The NLP's Greatest Ever Seasons

The time Mark Creighton joined Oxford United in the summer of 2009, he knew exactly why the U’s had spent three years marooned in Non-League.

“You look at these big clubs who get stuck in the National League and it’s always the same story,” says the 38-year-old, who arrived from rivals Kidderminster Harriers.

“They’re used to playing at nice grounds every week. Not so much rough and tumble. Then suddenly you’re away at Barrow on a Tuesday night. You’re not only getting battered by horrible burly blokes, but you’re also getting battered by wind, hail, sleet. It’s minging.

“If you can’t adapt to that very quickly, you will fail. And that’s why Oxford did fail. It’s not that they didn’t take the league seriously. They just didn’t fully understand it.

“They thought they could rely on having a big fanbase. On paying a bit more money for good players. And in that league, those things can count for very little. What really matters is having good experienced pros who know the level.”

Enter Chris Wilder, the architect of a transformation that would ultimately end in a glorious return to the Football League.

Today, the 52-year-old is regarded as one of the finest managerial talents in England, the figurehead of an innovative and attacking Sheffield United side on the cusp of European qualification.

Back then, he was merely a young coach dealt an ugly hand. Laid off when Halifax folded in 2008, Wilder had been working as assistant to Alan Knill at Bury when the U’s came calling.

It was a glorious opportunity, but one fraught with peril; after all, the side bequeathed by Darren Patterson in December 2008 was a mess.

Soft centred. Shot shy. Abysmal on the road. Burdened by the club’s status and bullied by bruisers like Creighton, too many of their players had crumbled amid the perennial expectation of promotion.