NA66 v Marjons

Brilliant to see up to date pics of a place that played a huge part of my formative years ~ Ossie Park!

Gone is the power station to be replaced in part by what looks like an all weather training area, and do my eyes tell me that '66 now have a nice club house and dressing rooms? Otherwise those shots are almost timeless from thirty years ago.

...................and how much do those houses in Buckland View go for these days? The first house (very similar to those) I ever bought was in Netley Road in 1975. It cost me £8,000 and I sold it after a couple of years to a family who I believe still live in it to this day and they were only too pleased to move from around that area off The Avenue as they had been flooded out ~ Ronnie Ellis (who is a relative of mine anyway) and his wife, you must know them.

That area was your family's neck of the woods too wasn't it?

Has NA gone all twee though?

When I were a lad all those little houses were their natural granite look ~ now they've gone all "Primrose Hill" pastel shade..................only trouble is Ossie Park is pan flat and thank God for you lot that Stanley Johnson and David Miiliband dont live there! ;D

Nick the arrow on the map shows where the picture was taken from, it was a place many Newton boys would go to and and there are in fact two bridges side by side one for the up line and one for the down line and as kids we would walk between the two bridges with a foot on each one to get across the river and onto the race track to get into stock car racing for free as we sure never had the money as kids to pay to watch the racing.

Not any more Dave




A few more photos that appear timeless. The only difference would have been Hilman imps and Minis replacing the cars you can see.

Bugger me Brian if you keep putting up these sort of pictures you will make that bloke merse even more homesick and he might then move back here so maybe best to quite while you are ahead.

Merse you will remember the old changing rooms that were across the road and also the yards etc that were behind them up to Quay Road. The whole lot was knocked down and a very large block of flats were built from the park to Quay Road in the same sort of brickwork that the buildings are in Brains pictures.

I could not believe how long it took to build that block of flats and the last time I looked there were many still unsold, I guess the picture that shows the players on the steps is the back of this block of flats and changing rooms were included as a requirement for being able to build the flats on that site.

Looking at that '66 site and the article about the formation of the club, it's good to be reminded of three of the four founders I knew well: Ivan Rumbelow, Ron Stancombe and Alan French.

The club was (like Newton Rangers) an off shoot of a Newton Spurs contingent who wanted to ensure they got regular South Devon League football, and (again like Rangers) their roots were in the Broadlands area of NA; and again like Rangers they played origninally at Bakers Park ~ the incumbents of Osborne Park at the time where Milber United whom Ivan also helped form from amongst a group of old Newton Abbot Grammar School boys.

In fact I would say Ivan Rumbelow should be feted as the "Lord Kinnaird" of South Devon football for all this plus of course his long term commitment to Liverton United FC where for many years he was the inspiration and driving force along with Don Pady and where he is now rightfully Club President.

I've had the pleasure of enjoying a very short time playing at Newton '66 where I believe I was signed to replace an ageing Terry Healy, but only succeeded in provoking the old guy into prolonging his playing career and in turn leading me to move myself to Liverton. Torquay United director Brian Palk was a very accomplished defender in that '66 side too.

Looking at the list of players of the year I see the Allen family name cropping up, but more from "my time" the names of Graham Huddison, Keith Forsythe, Steve Uppington, Alec Leggatt (in fact Alec WAS a pro' at Ipswich Town in his youth)and John England (indeed, John too played semi pro' for Bodmin Town too) would ALL have been semi pro' material had it been available to them to earn a few bob out of the game at that time. Did Billy Fisher never get a PotY award then? Surprising; and I remember too one of the all time hard men of South Devon football ~ Bob Stone ~ being the rock of their defence for many years. People think Branston's hard..................you should have tangled with Fisher and Stone guys, they would chew you up and shite you out as Maltesers!

Primrose Hill! More like Balamory. Miss Hoolie No:1,Edie McCredie No:3 and Spencer No:5. Archies castle can be found in Rundle road.