So much to unpack from it. The league was to some extent secondary that year. We were a bit inconsistent throughout and sat in 20th after 17 games but steadied ourselves to be a comfortable mid-table side and then won a few at the end to finish in our highest position all season in 8th. Highlights were the wins over Swindon, 3-0 win over Millwall, Conor McAleny's hattricks, the Maguire-pointing penalty game against Peterborough now immortilised in every shithousing compilation on YouTube and a smattering of great last minute winners.
The cups were the real fun though. Beating Birmingham in the League Cup, Rotherham and Newcastle from the Championship in the FA Cup, the best-fun-in-defeat game against Middlesbrough and then the run to the final in the JPT including the 3-2 win over Luton. The less said about the final the better, but we played so many matches that year and Simon Eastwood played all of them - 62 games! Lundstram, Maguire, Hemmings, Phil Edwards (underappreciated loanee who replaced 'Homes Under the Hammer' favourite Christian Ribiero), Marvin Johnson and Dunkley all played over 50 times each too.
Frustratingly, I could see what MApp was doing to set us up for the season after too. He was starting to ease out players who weren't going to get us to the next level such as MacDonald and Ryan Taylor to plan ahead for a push towards the top end of the table the season after. The disagreements with DE over budgets sadly never saw the plans come to fruition.
Thrilled for Lunny. He was suspended for the other 'major' final he contested (the 2016 EFL Trophy Final). Let's hope that a Europa League medal is some solace to banish those memories.