The Ugly: Jae Martin
Jae Martin earns his place here because of the difference between the player we borrowed and the one we bought. He arrived from Birmingham, where he had made seven league appearances, on loan early in John Beck’s first full season in charge. Goals against Barnet and Colchester helped make his case, with the Barnet winner prompting Beck to hoist him onto his shoulders in a very public appeal for the board to sign him.
Eventually, the money was found, with a £1 increase in admission prices helping fund a £30,000 permanent transfer. Supporters had been asked to contribute directly to keeping a player whose loan had generated real enthusiasm, which added another layer of expectation. Almost as soon as the deal was done, though, his form faded, and he added only two more goals that season, including our consolation in the 7-1 defeat at Colchester.
Injuries and poor form then restricted him to seven appearances the following season, with a goal against Doncaster offering a rare positive before his release as we won promotion in 1998. There had clearly been something there during the loan, enough to persuade Beck, the board and supporters that he was worth pursuing. For me, the ugly part is how quickly that promise disappeared once we had committed to him: we paid more to keep him, then saw precious little of the player we thought we were buying.
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