I was surprised to see the great Don Mills - the finest left foot ever to grace Plainmoor - playing at RIGHT half for Newton Abbot Spurs in this game on 19 April 1969. Why?
I can think of three possible answers:
1.Newton Abbot in the late 60s was so full of lefties that they couldn't find a right-footed half back.
2. Manager Bill Anderson was a buffoon of Bucklesque proportions who played players out of position through sheer stupidity.
3. Mills was baby-sitting the young boy making his debut at right back.
Anybody know for sure?
I thought the young right back played quite well really!
In those days although everybody had long abandoned the old 2-3-5 newspapers still slotted people into those old positions. In that game Don was playing in the centre of defence in more of a sweeper role.
It was not unusual that season for Don to be playing South Western League football with Spurs. His responsibilities at Plainmoor were for youth development so with Harry Topping running the United reserve side in the Western League playing for Spurs gave Don the opportunity to gauge youngsters at first hand.
Our old friend Merse was on the bench for Spurs in that game and he reminded me recently that I was marking ex-Torquay and Arsenal winger Mike Tiddy. Although that game was my first on 19 April I went on to play in about 10 SWL games that season, the last being a 3-2 home defeat to Falmouth Town on the 31 May. It seemed the season would never end and we were back training again for 1969/70 about three weeks later.
All clubs in non-league football had end of season fixture pile-ups at that time due to bad weather and cup-ties, and few had floodlights so there was no opportunity for mid-week games until the lighter evenings at the end of the season. That resulted in it not being unusual to play five games in a week for different Spurs teams and sometimes play a South Western League game at the Rec immediately followed by a South Devon League game for Spurs reserves. That whilst holding down a proper job, it makes me weep when I see Premiership players complaining about two games in a week! (ok I accept it may be a tad faster! ;D).
In the 69/70 season Don didn't play as much for Spurs as he took over United reserves from Harry Topping but I do remember playing in a South Devon League game that season against Newton 66 when United reserves didn't have a game with Don Mills in central defence, Ian Twitchin at right back, and Robbie Robbins in goal. I remember that game as I did the same as Ant Roach did at the weekend, broke my big toe!
As far as Bill Anderson being a buffoon, well I wouldn't tell him as I was frightened to death of him, but he was a great character and I actually left Spurs a week after he left to run the Union pub as it just wasn't the same without him.
I am wondering now thinking about whether the 'baby sitting' may be right, as although naturally right footed I often played on the left and when I did Don went that side of central defence, or left-half! Never spotted that before!!
Nice to have a very old memory stirred Jon by your press cutting just as you did with those clippings from the FA Youth Cup 1969. I used to have loads of press cuttings, programmes, and other momentoes but over the years with about 18 house moves and a divorce all my stuff just disappeared I think much in the same way as Leigh's football collection!!If you do find yourself in the library Jon with nothing better to do I'd be interested in the Herald football edition for 11 October 1969.
It's nice to read something written at the time so that memories of events can be adjusted!! ;D
