Post by Deleted on Dec 5, 2008 21:58:35 GMT
This is the tale of two games which featured the same player. The first was a reserve match at Plainmoor back in 1970.
Amongst the familiar - and less familiar - names, and with Geoff Cox appearing for the visitors (he would have been 35 by then), Torquay United fielded a young trialist goalkeeper from the Midlands called Milija Aleksic.
This was one of just three reserve games for Aleksic who soon returned home without signing for the club. Later, via the club featured in the second game, he would go on to play for Tottenham and Luton.
Three years later Aleksic turned professional when he moved from Stafford Rangers to Plymouth Argyle. Although he didn't make his Football League debut until the following season, Aleksic was soon in action for Argyle in a friendly at Home Park.
And the first goal he conceded as an Argyle player?
A Pele penalty...
The story was that Argyle had organised a friendly against Santos of Brazil, the club not only of Pele but also that of Carlos Alberto, captain of the 1970 World Cup winning team.
Santos had been travelling the world for years playing friendlies to cash in on Pele's fame. They'd been in England the previous year to play Aston Villa and now they were facing Fulham and Argyle within a few days. Then it was off to somewhere else in Europe.
Santos didn't particularly mind who they played as long as their agents could find clubs with the readies. Often these were fairly modest clubs who could see a big pay day through offering something memorable. And, by now, with Pele getting older (he was now 32) Santos were desperate to make the most of it.
Consequently, greed frequently took over and the visit to Plymouth was no exception. Sometime that afternoon, holed up in the Holiday Inn near the Hoe, the Santos management demanded more money from Argyle. No money - no game. Given Argyle had sold over 37,000 tickets there was only going to be one outcome to the demand.
The game had only been announced a week or two previously. I hadn't thought about going until a day or two beforehand. I managed to get one of the last tickets - as part of a Grey Cars or Wallace Arnold package from Torquay - and my ticket was marked "RINGSIDE". This turned out to be a fold-up chair pitchside at the Barn Park End.
You'll see some Torquay connections in the Argyle line-up: ex-Gulls star Alan Welsh; John Hore (Kevin Hill's agent I believe) and Steve Davey (father of Damien):
I'm not one to draw too much attention to Argyle victories but, in this instance, I think it's worth making an exception for the press cuttings. And also - for all those Don Arnold, Chris Fear and Gary Newbon fans - I've included the programme advert for Westward Sports Desk. (As an aside I remember visiting Don Arnold's cafe at Yelverton once on a coach trip to Cornwall with my mum. I rather think I waved my Torquay United shoulder bag (remember those?) under his nose and made a suitably clever teenage remark).
Amongst the familiar - and less familiar - names, and with Geoff Cox appearing for the visitors (he would have been 35 by then), Torquay United fielded a young trialist goalkeeper from the Midlands called Milija Aleksic.
This was one of just three reserve games for Aleksic who soon returned home without signing for the club. Later, via the club featured in the second game, he would go on to play for Tottenham and Luton.
Three years later Aleksic turned professional when he moved from Stafford Rangers to Plymouth Argyle. Although he didn't make his Football League debut until the following season, Aleksic was soon in action for Argyle in a friendly at Home Park.
And the first goal he conceded as an Argyle player?
A Pele penalty...
The story was that Argyle had organised a friendly against Santos of Brazil, the club not only of Pele but also that of Carlos Alberto, captain of the 1970 World Cup winning team.
Santos had been travelling the world for years playing friendlies to cash in on Pele's fame. They'd been in England the previous year to play Aston Villa and now they were facing Fulham and Argyle within a few days. Then it was off to somewhere else in Europe.
Santos didn't particularly mind who they played as long as their agents could find clubs with the readies. Often these were fairly modest clubs who could see a big pay day through offering something memorable. And, by now, with Pele getting older (he was now 32) Santos were desperate to make the most of it.
Consequently, greed frequently took over and the visit to Plymouth was no exception. Sometime that afternoon, holed up in the Holiday Inn near the Hoe, the Santos management demanded more money from Argyle. No money - no game. Given Argyle had sold over 37,000 tickets there was only going to be one outcome to the demand.
The game had only been announced a week or two previously. I hadn't thought about going until a day or two beforehand. I managed to get one of the last tickets - as part of a Grey Cars or Wallace Arnold package from Torquay - and my ticket was marked "RINGSIDE". This turned out to be a fold-up chair pitchside at the Barn Park End.
You'll see some Torquay connections in the Argyle line-up: ex-Gulls star Alan Welsh; John Hore (Kevin Hill's agent I believe) and Steve Davey (father of Damien):
I'm not one to draw too much attention to Argyle victories but, in this instance, I think it's worth making an exception for the press cuttings. And also - for all those Don Arnold, Chris Fear and Gary Newbon fans - I've included the programme advert for Westward Sports Desk. (As an aside I remember visiting Don Arnold's cafe at Yelverton once on a coach trip to Cornwall with my mum. I rather think I waved my Torquay United shoulder bag (remember those?) under his nose and made a suitably clever teenage remark).
. 
Hi Stuart!