Neil Warnock: blazing a trail for promotion, and a call for the ‘common sense’ of 3UP

There isn’t a person in the country better qualified to talk about promotion than Neil Warnock.

With over 1,600 games managed – Pep has a long way to go yet! – and eight promotions under the belt, Warnock holds records that may yet stand for generations to come.

Notts County (twice), Huddersfield Town, Plymouth Argyle, Sheffield United, Queens Park Rangers and Cardiff City… all were given moments to remember under his stewardship as they jumped up the EFL divisions.

But his first was particularly special – the first ever team promoted automatically into the Football League from the Conference (the forerunner of the National League). Scarborough in 1987 wasn’t just the beginning of his managerial rise – it was the season that helped reshape English football.

“We were 50/1 outsiders to win the league according to the bookies before a ball had been kicked, because we’d only got one player signed up!” Warnock recalls.

“I took about 30 players to look at for Scarborough, and signed about 17 of them in the summer. We were struggling until about September, and got knocked out the FA Cup by Goole Town.

“But then we set off on a run… and we surprised everybody, really. Three of those players I signed were centre halves and they were all top-notch. So I played three centre halves and wing backs, which was an unheard of really in ‘86. We had Ian Bennyworth, Paul Kendall and my captain Steve Richards.

“And then we had a couple of good midfielders, and I got a bit of pace up front from Stuart Mell, who was a fireman by trade.

“We just went from strength to strength. We didn't concede goals. So from September onwards they used to call us ‘one nil’.

“Barnet were the favourites; we went to the PFA awards in March or April time it was Ian St John and Jimmy Greaves presenting it. One of them said, ‘it’s lovely to see Barnet here tonight, the next members of the Football League.’

“And we were top of the league at the time, so they didn't give us a chance! But we just used it as motivation really.

“We had some great times. And we had a reunion last year. Everybody turned up. And I'm looking around the room and feeling how proud I was, that I put that group together.”

Promotion would go on to become his hallmark.

Half of his eight were achieved in automatic spots; the other half via the lottery of play-offs. Each of them represent a piece of history – for clubs, fans, communities.

“They were all special,” Warnock continues. “People still talk about them now.

“Last week I was in Looe in Cornwall and three or four people came up to me and a couple of them said, ‘we were at Wembley when Plymouth won the play-offs…’ And somebody else came over and said they were there at Wembley for the Notts County promotions!

“These are the things that people remember forever. There's nothing better than promotion. It’s lovely to have made so many people in the country happy to support their clubs.”

In some senses, a debt of gratitude is owed to those who were turned away in previous years. Those that lobbied for change and the end to the election system between what was the Alliance Premier League and the Football League.

A system which had seen the door slammed shut on the likes of Tony Sanders and Altrincham who won consecutive league titles but couldn’t convince Football League clubs of their merit.

“I mean, before they introduced the automatic promotion, it was just a closed shop and everyone knew it was,” he explains.

“At that time until they brought it in when we went up, I don't think anybody expected that the club that finished top of the league would get voted in - because they were all frightened of change.

“They were all they were all worried by the idea of newcomers coming in, and one of the old brigade getting relegated. We waved the banner and got up.

“All the all the lads felt that responsibility as the first club promoted. We travelled down on a lovely bus – a coach firm called Plaxton sponsored us. Everybody looked at bus when we pulled up, and we felt we were like Premier League players! But we also felt that we've got to make sure we stay up, because everybody's going to be looking at us as the first team coming up.

“And that's what we did.”

Warnock’s Scarborough laid the foundations, blazed a trail… every promoted club has followed suit. No team that has ever risen fropm the National League has ever been relegated the following season... on average, they go on to finish in the top half.

“And that doesn’t surprise me,” reacts Warnock . “I feel Football League clubs are a little bit against trying to get three up and three down, because they realise that it's not straightforward to get promotion from the National League so these clubs are doing something right.

“They're worried about these teams – and quite rightly so! – because a lot of these teams will hold their own. It’s only fear from the group to not vote it in. But I think I think common sense should come in now to allow more to get promotion.”

Warnock’s message to the EFL and its clubs is clear – he backs a third promotion place to League Two.

“I think it encourages everybody,” continues Warnock. “And that's why I'm a big believer that they've got to follow suit soon with 3UP. Clubs in the bottom division of the EFL, they don’t have a divine to stay there when there's non-League teams that are absolutely superb and run really well.

“These are clubs that have got good teams, got good facilities. I think it's criminal that it’s only the ones that come up that go up automatically.

“I think what makes our football great in England is that everybody's got the same incentive in the Football League… and non-League has grown so much. When you look at our non-League, we should be really proud of it and the number of people that we attract.

“All that's needed now is common sense, and that right to do it.”

That's why we're holding a Day of Action this weekend - all National League games are kicking off at 3.03pm to raise awareness of the 3UP campaign.

Here's some further reading...

• Sign the petition - put your name to 3UP
• Altrincham's 1980s injustice and the fight for fairness
• Our runners-up and the case for another promotion place
• Prime Minister praises the 3UP campaign
• Trident Leagues to support Day of Action
• How Doncaster's double promotion exposed the glass ceiling
• Jeff Stelling announced as 3UP campaign ambassador