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| Davenport's Diary |
taken from the Gloucester City v's Taunton Town matchday programme - Saturday February 7th 2004 |
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| Yesterday was Davenport’s 105th birthday, and what better birthday could I have than 3 points today. Apart from three points PLUS a lottery jackpot, PLUS a bevvy of beautiful fillies on my arm. Still, it ain’t going to happen – I don’t do the lottery. But, if nothing else I’ll settle back with a Werther’s Original and think back 10, 15 and 25 years ago, to when I was just a mere octogenarian |
| 1979 |
| City are finally back in action after a break of almost two months and look ring rusty as they go down 2-1 at home to second placed Grantham, Terry Patterson netting for the Tigers. This is followed by a 2-0 defeat at Bedford Town. A once promising second place turns into a slide down through mid table, as City drop quicker than a Italian striker. So a win was especially welcome when City beat bottom side Corby Town 4-1, a game that saw 15 year old Mike Emmerson drafted in from Bristol City on the morning of the match due to illness and injury amongst the City keepers. 9 year old Mcauley Culkin is on the bench. |
| CITY: Mike Emmerson, Davis, Gary Mockridge, Ken Mallender, Gary Bell, Selwyn Rice, John Turner, Phil Brake, John Evans, Mike Bruton, Terry Patterson, Colin Hall |
| Future City player Ian Hendry makes his debut for Hereford United, following a £5,000 transfer from Aston Villa. Elsewhere Forest Green occupy mid table in the Hellenic Premier, and Cinderford are similarly placed in the Midland Combination. |
| In the news, the US Spacecraft Voyager speeds towards Saturn, and 3 are killed at a Lydney level crossing as the Cardiff to Newcastle train hits a lorry. |
| 1989 |
| City’s impressive run of league form continues with a 2-1 win away to bottom club Wellingborough. In a game City dominated from start to finish only a fantabulous display by home keeper Kevin ‘Crazy Like A’ Fox, kept the score down to a Chris Townsend double. |
| In the League Cup City triumph over two legs against Baldock 2-1, followed by a 2-1 victory against Hednesford in the next round, with Brian Hughes and Wayne Noble setting up a semi final clash against Burton Albion. |
| Off the pitch City sell Mike Andrews to Redditch, while Adie Harris goes on loan to Newent to build up match fitness. Simon Tyler resumes training, after a career threatening back injury kept him out for a season. |
| Future City star, and part time ginger genius Neil Mustoe, scores 7 for Robinswood under 13s, whilst playing over age (he was only 5). And talking of goals, Shaun Penny leads the Midland Division goal charts with 18, with Chris Townsend not far behind on 15. |
| In world news Salman Rushdie has a price put on his head, and Roman Abramovich immediately puts in a bid for £15M. For any Islamic Clerics reading this I promise it’s only a joke, and I’ll do 50 hail Garys in penance. Elsewhere the US denounces the USSR for bombing Afghanistan, and Sky TV is launched. |
| 1994 |
| City’s transfer merry-go-up continues as the latest names to join City are Kidderminster striker Colin Gordon and Gary Goodwin, who joins as Assistant Manager. A number of players go the other way, so to speak. Richard Criddle, Dean Birkby, Martin Blackler and Mark Boyland are inconsolable as their Meadow Park dream is over. Murray Fishlock is loaned to Moreton. One player that isn’t going anywhere, though, is Karl Bayliss, with Keith Gardner blocking any move to Preston North End until a transfer fee can be agreed. |
| On the pitch City’s form remains patchy, with a 0-0 home draw against Halesowen, although a last minute Tony Cook header almost takes all three points for the Tigers. This is followed by a disappointing 1-0 reverse at Hastings. If you want goals then Farnborough is the place to be, where Chelmsford lose out by the odd goal in 13. |
| Keith Gardner announces ambitious plans to buy Fieldings, while the Supporters Club start an appeal to raise the £12K required to cover the T-End. The club announces it needs mascots –I turn up to auditions on a Grifter, wearing nothing but a nappy, to be told that “they’ll let me know”. You think that’s weird then check Stephen Milligan, Tory MP, found asphyxiated wearing women’s underwear and sucking a lemon. |
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taken from the Gloucester City v's Stourport Swifts matchday programme - Saturday February 28th 2004 |
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| When my mate Dancing Darren asked me what connected Stourbridge to Newport I thought he was talking about some intergalactic time tunnel, or at least a motorway. His grinning answer was, of course, today’s opponents Stourport. And that’s why I write for this programme and he can barely write his name. Such drivel and uninteresting anecdotes have no place in this encyclopaedia of information. Today you will walk away knowing the fortunes of your team 10, 15 and 25 years ago. You learn something new when you read Davenport’s Diary. |
| Finally, just a word of warning to any of you unmarried chaps out there. Tomorrow is the 29th February, so keep away from your womenfolk. |
| 1979 |
| With comebacks very much in the football news lately, City stage their own attempt, coming back from a 4-0 half time deficit at Tamworth to lose 4-3. Inspired by Manchester City’s heroics 25 years later, only the bar prevents the Tigers from grabbing a point with the last attack of the game. City find themselves in 12th spot after at one stage being near the top of the table. Top dogs are Merthyr, Grantham, Enderby Town and Bedworth while scraping the bottom of your shoe are Corby, Milton Keynes and Stourbridge. |
| Trevor Francis becomes Britain’s most expensive footballer, joining Nottingham Forest from Birmingham for a penny short of a million. My mother receives a fine from Tuffley library for £10 after I scrawl ‘City’ on every page of Roald Dahl’s ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’. |
| 1989 |
| City’s promotion bandwagon is very much in top gear, windows down, and roof open as the Tigers give Coventry Sporting a Midland Division mauling at a murky Meadow Park. On a wet afternoon, seven goals rained past our inundated opponents, and not one of them from Man of the Match Chris Townsend, although Shaun Penny did hit a hat-trick. |
| CITY: John Shaw, Greg Steele, Martin Williams, Martin Lander, Steve Talboys, Nigel Green, Ian Hedges, Brian Hughes, Shaun Penn, Chris Townsend, Wayne Noble (Lance Morrison, David Payne) |
| After such a goalfeast few would have predicted City firing blanks at Halesowen just days later, but that’s just what happened in a 0-0 draw in the Midlands. I kid you not. And the lads would have been happy with that as the posh brummies peppered our goal. |
| In the transfer market City snap up Gary Fullbrook from Bath City to provide some more depth to an injury and suspension ravaged team. Meanwhile Burton duo Steve Cotterill and John Gayle grab the attention of Wimbledon. Off the field future Chair George Irvine is elected to the City Board. |
| Back to football, and City and Chris Townsend are back on the scoresheet again, with a 2-0 victory at Mile Oak Rovers, Gary Fullbrook making his debut. The most memorable thing about the game was that you could watch City play while on a swing, and that they took down the nets after the game. |
| 1994 |
| City’s home encounter with Trowbridge has an incestuous feel about it, as the away team include Mark Teasdale, John Fireguard, Adie Harris, Keith Knight, Marcus Bray and Ray Baverstock in their squad. And Marcus was Braying, Mark Teasing and Keith partying all Knight as the Wiltshire side came away with the points, City crashing to an 84th minute goal in a 1-0 defeat. |
| City were as busy as ever in the transfer market, with Colin Gordon released. His replacement is Paul Hunt, the former Swindon player and son of City’s commercial manager Ernie Hunt. City also sign the highly rated keeper Robbie Kemp from Worcester City. There’s still room for a local lad, though, as City put in 7 days notice to Forest Green for their free scoring striker Andy Hoskins, after he nets 13 times in 9 games for the Nailsworthians. In a tit for tat move Forest Green put in 7 days notice for City captain Mark Buckland. Satellite pictures detect a mass build up of troops and movement of missiles either side of the Stroud Valley, and as tension rises there are reports of panic buying in Brimscombe. |
| Meanwhile a local man is arrested following an investigation into the disappearance of his daughter, in a story that would soon put Gloucester on the world map for the wrong reasons. |
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| Page last updated : 30th June 2004 |
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