One Game at a Time
Cheltenham Town (A) Boxing Day
From a season that started unseasonably in July, Argyle head into Christmas top of the tree, and Schumacher literally in pole position. After a run of games where results were far from what was hoped for, even if they reflected what we deserved, a dominant performance against bottom side Morecambe, albeit well marshalled by our former leader Derek, with thirty plus shots still ended up as a victory by the odd goal in three.
With the chasing duo of Ipswich and Wendies both slipping up, even if the Owls were wide-eyed when ex Grecians loanee Cameron Dawson saved them from defeat with a 97th minute penalty save from Oxford. Ipswich, suffering from an increasing injury list, lost to the blue quartered Grinches of Why Come leaving Argyle the only side still capable of hitting fifty points come the halfway mark of the season on Boxing Day.
Man of the match for Argyle? Step forward unsung groundsman Chris Ralph whose hardworking team reflected the players he enabled to take care of business, by ensuring the match took place.
Man of the match overall was undoubtedly the lazily captioned “Talented Mr Ripley” who protected the Morecambe goal as if his half time snacks depended on it, saving his fourth penalty of the season from the unfortunately profligate Morgan Whittaker. From bantering with the Devonport End (presumably the hardy and optimistic away travelling support were too hard to pick out in their spacious accommodation for easy communication) to a series of decent if not spectacular saves the Divisions Player of the Month earned his corn (and probably the butter he slathers it with).
In the end the result sent another bumper crowd home happily warmed up, and the few desultory boos, more of frustration than anger, could be filed under things that can happen even in the most spectacular of half seasons.
With Derby and Barnsley both winning comfortably against bottom four opposition, Bolton thumping the six toes and Pompey amusingly dominating their game against the club stealers before capitulating two nil at home it is getting nice and congested in the play-off zone so plenty of twists and turns in the second half of the season.
Argyle will make a familiar Boxing Day trip to Cheltenham Town, home of the towns second hardest sports team, after the Cheltenham Ladies College Lacrosse XI, and against a team in recent times that have been a generous and giving host, points wise.
The club was formed by a returning local school master Albert Close White in 1887, and not as was thought for many years, in 1892, but the club remained a non-league one until almost the end of last century, when it finally gained League status for the 1999/2000 season.
The club also played initially in a deeper shade of red with no white and had the nickname the Rubies until adopting the Robins as an identity in the 1930s. The club themselves had a relatively undramatic non-league history and moved into its Whaddon Road home in the early 1930s. The ground itself has remained although it has become better known for the current trend of naming the ground for sponsors. It was for years a staple of the Gillette Soccer Saturday circus when it was known as the Johnny Rocks Stadium (after a local car hire firm), before recently morphing into the Completely-Suzuki Stadium, when a local garage became their ground sponsor.
Possibly their best-known player from non-league times, if not Gilbert Jessop, the Gloucestershire and England Cricketer, was actually made famous for his role with a near rival team Hereford United. Ronnie Radford, who died in November this year, played two spells at Cheltenham before arriving, via Newport County, at Hereford United, where in 1972, his thirty-yard screamer equalised Malcolm MacDonalds late opener for Newcastle United, skippered by Bobby Moncur, and set up extra time where a Ricky George winner created one of the FA Cup shocks of the century. Radford’s goal was voted Goal of the Season for 1971/2 and is the iconic FA Cup image when third round day comes around each season.
Radford himself was an unassuming player, who spent most of his career as a part-timer, having failed to make a league appearance at his first clubs Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United where he spent a season just prior to their bursting into national prominence in the early sixties. He always reckoned a goal he scored for Newport against Bradford Park Avenue was the equal of his Newcastle goal.
Towns eventual run to gain League status was the work of a local player and coach, one Steve Cotterill. His five and a half years in charge were amongst the most successful the club had had and paved the way for his appointment at Stoke City. A brief flirtation with Bobby Gould as manager raised a few eyebrows and his departure led to a steady four years under the stewardship of John Ward. When Ward left for a long-term contract at Carlisle, Town appointed Keith Downing, later to be appointed at Shueys number two for a brief five-month stint at Argyle. Downing managed the marquee signing of Alan Wright, Aston Villas diminutive full back, and lasted a year before he was replaced by Martin “Mad Dog“ Allen who had recently departed Leicester City having fallen out with owner Milan Mandaric.
Allen, whose father had both played for and managed Town in their non-league days had an immediate impact. The club lost his first seven games on the bounce, a record to this day. Eventually Allen was suspended for an off-field incident at a night club, and although cleared of wrong-doing by an inquiry, eventually resigned. The club at the time was in financial difficulties and had it not avoided administration, would have been relegated.
The club was finally relegated out of the league in 2015 but bounced back immediately and has remained a steady league 2/1 club ever since. Having been managed by Gary Johnson, Mark Yates and most recently by Michael Duff, since his departure to Barnsley, the club is under the leadership of Wade Elliott (at time of writing) and sit in seventeenth, five points clear of the drop zone. Their uptick in fortune has coincided with the return from injury of star striker Alfie May, who despite having missed a sizeable chunk of the season has scored five goals so far this season.
Heading to the Completely Suzuki should hold few fears for Argyle, as it is one of the top ten grounds for the club based on past results. That said the one bit of Cheltenham history which involves Argyle came in the game at the then Whaddon Road in 2000 when Martin Devaney scored the first ever League hattrick by a Cheltenham player. This week’s GOS based question is, who scored Argyles second goal in the five two defeat (Big Sean McCarthy got the first) in one of his three league appearances whilst on loan from West Brom?
On the bench that day for Argyle was Steve Guinan, later to become a Cheltenham hero when he scored the goal that won the Play Off final against Grimsby with a cross cum shot.
Guinan, who had a habit of falling out with clubs, including Argyle under Luggy, but also Cambridge after starting a food fight at a formal dinner, and Scunthorpe, where then manager Brian Laws relieved him of his tracksuit in the car park after he refused to extend a loan spell, now remarkably leads the FA’s Elite Player to Coach scheme and most recently helped Ashley Cole into his new England U21 role. He may well be at the game as his seventeen-year-old striker son Zac is currently a first team squad member at Town.
Cheltenham, famous as a Spa town, and for its horse racing has yet to set the football world on fire. It struggles to kindle significant rivalries although the El Glosico against FGR is building. The loss of Hereford United removed its main rivalry, and a lack of matches in history has removed the possibility of a Spa based Derby with Bath City (or for that matter Blyth Spa-Tans, you don't think Geordie girls are naturally that orange surely).
It therefore remains only for OGAAT to wish Pilgrims everywhere a peaceful and enjoyable festive respite from the pressure of leading the pack, to thank you for reading these missives, and for the many kind and encouraging words received.
To the owners, players, staff and all those who work every day to make our weekends and occasional weekday evenings that bit more pleasurable than most, have a merry Christmas with your families and friends.
And whatever you do, don’t mess up our Boxing Day.
COYG!!!
GOS Question. Paul Mardon was the loan Baggie who scored a header after Argyle went in four down at half time. He was also the victim of a wicked deflection for the fourth goal but luckily for him it was not attributed as an own goal.
Cheltenham Town (A) Boxing Day
From a season that started unseasonably in July, Argyle head into Christmas top of the tree, and Schumacher literally in pole position. After a run of games where results were far from what was hoped for, even if they reflected what we deserved, a dominant performance against bottom side Morecambe, albeit well marshalled by our former leader Derek, with thirty plus shots still ended up as a victory by the odd goal in three.
With the chasing duo of Ipswich and Wendies both slipping up, even if the Owls were wide-eyed when ex Grecians loanee Cameron Dawson saved them from defeat with a 97th minute penalty save from Oxford. Ipswich, suffering from an increasing injury list, lost to the blue quartered Grinches of Why Come leaving Argyle the only side still capable of hitting fifty points come the halfway mark of the season on Boxing Day.
Man of the match for Argyle? Step forward unsung groundsman Chris Ralph whose hardworking team reflected the players he enabled to take care of business, by ensuring the match took place.
Man of the match overall was undoubtedly the lazily captioned “Talented Mr Ripley” who protected the Morecambe goal as if his half time snacks depended on it, saving his fourth penalty of the season from the unfortunately profligate Morgan Whittaker. From bantering with the Devonport End (presumably the hardy and optimistic away travelling support were too hard to pick out in their spacious accommodation for easy communication) to a series of decent if not spectacular saves the Divisions Player of the Month earned his corn (and probably the butter he slathers it with).
In the end the result sent another bumper crowd home happily warmed up, and the few desultory boos, more of frustration than anger, could be filed under things that can happen even in the most spectacular of half seasons.
With Derby and Barnsley both winning comfortably against bottom four opposition, Bolton thumping the six toes and Pompey amusingly dominating their game against the club stealers before capitulating two nil at home it is getting nice and congested in the play-off zone so plenty of twists and turns in the second half of the season.
Argyle will make a familiar Boxing Day trip to Cheltenham Town, home of the towns second hardest sports team, after the Cheltenham Ladies College Lacrosse XI, and against a team in recent times that have been a generous and giving host, points wise.
The club was formed by a returning local school master Albert Close White in 1887, and not as was thought for many years, in 1892, but the club remained a non-league one until almost the end of last century, when it finally gained League status for the 1999/2000 season.
The club also played initially in a deeper shade of red with no white and had the nickname the Rubies until adopting the Robins as an identity in the 1930s. The club themselves had a relatively undramatic non-league history and moved into its Whaddon Road home in the early 1930s. The ground itself has remained although it has become better known for the current trend of naming the ground for sponsors. It was for years a staple of the Gillette Soccer Saturday circus when it was known as the Johnny Rocks Stadium (after a local car hire firm), before recently morphing into the Completely-Suzuki Stadium, when a local garage became their ground sponsor.
Possibly their best-known player from non-league times, if not Gilbert Jessop, the Gloucestershire and England Cricketer, was actually made famous for his role with a near rival team Hereford United. Ronnie Radford, who died in November this year, played two spells at Cheltenham before arriving, via Newport County, at Hereford United, where in 1972, his thirty-yard screamer equalised Malcolm MacDonalds late opener for Newcastle United, skippered by Bobby Moncur, and set up extra time where a Ricky George winner created one of the FA Cup shocks of the century. Radford’s goal was voted Goal of the Season for 1971/2 and is the iconic FA Cup image when third round day comes around each season.
Radford himself was an unassuming player, who spent most of his career as a part-timer, having failed to make a league appearance at his first clubs Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United where he spent a season just prior to their bursting into national prominence in the early sixties. He always reckoned a goal he scored for Newport against Bradford Park Avenue was the equal of his Newcastle goal.
Towns eventual run to gain League status was the work of a local player and coach, one Steve Cotterill. His five and a half years in charge were amongst the most successful the club had had and paved the way for his appointment at Stoke City. A brief flirtation with Bobby Gould as manager raised a few eyebrows and his departure led to a steady four years under the stewardship of John Ward. When Ward left for a long-term contract at Carlisle, Town appointed Keith Downing, later to be appointed at Shueys number two for a brief five-month stint at Argyle. Downing managed the marquee signing of Alan Wright, Aston Villas diminutive full back, and lasted a year before he was replaced by Martin “Mad Dog“ Allen who had recently departed Leicester City having fallen out with owner Milan Mandaric.
Allen, whose father had both played for and managed Town in their non-league days had an immediate impact. The club lost his first seven games on the bounce, a record to this day. Eventually Allen was suspended for an off-field incident at a night club, and although cleared of wrong-doing by an inquiry, eventually resigned. The club at the time was in financial difficulties and had it not avoided administration, would have been relegated.
The club was finally relegated out of the league in 2015 but bounced back immediately and has remained a steady league 2/1 club ever since. Having been managed by Gary Johnson, Mark Yates and most recently by Michael Duff, since his departure to Barnsley, the club is under the leadership of Wade Elliott (at time of writing) and sit in seventeenth, five points clear of the drop zone. Their uptick in fortune has coincided with the return from injury of star striker Alfie May, who despite having missed a sizeable chunk of the season has scored five goals so far this season.
Heading to the Completely Suzuki should hold few fears for Argyle, as it is one of the top ten grounds for the club based on past results. That said the one bit of Cheltenham history which involves Argyle came in the game at the then Whaddon Road in 2000 when Martin Devaney scored the first ever League hattrick by a Cheltenham player. This week’s GOS based question is, who scored Argyles second goal in the five two defeat (Big Sean McCarthy got the first) in one of his three league appearances whilst on loan from West Brom?
On the bench that day for Argyle was Steve Guinan, later to become a Cheltenham hero when he scored the goal that won the Play Off final against Grimsby with a cross cum shot.
Guinan, who had a habit of falling out with clubs, including Argyle under Luggy, but also Cambridge after starting a food fight at a formal dinner, and Scunthorpe, where then manager Brian Laws relieved him of his tracksuit in the car park after he refused to extend a loan spell, now remarkably leads the FA’s Elite Player to Coach scheme and most recently helped Ashley Cole into his new England U21 role. He may well be at the game as his seventeen-year-old striker son Zac is currently a first team squad member at Town.
Cheltenham, famous as a Spa town, and for its horse racing has yet to set the football world on fire. It struggles to kindle significant rivalries although the El Glosico against FGR is building. The loss of Hereford United removed its main rivalry, and a lack of matches in history has removed the possibility of a Spa based Derby with Bath City (or for that matter Blyth Spa-Tans, you don't think Geordie girls are naturally that orange surely).
It therefore remains only for OGAAT to wish Pilgrims everywhere a peaceful and enjoyable festive respite from the pressure of leading the pack, to thank you for reading these missives, and for the many kind and encouraging words received.
To the owners, players, staff and all those who work every day to make our weekends and occasional weekday evenings that bit more pleasurable than most, have a merry Christmas with your families and friends.
And whatever you do, don’t mess up our Boxing Day.
COYG!!!
GOS Question. Paul Mardon was the loan Baggie who scored a header after Argyle went in four down at half time. He was also the victim of a wicked deflection for the fourth goal but luckily for him it was not attributed as an own goal.
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