ON THIS DAY

Rodney Jack leaves United for a club record fee

In the wake of Gregory Goodridge’s success at Plainmoor, Don O’Riordan decided to bring another attacker over to England from the Caribbean in late 1995, and that attacker was a certain Rodney Jack!

In the next 2 and a half years Jack bloomed into one of the most impressive players the Yellow Army had seen, and even attracted interest from Kevin Keegan at Newcastle, though thankfully a trial in September 1996 did not see Rodney move up to the north east.

Kevin Hodges’s arrived as manager in 1996. Hodges realised the potential of Jack and built United’s attack around his pace and ability to break open defences. This culminated in a 1997-98 season where the Gulls pushed for promotion, and a glorious play-off semi final home victory against Scarborough that included two goals from the electric Jack. ‘Rodney Jack Jack Jack’ could be heard from the terraces in what would end up being his final game for United at Plainmoor.

The play-off final beckoned, but United struggled to find any fluidity on a scrappy night at Wembley and Colchester United triumphed with a decidedly soft penalty to win promotion. A sad end to Rodney’s time at Torquay, as he would leave for a club record £650k to Crewe Alexandra on 17th July 1998 (a record that still remains intact 27 years later).

Jack went onto spend 5 years at Crewe, before representing Rushden, Oldham, Waterford, Crewe (again), Southport and Nantwich Town where he finished his career in 2012. A player who truly excited the Yellow Army with his pace and skill on the ball, Jack is rightly regarded as one of the best ever to pull on a Torquay shirt.