John's Anorak Annuals
As in all of John's pages, to make it easier for people who are returning, I will add new bits at the top and date them too.
Added 15th May 2001
For some reason (probably because they are my nearest club!) in 1988 I went to quite a few Leyton Orient matches. Looking through the programmes there are the usual number of interesting (well, to me, anyway!) non-league links.
In March there were thrills aplenty (not) in a 0-0 draw with Colchester United whose number 12 was one Mario Walsh: "forward, 22, born Paddington.Apprenticed with Portsmouth. Joined U's from Torquay for a tribunal fixed fee of £15,000. Has yet to become a regular in the side." Few Redbridge Forest supporters will forget Mario's performance against his old club, Colchester, a few seasons later in the Conference.
Another later to be relegated team to the Conference visited Orient in April, Hereford United. A forward for Hereford was Phil Stant ("the club paying £600 to buy him out of the army"), later to be the Lincoln manager unfortunate enough to confront ourselves in December 2000. A linesman that day in April 1988 was P.Alcock later to be at the end of a Di Canio shove.
Leaders in Division 4 that season were Wolverhampton Wanderers (!) managed by Graham Turner (now Hereford) and featuring as leading goalscorer, Steve Bull (also now at Hereford). The well-respected Paul Durkin was ref that day having been (and how many Dagenham fans know this) a linesman for the 1980 Dagenham v Mossley FA Trophy Final. Main stand season ticket for 1988/9 at Orient = £95. There's also a "Buy a Brick" donation -£10 per brick -all names will be displayed on a permanent plaque."Now where have I seen that idea recently?
On a much more non-league note I found myself in the West country in October 1988 watching an FA Cup 4th Qualifying match between Exmouth and Woking. It was clearly a really big day in the home side's history but if memory serves me correctly, Woking scored 5 second half goals after a scoreless first half. They included such well-known non-league names as the Wyes and Buzaglos but what interested me was that at that time they were only Division 1, Vauxhall-Opel League!! According to the lovingly produced programme Dagenham were at home to Burton Albion in the same competition. Score, anyone?
Added 7th April 2001
Leyton Orient reserve appearances 1988/9 include;
Hayrettin 27 (Hakan?)
Bird 1 (not Matty, surely?)
and Broom 1 (our Jason?)
Leyton Orient 2 Swansea 0 FA Cup 5 Dec 1987
In the visitors lineup 17 year old Chris Coleman later of Fulham and 40
year old Tommy Hutchinson later to play at Victoria Road for Merthyr.
Given recent events that's enough of 40 year olds!
Bradford City 2 Chelsea 2 division 2 19 Nov 1988
In the Chelsea team photo one Micky Bodley, looking young, cheerful and
with hair!
What a difference 14 years makes part 75684:
In Frank Clark's notes in the Swansea prog he says " Aldershot's
passing and movement off the ball are as good as most teams in the
football league not just the third division..." amazing to think
what's happened to that club in the last decade and a half.Now they are
struggling to get back in the conference.
Added 11th March 2001
Late March 1990
....and one of my mates is in London looking for a footie match to see.Somehow we end up crossing the Thames on the Woolwich ferry and driving to Watling Street, Dartford, home of Maidstone United. That day they were at home to Southend United, then 3rd in Division 4 aiming for promotion. Maidstone were 9th and aiming for imminent oblivion. DagRedForest links aplenty here - Maidstone featured Warren Barton at number 2 and also in their squad were Gary Stebbing and the unfortunate Tony Sorrell. Southend had forwards who would all appear in East London later: Mario Walsh (a £30,000 signing from Colchester), David Crown (outstanding since his arrival from Cambridge), Gary Bennett and Roy "Donut" McDonough. Elsewhere in the squad were Justin Edinburgh (2nd year as a professional) and Martin Ling and Paul Brush (captain). But who is this ? "Product of the clubs youth scheme .... is capable of excellent skills, crossing and finishing ability, he could develop into an exciting player". None other than our very own Matt Jones!!
From the small room this week:
Clubs in trouble 10 years ago we visited Fisher Athletic in a cup tie and Leyton-Wingate in the league. Both clubs were suffering both on and off the pitch. Fisher had just sacked their manager and the match day programme talks of financial cuts, with the league position aat the very foot of the Conference (with a west country trio of Yeovil, Bath and Cheltenham just above them).When we played Leyton-Wingate at the Hare and Hounds they too were at the foot of their league, the Vauxhall League Premier division.Their match day prog had a full page from the Chairman describing "acute cash flow problems" and outlining all the match by match expenses. Since then Fisher have sunk in to the Southern League and Leyton-Wingate are no more, although their successors, Leyton-Pennant, are doing a Sheffield Wednesday through the Ryman divisions as we speak. All goes to show the thin line between success and failure and how things can change in a season or two. That year, in January, Kettering led the Conference by 10 points and Cavell (Boston) and Walsh (Colchester) were amongst the leading Conference scorers. Number 2 for Fisher that bleak January day was Gary Blackford, now returned to Margate after a loan spell at Dulwich, if I'm not mistaken.
Attendances:
Recently we had good news of our crowd sizes at Victoria Road -1200 and rising?Contrast: Redbridge's average gate season 90-1 was around 300, whilst Dagenham's was more like 400. True, both were Ryman but there's a big difference between then and now.
21st February 2001
Recent Bog Standard reading:
My 2 most local clubs are Orient and Leyton. I usually pay a couple of visits to Brisbane Road each season and 1991 was no exception. Once again there are many examples of 10 years being a long time in football. First,the shortness of the shorts! Looks like a different era altogether. 5 January 1991 Swindon visit East London.Manager? None other than Ossie Ardiles! Orient's youth coach? John Gorman, later Hoddle/Drewery right hand man. 20 years ago Orient's team included Day, T Taylor and PTaylor all now managers of 'some' repute. In the young O's team that season one Paul Cobb! In another game against Tranmere the visitors captain was Jim Harvey , the Morecambe manager if I'm not mistaken.
1st February 2001
Little Room Reading (continued..): 10 years is a long time in soccer part 1846 -
Enfield 0 Redbridge Forest 3.....23 April 1991 it was a brilliant victory for us that day in front of 2003 people on our team sheet (although he didn't play) was of course Andy Hessenthaler, to go on to greater things at Watford and now Gillingham.
Enfield featured Mark Keen at number 4 (the tower of strength at the back, Mark also ventures forward when required -programme notes) and Paul Brush ex West Ham.
Best one though is player manager Peter Taylor, who by that time had played 35 games and scored 8 goals for Enfield that season. Does anybody remember the 'efforts' he put in for Redbridge a year or two later? Who'd guess he'd become an England manager ? And one Terry Harris (a friend of Mr Taylor) made 1 cup appearance for the E's that year.
10 years -look at Enfield's situation now!
31st January 2001
Little room reading today involves Redbridge Forest match day programme against Woking, 1990/1.
The year we won the league. Jason Broom had just signed and had scored 3 goals in 6 games.
Top of Division 2 North with the following record: P40 W33 D4 l3 GF120 GA29 Pts103 were Stevenage Borough!!
How things move along. 6th in division were Marlow and 9th Wivenhoe.
Little Room Reading (continued..): 10 years is a long time in soccer part 1846 -
Enfield 0 Redbridge Forest 3.....23 April 1991 it was a brilliant victory for us that day in front of 2003 people on our team sheet (although he didn't play) was of course Andy Hessenthaler, to go on to greater things at Watford and now Gillingham.
Enfield featured Mark Keen at number 4 (the tower of strength at the back, Mark also ventures forward when required -programme notes) and Paul Brush ex West Ham.
Best one though is player manager Peter Taylor, who by that time had played 35 games and scored 8 goals for Enfield that season. Does anybody remember the 'efforts' he put in for Redbridge a year or two later? Who'd guess he'd become an England manager ? And one Terry Harris (a friend of Mr Taylor) made 1 cup appearance for the E's that year.
10 years -look at Enfield's situation now!