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Quick one for the historians/researchers

Posted: 10 Apr 2011, 17:46
by ferrarilover
Hi guys,

I wasn't here when we were in L1. Now, I'm not counting chickens, but the position in which we find ourselves has lead me to wonder... How far up the L1 table were we at our very highest?

Even if it was only that we kicked off earlier than everyone else, or that we played more matches, what was our highest league position that year?

A small prize available for the first correct (verifiable) answer.

Ta,

Matt.

Re: Quick one for the historians/researchers

Posted: 10 Apr 2011, 17:56
by CP Gull
Matt

If you are looking at our last season in League 1 (2004-5) then I reckon that would be the position we were in after our first game of the season - a very creditable 1-1 draw at Bristol City. Unfortunately we followed that point up with three straight defeats and so it was only ever an uphill struggle to stay up after that. Technically we were 11th equal after one game - or 14th if you used alpahabetical order as there were was another 1-1 draw on the opening day.

Re: Quick one for the historians/researchers

Posted: 10 Apr 2011, 19:43
by Trojan 67
ferrarilover wrote:Hi guys,

I wasn't here when we were in L1. Now, I'm not counting chickens, but the position in which we find ourselves has lead me to wonder... How far up the L1 table were we at our very highest?

Even if it was only that we kicked off earlier than everyone else, or that we played more matches, what was our highest league position that year?

A small prize available for the first correct (verifiable) answer.

Ta,

Matt.
Contrary to popular Torquay Fans.com myth, I wasn't about in the Division Three (South) era.
So does the question include our full history or only our last visit to the third tier of League footie ?

I was about in the era of Frank O'Farrell and we were clear leaders of the old Division 3 in 1967/68 season in March of '68 and still somehow managed to miss out on Division 2 footie due to a collapse of form in the last 10 games.

Re: Quick one for the historians/researchers

Posted: 10 Apr 2011, 19:50
by Trojan 67
Here's one for the historians/researchers :

When did the Ellacombe End Cowshed come down and the original Mini Stand (without it's later extensions) go up ?

Re: Quick one for the historians/researchers

Posted: 10 Apr 2011, 20:29
by Boom Boom
Slightly off topic but nonetheless sticking with the League 1 debate, I see that Exeter sneaked into 3rd after defeating Rotherham away on the last day of the season.

Interesting to see we also have our final match at the Don Valley Stadium, could be that we follow in our fellow southwest neighbours footsteps.

Re: Quick one for the historians/researchers

Posted: 10 Apr 2011, 20:42
by Trojan 67
Boom Boom wrote:Slightly off topic but nonetheless sticking with the League 1 debate, I see that Exeter sneaked into 3rd after defeating Rotherham away on the last day of the season.

Interesting to see we also have our final match at the Don Valley Stadium, could be that we follow in our fellow southwest neighbours footsteps.
One game at a time Boom Boom as we enter the final five crucial fixtures.

There is however, a certain poetic irony that could happen.

Re: Quick one for the historians/researchers

Posted: 10 Apr 2011, 21:21
by Plymouth Gull
Boom Boom wrote:Slightly off topic but nonetheless sticking with the League 1 debate, I see that Exeter sneaked into 3rd after defeating Rotherham away on the last day of the season.

Interesting to see we also have our final match at the Don Valley Stadium, could be that we follow in our fellow southwest neighbours footsteps.
They actually sneaked into 2nd..

:whistle:

Re: Quick one for the historians/researchers

Posted: 10 Apr 2011, 21:52
by ferrarilover
Dammit, Charlie Papa gave me some hope of the sort of answer I wanted, then the wee wee master general Troj rocked up and put a great big spanner in the works with his technicalities! Given that Div 3 South was not full national level football (just southern area) to my mind, despite both being the third tier of English football, L1 is a more advanced level. Given this, I'll take the answer of CP and go with 11th place in L1 being the furthest up the pyramid we have ever been.

Thus, should we go up (whenever, not necessarily this season), we would need to get up above 11th to be seeing, effectively, the best Torquay side ever.

Matt.

Re: Quick one for the historians/researchers

Posted: 10 Apr 2011, 23:55
by Fletch
4th in Div 3. August 91. Beat the monkey hangers 3-1 in first game of the season.


edit: Probably Trojans answer, bit too young to remember that clearly though

Re: Quick one for the historians/researchers

Posted: 11 Apr 2011, 03:33
by ferrarilover
Nice one Fletch, I assume that as recently as 20 years ago, Div 3 was nationwide and not split geographically?

Matt.

Re: Quick one for the historians/researchers

Posted: 11 Apr 2011, 09:12
by Awayday
Matt - Division 3 North and South stopped back in 1958 when it became the a National League.

In 1992 it then became League 2 (the Premiership was born). And then in 2004 League 1 was born with the introduction of the Championship.

In which case, in 1967 / 68 they finished 4th but I don't know if at any time in that season were higher.

Re: Quick one for the historians/researchers

Posted: 11 Apr 2011, 13:06
by Jerry
Boom Boom wrote: Interesting to see we also have our final match at the Don Valley Stadium, could be that we follow in our fellow southwest neighbours footsteps.
Also interesting to see that the Greeks (who, unbelievably, could still be in with a chance of sneaking into the play-offs!) are away to Sheffield Wednesday on that day. Gulls and Greeks both out in force in Sheffield - could be an "interesting" day!

Re: Quick one for the historians/researchers

Posted: 11 Apr 2011, 14:05
by ferrarilover
Bloody hell you lot, I ask a simples question. So, we now have two people suggesting fourth, but we might have been higher during the season. Time to ask someone else perhaps?

Matt.

Re: Quick one for the historians/researchers

Posted: 11 Apr 2011, 14:41
by bixieupnorth
my dad tells tales of trips to villa and middlesboro, so thats hardly 3rd div (south) is it, matt is correct in saying it was nationalised, so that remains by far and away our best ever position, and probably will remain so for ever and ever, we eventually finished 4th and he reckons the team were told to stop winning as we couldnt afford the cost involved with league two football, it appears to be an amazing collapse just as we got in sight of the finishing line?

we finished 7th the year before and 6th the one after, before gradually falling away and back to our usual yoyoing around the bottom division

wikipedia may or may not be true??

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_To ... C._seasons" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Quick one for the historians/researchers

Posted: 11 Apr 2011, 14:49
by bixieupnorth
hmmm it appears villa and boro may have been different years, it was a long time ago that i said on my dads knee and he regaled me with stories of being a crowd packer at plainmoor, and literally shoving people onto the terraces!!

i'm 45 in june, got the programmes that he passed on to me when he last moved house, was def around that time tho??