Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 6, 2009 20:17:25 GMT
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Dave
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Post by Dave on Dec 6, 2009 20:25:48 GMT
I love this one Barton as Carols sister was once married to one of the Ilsington Villa players, a man who has always claimed he married the wrong sister, only I had to remind him that I did not.
He is from Ashburton and has a few hard brothers, but they all like me thank god, he is the one and only Kevin Teague.
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merse
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Post by merse on Dec 6, 2009 21:24:54 GMT
 I can vouch for "Teaguey" being hard Dave, hewn from Dartmoor granite I'd say. I used to train with Ilsington pre-season in addition to Liverton United when I was reffing (played in a few pre-season friendlies for them too) and their training camps at The River Dart Country Park were legendary. Team manager Mike Curtis was a living legend and hard man second to none. He was a somewhat alternative hero for accepting Referee Bill "Binkie" Matthews offer to thump him once whilst captaining Moretonhampstead and got a very long Sine Die suspension for that. Managing Ilsington Villa was his rehabilitation back into football. "Curt" was OK though, a real man's man and he got me contributing to the Prisoner Re-Habilitation programme out at Channings Wood where he was an officer and boy could those guys party after hours! Ilsington had a very good set of players out there at Alston Cross and one of those in the photo, Brian Roberts; is a big friend of Dave Thomas and often drives him to United's away games these days.............we meet up for a yarn or two occasionally. Did you see Richard Goslin who played League football for Torquay United in that photo too? and I can tell you that Tony Lacey was not far short of that professional standard either. One who was good enough but couldn't arsed to put the effort in was Jeff Long, who must have been on one of his many "sabaticals" at the time of that final ~ a game of euchre and having his wicked way with a bar maid was more Longie's idea of sport than playing for Plymouth Argyle where he got every chance to fulfil his potential and another who blew his chances down there was Gary Wines who could beat a man without trying and really hardly ever really tried during a game anyhow. Rod Webber from Chagford was another very good player who "Stefano" will remember from our days at Newton Spurs and his and Rod's days in the reserves at Plainmoor. Big Phil Rice was one who would have given his right arm to be a pro' but only made it as far as Tiverton Town for all the effort and commitment he put in, whilst Richard Ford in goal was the son of the supermarket tycoon and Argyle director Brian Ford who opened a string of shops called Ford & Lock...................country boys all from the fringes of Dartmoor, an unlikely breeding ground for such a concentrated explosion of footballing talent all in one go ~ or was it all down to the Svengali like Mike Curtis? I personally think they had a lot to thank the big man for, he really was (and is) a very special person!
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Post by stefano on Dec 8, 2009 0:40:01 GMT
Good threads on the 1980 & 1981 Herald Cup Finals. I would have done one of those quote boxes from merse that everybody else has got the hang of but I found that staring at the screen didn't help! Tried the help button but it didn't do for me what it said on the tin so I think Dave you will have to PM me and give me instructions as I don't want to break anything!!
Didn't see either of those games but I was quite a regular attender at Herald Cup finals. In the 1960's there used to be 3000 spectators down at Newton Rec for the traditional Good Friday game. It was really the local final to play in and I regret I never did but am pleased to see that other forum posters did - must have been a great experience. One of my favourites was Torquay United A 3 Kingsteignton Athletic 2 - brilliant game and no idea what year but it was during a sequence when I think Torquay won it three years on the trot (I know I was very young at the time!)
I remember Rod Webber as mentioned by merse well although from the programme it looks as though he was coming to the end of his playing time in 1981. I always thought he had what was needed for pro football - very strong, and a really good eye for any chance on goal. He scored on his Western League debut for Torquay although it was a tap in by Rod's standards (11 October 1969 v Glastonbury). First goal of the game against the eventual league champions in a 2-0 win at Plainmoor. Alan Welsh headed the second from a pin-point cross from the full back!!! (sorry couldn't find any of those smiley things either in the quick reply box!!!!)
A main memory of Rod though links in with another thread running on 'Pitch Inspection' where comments have been made about the need to budget as a lower league football club. Pre-season from the 1970-71 season we went down to Bodmin Town's Priory Park for a pre-season friendly, leaving Plainmoor at about 9.30am as you had to in those days before the dual-carriageways for a 3pm kick off at Bodmin. Wallace Arnold was dispensed with for a pre-season local game and it was decided we would go by car to save money (a top Division 3 club then as well - now League 1). It wasn't a youth team (I was one of the ones too old at that time) but it was a very young team so I was one of the few that had a full driving licence. I was designated to drive Don Mills new car (he'd only had it two days) while Don drove the manager Allan Brown's car. I left with Phil Sandercock & Stuart McGowan (a welcome Forum member) with instructions to pick up Rod Webber at Chagford. It would have been bad enough using the main roads in those days going through every town on the way down but to divert to Chagford when none of the three of us had any idea where it was was a nightmare. We did manage to pick Rod up somewhere on the moors and as Phil and Stuart were either learning or thinking of learning to drive they took the piss out of my vehicular skills all the way to Priory Park. Strangely although often I cannot remember particular games I do remember that one. We were all very car-legged and were absolutely stuffed in the first half and two-nil down at half time. Second half we were playing down the slight slope and Rod Webber scored one of the best goals I have ever seen (absolute long range screamer) in the last minute to give us a 3-2 win. Same people in the car on the way back so we had to go the scenic route dropping Rod off at Chagford, then on to a Saturday evening first team fixture at Plainmoor (common in those days). I parked in the lane down near the old club office at what is now the away end of the ground and went in to give the keys back to Don Mills, but he asked me to drop the car around to his home (he only lived about half a mile away). I waited until half-time before going out to the car only to find it surrounded by police officers. Because Don had only had it a couple of days they didn't know it and he hadn't got an authorisation pass in the window to park there. Mind you as soon as I explained that it was Don Mills' car and I was dropping it back to his house it was almost a reverential attitude (mainly I suppose because years ago the police who volunteered for football duty actually liked the game and knew a bit about it - not that that is the ideal scenario of course as it is easily argued that to do the job properly at a football game they should have no interest in what is taking place on the pitch).
Whilst it didn't occur to me at the time as I just wanted to go and play a game of football I have often thought since that I probably wasn't insured. Don Mills insurance wouldn't have covered me, and I had no car at the time so my only insurance was as a 'named driver' on my fathers' policy, which doesn't normally allow driving other cars.
Jeff Long I remember well too and would agree with merse that he definitely had what was needed but unfortunately his get up and go never really arrived. He did sometimes manage to show determination particularly when he broke my ankle in a Torbay Wednesday League final at Plainmoor about 1975. Not too sure who he was playing for then but have got a feeling it was Hotels & Caterers who were one of the better midweek teams then, and am sure there was no malice in the tackle as we were friends.
Although a completely different thread I am with aussie on the proper playing field v artificial surface debate. I certainly don't want football so sanitised that there is not enough footage for the 'Football Bloomers' CD at Christmas. QPR v Watford really good tonight on a decent grass pitch which was cutting up because it rains in England in the winter. Proper football as it is meant to be, & I think there are a lot more points to add to the argument that the South Americans, Spanish, Italians, etc run rings round us because they train on artificial pitches. Different more flamboyant culture, child (rather than youth) development, and a totally different approach to nurturing rather than coaching out skill.
I promise I didn't throw the last paragraph in as a hand grenade for my old friend merse when he gets up at 3am as I have been very interested in his views on the 3G artificial surfaces, having had absolutely no experience on them either playing or watching!!
Anyway enough from me ... enough for this week so off to bed!!
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