Thursday 28 May 2015

A 3rd promotion?

Rangers' quest for a third consecutive promotion took a massive hit tonight as they went down at home to Motherwell 3-1.
Three consecutive promotions is quiet a rare thing but it has happened once before in Scotland. Gretna are the only side to have gone from Scottish 3rd division to the Premier League in consecutive seasons. This was achieved during 2004 and 2007 but the rapid rise ended with relegation from the premier league and subsequent liquidation in 2008.

However Gretna don't have the British record of consecutive promotions. That honor belongs to Cornwall side Truro City who between 2005 and 2009 rose four divisions to the Southern League Division One South & West, which makes part of the English 8th tier. Truro are currently celebrating a promotion to the Conference South for next season which is part of the 6th tier in the English system.

The highest number of consecutive promotions that I can find is in Germany. Surely a world record and it belongs to SV Rodinghausen who between 2009 and 2014 rose an incredible five divisions. The run was halted only this season when they finished 8th in the Regionalliga West but at five consecutive promotions it will take some beating that record.

Consecutive relegations?
That was the upside but what about the other direction. What are the records for consecutive relegations. The high profile case of Portsmouth is worth mentions but wasn't consecutive but their fall was rapid none the less. From premier league in 2010 to League two (4th tier) in 2014 it is quiet a drop.
So the record, it stands at 4 from what I can gather and has happened twice, both in Germany (what is with that place and consecutive promotions and relegations). The unfortunate clubs are FC Kempten and SV Lohhof.
FC Kempten dropped 4 divisions between 2007-08 and 2010-11. They currently play at the league they dropped down to called the Kreisliga Schwaben Sud.
SV Lohhof fell 4 divisions between 1999-00 and 2002-03. The club can now be found in the 7th tier in the Bezirksliga Oberbayern-Nord.

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