When was your first Torquay game?

[AlexGulls]

All I remember was it was against Brentford (I think) and we won 3-1 after going 1-0 down seem to remember it hammering down with rain think it was a Tuesday night.

[Awayday]

All I remember was it was against Brentford (I think) and we won 3-1 after going 1-0 down seem to remember it hammering down with rain think it was a Tuesday night.

8th September 1998.
Bates scored in the 44th minute for Brentford and Hill, Partridge and McFarlane scored 3 in the 2nd half.
(thank you Soccer Base).


Mine was a midweek game at Barnet - 18/11/1997.
We drew 3-3 and I remember being impressed with the pace of Rodney Jack Jack Jack

Helen was there and stood with us, so you can imagine a 24 year old young man getting 3 cuddles off her got quite messy (well in my head anyway).
There was a bloke called Paul (who I still see at the occasional games) who ran up and down the away end trying to get the 100 of us singing, and eventually went running over to the home fans (on his own) and started bantering with them through the fence on his own.

[AdelaideGull]

1969

Standing in front of the old "Cow Shed"

Torquay United 1 - 0 Rotherham United

Manager - Allan Brown

Robin Stubbs top scored with 19 goals that season.

Not sure of the exact team but something like:

Dunn
Burgess
Cox
Reid
Wyatt
Benson
Barnes
Evans
Fryatt
Stubbs
Clarke
Subs
Binney
Smith J

Ahh..... Jumpers for Goalposts

NB: What year did they build the "Mini Stand"? - Was it 71/72???

[Southampton Gull]

That was more or less the team that I first watched at Plainmoor, I remember Tony Scott, he seemed like the best winger in the world to me as a young boy, such mercurial skills and Stubbs banging them in for fun, what days thise were.

[Ludlow Gulled]

It was a Saturday evening game, I'm fairly sure, during the 1978/79 season and I think it was against either Newport County or Aldershot - I know it was a team who were subsequently out of the league for a while. I can't remember the score or even if we won or lost but I remember thinking Plainmoor under floodlights some sort of magic kingdom. I'm sure Les Lawrence, Steve Cooper, Ian Twitchen were all playing but the rest is gone. I have a programme somewhere - it was printed landscape and had a line drawn footballer in Torquay kit with a huge 70's moustache on the front. Not sure if it were based on a real player but I'm fairly certain there were a couple of candidates. I also remember Plainmoor being full of sheepskin coats. Real 'fin-de-siecle' stuff - heady days!

It might have been in the same season or the next but another early game I remember was against Brizzle Rovers (probably a cup game). Again, it was an evening game. My dad and grandad were sitting in the grandstand and I was stood down on the steps watching over the wall. I think it was just as the second half started and i remember my dad hoiking me up into the seats to safety as the Ellacombe end emptied along the Grandstand side and the rival sets of fans squared up in the then-open Babbacombe end. I think there was an extremely thin blue line between them which was largely ignored as fans drew handbags. I can remember a bobbies helmet being chucked into the air (much to the delight of everybody) and some Rovers fans running onto the pitch. It was hardly Milwall -Leeds but bloody exciting for an 8 year old. Anyone else there? Were you the helmetless bobby?

[andygull]

My first game was the opener away at Northampton in the season that the Gulls got promoted to league 1. I remember it was a baking hot august day and jason fowler daisy cutted one in from the edge of the box. An all round great experience!!

[Northumbergull]

Some time in the early 1960s. My dad was a steward in the grandstand and used to get me and my older sister in for free! I turned 50 in June.

I can vaguely remember the old Cowshed and certainly recall standing in the MInistand or the Pop sometimes.

Every time I smell cigarette smoke in the open or catch a whiff of Bovril, I'm straight back on the terraces.

Cheers

Bruce

[portugull]

My first game at Plainmoor was during the season 1953/54 but being only 10 I cannot remember who we played. I do remember that Eric Webber was the player/manager playing at centre half and was a dominant player throughout the match. This was the last season we played in black and white stripes just like Newcastle Utd and were known as the Magpies not the Gulls.

The first game I remember in detail was the famous FA cup 4th round against Huddersfield then in Div One on 29 January 1955. The crowd was 21,908. Hard to believe now that Plainmoors capacity is so low.

The great thing about the mid to late 50s was we had 3 fantastic forwards in Ronnie Shaw (7) Sammy Collins still our all time record goal scorer and the great Don Mills (10) the best player in the division in those far off days.

I have really enjoyed reading this thread.

[Trojan 67]

Don't remember my first game. Not sure if it was at the end of 64-65 season or beginning of 65-66. Was stood at the rail at the Ellacombe end to one side of the goal in front of the Cowshed.

I remember it wasn't cold and the sun was shining (back in them days Ellacombe Primary schoolboys wore short trousers).
Didn't see every full home game of promotion year 65-66 as "bunking in" was not always successful so had to wait until halftime when they opened the gates.

Fervent interest in football came during World Cup year 66, followed by the formation of Torre Trojans FC in 1967.
Sadly, the Trojans are now defunct but their achievements till this very day are still legend. Indeed, some players are legend with one even passing into folklore.

That'll be the Trojan called Arse.

[sadlad]

My first visit to Plainmoor was on 19.1.1991 for Torquay's Div 4 game with Walsall. It ended 0-0 and I remember it was a nice January day with plenty of sunshine and enjoyed an hour in The Union pre-match

[gurneygibbs23]

http://www.soccerbase.com/results3.sd?gameid=220233

On the theme of this coming weekends match, my first game was

Torquay 1 - 2 Barnet on 24th September 1994.

I recall Barnet defender Newson bizarrely scoring all 3 goals, but soccerbase notes that Hodges scored Barnet's first.
Kelvin Davis was our keeper during his brief loan spell with us.

[gurneygibbs23]

http://www.soccerbase.com/results3.sd?gameid=220233

On the theme of this coming weekends match, my first game was

Torquay 1 - 2 Barnet on 24th September 1994.

I recall Barnet defender Newson bizarrely scoring all 3 goals, but soccerbase notes that Hodges scored Barnet's first.
Kelvin Davis was our keeper during his brief loan spell with us.

This was infact Lee Hodges who played for us in last few seasons.

[NewtonGull]

i was a late one... my mate is an avid Torquay fan, i didnt really care about it at the time, he took me to the swindon game at plainmoor in our league one season. think we lost 1-0 maybe 2-0. i remember they scored a penalty. but despite the loss i've remained hooked ever since

[ChristheGull]

Colchester vs United, at the old Wembley. Can't remember the score but I know we lost

[Burnhamgull]

My first game was in 82 or 83 for Ian Twitchens testimonial against Aston Villa. Villa had won the European cup only the year before and brought all the stars down, Gary Shaw, NIgel Spink, Peter Withe and Tony Morley et al. The game ended in 2-1 victory for United.

My abiding memory was of standing on the old pop side in a similar spot to where I stand now. Down by the away end in the uncovered section.

Happy times