Let me take you back…back to the distant days of August 1992:
Billy Ray Cyrus was making feet shuffle with Achy Breaky Heart; Madonna, Snap and Jimmy Nail were all also present in the top 20. The film charts were full of classics; Reservoir Dogs, Alien, Basic Instinct and Scent of a Woman among many others had all either been released or were about to be.
Barcelona had just hosted the Olympic Games and Denmark were the surprise act as they were victorious at the European Championships in Sweden, despite having not even been in the competition a few months earlier.
However, most importantly in relation to this story, this was the very first season of the Premier League, which started with much fanfare, money and TV deals and ended as below.
Of the original 22 teams, 12 are in the Premier League, although some via relegations and promotions, as Man Utd, Villa, Liverpool, Spurs, Man City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Sheffield United, Leeds, Southampton and Palace all currently find themselves in the top flight.
A further 7 teams; Norwich, Blackburn, QPR, Sheffield Wednesday, Coventry, Middlesbrough and Forest find themselves residing in the Championship and League 1 are home to Wimbledon and Ipswich.
Which leaves us with just one team. One remaining side that have dropped from inaugural Premier league participants to the 4th tier of English football.
Oldham are the team who have fallen farthest from grace and now it’s time to get them back to the top table…and then…well, who knows?
Billy Ray Cyrus was making feet shuffle with Achy Breaky Heart; Madonna, Snap and Jimmy Nail were all also present in the top 20. The film charts were full of classics; Reservoir Dogs, Alien, Basic Instinct and Scent of a Woman among many others had all either been released or were about to be.
Barcelona had just hosted the Olympic Games and Denmark were the surprise act as they were victorious at the European Championships in Sweden, despite having not even been in the competition a few months earlier.
However, most importantly in relation to this story, this was the very first season of the Premier League, which started with much fanfare, money and TV deals and ended as below.
A further 7 teams; Norwich, Blackburn, QPR, Sheffield Wednesday, Coventry, Middlesbrough and Forest find themselves residing in the Championship and League 1 are home to Wimbledon and Ipswich.
Which leaves us with just one team. One remaining side that have dropped from inaugural Premier league participants to the 4th tier of English football.
Oldham Athletic F.C.
Wimbledon have even had the time to form an entirely new club, start in non-league football and progress to League 1 - leapfrogging Oldham in the process – in the time Oldham have dropped into League 2.
Oldham are the team who have fallen farthest from grace and now it’s time to get them back to the top table…and then…well, who knows?