Fascinating material, as ever, in Timbo’s latest batch. Marvellous stuff.
Firstly, a word on our meetings with the Saints. Given the perennial scarcity of relatively local fixtures, Southampton – around 135 miles from Plainmoor – has for long been
so near(ish), yet so far mainly because Saints' thirty-five seasons in the top flight (1966-1974 and 1978-2005) put them well off our radar. Oh, for a 3rd round FA Cup trip to Southampton at some stage during that period....
Consequently I’ve always been intrigued by the fact we played them five seasons in a row in the old Division 3(S) – as Timbo’s programmes show - between 1953 and 1958 (when, of course, we were managed by
Eric Webber, ex-Southampton). Over those seasons Southampton
just got the better of us: they finished above us three times and won three games to our two (with five games drawn). They never won at Plainmoor; we never won at the Dell. The largest crowd at Plainmoor was over 14,000 in 1956/57; the biggest at the Dell was 20,000 in 1954/55. Eventually – when we went our separate ways – it was because of the formation of the new national Divisions 3 and 4. Torquay slipped to Division 4, Southampton remained in Division 3 and – with both teams winning promotion in 1960 – our paths have never crossed again in the league. Pull it all together and this is our first visit to Southampton since March 1958. I’m looking forward to it.
And so to Timbo’s programmes, starting with that game in
January 1955 (a 2-2 draw in front of 6,000 with Mills and Shaw getting our goals). I’m struck immediately by the reference to the FA Cup win against Leeds and the fact that Eric Webber – as centre-half – was in direct opposition to the great
John Charles. That hadn’t dawned on me. Next the comment:
“full marks to Leeds for their clean sporting football”. Gosh, you wouldn’t have heard too much of that ten to fifteen years later. Then there’s the comment about the
disappointing gate at that midweek afternoon replay against Leeds.
Skip down a bit – past the advert for the
Sunday Empire News (“best in the West for football”) – and you’ll see the profile of
Jack V. Smith mentions his carpentry and joinery background (which we were to see manifested in his advert in the 1968 Bury programme). To my mind the quotes seem as
manufactured as they do these days but, of course, the language is totally different.
On the middle pages I love the advert for
Pascoe’s which, naturally enough, refers to
hog’s pudding, that wonderful local delicacy (is it still available in South Devon? I had some for breakfast at Powderham a few years ago which is probably the furthest north I’ve ever seen it). The supporters club page is always interesting – and look where the lucky programme winners lived: Rattery and Beesands. And a final observation about the advertising: note the number of
hotels taking space in that programme.
Now for
Boxing Day 1955, the 23rd day of my life. This is a game we won 3-2 (JT Smith 2, Sam Collins pen. Att: 10,151) before getting tonked 6-2 at the Dell the very next day.
Good to see, for starters, the
Golden Blue Club announcing the new social club is open (presumably the one where Homelandsgull sat his O levels years later). Then, just as for the previous year,
Plainmoor Caliing! concentrates on a big forthcoming FA Cup tie. Dave has already noted the new ground capacity – 22,400 – but the records show
only 18,730 came to that game against Birmingham (which we lost 7-1). It's interesting to read Southampton were seen as “one of the glamour sides of the Third Division” and – if you study Eric Webber’s Christmas Message carefully – you’ll see he challenges the pessimists by declaring “we must have a good chance of heading the table”. Sadly that wasn’t to be as we finished fifth.
The lucky programme winners? Much closer to home: Falloway Close and Audley Avenue. And – yes – it was great to learn of the success of the
Monster Christmas Whist Drive (I wonder if any supporters club – anywhere – still organises those?).
A quite different programme cover for
November 1957 – do you think today’s programme editor should pan right for a front cover picture of the balloon, Dave? – and, as ever, Cocks and Dunsford are pedalling
Pectoral Balsam of Honey (no adverts back then for Jamaican lager, techno gym equipment, Indian restaurants, home improvement specialists, bistros, 6” subs or – dare I say it – fine antique clocks. That’s a measure of social progress since the 1950s, surely?).
Please, if you’ve any childhood memories of Pectoral Balsam of Honey this is the place to share them...P D Cavanna has left the board but the Trekker is still talking about the FA Cup, in this case our victory over
non league Peterborough. He makes an important point about certain non league clubs “having more resources than many league clubs can afford” and how he’d like to see clubs such as Peterborough admitted to the League so they would be “subject to the same restrictions and covenants which control us”. This would have been a reference to various transfer and maximum wage restrictions which only applied to Football League clubs. As it happened, the Posh were in the Football League by 1960.
Then the big news:
Tommy Northcott is back home after signing from Lincoln after “one of the most protracted and difficult” transfers the club had ever known. What did the Internet message boards of the day have to say about that one? Next the team sheets: No. 7 for the Saints, the one and only
Terry Paine then aged eighteen. 700 league games for Southampton, 19 England caps and a member of the 1966 World Cup squad.
Bottom of the table after eighteen games –
sort it out, Webber! A 1-1 draw against Southampton helped with a goal from – you’ve guessed – the returning Tommy Northcott. In the end we finished 21st (with Exeter City bringing up the rear).
Ah yes...the
Rookery Nook sounds my kind of place for a pre-match cuppa (with steak and chips at Tonkins on special occasions).
Lastly, as an aside, our cup tie against the Saints in 2007. Just 2 years 9 months ago but an eternity in football terms. A few of those names seem as distant as 1958...
P.S. Brilliant of Timbo to post these programmes and best of luck with finding that one from
1956/57. That season’s games were vital Easter fixtures with both clubs going for (and failing to win) promotion. 2-0 to us on Good Friday, 1-0 to them at the Dell on Easter Monday.
Yes but people are much bigger now Dave, I mean they used to run football specials from the Model Village to Plainmoor in those days and people like you weren't allowed to stand at the front because no-one else would be able to see over your head! 
