cyril found a way of pulling a team together who only by a dog bite and an injury time goal stayed in the league, with only couple of additions they were a match for anyone, beat the top teams home and away and came so, so close to glory. plainmoor was a happy place, awash with atmosphere and pride.
yep, we definitely lost 1-3 at newport -
pumped wrexham 6-1 home first day, later rochdale 5-0, later newport 6-1.
our first defeat was a 0-1 at home to cambridge.
i remember alan pearce's showstopper v burnley at home but that was our worst home performance and we lost 1-3. it would have been goal of the season but up stepped mark gardiner later on.
beating spurs 1-0 (the dude), losing 0-3 up there (one of the best o.g's ever).
gary wright was called from the crowd to the dressing room over the tannoy and i think im right that he provided the cross to dave caldwell to score on his debut with that famous overhead kick (v hereford).
caldwells diving header in the 2nd round of the cup v bristol city at ashton gate to win 1-0.
giving the cup holders coventry the fright of their lives at highfield road (caldwell hit the bar with an overhead kick from the edge of the area and gave brian kilcline the game of his life).
mark gardiners "goal of the decade" in a 2-1 win at bolton.
the pop singing "you are my torquay" on a regular basis.
in fact the pop singing a lot.
a yellow and blue kit.
phil lloyd and john impey being the hardest pair of centre halfs EVER.
tom kellys crosses from anywhere, jimmy mac showing solidity and class.
sean hazlegrave snapping at much larger midfielders heels and showing them up.
paul dobson with his bow legged running but still being one of the best strikers to ever grace the torquay shirt.a proper finisher and poacher extroadinaire.
dave caldwell - never in the history of football has a player left such a mark and been so popular with supporters of any club in such a short space of time. he is still revered, rated and worshipped to this day and he didnt even play a full season. imagine him playing here now (gives me chills, goosebumps and makes the hair on the back of me neck prickle).
away fans being banned all season apart from the play-offs. (not neccessarily good, just a strange fact)
kenny allen, being kenny allen. :Oops:
mark loram just being awesome at football.
seeing lee sharpe at 16 just gliding down the wing and taking the p1$$ out of anyone who tried to get near him. at times running down nearly the whole left wing and it was like nobody else was there unless they scythed him down.
sharpey bagged his 2 v newport just a few days after the deal was clinched for him to sign for man utd.
a last day home win v scunthorpe would have been enough for a promotion, we lost 1-2, 8 days later we beat them in the play-offs and then drew at their place.
my first ever away game was at vetch field (my mates dad sorted it because he did volunteer work for the club) in the play off final 1st leg, a tuesday night game. i had just turned 13 (i bunked off school), i went on a coach with players wags (cor blimey), apprentices and people who worked for the club.
i had to sit with swansea fans at the game and to be fair they were great. we were in a new stand they had behind the goal which seemed to go straight up vertical and walking to our seats it felt like you could just topple over and take a flier.
we lost 1-2 but played well. caldwell got loads of grief from the swansea lot, calling him an animal and all sorts.
the home leg was unreal, 3-3, dodgy penalties against us, the rain hammering down, the pitch unplayable, sharpeys last match. we really deserved it and should have won. as other others have said how the hell did that team not get promotion.
and there was much, much more that season. great days, great days. (sigh)
"nice one cyril" o:)
