The Simb celebration
Posted: 15 Mar 2017, 14:32
One of the oddest - and most amusing - incidents at Plainmoor occurred a few years ago (time passes quickly when you enter the Codgery, but it must be 15 years at least) when one of our French imports (were they ever seen before they arrived?) performed the goal celebration to end all goal celebrations. Let's face it Jean-Pierre Simb was not one of the world's greatest footballers, and this had become apparent to the Plainmoor faithful (2500 in those days). He'd been playing in the first team for a while without scoring any goals and then (I forget who it was against) he did score. I don't think the goal was especially remarkable, but what did - and does - live long in the memory is his celebration; a celebration like no other seen anywhere. He ran, from the Ellacombe end along the touch line and near enough to the crowd to be able to touch them, stuck out his arm and hand and attempted (and succeeded in the main) to give everyone 'high fives' until he ran out of space at the Babbacombe end. Naturally this endeared him to the crowd who from then on regarded him as a clown (which, in footballing terms, he was.) With the exception of the great Lors, David Graham, Alex Russell and Rodney Jack there hasn't been much to write home about since 1972 (the Codgery will back me up on this) but the Simb celebration could inspire the writing of a novel.
