30/10/48: Southend United (H)

As Cheltenham have only been members of the Football League since 1999 there will be no vintage programmes from Timbo's collection for first-team matches against them. But has anyone got a Torquay United Reserves v Chetenham Town (first team) programme from Southern League days? As the league table shows in that Southend programme, there would have been meetings at this level in 1948/49.

Meanwhile, two items of interest in that programme for me. Firstly, the pen picture of Ellis Stuttard - "Devonian by adoption". The programme tells us he played for Plymouth and Torquay. The future held he would manage Exeter and Plymouth (twice). I wonder if he was ever a contender to manage or coach Torquay United?

Secondly, the absence of John McNeil - the manager no less - who had gone to Aberdeen to chaperone Tommy Northcott playing for England youth. Was that to fend off interest from other clubs or a clandestine scouting mission after all? Northcott was still only sixteen and a weeks away from signing professional forms on his 17th birthday in December 1948. He was to make his league debut in the penultimate match of that 1948/49 season.