On the back of Cardiff's memorable victory we recall stand out campaigns for newly promoted clubs.
A look back at some memorable campaigns for newly promoted top-flight clubs, both good and bad
On the back Cardiff City's memorable victory over Manchester City on Super Sunday, we take a stroll down memory lane to remember ten memorable campaigns enjoyed and endured by promoted clubs down the years.
1992/93 - Blackburn Rovers
Future Premier League champions Blackburn Rovers introduced themselves to the inaugural season in some style. After finishing sixth the previous season and gaining promotion through the playoffs, Rovers could have been forgiven for struggling in their first top flight season since 1966. However, an outstanding start to the season proved many people wrong, and the club even challenged for the title until poor January form robbed them of the chance.
Blackburn won 5 of their first seven games to stun fans and critics alike, then continued similar form for the remainder of the calendar year. On New Year's Day, Rovers were sitting comfortably in fourth position, just four points behind Norwich City in what was a truly tense title race. Then the Lancashire club hit a slump, not winning a game from until mid-February to all-but end their title challenge. Things picked up from then on, with the club only losing three more games in the season to finish fourth and miss out on UEFA Cup qualification by just a single point.
1993/94 - Newcastle United
After romping to First Division glory in spectacular style, recording 96 points and being top from virtually the first kick of the ball to the last, Newcastle United entered their maiden Premier League season full of hope. New signings, especially Peter Beardsley for £1.5 million, fuelled Newcastle's pre-season success, and the club had every chance of translating this across to the regular campaign.
Unfortunately for the Toon Army, things didn't start all-too well. Defeats in their first two games left fans wondering whether they would be dropping straight back down and whether star striker Andy Cole was Premier League standard. Those doubts were soon cast aside when Cole started to link up well with Beardsley, and the north-east outfit were quickly climbing the league. By New Year, the club had reached an impressive fifth in the table after having won ten of their last twenty games. A hat-trick of defeats spanning January and February ended any faint hopes of a title challenge, but the St. James' Park side regained their form to win six in a row, and ultimately qualify for the UEFA Cup in third place. Cole was the league's top scorer with a stunning 34 goals.
1994/95 - Nottingham Forest
Two-time European champions Nottingham Forest had dropped out of top flight in the 1992/93 season after 17 years there, but gained promotion straightaway after finishing second in Division One the season after. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Forest adapted to Premier League life well under the guidance of manager Frank Clark, who had taken over from Brian Clough when the club went down. Stan Collymore scored 19 goals in his first Forest campaign the year before, meaning a repeat performance was expected from the £2 million man.
Forest started the 1994/95 season like they were never gone, going unbeaten for the first 11 games of the season. By the time they lost, to eventual champions Blackburn, they were flying in second place. A six game winless streak, which included four defeats, followed though, and soon they found themselves in fifth and on the decline. A poor first three months of 1995 saw the Nottinghamshire club lose touch with the top four, however a brilliant run of nine wins and two draws to close the season out meant Forest finished in third and claimed a UEFA Cup sport. Collymore scored ten times in that eleven game unbeaten run, giving him 22 goals for the season.
1997/98 - Bolton Wanderers, Barnsley and Crystal Palace
For the first and only time since the inception of the Premier League, the 1997/98 season saw the three promoted clubs go straight back down. They were all stuck in and around the relegation zone all season, with only Bolton putting up any kind of fight. For the relegated clubs, that season only served to highlight the massive difference that can exist between the top two tiers of the Football League.
None of the teams started well, with the teams mustering a combined 16 points in 13 games by the end of August. Things picked up for Palace, who even got as high as 10th in November, but it quickly went downhill for the London-based side, who went winless from December to mid-March. Barnsley, who were bottom by New Year and didn't offer much resistance after that, had their season summed up by thumping 7-0 and 6-0 losses to Manchester United and West Ham, respectively. Bolton were only relegated on the final day, albeit by goal difference, and argued that a shot crossed the line in a 0-0 draw against Everton earlier in the season. If it had counted and Bolton had won the game, they would have stayed up at Everton's expense.
1999/00 - Sunderland
A new league and a new sponsor awaited Sunderland after amassing a then record 105 points during a hugely successful Division One season. Kevin Phillips was the star of their season, with the England international scoring 23 league goals. Questions were asked about whether the forward could translate his game to the Premier League and play at the highest level. He responded in incredible style.
A 4-0 drubbing by Chelsea was not the way Sunderland wanted to start their season off, but they dusted themselves down and got going by beating Watford a week later. A ten game unbeaten streak followed, and the Black Cats were storming up the table by Christmas, having won 11 of their first 18 games. However a 5-0 away defeat to Everton on Boxing Day kicked off an eleven game winless streak, finally ending in March in the return fixture. The north-east club ended the season well to finish in seventh place, with Phillips scoring 30 goals to be the league's top scorer.
