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Hi, life long supporter, sufferer in last few years. First game in 1973. Always been on the poolside and seen hundreds of away games.

Welcome back mate.

Cheers

Good to catch up with you at Oxford

You too, you were warned we were crap beforehand

And we most certainly were lol

Hi folks my names Neil I live in Paignton, I've been looking around on here for some time now but I've just registered now. As someone else has said, I'm doing a crap job, but with lovely colleagues, the dire lack of decent jobs and investment in the area is a total disgrace. Anyway I've been following Torquay since we arrived nearly two years ago, like a lot of you I'm really pleased to say the least at recent developments, pse see my post in fa Cup thread about a possible lift to next sat game in Essex. All the best, Neil.

Welcome to the site Neil

I was born in Torquay and moved to Bristol in 1972 at the age of 3. My Dad (David Barnfield) had followed Torquay from 1946 and had many a story to tell. In those days if you moved away you often started to follow your new local team and that is why I am first a Bristol City fan. I have always considered my first second team to be Torquay and I remember when staying with my gran in Galmpton going to see Torquay on a Saturday with Lenny Lawrence leading the line, that was some haircut he had. My other fond memory of driving in my Dads Maxi to Wembley to see them play Bolton in the Sherpa Van.

My Dad passed away this year and before scattering his ashes at Babbacombe he had one last drive past Plainmoor. At his funeral for his Eulogy I included the following

"Retirement also allowed more football trips including one on a warm Tuesday evening, 20th August 1998 Torquay United vs Bristol City. Whilst stopped at the traffic lights in Hele, Dad says Paul that’s Ralph Calland on that park bench seat. Whose that Dad?. He played for Torquay back in 1948. A potted history followed"

As football fans memories stay with us and make us the people we are regardless of who you support.

I live in Weston-super-Mare and was there on Tuesday it was great to see so many fans there. Football is not about the idiot who chucks the bin on the pitch it is about the hundreds of fans who turn up with the dream that better times are around the corner.

Lovely introduction, huge welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear about your father but at least he made sure that you had some Yellow blood inside your veins. Hope you enjoyed seeing so many fans turn up on your doorstep.

Yes, welcome BarneyBrick - once that yellow blood is there, it stays for life no matter how hard the times have been for the past few years. It's a common error but it was LES Lawrence you saw leading the line, probably alongside my all-time favourite Gulls player Steve Cooper. What a combination they were. Les Lawrence was unmistakeable as you say with his fantastic Afro, even better than Josh Gowling's! Lenny Lawrence is a different football man entirely, probably most famous for being Charlton Athletic's manager for some years.

That's right Les I remember now that afro was unforgettable.

...and he hasn't go a hair on his head these days!

Hi all, I have been a Torquay supporter since my dad took me in 1961 so have experienced lots. Sold programs for a good many years and remember doing same for the Spurs 3-3 game at down at Cary Park, on getting back to ground Sam Stuckey jammed us behind Babbacombe goal almost touching the nets. Loved collecting player autographs in them days. We use to sit on benches inside the fence on Grandstand side along with the St Johns people. Nearly got knocked off my seat by a vicious tackle by Mark Lazarus (QPR winger) on Bill Kitchener. Anyway got loads of memories good and bad and as a result of some bad decisions from various I stopped attending 14ish years ago. Use too love the banter with mates on pop side.

Welcome to the forum, I'm sure there are plenty of past acquaintances to share memories on here.