Life can be steadily routine, or mundane even, but very important highs and lows crop up now and again involving you, your family, and friends. Births, weddings, and the passing of loved ones – ‘hatches, matches, and dispatches’ as my dear old mum used to call them – are clearly some hugely significant milestones as time goes by. 
You could never say sport gives you high and lows at the same level but when sport, and in particular football, is your passion then those competitive triumphs and troubles can come a pretty close second.
I can say with some confidence that I’ve experienced the lowest low and the highest high in Lincoln City’s history. Others may disagree that the events I recount here deserve that description, but it’ll make for interesting debate over a beer if nothing else.
In May 2002 as club chairman and elected Trust rep in the Imps boardroom I represented Lincoln City in the High Court in Birmingham. A number of our brilliant fans were in the public gallery. A few days earlier our insolvency practitioner had suddenly confirmed our survival plan to be put to the judge was inadequate. Last minute we bolstered it up a bit as a result, but things weren’t looking good.
The judge, after all the deliberations and an astounding display by our barrister, took pity on us and granted us more time. Had he been less generous the company would have been thrown to the wolves. The relief was palpable and where there’d been no tunnel, let alone a light at the end of one, there was now hope we could escape from that dreadful low we’d found ourselves in. Days later, as people rallied round, our plan became more robust and the judge granted our administration order. The recovery was underway.
When Jack Moylan sped into the Reading penalty area and lashed the ball into the net to confirm in the most dramatic fashion in front of our 3000 ecstatic fans our elevation to the second tier in English football, that to me was the high to end all Imp highs. 
Yes we’d been there before 65 years ago. But the pyramid was so different then. The maximum wage for all players was £20 per week. There wasn’t the disparity in cost between divisions that makes upward progress so much more difficult. Or impossible even. The Championship was just a dream but that dream had come true. 
Some highs – like beating a top team – only last a few days and a defeat can puncture that enjoyment. The good thing about this high is that we’ve got weeks and weeks to enjoy it – so let’s do that and savour what next season will bring.