‘ Cardiff City next season ‘

1984/85 was the last time Cardiff City suffered relegation from the second tier Championship or old league 2 as was known in the old days.

Cardiff City did not return for 18 seasons. 9 of those seasons City spent in the old league 4, with clubs like Halifax, Darlington, Hartlepool, Rochdale, Tranmere etc etc

Next season Cardiff will have spent more time in the second tier or higher than we spent in those dark seasons with home crowds of 1,400-4,500 most seasons . In fact during these years Cardiff City had their lowest ever crowds in their 100 history.

Only 100 season ticket holders

Even losing to clubs like Stockport County when they were bottom of League 4.


But personally I have fantastic memories of those days and our away support was always tight and everyone got on, players were closer to the fans.

I never missed one home or away game during the 9 seasons in League 4.

I saw us up and down between League 3 & 4 and some sad relegations, but some great promotions

Then in the year 2000 it all changed with Sam Hammam arriving and City went up and up and have never been back in the lower leagues since.



By the year 2003 Average home league attendance 15,569




The difference between pre 2000 and post 2000, where in the last 21 years Cardiff City have spent 17 years in the Championship and above.

Some fans don’t realise the last 21 years are nothing but glory days on the pitch with much better football than the majority of us have seen in 40 plus years.

It goes to shows that when someone believes in your club and your fan base and unites us all together, dreams can be achieved



Do many on here remember those days in League 3 & 4?

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Mate, the old days were a laugh but sad as well, where were our fans?
The fans really started coming from the year 2000 and we have now finally got a very big fan base
I dont ever see them that low again

Well before my time but we have been very fortunate in recent years.

If you look at it from 2003 onwards, since we were last promoted to what is now the Championship:




- League 2 Runners up 2001

- League 1 Play-off semi finals in 2002

- League 1 Play-off Final winners 2003 back in the Championship after an 18 year absence

- FA Cup final in 2008

- Championship play-off final in 2010

- Championship play-off semi finals in 2011

- Championship play-off semi finals in 2012

- League Cup final in 2012

- Promoted to the Premier League as champions in 2013

- Promoted to the Premier League in 2018

- Championship play-off semi finals in 2020




Not many clubs of our size have had that amount of sustained relative success over the same long period.

Can relate to all that and pre 2000 I have much more fonder memories of city Especially closer to the working class players and the bond with us as fans. Felt when we went away we were a small army, proud to stand together. At games felt we were always noiser and more passionate that most teams. Going away was always in hope of just seeing and celebrating a goal. Winning was never expected and when it did happen we basked in the glory that we were the greatest team in football..

I miss those days and sadly they will never come back. I know I am probably in the minority but going down to league 1 and 2 doesn't feel me with fear but excitement.

That said I love the championship and not interested in premiership. Only want to see city win the FA Cup in my lifetime or even league Cup with the added bonus of European football...

Mate, the old days were a laugh but sad as well, where were our fans?
The fans really started coming from the year 2000 and we have now finally got a very big fan base
I dont ever see them that low again

We get more people showing up in the first round of the League Cup on a Tuesday night than we got as our highest attendances for some seasons in the 90's. We could be dissolved and a Cardiff FC phoenix club would probably draw equivalent or bigger crowds than in the 80's and 90's.

Yep. Tokens from the Echo to go and watch.

Eddie May had us rocking. Could have and should have pushed on then. Massive missed opportunity.

Relegation again. Lowest ever league finish with about a million draws. Low crowds no excitement. Then promoted again under Burrows. Again building a decent side but not a big enough squad and relegated again.

Then Sam bought us. Buying player after player. Thousands going away. I remember Exeter and the away stand was rammed.

Went up and spent some more. So close to going up again then we did it.

Solid in the championship looking to push on. Really good squad of young, hungry players.

If the stadium had been delivered then and loads of money released I firmly believe we would be an established premier league side now with very big crowds and a good amount of the welsh side playing for us.

Yep. Tokens from the Echo to go and watch.

Eddie May had us rocking. Could have and should have pushed on then. Massive missed opportunity.

Relegation again. Lowest ever league finish with about a million draws. Low crowds no excitement. Then promoted again under Burrows. Again building a decent side but not a big enough squad and relegated again.

Then Sam bought us. Buying player after player. Thousands going away. I remember Exeter and the away stand was rammed.

Went up and spent some more. So close to going up again then we did it.

Solid in the championship looking to push on. Really good squad of young, hungry players.

If the stadium had been delivered then and loads of money released I firmly believe we would be an established premier league side now with very big crowds and a good amount of the welsh side playing for us.

Started with the Eddie May era for me too. First match was a 3-1 victory against Merthyr Tydfil in the Welsh Cup as a young teenager and I've never looked back since.

The front pair of Carl Dale and Chris Pike who battled it out for top scorer season after season (or so it seemed), Nicky Richardson, Paul Millar, Cohen Griffith, Jason Perry, Damon Searle, etc, then Stantona, Garry Thompson who made a tackle right in front of us that you could hear the poor other guy's leg snap! Ouch! Red card overturned for that if memory serves!

They were great times, great atmosphere and 50p Bovril, a penny per 2 degrees centigrade, that stripped the soft palate raw!

Unfortunately, I then moved away for my first job in Leicester and could not afford to travel back and forth and remained an exile ever since although the Dear Lady and I try to get down when we can - more away matches for us these days as it's way closer.

Yes, the football now is far better in some respects, but because both sides were as bad as each other, it made it open and exciting to watch. It can be rather tedious at times lately, although tactically far superior.

In our promotion chasing seasons I do remember sell outs at Ninian (when they opened the standing area of the Bob Bank) Was it 16,000 at a top of the table clash with Burnley one season, or am I just wearing blue-tinted specs and it was really 6,000? I'm fairly sure we were around 15,000 for home matches at that point.

There again, I distinctly remember a drab midweek Welsh Cup affair in the Grange End against Afan Lido with about 200 in attendance. I was pissing down with rain, a quagmire in the penalty areas and Stantona scored a late winner in his socks having lost a boot in the melee! I believe that it was in this match that the song for a youngster has first blooded:

Oh Wiggy, Wiggy,
Wiggy, Wiggy, Wiggy, Wiggy Wigg!

In those dark days as some call them, in League 4 , we had barely 100 season ticket holders, I can proudly say I was one of them

I remember those days as clear as crystal.

1984 we were fighting a promotion battle with Lincoln. They were top we were second. We lost at their place 2-1. We had a tremendous following that season. We went up nut Lincoln faded away.

The following season we came back down and ended up getting relegated again to finally reach the Dungeon league. When we played Lincoln at their ground their was only one coach from Cardiff there. A total contrast to the game 2 seasons earlier. We won that game 4-0, Lincoln had a player sent off. Both clubs were in dire straights and Lincoln followed us into the Dungeon.

Come the end of the season we went down to the Dungeon league we played Doncaster at the defunct Belle Vue. We had one coach at that game but it was only half full. We all stood behind the goal in the away end and we must have look like a full stop in a sentence. You would have heard each voice cheering on the team it was that obvious. We made more noise through the game than what you witness today though.

Doncaster had Brian Flynn as their player manager. You could see why he made the Wales squad. He was all over the pitch and for someone coming to the end of his career he was quite impressive. Luckily for us his colleagues were crap and we went on to win the game 2-0.

In those dark days as some call them, in League 4 , we had barely 100 season ticket holders, I can proudly say I was one of them

Me too managed to find the season ticket books recently too

In those dark days as some call them, in League 4 , we had barely 100 season ticket holders, I can proudly say I was one of them

Me too managed to find the season ticket books recently too

Yes I have kept everyone of mine since 1972 , remember the stubs

We could easily return to those depressing times if the Sala decision goes against us and if Tan decides he has had enough

We could easily return to those depressing times if the Sala decision goes against us and if Tan decides he has had enough

Dalman’s own words “if we lose the Sala court case that could be the end as it will cost our club £20million.”

How come we have had court cases after cases still for years.