Post by Jon on Apr 1, 2009 22:07:44 GMT
Fiddling with the filters on my database, I realised that I can quite easily come up with a list of TUFC matches played on any particular date – which can form the basis of an occasional series of “on this day” posts. Where better to start than April Fools’ Day?
I like to think that I’m nobody’s fool, but if anyone has made me look a fool over the last forty years, it’s that cruel mistress Torquay United FC – constantly promising so much only to let me down when my hopes are raised. So what mischief has she caused on April Fools’ Days past?
1972. After five years around the fringes of the promotion race to the (real) Second Division – which I am too young to remember – 1971/72 was a disaster. A little rally in March kept hopes of dodging relegation alive, but two away defeats made our April 1 derby clash at Plainmoor with Argyle (neither of us needed to concern ourselves with little Exeter in those days) a must-win game. A fantastic 2-1 win in front of a crowd of 11,165 with goals from Alan Welsh and Dave Tearse raised our hopes, and a draw and a win over promotion chasing Notts County and Aston Villa would keep them alive a little longer only for one win from our last seven games to bury them comprehensively.
1985. Our first full season under Webby wasn’t quite turning out how we’d hoped. A long weekend up North – re-election rivals Halifax on Saturday March 30 and Stockport on Monday April 1 seemed more about cutting costs than getting points. But to our credit we pulled off back to back away wins, Mark Loram and Mario Walsh doing the business in a 2-1 Fools’ Day win at Stockport. Maybe things weren’t as bad as we thought. Maybe we wouldn’t finish bottom. Maybe we’d avoid having to apply for re-election. Maybe we’d do better next season. Maybe our travelling fans might have more to cheer about. Not a chance. We were to win just one of our next fifty-two away games over the next two years.
2002. Now some of you will think that I’m making this up, but I swear that on April 1 2002 a Roy McFarland team produced ninety minutes of exciting and entertaining football to whack Rochdale 3-0 with goals from Bedeau, Canoville and Graham. That just was not supposed to happen. We were usually outright awful, occasionally just dull and functional but what was all this about? Normal service was resumed for the following game at Exeter which was one of the dullest football matched it has ever been my misfortune to watch. Westcountry TV decided to show the game live – and soon wished they hadn’t. I’ve got it on video (unwatched) somewhere, so if anyone is suffering from insomnia just let me know.
I like to think that I’m nobody’s fool, but if anyone has made me look a fool over the last forty years, it’s that cruel mistress Torquay United FC – constantly promising so much only to let me down when my hopes are raised. So what mischief has she caused on April Fools’ Days past?
1972. After five years around the fringes of the promotion race to the (real) Second Division – which I am too young to remember – 1971/72 was a disaster. A little rally in March kept hopes of dodging relegation alive, but two away defeats made our April 1 derby clash at Plainmoor with Argyle (neither of us needed to concern ourselves with little Exeter in those days) a must-win game. A fantastic 2-1 win in front of a crowd of 11,165 with goals from Alan Welsh and Dave Tearse raised our hopes, and a draw and a win over promotion chasing Notts County and Aston Villa would keep them alive a little longer only for one win from our last seven games to bury them comprehensively.
1985. Our first full season under Webby wasn’t quite turning out how we’d hoped. A long weekend up North – re-election rivals Halifax on Saturday March 30 and Stockport on Monday April 1 seemed more about cutting costs than getting points. But to our credit we pulled off back to back away wins, Mark Loram and Mario Walsh doing the business in a 2-1 Fools’ Day win at Stockport. Maybe things weren’t as bad as we thought. Maybe we wouldn’t finish bottom. Maybe we’d avoid having to apply for re-election. Maybe we’d do better next season. Maybe our travelling fans might have more to cheer about. Not a chance. We were to win just one of our next fifty-two away games over the next two years.
2002. Now some of you will think that I’m making this up, but I swear that on April 1 2002 a Roy McFarland team produced ninety minutes of exciting and entertaining football to whack Rochdale 3-0 with goals from Bedeau, Canoville and Graham. That just was not supposed to happen. We were usually outright awful, occasionally just dull and functional but what was all this about? Normal service was resumed for the following game at Exeter which was one of the dullest football matched it has ever been my misfortune to watch. Westcountry TV decided to show the game live – and soon wished they hadn’t. I’ve got it on video (unwatched) somewhere, so if anyone is suffering from insomnia just let me know.
