Clive Hayward – @ByeHorse
“My first Torquay game was a rather exciting Saturday night win against Bournemouth in about 1976. My grandad took me. Steve Cooper was probably my first hero. Brave as a lion and ridiculously good in the air. After Grandad passed away in December 1979 (a few days after a 3-3 FA Cup tie against a decent Swindon team which may sadly have literally been heart-stopping for the old boy) I didn’t go for a bit until I started again with some schoomates in 1981. Let’s be honest, they weren’t vintage times and I can’t really justify picking anyone until a second Cyril came into my life”.
Here goes. I’m not really into tactics, but I suppose this lot would be roughly 4-3-3:
Goalkeeper:
1. BOBBY OLEJNIK
“Big Nev or John Turner would have run him close”.
Full Backs:
2. ANDY GURNEY
“Jim McNichol might get the nod on a rainy Tuesday in Scunthorpe though”.
3. PAUL GIBBS
“Couldn’t leave him out if Gurney was playing, even thought they were both really wing backs in a back five”.
Centre Halves: (with apologies to Stevie Woods, Matt Elliott & Mike Williamson):
5. PHIL LLOYD
“Hard as nails”.
6. WES (kettle-dodger) SAUNDERS
“Just class”.
Midfield:
4 JOS LABADIE
“To kill people mainly”.
7. STEVE MCCALL
“Made Kevin Hodges’ team tick: makes you realise how good players at higher levels must actually be if he could still play the way he did for us in his mid fifties”.
8. ALEX RUSSELL
“Best spotter of a through-ball I remember”.
Front Three:
9. DAVE CALDWELL
“So much fun while it lasted, and that diving header in the last minute at Bristol City won’t be forgotten by those who saw it”.
10. DAVE GRAHAM
“Scored a hat-full and one of the most gifted ball-players I’ve ever seen”.
11. MARK LORAM
“Got to have a local, and what a player. Could happily keep the ball in the corner for the last 5 minutes if necessary”.
Subs:
Rodney Jack – Tim Sills – Jason Fowler – Jim McNicol – Big Nev
Manager:
Cyril Knowles
Line-up:
OLEJNIK
GURNEY – LLOYD – SAUNDERS – GIBBS
LABADIE – McCALL – RUSSELL
LORAM – CALDWELL – GRAHAM
Why @ByeHorse?
“Twitter name is based on the very-occasionally-sung “Goodbye Horse”. I heard it on my first away trip, which was Bristol City (FA Cup 81/2, scraped a 0-0 draw, lost the replay). Gloriously daft song. Always loved it”.
