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| Davenport's Diary |
taken from the Gloucester City v's Cirencester Town matchday programme - Saturday March 27th 2004 |
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| Today’s match epitomises what football is all about. Two local rivals, playing for promotion, quality football on display. Many of the folks around the ground probably think that this derby is a recent one, replacing our Cheltenham and FGR battles. Yet go back some 1600 years and you will find the might of Corinium battling against Glevum, only in those days using a vagrant's head as a football. And how do I know this? Because my great great Grandfather Davenportius was there scribing away, a chip off the four eyed geeky block, as I am now, reviewing City XXV, XV and X years ago |
| 1979 |
| After the coldest winter since 1947 mid March offers no respite from the snow, with up to nine inches falling. City use the break to sign up David Mockridge, brother of City’s Gary, and Ken Griffin from Trowbridge, following a career which included 10 games for Bristol City (when they were good). |
| City make hay while the sun thaws, the first of two 4-3 victories coming away to Stourbridge in the league. This is followed by victory at Whaddon Road, in the Gloucestershire Northern Senior Cup Final against the ten letter C word. City had three goals disallowed, and only a late Dave Lewis goal gave some respectability to Town’s annihilation. In three games that season City had beaten Cheltenham 10-7 on aggregate, having also knocked them out of the Southern League Cup. |
| City hand home league debuts to Ken Griffin and Dave Mockridge against Cambridge City. It was not a good start for the pair, however, as the Tigers ship two goals in the last five minutes. City, who had to borrow Tony Watts from Keynsham through lack of fit players, add Griffin and John Evans to their treatment cupboard following the game. |
| 1989 |
| City’s promotion bandwagon hits the fast lane as City record a 4-1 victory against Bridgnorth, but then promptly gets pulled over for drink driving with two disappointing home league defeats. The first is a 2-1 reverse against physical clowns Nuneaton Borough, followed by a 3-1 defeat to Sutton Coldfield. In between all of this Martin Lander is named City’s player of the month. |
| There was also disappointment in the Southern League Cup semi. A promising 2-1 first leg victory against Burton was overturned in the Midland’s beer capital with a 3-1 defeat, Gary Fullbrook dismissed for a professional foul as City chased a late equaliser. |
| As vultures swirled around Meadow Park, I took my gun out and shot down the pessimists. And the name of that gun was realism. We were just too good not to go up. And there was sunshine on a rainy day as City won 2-1 at Stourbridge, making my soul slip slip away. City then see the end of the month off with a 7-1 Easter Monday victory in front of a Meadow Park league record crowd of 1216. Rovers were actually 1–0 up before the Tigers mauled our local rivals kicking and screaming and begging for mercy, as we racked up 82 goals for the season. City were now 7 points clear of Tamworth, and 9 ahead of Atherstone, although both teams had a game in hand. |
| 1994 |
| Robbie Kemp makes his debut between the sticks for City at Dorchester, with Karl Bayliss and David Webb bringing home the bacon in Prince Chas’s back garden. This is soon followed by a 3-0 away defeat to Moor Green and a 1-0 home reverse to Farnborough. |
| CITY: Steve Crompton, Mark Saunders, Kevin Willetts, Mark Buckland, Paul Bywater, Gary Kemp, Tommy Callinan, Dave Webb, Karl Bayliss, Paul Carty, Paul Hunt (Paul Bloomfield, Dave Porter) |
| This last defeat was the pole that broke the scaffolders back, as the City board decide to sack manager Brian Godfrey. As irritatingly squeaky football pundit Mark Lawrenson covets the post, City act quick to appoint Brian Hughes and Gary Goodwin until the end of the season. In another off the pitch move, Commercial Manager Dave ‘does a lot for charity, doesn’t like to talk about it’ Stallworthy leaves to take up a post at the Spring Centre. |
| On the pitch things are also busy as Dave Porter signs from Swindon Supermarine, while Rob Vassell and Paul Hunt are both released. Paul Carty joins but then leaves, while Murray Fishlock leaves but then re-joins. And lets not forget Tony Cook, who is sent on loan to Clevedon, promptly coming off the bench to score a hat-trick on his debut. Clevedon’s Chairman understates ‘Its early days yet but we think Tony did well’. |
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| Page last updated : 30th June 2004 |
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