Promotion v Bolton or Promotion v Forest ?

Bolton for me to complete the journey.

The forest game though was the perfect way to transform a slightly meandering season to the ultimate play off final experience on our own patch. Winning uplifted the season to one of the best promotions.
 
billythekid said:
Think seeing us in all divisions is a football education most fans should have, then they will appreciate more what they have in the higher divisions and how other clubs struggle financially without the big money rewards.
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Guess it's similar to being born in wealthy/privileged families. Some are no doubt are aware, stay grounded whereas others live in this bubble, unaware of hard times out there... lack perspective.

I know a few United fans, who've suddenly lost interest in football the last fews. Siting stuff like out of love with how the games changing... we all know the real reason. They haven't got a f**ing clue how to deal with not winning most of their games.

Also Newcastle fans suddenly popping out the woodwork again, after previously stating they didn't have time or similar reasons to United fans.
 
Bolton. It was raw emotion and the culmination of a long journey that will probably never be eclipsed here.

Forest was immensely satisfying though, and a more dramatic night.
 
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Silent AFCB said:
Bolton, not even close. It was emotional, I felt substantially more connected to that squad than this one that mostly took us up from League 1 as well.
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That’s a very good point you make. I was certainly more connected to the class of 2015 as well, because of the whole journey we’d all been on together. So I agree, that was another factor that made the Bolton match so very very special.
 
How about Yann kermogant ( I know spellcheck) or Keifer Moore …Yann more games , Moore bigger impact ?
 
For me Bolton. Even though I was immensely confident going into that match, that we would win, as others have said the actual realisation, that barring a highly improbable GD swing, we were there; the years of being so close to extinction; the squad being somewhat more grounded and nearer to you average everyday fan, that the multimillionaire players lack; the barely credible results en route and the sheer pleasure of seeing what a threat we were going forward, with goals from all over the pitch. Having scouts from other clubs sat next to me over those few seasons leading up to that game and enjoying asking them how they would deal with our right-wing in the first half, then how would they deal with our left-wing in the 2nd half.
Forest was of course, immensely enjoyable, cloud 9 stuff but I didn't expect anything less than a victory and turned up at DC so confident promotion was sealed before a ball was kicked, that the final whistle was almost an anti-climax (we did only win 1-0 after all)
I've seen every relegation and promotion. Bolton will always stand out.
 
Bolton for me as it was the culmination of something I never thought would happen.

This time around I knew we could do it and for me I was fairly confident of doing it once we came back from 3-0 down at Swansea and I saw the fight that night from the players that showed how much they wanted it.
 
bigfatolly said:
100 percent this.

A lot of the 18 year olds who are discovering football now either weren't there in 2015 or if they were probably were too young to appreciate it.

I was struck by how many youngsters there were on the pitch on Tuesday,there is a generation of supporters growing up now who have never seen us out of the top 2 divisions,the lucky buggers !!
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I always tell my lads (10 and 12) this!!
 
Bolton was special. That whole of that season was special. I was working for the Forest game (sadly) so couldn't go.
 
Bolton, absolutely Bolton.

For younger supporters, even being in the second tier was a novelty. That season started off with few expectations, I think we would all have been happy to consolidate the previous season's finish and no one dreamed that a run for the playoffs never mind automatic promotion/title was on. The squad was - while collectively a fine group of players with a consistent line-up - very much loaners, frees, cheap buys, castoffs.

By the time the Bolton game came along it felt like we couldn't fail but having said that .... we've seen defeat snatched from the jaws of victory often enough to not take anything for granted.

As if that wasn't enough the icing on the cake a few days later at Charlton completed a dream that no one ever though possible.

That said - last week was still absolutely fkn superb against a Forest team that could quite easily have thrown a spanner in the works.
 
This is a great thread for me. Thanks to @bigfatolly.

I joined you all in 2016, so didn't experience the first PL promotion. I have wondered whether the previous "first time" experience would compare with the "return". Especially as failure to do so might have been, from what I gathered from some posts, a precursor to a further fall.

I think I got my answer, although it wasn't unanimous. Some great stories.
 
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Context is everything. In 2014/15 no-one expected us to do more than to consolidate, or perhaps flirt with the play-offs as per this pre-season poll:

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