Bradford City(H).08/10/69.

In this 1969 programme we encounter Bill Luscombe in full flow describing the new Torquay United's first game: a 10-1 victory against a scratch team called the Wanderers. Coming to this afresh you'd have no idea when this happened. The centenary history dates it as 16 September 1899 and, oh dear, as a 5-0 win over Upton Cricket Club. But there was an 11-1 victory against Torquay Nomads the following week. Is this the game Bill meant? Four goals for Clarke-Pitts but not the six that Bill claimed for him.

Anyway, according to our Bill, there was an early link between Torquay United and the brewing industry in the form of Alderman W.H Mortimer who lived in one of the sizeable houses on Cleveland Road. Futhermore "on more than one occasion" writes Bill "we were told the public would never take to the game."

Seventy years later Torquay United, in the words of the manager, were "really getting down to business now, both on and off the field, with the employment of a professional commercial organiser - someone with ideas on how to make money for Torquay United." This, of course, was Fred Easton "who will be known to you as the former Plymouth Argyle and Exeter City promotions expert."

Handy Andy is Gillette's Sportsman of the Month; Bondy has become Gillingham's "trainer"; Jimmy Dunne has married a "charming local girl" and Tommy Sinclair hasn't been taken on after a trial.

Sinclair, in fact, had been a member of the Coventry team that had faced Burnley in the 1967/68 FA Youth Cup final. Also in that side: Brian Joy, Jeff Blockley, Graham Paddon, Billy Rafferty and Trevor Gould.

Passing Sinclair on to Wigan suggests that Allan Brown considered him a long way short of what was required.