Memories of the Football Combination

[Mark58]

You are right.

I was standing in the Demport End in line with the flight of the ball which Darke, playing at RB, over-hit as a cross to the far post from the Lyndhurst touchline. He was positioned almost midway between the byline and the halfway line.

In my second '15 Minutes of Fame' moment on this thread (the first being that I was at school with Colin Sullivan's brother) I worked in the same office as Peter Darke's wife. (Pause for tidal wave of admiration and envy... :lol: )

Perhaps we could start another thread for the most tenuous of links to an Argyle player? :scarf:

 

[Devongreenowl]

You are right.

I was standing in the Demport End in line with the flight of the ball which Darke, playing at RB, over-hit as a cross to the far post from the Lyndhurst touchline. He was positioned almost midway between the byline and the halfway line.

Sorry, yes I think you’re right on reflection. I do know it was a bloody fluke, but the ground still erupted!

 

[Bernie Bernbaum]

You are right.

I was standing in the Demport End in line with the flight of the ball which Darke, playing at RB, over-hit as a cross to the far post from the Lyndhurst touchline. He was positioned almost midway between the byline and the halfway line.

In my second '15 Minutes of Fame' moment on this thread (the first being that I was at school with Colin Sullivan's brother) I worked in the same office as Peter Darke's wife. (Pause for tidal wave of admiration and envy... :lol: )

Perhaps we could start another thread for the most tenuous of links to an Argyle player? :scarf:

Not an Argyle player of course but I did work with the brother and sister of Trevor Francis

 

[Emu]

You are incorrect Ottowa Green, but an easy mistake to make.

Yes, Argyle Reserves were home to Spurs Reserves and Jimmy Greaves was making his first appearance back in England following his sad stay in Italy. I think the attendance was just over 12,000. Jimmy scored 2 goals?

Around 2 weeks later, Argyle Reserves were home to Mansfield Reserves. All those attending that match received a voucher for the forthcoming FA Cup 4th Round match at home to Spurs. I think that the Mansfield match attracted around 26,000 spectators - that's the match you are thinking of.

Argyle went on to lose 1-5 against Spurs in the cup.

I was at all 3 matches and remember them so well.

That must be Argyle's record attendance for a reserve fixture?
I wonder what the UK record attendance is for a reserve fixture come to think of it?

 

[mervyn]

I didn’t move to Devon until 1983, so my combination memories are from other grounds. At Luton Town in the early 70s when they achieved promotion to the old first division, a local news reporter would be sitting in the stand. A loud ring through the ground’s PA system would tell him to pick up the phone and hear the latest score from the first team’s away match. He would then signal to a very expectant crowd with a thumbs up or thumbs down. On one occasion the game literally stopped at the bell so all the reserve team could learn the score, before continuing the game. We could have only dreamed of I phones!

 

[Mark58]

I didn’t move to Devon until 1983, so my combination memories are from other grounds. At Luton Town in the early 70s when they achieved promotion to the old first division, a local news reporter would be sitting in the stand. A loud ring through the ground’s PA system would tell him to pick up the phone and hear the latest score from the first team’s away match. He would then signal to a very expectant crowd with a thumbs up or thumbs down. On one occasion the game literally stopped at the bell so all the reserve team could learn the score, before continuing the game. We could have only dreamed of I phones!

Excellent! :lol:

 

[Balham Green]

You are right.

I was standing in the Demport End in line with the flight of the ball which Darke, playing at RB, over-hit as a cross to the far post from the Lyndhurst touchline. He was positioned almost midway between the byline and the halfway line.

In my second '15 Minutes of Fame' moment on this thread (the first being that I was at school with Colin Sullivan's brother) I worked in the same office as Peter Darke's wife. (Pause for tidal wave of admiration and envy... :lol: )

Perhaps we could start another thread for the most tenuous of links to an Argyle player? :scarf:

Not an Argyle player of course but I did work with the brother and sister of Trevor Francis

I also worked with Trevor Francis' brother. Land Registry? Felt odd at time of 82 World Cup with Trevor in Spain in national spotlight and his brother in my office in a very mundane job.

 

[Bernie Bernbaum]

Yeah BG Land Registry it was. Pity Trevor never played for Argyle,

 

[Devongreenowl]

Yeah BG Land Registry it was. Pity Trevor never played for Argyle,

Plymouth’s greatest ever player?

 

[Old Gunner]

This thread has brought back some happy memories. My brother and I used to wander down to Highbury during the week to watch Combination matches. I can't remember how much it cost (this was around the mid 60s), but it was cheap. It was a real treat, proper game of football, few hundred in the ground and a great atmosphere. Even thinking about it now I can recall the drizzle in the floodlights (it was always raining!) and the smell of onions and fags.

 

[mervyn]

This thread has brought back some happy memories. My brother and I used to wander down to Highbury during the week to watch Combination matches. I can't remember how much it cost (this was around the mid 60s), but it was cheap. It was a real treat, proper game of football, few hundred in the ground and a great atmosphere. Even thinking about it now I can recall the drizzle in the floodlights (it was always raining!) and the smell of onions and fags.

Funny you should say that OG, only yesterday my wife and i walked past a smoker outside a cafe, and I mentioned that the smell of fags in the open air, something that’s quite rare nowadays, took me right back to football in the 60s.

 

[Ponty]

Yeah BG Land Registry it was. Pity Trevor never played for Argyle,

Plymouth’s greatest ever player?

Wasn't he a Saltash boy?

 

[Pogleswoody]

Yeah BG Land Registry it was. Pity Trevor never played for Argyle,

Plymouth’s greatest ever player?

Great player born in Plymouth? Nearer the mark for me.

'Marked' him in a PYC match once, tried to chop him. I maintain to this day that he dematerialised in front of me and reconstituted himself behind me so I flailed at thin air!! Cheating really to use alien technology against a poor Budo boy doing his best!! :sad:
(How did he do that? 50 years+ = and I'm still baffled. :think: )

 

[Green Painter]

Think Trevor was from Pennycross, he certainly played for them as a kid. My favourite combination league moment was a game vs QPR. A few of us standing at front of the Mayflower, we'd have all been about 17 ish years old. Clive Allen was playing and we were giving him a bit of banter when he came near us. He scored at the Barn park end and ran half the length of the pitch to wildly celebrate in front of us! Well worth the 50p entrance fee :lol:

 

[IJN]

Definitely a Plymouth family and his old man, Roy, was an Argyle ST holder for years.