Dave
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Post by Dave on Jul 15, 2008 6:56:16 GMT
Did you know? and what facts do you know that other fans may not.
1..Torquay United Football Club was formed following a meeting at the Torre Abbey Hotel in Belgrave Road on 1 May 1899.
2..The first ground was in Teignmouth Road, and in United's very first game, in September 1899, they beat Upton Cricket Club 5-0.
3..United and Ellacombe joined together to form Torquay Town in 1910, as the two sides wanted to respond to Exeter City's decision to turn professional.
4..In 1910, Torquay Town moved into a new base at Plainmoor - a ground they shared with Babbacombe. Both sides were playing in the same league - the Plymouth and District League,
5..In 1921, Babbacombe agreed to a merger, enabling the new club to become professional - and so Torquay United was born.
6.. In 1926-27 Torquay United won the Southern League and gained entry to the Football League.
7..Torquay United wore black and white stripe shirts and were known as The Magpies - just like Newcastle United.
8..United played in Division Three South, and their first match on 27 August 1927 was against Exeter City at Plainmoor. A crowd of 11,625 watched a 1-1 draw.
9..In 1954 Torquay changed their strip to gold and blue , to reflect the resort's sun, sand and sea image.
10..In 1955 21,908 fans packed into Plainmoor to watch a fifth round F.A Cup clash against Huddersfield.
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Dave
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Post by Dave on Jul 16, 2008 9:53:15 GMT
George Best played at Plainmoor(in a friendly)
Bet Lynch from Coronation Street, was once a fan for a while, as she became a friend of Justin Fashanu. The first British pro football player, to openly "come out" and admit he was gay. He played for the club, but in May 1998, he hanged himself in a deserted lock-up garage in London.
Peter Cook a very famous comedian, was born in Torquay, on 17th November 1937, he was a life long fan of the club, often seen in the main stand.
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merse
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Post by merse on Jul 16, 2008 18:33:25 GMT
George Best played at Plainmoor(in a friendly)  I was a linesman in that game! The referee was Keith Metcalfe and in the dressing room before the match he was briefing myself and the other lino The Rev Phil Willer and the contentious subject of indiscipline in a friendly came up to which the Rev asked "what do you want me to do if George Best tells me to feck off?"Keith said in reply ................"well how would you handle it Alan?" 'I'd tell him to feck off back' I said ..............."There you are Phil" said Keith "your question answered................but it wasn't me who told you to do that!"Bestie had me grinning from ear to ear within two minutes when he asked me "who does this ref think he is - Lester Shapter?"Anyone who remembers Keith would know exactly what prompted that question, as Keith was a dead ringer for the great man with his equally white and longish hair.............and they would know exactly why Lester was known to Bestie! It's a small world as I recently drove the genius' son Calum Best in a job for MTV. |
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Post by bitemebryn on Jul 17, 2008 17:46:00 GMT
Good yarn that Merse.
Following on the theme though, the first club to ever win promotion via a penalty shoot out.
The first club to host a flood lit live televised game of association football......
I'll get me coat !
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jamie
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Post by jamie on Jul 17, 2008 17:51:54 GMT
George Best played at Plainmoor(in a friendly) Bet Lynch from Coronation Street, was once a fan for a while, as she became a friend of Justin Fashanu. The first British pro football player, to openly "come out" and admit he was gay. He played for the club, but in May 1998, he hanged himself in a deserted lock-up garage in London. Peter Cook a very famous comedian, was born in Torquay, on 17th November 1937, he was a life long fan of the club, often seen in the main stand. Two things stick in my mind about this post. One was the Bet Lynch farce. What a bizarre experience. She was paraded through the crowd on the pop, shaking hands with the crowd, very strange event at a footie match. The second was the death of Justin, such a sad event for someone so young, and it happened on the day more than 2000 tufc fans were in east london at the final game against leyton O. Starnge to think we were so close when the sad event happened |
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Post by crooky on Jul 17, 2008 18:02:09 GMT
I would imagine we must be also be the only club to have got the year of their Centenary wrong?
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merse
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Post by merse on Jul 17, 2008 18:09:04 GMT
I would imagine we must be also be the only club to have got the year of their Centenary wrong? Probably due to the total lack of interest in, and respect for; the history and heritage of the club by the club's "custodians" at the time of the "centenary"! |
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Post by romfordkev on Jul 17, 2008 18:11:16 GMT
I would imagine we must be also be the only club to have got the year of their Centenary wrong? No Crooky you're wrong there mate. The FIRST club to get their Centenary year wrong was Dyslexics United - known to many as Dizlecksiks Untied.  Apparently, instead of being in 1978, it is quoted in their "Ofyshull Hnadbok" as *@Px%2 !!  |
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Post by crooky on Jul 17, 2008 18:13:33 GMT
No doubt the marking of the occasion was left to the person who used to be responsible for proof reading the Official match Programme at the time?
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merse
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Post by merse on Jul 17, 2008 18:23:20 GMT
Hey Romford.............Talking of heritage, do you ever listen to the excellent Robert Elms on his "London Show" on BBC London during the week (noon to 3pm)? Well today I learned that the road where I lived whilst in Dagenham was where Jimmy Greaves was born and raised. The subject today was the 175 bus route from Romford North to Dagenham Chequers and had diversified into the number of famous football people who came from Corned Beef City - Dag'num to most people  Would you care to expand on your famous knowledge of all things East of the East End by naming a few more?
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Jon
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Post by Jon on Jul 17, 2008 20:06:30 GMT
I would imagine we must be also be the only club to have got the year of their Centenary wrong? Probably due to the total lack of interest in, and respect for; the history and heritage of the club by the club's "custodians" at the time of the "centenary"! Hang on a minute! The year of the centenary was correctly celebrated in 1999! You should know that Merse because if I remember correctly you stole my article on the early years of TUFC to stick in the Capital Gulls mag! (not that I minded). As a matter of fact the club shamefully celebrated its 50th anniversary a year early under the Chairmanship of Colonel Rowland Ward and shamefully celebrated the 75th anniversary a year early under the Chairmanship of Tony Boyce. Thankfully, that great guardian of TUFC's history and heritage Michael Bateson got us back on track by getting the centenary right! Of course the correction was nothing to do with the club itself - it was me! In fact I think I discovered the error in the days of Dave Webb, so if you want to credit a particular regime, Webby is the man! In reply to Crooky's original guestion, loads of clubs and associations get foundation dates wrong. Just looking in Torquay itself, the Tics celebrated 50 years in 1925 and their centenary in 1975 - but they were formed in 1886. The South Devon League celebrated its centenary in 2002, but was formed in 1903. I don't know enough about other pro football clubs, but I'd wager that lots have worked off incorrect dates. |
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Jon
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Post by Jon on Jul 17, 2008 20:10:29 GMT
Peter Cook a very famous comedian, was born in Torquay, on 17th November 1937, he was a life long fan of the club, often seen in the main stand. Has anyone ever actually seen Peter Cook at Plainmoor? I was totally unaware of the fact that he was a fan until he emerged from the woodwork in the build-up to the Sherpa Van final in 1989. I think he grew up in Bronshill Road, so probably went to games when he was a kid. Does anyone know if he ever came to a game (other than at Wembley) after he became famous? |
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Post by the92ndfish on Jul 17, 2008 20:12:31 GMT
6.. In 1926-27 Torquay United won the Southern League and gained entry to the Football League. Technically we won the Western division, Brighton won the Eastern and beat us in the final between the two champions  |
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Jon
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Post by Jon on Jul 17, 2008 20:12:55 GMT
The first club to host a flood lit live televised game of association football......  Hey, what's that one about then? |
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Jon
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Post by Jon on Jul 17, 2008 20:20:16 GMT
6.. In 1926-27 Torquay United won the Southern League and gained entry to the Football League. Technically we won the Western division, Brighton won the Eastern and beat us in the final between the two champions 92ndfish is right. Unfortunately, we did not take the "final" seriously at all. It was played well into the 1927/28 season - NOT at the end of the 1926/27 season. We were busy concentrating on League Football and sent our reserve team - not the first team or even a mixture of players who had been at the club for the Championship season - up to Brighton to take on Brighton Reserves. We lost 4-0. At the time, nobody cared about it - because we had moved on to bigger and better things. But 81 years on, it is a bit annoying that we cannot lay claim to being THE Southern League champions of 1927. I wish they had never played the poxy play-off game. |
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I was a linesman in that game!
Hey, what's that one about then?