The time of your Argyle life

[IJN]

I think THE game that typified Mariner/Raffety era was the 7-3 win at Bournemouth. We were 5-0 up at half time (i might be wrong) they started to come back, 1,2 and 3, the whole of the home crowd were chanting 'Boscombe, Boscombe' then I noticed Mariner, run across to Waiters, he said something to the Gaffer, TW nodded, and then we scored another two.

The season before we played them in the blazing sun (towards the end of the season) and we had a mare in a 0-0 draw.

Strange what you remember.

Those of you that check GoS could prove me completely wrong, but they're my memories!

 

[Sainghin Green]

Tawtongreen - check out GOS - Club Tours - 1963 Eastern Europe. Perhaps one or two of them came to see Argyle !

 

[Caribou]

I’ve enjoyed this thread. Probably not much fresh to add other than a bit more gushing over Shilton’s team. I had been back in Cornwall a couple of years between university and moving away for work and having endured most home games in the Kemp era this team was the freshest of breaths. So many players on my all-time favourites list, probably Dalton more than any of them because I just love an old fashioned winger. That whole team was a pure delight for one season, though you could see it building the season before. McCall, Nicholls, Castle and Marshall are all among the best I’ve seen for us. It also marks the end of a personal era for me, leaving Cornwall for good and sadly the start of a bit of a gap in my visits to Home Park.

The 83-84 cup run team has a special place in my memory too - partly for the cup run and partly because as a 13 year old at the time it’s the first team I properly remember. Rubbish in the league but somehow they kept winning in the cup, and of course a few club legends in there: Crudgington (63 games that season I see on GoS!!), Tynan, Hodges and Nisbet all stand out for me. Happy memories, although the football doesn’t stand comparison to what we are seeing now.

 

[tawtongreen]

Thanks for the link....Poland, I knew it was cold! I was 4 or 5 then so had no specific recollection of it myself. Had always thought it more likely to be a myth. 100,000 - wow!
Am pleased to have found GoS - will spend a few hours reminiscing!!
Good times - & here they come again.

 

[Alan Turing]

I would say the Waiters era but I was only 10 when he arrived and I didn’t fully appreciate what we had, although Billy Rafferty is still my favourite. So, I would have to say 2001/02 and 2003/04 when you could arrive at Home Park, not wondering if we would win, but how many we would win by.

 

[April 1971]

The Waiters team, but for me the first season in league two, visits from giants with massive followings Chelsea, Sunderland and Southampton, beating Sunderland 1-0 was a real highlight with Mariner and Rafferty in their pomp, happy days.

 

[jerryatricjanner]

I have to say the Waiters era and Rafferty/Mariner as an 18/19 year old. It was special for me, the 20,000 plus crowds for 3rd tier games as the season concluded, the peak being over 28,000 against Blackburn in midweek, knowing I was watching a future star in the making in Mariner, the best player I have seen in the green shirt, the "Oh Billy Billy" chants reverberating around Home Park and the best performance I have ever witnessed from an Argyle team, the 3 nil win at QPR in the League Cup on our way to the semi final after having already disposed of Torquay, Burnley and Pompey before beating Birmingham in the quarter final. Waiters really got the public behind him and I felt we were going somewhere but sadly it didn't work out.
The 3 seasons with Sturrock when we won such a high percentage of games and which resulted in two promotions was special too.
The anticipation going to Villa Park in the mid 80s with 30,000 Argyle fans knowing we were just one game from the FA Cup Final was almost surreal.
As a one off season the Shilton season when we should have gone up was possibly the most entertaining football I saw played at Home Park but there is no way that team would have lived with some of the Argyle teams that graced the second tier and at the end of the day they fell short of what Waiter's, Sturrock's and Dave Smith's teams achieved. Nicholls, Poole, Castle, Dalton and Marshall were all very exciting to watch but players like Naylor, Comyn and Hill would have struggled at that level.
Hopefully, this season can be added to my list and if it is it will be a tremendous achievement in view of the number of "bigger" clubs currently in the 3rd tier.

 

[finegreen]

For me it was the Dave smith era....I was still in school but going Argyle with my pals, branching out..... and that night against Bristol, city.... Christ alive ......what a night and what an experience....Stanniforth, Cooper, Tynan ect....there's no going back after that...your in for life.

 

[memory man]

1961-62 for me, the last time we were in with a genuine tilt at getting into the top tier. After a poor start reserve team manager Ellis Stuttard was promoted. In his first 18 games in charge we were beaten just once, a 2-1 reverse at Annfield. The football was a scintillating brand of one and two touch. The team surged into third place with six games to go. We were the form team and second place Orient couldn't buy a win. With 4 of our six remaining games against teams in the bottom three, promotion looked assured. But five defeats and a draw stunned us all and we faded to 5th. Liverpool were champions and have never finished lower than 8th in any season since. But Maclaren, Robertson, Fulton, Williams, Fincham Newman, Anderson, Carter, Kirby, McAnearney and Maloy gave us some wonderful entertainment. It was the finest football I have seen at HP and the 3-0 hammering of West Ham in FAC3 was the greatest display.

 

[IJN]

Ouch just imagine that today!?? Social Media would be in meltdown.

 

[Lennygreen]

83-84 cup run for me. I remember seeing Tommy Tynan score at West Brom and have a vivid recollection of Gordon Staniforth’s mazy run from the centre circle against Derby only to see the ball rebound off both posts. Listened to the replay on the wireless with mates around the kitchen table at my mum‘s. Andy Rogers scorIng direct from a corner sent chairs flying. Returned early from holiday to be at Villa Park for the Watford semi final where it all ended but it was a great run and a distraction from the struggle in the league. Over 34,000 at Home Park for the quarter final - what a noise!

 

[Green Flash]

Been supporting club for almost 40 years. Now is coming close

 

[saxman]

Been supporting club for almost 40 years. Now is coming close

And for me.

 

[exiledhammer]

Living in Nottingham in 2003, going to Port Vale 5-1 on the Saturday and winning at Hillsborough on the Tuesday to go top of the league. Will never forget Friio’s top corner effort and the look of joy as he ran towards us!

 

[The Doctor]

I’m going to say it’s NOW.
You can only live in the present moment and enjoy what’s there in front of you, etc.
“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery but today is a gift. That‘s why they call it the present.”