SUPERSTITION dictates Friday the 13th to be a day when bad luck strikes. It is doubtful Trevor Senior concurs.

Having boldly predicted last August that his charges would be genuine promotion contenders, not even the Bridport boss could have envisaged such a dramatic campaign.

The heartbreak of narrowly missing out on a top-two berth was quickly replaced by euphoria as league officials voted to elevate the Bees.

Speculation had spread during the climax to the season that Oldland Abbotonians had failed to meet the ground grading required for the Toolstation Western League Premier Division.

Even though this was later confirmed, Bridport’s promotion was still by no means guaranteed ahead of a league committee meeting.

But on the morning of Friday, May 13, news emerged that the Bees had officially been promoted and would return to the top-flight following a six-year exile.

It was a triumph for a club whose ethos is to nurture homegrown players and whose manager has injected the feel-good factor.

Although Senior bolstered the squad with such signings as keeper Sam Filkins and striker Ryan Dovell, it was the local contingent that formed the nucleus of the side.

Matt Condliffe was an ever present while skipper Darren Lock, Dan Wise and Ryan Hayter – always the heartbeat of the team – missed just five league games between them.

Reflecting on the campaign, Senior said: “I felt after last season that we would be there or thereabouts. It was disappointing not to finish in the top two and it was the Easter period that ruined it for us.

“But we were in the top three or four for practically the entire season. To be promoted is great news and we are still taking it all in at the moment.

“It’s something I had targeted and I made no secret about that because I felt the squad was capable of it. Some people may say we don’t deserve it because we finished third but I don’t see that.

“Rules are rules and Oldland’s ground wasn’t good enough according to those. To be honest I didn’t think it was going to go our way, but thankfully it did.”

Senior praised his backline, which conceded just 44 league goals, adding: “Our defensive record was the second best in the division and that was a big factor behind our success.

“My son Chris missed the last eight games but Shane Evans came in and so did Alan Hill and both fitted in seamlessly alongside the likes of Darren Lock and Ryan Hayter.”

Following an impressive six-game unbeaten pre-season, Bridport’s explosive start out of the blocks would surely have given Usain Bolt a run for his money.

A magnificent seven league victories on the spin, culminating in a 9-1 demolition of Elmore, established the Bees among the frontrunners for a coveted promotion spot.

Dovell, who was to finish with 17 league goals, provided a killer instinct that had been lacking and was a key factor behind the glory.

Defeat by Keynsham Town ended the West Dorset outfit’s 100 per cent record and back-to-back reversals followed shortly afterwards as the momentum stalled.

Bridport bounced back with five straight wins, including the Dorset Senior Cup giant-killing of Wim-borne Town, before another poor run looked to have taken the wind out of their sails.

The Bees were five points adrift of Oldland Abbotonians when the two teams clashed on March 12 and Senior knew defeat would have been curtains.

But how his players responded with a 3-1 success that altered the complexion of the promotion race, and such excellent form continued in a sequence of seven wins in eight games.

Now within touching distance of realising their dream, the Bees’ destiny was in their own hands when they travelled to Chard Town on Good Friday.

But in the space of three days over the Easter break, they went from being firm favourites to rank outsiders as two successive defeats left them facing a near insurmountable task.

And despite a 2-2 draw with runaway champions Merthyr Town on the final day, promotion – via the traditional route – was impossible.

However, rumours of Oldland’s problems persisted and when the league revealed they were deliberating the Bristol club’s eligibility for promotion, Senior was given renewed hope.

Bridport’s day of destiny arrived and the next morning promotion was ratified, much to the delight of everyone involved at the club.

Unconventional, maybe, but undeserved? Hardly. Friday the 13th? Not such bad luck after all.