Keep A Record Of Your Ground Visits

Oh I don't think I'll lose any sleep over it Jon over 40 years later, or were you after my little list to help you in writing that book!

Actually being a bit of a 'list' person particularly these days where I find myself standing in front of the fridge and don't know why, I did keep a record of all games I was involved in starting with my first club Newtor United in the South Devon Youth League. That included the line up of the team I was in and use of substitutes. I also had loads of newspaper cuttings and programmes, but over the course of the years with many house moves and a divorce it has all just disappeared.

I have my suspicions that those momentoes may have gone the same way as Budleigh's football collection so my ex-wife is a prime suspect! ;D

So yes now I have to rely on what I can remember although I was quite pleased Jon when in the past you posted up Herald Express cuttings from 3 FA Youth Cup ties against Argyle and a Western League game against Glastonbury to find that my memory of those games was not too bad.

The ones you have quoted above I have a reasonable memory of I suppose because of the excitement of first being involved with the club I had supported from a kid. Climbing on the coach outside of Freddie Hawkins garage in Newton Abbot for my first trip with them to Bridport and seeing my heroes Tony Scott and Alan Welsh sitting together in the front seat as I climbed the steps gave me loads of excitement but probably made me more nervous than I was already. I remember Alan Welsh being particularly reassuring and considerate, and he scored our two goals that afternoon. I also remember the dash back to Plainmoor for an evening kick off and losing 2-1 to Argyle. After that I played a few friendlies for the youth team (we weren't in a league) and then I remember the Weymouth game largely because John Benson was playing and I sat next to him at lunch, and the following week was my first full game at home to Glastonbury which of course I would remember. Allan Young (brilliant bloke) talked me through the whole game!

You are certainly right about a completely ad hoc way of recording the use of substitutes in those early days of them, and I have vague memories of some clubs counting it as an appearance if you came on in the first half but not if you came on in the second half. You could in theory therefore have 0 appearances and 2 goals!!

Even full appearances weren't always in the programme, for example the following season when I played only one game that appearance plus single appearances for many other players were not shown. The only way I would guess of getting an accurate record would be to access the Western League team sheets submitted by the clubs (and I know they would not be accurate but I can say no more as we have been in enough trouble for such things in recent years!! ).

That 70/71 season I played in 2 or 3 pre-season games for the reserves, and I particularly remember overcoming a 2-0 half time deficit away to Bodmin Town and winning 3-2 with a brilliant goal from Rodney Webber in the last minute. The one Western League game I played was early in the season at Plainmoor, a 2-1 defeat to Bridgwater Town, where I played right back first half and left back in the second marking our ex-player Dougie Clark.
After that I was playing for Newton Abbot Spurs in the South Western League before transferring to Brixham United in mid-December who were then playing in the P&D League Premier. Ex-Gull Ralph Calland was manager, lovely bloke.

After Brixham I went to Centrax (where I worked at the time) then playing in the Premier Division of the South Devon League, before joining the police. It was then apart from odd dalliances in the Torbay Wednesday and Sunday Leagues with teams like Matts United and Masons Arms just police teams I played for.

Police football (and other police sport - remember Geoff Capes?) was surprisingly good particularly at inter-force and international level. There were loads of ex-professional footballers and ex-apprentices in the police. When I was secretary of our Force team we had in the team Rhys Wilmot (Arsenal), Ian Main (Exeter), Gerry Nardiello (Torquay), Gordon Nisbet (Argyle), Graeme Kirkup (Exeter), John Durham (Torquay), and George Torrance (Brentford), as well as ex-apprentices and amateur youth players with Football League clubs.

Well when I started my reply to you Jon I was expecting no more than about 5 lines but it must be a sign of how an aging brain works as when one thought ended another just followed on! ;D

I did find that when Merse was posting on here he would talk about something that would make me instantly recall something long forgotten - it just needs that trigger. That's what makes the history stuff you and Barton in particular but also a few others introduce to the site so fascinating.

Well must close. Off to pack my skiing gear for a white week in Sestriere. Will probably pop in to the San Siro on Wednesday for AC Milan v Novara in the Coppa d'Italia - local derby as Novara is only about 30 miles from Milan.

Won't be able to post a report when I get back as my short term memory is a lot worse than my long term memory. Could always write a list I suppose!