Bradford was a happy valley this weekend in 1982

A 2-2 draw against Bradford at Valley Parade booked the Cherries a return to Division Three with the Bantams faithful also partying as they went up as well.

Promotions were something of a rarity following the club’s election to the Football League in 1923 with this only the second after John Bond had led them out of Division Four in 1970/71.

Their stay in the third flight lasted just four seasons and some lean years in the basement division followed before the appointment of David Webb as manager revived the club’s fortunes.

Former Chelsea star Webb initially came in as player-coach in May 1980 before replacing Alec Stock after he had been elevated to the board of directors.

Webb built a team with an excellent blend of youth and experience, his squad including Nigel Spackman, Trevor Morgan, Paul Compton, Brian Smith, Chris Sulley, Kevin Dawtry, Keith Williams, Paul Edmunds, Phil Brignull, Tony Funnell, Andy Crawford, Eddie Kelly, Steve Carter and Milton Graham.

It was the first season when three points for a win had been introduced and the Cherries hit the ground running by embarking on a nine-match unbeaten run, including six victories.

They would lose just four league games during the campaign, the last of which came when they went down 1-0 at Northampton at the end of February.

Crawford and Howard Goddard were on target when promotion was clinched at Bradford, with rival fans celebrating together on the pitch at Valley Parade.

Funnell finished the campaign as leading scorer with 16, while defender Sulley was the only ever present. Ian Leigh kept 15 clean sheets in 36 games and Kenny Allen kept seven in ten.

Fourth place saw the Cherries joined in Division Three by champions Sheffield United, runners-up Bradford and third-placed Wigan Athletic.

Recalling his time in the hot-seat, Webb told afcb.co.uk: “When I took over, there were a lot of players who were decent chaps but they were more journeymen.

“I said I was going to change the policy and start bringing in a lot of young players who could be sold but who were hungry. I brought them in and had to stick them all together like a bit of glue.

“Once you get that momentum, particularly in your first dozen games, it gives you that impetus and people come into work with a spring in their step.

“You had Ian Porterfield at Sheffield United, Roy McFarland at Bradford and Larry Lloyd at Wigan. We were all young managers who had been players so were all hungry to go forward. It was a good, competitive league and three points for a win made a hell of a difference.

“We had a togetherness in the team and the players righted things that were wrong between them.

“As a manager, sometimes you tweak things tactically or change a player’s position, but the team was virtually the same.

“I had strong characters in the side like Tommy Heffernan and John Impey but there were good young players as well – Spackman, Brignull, Sulley and the young goalkeeper Ian Leigh.

“We had players who were initiated into senior football that season so to end up near the top was incredible really.

“I had my initiation in management at Bournemouth and all those fellas who were thrown in at the deep end repaid me by doing very well.

“That was always one of the things I wanted to do and I proved it could be done because we got promotion.

“It was a hell of an achievement to do that with young players who had come from nowhere and been reserve-team players at other clubs. To do it in their first season was a shining light for me and I was quite chuffed about that as much as getting the promotion.”