Staying amongst football's elite is no easy task, just ask these clubs...
Barnsley 1997-1998
Without a win in their last five outings, and only held off the bottom spot of the Championship thanks to Derby County's pair of point deductions, it is probably fair to say that the current season hasn't been the best time to be a Barnsley fan.
However, despite the previous two decades seeing the Tykes bounce back and forth between the second and third tiers of English football, there was a time when the Yorkshire club briefly managed to reach the dizzying heights of the Premier League.
Buoyed by the management skills of former Northern Ireland international Danny Wilson, the club finished second in the 96/97 first division to earn automatic promotion and bring top-flight football to the city for the first time in the club's over century-long existence.
Unfortunately, the club's spell in the top flight would prove to be short-lived. Despite defeating Manchester United en-route to a FA Cup quarter-final, and racking up a respectable 10 league wins throughout the season, the club suffered 23 defeats and were summarily relegated the same year.
Barnsley FC Promotion to the Premiership 26th April 1997
Blackpool 2009-2010
In the post-war period, Blackpool F.C. were one of the top clubs in the English football league.
Inspired by the genius of Sir Stanley Matthews, Blackpool won the FA Cup in 1953 and achieved four top-six finishes in the First Division. The club would struggle to sustain its success following Matthews' departure, however, dropping from the first to the fourth tier of English football in the space of just 10 years between 1971 and 1981.
The new millennium would offer a change of fortunes for the Seasiders though and under the stewardship of eccentric manager Ian Holloway, the club would defeat Cardiff City in the 2010 Championship play-off final to return to the top flight for the first time in 39 years.
A strong start in the club's inaugural Premier League season saw them in eighth place at Christmas, but the good form would not last. With just three wins in their final 21 league games, the club would finish 19th, ultimately being relegated with a loss to champions Manchester United on the fall day of the season.
Blackpool would go into freefall in the years that followed, dropping all the way down into League Two in 2016, before a resurgence saw them climb the leagues once more and return to the second-tier via the play-offs last year.
Blackpool's 10/11 Premier League XI: Where Are They Now?
Swindon Town 1993-1994
Led by the former Tottenham star and future England manager Glenn Hoddle, in 1993 Swindon Town defied expectations by defeating Leicester City 4-3 at Wembley to earn promotion to the top flight of English football for the first time in the club's history.
Hoddle would leave the club to take over at Chelsea before the season began, however, and assistant John Gorman was given the unenviable task of attempting to beat the drop.
In just the second season of the breakaway Premier League, Swindon struggled to adapt to the quality of their opponents, failing to register a single win until the end of November when a Keith Scott goal was enough to earn three points at home to Queens Park Rangers.
Despite the result, the win would not mark a change in fortunes for the team, with the club ultimately registering just 5 victories throughout the 42 game season. To make matters worse, Town's leaky defence saw them become the first, and as of the time of writing, only Premier League team to concede 100 goals in a single season.
Swindon Town - Season Review 93/94
Bradford City 1999-2001
Unlike some of their contemporaries on this list, Bradford City did not just spend a solitary season in the Premier League. After a brief spell in the third tier, the club appointed Chris Kamara (Yes
that
Chris Kamara) as manager and saw a remarkable upturn in their fortunes.
Kammy led the club back into the second tier with a play-off win over Notts County and avoided promotion at the first time of asking, but was eventually relieved of his managerial duties and replaced by Paul Jewell.
Jewell would continue to push the overachieving team forward, finishing second in the 1998-99 First Division to win promotion to the Premier League.
In their inaugural Premier League season, Jewell's team started shakily, and after a torrid run of form after Christmas left them in 19th place with just five games remaining. Ultimately the club's safety would come to the final day of the season with a David Wetherall goal against Liverpool proving to be enough to secure safety and condemn Wimbledon to relegation.
Despite their dramatic display at the end of the 99/00 season, the club would fail to build on its success in the top flight. After a string of poor results before Christmas, the club never recovered and remained rooted to the bottom of the table for the remainder of the season, finishing 16 points adrift of safety.
Bradford City - Premier League 1999 - Match of the Day
Oldham Athletic 1992-1994
Unlike their contemporaries on this list, Oldham Athletic did not gain promotion to the reformed Premier League. Instead, the club actually served as one of the founding members of the breakaway division, having earned promotion to the top flight of English football after finishing first in the Second Division in 1991.
In the inaugural Premier League season, the Latics managed to bookend enough quality in an otherwise dismal season to avoid relegation on the final day of the season by virtue of their superior goal difference.
The club did look to be heading in the right direction, however, losing just three of their final 13 league games in order to secure safety.
The following year the club found great success outside of league competition, reaching the semi-final of the FA Cup only to crash out on a replay to a Ryan Giggs-inspired Manchester United who would go on to win the competition.
Results in the league were not as positive, however. Just as in the previous campaign, the club managed to drag the relegation fight out until the final day of the season but this time luck would not be on their side. A 1-1 draw with Norwich was not enough to avoid the drop, and with that Oldham Athletic were relegated from the top flight, and have yet to return.
Oldham Athletic - The Greatest Escape in Premier League History
