Post by Budleigh on Sept 26, 2009 8:39:00 GMT
Sometimes these early reserve team programmes make more interesting reading than those of the first team, and this is certainly one that justifies this statement.
Taken from season 1957/58, it is the game played on December the 14th between United and Salisbury in the Western League staged at Plainmoor.
This is obviously an interesting period in our history as Webber was beginning to mould the team that would gain promotion in a few years time, but was also the last season of the split third divisions. At the end of this particular year the top half of each would form the new third whilst the bottom half of each would be the new fourth division. Therefore as well as trying to make sure the club stayed in the top half he was also trying to establish a new team.
This meant bringing in new players and dispensing with old with the outcome that some well known names from this era, either finishing their careers at United or just starting them, found themselves playing reserve team football. It was also true at this time that a player coming back from injury would play one or two games in the reserves to get back some match fitness and to check he was up for a first team reserve.
And this is why this programme is so interesting as it encompasses all of the above.
As it proved, the team building was not far enough advanced to see the first team push for promotion, indeed United finished in twenty-first place and joined the new bottom division.
Before getting on to the players it’s interesting to note that the programme was ‘Sold voluntarily by the Supporters Club’, was this the case with the first team programmes as well?
The programme was numbered, so presumably there was a draw of some sort during the game.
In the results section it’s interesting to see that the previous year’s result, from each corresponding match in the Western league, are shown.
The half-time scoreboard list shows the first team away at Q.P.R. in the league, a game we drew 1-1 in front of a crowd of 6,093, with Graham Bond scoring the United goal.
And the 'Next Attractions at Plainmoor'?
Colchester at home: Lost 3-1
Exeter at home: Lost 3-1
And anyone spot the mistake? (* see below)
Players in this match
Handford: No record of him playing for United.
J.V. Smith (John): Played fourteen times for the first team in the season, and played 179 in total for the club.
Anderton (John): Played three times for the first team in this season, scoring one goal, this being his last season at the club before moving to Hastings having played forty-three first team games and scoring two goals.
A. Smith (Actually ‘J.A.’ but known as Alan): This was his first season at the club having signed from Merseyside club Port Sunlight, he played one game for the first team before establishing himself in later seasons where he scored three goals in 303 starts.
G. Northcott (George): A local boy just starting out in his United career who played thirty-four times for the first team in this season before going on to play 172 games, scoring two goals.
Anstey: No record of him playing for United.
Shaw (Ron): A player in his last season at the club after an illustrious career scoring 116 goals in 412 first team games. He played eleven times for the first team in this season as he came back from injury, but by the following season had moved on to Tonbridge.
Johnson (Eric): Had an unlucky time at United, having signed from Coventry pre-season he played in the previous seven first team games before turning out for the reserves in this match. He returned to first team action two games later, making twenty-two season appearances, but serious injuries curtailed his career and by the middle of the following season he had retired.
Carter (Ray): Overall played three games for the first team, scoring one goal. Carter came from Brixham and played for United for a couple of seasons before moving on to have an excellent career at Exeter City.
J.T. Smith (Another John but known as ‘Jack’ to differentiate him from the other): Another player coming to the end of his time after his career at Torquay saw him score twenty-two first team goals in seventy-three games before moving up to Bideford at the end of the season. He played ten first team games in this season scoring two goals.
Pym (Ernie): Like George Northcott, Pym was another local boy just starting on his illustrious career at United. Signed in the close season from local side St. Marychurch, he had played, like Johnson, the seven previous Third Division (south) games before finding himself in the reserves, and then, again like Johnson, he was back playing first team football two games later. In this season he played twenty-eight times for the first team side and then went on to score ninety-four goals for the club in 307 games.
At the end of the season, as can be seen by the table below, Salisbury actually won the league with United a few places further down. (Apologies, must add the table tomorrow... take it from me, Salisbury won it!)
* The Club Chatter notes were obviously taken from the previous match and re-written, as ‘This afternoon we welcome Glastonbury’, not Salisbury!
Taken from season 1957/58, it is the game played on December the 14th between United and Salisbury in the Western League staged at Plainmoor.
This is obviously an interesting period in our history as Webber was beginning to mould the team that would gain promotion in a few years time, but was also the last season of the split third divisions. At the end of this particular year the top half of each would form the new third whilst the bottom half of each would be the new fourth division. Therefore as well as trying to make sure the club stayed in the top half he was also trying to establish a new team.
This meant bringing in new players and dispensing with old with the outcome that some well known names from this era, either finishing their careers at United or just starting them, found themselves playing reserve team football. It was also true at this time that a player coming back from injury would play one or two games in the reserves to get back some match fitness and to check he was up for a first team reserve.
And this is why this programme is so interesting as it encompasses all of the above.
As it proved, the team building was not far enough advanced to see the first team push for promotion, indeed United finished in twenty-first place and joined the new bottom division.
Before getting on to the players it’s interesting to note that the programme was ‘Sold voluntarily by the Supporters Club’, was this the case with the first team programmes as well?
The programme was numbered, so presumably there was a draw of some sort during the game.
In the results section it’s interesting to see that the previous year’s result, from each corresponding match in the Western league, are shown.
The half-time scoreboard list shows the first team away at Q.P.R. in the league, a game we drew 1-1 in front of a crowd of 6,093, with Graham Bond scoring the United goal.
And the 'Next Attractions at Plainmoor'?
Colchester at home: Lost 3-1
Exeter at home: Lost 3-1
And anyone spot the mistake? (* see below)
Players in this match
Handford: No record of him playing for United.
J.V. Smith (John): Played fourteen times for the first team in the season, and played 179 in total for the club.
Anderton (John): Played three times for the first team in this season, scoring one goal, this being his last season at the club before moving to Hastings having played forty-three first team games and scoring two goals.
A. Smith (Actually ‘J.A.’ but known as Alan): This was his first season at the club having signed from Merseyside club Port Sunlight, he played one game for the first team before establishing himself in later seasons where he scored three goals in 303 starts.
G. Northcott (George): A local boy just starting out in his United career who played thirty-four times for the first team in this season before going on to play 172 games, scoring two goals.
Anstey: No record of him playing for United.
Shaw (Ron): A player in his last season at the club after an illustrious career scoring 116 goals in 412 first team games. He played eleven times for the first team in this season as he came back from injury, but by the following season had moved on to Tonbridge.
Johnson (Eric): Had an unlucky time at United, having signed from Coventry pre-season he played in the previous seven first team games before turning out for the reserves in this match. He returned to first team action two games later, making twenty-two season appearances, but serious injuries curtailed his career and by the middle of the following season he had retired.
Carter (Ray): Overall played three games for the first team, scoring one goal. Carter came from Brixham and played for United for a couple of seasons before moving on to have an excellent career at Exeter City.
J.T. Smith (Another John but known as ‘Jack’ to differentiate him from the other): Another player coming to the end of his time after his career at Torquay saw him score twenty-two first team goals in seventy-three games before moving up to Bideford at the end of the season. He played ten first team games in this season scoring two goals.
Pym (Ernie): Like George Northcott, Pym was another local boy just starting on his illustrious career at United. Signed in the close season from local side St. Marychurch, he had played, like Johnson, the seven previous Third Division (south) games before finding himself in the reserves, and then, again like Johnson, he was back playing first team football two games later. In this season he played twenty-eight times for the first team side and then went on to score ninety-four goals for the club in 307 games.
At the end of the season, as can be seen by the table below, Salisbury actually won the league with United a few places further down. (Apologies, must add the table tomorrow... take it from me, Salisbury won it!)
* The Club Chatter notes were obviously taken from the previous match and re-written, as ‘This afternoon we welcome Glastonbury’, not Salisbury!