide after starting brightly. For the first few weeks it looked as if Sarah Reynolds might be on her way back, but it wasn't to be. Dropping down a division with her were Ossies Dream Warriors, after only one season, and The Pirates Return, who also suffered the drop the year before, and whose season was almost as poor as that one as well. Replacing them would be some hungry new blood. Phil Martin's Tweety City were proxied to the Nursery title, only just outfoxing Gaye Ellacott's TooGoodForThisDivision. Also going up with them were Richard Fox's Athletico Jason King WC, though they were pressed to the last by Mark Fogg's Hull Tigers, who were unlucky not to make it into the top three.

In the cups it was a year for strong squads. In the Caffrey's Chalice The Pirates Return were humiliated by a rampant One Season Wonders FC, who had struggled to get through the earlier rounds. Jon Pullin's team were the surprise package in the competition, but it was one week too far for the Inferior strugglers. The Roy Pearce Trophy, however, looked to be staying at the Ellacott's house, though on Gaye's side of the bed. TooGoodForThisDivision and Ornamental Brown Star squared up to each other after difficult group games and low-scoring affairs in the subsequent rounds. In the final week of the season they fought out what looked like becoming a stalemate. In the end, though, experience showed through as the Harding's picked up their first trophy in four years of league membership, and by the smallest of margins, 5-4.