My local side to growing up, Droylsden, withdrew during covid because all of their revenue came from the function room. We came back this season and finished in the playoffs, getting to a cup semi, playoff semi and league cup final*, so all round a bloody good year, still managed by chairman and owner Dave Pace after around 30 years.
Lost the playoffs at Stockport Town to a 95th-minute goal, shoddy goalkeeping from a low free kick, and *got kicked out of the league cup final for accidentally fielding a suspended player in the semi
Some may remember that Droylsden were kicked out of the FA Cup third round in about 2009 for fielding an ineligible player when we beat Chesterfield in the second round.
Anyway, we'll win it all next year - largest attendance in the NW Counties Div 1 South by double. We never really had a 'following' before covid, it was your typical couple of hundred at that level, even in the Conference in 2008. Now, however, there's real appetite and loads of youngsters turning up with flags and stickers and following Droylsden away, drinking unsuspecting clubhouses dry. It's brought a bit of buzz to the town.
Elsewhere, I went to Prescot on New Years Day for the Bootle game, great little club, place was packed.
Chorley can fuck off - went last year and they started singing 'always the victims' at Southport. Southport.