Thetownend.com

I was thinking about Curtis Weston earlier, as you do. And then started trying to put together a team of eleven STFC one season wonders. And then thought others might like to think of similar

There are a few ground rules

- they can have played for us for More than one season
- their ‘good’ season doesn’t necessarily need to be their last season with us, but any subsequent seasons must have reverted to mediocrity
- any reasons for only having one good season are valid - be it injury, loss of form, or transfer
- ‘one season’ is defined as a single league season
- maximum of three players per good season (I.e. you can’t just list the 2009-10 squad)


What do you reckon?

Commingues and Brezovan spring straight to mind.

The chap who paid cash money to be squad member.

Billy Paynter

Ben Gladwin

Mooney.

Grant Smith was sort of a six month wonder too.

Chris Hay

Steve Finney

Kasim?

Not sure how these may qualify but how about

Keith East 1966/67?

Nestor Lorenzo 90/91
Jan Aage 1994
Craig Maskell 1992/93

Tommy Mooney 03/04
Eoin Doyle 2019/20

He was the first name that sprang to mind for me too.


He had one great season but I always rated Billy and the job he did.


Brez was more of a one game wonder, wasn't he? That's unfair really but he wasnt the same after the broken arm which happened quite early on in the season.


Was still banging them in during 95, and more than one season anyway.


How dare you!

Finney is a good one, he came from nowhere, got his chance because I think Thorne was injured? and banged in a bunch for a single season before returning to obscurity.

4D - 2019/20 season  ;D

Finney is a good call

 Centre half you'd want  David Cole.... arrived in 84/85 played 20 games to no great fanfare, then playd 44 in the Div 4 record breaking season and was soon moved on toTorquay after the infamous Blackpool 6-2 defeat.

If you go Minge at RB then at LB Andy Ford might merit inclusion. Had been around a bit before and after 78/79, but he didn't miss a game that season in what was a very decent side. Also from that side Chic Bates did well for what was effectively a support striker role.

As is usual for Town we seem to get a lot of strikers who do wellish for a season or so.... say like Peter Eastoe, but he moved upwards.

Not really a 'wonder' but Anton Rogers' stint at STFC appears to represent the pinnacle of his impressive career.

Mark Jones signed from Oxford in September 86 and pretty much ever present in 86/87 scoring loads of pens. Got a bad knee injury in the next pre season and don't think he played for us again.

Nile Ranger

I can think of a few more. Jonathan Douglas was magisterial in the playoff season, but along with a few others, didn't really turn up the following relegation year.

Jon-Paul McGovern was great on the wing one year then, if I remember correctly, got a contract extension and put his feet up.

Might be slightly unfair on Charlie Henry, who was a well-loved tryer, but under Macari he suddenly delivered an 18-goal return out of nowhere from a drifting midfield role.

Veteran Kenny Allen parked his caravan on the goalline for the 1985 Div Four championship, but disappeared when Fraser Digby arrived the following year.

Others gave us a glimpse of their talent during one season before drifting off: Ian Woan into retirement, Philippe Cuervo to rest his knees, Charlie Austin, arguably, though his 57 apps came over two good half-seasons interrupted by injuries, before he inevitably went on to greater things.

Several from a large (for L2) squad in the PdC season. Players like Cibocchi, De Vita, Benson and Kerrouche would all get special mentions but in that season it has to be Alan Connell.

Connell somewhat of a L2 promotion specialist was probably one of the more sensible/less erratic signings by PdC. Something like £100k for his track record was ultimately justified.

Strange one with Connell, seemingly his career had never taken the next step up, even when it appeared (to me at least) he could be good enough at the next level. I know he suffered a few injuries that undoubtedly hampered him but instead he remained a Tier 4 journeyman for the most part; briefly dipping in to the Conference. I swear there was more in the tank from him.

Anyway, he makes the cut as a one season wonder for me because even though partially frozen out/rotated, at times he seemed like he was capable of playing in the Championship. I think I saw his debut goals, the 3-2 home win v Rovver'um which starred Alex Revell, Adam Le Fondre and Lewis Grabban. The Millers were in fine form and it looked a tough ask for Town, especially in the wake of "Clarkegate". Connell came off the bench to turn the game around - his goals won us that match and kickstarted our unbeaten home run, which would last the rest of the league season. The rest was history. Also starred match fixer Alberto Comazzi. Now he could be a one season wonder for totally different reasons.

George Ndah, there's another one that's perfect for this thread. Brilliant for a season before he was let go by Rikki Hunt* for £1m to Wolves, when Watford had offered £1.5m.

*Rikki on a grown man, ffs.  :crash:

Joey Beauchamp

Shows how dreadful my memory is, I have no recollection of Finney having a prolific spell, my recollection of him is just meh really.

Two from the 1985/6 D4 championship team
Kenny Allen - replaced in goal the following season by Fraser Digby
Paul Roberts - a rather agricultural full back for whom D3 would have been a league too high.

The song was not 'Walking in a mediocre wonderland!'

Ah now that rings a bell.

JP McGovern was one of my least favourite players until the play off season when he actually resembled a good footballer.

Sent from my CLT-L09

JPM had talent, but it only really came out if he needed a contract

Very much.  He gets a bad press because of his Oxford links, but I feel that his performances for us that year (1994-95) often get overlooked.

Connell is another good call.  I also felt he could have gone further.

But the ultimate one season wonder for me was Tommy Mooney (2003-04).  Towards the end of his career, but it was still a real disappointment to see him move on to Oxford after failing to make his mark in the Play Offs.  Felt like there was unfinished business.

Paul Allen?

Looked amazing in the 95/96 promotion season but didn't play much the next year, then left.

Iffy scored 20 in a season didn't he?

Yep. Possibly in a pretty shit season I think.

Yea just looked it up 98-99, 20 goals in the first division finishing 17th