Brixham United in the Western League

........................and on such things are legends built.

How do you think they get so many bookings?!?

Have been browsing some old threads and particularly the excellent ones started by Barton and this one caught my eye for a few reasons. I well remember your bad injury Merse that day and I think it was also that day that our goalie Ian Phillips suffered a bad injury to his hand which kept him out for the season. Despite that the excellent skilful Wayne Drake was kept in check and we won 2-0.

By coincidence I also went to Brixham United after leaving Newton Abbot Spurs. I joined half way through the 1970/71 season when Brixham were bottom of the Plymouth & District Premier and they signed five or six players in the same week to try to avoid relegation. Tony Greenham also left Newton Spurs for Brixham at the same time. Another coincidence was that my Brixham debut was at Bude, a 3-2 win, but a ground you obviously have more painful memories of Merse!

The relegation battle was a hard grind but it was successful and I think in the end we finished fourth from bottom. I remember a sequence of six successive draws including a 2-2 against Argyle 'A' on the pitch outside of Home Park. As you mentioned a big crowd made up of people on their way to the first team game. I can't remember who Argyle first team were playing that day (unless it's the same game you are referring to ... you know what my memory is like!) but Mike Dowling who I had played against in the FA Youth Cup only a year earlier had established himself at right back and another player from the Argyle youth team of a year before Peta Bala'c was in the squad and later established himself as first team goalie.

I left Brixham at the end of that season and joined Centrax (where I worked) who had just got promoted to the Premier Division of the South Devon League. The afore-mentioned Tony Greenham also joined from Brixham and another player you know well Merse John Dunn joined from Newton Spurs. Pre-season training was taken by the Gulls Alan Welsh before he left for Argyle but after a great start when we were top of the league after about six games, we went rapidly downhill after losing a two goal half time lead to Upton Athletic and losing 4-2 and at the end of the season were relegated.

When Brixham United went into the First Division of the Western League I went along to about half a dozen home games when I wasn't playing myself as a friend and work colleague Stuart Newberry was playing for them. He though also fell foul of the curse of Wall Park and suffered a bad knee injury which kept him out for months.

The manager during the Western League days was John Cunningham who had been a central defender during my half a season with the club.

A nice friendly club Brixham United with a tidy ground and I have sometimes regretted only staying for half a season, but Centrax seemed to be assembling a strong team with the intention of challenging for the South Devon League title so I was persuaded by promises of league and Herald Cup medals!

Just gullible me! ... that's why I won't open the door to house to house salesmen!! ;D