The 1929–30 Torquay United F.C. season was Torquay United's third season in the Football League and their third consecutive season in Third Division South. The season runs from 1 July 1929 to 30 June 1930.
| 1929–30 season | ||
|---|---|---|
| Chairman |  Charles Dear | |
| Manager | Frank Womack | |
| Third Division South | 19th | |
| FA Cup | First Round | |
| Top goalscorer | League: Joe Pointon (18) All: Joe Pointon (18) | |
| Highest home attendance | 8,299 v Plymouth Argyle, 4 September 1929 (Third Division South) | |
| Lowest home attendance | 2,730 v Watford, 28 December 1929 (Third Division South) | |
| Average home league attendance | 4,271 | |
|
| ||
Overview
editNeeding a replacement for Percy Mackrill, who had left the club before the end of the previous season, Torquay United appointed former Birmingham City full back Frank Womack as their new manager.[1] Womack soon set about putting a together a new squad in an effort to improve upon the lowly finishes of Torquay's first two seasons in the League. Debutants on the opening day of the season included centre half Harry Bruce, inside forward Harry Keeling and the ex-Sheffield United FA Cup winner David Mercer.[1] However, the Magpies made a slow start to the campaign, losing their opening four games, and it was not until the introduction of forwards Joe Pointon and Les Robinson that results slowly began to improve. Effectively displacing Keeling and United mainstay Dan Kelly from the team, Pointon and Robinson ended up scoring a total of 34 goals between them by the end of the season. Robinson became the first Torquay player to score four goals in a League match in the 5–2 win over Walsall in November and, not to be outdone, Pointon repeated the feat in a famous 7–0 victory over Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic the following March. Indeed, it was Pointon and Robinson who scored the goals at Gillingham to secure Torquay's first and only away win of the season.[2]
However, United's fortunes took a turn for the worse in the New Year when a January storm tore off the entire roof of the Grandstand at Plainmoor. With Torquay's finances already in a perilous state, there was a real possibility of the club going out of business altogether.[1][3] But, with the help of public donations and some hastily arranged friendlies, Torquay just about managed to avoid financial ruin, although a run of three consecutive 5–0 defeats to Clapton Orient, Brentford and Brighton did not help to improve the spirits of the team or its supporters.
Nevertheless, reason for optimism arrived with that emphatic 7–0 win over Bournemouth at Plainmoor. The match marked the debut of a 17-year-old winger from Dartmouth named Ralph Birkett. Although only making a handful of appearances for the Magpies before the end of the season, he would eventually become one of the finest players ever to appear for Torquay United. Ironically, the match also saw the final appearance of another local hero Sid Cann.[2] The Torquay born full back had put in some impressive performances since joining United and the club had no option but to accept an offer to sell the young defender, as well as fellow full back Fred Corbett, to First Division side Manchester City.[3]
Despite the emphatic win over Bournemouth, Torquay were still struggling at the bottom of the table as the season drew to a close. Defeat in the final game of the season against local rivals Exeter City would have seen United again having to apply for re-election to the Football League. As it was, a 2–1 victory over the Grecians was enough to see Torquay finish in 19th place, only narrowly avoiding the need for re-election.[1]
Although, safe for another season, it was clear that Frank Womack and Torquay United still had plenty of hard work ahead of them.
League statistics
editThird Division South
edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | Walsall | 42 | 13 | 8 | 21 | 71 | 78 | 0.910 | 34 | |
| 18 | Newport County | 42 | 12 | 10 | 20 | 74 | 85 | 0.871 | 34 | |
| 19 | Torquay United | 42 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 64 | 94 | 0.681 | 31 | |
| 20 | Bristol Rovers | 42 | 11 | 8 | 23 | 67 | 93 | 0.720 | 30 | |
| 21 | Gillingham | 42 | 11 | 8 | 23 | 51 | 80 | 0.638 | 30 | Re-elected |
Results summary
edit| Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |
| 42 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 64 | 94 | 0.681 | 31 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 50 | 38 | 24 | 1 | 5 | 15 | 14 | 56 | 7 |
Source: rsssf.com
Results by round
editMatch of the season
editTORQUAY UNITED 7–0 BOURNEMOUTH & BOSCOMBE ATHLETIC
Third Division South
Plainmoor, 8 March 1930
         TORQUAY UNITED |
   BOURNEMOUTH |
| TORQUAY UNITED: | |||
| GK | 1 | Archie Bayes
| |
| RB | 2 | Frank Womack
| |
| LB | 3 | Jack Fowler
| |
| RH | 4 | Stan High
| |
| CH | 5 | Sid Cann
| |
| LH | 6 | Bob Smith
| |
| OR | 7 | Ralph Birkett
| |
| IR | 8 |  Dan Kelly 
| |
| CF | 9 | Joe Pointon
| |
| IL | 10 | Harry Keeling
| |
| OL | 11 | Harry Waller
| |
Having not won a match since the previous December, few would have expected Torquay United (currently lying 19th in the Third Division South table) to get much out of the visit of 6th placed Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic. The Plainmoor faithful had already witnessed a 5–0 thrashing from Clapton Orient back in January, and the travelling fans were treated to two more defeats by the same scoreline in their next two away matches. Not many then would have been expecting the Magpies to record their biggest League victory to date when the Cherries came to town.
Helping himself to four of the seven goals that day was centre forward Joe Pointon, doubling his tally for the season so far, although he would go on to score another ten goals before the end of the campaign. Dan Kelly and Harry Waller scored the other three between them while the Torquay defence held firm behind them, despite the 41-year-old Frank Womack selecting himself at right back. (In fact, this was manager Womack's sixth match in succession and he ended up playing in every game for the rest of the season, even appearing as an inside forward when Torquay were themselves victims of a 7–0 humiliation at Walsall in April).[2]
The match also has a unique place in history as it was the only time that two of Torquay's greatest ever home-grown players appeared together. Born in Babbacombe, Sid Cann had joined the Magpies the previous season at the age of 16 and quickly developed into an extremely effective full back, eventually displacing the more experienced Willie Brown from the team. In his second season, he had proved his versatility by being able to fill in at centre half, a role he fulfilled in this game.[2] Unfortunately, this was to be Cann's last match for the Magpies before leaving for Manchester City. Ironically, the same game saw the debut of another local lad with Ralph Birkett, a 17-year-old amateur from Dartmouth United, appearing on the right wing.[3] Birkett had a storming debut for Torquay setting up four of United's goals and the youngster signed a professional contract with the club shortly afterwards.[1] While Cann's move to a First Division side was a major accomplishment for a Torquay player, Birkett would go on to eclipse his achievements when, after three full seasons for United, he would sign for Arsenal and then Middlesbrough before eventually appearing for England in 1935.[1][3]
Results
editThird Division South
edit| 31 Aug 1929 | Watford | 2 – 0 | Torquay United | Vicarage Road |
| |
Attendance: 11,558 |
| 4 Sep 1929 | Torquay United | 3 – 4 | Plymouth Argyle | Plainmoor |
| Hill Keeling |
Craig (pen.) Matthews Bowden Leslie |
Attendance: 8,299 |
| 7 Sep 1929 | Torquay United | 1 – 3 | Coventry City | Plainmoor |
| Hill |
|
Attendance: 5,250 |
| 11 Sep 1929 | Plymouth Argyle | 5 – 0 | Torquay United | Home Park |
| Leslie McKenzie Sloan Black |
Attendance: 9,827 |
| 14 Sep 1929 | Clapton Orient | 1 – 1 | Torquay United | Millfields Road |
| |
Pointon |
Attendance: 12,561 |
| 18 Sep 1929 | Exeter City | 0 – 0 | Torquay United | St James Park |
| Attendance: 5,745 |
| 21 Sep 1929 | Torquay United | 2 – 1 | Brentford | Plainmoor |
| Robinson |
|
Attendance: 5,012 |
| 28 Sep 1929 | Bristol Rovers | 2 – 0 | Torquay United | Eastville Stadium |
| |
Attendance: 6,581 |
| 5 Oct 1929 | Torquay United | 5 – 2 | Brighton & Hove Albion | Plainmoor |
| Cann (pen.) (pen.) Pointon Robinson |
|
Attendance: 3,934 |
| 12 Oct 1929 | Swindon Town | 2 – 1 | Torquay United | County Ground |
| |
Robinson |
Attendance: 6,058 |
| 19 Oct 1929 | Southend United | 1 – 1 | Torquay United | The Kursaal |
| |
Robinson |
Attendance: 8,269 |
| 26 Oct 1929 | Torquay United | 2 – 2 | Luton Town | Plainmoor |
| Hill Keeling |
|
Attendance: 4,755 |
| 2 Nov 1929 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | 4 – 1 | Torquay United | Dean Court |
| |
Smith (pen.) |
Attendance: 6,770 |
| 9 Nov 1929 | Torquay United | 5 – 2 | Walsall | Plainmoor |
| Robinson Hill |
|
Attendance: 4,463 |
| 16 Nov 1929 | Queens Park Rangers | 1 – 1 | Torquay United | Loftus Road |
| |
Waller |
Attendance: 2,360 |
| 23 Nov 1929 | Torquay United | 2 – 4 | Fulham | Plainmoor |
| Cann (pen.) Robinson |
|
Attendance: 4,380 |
| 7 Dec 1929 | Torquay United | 2 – 2 | Crystal Palace | Plainmoor |
| Hill |
|
Attendance: 3,400 |
| 14 Dec 1929 | Gillingham | 0 – 2 | Torquay United | Priestfield |
| Robinson Pointon |
Attendance: 3,310 |
| 21 Dec 1929 | Torquay United | 0 – 1 | Northampton Town | Plainmoor |
| |
Attendance: 3,730 |
| 25 Dec 1929 | Newport County | 2 – 1 | Torquay United | Somerton Park |
| Morris Thomas |
Corbett |
Attendance: 3,337 |
| 26 Dec 1929 | Torquay United | 3 – 2 | Newport County | Plainmoor |
| Kelly Robinson |
Martin Seymour |
Attendance: 5,928 |
| 28 Dec 1929 | Torquay United | 4 – 0 | Watford | Plainmoor |
| Robinson Kelly Hill |
Attendance: 2,730 |
| 4 Jan 1930 | Coventry City | 4 – 1 | Torquay United | Highfield Road |
| |
Hill |
Attendance: 12,782 |
| 11 Jan 1930 | Norwich City | 2 – 0 | Torquay United | The Nest |
| |
Attendance: 8,864 |
| 18 Jan 1930 | Torquay United | 0 – 5 | Clapton Orient | Plainmoor |
| |
Attendance: 4,132 |
| 25 Jan 1930 | Brentford | 5 – 0 | Torquay United | Griffin Park |
| |
Attendance: 10,497 |
| 8 Feb 1930 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 5 – 0 | Torquay United | Goldstone Ground |
| |
Attendance: 9,964 |
| 15 Feb 1930 | Torquay United | 1 – 1 | Swindon Town | Plainmoor |
| Keeling |
|
Attendance: 3,473 |
| 22 Feb 1930 | Torquay United | 1 – 1 | Southend United | Plainmoor |
| Robinson |
|
Attendance: 3,429 |
| 1 Mar 1930 | Luton Town | 3 – 1 | Torquay United | Kenilworth Road |
| |
Hill |
Attendance: 7,239 |
| 8 Mar 1930 | Torquay United | 7 – 0 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | Plainmoor |
| Pointon Waller Kelly |
Attendance: 3,443 |
| 22 Mar 1930 | Torquay United | 1 – 3 | Queens Park Rangers | Plainmoor |
| Hill |
|
Attendance: 4,335 |
| 29 Mar 1930 | Fulham | 1 – 0 | Torquay United | Craven Cottage |
| |
Attendance: 11,038 |
| 2 Apr 1930 | Torquay United | 2 – 1 | Bristol Rovers | Plainmoor |
| Pointon |
|
Attendance: 3,267 |
| 5 Apr 1930 | Torquay United | 2 – 2 | Norwich City | Plainmoor |
| Kelly Pointon |
|
Attendance: 3,921 |
| 9 Apr 1930 | Walsall | 7 – 0 | Torquay United | Fellows Park |
| |
Attendance: 2,492 |
| 12 Apr 1930 | Crystal Palace | 4 – 2 | Torquay United | Selhurst Park |
| |
Keeling Pointon |
Attendance: 9,555 |
| 19 Apr 1930 | Torquay United | 1 – 1 | Gillingham | Plainmoor |
| Keeling |
|
Attendance: 3,472 |
| 21 Apr 1930 | Torquay United | 4 – 0 | Merthyr Town | Plainmoor |
| Hill Pointon |
Attendance: 3,337 |
| 22 Apr 1930 | Merthyr Town | 3 – 0 | Torquay United | Penydarren Park |
| |
Attendance: 1,612 |
| 26 Apr 1930 | Northampton Town | 2 – 2 | Torquay United | County Ground |
| |
Pointon Keeling |
Attendance: 4,100 |
| 3 May 1930 | Torquay United | 2 – 1 | Exeter City | Plainmoor |
| Pointon |
|
Attendance: 4,993 |
FA Cup
edit| 30 Nov 1929 First Round | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | 2 – 0 | Torquay United | Dean Court |
| |
Club statistics
editFirst team appearances
edit| Nat | Pos | Player | Total | Third Division South | FA Cup | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
|
|
GK | Archie Bayes | 18 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
|
GK | Harold Gough | 18 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
|
|
GK | Laurie Millsom | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
|
DF | Jack Fowler | 29 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
|
|
DF | Sid Cann | 28 | 3 | 27 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
|
|
DF | Fred Corbett | 22 | 1 | 21 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
|
|
DF | Frank Womack | 20 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
|
|
DF | George Goucher | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
|
MF | Bob Smith | 41 | 1 | 41 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
|
|
MF | Harry Bruce | 29 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
|
|
MF | Stan High | 28 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
|
MF | Bill Hunter | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
|
MF | Cecil White | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
|
MF | Bill Clitheroe | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
|
MF | Harry May | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
|
FW | Joe Hill | 33 | 8 | 32 | 8 | 1 | 0 |
|
|
FW | Harry Waller | 30 | 5 | 29 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
|
|
FW | David Mercer | 29 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
|
|
FW | Joe Pointon | 28 | 18 | 27 | 18 | 1 | 0 |
|
|
FW | Les Robinson | 24 | 16 | 23 | 16 | 1 | 0 |
|
|
FW | Harry Keeling | 22 | 7 | 22 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
|
|
FW | Dan Kelly | 19 | 5 | 19 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
|
|
FW | Andrew Martin | 13 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
|
FW | Jack Burn | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
|
FW | Ralph Birkett | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
|
FW | Harry Rice | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Source:[2]
Top scorers
edit| Place | Position | Nation | Name | Third Division South | FA Cup | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FW | |
Joe Pointon | 18 | 0 | 18 |
| 2 | FW | |
Les Robinson | 16 | 0 | 16 |
| 3 | FW | |
Joe Hill | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| 4 | FW | |
Harry Keeling | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| 5 | FW | |
Dan Kelly | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| = | FW | |
Harry Waller | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| 7 | DF | |
Sid Cann | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 8 | DF | |
Fred Corbett | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | MF | |
Bob Smith | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Own goals | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| TOTAL | 64 | 0 | 64 | |||
Source:[2]
Transfers
editIn
edit| First appearance | Nat. | Pos. | Name | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 August 1929 |
|
MF | Harry Bruce | Gillingham |
| 31 August 1929 |
|
MF | Stan High | Leicester City |
| 31 August 1929 |
|
FW | Harry Keeling | Notts County |
| 31 August 1929 |
|
FW | Andrew Martin | Rochdale |
| 31 August 1929 |
|
FW | David Mercer | Shirebrook |
| 4 September 1929 |
|
FW | Jack Burn | Worcester City |
| 4 September 1929 |
|
FW | Harry Rice | Shrewsbury Town |
| 4 September 1929 |
|
DF | Frank Womack | Worcester City |
| 7 September 1929 |
|
MF | Harry May | Unattached |
| 11 September 1929 |
|
FW | Joe Pointon | Brighton & Hove Albion |
| 11 September 1929 |
|
FW | Les Robinson | Thames |
| 18 September 1929 |
|
DF | Fred Corbett | Worcester City |
| 19 October 1929 |
|
DF | George Goucher | Nottingham Forest |
| 26 December 1929 |
|
MF | Bill Hunter | Walsall |
| 8 March 1930 |
|
FW | Ralph Birkett | Dartmouth United |
| 29 March 1930 |
|
MF | Cecil White | Leeds United |
Out
edit| Last appearance | Nat. | Pos. | Name | To |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 September 1929 |
|
MF | Harry May | Released |
| 11 September 1929 |
|
FW | Harry Rice | Evesham Town |
| 9 November 1929 |
|
FW | Andrew Martin | Released |
| 7 December 1929 |
|
FW | Jack Burn | Hereford United |
| 18 January 1930 |
|
MF | Bill Hunter | Released |
| 25 January 1930 |
|
DF | Fred Corbett | Manchester City |
| 15 February 1930 |
|
MF | Bill Clitheroe | Released |
| 1 March 1930 |
|
FW | Les Robinson | Released |
| 8 March 1930 |
|
DF | Sid Cann | Manchester City |
| 29 March 1930 |
|
GK | Harold Gough | Retired |
| 19 April 1930 |
|
FW | Dan Kelly | York City |
| 19 April 1930 |
|
MF | Cecil White | Wigan Borough |
| 3 May 1930 |
|
GK | Archie Bayes | Retired |
| 3 May 1930 |
|
MF | Harry Bruce | Colwyn Bay |
| 3 May 1930 |
|
DF | George Goucher | Shirebrook |
| 3 May 1930 |
|
FW | Joe Hill | Newark Town |
| 3 May 1930 |
|
FW | David Mercer | Released |
| 3 May 1930 |
|
FW | Joe Pointon | Bristol Rovers |
Source:[2]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f Edwards, Leigh; Gibbes, Jon; Lovis, John (1999). Torquay United, The Official Centenary History, 1899-1999. Yore Publications. ISBN 1-874427-38-0
- ^ a b c d e f g Edwards, Leigh (1997). The Definitive Torquay United F.C.. The Association of Football Statisticians. ISBN 1-899468-09-9.
- ^ a b c d Holgate, Mike (1999). Torquay United Football Club 1899-1999. Tempus Publishing. ISBN 0-7524-1814-9
External links
edit- "Torquayunited.com". Archived from the original on 27 December 2009.
- "TFF History Room". Archived from the original on 26 February 2011.
- "TUFC History". Archived from the original on 12 May 2008.
- "Football Club History Database".
- "Statto.com". Archived from the original on 7 January 2010. Retrieved 14 June 2011.
- "Historical Football Kits".