Michael Knighton's arrival heralded an impending change of fortune at Brunton Park, but his first season in charge was a difficult one. United struggled to eighteenth place in the new Division Three, failing to win any of their final seven matches.

Off the field there was upheaval, as Aidan McCaffrey was sacked by Knighton six weeks into the season. He was replaced by player-manager David McCreery, the former Northern Ireland international.

Although performances and results picked up, there was never the consistency to lift United above the bottom half of the table, and this was highlighted by the fact that United beat Bury 5-1 early in the campaign, then capitulated 6-0 to the same opposition later in the season at Gigg Lane, losing all six goals in the first half.

With Knighton came changes in personnel. Tony Fyfe was released, as was Gwyn Thomas. Simon Davey arrived from Swansea City in a £20,000 deal while much-travelled striker George Oghani came on a free transfer.

Oghani's partnership up front with Andy Watson brought United some much needed firepower and a glut of early goals, but as Watson's form began to slide, the responsibility increasingly fell on Oghani. At one stage, he scored in five consecutive games, but by then Watson had been sold to Blackpool for £55,000 in a deal that upset some fans.

Although Knighton had pulled United out of the red, given a fresh lick of paint to the stadium and brought in new players and coaches, his revolution was never going to bear fruit overnight. By the end of Year One, it was clear more changes were needed.