tomogull wrote:Glad you see Andy Gurney as deserving to be up there with the best, Chunky. I'm still seething that Wivel described him as a journeyman !!!!!!!!!!!
Yep, Gurney was top notch for us. Not in my top 10, but would be very, very close.
I was thinking about "that" game at Leyton Orient after mentioning it in my last post. Gurney was awesome in that game.
The last day of the season and we needed a point to get promoted, hoardes of Gulls fans in yellow and blue descended upon Londons east end anticipating our team to deliver. We really thought we had it. Orient had nothing to play for but the way they went at us and then defended with their lives you would have thought it was them going for promotion, the way they celebrated and also that pr1ck
Raynor jogging the touchline trying to wind us up was galling. 0.2 down at half time, 2 goals from poor defending, although one was a superb finish, in the second half we really went on the attack but kept getting caught out on the break, poor old
Kenny Veysey got sent off for handling outside his area. Up steps
Andy Gurney and takes the keepers jersey. United really went for it, I have never seen us attack so much and so fiercely, the game was very exciting and either side could have scored loads. There was a few close shaves, goalmouth scrambles, penalty shouts, hitting the woodwork and hearts broken.
What stands out for me though in that game is Andy Gurney in goal, keeping a clean sheet against the odds, many times Gurney picked up or caught the ball and rolled it out to his feet and started bombing down the wing in his usual position, or every time we were on the attack there was Gurney bombing up the wing supporting and as soon as we lost the ball he went legging it back to goal, amazing sight. We lost 1-2, but that games stands out more for me than any other in 28 years of watching TUFC. Never been so gutted at a game of football.
Super Jason Fowler, loved him as a player, one of the best technical footballers I have seen in my time supporting The Gulls, therefore making him
one of my top 10 picks. A real joy to watch and formed probably the best midfield partnership I have seen with the fella I reckon will be in the top 3. Although personally I cant really separate them. Fowler came from a higher league and probably I reckon would have stayed there longer if it werent for fitness issues, likely we would never have got a player like that if he hadnt have had his problems which sadly then cut short his career.
I remember well the article in the Herald when they announced Jason Fowler's retirement through injury and its fitting in a week when the supposed average earnings of the team are spilled in a quote by the manager that I mention the quote at that time that Fowler made himself which stuck with me and memory serving it was something along the lines of how much he enjoyed his career and how was he going to find a job better than playing football for a living, working a couple of hours a day and getting paid £500 a week.
That was 10 years ago and I remember thinking bloody hell how much, at Torquay United league 2 level, thats outrageous. Now 10 years later we are going on about this £375 thing, which is frankly a b0ll0ck$ figure, but when you hear the sums being bandied about that some of our players have in recent times have been on, I would say they are scandalous when a player of Fowlers calibre was on £500 in comparison and some of these charlatans, jokers and chancers have been on double or even treble that.
